June 16, 2012 - Rising through the Sierras

Camped among half-dozen other hiker tents, clearing under the stars
Today's Miles: 18
Trip Mileage: 31
PCT Mile 729

Today was more like I expected the PCT to be. Long miles, breath-taking vistas and time spent with new friends. The only thing unexpected was the lack of water. Shaggy is surprised by how unusually dry things are this year. Our sources since the South Kern River have been a little wimpier than I's hoped. There was a dead fish in one little pool, but the fact that he died in his natural environment oddly made me feel better. It was also several miles to water in either direction, so I drank of the dead fish water. I'm sure the hardy souls who have hike from Campo through the desert will scoff at my water pickiness, but htere is a very good reason I chose not to hike Southern Cali: I like water, It should get better as we get higher in the Sierras, and eventually we'll hit my favorite kind of water: alpine lakes. Swimming, woohoo!!

Today's scenery was suitably epic, like a sneak preview of the Sierras to come. We had a mile-high view of the surround towns and Hwy 395 where we hitched in. Every vista was framed by towers of rock and gnarled everygreens. Tomorrow morning I'll get more pictures; today I was just too exhausted. Tomorrow I'll also take it easier on my poor flat feet. They were complaing pretty loudly today, even with Andrew taking a big chunk of my load.
All griping aside, this is AMAZING! It still doesn't feel real, like I'm just on a long weekend outing. But we won't be coming down from the mountains until next Friday, if we stay on schedule. Then maybe it will sink in that I'm doing something more epic than anything I've ever tried.

Shaggy says:

Slept so well in the tent. Nice and warm with a cool breeze blowing all night. It feels good to be out again. Woke up early and enjoyed listening to the birds sing around the tent. At six, I finally woke up Lauren, and we were hiking by seven AM.
  Nice and cool morning as we worked our way up into the mountains. We walked past several hikers camped out. Actually felt like we got an early start. We passed a spot that I remembered being snow packed in 2006, nothing but dust now. This is going to be a totally different experience than 2006. Will our feet ever get wet I wonder?
  We took a nice break at a creek with Chameleon and Gut Feeling. Then on to Death Canyon and some nasty water.
  We ended up hiking another 6 miles after that for a total of 18 today. It honestly wore me out. I must be carrying 60 pounds now. I am a bit worried about Laurens feet, hope they continue to be ok.. We are camped with a big group, probably 12 of us. Good to be with hikers. 

Zero guarding my pack. The metal flashing is my potstand, called a caldera cone. Great for efficiently boiling water to cook my delicious trail meals!

These roots looked like they were trying to reach toward the sky...very cool.

Our humble campsite.

From our campsite we could see hikers traveling north on the PCT, right along the top of that ridge. 

June 15 2012 - Into the woods!

Near Cow Creek, surrounded by giant pines and tiny lizards
Today's Miles: 13
Trip Mileage: 13
PCT Mile 711 (this may help you determine where we are, if you look at PCT-specific maps)

Today wasn't glamorous, it wasn't incredibly exciting, but it was still somethineg unique and extraordinary - my first day on the PCT. Everything was new to me, from the landscape to the people to the feelings of possibility and trepidation. Possibility because I don't know what will happen, so it seems like anything could. Trepidation because there are so many things tht could go wrong and I'm terrified of going home too soon. Like today:  my not-quite-as-flat foot was aching painfully, probably in protest of my overly full pack (around 40 lbs if you're curious) and Andrew worried out loud that my pack may be too heavy for my feet. So, as much as it pains my pride, he'll be carrying my bear canister (a huge heavy plastic container that confounds bears who want the food inside. Hikers are required to carry them in the Sierras) tomorrow, transferering at least 15 lbs to his own back. What a guy, right?

