Okay, so I try to leave things not related to my backpacking trips or backpacking in general on here, but this seemed like a worthy way of getting the word out.
My acquaintance Simone Youngblood wrote this letter to President Obama for her Great-Grandfather. Please read it and pass it along to anyone you think might might forward it further to the world and to the President's ears.
http://www.simonesoasis.com/2009/09/my-letter-to-barack-obama-on-behalf-of.html
Thanks.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Trip Report: Pt. Reyes
Due to unforeseen delays at work I didn't leave until almost 5. Fortunately Alice had finished packing the food and gear to get us out of town as quickly as possible. Despite some traffic in Davis, we made good time.
We stopped at Moylan's Brewery for dinner. It is amazingly hard to be that close to good beer and not get some because you know it will be a bad idea.
We made it to Pt. Reyes about 9:30pm. We took a look at the map we had brought and oriented between that and the map at HQ. We wound up following my brilliant direction and taking the Horse Trail to Sky Camp, because I thought it would be more gradual. This lead us on a 3 mile detour where we found out just crappy the maps printed from the National Geographic kiosks at REI can be.
We finally stumbled upon a trail marker that showed the way to Sky Camp. From there it was a steep climb, in the dark, up to nearly the peak of Mt. Wittenberg. Alice impressed me with her perseverance in the face of adversity and my stupidity.
We finally got to Sky camp around 1:30am. We set up camp quickly and passed out.
Now, you, my dear reader, may remember from my trip report that we were going to get up around 6am, race down the mountain to HQ and try to secure a camp permit for Coast Camp. That didn't happen. We finally got out of bed after being rudely woken at the ungodly hour of 9:30 by our neighbors packing up and leaving camp. We grabbed a couple Clif bars and hit the trail to get back to HQ to (hopefully) get a permit for Saturday night at Coast Camp.
This time we took the Meadow Trail to the Bear Valley Trail. Following trails in daylight is much easier. We arrived at HQ and fortunately they still had permits available for Coast. Oddly enough, we wound up in site 7 in both camps.
We hiked back to Sky Camp via the Meadow Trail again, bemoaning that we seemed to gain more elevation than we lost the entire way. Upon returning to Sky Camp, we broke camp and had a late lunch.
From there we headed out to Coast Camp. We started North on Sky Trail, then took the Fire Lane Trail to the camp. The trail was beautiful, with several low hills providing vistas of the surrounding park and Drake's Bay. There were even these sections where the trees knitted together over the trail, like a tunnel or arbor.
The hills rolled along, seemingly taunting us will brilliant views at the peak, but another hill looming ahead. Finally after about five miles of zig-zagging elevation we reached Coast Camp. We gratefully dropped our gear, switched into swimsuits, and wandered down to the beach.
The wind whipped along the beach. There were small waves, close to shore, with a vicious curl promising undertow and riptide. We walk a ways along the beach and decided that it was too early for a fire and and too cold to swim.
Alice and I returned to camp to setup the tent and prepare dinner. We made Pad Thai from Backpacker's Pantry; I highly recommend their food now. We made a few additions of more spices and extra peanut butter, but this is minor and the food was good as is.
The sun had just started to set as we finished off dinner. We headed once more to the beach to start the evening's pyrotechnics. (Okay, so it was just a fire, but "pyrotechnics" sounds cooler.) We found a segment of what looked like a telephone pole and hauled it over to where we wanted. We foraged for some wood and were fortunate enough to stumble upon someone's cache. I dug a small pit on the lee side of the log and set up a small lean-to with some dry grass as tinder.
After burning through all of the tinder, we sacrificed a piece of reading I had brought with us: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070503/012939.shtml. We ripped the paper up into little pieces and mixed them in with some small, dry twigs. Using our bodies as windscreens we lit the paper and kept it going to get the twigs burn. We kept putting on bigger and bigger pieces until the fire was roaring.
The wind whipped along the beach so fast that the smoke from the fire stayed at ground level as far as we could see. It made the fire a bit less cozy to cough in the smoke, but it was nice to have anyway.
We met a family on the beach. It was two brothers and their families, about 10 in total. The kids were having a great time running up and down the beach. One of the brothers and his sister-in-law joined us by the fire to warm up. We talked a bit mentioned that we had worn ourselves out in the last two days of hiking and weren't looking forward to hiking back out the 10 or so miles tomorrow. Pete, the brother (though I guess you figured that, there aren't too many women named Pete), offered to give a ride the next morning out to the Pt. Reyes Headquarters.
We slept in a little the next morning, getting up around 9am. We struck camp and made breakfast and headed out a little after 10am.
We followed the Coast Trail back towards the Pt. Reyes Hostel. The trail was nice, mostly level with a good view of the beach along the way. We leap-frogged with some of Pete's family who were on bikes with the kids. Th kids kept stopping for various reasons (catching frogs in the streams, bathroom breaks, etc.) allowing us to pass them at times.
Eventually, we met up with Pete in the parking lot. They were able to cram us into an already overloaded minivan and drove us back to our car at HQ.
The pictures are at my Picasa page at http://picasaweb.google.com/jheckey/Pt_reyes#.
So that was it. The last trip of the year. Trinity got canceled without notice and this post has been in limbo for the better part of a month.
I do intend to continue updating this blog with future trips. I think, though, next year I will just try for one or two short trips like these and one good long trip for 6 days or so. It'll be interesting.
Thanks for reading and following along on my journey. Thanks to all of those who joined me, and I hope to see you in the next year!
We stopped at Moylan's Brewery for dinner. It is amazingly hard to be that close to good beer and not get some because you know it will be a bad idea.
We made it to Pt. Reyes about 9:30pm. We took a look at the map we had brought and oriented between that and the map at HQ. We wound up following my brilliant direction and taking the Horse Trail to Sky Camp, because I thought it would be more gradual. This lead us on a 3 mile detour where we found out just crappy the maps printed from the National Geographic kiosks at REI can be.
We finally stumbled upon a trail marker that showed the way to Sky Camp. From there it was a steep climb, in the dark, up to nearly the peak of Mt. Wittenberg. Alice impressed me with her perseverance in the face of adversity and my stupidity.
We finally got to Sky camp around 1:30am. We set up camp quickly and passed out.
Now, you, my dear reader, may remember from my trip report that we were going to get up around 6am, race down the mountain to HQ and try to secure a camp permit for Coast Camp. That didn't happen. We finally got out of bed after being rudely woken at the ungodly hour of 9:30 by our neighbors packing up and leaving camp. We grabbed a couple Clif bars and hit the trail to get back to HQ to (hopefully) get a permit for Saturday night at Coast Camp.
This time we took the Meadow Trail to the Bear Valley Trail. Following trails in daylight is much easier. We arrived at HQ and fortunately they still had permits available for Coast. Oddly enough, we wound up in site 7 in both camps.
We hiked back to Sky Camp via the Meadow Trail again, bemoaning that we seemed to gain more elevation than we lost the entire way. Upon returning to Sky Camp, we broke camp and had a late lunch.
