Well its the week before Christmas and I have not posted for almost a month.  My Bad. Been kind of busy with both my girls having hip surgery and having to do my best Florence Nightingale for the past few weeks.  Good news is they are almost back in the flow and have both lost the crutches. They both healed very quickly.

Last week I was in the big apple. Does anyone call it the big apple anymore? Seriously.

However the weather was crazy. Low ceilings delayed (no surprise) our flight from 7PM arrival to after 10, but my work associate and I didn't let that deter us. It was after all 66 degrees at midnight. The next day we had lunch and ate outside on the patio. Yea on December 15th. I even removed my jacket.  I suppose my beard helped.

Got home from New York on Wednesday night and the next day picked up Joel from the airport, the last winter break for him!

Joel and I went and hung out with Glen and Cory, because Cory had 4 tickets to the 1:40 AM showing of the new Star Wars Movie. Yep opening night stuff.  Joel and I did not get home until after 5 AM. Friday morning was rough.

That evening I met up with a few people from grade school. We have done this every year for the last few and its always an interesting and fun evening.

Finally I did put the hammock up on Saturday and slept outside keeping my streak alive. It was a low of around 23 which was not bad but the wind was very strong.  That kept me awake more than anything. I actually had a tie out on my tarp break the wind was so strong. I don't know how mild this winter will be but it seems that I may not get to cold at this pace.

Happy Holidays!

One more month down.  June through November.

Yep I slept outside on Friday night.  It got to about 23° but I was fine.  And was woken by a bunch of turkeys squabbling in the woods.

However, I did have a ton of FRC (Frozen Respiration Condensation) on the inside of the tarp!  

Sitting in my office in this cold blustery day I started daydreaming about all kinds of things.  Mainly thinking about some fun stuff to do for next year.

I picked up a book and ordered another for some of the long national trails, looked for maps, read other blogs and gear reviews and thought about where and who would go with me.

I say that as Tracy lays on the couch and rehabs from surgery.  At least I hope she can use her boat when all healed.

Then I think about just relaxing on a beach in Mexico too and that doesn't seem too bad either......

Fall

October has to be one of my favorite months.  I mean I may be biased because it is my Birthday Month, but I doubt it.

The weather has been great the trees are in full color, pumpkin farms and crisp nights.

Speaking of crisp nights....I actually slept in my hammock last Saturday night. Yes, it did get down to 27° here, but I was warm.  I think I will try to do a night in the hammock every month of the year.  I mean there will be some times that the temps in Nov-Feb will be in the 20's and that is about the lower limit of my gear. That should be doable right? I might need to get a different tarp.  One that closes on the ends to stop wind.

Anyway, I walk around the yard every other day with my camera and love taking pictures of all the changing scenery.

Its enjoyable.  So much so I created an Album here that I will add to over the next few weeks.

Most people now know of my hiking and backpacking exploits this year.  As I talk about the trips and show the pictures it's amazing the number of people who have commented on how much they would enjoy doing this same thing and to include them when I do more of these things.

Saturday was just that day.  Earlier in the week I spoke with my long time friend Jim and asked if he was busy and if he wanted to do a section of the Ice Age Trail with me. 

Jim is no longer my neighbor and lives in Muskego now. So I chose a section of the Southern Kettle Moraine Forest. That is closer for him and since I have done all of Washington, Fond du Lac and most of Sheboygan county, it would be a great opportunity to see some trail I have not done yet.

Around 9:15 I headed down (after my 8 AM workout, humble brag). Got to Jim's around 10:30 and by the time we shuttled the cars we were on the trail at 11:30.  

The weather was perfect, low 60's sunny, light breeze.  The trees are about 25% changed color so it was nice, but not spectacular yet.  

The section we did was the Scuppernong segment.  A bit north of Eagle. This trail was almost all woods except for the trail connector which ran along some farm fields for a quarter mile.  The trail also cut through Pinewoods State campground and skirted Ottawa Lake Campground.  

I didn't take a ton of pictures this time.  I think Jim and I were just talking way too much and pointing out the 20 different mushrooms and him pointing out the wild asparagus and hickory nuts and general botany that I kind of forgot to take many pictures.  It won't happen again. 

Jim held up great and we got back to the car around 2:10. About an 2 hours an 45 minutes to do almost 6 miles.  

At this time we were both quite hungry. I had thought I put some snack in my bag but apparently they were on the kitchen table instead.  Jim knows the area well from a lot of his Harley rides and we head to a biker bar in Eagle for lunch.  Knuckleheads. Yep, definitely a biker bar, I feel a little out of place but at least Jim has a HD shirt on.  We chow on burgers, fries and a beer. Then it's time to head back to his house where we partake in one more pint of beer he made. It was my recipe, I was honored that someone liked my beer so much that they now make it themselves.  

That was a good day. I left Jim my Ice age trail trail book and told him to pick out some new sections we can hit in the future.

Just one other note. With this day under my belt I have now gone over 100 miles hiking or backpacking this year! 

Who's next?

The elevation graph of the hike.