We've seen a lot of critters today. The tiny push-up lizards (they do displays that look exactly like mini push-ups to impress chicks and embarrass wimpier lizards) were so numerous I started a lizard count: final tally was 32. Birds are everywhere, too. I spotted a few flickers (even found some red-shafted feathers at our campsite!), a meadowlark, some stellar's jays, two mountain bluebirds, juncos, tons of robins and a gorgeous bird with a yellow body, orange cap and black wings. Any guesses?

The human wildlife was more friendly, but no less wild. We met T-Rex and Sunshine from Asheville, NC (best town in the East) and then joined Young Geezer for a long break at the South Kern River footbridge. The swallows that build nests under the bridge were constantly flying in and out, swooping down to catch bugs and making whistles and clicks eerily reminiscent of bats or dolphins (do swallows use sonar??). The birds were mesmerizing; we all said we could watch them all day. But Andrew(who I will refer to as Shaggy, his trail name, from now on) and I eventually pulled away, hiking a few more miles and making camp here beneath some enormous, fire-blackened Ponderosa pines. A liesurely dinner and some map studying, and it was early to bed for us. Hopefully that will mean early to rise, and we can get to our first pass tomorrow before things heat up!

Shaggy says:

Today we began hiking. It felt so good, cept for the heavy pack! I had 8 days of food, and 4 beers from Denver. It still does not feel as bad as leaving Hite Marina on the Hayduke Trail with 10 liters of water and 10 days of food! Good times.
  Hiking with Lauren is much diferent than hiking by myself. I was mentally prepared for this too. We both have different hiking styles, and different paces. I think it will work, but for now it is honestly difficult for us to find a pace that works for both of us. This is a tough stretch though too. We are carrying a lot of food and working our way into the high Sierras. I feel it today, but I know Lauren feels it more. Her foot is bothering her today, says her arch feels like its falling. This is likely the most weight she has carried! We are going to redistribute the weight tomorrow, I will take her food and bear canister, she will take the tent. We are in this together, and she will help me out some way along this crazy adventure as well.
   The trail brings back memories of 2006. Missing the folks I hiked with. Also excited to meet new folks. Today we met T-Rex, Sunshine, Jeff, Gut Feeling, and Young Geezer. All great people to spend time with. It makes me feel at home, hikers are truly the best. I once again feel so lucky to be able to do what I am doing. Hard to imagine another 3 months with no work or school, but I am stoked for it.
  The South Fork of the Kern River was the highlight of my day. It feels like the gateway to the Sierras. Its in a meadow, high mountains in the background, and the swallows fly around like jets on a bright blue sky. We spent time here watching the birds, meeting new hikers, and washing off in the river. Hard to beat.
  We made 13 miles today, big climb tomorrow sending us up over 10,000 feet. I cant wait.

The swallows were entrancing, hundreds flying and somersaulting in the air.

Real estate is at a premium in Swallows Condominiums! These birds build their nests one tiny mouthful at a time. Amazing!

The South Fork Kern River, aka swallow-palooza. And a great place to soak tired feet!

Bizarre pile of scrap iron near our campsite. Fifteen miles from any road...

Lupine! Probably the most prevalent wildflowers in the Sierra, at least this time of year.

June 14, 2012 - The first footsteps

Kennedy Meadows Campground (near Ridgecrest, CA)
Today's Miles: 0
Trip Miles: 0

A long day...a long, loooong day. But a more successful day than I could have predicted. Not only did both Andrew's and my flights go off without a hitch, but so did our hitches! And a hitchless hitchhike is a very refreshing (and contradictory...) thing. We rental-carred our way fron LAX to Ridgecrest, where we picked up a few supplies we'd forgotten, then proceeded to flaunt our elegantly handmade hitchhiking sign through the streets and then onto the highway. Apparently Andrew and I have enough karma built up that we got rides relatively quickly. A kind Australian firefighter went out of his way to drive us to Hwy 395, then an outdoorsy, off-roadin' couple took us all the way the Kennedy Meadows at 9 o'clock at night. All thanks to the generosity of strangers and the "Hikers to Kennedy Meadows" sign that my mom lovingly crafted.Thanks Mom!