From there we headed out to Coast Camp. We started North on Sky Trail, then took the Fire Lane Trail to the camp. The trail was beautiful, with several low hills providing vistas of the surrounding park and Drake's Bay. There were even these sections where the trees knitted together over the trail, like a tunnel or arbor.
The hills rolled along, seemingly taunting us will brilliant views at the peak, but another hill looming ahead. Finally after about five miles of zig-zagging elevation we reached Coast Camp. We gratefully dropped our gear, switched into swimsuits, and wandered down to the beach.
The wind whipped along the beach. There were small waves, close to shore, with a vicious curl promising undertow and riptide. We walk a ways along the beach and decided that it was too early for a fire and and too cold to swim.
Alice and I returned to camp to setup the tent and prepare dinner. We made Pad Thai from Backpacker's Pantry; I highly recommend their food now. We made a few additions of more spices and extra peanut butter, but this is minor and the food was good as is.
The sun had just started to set as we finished off dinner. We headed once more to the beach to start the evening's pyrotechnics. (Okay, so it was just a fire, but "pyrotechnics" sounds cooler.) We found a segment of what looked like a telephone pole and hauled it over to where we wanted. We foraged for some wood and were fortunate enough to stumble upon someone's cache. I dug a small pit on the lee side of the log and set up a small lean-to with some dry grass as tinder.
After burning through all of the tinder, we sacrificed a piece of reading I had brought with us: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070503/012939.shtml. We ripped the paper up into little pieces and mixed them in with some small, dry twigs. Using our bodies as windscreens we lit the paper and kept it going to get the twigs burn. We kept putting on bigger and bigger pieces until the fire was roaring.
The wind whipped along the beach so fast that the smoke from the fire stayed at ground level as far as we could see. It made the fire a bit less cozy to cough in the smoke, but it was nice to have anyway.
We met a family on the beach. It was two brothers and their families, about 10 in total. The kids were having a great time running up and down the beach. One of the brothers and his sister-in-law joined us by the fire to warm up. We talked a bit mentioned that we had worn ourselves out in the last two days of hiking and weren't looking forward to hiking back out the 10 or so miles tomorrow. Pete, the brother (though I guess you figured that, there aren't too many women named Pete), offered to give a ride the next morning out to the Pt. Reyes Headquarters.
We slept in a little the next morning, getting up around 9am. We struck camp and made breakfast and headed out a little after 10am.
We followed the Coast Trail back towards the Pt. Reyes Hostel. The trail was nice, mostly level with a good view of the beach along the way. We leap-frogged with some of Pete's family who were on bikes with the kids. Th kids kept stopping for various reasons (catching frogs in the streams, bathroom breaks, etc.) allowing us to pass them at times.
Eventually, we met up with Pete in the parking lot. They were able to cram us into an already overloaded minivan and drove us back to our car at HQ.
The pictures are at my Picasa page at http://picasaweb.google.com/jheckey/Pt_reyes#.
So that was it. The last trip of the year. Trinity got canceled without notice and this post has been in limbo for the better part of a month.
I do intend to continue updating this blog with future trips. I think, though, next year I will just try for one or two short trips like these and one good long trip for 6 days or so. It'll be interesting.
Thanks for reading and following along on my journey. Thanks to all of those who joined me, and I hope to see you in the next year!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Pt Reyes Flight Plan
The Emigrant Wilderness trip has been replaced by Pt. Reyes. Yay!
Alice (who has been kind enough to work on the reservations) and I will be heading out from Sacramento around 4pm on Friday, August 28. We should arrive around 6:30-7pm. From there we'll hike in about 1.8 mi to Sky Camp, set up camp and have dinner.
From there it gets a little interesting. Since we're making reservations so close to our trip, we were only able to secure Sky for Friday. We are hoping to be able to get a spot at Coast Camp for Saturday, but that is contingent on being able to fill a cancellation. If there aren't any cancellations, we can try to get the ranger station at around 6am on Satuday and get one of the two day passes that keep open. If that doesn't work, the plans will shift accordingly.
We'll definitely be headed back by Sunday night.
By the way, this is Alice.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
More Schedule Changes
Since no one else has signed up for the remaining trips, I have decided to reschedule them so that my girlfriend, Alice, can come with me. A couple of you have expressed interest in coming on some of these trips, so hopefully these dates and locations work better.
Emigrant Wilderness has been cancelled. Instead, we will be heading out August 28-30 to a currently undetermined location. We'll probably go somewhere in the Bay Area/North Bay. Suggestions welcome.
Mammoth/Devil's Post Pile has been moved to September 19-21, and the new location is probably Trinity.
Let me know if you're interested in coming with us!
Emigrant Wilderness has been cancelled. Instead, we will be heading out August 28-30 to a currently undetermined location. We'll probably go somewhere in the Bay Area/North Bay. Suggestions welcome.
Mammoth/Devil's Post Pile has been moved to September 19-21, and the new location is probably Trinity.
Let me know if you're interested in coming with us!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Desolation Wilderness Trip Report
So this was the perfect backpacking trip. Matt will confirm.
We arrived at the Echo Lakes parking lot at around 6:30 on Friday. John was kind enough to prepare some BBQ chicken for dinner, along with a couple bottles of very nice wine. Matt and Janet brought along some salad and a bunt cake to round out the meal.
We camped just outside of the parking lot in a small area, hoping to avoid the rain that threatened from some nearby clouds. Fortunately, we managed to miss the rain drops and had a comfortable first night.
In the morning we took our time making breakfast and getting packed up. I made chorizo and eggs for those who wanted it. Those who didn't shall remain nameless to protect the guilty. :)
We broke camp and hit the trail about 9:30am. The trail cut close to Lower Echo Lake and wandered along the mountainside. It rolled slightly along the trail, but it was mostly level.
The lake is rimmed by small cabins and had a few boaters out waterskiing and innertubing. This somewhat detracted from the "Getting-Away-From-It-All" ideal, but it was still somewhat relaxing because of a distinct vacation vibe.
The trail had some minor ups and downs while tracing Echo Lakes, but started climbing quickly as we got near Lake Tamarack. The trail along the mountainside up to the plateau was paved with skree, which is small to medium chunks of broken rock. Or, as I like to think of it, ankle-twisting fun time. This was probably my least favorite part of the hike.
After cresting the high point of the trail, it was only about 1.5 miles of mostly downhill hiking through some very pretty forest to Lake Aloha. It is worth mentioning that the same PR firm that named Iceland named Desolation Wilderness. It is (at least this time of year) lush and green, full of dense stands of trees and rolling meadows.
Lake Aloha is a large, shallow lake, full of small islands of rock jutting up all over. It is located in a small valley, surrounded by several peaks. The peaks themselves were covered in morraine and rubble. Honestly, that was most desolate part of the whole trip.
We hiked along the east side of the lake less than a quarter mile before finding a nice spot to camp. Upon dropping my pack, I instinctively found the most comfortable boulder and laid down. After a brief rest, I declared that my bed for the night.