BrewDay!

Lately I have been enamored with coffee beers.  Mostly coffee stouts.  The current favorite I can get locally is Hinterlands Luna Stout.  Really good stuff.  I wish I could get some Pearl Street Java Lava but that would require a trip to Madison or further west.

Instead I decided to make my own.  With a little internet research I was able to find a few recipes that might meet my requirements.  I scaled them to my 3 gallon size, altered a few things and I ordered all the stuff on Sunday.

The ingredients arrived on Thursday and promptly at 5:00 PM I started brewing.

This recipe used 7 different grains.  I cannot recall ever using so many at one time.

After mashing it looked like coffee! Except there is no coffee in it at this point (that comes later).

It's fermenting away and hopefully I will have it kegged in time for our Halloween party.

Another weekend another adventure?

Last year around this time I was planning a weekend kayak camping trip. Due to other commitments and then the weather turning cold, it never happened. All the planning for this trip would not be wasted though.

I talked Jim into doing this trip with me back on our mini camp out back in July.

The time had come, Jim rode his motorcycle up to my house at 6:00 AM on Friday where I had the car loaded and ready to go. Another road trip, this one about 5 hours to Trego, Wisconsin.

The trip itself was a Friday to Sunday deal. Consisting of overnight stays on the river and miles of kayaking the Namakagon and St.Croix rivers.  I was a little apprehensive as I dusted off the plan and map from last year. What I thought was 30 miles was actually closer to 35 miles. That’s a lot in 3 days. Especially for Jim, who had not had a ton of time in the kayak. Now I was asking for 3-5 hours a day.

We finally arrived at the lading a little before noon.  the landing was empty, we were the only people here. We began unpacking the car. No sooner than 5 minutes goes by and a small bus pulling a trailer of canoes pulls up. About 10 guys pile out and start unloading. I mean unloading. Each canoe had at least 2 coolers, a bundle of fire wood and all the gear you could think of.  One even set up the canoe with a trolling motor. The canoes were loaded to the max with so little waterline visible, they didn’t look too safe. These dudes were here to party. That much was evident with all the whooping and hollering they were doing. Over the course of 10 more minutes 2 more groups show up.  Going to be crowded this weekend.

Fully unpacked, I left Jim with the boats. I had to meet the shuttle driver Scott, at Pappy’s Leatherneck Tavern.

I met Scott and instantly sent Jim a picture of the abduction van that would be shuttling me. You know, just in case getting in an old van with a stranger didn’t work out. Scott turned out to be an ok guy, lots of stories and willing to help if we needed.  Beer, Firewood, Food, Extraction? Scott was our man, just call him and he would do his best to get what we needed as close to a landing as possible, all for a few dollars and gas money of course.

We dropped my car at our finishing spot for Sunday and Scott took me back to Jim and the boats. All but one group had departed while I was gone.

We finally got on the water around 1:00 and it started our slowly.  The kayaks, fully loaded down with gear scraped the first 100 yards due to the low water in the area. Jim got stuck, I almost got stuck. I hope the whole weekend doesn’t go like this.

The weather at this time was completely overcast and low 60’s. Not the best but at least the chance of rain was only 20 percent.

We get going and outside of the overcast skies it’s a decent day.  We catch up to an eventually pass the party group. We really wanted to get as much distance between us and them as possible. We didn't want to hear that all night.  We take break here and there, and plan to get off the river around 4:30 or 5 so we can set up camp before it gets too dark to gather wood and cook dinner. 

On the map we decide we would stop at site 19.8 (the numbers are mile makers on the river).  We come around the corner and see the site is already taken. Damn it. There are more up ahead though.  The next one is also occupied. To make matters worse we come up on 2 ladies in a canoe who are also looking for a campsite. Jim and I talk to them for a while then let them have the next site.  They looked even more tired than us.

The next site is 16.5. More than 3 miles further than we originally planned.  Almost 15 miles for the day. My longest solo paddle ever has only been 17 miles, so this is a long day.

It’s a decent campsite but it has very little firewood to scrounge for. We find some and with my hand axe chop up some more deadfall, but it’s way too wet for the most part.  We set up camp. Jim in his tent he uses for motorcycle tripping, me with my camping hammock. We are right on the river and it’s pretty cool.  The sun comes out for a few minutes, just before its time to set.

The fire is going and the menu is calling for fire grilled steaks and baked potatoes. So this fire has to be somewhat decent (at least to cook dinner).  I pull out my minimalistic camp grill and get cooking.  It’s getting dark and hard to see what is going on, but the steaks are pulled off, cooked perfectly. That’s not just me saying that, ask Jim.  The potatoes are in the coals (in foil) and they are nor too bad either. I had butter, cheese and bacon for toppings.  We eat by fire light and from a little lantern I brought.

We clean up, hang the bags for bears and other critters and sit around for the fire to die out.  Fine by me, we are both tired and ready for bed.  It’s really clear out, the stars are nice and bright and the temperatures are getting crisp. So much so we are forcasted for patchy frost tonight. 