Now for the days challenges. Although we made it to the trailhead before dark (barely), we might have to backtrack to the general store tomorrow, which would only be a few miles roundtrip. In our impatience to start hiking, Andrew accidentally grabbed a mismatch stove fuel canister at the outfitting store...a bummer for someone who likes a hot meal every night. If there are no fuel canisters to be had, or if we don't feel like delaying our start in the morning, we'll share my fuel and stove. Flexibility is key out here. We also have 30 insustrial-strength trash bags to unload, since I forgot to bring the single bag that Andrew needs to line his backpack and Home Depot unfairly only sells them in bulk. Maybe someone will magically need to trade a fuel canister for trash bags. They say the trail provides...

 Shaggy says:
 

What an amazing day it has been. I woke up at 3 AM in Denver, could not fall back asleep. So I started to get things done. Packed up all of my stuff to send home after working in Wyoming for 10 days. I also spent some time watching the city slowly wake up, as I did the same.
  I was on a plane by 11. We flew right over the Grand Canyon, and I am pretty sure that I could make out where the Hayduke Trail took us back in April. Hopped off a plane at LAX, with a dream and my backpack. Met up with Lauren at the airport. Our flights got in about an hour apart from each other.
  The travel to Kennedy Meadows went sweetly. We were somehow given VIP treatment at the Avis car rental place. We didnt have to wait in the line of 20+ folks, and were okn our way in no time. The traffic in LA was a bugger, but it moved, just slowly, all 8 lanes of traffic.
  We were in Ridgecrest at 6, and I honestly had my doubts about making it to Kennedy Meadows tonight. We still had a few errands to run and the pct was another hour+ up 3 different roads and one that was super small, leading from the highway, to the middle of nowhere. We started hitching at 7 after dropping the car off. After 30 minutes an Austrailian firefighter picked us up. Super nice guy, drove out of his way to get us out of town to 395.
   Next hitch was about 30 minutes as well. This couple named Chris and Paige picked us up. They were headed right past Kennedy Meadows and gave us a ride the whole way to the campground. They were a really nice couple, coming up here for some offroading. Chris works for CBS doing lighting for shows in hollywood and Paige works for a magazine. I am still amazed that they gave us a ride all the way to Kennedy Meadows, if it werent for them, we would have slept along the highway most likely.
 Kennedy Meadows really stirs the emotions. In 2006 I was here for 3 nights, along with many others. It was a high snow year and going into the Sierras with an ice axe (that I did not know yet how to use) was scary. But I made it through. Some of my fondest trail memories happened out there that year. I met so many great people. Now here I am again, this time with the girl I love, in a place I love.
  Everything today has worked out great. The stars above us are amazing and the smell of sage brush fills the air. We shared a meal and drank a couple beers from Colorado, and both promptly went to bed. Tomorrow we begin 8 days of hiking towards the high country of the  Sierras. Yee-Haw!

Meet Zero the Ultralight Penguin. He'll be adding commentary along our trip, as he takes in the view from my pack.

June 11, 2012 - Three Days...What?!

