Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Trail angles
Trail angles scout and frodo run quite the favor for all us. 38 staying here tonight... and that's just one night.. got in one last REI run before the big day tomorrow!
Rainy San Diego
Woke up this morning feeling a lil better and to a beautiful post rain beach. Hiking tomorrow? We will see...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Start Date Delayed...
Unfortunately, things happen that you can't really prepare for. You just have to deal with these types of situations the best you can. Like Baker always used to say 'roll with the punches'. I had a great day last Sunday climbing at Horsethief, but unfortunately on Monday I woke up feeling like shit. Body aches, fever, head ache, and nausia had persisted the last couple days. Today I flew into San Diego in hopes of feeling better, but I still have a nasty head ache and a low fever...
The plan is to suck it up and take 1 or 2 rest days before joining my fellow thru hikers on the trail. I will miss a very popular start date tomorrow, but that's OK. Even though I'm starting behind 'the herd', I'll catch up. Depending on how I feel, I will start hiking Friday morning to Morena Lake (or a near chunk of that section).
Will update as things progress...
PS. Thanks to old time friends Cassidy and Jessica for taking me under their wing in Mission Beach!
The plan is to suck it up and take 1 or 2 rest days before joining my fellow thru hikers on the trail. I will miss a very popular start date tomorrow, but that's OK. Even though I'm starting behind 'the herd', I'll catch up. Depending on how I feel, I will start hiking Friday morning to Morena Lake (or a near chunk of that section).
Will update as things progress...
PS. Thanks to old time friends Cassidy and Jessica for taking me under their wing in Mission Beach!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Rock Session at Horse-thief
This weekend our BCEP crew had the infamous Horsethief rock session, and camped out near the mouth of the Deschutes river (as it flows into the mighty Columbia)... The drive towards the campsite, located about 25 miles past the Dalles, was beautiful and reminded me of the time my mother drove us to Yellowstone via Hwy 84 when I was younger. Just past Hood River, the rolling hills and mountains changed from temperate rainforest to dry Cascadia desert. The sun was out and was likely the warmest day of the year so far. After setting up camp, a few of us took a refreshing dip in the Deschutes (still freezing cold I might add). Later on, we potlucked (with 3 teams-worth of food) which was amazing. Imaging 30-40 people all interested in climbing, from different cultures, bringing their own special foods to the event. There were a fair share of Spanish, vegetarian, local, and homemade dishes... enough to feed a small town.
The Sapphire Gin that Tery brought, "tinto de verano" that Nicole fixed up, and the Coronas that Audry handed out resulted in warm 'get to know everybody a little bit better' evening (to say it nicely). Because I'm still not comfortable with my sleeping system, and because freight trains kept rolling through the hills, AND because of the alcohol, I was unable to fall asleep until a couple hrs before I woke up at 6:45am.
Needless to say, we awoke, packed up camp, drank a little coffee and jetted out to the Washington side meeting at Horse-thief Butte. Horsethief is a special place to learn/practice rock skills. It's located in the middle of an ancient lava flow and consists of Basalt rock. Not only is it located in an amazing place with views of the Columbia River and Mt. Hood, the crag had many pictographs (not for touching!) from the ancient indigenous people.
It was 8am and already getting warm. The sky was blue and the only cloud in the sky was hovering over Mt. Hood's summit. After the instructors set up about 15 different anchor systems and climbing routes, us students had the privilege of climbing to our heart's desire from 9 till 3pm. I thank all the instructors for helping us out, assisting, standing in the hot sun all day, and taking everything down just so we can have fun and climb!
I completed my 'skills assessment' test early because I'm leaving for the PCT and will miss the remaining week of BCEP. Now that BCEP is nearly finished, my focus is now on the PCT.... and I'm not gonna lie..I'm getting pretty excited :)
For more photos of our Horsethief Session, visit our instructor Daniel's photo page HERE.