However, we did not get too far away from the party.  We could hear a lot of whooping and loud laughter. Along with the occasional air horn?! Really.

The morning rolls around and so does the fog. All the cold temperatures and the warm river water created a thick blanket of fog.  Everything is soaked. It might as well have rained. We both lay in bed for a long time. I eventually send Jim a text to ask if he wants coffee. Yep too lazy to get out of bed and did not feel like yelling across the campsite.

Breakfast is burritos! Scrambled eggs, bacon and roasted red bell pepper in a tortilla. Camping does not mean roughing it. Cups of fresh brewed coffee as well.

Eventually the sun starts to burn off the fog and we pack up, unfortunately still wet because we need to get going. It’s getting late and we have already seen folks paddle past our site this morning.

We set off a bit after eleven and it’s going to be a lazy day.  The river is moving pretty fast so there is a little paddling, a little floating, a little drinking... repeat as needed. The sun is out in full today and it is glorious. The plan is to do another 10 or so miles and find a site with a picnic table.

We pass a few folks and decide that we want to get off the river earlier than yesterday and dry our stuff out, find some good fire wood and just relax. Around 2:30 we start looking for a campsite. A lot of people have the same idea and we again have to go a bit further than we wanted,  We grab a group campsite because it has a picnic table and the fact the ‘group’ ahead of us took a “non group” site.

It’s a little more difficult to ‘dock’ at this site but that’s a small price to pay for the nice site. Plenty of firewood, a picnic table, great views and my hammock site is on the ridge overlooking the river.

We get the tents, tarps and clothes up and drying in the sun.  Split some wood, start a fire for dinner and play some cribbage. Dad would be happy with this.

Dinner was some foil pack potatoes, carrots and onions roasted in the fire and some dehydrated chicken risotto.  Not as gourmet as the night before but you can only carry so much fresh food without a cooler
.

The night starts to fall and we stoke the fire. This site was flush with dead fall and leftover firewood from previous campers. With the axe it’s even better because we can split it and get to the inside dry wood.

I pull out my camera and take a few pictures. Then I have a few ideas. We start goofing around with fire, then a flashlight and take some long exposures. We are playing like we are 12 year olds again. It’s awesome.

Eventually we let the fire die down and hit the sack. At least tonight won’t be as cold as the previous one.

The next morning its overcast but the sun is trying to peek out. Breakfast is some hot muesli cereal and pancakes. Full complement with real butter, syrup and some re-hydrated milk.

Luckily there was no issues with moisture today, so we pack up and get on the river by 9:30.  Another almost 9 miles to get to the car.

Today there are also a few more rapids to liven up the trip.  About a half hour down we start to encounter the first little set.  Except they kind of sneak up on us. Jim hits a rock and gets turned sideways. Almost dumping it. I circle back against the current to give him some help.  More along the lines of yelling at him what he can try to do to get off this rock and not get too wet.  With some deft maneuvering he gets unstuck and only slightly wet to show for it. Good job.

The next few sets are fun we hit a max of about 7 miles per hour in some spots, Jim decides to follow me and my line.  A few bumps and scrapes but we make it through. We hit the confluence of the Namakagon and the St Croix River.  Eventually the St Croix will merge with the Mississippi around Hastings, Minnesota.  One more set of long rapids and then the takeout.

We take the boats and gear out load up the car and head out. I want to drive up to Superior to eat at the Thirsty Pagan Brewing Co. It’s a bit out of the way but Jim is a great passenger and concedes to my extra road time.  We get there and eat pizza and a calzone (and beer of course). The calzone was what I was jonesing for and it does not disappoint.

After lunch it’s a long 6 hour drive home. Made longer with gas stops and me getting pulled over for speeding. Yes, I was busted speeding as I entered a slowdown zone before a construction zone. Had a few conversations with the trooper about the boats and my license plate. He thinks it’s some plate that I put a sticker on, because he has never seen that type before (Donate Life). He comes back we chat it up a bit more and gives me a warning. Whew.

We finally get home, unpack and Jim gets on his bike. I feel bad, I drag him all over, have him paddle 35 miles, make him sleep on the ground (while I sleep in a hammock) and now he still has to drive home almost an hour in the dark. I hope he had a good time. At least I fed him well.

It was a great weekend.  I can’t wait for the next expedition.

See the full photo album here

I am a little behind on my posts because the last one was so large and it took so long to put together.

On the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Mackenzie and I hit Lake Michigan with the kayaks.

So different that river or lake paddling. The swells and waves make for a much more interesting ride. It took us a few minutes to get used to the up and down motion, but then it just became fun.  Riding over the top or surfing them back in.

The water as pretty clear and we could often see the bottom some 20 feet down or more.  We rode from the beach near the Port Washington power plant to Lions Gorge park and back, all told about 5 miles.

As we headed back in it was fun and difficult to battle the waves as the crested near shore.  I started getting sideways and almost dumped right on shore.

The other item is the sand.  Sand is everywhere! We cleaned up put dry clothes on an went to Culvers for lunch.  A nice Sunday afternoon with my girl. What more could a dad ask for?