Time warp! One day I was complaining about how far away our start date was, then woke up with only 3 days to accomplish a foot-long list of to-do's. Ahhh!! I've been busy finishing up work (at the BEST local elementary school with the BEST kids and co-workers) and seeing as much of Montana as possible before leaving for 3 months. As excited as I am for the PCT, it will be hard to give up a summer of exploring Glacier, the Bob Marshall, Yellowstone, the Beartooths...but I suspect it will all be here when we get back.
After finally cramming the last possible granola bar into our mail-drop boxes and mashing dehydrated curry meals into my bear canister, my food is all ready to go. The gear situation is another story. After this last weekend trip with my girlfriends, my homemade Caldera cone (a windscreen/pot-stand combo) proved itself to be an effective and efficient addition to my cook system. However, I pushed it too far when I tried to farm it out as a windscreen for my friend's canister stove. If anyone else is clueless enough to try this, DON'T. The aluminum just can't take the heat. Back to the workshop for me. At least this will give me a chance to make another pop-can alcohol stove (zen stove) for a back-up.
The other last-minute gear conundrum is my pack. Do I abandon my tank-like Osprey Ariel 65 that has served me faithfully my entire backpacking career, or cross over to the Light side with the Granite Gear Crown AC 60 Ki that just arrived, slim and sexy and built for speed? I know, it's a personal decision. But I'm a sucker for peer pressure, and the Vapor Trail (GG's predecessor to the Crown) is what all the cool thru-hikers carry, or so I hear. So you'll probably see me wearing a Crown on the trail.
I never realized that an otherwise sane person could spend more on hiking gear than her car is worth, but here I am...at least for another 3 days. Then I'll be flying to LA, over a thousand bucks in gear in the cargo hold, to meet my hiking partner and the only person I could survive one hundred days of constant contact - and the only person who can survive me...hopefully. Andrew is the reason I believe I can do this crazy thing, and if we reach Canada without driving each other insane then I believe we can do anything together. Thanks Shaggy, I love you!
And HUGE thanks to my parents for being our Mission Control here in Montana. They'll be mailing our packages, sending forgotten items and fending off bill collectors (just kidding!) while we're hiking. I'm sure there's some level of vicarious living going on, but it's still a huge help and responsibility. So thanks folks, we love you!
I'll try not to exhaust your limits of interest and attention with this one entry, since I'm hoping you'll come back and read the REALLY interesting ones, after we start hiking. Check in every few days, and leave a comment or two! I'm sure I'll love hearing from the "outside world".

A few pictures from the last of my Montana travels this summer:

 Some very un-June-like weather in Yellowstone (technically in Wyoming, but whatever)

Glorious Morning Glory, absolutely worth the drive and the freezing

What's up, El Capitan? No, not really. This is in Blodgett Canyon near Hamilton, MT

The last day of a rainy, wet trip with friends and dogs. Good times!

March 24, 2012 - Impulse Buys and Local Press

I'm starting to think that if the government really wants to stimulate the economy, they should start promoting thru-hiking. The amount of money I've spent on gear in the past few years could probably feed a small family for six months! My latest purchase is a Western Mountaineering Ultralite sleeping bag. From what I've heard, it's the Cadillac of down bags: 850-fill down, water-resistant fabric, and a conservative temperature rating of 20 degrees F, all for 1lb 13 oz. If it gets me through my triple crown (which could take ten years...) then it's worth the $ 400 price tag.
Then there was my new Outdoor Research Helium rain jacket - a mere 6 oz, on sale for $ 60. Of course I had to follow that with a new pair of North Face Paramount Valley convertible pants, to replace the two pair of mine that have developed new ventilation systems in awkward places. So far that's all the damage I've done...but there are still three months to go.
Of lesser importance than my gear purchases is a recent article in the local Helena newspaper. A young couple is planning to hike 2,000 miles from central California to Canada, shedding an apartment and two jobs before they go. What could possibly possess these crazy kids to exile themselves to the wilderness and a diet of rehydrated curry? I think you know the answer. Check out this link to see the whole article. http://helenair.com/helena-couple-planning-to-embark-on--mile-hike/article_75796fe6-73eb-11e1-984d-001871e3ce6c.html It made for a very embarrassing day for me, fielding, "Hey you!" comments around town when people recognized me from the picture. Ahh, the hardships of fame...
Andrew (Shaggy) is already on the trail, hiking the Hayduke from Arches to Zion. As intensely jealous as I am, I know the semi-waterless route would be a little above my skill level - not to mention my thirst- and rattlesnake-tolerances. But he's loving it, and I'm stuck here working with screaming kids and buying gear to assuage my frustrations. You can read his trail journals on this site, under Shaggy, in the Heyduke section. Or go to www.shaggyhikes.blogspot.com, and remember to sign his guestbooks!

