Sierra's

I'm preparing to head out on my John Muir Trail hike now...lot's of work! The biggest thing has been getting my meals all planned out. I also need to prepar a package for my pals Jon and Jesse to bring with them when they come out to meet me on the trail. In addition to that I've got to send out a pail full of food to my last resupply at Muir Trail Ranch.

In prep, I signed up for a Wilderness Survival Course. I'm pretty excited about it. 6 nights out in the wilderness with an instructor, learning survival techniques for the Eastern Sierras. The boast about teaching you how to catch a fish with you bare hands...sounds cool! That's happening right before my JMT trip. Makes things a little more hectic...as I'm planning on just getting to Yosemite Valley after the course, meaning I've got to have everything I'm going to need for the trail (and nothing more) with me.

I've been eating like a madman ever since I got to the Bay in a mad attempt to pack on some stores. I don't know how it happened, but since I quit my job I managed to lose 5lbs. So....I guess if there is anyone out there looking to lose a few pounds, I highly suggest quitting your job!

5 Weeks and Growing

Top of Haleakala...warm with my beard

Well...I need to give an update on my beard growth. I surpassed a milestone a few weeks back...my mustache started to pass the boundary of my upper lip. Basically, this means my mustache gets to interact a lot more with everything and anything that enters my mouth...and that's been an interesting assortment of tastes as of late. It's basically been an ongoing question of "What can I get stuck in my mustache? "

Whether it's a bit of yesterdays dinner, salt of the ocean, or a bit of vaseline, it's always an adventure! In an effort to completely cross my sexual borders I like to call it a "Mustache parade!"

For those of you who have been paying close attention to my pictures... you may have noticed I had a relapse a ways back with my beard. A short day after I arrived in Vancouver I actually shaved off my 2 week beard. I was at that critical "itchy" stage, and was questioning my "peach fuzz" beard. But, shortly after shaving it off ("shortly" being a misleading, as it took a good 20mins to clean myself up), I realized it was the wrong decision. I like the bearded Andrew look...even if the beard is rather pathetic.

So, now I'm passed 5 weeks with the beard....I'm expecting to keep it now (though a trim will be in order soon). Maybe someday, with a bit of luck, it will fill out.

How many paragraphs could you write on your facial hair? I feel comfortable with my four, and thank you for your patience.

Traded a car for a tan

July 29th

Eve of my departure from Maui... and one of the more eventful nights of my stay! My 2nd cousin left me a few voice-mails and an e-mail to let me know my car was no longer parked outside his house...location, unknown.

Kind of crappy. So, I've already had some New Yorker spend my money at the start of my trip, and now I'm carless in Seattle. At least I'm still sleeping well.

Maui

July 22nd-30th

I arrived in Maui Sunday mid-day (Hawaii time), and acclimatized myself immediately. Great weather! I should have been tired, as I'd managed only 3hrs sleep before my flight, but the locale kept me wired. It was nice to get picked up by friends. My best friend Scott was already in Hawaii, and I was planning to spend the weekend at his Uncle's pad (free of charge) with his girlfriend Adriana and his parents. We took it easy my first day, and enjoyed the first of many stellar sunsets.

The day after my arrival we all headed up to the top of the larger mountain on the island, Haleakala. It was quite the windy drive to the top, we were lucky to get some great views/weather when we reached the top. I wish we could have gone for a hike...though that was never in the cards. Still, fun to get up there.



Morning of day three in Hawaii....and finally I got to the beach! We all went down to swim in the ocean, soak up some rays. The ocean near Kihei is pretty calm in the mornings, but it tends to get a little more violent come mid-late afternoon. The following days we managed to head out later when the waves were more interesting. There was a lot of foolish kid like giggling going on with most of us as we were tossed unceremoniously around....good times.

One day we got in the car again, and attempted to drive around the island to the "Seven Pools", what is supposed to be an amazing site. Unfortunately, the road was in a bad state, and so we got turned around near the goal...too bad. Still, got some good pics:


We were all eager to get out and snorkel, and so gathered some gear and started fooling around in the pool. I quickly ran into problems, as apparently a clean shaven face is more effective at sealing with a mask. I attempted to coat my mustache with vaseline (I know, hot...as in good looking), but that only lasted a few minutes, and quickly became a mess. But...I was not interested in shaving off my 5 weeks of hard work. But, we worked out a solution, some swimming goggles and a nose clip worked great!

