Saturday, June 20, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
PCT Training Hikes
I should start this post by explaining just a tit-bit about this blog and it's purpose. As I mentioned in my last trip, this blog is primarily a tool for future me. I certainly write with an audience in mind (probably you), and hope that you enjoy it, but I'm not conceited enough to think that you'll read every word or every post that I write. However, if I don't imagine you reading this, I won't be motivated to write this, and I need to write this. I hope you enjoy reading it.
I need to write this for several reasons. Most posts I write for posterity. Recording an adventure immortalizes is for me, and I go back and read my blogs when the wander-lust strikes me on a cold rainy Oregon night, or the stress gets me on a cold rainy day at work. A post like this, however, is also designed to make it easier for me to do another trip. It will involve more technical details so I don't have to keep them in my head forever.
For this trip I only did 5 trainings hikes (less than I'd have liked) but I loved them all. They were, of course, interspersed with 60-100 miles a day of bike commuting, and weekend mountain bike trips, mountain unicycle trips, and running. I can't JUST hike, there are too many other fun things to do.
PCT Training Hike #1 - 12 miles South of Eugene
PCT Training Hike #2 - Cape Perpetua on the Coast
PCT Training Hike #3 - 13 miles South of Eugene
PCT Training Hike #4 - 3 days and 50- miles on the McKenzie River Trail, start park weight about 35 lbs.
PCT training hike #5 - 12 miles south of Eugene with 30lb pack. (my base weight is about 27lbs)
The rest of this post was originally to chronicle the 3-day 50 mile practice hike I did on the McKenzie River Trail, and some of the thoughts I had about that. Although, I'm supposed to leave for my trip in 15 minutes so I'll have to pass. I'll upload photos (maybe to this post) later.
Day 1: About 13 miles, 5 hours pack time, 6 hours total time.
Day 2: About 22 miles, 8:27 pack time, 10:40 total time.
Day 3: About 15 miles, 5:47 pack time, 8:13 total time.
I need to write this for several reasons. Most posts I write for posterity. Recording an adventure immortalizes is for me, and I go back and read my blogs when the wander-lust strikes me on a cold rainy Oregon night, or the stress gets me on a cold rainy day at work. A post like this, however, is also designed to make it easier for me to do another trip. It will involve more technical details so I don't have to keep them in my head forever.
For this trip I only did 5 trainings hikes (less than I'd have liked) but I loved them all. They were, of course, interspersed with 60-100 miles a day of bike commuting, and weekend mountain bike trips, mountain unicycle trips, and running. I can't JUST hike, there are too many other fun things to do.
PCT Training Hike #1 - 12 miles South of Eugene
PCT Training Hike #2 - Cape Perpetua on the Coast
PCT Training Hike #3 - 13 miles South of Eugene
PCT Training Hike #4 - 3 days and 50- miles on the McKenzie River Trail, start park weight about 35 lbs.
PCT training hike #5 - 12 miles south of Eugene with 30lb pack. (my base weight is about 27lbs)
The rest of this post was originally to chronicle the 3-day 50 mile practice hike I did on the McKenzie River Trail, and some of the thoughts I had about that. Although, I'm supposed to leave for my trip in 15 minutes so I'll have to pass. I'll upload photos (maybe to this post) later.
Day 1: About 13 miles, 5 hours pack time, 6 hours total time.
Day 2: About 22 miles, 8:27 pack time, 10:40 total time.
Day 3: About 15 miles, 5:47 pack time, 8:13 total time.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Pacific Crest Trail Preview
I'm hurried, so please forgive this post being brief and a little dry. The crunch before a big trip is always really annoying. I promised myself this year that I wouldn't have a big trip right after school let out so that I could have a relaxing spring, but when my Aunt Nancy invited me to hike 17 days and 261 miles with on the PCT from Seiad Valley in Northern California to Shelter Cove Resort in Oregon, I couldn't say no. Awesome!
However, in an early reminder of the unpredictability of adventures, she needed to modify her route and pacing due for a variety of reason. So, instead of 17 days of 18-ish miles and 2 re-supplies, we are now doing 9 days of 12-ish miles and no resupplies. We'll be hiking the 100 miles between Callahans and Mazama Village in Crater Lake.