Feb 16, 2012 - The Waiting Continues

I've gotten a little spend-happy in the last week. I finally ended my camera indecision by buying a Canon Elph HS300. It's a big name for a tiny camera, barely 5 oz. Haven't used it outside yet, but I have high hopes. But with my camera mortality record, I'm worried about the toughness of it. Anyone have any tricks they've used to make their camera safer from the elements and gravity?
My other purchase was a bit more impulsive. Though I vowed never to wear Salomon shoes again, I just bought the Crossmax Guidance trailrunner - for less than half the regular price. I still shake an angry fist at my pair of XA Pro Ultra trailrunners, after their super-fancy lacing system super-failed me on a week-long trip in the Beartooths. I'm giving Salomon a second chance, mostly because of the low-low price, but also because it was a very comfy and supportive shoe before it busted a gut. And they're so pretty!
Needless to say, I've put a spending freeze on my trail funds for now. That means more time for my other favorite past-time, DEHYDRATING! So far we have dried rice, dried beans, dried pasta sauce, dried veggies, dried cantoulope, dried bananas, and dried fruit smoothies (aka fruit roll-ups). Andrew picked up a delightful item for my dehydrator, the jelly roll platter. It's a beautiful thing: a disk of slightly concave plastic to pour soupy or small drying stuff onto, to prevent leakage. No more f*%#ing plastic wrap!! My fellow dehydrators will sympathize.
Well, that's all the high drama that's been going on at home. I assume my posts will get substantially more interesting once I'm on the trail. Until then, I'll try to make list-making and Costco trips as exciting as possible.

 Some glimpses into my adventures this winter:

Andrew showed me Yellowstone in winter. The Boiling River is my new mental happy place.

Trail Creek Cabin. Forest Service cabins are the BEST way to stay sane and get outside in winter

Spanish Creek Cabin - my cozy home for a night. It has a swing!

Mystic Lake Cabin. This one is terrible; nasty scenery and no fun at all...

Hmmmm, Tahiti or Aruba? Winters in Montana make you fantasize about sandy beaches.

Feb 12, 2012 - Hold my breath and jump in!

Two years ago, hiking 2,000 miles was some super-human feat that OTHER people attempted. Then my boyfriend Andrew convinced me that I could be an OTHER people! So here we go.
I will turn 30 on the trail, at which point I will have spent only 10% of my life as a backpacker. I turned to hiking as a way to experience Montana when I arrived in 2009, when I was sure the state held nothing but buffalo, endless mountains and fly fishing. Backpacking showed me that those are all GOOD things (I've yet to warm to fly-fishing, though I appreciate what comes of it). I was hooked, and meeting Andrew just cemented my conviction that a trail is a place where you feel everything that's good about the world, concentrated into an alpine sunrise or mountain goat sighting.

Andrew, the best hiking partner ever and wearer of enormous shoes

My work schedule gives me summers off, though not the six-month summer necessary to hike the whole enchilada. I also suspect that hiking through the snake- and cactus-filled desert and sipping from cow-enhanced water would be more a of a challenge than I'm ready for. For now.
So we're starting from Kennedy Meadows, when everyone else will be buff and glowing from the first 700 miles of trail. You'll know me as the not-so buff hiker with clean-smelling gear and wide eyes full of anticipation. And anxiety; I won't even begin to list all the little fears I've collected about what could happen on this trip. Andrew has already experienced the AT, the CDT and half of the PCT, so with him at my side (or 100 yards ahead of me) most of those fears are squashed.
Still, what should I expect? Will my pack be too heavy? Probably. Will I get tired of eating rehydrated leftovers? Definitely. Will I give up? Multiple times, I'm sure. Will this trip change who I am and make me question everything I have planned for my life? I sure as hell hope so.

A long-ago solo trip in the Scapegoat Wilderness of Montana

My longest solo trip to date, 6 days in the Bob Marshall Wilderness