We spent a little while filling water containers. The lake itself was warm by alpine standards (about 65 F), so it was great for swimming. The deepest part of the lake I saw was about 14 feet. It was right next to an island rising about 10 feet out of the water. So I got to work on my swan dive. :)
After relaxing by the lake for a while, Matt, Janet and I took a short walk along the lake, catching up and snapping pictures of anything that looked pretty (that is, everything). Both Matt and Janet have Canon SLR cameras, though the one Janet was carrying had been modified for infra-red pictures. The infra-red shots look very cool on the built in screen, and they should be even cooler once they've been processed.
We came back and spent a while puttering about. We got the tents set up, and started dinner. I swapped refried beans with Tom and John for some of their enchiladas, so that worked out. BTW, Winco has dehydrated refried beans for cheap and they are good and filling. That and a couple tortillas makes for some good and easy camp food.
Matt spent some time setting up and playing with the cameras to get some pictures of the stars. He got some pretty good pics, too.
In the morning we made some breakfast and coffee (thanks Tom!) and slowly reassembled our packs. We broke camp about 9:15am. The trip back was quicker, but we still took our time, not really wanting to go home. The skree-lined trail was even more treacherous, what with faster, heavier footfalls.
Towards the end of the trail we were reminded, forcibly, of exactly how much downhill we did on the way in. It just seemed to keep going up, despite the fact that the lake was right there! We kept thinking we reached the top, only to go around a slight bend and find more up! It was frustrating to be so close, and yet keep having to work harder and harder.
At last, we reached the parking lot around 1:30pm. We celebrated a successful and enjoyable with a milkshake from the general store. (Hmm, maybe there is a reason I never seem to lose weight on backpacking trips.)
The rest of the photos can be seen at my Picasa page: http://picasaweb.google.com/jheckey/DesolationWilderness#
Happy Trails!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Desolation Wilderness Flight Plan
The Desolation Wilderness trip will follow the Pacific Crest Trail from Hwy 50 and Echo Lakes up to Lake Aloha. Friday night we will camp off of 50. On Saturday morning we will leave from Hwy 50 and hike about 6 miles in to Lake Aloha; we'll gain about 800 feet. On Sunday we will hike out by the same route.
The group going will be Tom McGinley, John Chute, and Matt and Janet Davis. Thanks for the company guys!
The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is in charge of Desolation Wilderness/El Dorado National Forest. They can be reached at (530) 543-2600. If we don't make it out by Monday, please call them and send a rescue party.
The group going will be Tom McGinley, John Chute, and Matt and Janet Davis. Thanks for the company guys!
The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is in charge of Desolation Wilderness/El Dorado National Forest. They can be reached at (530) 543-2600. If we don't make it out by Monday, please call them and send a rescue party.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Scheduling Updates
Okay, so life continues to intervene.
The Trinity trip (June 12-14) is CANCELED because of an Active 20-30 camping trip. I'll just have to hike a long ways while drunk now. Normally I would push it to another weekend, but the weekend before I am moving, the weekend after I am at a wedding, and the weekend after I need to rest.
The Little Sur trip (October 2-4) is CANCELED because my 10th annual high school reunion is that weekend. This trip was supposed to be the last hurrah, but I don't trust the weather after this.
The Trinity trip (June 12-14) is CANCELED because of an Active 20-30 camping trip. I'll just have to hike a long ways while drunk now. Normally I would push it to another weekend, but the weekend before I am moving, the weekend after I am at a wedding, and the weekend after I need to rest.
The Little Sur trip (October 2-4) is CANCELED because my 10th annual high school reunion is that weekend. This trip was supposed to be the last hurrah, but I don't trust the weather after this.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Skyline-to-Sea Trip Report
Wow, this post has gone too long without being written. So I finally took the remaining time had off to sit down and finish it.
The Sublime
I grew up in Northern California. We used to visit Armstrong Grove and see the Redwoods. These same trees are all over the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The fog rolls in and gets captured in the deep, narrow valleys. This, along with ample run-off from all of the creeks, provides enough water to grow a tree hundreds of feet tall and hundreds of years old.
And there are thousands of them.
The valleys trap this moisture, making the trail humid. The redwoods provide shade, making the trail cool. Smaller plants and trees scrabble for prime position next to a creek or near a fallen tree where they can get sunlight.
The creeks are full of careworn stones, granite, quartz, and slate. Exposed by the seismic uplift of the Californian coast, these rocks have have been ejected from the molten mantel of the Earth.
One of my favorite things about camping is figuring out to make due without the stuff you forgot. The quick list of what I remember I forgot ("there are thing you remembered to remember, things you remembered you forgot, things you remembered to forget, and things you've forgotten you forgot," Jeff "Rummy" Heckey):
All-in-all, though, I think ingenuity, critical thinking, and just plain stubbornness got us through the trip.
The rest of the pictures can be found here, at my Picasa page.
Happy Trails.
The Sublime
I grew up in Northern California. We used to visit Armstrong Grove and see the Redwoods. These same trees are all over the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The fog rolls in and gets captured in the deep, narrow valleys. This, along with ample run-off from all of the creeks, provides enough water to grow a tree hundreds of feet tall and hundreds of years old.
And there are thousands of them.
The valleys trap this moisture, making the trail humid. The redwoods provide shade, making the trail cool. Smaller plants and trees scrabble for prime position next to a creek or near a fallen tree where they can get sunlight.
The creeks are full of careworn stones, granite, quartz, and slate. Exposed by the seismic uplift of the Californian coast, these rocks have have been ejected from the molten mantel of the Earth.
The Banal
We started out from Roseville at about 4pm on Friday. We dropped off Matt's truck at the Waddell Beach Campground around 9:30pm. About 12am we arrived where the Waterman Gap Campground is at the crossroads between Hwy 9 and Hwy 236. About 12:01am, we passed Waterman Gap Campground looking for signs to Waterman Gap Campground. At 12:30pm we pulled into the Castle Rock State Park main lot. We then consulted the map and found that, not only was Waterman Gap exactly where I thought it was, but there was supposed to be parking nearby. We returned to the crossroads and looked for parking. We found "No Parking" signs instead. After consultation of the available data sources (i.e., my memory, Google maps, and Matt's indisputable logic), we went with Matt's suggestion of foregoing Waterman Gap in favor of Jay Campground near Big Basin HQ. We arrived at the campsite at about 1:30am, and were setup and asleep by about 2:30am. The next morning (around 10 am) I spent about 30 minutes explaining this turn of events to the strikingly large number of attractive park rangers and getting the campsites sorted. We then ate Matt's chorizo con papas for breakfast, and despite its location in the flow of the text, it was excellent.
On Saturday we hiked along the Sequoia Trail through the main valley of Big Basin up to Sempervirens Falls (somewhat underwhelming, if truth be told). From there we took the Shadowbrook Trail back around to campsite again.
While preparing lunch and hanging out at the campsite, a guy approached me and asked if I was Jeff. It turns out he and his friends were doing the Skyline-to-Sea Trail without reservations. He hoped that we would share our campsite (max. 6 people), in exchange for paying for the site and beer. We, of course, said yes.