Full Photo Album Here

Pacific Crest Trail Adventures

Bucket list type stuff here, although I don’t think this is the last time I do anything like this….

Decades of dreaming, months of prep and now it’s actually happening.

Thursday morning, I’m up. It’s 3:10 AM.  Only a bit of anxiety at this time.  I get in the car at 3:30 and head to the airport.

I drop my bag with my pack and boots and assorted odds and ends at the ticket counter and head to the gate. I am now have my own known traveler number so I am priority at security now. I feel like royalty, skipping to the front, separate screening. No shoes off, no bags to unpack.  I breeze though like a boss.

Standard stuff to this point. I board the plane we push away to the runway and sit. And get pushed back to the gate? You’re kidding right? The pilot explains they have a maintenance light they can’t cycle off. Like a pesky ‘check engine’ on your car. Probably means you didn’t tighten the gas cap enough. Maintenance boards the plane and an hour later we are clear to fly. You know what this means? I am missing my connection. First bit of panic hits. I quickly check flights and see that there are numerous flights between Las Vegas and Oakland, cool.

The 3 hour plus flight to Vegas is uneventful, lots of plump white Wisconsinites looking to win (or lose) some money in Sin City.  They stand out from the non-Vegas travelers quite easily. 

We deplane, I check my new gate, get a boarding pass.  I only lose 90 minutes over my original flight. I can deal with that.

What to do while I wait for my flight? I look around there should be something for me to do…

I drop a 2 sawbucks in a ‘Wheel of Fortune” slot machine, cue up a five credit play and hit spin. Boom, “WHEEL OF FORTUNE” blares at me, and the wheel on the top starts spinning.  I win $50.00 on my first pull!  I play a few more until my balance is $51 and cash out.  Net $31 in 5 minutes. Suckers.

The flight to Oakland is again, uneventful, just the way I like ‘em.

Get my bag and off to my sweet rental, a sweet 2015 WV Jetta. I drive off to find that the 12v power port is not working (cigarette lighter). That’s an issue. The cruise control is super wonky and the driver info screen is impossible to navigate. Its overly complicated to switch between cruise and odometer and miles to empty and just little things that are nice to know on a 5 hour drive.  Oh well deal with it.

It’s now 12:30 and I am about 2 hours behind my original plan. No worries only about 320 miles to Mt Shasta City.

California is dry, we all know that. The grass is brown everywhere, but the ride out of the bay area into the valley is interesting none the less.

A few hours in and I hit the town of Redding, just before the mountains.  Probably the largest city in northern California.

As customary when I travel, I search out brewpubs. This trip would be no different. I stop at Wildcard brewing. For a Liars Dice IPA and Double Down Imperial Red.  The IPA was unremarkable but the red was decent.

I leave Wildcard and head to Target. Yea Target. Gets some water and M&M’s because road trip.  I leave Redding and drive past Mt. Shasta into the wonderful city of Weed. By this time my bladder is about to rupture and my kidneys ache. I had not used the restroom since I left the airport before noon. Throw in water and a pint of ale and man talk about uncomfortable.

I pull into Mt Shasta Brewing Company (a.k.a. Weed Ales) and run for some sweet relief.  With that out of the way I settle in for a pint and dinner.  The beer again was unremarkable but the panini was really good.

This place has a real Cali-Hippy vibe to it. Weed references everywhere, a band who is not employed by the establishment just starts playing and dogs wander around their owners outside and sometimes inside the place. So very laid back.

The sun is setting and I head back to Mt Shasta, well actually, into Mt. Shasta since I was never actually there yet.

I have not mentioned it but the scenery from Redding to Weed is nothing short of amazing. A stark comparison to the dry valley south of here.  Mountains, trees, rivers, lakes twisty roads. My kind of place.

I check into the Cold Creek Inn.  Nothing fancy, just convenient and they offer discounts for hikers.

I unpack, repack check and recheck my gar for tomorrow.

The next morning I am up early. Being that I am 2 hours ahead on my body clock.  It’s a long time until 9:00 AM rolls around so I wander outside, take a few pictures and see another person who looks like a hiker. We start talking and, yep, sure enough we are on the same trip.

Tom is from the Chicago area no less. He is here with his wife Cathy. I guess them to be a bit older than I. It’s a bit of relief as I know I won’t be the old guy on the trip. (I later find out Tom is 56 and Cathy 55).

We hit it off right away, I won’t be the solo outcast on this trip (another fear I had going into this).

Finally 9:00 rolls around, the guides show up. Katie (27) and Alyssa (23). Both veteran backpacking, mountaineering and back country skiing guides. I feel a bit unaccomplished now.

We line up in the parking lot and review gear. Unpacking and packing stuff that you need and more like what you don’t.  I of course have exactly what I need. I mean after doing this in my head 10’s of times and for real on the trail, I have a pretty good idea what is and what isn’t needed.

That said, I do have this large camera that weighs almost 3 pounds. I have carried it all season and I am sure not going to leave it behind now. Besides Tom is also carrying a similar set up. We even have the same shoulder strap clip (nerds gonna nerd). If he can do it I certainly can.