With our pool experience, we headed to Honolua Bay to do some real snorkeling (as guidebooks had set it was a great locale). We ended up at Makuleia Bay instead...where it was a little sparse, but I managed to see an octopus jet away. I ended up swimming a good distance on my own in an effort to see more sealife, and ended up in Honolua bay. Over there I saw an eel, and sat around with a few schools of fish until some other snorkelers scared them away. Of course, by then I was a little tuckered out...and didn't think I could swim back. So, I climbed out to the road, and hiked back on my barefeet. A foolish idea, as the end result was slightly burned/blistered feet from the asphalt (stuck around a few days).

I took surfing lessons with a class of children on Saturday. Turns out most people in my age bracket already can get up on a longboard...but I was a quick learner myself. Managed to catch waves till my arms felt like they were going to fall off. That's the thing with surfing, it's hard to get past the waves and out....pretty easy to catch the wave...exciting to ride it in....which causes you to forget how hard it was to paddle out (the "One more Wave" syndrome).

It was a great, relaxing trip. Got to spend some time catching up with Scott, read a few books, soaked up some sun, and was ready for my next adventure.

Seattle

July 20th-21st

I got into Seattle Friday midday, and started driving from bike store to bike store to find a bike to rent for the Night & Day Challenge. This is a city wide Adventure Race, the idea being to get to as many check points as possible in a certain time on foot, bike, or both. I ran in the SF event with Jon & Erin back in July, and it was the most fun I've had at an event in years. So, I decided to run and bike alone in the 7hr Seattle race.

Friday night I went out for Mexican food with my second (great) cousin David Simpson. He took me to one of his favourite, very authentic Oaxacan restaurants called La Carta de Oaxaca in the Ballard area of Seattle. The food was amazing, killer Chicken Mole, and great tortillas! Food is always a good way to win me over.

Saturday morning I did my last bit of AR prep work, buying lights for my bike from the flagship REI (amazing). The race start was at the NW shore of Green Lake, a nice place. I managed to plan what I thought was a great route, and set out at 4pm. My run was going so well, I kept adding distance to it, and in the ended up hitting 13 checkpoints over 20miles...it was insane! But...it cost me. By the end my legs (calves) where cramping bad...apparently, despite the rain (that's right, it rained the whole event), I was not getting enough water into my system (stupid). This caused me to have difficulty with the bike (I had to stop and drink water & eat pretzels for a good 20mins)...it's also hard biking in the rain, on a rental bike, in the dark, in a city you don't know the least about. A challenge I suppose, though by 10pm I was pretty bummed (I was also making rather stupid decisions by that point....who looks for a shortcut through a cemetery in the dark?). In the end, I biked less than 20mi, and I think I only got to about 8 checkpoints...piddly. Still, it was a good event, a real learning experience! Oh...and I still won my class, so that was nice.

After the event, it was home to pack, and try to grab a bit of shut-eye. Hit the hay at 3am...got up at 7 to get to the airport for my flight to Maui....

To the islands!

Go West

July 15th-20th

After a nice visit in Calgary, I had to make my way back to Seattle before the weekend, still enough time to soak in some sights.

Alberta Wild Rose

I left Calgary Sunday afternoon, and got a campsite at Two Jack Main Campground near Jack Lake in Banff National Park. I mostly huddled in my tent however, as the mosquitoes were driving me nuts.

Monday I ended up tooling around Banff for a bit, and then swimming in Jack Lake. Drove a little ways through the park, and camped at Protection Mountain. A rather "chill" day in which I did little more than read and relax.

Tuesday I hit the road heavy, intending to get to Penticton for supper (my 3rd stop there on this trip making my lil sis either a very lucky or unlucky person). I did take some time to enjoy some sights in Glacier National Park as well as Mt. Revelstoke National Park along the Trans Canada Highway. Glacier National Park looked like a great, isolated park I should go back and explore some more some day.

Me & some Ancient Red Cedar Friends

I drove into Penticton, showered, and showed up late (what...me late?) to dinner at Theos, a great greek restaurant my bro-in-law used to work at. It was nice to see my parents, always good to get a lot of the family together (wish my older sis Gretchen had been there).

Family at Theos

I stuck around Wed morning to go wine tasting with my sis, Noah and parents. We tried a lot of interesting sweet, fruit wines...had to buy a few bottles to smuggle back into the States.