We hung out with them for dinner and swapped stories. It turns out that the original guy (yes, I forgot his name) knows the author of the Backpack Gourmet, my camping cookbook. This came up because we made and dehydrated the book's gumbo stew. It was very good. I've yet to dislike a recipe from that book.
Sunday, we left from Jay Campground and headed out on the third leg of the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The first section of the trail was closed due to down trees and trail damage, so we started out on the Sunset Trail for about 1.5 miles before it joined back up with Skyline-to-Sea. It also turned out that I have accidentally scheduled a trip on the same day and same trails as an Ultramarathon. Again (see Mt. Tam). I need to make sure that no other trips are co-scheduled with runs.
About 5-6 miles down the trail we took a detour to see the Berry Creek Falls. This was an aggressive trail, going up about 500 feet in three stages over about 1.2 miles one way. This caused Matt some discomfort because of his enormously long legs, but at least he toughed through it well.
From the base of Berry Creek, we continued along the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The trail is beautiful. It is mostly a gentle downhill, with needlessly painful and annoying uphill when you are expecting only downhill.
We reach the final, mostly level portion of the trail and continued along for about 2 miles. Eventually, we came to a sign saying about 2 miles to go. About half-mile or a little more we ran into a father and son bicycling who said it was about 1.25 miles to go to get back. About 40 minutes later, just as I started cursing the fact that we should have (at our current pace) gone about 2 miles, we went up a final hill and reached the Waddell Beach Campground and the truck. It felt good to lay down.
On our drive back, we stopped at Hawgs Seafood Restaurant. Very good stuff, very fresh. Very hard to find around Sac. Plus they have sazerac on the drink list. :)
On Saturday we hiked along the Sequoia Trail through the main valley of Big Basin up to Sempervirens Falls (somewhat underwhelming, if truth be told). From there we took the Shadowbrook Trail back around to campsite again.
While preparing lunch and hanging out at the campsite, a guy approached me and asked if I was Jeff. It turns out he and his friends were doing the Skyline-to-Sea Trail without reservations. He hoped that we would share our campsite (max. 6 people), in exchange for paying for the site and beer. We, of course, said yes.
We hung out with them for dinner and swapped stories. It turns out that the original guy (yes, I forgot his name) knows the author of the Backpack Gourmet, my camping cookbook. This came up because we made and dehydrated the book's gumbo stew. It was very good. I've yet to dislike a recipe from that book.
Sunday, we left from Jay Campground and headed out on the third leg of the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The first section of the trail was closed due to down trees and trail damage, so we started out on the Sunset Trail for about 1.5 miles before it joined back up with Skyline-to-Sea. It also turned out that I have accidentally scheduled a trip on the same day and same trails as an Ultramarathon. Again (see Mt. Tam). I need to make sure that no other trips are co-scheduled with runs.
About 5-6 miles down the trail we took a detour to see the Berry Creek Falls. This was an aggressive trail, going up about 500 feet in three stages over about 1.2 miles one way. This caused Matt some discomfort because of his enormously long legs, but at least he toughed through it well.
From the base of Berry Creek, we continued along the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. The trail is beautiful. It is mostly a gentle downhill, with needlessly painful and annoying uphill when you are expecting only downhill.
We reach the final, mostly level portion of the trail and continued along for about 2 miles. Eventually, we came to a sign saying about 2 miles to go. About half-mile or a little more we ran into a father and son bicycling who said it was about 1.25 miles to go to get back. About 40 minutes later, just as I started cursing the fact that we should have (at our current pace) gone about 2 miles, we went up a final hill and reached the Waddell Beach Campground and the truck. It felt good to lay down.
On our drive back, we stopped at Hawgs Seafood Restaurant. Very good stuff, very fresh. Very hard to find around Sac. Plus they have sazerac on the drink list. :)
The Forgotten
One of my favorite things about camping is figuring out to make due without the stuff you forgot. The quick list of what I remember I forgot ("there are thing you remembered to remember, things you remembered you forgot, things you remembered to forget, and things you've forgotten you forgot," Jeff "Rummy" Heckey):
- eggs (hence only chorizo con papas);
- hip-flask;
- to allow extra time for organizing when more than one person involved;
- to buy a map with the complete trail on it;
- to completely research the access to the trail; and last but most certainly not least
- boots.
All-in-all, though, I think ingenuity, critical thinking, and just plain stubbornness got us through the trip.
The rest of the pictures can be found here, at my Picasa page.
Happy Trails.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Santa Cruz Mountains and Thanks
First off, I would like to thank all of you for the emails and words of encouragement and interest in this project. It's been a great support to me and motivation to keep going.
Now, the trip. I will be traveling with Matt Hall, one of my friends from HP. We'll be doing an abbreviated version of the trail, since we only have Saturday and Sunday, and I would like to reach the beach.
We will be driving out Friday night and placing one car at Waddell Beach and then driving a second car back to the Waterman Gap Campground. We'll start out from Waterman Gap Saturday, just outside of Big Basin in Castle Rock State Park. From there we have a 9.8 mile hike to Jay Campground, by the Big Basin Headquarters. From there we have a 13.3 mile hike to Waddell Beach and the end of the trail, 1200' down from Waterman Gap. Near the bottom we have the option of taking a short loop to see some gorgeous waterfalls at the bottom.
A map of Big Basin can be found here. A map of Castle Rock State Park, where Waterman Gap is, can be found here.
Now, the trip. I will be traveling with Matt Hall, one of my friends from HP. We'll be doing an abbreviated version of the trail, since we only have Saturday and Sunday, and I would like to reach the beach.
We will be driving out Friday night and placing one car at Waddell Beach and then driving a second car back to the Waterman Gap Campground. We'll start out from Waterman Gap Saturday, just outside of Big Basin in Castle Rock State Park. From there we have a 9.8 mile hike to Jay Campground, by the Big Basin Headquarters. From there we have a 13.3 mile hike to Waddell Beach and the end of the trail, 1200' down from Waterman Gap. Near the bottom we have the option of taking a short loop to see some gorgeous waterfalls at the bottom.
A map of Big Basin can be found here. A map of Castle Rock State Park, where Waterman Gap is, can be found here.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Desolation Wilderness Permits
Just a quick reminder: if you are interested in the July 24-26 trip to Desolation Wilderness, please contact me soon. The permits are available this Thursday and I would like to get them as soon as possible.
Also, I have booked campsites for the Skyline-to-Sea trail. There are still four spaces available if you would like to come.
UPDATE: The reservations have been made. I have reservations for 6, with 4 (including me) already signed up. The ranger said there were plenty of additional reservations available, so don't be shy about more people. Please let me know if you want to bring kids or dogs.
We will be camping on Saturday by Aloha Lake (area 33). We are allowed to camp off the road on Friday night, just not right by the Echo Trailhead.
Also, I have booked campsites for the Skyline-to-Sea trail. There are still four spaces available if you would like to come.
UPDATE: The reservations have been made. I have reservations for 6, with 4 (including me) already signed up. The ranger said there were plenty of additional reservations available, so don't be shy about more people. Please let me know if you want to bring kids or dogs.