Am I disappointed by the change? Yes and no. I did a TON of prep-work for this trip and 17 days is a good long adventure distance for me. A 9-day trip takes the same amount of prep but with less pay-off. On the other hand, I'll still be achieving my two main goals of this adventure: 1: I'll get to spend time with my Mom's sister, something I've rarely been able to do, and 2: Nancy will be able to teach me all about long-distance hiking and the PCT. Also, with the shorter days we'll be able to hang out and talk more, and I may learn even more with the extra time. I like short travel days with lots of hanging out time.
Iris (my wife) and I have done other backpacking trips. Most notably 3-day and 5-day hikes through rugged terrain on New Zealand's South Island (The Routeburn and Greenstone-Caples tracks.) I've never done 9 or 17 days though, or dealt with re-supplies, dry camping, low water hiking, or difficult route finding. These are all things I hope to learn about on this trip, as it will give me the confidence I need to do much more Oregon backpacking than I currently do. I'm an expert bike tourer, but a relatively novice backpacker - but not for long.
I'm reading a book called Cascade Summer by Bob Welch, a columnist for the Register-Guard, about his trip section hiking the Oregon portion of the PCT with his buddy. In it he frequently mentions his fear of failure. I realized that I no-longer have a fear of failure when it comes to bike touring. I know what I'm doing and if I do have to quit a trip, I've already accomplished so much in that area. I do, however, have a fear of failure when it comes to backpacking, despite international experience. Not only failure to finish, but failure to survive in a remote area. One of the main purposes of this trip is to give me the experience I need to be as comfortable backpacking as I am bike touring.
My mentor will by my Aunt Nancy, a retired Park Ranger among many other things. She's written several books, including Park Ranger and Park Ranger Sequel. In the former book she describes herself thusly:
I'm using HalfMile's Maps and App, and the PCT Water Report primarily for info along the way.
However, in an early reminder of the unpredictability of adventures, she needed to modify her route and pacing due for a variety of reason. So, instead of 17 days of 18-ish miles and 2 re-supplies, we are now doing 9 days of 12-ish miles and no resupplies. We'll be hiking the 100 miles between Callahans and Mazama Village in Crater Lake.
Am I disappointed by the change? Yes and no. I did a TON of prep-work for this trip and 17 days is a good long adventure distance for me. A 9-day trip takes the same amount of prep but with less pay-off. On the other hand, I'll still be achieving my two main goals of this adventure: 1: I'll get to spend time with my Mom's sister, something I've rarely been able to do, and 2: Nancy will be able to teach me all about long-distance hiking and the PCT. Also, with the shorter days we'll be able to hang out and talk more, and I may learn even more with the extra time. I like short travel days with lots of hanging out time.
Iris (my wife) and I have done other backpacking trips. Most notably 3-day and 5-day hikes through rugged terrain on New Zealand's South Island (The Routeburn and Greenstone-Caples tracks.) I've never done 9 or 17 days though, or dealt with re-supplies, dry camping, low water hiking, or difficult route finding. These are all things I hope to learn about on this trip, as it will give me the confidence I need to do much more Oregon backpacking than I currently do. I'm an expert bike tourer, but a relatively novice backpacker - but not for long.
I'm reading a book called Cascade Summer by Bob Welch, a columnist for the Register-Guard, about his trip section hiking the Oregon portion of the PCT with his buddy. In it he frequently mentions his fear of failure. I realized that I no-longer have a fear of failure when it comes to bike touring. I know what I'm doing and if I do have to quit a trip, I've already accomplished so much in that area. I do, however, have a fear of failure when it comes to backpacking, despite international experience. Not only failure to finish, but failure to survive in a remote area. One of the main purposes of this trip is to give me the experience I need to be as comfortable backpacking as I am bike touring.
My mentor will by my Aunt Nancy, a retired Park Ranger among many other things. She's written several books, including Park Ranger and Park Ranger Sequel. In the former book she describes herself thusly:
"Eventually I became a permanent ranger, specializing in protection, and over time, with schooling at training sesions and academies, advanced to the highest level of each of the duties a ranger is required to perform. [...] I was a Federal Law Enforcement Officer, a Paramedic /Registered Nurse, Captain and Engineer of the Structural Fire Brigade, Medical Unit Leader for Wildland Fire, and Technical Search and Rescue Team member with specialties in helicopter shorthaul and swiftwater rescue, and a resource manager with a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Biology."And that was back 10 years ago. She's done a ton since then. I'm hiking with a real super-hero! This should be a pretty great trip. I'll update when I can.
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| Our new 9-day route |
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