At this time I also get introduced to the rest of the group, a family from Santa Clara CA. Miguel who is 51, Louise (about the same age) and their daughters; Isabella and Rosa. The girls are 25 and 19 respectively.  I never expected to be the third youngest of the group. Actually not sure how I expected that dynamic to play out.

We all get in a van that will be taking us to the trail head.

It’s almost 11:30 when we start. My pack is about 30-35 pounds with water, shared food and gear. Not heavy by any means. The trail is well worn, no worries about missing this one. Apparently the trail has seen much higher traffic since the book and movie Wild was released last year.  We start and scenery is nothing short of breathtaking. Views of Mt Shasta from every turn.

This segment will take us to Porcupine Lake a little over 6 miles for the day. Should be easy, I’ve done this before with longer treks and heavier packs. The elevation and altitude are the only wildcards for me.

Our pace is about 2 miles per hour. This is a bit slower than what I am used to. It causes me a bit of hip discomfort as I am shuffling more than striding. So I hang back, enjoy the view, take pictures and then catch up with my more comfortable pace. No one seems to mind and it makes it much more enjoyable for me.

About 90 minutes in we stop for lunch. Croissants with ham, turkey, salami and a bag of chips. Feels like a school field trip lunch.

Back on the trail we make for our next stop. A mountain spring. Yep, perfect drinking water from inside the mountain. No filtration needed. It’s very cold and tastes clean. We fill all our water bottles from here. While stopped here we run into 3 people from Oklahoma, 2 males and one female, all in their twenties. They are through hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. North to South. A through hiker is just that. They are doing the whole 2800 plus mile trail at one time. They started near the Washington/Canada border and won’t stop until the make Mexico. That’s the plan anyway. Most through hikers go South to North.

That would be an interesting trip and requires lots of advanced planning, quite a bit of money and over 3 months of free time. The three we were talking with were ‘funemployed’ and I envied them just a little bit.

Our thirsts slated, our bellies full we bid good luck to the Oklahoma 3 and head to the campsite about an hour away.

We finally make it. Porcupine Lake is an alpine lake, crystal clear and cold. We get our sites, unpack our gear, put up tents and now have the rest of the evening to ourselves.

Did someone say swimming? Sounds good. It’s about 70° out. The water? Much colder. Isabella, Tom, Miguel, Alyssa, Katie and I all dive in. I liken it to Lake Michigan, early season Michigan. It’s not quite paralyzing but it does steal your breath. Invigorating. It’s that ice bath after a hard workout. I last about 5 minutes and that’s enough. Another first for me. We dry off get dressed and get ready for some dinner.

Just because we are roughing it doesn’t mean you eat crappy dehydrated stuff all the time. Especially on these shorted expeditions with groups where the load can be shared. First course tonight is a tomato bisque. Followed by a mix of pasta, fresh sautéed zucchini, garlic and jalapeno pepper. Add in some fresh chicken sausage for protein. Quite tasty. Dessert in Pepperidge Farms cookies and coffee, hot chocolate or tea. Mix a hot chocolate with a mint tea bag for a hot grasshopper!

The last few weeks leading up to this trip I had been watching the local weather. 4 weeks of 90° temps and no rain. This week 70’s and rain. Seriously.  The good news is the change in weather took all the forest fire smoke out of the area. This gave us clear skies and no persistent campfire smell. So far today was perfect, not too hot, and not too sunny. Tonight the clouds rolled in and the temps dropped pretty quickly. Good thing we got the swimming dine while the sun was out.

No campfires due to restrictions, so it’s time to read, hang out and talk or explore. Everyone is in bed by 8. Then it comes. The winds pick up and sounds like a train coming down the mountains. Roaring through trees and bending my tent walls around.  It was not a great night of sleep because once the winds finally died down the rain started.

I lay in my sleeping bag with a full bladder, I check the time. 5:38. Not good. I get dressed and pack as much gear as I can waiting the rain out.  The rain stops about an hour later and that’s good because I can’t hold out much longer.

People are stirring, Katie and Alyssa have set up a tarp to make breakfast under. I talk to Tom and find out his tent has mesh sides under the rain fly. The wind whipped up all the dust and dirt around their tent and deposited it inside their tent. It was as if a bag of hot chocolate powder exploded. All their stuff had a nice brown coating on it.

Tom has some experience with this sort of trip. For Cathy its her first time, in a sleeping bag, In a tent, using the outdoors as a bathroom.  She must really love him. That’s what he tells me anyway.

We all gather for a warm breakfast of oatmeal with all the fixings. Nuts, dried fruit, sugars. Hot coffee and cocoa to warm up even more.

The plan today is to hang out and see if it will clear up before we leave.  No matter the weather, we will be on the trail at about 10:30.

I take this opportunity to circumnavigate the lake. It’s fun, gets me moving and therefore also warms me up. It’s also a different look at the lake than I have had for the last 12 hours. By the time I get back the sun is creeping out and starting to dry off the tents. Not enough though so we end up packing them wet for now.