We will be camping on Saturday by Aloha Lake (area 33). We are allowed to camp off the road on Friday night, just not right by the Echo Trailhead.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Mt. Tamalpias Trip Log
A couple quick notes about the trip before I start the report.
It was a dark and stormy nig... morning. Okay, so it was kind of bright, but I definitely just wanted to go back to bed and sleep through the rain. Even so, I got up and headed out about 9am from my apartment to Mt. Tam.
It actually took me longer to get there than I thought, what with driving through the winding roads of Mill Valley, but I arrived at Pan Toll Campground (or Pantoll; I've seen it both ways) around 11:30 and got checked in.
Around noon, I hit the Matt Davis trail and headed east toward the East Peak. I connected into the Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Trail (the coolest trail name in the park), up Vic Huan Trail, and lastly up Temelpa Trail to the top of the East Peak. A summitted around 2:30pm.
The view from the top of the mountain is spectacular. I could see all of Marin, Stinson Beach, Oakland, San Francisco and most of the Bay - almost to San Jose.
There is a short trail, the Verna Dunshee Trail (0.7 miles), around the top of the mountain, and the Plank Trail (0.3 miles) leads to the very peak, where the fire lookout is. The peak is also very developed, with a visitors' center, restrooms, and even a snack bar.
It turns out that in 1896 a railroad was completed that would take tourists to the top of the mountain. It was called the "Crookedest Railroad in the World," at one point paralleling itself five times in 200 yards. A tavern and an inn were also built at the top for guests. Luminaries such as John Muir and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were among the visitors.
I headed back down after exploring the top and talking to ranger in their visitors' center. I took the Fern Creek trail down to the Old Railroad Grade. That led me to the West Point Inn, a cute little place with detached cottages and views of the Bay. From there I took the Spring Trail to the Mountain Theater.
The Mountain Theater is an amphitheater made of tiered stones. It is pretty cool and apparently they still have shows out there.
From there I took Bootjack Trail back to Pan Toll and arrived about 5:30pm.
Chad showed up a bit later, and we got catch up over dinner and cigars.
Day 2:
Chad and I took off down the Dipsea Trail. About a mile from Stinson Beach we ran into some runners. There were three circuits, a 7 mile, a 25k, and a marathon. We had to make way several times for the runners both on Dipsea, and when we were climbing the Matt Davis Trail back to camp. The Matt Davis Trail should really only be taken west to the beach, not east, because the trail climbs about 1200 feet in about 2 miles, making it very steep.
The trails around Mt. Tam are beautiful, typically surrounded by tall oaks, pines and redwoods, passing creeks covered in ferns. Matt Davis crosses two large meadows with beautiful views of the surrounding areas. Much of the east-side of the mountain is covered in low brush, live oak, and manzanita.
After returning to camp for lunch, we took a quick loop following the TCC and Alpine trails. Finally, we drove up to the top so Chad could the view from there.
We both took off about 5pm to head our separate ways.
I'll upload the trip pictures tomorrow.
UPDATE: Pictures have been uploaded to http://picasaweb.google.com/jheckey/MtTam. Please take a look.
- Remember in my last post how I said you plan carefully. This does not stop applying. It goes faster, but I forgot my climbing rope (just in case), and almost forgot my camera and my sleeping bag. PLAN EVERY TIME!
- Despite remembering my camera, I still forgot to charge it. So the photos that will be posted are horrible. But horrible beats nothing. Most of the time.
- The trail map for Mt. Tam State Park doesn't list mileage information, and I was writing it down as I went, so all distances are approximate and designed to make me look better. :-)
It was a dark and stormy nig... morning. Okay, so it was kind of bright, but I definitely just wanted to go back to bed and sleep through the rain. Even so, I got up and headed out about 9am from my apartment to Mt. Tam.
It actually took me longer to get there than I thought, what with driving through the winding roads of Mill Valley, but I arrived at Pan Toll Campground (or Pantoll; I've seen it both ways) around 11:30 and got checked in.
Around noon, I hit the Matt Davis trail and headed east toward the East Peak. I connected into the Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Trail (the coolest trail name in the park), up Vic Huan Trail, and lastly up Temelpa Trail to the top of the East Peak. A summitted around 2:30pm.
The view from the top of the mountain is spectacular. I could see all of Marin, Stinson Beach, Oakland, San Francisco and most of the Bay - almost to San Jose.
There is a short trail, the Verna Dunshee Trail (0.7 miles), around the top of the mountain, and the Plank Trail (0.3 miles) leads to the very peak, where the fire lookout is. The peak is also very developed, with a visitors' center, restrooms, and even a snack bar.
It turns out that in 1896 a railroad was completed that would take tourists to the top of the mountain. It was called the "Crookedest Railroad in the World," at one point paralleling itself five times in 200 yards. A tavern and an inn were also built at the top for guests. Luminaries such as John Muir and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were among the visitors.
I headed back down after exploring the top and talking to ranger in their visitors' center. I took the Fern Creek trail down to the Old Railroad Grade. That led me to the West Point Inn, a cute little place with detached cottages and views of the Bay. From there I took the Spring Trail to the Mountain Theater.
The Mountain Theater is an amphitheater made of tiered stones. It is pretty cool and apparently they still have shows out there.
From there I took Bootjack Trail back to Pan Toll and arrived about 5:30pm.
Chad showed up a bit later, and we got catch up over dinner and cigars.
Day 2:
Chad and I took off down the Dipsea Trail. About a mile from Stinson Beach we ran into some runners. There were three circuits, a 7 mile, a 25k, and a marathon. We had to make way several times for the runners both on Dipsea, and when we were climbing the Matt Davis Trail back to camp. The Matt Davis Trail should really only be taken west to the beach, not east, because the trail climbs about 1200 feet in about 2 miles, making it very steep.
The trails around Mt. Tam are beautiful, typically surrounded by tall oaks, pines and redwoods, passing creeks covered in ferns. Matt Davis crosses two large meadows with beautiful views of the surrounding areas. Much of the east-side of the mountain is covered in low brush, live oak, and manzanita.
After returning to camp for lunch, we took a quick loop following the TCC and Alpine trails. Finally, we drove up to the top so Chad could the view from there.
We both took off about 5pm to head our separate ways.
I'll upload the trip pictures tomorrow.
UPDATE: Pictures have been uploaded to http://picasaweb.google.com/jheckey/MtTam. Please take a look.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Backpacking 101
So, my take on backpacking is fourfold:
Be prepared is the mantra of the Boy Scouts. They do this more than I do, so I think they should know something about it. The basic idea is to go over every aspect of the trip and figure out what you should and shouldn't bring. If you are in doubt, bring it and make the final determination at the trailhead (this is especially true of things like rain gear). You should have a plan, contact information, a backup plan, a first aid kit, and a contingency plan. This gets easier as you do it more.
