Tag: backpacking

JMT, Day 3: Up, Down, Up, Down and on to Guitar Lake

· 8 Comments ·

P1110711

Rock Creek Crossing to Guitar Lake, 11,500′, 11.8 miles

I slept in my sleeping bag liner last night. I stayed warm and managed to get some much-needed sleep. We are up and moving by 6:15 am and do well with packing up quickly, that is until the park ranger stationed nearby comes to chat with us. Of course, we can’t help ourselves and spend a good half-hour talking to her. It’s now 8:30 by the time we hit the trail. We pass several other camping spots on our way done to Rock Creek that would have been more private, but then we probably would not have seen the deer or met Susan and the nice guys from Team Alabama. (more…)

JMT, Day 2: Up and Over New Army Pass

· 6 Comments ·

P1110615

Lake Two>Rock Creek Crossing, 12.0 miles

It’s a little chilly overnight, and I do not get a solid night’s sleep. I have my watch alarm set for 6:00 am, but it doesn’t go off, or at least we don’t hear it. The sun rises and begins to warm up the tent, and, after finally falling into a deep sleep, I wake up because it is too hot. I am playing possum in my sleeping bag when I hear a distinct drip! drip! drip! sound inside the tent. We are camped close to water, and, with the warmth of the sun, all of the condensation on the tent fly is beading up, and it is actually raining inside the tent. Uh oh, time to get up! (more…)

JMT, Day 1: Setting Off with a Surprise!

· 6 Comments ·

P1110553

4-hour Drive from Lee Vining to Cottonwood Meadows
Cottonwood Meadows>Lake Two, 6 miles

Our shuttle driver, Lone Pine Kurt, arrives at the Lake View Lodge at 8:00 am. I arranged a ride with him via email back in March when I learned that the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority buses don’t run on weekends/holidays. Just our luck, right? (more…)

JMT, Day 0: Lots and Lots of Logistics

· 6 Comments ·

It is July 3, and tomorrow we set off on our biggest backpacking trip ever, the John Muir Trail! We are both excited and nervous to get going. But, before we can step foot on the trail, we have so many last minute details we need to take care of. I know we shouldn’t complain—nobody ever said it would be easy to walk in the woods for 270 miles for over 3 weeks. If that’s the price of slipping away from real life for a while, it’s definitely worth the hassle. (more…)

Backpacking Colorado’s Chicago Basin, Day 3: Damp but Not Done Yet!

· 6 Comments ·

Backpacking Colorado's Chicago Basin_Day 3

It rains all night long, and it is still sprinkling at 6 am when we finally begin to stir. We pack up all that we can inside the tent and then head back to our dryish spot under the trees for breakfast. The tent is soaked! Once we are all packed up, we head down to the river to take a few shots of our lovely watering hole before hitting the trail to catch the train back to Durango. The train stops at Needleton on the way back to Durango at 3:55, so we take our time heading back down the trail trying to notice things that we might have missed when we were coming in the opposite direction. (more…)

Backpacking Colorado’s Chicago Basin, Day 2: Billy Goat’s Gruff

· 2 Comments ·

Backpacking Colorado's Chicago Basin_Day 2

Matt and I are eating breakfast admiring the view from our spectacular campsite when we suddenly hear the gallop of hoof steps fast approaching. I turn just in time to see a giant male goat charging at full speed right at me! I stand up just in the nick of time, and it barely swerves around our tent. Another goat is in hot pursuit, and the two gallop a mere five feet past us and out to the next rock ledge. Almost getting stampeded by two mountain goats sure is a memorable way to get your heart going in the morning! (more…)

Backpacking Colorado’s Chicago Basin, Day 1: Beware of Porcupines!

· 4 Comments ·

Backpacking Colorado's Chicago Basin_2.1

We have been at this hiking thing for quite a while now. We count ourselves lucky to have done some truly incredible treks over the years, but the summer of 2016 was definitely shaping up to be our biggest and baddest backpacking adventure yet. After years of thinking that the John Muir Trail was too long (211 miles!), too high (14,508 feet to the top of Mt. Whitney!) and too tough (7-day food carries, treacherous river crossings and a constant supply of 5-figure high passes!), we decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Life’s short, right?

We got a permit to start hiking the JMT northbound beginning on the 4th of July. We planned our route, mailed off our resupplies, packed up our bags and finally set off on the long drive out to California at the end of June. So, how did we end up in Colorado? (more…)

Backpacking the Trans-Zion Traverse Day 5: Echo Canyon to East Entrance

· 2 Comments ·

Backpacking the TZT_Day 5

Day 5: Echo Canyon to East Entrance Trailhead, 7 miles

After our long, hard day yesterday, we both sleep soundly through the night and don’t wake up until the alarm goes off. It is 5:00 am. Again. We are tired, but we are determined to get moving early. Today is supposed to be the hottest day on the trail yet, and, after being cooked crisp yesterday, we are eager to get as much distance on the trail as possible before the temperatures begin to rise. (more…)

Backpacking the Trans-Zion Traverse Day 4: West Rim to Echo Canyon

· 9 Comments ·

Backpacking the TZT_Day 4

Today is our biggest hiking day of the TZT, so we were hoping for a good night’s sleep, but, with yesterday’s long nap and a really cold night (45°F), it seems that sleep is hard to come by. I am wide awake when the alarm goes off at 5 am. We decide to break camp as quickly as possible while it’s still dark and have breakfast farther down the trail as a break. The sky is just starting to lighten when we set off at 6 am. It is our coldest morning yet so we have on our down jackets, gloves and warm hats.  (more…)