Today is another 6 or so miles to the next campsite at Deadfall Lake.

Todays seems like we are walking along the ridges and hillsides much more that forest.  The trail is pretty narrow in spots. We stop for lunch in a small valley out of the wind. Lunch is tortillas with hummus, cucumbers, tomato and fresh basil. I am hungry and these are tasty, the basil really does the trick.

After lunch its another mile or so to our next stop, another mountain spring. Same as the last; cold and unfiltered. Such a small thing yet such a treat.

The terrain is always changing. Now we are looking at completely different granite in color and texture than we saw before. Now I really wish I knew more about geology.

Like yesterday, the pace is a bit slow for me. Katie can tell it’s bothering me. She tells me to go off ahead on my own and stop near the next campsite.  I will know it when I see it.

This gives me a second wind. Off I went, getting out, opening up my legs again. Taking pictures at every turn. Any discomfort I had is now gone again. Amazing how that works.

I get to the trail split and think this must be the place. I take my pack off, take some long cool drinks of water, take a few more pictures. I even take my boots off. The rest of the crew shows up about 20 minutes later.

There are two campsites to choose from: Upper Deadfall or Lower Deadfall. Upper Deadfall is more like a real lake, Lower is more of a drainage lake from upper.

We decide to camp at Lower Deadfall. The wind is just too much at upper, so much so the lake has whitecaps on the waves. This way we will stay warmer and more protected.

Camp is set up and we are on our own again. Some people nap, some explore. I was the latter and walked around the whole lake again. Amazing to see the high-water levels versus where the water levels are now. The lake must be 25 feet below its high level marks.

I get back and relax a bit. Dinner will be ready soon. Tonight it consists of corn chowder, couscous with tomatoes, chicken and some other seasoning. It tastes like chicken gumbo! There are no leftovers on this one. After dinner drinks again and chocolate chip cookies. Not much food left, which is good. Less for us to carry tomorrow.

The sun takes a longs time to set here. We are in the Pacific Time Zone and seemingly a bit west of in the time zone. It is a nice clear night but it seemed to take forever to get dark and the stars to show themselves. Factor in a full moon and the sky seems like it will never get dark. Miguel and I try to stay out as long as we can but it’s a waiting game we are going to lose. At 9:15 it’s still very light out and we can only begin to make out some stars and constellations. A few more minutes and we call it quits. Most everyone is sleeping already and tomorrow it’s a big day.

It’s a crisp night for sleeping temps fall to the low 40’s but the winds are low. It will be a much better nigh than last night.

This leads me into a description of my accommodations. My tent. A great little one man job.  Super lightweight and easy to set up. The problem I have is that it’s not made for anyone over 6 foot tall. If I lay flat, my head and feet touch the walls of the tent. That makes for a cold head and feet. So most of the night I am curled up a bit but on occasion I wake up pressing against the wall of it somewhere.  Had I known I would be solo I could have brought my hammock set up instead.

I wake up at 5:00 AM and stumble out to take a pee. I have about an hour let of sack time. Today will be an early one. Sunday is summit day. Going to church if you will.

Breakfast comes early at 6:30 and consists of warm granola cereal, powdered milk and all the fixins from the oatmeal yesterday. We quickly eat and get our gear ready. No backpacks if you don’t need them. I have a small daypack which I put some warm clothes and my hydration bladder for water.  We also grab food for lunch.

From where we are it’s a little over 2 miles to summit Mount Eddy. Our friend wind has decided to make a comeback this morning too.  As we hike the mountain trail the temps drop the winds really pick up and the sun plays peek-a-boo with the clouds. My GPS registered 40° as the low temp on this trek. Add in the winds and we were probably seeing sub 30 temperatures with the wind-chill.

What seems like more than 2 miles we finally reach the summit. Over 2000’ of elevation gain and we now stand at over 9000’ above sea level.

Today we are up in the clouds. So much so the low misty webs obscure much of our view. Fortune shines on us though and about 20 minutes of hoping the skies clear up for us.

Everyone is in good spirits and the end truly justifies the means in this case. We can see so much up hear its inspiring.

Another 15 minutes or so and as Mr. Cliché would say, all good things must come to an end. So we begin the decent back down and into camp.

The way down seems harder than the ascent to me. Loose rocks, different leans and increased stress on the ankles and knees. 

We get to a nice clearing at the base of Mt Eddy and break out for our final trail meal together. A Salami, Tuna, pitas, tortillas, mayo, cream cheese and cookies buffet.  Take what you want make what you want. Make a sammach or eat ala cart, no one cares.

We get back to base camp. Pack up the tents, the gear back in the backpacks and head back out on the Pacific Crest Trail. The end is only another 2 miles to go.

Again the trees and vegetation is so diverse. Wild sage fields, creeks to cross, pine and fir forest, grass meadows with wildflowers. Now I also wish I was more schooled in botany as well.