The Sapphire Gin that Tery brought, "tinto de verano" that Nicole fixed up, and the Coronas that Audry handed out resulted in warm 'get to know everybody a little bit better' evening (to say it nicely). Because I'm still not comfortable with my sleeping system, and because freight trains kept rolling through the hills, AND because of the alcohol, I was unable to fall asleep until a couple hrs before I woke up at 6:45am.
 |
| Top of Horsethief Butte looking towards the Columbia and Mt. Hood |
Needless to say, we awoke, packed up camp, drank a little coffee and jetted out to the Washington side meeting at Horse-thief Butte. Horsethief is a special place to learn/practice rock skills. It's located in the middle of an ancient lava flow and consists of Basalt rock. Not only is it located in an amazing place with views of the Columbia River and Mt. Hood, the crag had many pictographs (not for touching!) from the ancient indigenous people.
It was 8am and already getting warm. The sky was blue and the only cloud in the sky was hovering over Mt. Hood's summit. After the instructors set up about 15 different anchor systems and climbing routes, us students had the privilege of climbing to our heart's desire from 9 till 3pm. I thank all the instructors for helping us out, assisting, standing in the hot sun all day, and taking everything down just so we can have fun and climb!
 |
| The Crew 'Team 10' gearing up for an extreme rock sesh |
 |
| Buddy Audrey about to climb like Godzilla.. she's bad-ass |
I completed my 'skills assessment' test early because I'm leaving for the PCT and will miss the remaining week of BCEP. Now that BCEP is nearly finished, my focus is now on the PCT.... and I'm not gonna lie..I'm getting pretty excited :)
For more photos of our Horsethief Session, visit our instructor Daniel's photo page HERE.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Another BCEP Hike
Alright, just one more week before I'm off!
Last night I went on a 'Tripple Crown' night hike with my BCEP group through the West hills of Portland. Covering the three tallest spots of the city, we started at Carson Elementary in NW Portland, hiked up to the Pittock Mansion viewpoint, then hiked to the Hoyt Arboretum, then to Councill Crest park, and then back to Carson Elementary through extraordinary neighborhoods of early 20th century architecture. In total we trekked about 10 miles, half of which was in the dark (using headlamps). I couldn't get over all the amazing houses built back then. Even more amazing, each neighborhood had remnants of the old trolly lines that used to be the mode of transportation. After leaning how all the oil companies bought-up the Trolly lines back in the 30s, and replaced them with private buses, I realized how backwards some things have gone. Now we can't even afford to put a rail system 12 miles south to Oregon City.
Anyways, I got a chance to break in my new shoes. Thanks to a co-worker, I got an in to the Mtn. Hardware/Columbia/Montrail employee store which saved me a lot of cash on shoes. I also carried everything that I would be taking on a 6 day portion of my hike (including 6 days worth of food), totaling more than 30lbs... Not to happy about the weight, but I'll figure out ways to tone it down. I'm trying to eat over 4000 calories a day to give me enough energy to last 8-10hrs of hiking per day. It's recommended to eat up to 5000 calories, but I'll figure that out on the trail (can barely fit everything in my 16L food bag). To get a better idea of what I'll be eating, and my food plan, resupply, and gear list, click HERE.
Hoping to get a few more pre-hikes in before the big one!
Last night I went on a 'Tripple Crown' night hike with my BCEP group through the West hills of Portland. Covering the three tallest spots of the city, we started at Carson Elementary in NW Portland, hiked up to the Pittock Mansion viewpoint, then hiked to the Hoyt Arboretum, then to Councill Crest park, and then back to Carson Elementary through extraordinary neighborhoods of early 20th century architecture. In total we trekked about 10 miles, half of which was in the dark (using headlamps). I couldn't get over all the amazing houses built back then. Even more amazing, each neighborhood had remnants of the old trolly lines that used to be the mode of transportation. After leaning how all the oil companies bought-up the Trolly lines back in the 30s, and replaced them with private buses, I realized how backwards some things have gone. Now we can't even afford to put a rail system 12 miles south to Oregon City.
 |
| Beautiful Portland at night, this pic doesn't do it justice |
Hoping to get a few more pre-hikes in before the big one!