Be comfortable means taking gear that fits well and operates effectively. The most important pieces of gear are your boots/shoes, socks, backpack, and sleeping bag. Everything else is personal preference. A final note: AVOID COTTON! There are many alternatives, wool, silk, and synthetics, that can be bought for very reasonable prices. The goal is to wick sweat and moisture away from the body. That means you will be warmer, drier, and chafe less or not at all.
Travel light means taking only what you need for the trip. Just enough food, only enough clothes, no unnecessary gear. Feel free to bring more than you need to the trailhead, but do a final packing before heading off. And feel free to keep a final change of clothes in the car, it cuts down on stinky rides home.
Lastly, here are some packing lists that I have found. Feel free to follow them as closely as you want, I will gladly go over them with you to make sure you are prepared and not spending more than you should.
That's the brain dump. I'll be talking more later on specific topics (e.g., backpacks, sleeping bags, foot care, etc.) later.
- Leave no trace
- Be prepared
- Be comfortable
- Travel light
Be prepared is the mantra of the Boy Scouts. They do this more than I do, so I think they should know something about it. The basic idea is to go over every aspect of the trip and figure out what you should and shouldn't bring. If you are in doubt, bring it and make the final determination at the trailhead (this is especially true of things like rain gear). You should have a plan, contact information, a backup plan, a first aid kit, and a contingency plan. This gets easier as you do it more.
Be comfortable means taking gear that fits well and operates effectively. The most important pieces of gear are your boots/shoes, socks, backpack, and sleeping bag. Everything else is personal preference. A final note: AVOID COTTON! There are many alternatives, wool, silk, and synthetics, that can be bought for very reasonable prices. The goal is to wick sweat and moisture away from the body. That means you will be warmer, drier, and chafe less or not at all.
Travel light means taking only what you need for the trip. Just enough food, only enough clothes, no unnecessary gear. Feel free to bring more than you need to the trailhead, but do a final packing before heading off. And feel free to keep a final change of clothes in the car, it cuts down on stinky rides home.
Lastly, here are some packing lists that I have found. Feel free to follow them as closely as you want, I will gladly go over them with you to make sure you are prepared and not spending more than you should.
That's the brain dump. I'll be talking more later on specific topics (e.g., backpacks, sleeping bags, foot care, etc.) later.
Mt. Tam and Muir Woods Flight Plan
Alright my friends, here's the breakdown for this weekend's trip. (Eek! I'm already behind!)
I will driving down to Pantoll Campground in the Mt. Tam State Park tomorrow, arriving around 10am. The Pantoll Ranger Station can be reached at 415-388-2070. An annoying map of the area can be found at the Mt Tam website. There is also this brochure, which has a very complicated map on page 6.
My buddy Chad Pry, who some of you may remember from UOP, will be joining me Friday evening for dinner and camping. Saturday we will both go hiking and then leave for our respective Easter festivities.
We will be sticking to the trails, but have no set plan. The trails I'm interested in are the Matt Davis, Bootjack, and pretty much everything that will get to the top of Mt. Tam.
Happy Trails!
I will driving down to Pantoll Campground in the Mt. Tam State Park tomorrow, arriving around 10am. The Pantoll Ranger Station can be reached at 415-388-2070. An annoying map of the area can be found at the Mt Tam website. There is also this brochure, which has a very complicated map on page 6.
My buddy Chad Pry, who some of you may remember from UOP, will be joining me Friday evening for dinner and camping. Saturday we will both go hiking and then leave for our respective Easter festivities.
We will be sticking to the trails, but have no set plan. The trails I'm interested in are the Matt Davis, Bootjack, and pretty much everything that will get to the top of Mt. Tam.
Happy Trails!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Pinnacles Trip Log
Well, I made it through Pinnacles! The quick stats:
Weather: Clear, 65-70F
Miles hiked: ~30 mi.
Vertical feet: ~4000 ft.
I am quite pleased with the effort. And very sore.
Night 1:
Arrived at camp about 9:15 pm. Got set up after paying the iron ranger and finding my campsite. The night was cool, clear and nearly moon-less. I could see thousands of starts and simply enjoyed lying on the picnic table and picking out the constellations I recognized and trying to the remember the ones I couldn't. Reminder: bring a star chart next time.
Day 1:
Had to wait until 9:30 for the visitor center to check in. After that and getting the camp squared away for the day, I took off at about 10 am. Unfortunately, I forgot my map.
I took the Bench Trail out of the campsite and then followed the South Wilderness Trail, hoping it would intersect with Chalone Peak Trail. It didn't, dead-ending at the boundary fence.
The trail was a nice, level walk, crossing Chalone Creek a few times. Great for bird watching and seeing wildflowers. I stopped for lunch on a log crossing the creek, watching lizards and minnows and butterflies all wandering about. This is a very quite trail, unmaintained and not often traveled, though I did run into some people on my way back.
Reconnecting with the Bench Trail, I hiked over to the High Peaks Trail, figuring that I didn't want to take on the Chalone Peaks after the previous ramble. The High Peaks is steep climb over about 2.2 miles, but with some great views of the surrounding area. Near the summit I ran into a rattlesnake sunning itself in the middle of the trail. I climbed on and around a boulder to avoid it, but I still got picture as proof.
I came down the Tunnel Trail, which shows off the gorgeous west side of the peaks. It was covered in places with wildflowers and incredible rock formations.
Walking out to the west entrance of the park, I refilled my water (I'd already gone through 5 liters), and sat to rest and have a snack. Deciding I was tired enough, I hiked around the north end of the peaks, which is relatively level instead of going back through Bear Gulch. This took me through the Balconies Cave Trail, a short cave that winds down until it emerges in a creek.
Walking out to the west entrance of the park, I refilled my water (I'd already gone through 5 liters), and sat to rest and have a snack. Deciding I was tired enough, I hiked around the north end of the peaks, which is relatively level instead of going back through Bear Gulch. This took me through the Balconies Cave Trail, a short cave that winds down until it emerges in a creek.
From there I walked back to the campground, where I proceeded to collapse on the picnic table for at least 15 minutes before wanting to move again.
Dinner that night was "Whatchagot Stew," a camping concoction of whatever ya got. I had a few nicer ingredients on hand, given that I was car camping, but the principle is the same. My recipe follows.
Serves 1 very hungry camper.
Day 2:
Since I never got to do the Chalone Peaks, I decided to finish my trip by hiking them. I checked out at 9:30 (again), and parked my car at the Peaks View Picnic Area. I took the Bench Trail to the Bear Gulch Trail and up into the Bear Gulch Cave.
I was very lucky to visit this time of year, because both caves were open, which only occurs 2 months out of the year and I just happened to hit it right. Normally they close the caves to protect the bats that live there most of year, but this time of year they are elsewhere.
The cave is split into lower and upper sections, and has stairs through parts of it. You have to crouch low and wade through a couple inches of water in the upper portions (yeah, Gore-tex!).
Once out of the caves, I headed up towards North Chalone Peak. This climb is not as hard (mostly) as the High Peaks Trail, but it about half again as long.
The view from the top of the North Peak was amazing. You can see the Salinas Valley for miles. To the east you can see the mountains up to 218 miles away!