The trees on this trip are another story in themselves. The way they grow. Some straight some actually growing in a twisted spiral, some pushed by heavy snow so they all look bent at the bottom. Each one is different. Then there is the size. Some trees are just mammoth with pine cones as big as softballs and shiny with sap. That’s to say nothing of the smell when walking through the forest.

We hit the trail end and it’s bittersweet. We did it, yet it’s over. The culmination of all my planning training and is over.

The van ride back to Cold Creek Inn as about an hour and these is no lack of chatter. Everyone in the group is staying in town tonight.

We all clean up and meet later that evening at a restaurant recommended by the guides. The $11 burger fries and beer sounds like a winner to me. After I have my massage that I had scheduled the week prior.

It’s funny, at dinner, it feels like I have known these people much longer than 72 hrs. I guess that comes from living that close together for that 72 hours. I did have a laugh at myself. I was looking to see who was the strangest person in the group was. I couldn’t find one in this group, which means I am probably the weirdo…

Monday morning comes with our warning, or so I have heard. I grab some food at Mt Shasta Pastry. Cappuccino, a fresh blackberry bowtie and huevos rancheros, a breakfast for a mountain man for sure.

I gas up the Jetta, buy a fuse for the broken cigarette lighter port (you’re welcome Hertz). And hit the road. Four hours later I am back in Oakland. A few hours after that Las Vegas and finally its almost 1:30 Tuesday morning when I finally get home.  It’s good to be home.

The seeds for more adventure have been sown. Like an addict coming down off the last high and looking for that next fix. Where will the next one come from?  Who knows but you can bet I am already thinking about it….

               

 The entire photo album his here please enjoy and if you have any questions let me know! Love to get some feedback. 

Well I gone an done it

By the time you read this I will be on my journey (hell I will have probably been back for a week before anyone reads this).

All my preparations and hikes has culminated to this.

I am doing the 3 day backpacking adventure I spoke about at the beginning of the summer.

Feel pretty confident in my abilities and fitness level to manage this.  Looking forward to sharing my adventure and pictures with you all.

Cheers!

-Jeff

While in Tucson I took the opportunity on Friday to do a little hiking in the Santa Catalina Mountains.  The Coronado National Forest.

I left the family sleeping at 5:30 AM and was at the Marshall Gulch Trail Head by 6:30.

The temps the whole week were always in the 100's but at the trial head it was 58.

I picked a moderate trail, not too hard, not too easy.  Elevation over 8000 feet up.  This would be a good test for a sea level dweller like myself.

The day was cloudy, or was it because we were so high up we were actually in the low clouds all morning.  Either way it made for a great morning.

One thing I noticed is how different the scenery changes in the mountains.  Pine forest, Oaks forest, fields of flowers, incredible ferns even cactus. Not to mention all the new growth taking over where forest fires had burned.

And then there is the water.  Hard to believe I am an hour away from the Arizona desert.  I crossed several streamlets and waterfalls were everywhere. Amazing.

I hiked for about 3 hours, Less than 2 of that actually hiking.  I was taking so many pictures and took a few breaks along the way to enjoy all of it.  In fact the hiking part went rather quickly and I was done with over 4 miles in no time.  I thought about trying a few more loops but had to think about the family.  They were stuck at the hotel with no car and waiting for me to come back.  Not to mention it was an hour drive back. (only 32 miles, but most of it the winding twisties on the mountain).

I headed back with the thoughts of doing this again next time I get down here. Maybe with some people to enjoy it with me too.

Full Picture Album and descriptions here. Please Enjoy them as much as I did taking them.

Out of Office

This blog is on vacation this week.  Please go here to see where we are this week. 

Yes it's back to school time in Arizona.  Don't mind the fact that it is 105 going up to a high of 110 today!

The big one

I finally did it.

Everything was right for this trip.  Got my campsite, got my gear, got good weather.

A full backpacking adventure. Loaded up my pack with hammock, food, water, clothes, camera, sleeping gear and other stuff.  My pack was about 35 pounds when I left. A little heavier than I would like but it would be a good test.

Slipped out of work around 3:30. Tracy and Mackenzie dropped my car off in Greenbush and then took me back to Mauthe Lake.  Where the last bit of hiking and camping took place.

Hit the trail at 4:20 (yea 4:20) and off I went to get to the shelter # 3 which I had a permit for the night. This section of trail was mostly forest and the climbs weren't too bad.  Found the connector trail to the campsite Jim and I had.  

I expected about 6 miles to the shelter.  When I got to the shelter I found there was a 3/4 mile connector from the actual trail to the shelter.  That added some extra time to my hike.  When I did arrive it was about 6:30.  Sun was still shining, so I unpacked and started looking for a suitable hanging site.

Got the hammock hung.  Yes hammock camping is huge now and so much better than a tent for solo trips.  Light, extremely comfortable. Doubles as a chair (fully enclosed w bug net etc.).

Anyway time to grub.  I have been buying all kinds of dehydrated and camp type food when it’s on sale.  Trying all kinds of things so I know what to get and what to avoid in the future.  Tonight was Chicken Gumbo by Backpackers Pantry.  