 |
| 6 days worth of food... |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
BCEP Hike
Went on a lovely stroll up Dog Mtn. this morning! The poison oak is a bloomin' but the spring wildflowers have yet to come out. Dog is supposedly known for its abundant array of pretty native flowers... sounds like a nice place to bring a pretty lady:) Why no flowers yet? Probably because this is the 3rd day of sun the Gorge has seen in about 6 months aha. Regardless, it was yet another great hike with the Mazama BCEP Team 10. I'll definitely miss hiking with this crew.
 |
| Hiking up Dog Mtn on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge |
 |
| Climb Leader Lisa charging like it ain't no thing |
 |
| View of St. Helens in the horizon |
 |
| Looking South to Mt. Defiance and Mt. Hood (in back) from Dog. Mtn's summit |
Friday, April 13, 2012
Pre-Hike Take-2
Alright! Bryce and Kayla (no trail names yet) and I had ventured off for another PCT prep-hike in the Gorge. We started by heading up to Angle's Rest, then Devil's rest, then up the Multnomah creek a ways to our 'camp site'. We lucked out weather-wise, with very little rain and some good sunshiny views.
Camp was great. We compared cooking systems, food choices (...I'm still horrible at this), and sleeping systems. I also played an intense game of chess against Kayla, and won! .. I told here we'll play best of 25.. which means I only have to win 12 more times!
Anyways, I wore my sleeping socks last night.. took them off in the middle of the night, and put them back on.. I still need to figure out how to sleep comfortably because i was sliding everywhere, and couldn't sleep comfortably on my stomach like I normally do...
Also, the other day I found out that the pair of Montrail shoes I've been using for the past 4 months were sized differently. My left foot was using a 10.5, my right an 11... I was wondering why my left foot seemed bigger than my right! Luckily REI gave me back some money so I can buy another pair. Just have to do with my 3yr old Solomons for now.. old/bad shoes are great for training your feet to get tough, fyi.
Camp was great. We compared cooking systems, food choices (...I'm still horrible at this), and sleeping systems. I also played an intense game of chess against Kayla, and won! .. I told here we'll play best of 25.. which means I only have to win 12 more times!
Anyways, I wore my sleeping socks last night.. took them off in the middle of the night, and put them back on.. I still need to figure out how to sleep comfortably because i was sliding everywhere, and couldn't sleep comfortably on my stomach like I normally do...
Also, the other day I found out that the pair of Montrail shoes I've been using for the past 4 months were sized differently. My left foot was using a 10.5, my right an 11... I was wondering why my left foot seemed bigger than my right! Luckily REI gave me back some money so I can buy another pair. Just have to do with my 3yr old Solomons for now.. old/bad shoes are great for training your feet to get tough, fyi.
 |
| Camp up Multnomah Creek/River before Larch Mtn. |
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Pre-Hike Gear Test
The other day a fellow Oregonian/PCTer named Bryce and I took a stroll up Eagle Creek to camp for a night and field-test our gear. The plan was to camp at Wahtum Lake (about 12 miles in) and then hike back to Cascade Locks via the PCT (15 miles out). Even though the weather looked like it was getting better, we hit a ton of snow and after post holing for a couple miles, we called it quits 1 mile before the lake. The snow was up to our knees, and the absence of snowshoes made the trek very difficult. The sun was setting so we decided to camp in the snow at around 3100ft. Needless to say it was a cold night and I learned that my 'PCT system' needs some tweaking.
Sleeping socks: Dry socks designated only for sleeping/camp is a must (hiking with wet socks all day does nasty things to your feet)
Food Selection: That night I cooked a bland pasta dish that I mixed with tuna, olive oil, and some Pizza Hut pepper packets.. I need to read-up more about food selection, but then again I feel this will work itself out on the trail.
On the plus side, I love my sleeping bag! It kept me cozy and warm during the night.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my setup, but still need more field testing.... only 18 more days until I'm stuck with what I got :)
Sleeping socks: Dry socks designated only for sleeping/camp is a must (hiking with wet socks all day does nasty things to your feet)
Food Selection: That night I cooked a bland pasta dish that I mixed with tuna, olive oil, and some Pizza Hut pepper packets.. I need to read-up more about food selection, but then again I feel this will work itself out on the trail.