I rested on top of the Peak and looked at the South Peak. I knew I could make there. I just wasn't sure about making it back afterward. I also only had about a liter of water left, and it had taken me three to get there.
Turning back, made it back quickly to the Bear Gulch Day use area, drank some water, and rested some more. Finally, I dragged myself all the way back down to my car. I stretched and started the drive home.
(More photos available in my Picasa album.)
End Log
I would like to thank the National Park Service for maintaining a beautiful park, and being generally helpful and informative; my MP3 player, for keeping me entertained and on pace; How to Succeed in Evil, for giving me gleeful laughing fits that frightened the local wildlife and other hikers.
I will be posting some tips and tricks in the blog, along with some packing lists, later this week. So tuning in next post, same Mountain Blog, same Mountain URL.
Weather: Clear, 65-70F
Miles hiked: ~30 mi.
Vertical feet: ~4000 ft.
I am quite pleased with the effort. And very sore.
Night 1:
Arrived at camp about 9:15 pm. Got set up after paying the iron ranger and finding my campsite. The night was cool, clear and nearly moon-less. I could see thousands of starts and simply enjoyed lying on the picnic table and picking out the constellations I recognized and trying to the remember the ones I couldn't. Reminder: bring a star chart next time.
Day 1:
Had to wait until 9:30 for the visitor center to check in. After that and getting the camp squared away for the day, I took off at about 10 am. Unfortunately, I forgot my map.
I took the Bench Trail out of the campsite and then followed the South Wilderness Trail, hoping it would intersect with Chalone Peak Trail. It didn't, dead-ending at the boundary fence.
The trail was a nice, level walk, crossing Chalone Creek a few times. Great for bird watching and seeing wildflowers. I stopped for lunch on a log crossing the creek, watching lizards and minnows and butterflies all wandering about. This is a very quite trail, unmaintained and not often traveled, though I did run into some people on my way back.
Reconnecting with the Bench Trail, I hiked over to the High Peaks Trail, figuring that I didn't want to take on the Chalone Peaks after the previous ramble. The High Peaks is steep climb over about 2.2 miles, but with some great views of the surrounding area. Near the summit I ran into a rattlesnake sunning itself in the middle of the trail. I climbed on and around a boulder to avoid it, but I still got picture as proof.I came down the Tunnel Trail, which shows off the gorgeous west side of the peaks. It was covered in places with wildflowers and incredible rock formations.
Walking out to the west entrance of the park, I refilled my water (I'd already gone through 5 liters), and sat to rest and have a snack. Deciding I was tired enough, I hiked around the north end of the peaks, which is relatively level instead of going back through Bear Gulch. This took me through the Balconies Cave Trail, a short cave that winds down until it emerges in a creek.
Walking out to the west entrance of the park, I refilled my water (I'd already gone through 5 liters), and sat to rest and have a snack. Deciding I was tired enough, I hiked around the north end of the peaks, which is relatively level instead of going back through Bear Gulch. This took me through the Balconies Cave Trail, a short cave that winds down until it emerges in a creek.
From there I walked back to the campground, where I proceeded to collapse on the picnic table for at least 15 minutes before wanting to move again.
Dinner that night was "Whatchagot Stew," a camping concoction of whatever ya got. I had a few nicer ingredients on hand, given that I was car camping, but the principle is the same. My recipe follows.
- 1 can Clam Chowder
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 radishes
- 3 oz salami, cut into wedges from a link
- 2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, in chunks
- 1 sourdough round
Serves 1 very hungry camper.
Day 2:
Since I never got to do the Chalone Peaks, I decided to finish my trip by hiking them. I checked out at 9:30 (again), and parked my car at the Peaks View Picnic Area. I took the Bench Trail to the Bear Gulch Trail and up into the Bear Gulch Cave.
I was very lucky to visit this time of year, because both caves were open, which only occurs 2 months out of the year and I just happened to hit it right. Normally they close the caves to protect the bats that live there most of year, but this time of year they are elsewhere.
The cave is split into lower and upper sections, and has stairs through parts of it. You have to crouch low and wade through a couple inches of water in the upper portions (yeah, Gore-tex!).
Once out of the caves, I headed up towards North Chalone Peak. This climb is not as hard (mostly) as the High Peaks Trail, but it about half again as long.
The view from the top of the North Peak was amazing. You can see the Salinas Valley for miles. To the east you can see the mountains up to 218 miles away!
I rested on top of the Peak and looked at the South Peak. I knew I could make there. I just wasn't sure about making it back afterward. I also only had about a liter of water left, and it had taken me three to get there.
Turning back, made it back quickly to the Bear Gulch Day use area, drank some water, and rested some more. Finally, I dragged myself all the way back down to my car. I stretched and started the drive home.
(More photos available in my Picasa album.)
End Log
I would like to thank the National Park Service for maintaining a beautiful park, and being generally helpful and informative; my MP3 player, for keeping me entertained and on pace; How to Succeed in Evil, for giving me gleeful laughing fits that frightened the local wildlife and other hikers.
I will be posting some tips and tricks in the blog, along with some packing lists, later this week. So tuning in next post, same Mountain Blog, same Mountain URL.
Friday, March 27, 2009
De-re-scheduling; Pinnacles Flight Plan
Mt. Tamalpias/Muir Woods Trip:
After talking with my buddy Chad, it seems that Easter Weekend is actually superior for all of us to get together. The schedule will be to the right will be updated as well.
Because of the timing of the trip, I will only be camping Friday night definitely, and only possibly Saturday night. Saturday will be the only hiking day. Sunday I will spending with my family.
Pinnacles National Monument Flight Plan:
For those of you who haven't had a chance to visit, I recommend it. There is no camping in Pinnacles, since it is a monument, not a park. The campground is state run and is a short hike from Pinnacles proper. The phone number is (831)389-4485. I am in site 90. Maps for the area are available at http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=PINN.
Saturday I want to head out to South Chalone Peak. This is one of the longest hikes in the park, and (if I remember correctly) also the most difficult.
Sunday I will head out the same direction, but turn west at the Bear Creek Reservoir and circle back through the High Peaks. Mostly this guided by how I feel after Saturday.
I will be sticking to trails and avoiding the temptation of climbing (I even left all of my climbing gear at home), so getting lost or injured is unlikely.
Addendum:
I also got request last night for more information of backpacking techniques and gear. I'll be adding some informational links to the side bar and in post in the future.
After talking with my buddy Chad, it seems that Easter Weekend is actually superior for all of us to get together. The schedule will be to the right will be updated as well.
Because of the timing of the trip, I will only be camping Friday night definitely, and only possibly Saturday night. Saturday will be the only hiking day. Sunday I will spending with my family.
Pinnacles National Monument Flight Plan:
For those of you who haven't had a chance to visit, I recommend it. There is no camping in Pinnacles, since it is a monument, not a park. The campground is state run and is a short hike from Pinnacles proper. The phone number is (831)389-4485. I am in site 90. Maps for the area are available at http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=PINN.
Saturday I want to head out to South Chalone Peak. This is one of the longest hikes in the park, and (if I remember correctly) also the most difficult.