Mini food review:

Large chunks of okra, corn and peppers.  2 1/2 cups of boiling water and 12 minutes later it was done. Good consistency, could be a tad spicier.  Rice is cooked well and chicken is also tasty.  4/5 would buy again.

I ate the whole (2 servings) package and had some of a large artisanal candy bar I brought.  

I started looking for some firewood, but there was not much around. A lot was picked over or punky/rotten.  I managed to get a small fire going for about an hour or so. Being a full moon I really hoped it would be nice to see.  However it was rising in the East and never made it to the clearing I had before I went to bed.  It did eventually come up and lit my bed up so much I could read by moonlight. By then I was too tired to care. I just listened to the owls calling back and forth and the occasional scurrying noises in the forest.  You have to understand these are remote shelters.  Not large public campsites.  I had the entire forest, as it seemed, to myself.

The next morning I woke up at 5:40 and said "oh hell no!" flipped around and promptly fell asleep for 2 more hours!

I got up and thought about how to repack for the day.  Brought my pack down to the shelter.  By the way that shelter by the way is not very nice.  Dirt floor, graffiti a general sketchy vibe in general.  Then I packed up the hammock.  When done with that I set up for breakfast.  A little Medaglia D'oro instant espresso and some airline cookies. I then busted out some ho-made instant oatmeal. This contained; freeze dried strawberries, chia seeds and oatmeal with a bit o brown sugar and powdered milk. Jim had some of this concoction a few weeks ago and I even tweaked it more.  Pretty good and hearty for sure.

My intent was to be on the trail by 9.  Not being in any hurry I finally broke camp at 9:30.  No issues with contacts or soap or anything.

I humped it back to the trail connector and headed for the next waypoint - Butler Lake.  This section of trail was rather mild and made it easier to warm up under load. Like an old car.

I reached Butler Lake.  Nice vista of the lake below.  I need to check this out to kayak and fish someday. I filled up with water at the hand pump at Butler Lake.  I was carrying over a gallon when I started this trip. Keeping hydrated on the trail and having water for meals it goes quickly.  It’s also one of the heaviest items in my pack. You have to walk a fine line between heavy and not having enough.  I did not bring a filter with me so I had to use the sources like pumps, instead of the streams for my water. It is one of the main things to plan around when doing these long distance hikes.

Back on the trail, the next stop would be lunch at shelter 4.  I did not have a permit, but I wasn't staying overnight either.

In the almost 80 miles of hiking this trail this year I have seen 1 deer.  Well in this section, I spooked a few this time and only saw tails and heard the crashing, running away from me.  About 3 seconds later, a huge bird jumps off the forest floor and flies out of the canopy.  It all happened so fast, I was looking for deer and then this out the corner of my eye.  Not a turkey, because I had never seen one take flight almost vertical like this. It was big enough to be an eagle, but I saw no white plumage.  Perhaps a large owl? My guess is a turkey vulture. 

I reached shelter 4 around 12:15.  This is a much nicer place. Concrete floor and less ‘sketch’. These places also have outhouses so it’s not completely roughing it.  Not that I need one.

I bust off the pack, the shirt, the shoes and get down to grubbing on some jerky, trail mix and that candy bar.  I had a penne pasta dehydrated meal if I wanted to make it, but the temps were in the mid 80's and I really did not want to make a hot lunch. I just needed to cool off a bit. 7 miles down and the trail had picked up quite a bit.  Largest climb was on my way here.  Less than 5 miles to go.  

I head out before 1:00 and now it's getting warm.  The trail is less forest and a lot of field.  I'm sweating, the mosquitos woke up and really like my elbows for some reason.  I spray some bug juice on and have to pull my buff up over my ears in some places.  

I pass shelter 5, not going to look at it because at this point they are all about the same. Seems woodsier, and it has a deep kettle near it. Maybe explore more next time? At this point I am tired and hot and beginning to think that I was a bit ambitious in my first run like this.

Another trail head and another well pump to fill up.  This one is not nearly as nice as the last. Looks like rust, tastes like rust. But it’s wet so I drink and I am able to re soak my buff, which is now a neck gaiter. Aids in cooling and bug fighting.  The sign says I am close. 10.4 miles down, only one mile to go.

Next up is the Greenbush picnic area.  I come here to ride the mountain bike trails here occasionally.  These trails are brutal compared to others I ride.  I get to walk around the bike trails as they don't share paths.  I hear them taunting me. “I will be back for you” I whisper. Actually, it’s more like a talking to. I found myself talking out loud to no one in particular on both days. Sometimes even surprising me. Am I talking (or is it thinking?) out loud?  Ha, yes I am. As long as I don't talk in the third person or have full conversations with myself, I guess. 

A few more small hills and I can see the parking lot in sight. My step may have picked up a bit. The car never looked so good.  I dump my pack, get my boots off, take my socks off, change shirts and take a deep breath. I did it. Almost 12 miles in a bit over 5 hours including a few rest spots.  Including the day before 18 mile in total. Feeling confident.

Click Here for the full Picture Album.