On the plus side, I love my sleeping bag! It kept me cozy and warm during the night.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my setup, but still need more field testing.... only 18 more days until I'm stuck with what I got :)
 | ||
| Bryce and I waking up to a cold & wet Cascade morning... Very difficult to climb out of my bag. |
 |
| Crossing Tunnel Falls on Eagle Creek (alternate PCT route, where most thru-hikers travel)... very wet but always amazing |
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I'm Busy and it need to stop raining
I'm free, and busy! The week of April 1st is the first week that I've been unemployed in quite some time (no joke). However, I'm finding that it's still a challenge to find time to sleep in. Since around March 20th, I've been partaking in a climbing course through Mazamas (BCEP) to learn the basics of rock and snow climbing, as well as navigation and other useful skills for wilderness travel. This course is super interesting, but is also heavily intensive, taking up 3 to 4 day of the week. This means that I have limited time to prepare for my PCT thru-hike. Not to worry, I have it all planned out! .... that's a joke.
I'm cutting BCEP short to fly down to San Diego on April 25th and will start hiking the next morning. I've contacted a great couple of Trail Angles (Scout & ) who live in San Diego that will take me in for the night, feed me, and give me a ride to the border the next morning. I've been told that there will be about 20-30 other PCT hikers whom they will also be accommodating during that time. They will be giving this service to through hikers for the next two months. This is why the PCT community is so great. People are willing to give an arm and a leg to thru-hikers, and will do anything to make our time on and off the trail as stress-less as possible. Most trail angles don't accept donations, and any money given to them is forwarded to the PCTA.
Back to planning:
I've pretty much gathered all the gear that I need to start my trip, with the exception of some lightweight hiking pants... it's hard to shop for these in the off season and I like trying things on before buying them (this goes for most of my gear). Next step is to field-test the gear pre San Diego, and TRAIN!
Yesterday I spent about 13 hours creating my resupply strategy and itinerary. This involves naming each town town that I will either resupply at, or ship food to future resupply locations. I'm choosing to use a 'buy as I go' method regarding food. Some people pre-pack and mail drop their food to each location. But because I'm not sure how much I will eat and because I don't want to eat the same food every day, I figure buying as I go is the better option (it also helps out local communities). I also spent a good chunk of time divvying out my maps & town guides. In total I'm planning to resupply at 25 different locations (averaging 100 miles apart) and about 8 different map-drops.
Things that are making this process a whole lot easier:
Yogi's Guide
Craig's PCT Planner (for calculating pace)
Halfmile's maps
PCT Class of 2012 (Facebook Group)
I'm cutting BCEP short to fly down to San Diego on April 25th and will start hiking the next morning. I've contacted a great couple of Trail Angles (Scout & ) who live in San Diego that will take me in for the night, feed me, and give me a ride to the border the next morning. I've been told that there will be about 20-30 other PCT hikers whom they will also be accommodating during that time. They will be giving this service to through hikers for the next two months. This is why the PCT community is so great. People are willing to give an arm and a leg to thru-hikers, and will do anything to make our time on and off the trail as stress-less as possible. Most trail angles don't accept donations, and any money given to them is forwarded to the PCTA.
Back to planning:
I've pretty much gathered all the gear that I need to start my trip, with the exception of some lightweight hiking pants... it's hard to shop for these in the off season and I like trying things on before buying them (this goes for most of my gear). Next step is to field-test the gear pre San Diego, and TRAIN!
 | |
|
Yesterday I spent about 13 hours creating my resupply strategy and itinerary. This involves naming each town town that I will either resupply at, or ship food to future resupply locations. I'm choosing to use a 'buy as I go' method regarding food. Some people pre-pack and mail drop their food to each location. But because I'm not sure how much I will eat and because I don't want to eat the same food every day, I figure buying as I go is the better option (it also helps out local communities). I also spent a good chunk of time divvying out my maps & town guides. In total I'm planning to resupply at 25 different locations (averaging 100 miles apart) and about 8 different map-drops.
 |
| Miles of 'Halfmile's' maps before I placed them in sectional packages |
Things that are making this process a whole lot easier:
Yogi's Guide
Craig's PCT Planner (for calculating pace)
Halfmile's maps
PCT Class of 2012 (Facebook Group)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)