Sunday I will head out the same direction, but turn west at the Bear Creek Reservoir and circle back through the High Peaks. Mostly this guided by how I feel after Saturday.
I will be sticking to trails and avoiding the temptation of climbing (I even left all of my climbing gear at home), so getting lost or injured is unlikely.
Addendum:
I also got request last night for more information of backpacking techniques and gear. I'll be adding some informational links to the side bar and in post in the future.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Pinnacles Push
So the weather for this weekend in the Hollister area calls for rain. Annoyingly, the rain will be on Saturday and Sunday, and the surrounding days will be nice and sunny.
I am a fair weather camper, so I'm pushing the trip to next weekend.
Please learn from me, so that you don't waste money like I do:
I am a fair weather camper, so I'm pushing the trip to next weekend.
Please learn from me, so that you don't waste money like I do:
- There is a $10 transaction fee for cancelling or moving a reservation
- If you cancel or move the day before, you will the use fee for the first day
- Check the weather before booking your reservations
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Big Sur Out, Pinnacles In
Well, crap. Turns out it isn't the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park that is closed, but the entire region due to "unsafe conditions and infrastructure loss." I think it would be a bad idea to visit.
I'm still planning on going somewhere, I don't know where yet. I'll keep you posted.
UPDATE: The back up plan that is in place is now Pinnacles National Monument. Unfortunately, the weather is also looking pretty bad for the next weekend. I will be keeping my eye on it throughout the week, but this trip may be postponed to the following weekend (March 27-29).
I'm still planning on going somewhere, I don't know where yet. I'll keep you posted.
UPDATE: The back up plan that is in place is now Pinnacles National Monument. Unfortunately, the weather is also looking pretty bad for the next weekend. I will be keeping my eye on it throughout the week, but this trip may be postponed to the following weekend (March 27-29).
Monday, March 2, 2009
Permits for Desolation Wilderness
Okay, so I just found out today about needing permits for Desolation Wilderness this year. Permits will be available for reservation starting April 16th. If you are interested in coming with me on July 24-26, please contact me before then. If you do, I can make sure that we get enough for everyone on the trip.
For more info, check out this link: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado/recreation/wild/deso/permit/
For more info, check out this link: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado/recreation/wild/deso/permit/
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Big Sur: Sykes Hot Springs
Trip No. 1: Big Sur
March 20-22, 2009
Alrighty then! The inaugural trip. So this one is interesting and for various reasons that my research has turned up, I will not be going to Sykes Hot Springs. Instead there are two new plans.
Plan A: If Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is available (unlikely), I will camp there Friday night and take the Manuel Peak Trail to Tin House. This is the purple route on the map. I will camp at Tin House and head back the next day.
Plan B: On my map (not the image above) there is a trailhead and parking at the start of the orange route. This appears to the west fork of the Manuel Peak Trail. Now this route is much longer and I really don't think that I will make it to the Tin House campsite. I will probably stop at either Pico Blanco or Launtz Creek. I will camp at whatever site I stop at and return the next day.
It will take a little over 4 hours to get to either site from Roseville, so I will head out from work about 4 pm on Friday. I should be returning late-ish (8-9 pm) on Sunday.
The main concerns currently are obtaining a fire permit (easy) and weather (unpredictable).
Gear will be light. Mostly just a couple light layers, sleeping bag, tent, food and water. I'll probably also go for no-cook food to keep this trip light.
March 20-22, 2009
Alrighty then! The inaugural trip. So this one is interesting and for various reasons that my research has turned up, I will not be going to Sykes Hot Springs. Instead there are two new plans.
Plan A: If Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is available (unlikely), I will camp there Friday night and take the Manuel Peak Trail to Tin House. This is the purple route on the map. I will camp at Tin House and head back the next day.
Plan B: On my map (not the image above) there is a trailhead and parking at the start of the orange route. This appears to the west fork of the Manuel Peak Trail. Now this route is much longer and I really don't think that I will make it to the Tin House campsite. I will probably stop at either Pico Blanco or Launtz Creek. I will camp at whatever site I stop at and return the next day.
It will take a little over 4 hours to get to either site from Roseville, so I will head out from work about 4 pm on Friday. I should be returning late-ish (8-9 pm) on Sunday.
The main concerns currently are obtaining a fire permit (easy) and weather (unpredictable).
Gear will be light. Mostly just a couple light layers, sleeping bag, tent, food and water. I'll probably also go for no-cook food to keep this trip light.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Trip Updates
So, a couple scheduling issues were brought to my attention today. Firstly, the April trip is on Easter Weekend. I think that may be booked for some people. Like me. Secondly, the September date is on Labor Day. Both of these explicitly contradict my original goal of no holiday weekends. So both dates are moving ahead one week.
We'll see what the rangers say.
- April 17-19: Mt. Tamalpias/Marin Headlands
- September 11-13: Mammoth/Devil's Post Pile
We'll see what the rangers say.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Let's Take a Trip...
Welcome to the chronicles of my backpacking journeys. I am going to take one weekend each month from March until October of 2009 to go backpacking. Anyone is welcome to come along on any trip given enough notice.
I'm going to use this space to publicly display planning information and relate the stories of my trips. Partly, this is to keep me honest, and partly this is to help people find me if I don't come back after some weekend. :-)
The current trip list is as follows (subject to change):
The goal is to do about 20 miles in a weekend, leaving on Friday after work and returning not too late on Sunday. This is insanely aggressive for me. I'm the fittest guy. My knowledge of backpacking is limited. My knowledge of most of these areas is nil. Many of these trips I expect to solo because of the nature of this ... journey, goal, project, adventure.
Given my limitations, I will be avoiding as many adverse weather conditions as possible. Rain or snow will mean the trip is postponed until the following weekend, or shuffled for another location. I don't want to cancel any trips.
I'm looking forward to these trips. Come walk with me: jheckey@gmail.com.
I'm going to use this space to publicly display planning information and relate the stories of my trips. Partly, this is to keep me honest, and partly this is to help people find me if I don't come back after some weekend. :-)
The current trip list is as follows (subject to change):
- March 20-22: Big Sur
- April 10-12: Mt. Tamalpias/Marin Headlands
- May 15-16: Big Basin (Skyline to Sea Trail*)
- June 12-14: Trinity (Canyon Creek)
- July 24-26: Desolation Wilderness
- August 7-9: Emigrant Wilderness
- September 4-6: Mammoth/Devil's Post Pile
- October 2-4: Little Sur
The goal is to do about 20 miles in a weekend, leaving on Friday after work and returning not too late on Sunday. This is insanely aggressive for me. I'm the fittest guy. My knowledge of backpacking is limited. My knowledge of most of these areas is nil. Many of these trips I expect to solo because of the nature of this ... journey, goal, project, adventure.
Given my limitations, I will be avoiding as many adverse weather conditions as possible. Rain or snow will mean the trip is postponed until the following weekend, or shuffled for another location. I don't want to cancel any trips.
I'm looking forward to these trips. Come walk with me: jheckey@gmail.com.
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