One goal

Way back in June I posted here that my eventual success related to thru hiking the PCT would rest, in some part, on my ability to lose weight prior to April. My initial goal was to lose 20 pounds with a secondary goal of losing 5 to 10 more before leaving for the trail in April 2014. As of today I have lost 19 pounds, so my first goal is in sight. The best part of losing the weight is that my training hikes are so much easier on me! It is really noticeable and for this I am really grateful. 

 Utah, September late afternoon.

Home again

Just to catch up with the previous post I'll say that my night in the snow was just peachy. It was cold but not so cold that my water bottles froze so I reckon it was in the mid 30's over night. My sleeping system was perfect and I was warm and cozy all night. When the sun arrived I was ready to pop out of the tent and head down the hill and off to the Red Kettle in Idylwild. Yum! Good as usual. If you all are ever in that town I recommend this place above all others for good, down home food.

BTW, I learned that tyvek is NOT water proof and that plastic would have been a better ground cloth choice for snow/slush conditions. I'll have to remember this.

Finally!

After a couple of days of hard driving and arriving in Idylwild there was a snow event two days ago and it took until this morning to pack up my gear and go for an overnight backpack trip.

Today's goal was a moderate 8 mile hike with an elevation gain of 3,800 feet. Everything started out well and even though I haven't hiked this high for months I did fine. The general consensus was that there wouldn't be too much snow up high so I wasn't concerned. The trail was dry for the first couple miles then I started to see little patches of snow - just enough to be pretty. After climbing about 1,000 feet the ground was pretty much covered with snow but the trail itself was clear, if wet. 

Once I got to about 8,400 feet there was snow everywhere! Not so deep really, right around 4-6 inches but in some spots a foot or more. I was slipping and a sliding around even with good traction on my shoes. Who knew walking in soft snow is like walking in sand? I was getting pretty fatigued, with 3 miles to go, and another 1,200 feet of climb. If there was this much snow now what would it look like when I got to Little Round Valley, my planned stop for the night?

So this where fear comes in. BTW, I'm always afraid when I backpack by myself in a new area. This is a given. The big question for me is when do I modify my plans? Since I always experience some fear when does it reach another level? The problem is I don't always know which is which. 

So there I was at about 2pm, standing in snow, already tired. Still 3 miles, deeper snow to come and I'm by myself. What to do? Push on against my fear? Retreat to a lower elevation where I will be dealing with less snow? What, if anything does this mean about my ability to do hard things? Is it failure to change plans? Or is it smart to recognize a potentially dangerous situation and act accordingly?

Whether for good reasons or not, I did turn around and slid my way down to the closest camping area, near Strawberry Junction. I found an almost snow free spot to pitch my tent, settled myself into dinner and have been reading in my tent since dusk. It's gonna be a cold one tonight, here at 8,000 feet. 

Sparks' place

Art fun commences tomorrow and there will be lots of people coming through here for the next two days. I've helped as much as I can and tomorrow I'm heading over to Ojo Caliente to check out an estate sale. 

I'll also try to connect with a realtor to check out a piece of property for sale, real nearby. Like a five minute walk down the arroyo. There is a one acre lot that is for sale for 10k. On a creek, with willows and cottonwoods,  but also in a flood plane. So we will see. It's a nice community here and it would be fun to own land. 

Whirlwinds

Wow. My stop over in Durango was brief but fun to catchup with friends. Drank good beer, drove over to Pagosa Hot Springs for a four hour soak and then down to El Rito, NM to my friend Sparks place. Had dinner at a famous spot, El Farolito. 

This weekend is the local Art studio tour and Sparks is in it this year. More on this later. 

No room at the Inn.

Started driving at a bit after 7 this morning and with only a couple of stops I got to Capitol Reef National Park right about 4pm. Just in time to be told they had given the last campsite away five minutes prior to my arrival. Dang. My only consolation being I was able to get my senior pass at the visitor center, the lifetime pass! And for only ten bucks - Such a deal. 

The only options I had were to head back west, or drive east till I reached the park boundary and camp wherever I could find a nice place to park. My first spot was on a bluff with a 360 degree view. It was super windy and I was there for an hour before I gave up as that kind of wind is unnerving for me. 

Choice number two was out of the wind and tucked up into a side canyon off the road. It is much nicer and I'm the only one here. Beautiful sunset, salad for dinner and off to sleep. Tomorrow Durango!

Day trip

Took a drive out to Mesa Falls today, making a nice loop into the country and back to Idaho Falls. 

While there I got to snuggle up with a grizzly bear, previously alive. She was about three years old when she met her demise but she's now a part of a bear educational exhibit. A great day. 

Neccia's making chili for dinner. Yum.