It looks like I'm going...

It has been hard for me to make the final commitment to attempt the PCT in 2012. I have all the usual concerns but once my land mate agreed to take care of my cats for the five month trip, that was the final roadblock. I somehow felt a weight lift off my back and I could really plan this thing for real.

There you have it... right there, to the left, you see the three states that are included in the Pacific Crest Trail - 2,650 miles from Campo, CA to Manning Park, British Columbia. The details remain to be considered and at some point decided. What kinds of gear to take for which parts of the trail? Do I prepare all or most of my food before the trip and send it along to post offices and other pickup places? Or buy as I go? How can I train to make it likely I'll be able to complete the hike without major injury? What is the right thing to do?

Many people who have done this hike tell the same story. You can plan and plan but once you get out there, you just have to adapt and roll with what comes your way. Those that are the most adaptable are most likely to complete. So I will practice flexibility and not become attached to things that are out of my control. I can control the exercise I do in preparation to hike, I can't control the weather I have to hike in. I can plan my food and send it along, yet I can't control whether or not it is at the post office when I arrive. Knowing the difference should help me weather the inevitable storms I am sure to experience. A famous (in trail circles) woman with the trail name of Yogi has coined a phrase I really like and will adopt for my own. Embrace the brutality. This may seem an odd statement but I am sure you can guess this adventure won't simply be a walk in the park. If I can embrace the hard parts as well as the beauty I am that much farther ahead to begin with.

I have begun a trail journal over at Postholer.com. The name of the journal is Walking North, if you should want to follow along. I hope to eventually have a link on the journal which will show, on google maps, my actual wear abouts as I meander along. We will see.

Making a hammock

A couple of weeks ago I ordered some 1.1 oz ripstop nylon with the idea of making a hammock for my upcoming hike on the PCT. I sewed the perimeter first then gathered the ends, finally whipping the ends to make things nice and tidy, as well as secure. I pulled some whoopie slings off another hammock and anchored myself to the eye bolts I had previously set, gingerly sitting myself down on the thin fabric. Hey, it worked!  Some photos...

My new sewing machine!

Whipped end

Attached and ready for action

Ahhhhhhh

training

I did my first planned training hike today. Six miles with a 20 pound pack in two hours. In six months I hope to be up to 13-15 miles with a 30 pound pack, three to four times a week.  I hope this slow build to higher miles will do the necessary strength building I need to be successful with next years hike, whatever I end up doing.

Just a nice image from the JMT hike last summer.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, I get out my camera and take pictures. Here is a goofy self portrait. Like that crazy head gear? I made it from a kit I bought online from Ray Jardine.  For those of you who don't know about RJ, he is the godfather of the lightweight gear movement. A bit of an egocentric guy but most people who are driven to innovate are sort of self involved, don't cha think?

Thousand Island Lake

I really can't help myself. This is probably one of the most iconic places to photograph along the whole JMT, and I am quite certain no one has done a better job than Ansel Adams, HOWEVER, I just have to throw in my own image as it is such a pretty place.

Pay attention!

Long time no post here. I simply got bored with my own thoughts...

Just got back from 2.5 weeks in the High Sierras with a hiking buddy. The plan was to thru hike the JMT but, as with most plans, that didn't turn out to be the outcome. It is a long story but in keeping with my not wanting to bore myself or others, I won't recount it here.

I did have one or two interesting things happen. Number one photo is of my tent surrounded by trees in Tully Hole. This photo was taken during a trip in 2009.

Unseen in this image is a tree with the trunk split into two main branches. Later, after I pitched the tent and was going about my business, I started hearing creaking sounds from the joint of that tree, kind of like something was going to crack open and ...? I kept thinking about this and wondering if part of that tree was going to fall on me in the night so I finally moved my tent to a decidedly uncomfortable spot, far, far away. I always wondered if I was being silly that night and if that tree was really dangerous. See the photos from one week ago.

Guess what? The tree fell right about where my tent had been. Now I know it didn't fall the night I was there, or probably the next night either but dang, during the last two years it did fall and right where my tent would have been. So I feel vindicated and will remember to pay attention in life and if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

fun with casts

A request was made to take another photo of the cast I am stuck wearing for TWO MORE WEEKS. Dang. The first image is the original cast and the second what it now looks like after 4 modifications. It was too big and went half way up my forearm... not necessary. Plus I cut the length off the fingers so I could use the hand somewhat better. A hack saw is a girls best friend!

Clean, big and clumsy

Worn, shortened and (almost) usable

What wind???

Just a note to share a short video of me walking along and fighting 40-50 mile per hour wind gusts. The jerky motion is me being hit by gusts and trying to remain upright.

The desert in spring can be quite blustery....