Grandpa P with Noah

After that, I took off again, bought some B.C. fresh fruit, crossed the border (I'm beginning to think border guards really hate me - apparently the homeless are instantly suspicious), and made my way towards North Cascades National Park. I have to say... it was hard to leave Canada. As soon as I entered the US I felt like I had been slammed in the chest. It was my longest stint in the Great White North in 4yrs...I suppose my heart is still up there.

I camped for $5 at one of my best spots yet, Early Winter Campsite. A nice, quaint, quiet camp site. Spent the early evening watching the clouds roll across the sky.

Angry Sky

Next day I drove through the park, taking few spots, and camped at Washington Park, on the ocean, near Anacortes (about an hour N of Seattle).

Sunset from Washington Park

Now, it's time to enjoy Seattle!

Stampede Time

July 11th-14th

I showed up in Calgary on the 12th, ready to enjoy some quality time with some good friends. I was not disappointed. I showed up at Morgan's doorstep Wed night, and we headed out for a quick bite to eat and drinks. It was good to see Morgan again, fun to catch up, and hear her bar-fighting stories.

Thursday was a leisurely day, hard to beat. I got to see my good California friend Erin Meier as well over brunch. Won't get to see here again for many months as she will soon be in Africa!

Friday, I met up with some of my University buddies, Curtis Patterson & Andrew Faszer for lunch. It was nice to catch up with them, and see them doing well and enjoying life! After that, I barely managed to squeeze in a great Mountain Bike Ride near Bragg Creek (Moosepackers Trail) that my friend Trent recommended. It was a great ride, lot's of fun, and I really ripped it up! I felt in the zone, confident, strong, dialed in, you name it... it was a fantastic feeling! I don't think I've ever felt that way...

Friday night I got together with my best friend Scott, his girlfriend Adriana and my great freind Mike (who arrived from Edmonton) at a great Greek restaurant called Pegasus. We enjoyed some fantastic food, several bottles of wine, and conversations which bordered on being completely inapporpriate all night long. It's always great to catch-up with my good ol' Edmonton crew. Miss them a lot!

Wine is always enjoyed

Saturday morning, I was awakened by, of all things, Jonathon Taylor! Not what I expected at all. Jon had talked about coming up to Stampede weekend to hang with me & Morgan...but I thought that it had all just been "talk." Well... I should remind all that Jon is never "all talk" He had arrived late Friday night, and I was a complete dufus to never have realized... It was great to see him! Though I'm getting tired of Jon always wanting to cuddle with me.

Jon trying to "Cuddle" me awake

Saturday....Stampede Day! We got up, made ourselves a killer breakfast (Bison sausages!), and headed to the Stampede grounds. Eventually we managed to sit ourselves down at the rodeo, beers quickly followed.

Entire Rodeo Crew

It was an awesome time! A few of the highlights were watching steer wrestling (crazy!), one of the hosts wrapping a sweaty horse/bull strap around his face to demonstrate the lack of tacks and razor blades, teams of children trying to control and ride a pony, making fun of cowboy names, making fun of cowboy spelling, and getting mini-donuts. In fact...one of the most memorable moments of the weekend was all of us making complete fools of ourselves singing and dancing for min-donuts...classic! I could do that all day.

Miiiinnnnniiii donuts-donuts-donuts

Sunday afternoon I decided it was time to leave Calgary... and head back West. I know some of my friends were a little peeved that I would visit Calgary, but fail to head the extra 3hrs N to Edmonton...but...I've seen Edmonton! I wish I could have visited all of my good friends up there, but sadly it just didn't work out this time (if it makes you feel better I also never got to see my older sis...who I miss a lot!).

If you want to see some more pics, check out my Picasa Web Album. Pretty much all these pictures were taken by Jon & Mike...but I'll post them! Thanks a bunch to Morgan for putting me, and then Mike, up for a few days...and thanks to Scott & Adriana for a great (self-invited) meal!

Next stop: the Rockies for a few days, followed by Penticton (again), the North Cascades, and Seattle!

Rocky Mountain High

July 11th

I love the Rockies! It felt so good to get back to the Canadian Rockies where I have so many great memories. I realize how lucky I was to have parents who really enjoyed the outdoors and camping; they passed it on to me.

I was trying to figure out what to do in the park over one day...and decided to head to Lake Louise. Of course it's a tourist trap...but once you get a few km's in on trails, the crowds thin out drastically. Plus, it would be fun to go back to a place I've visited several times before. I remember visiting Lake Louise in 1988 or 1989 with my family and grandparents, it was a great trip! I also thought it would be fun to hike on trails I had last been on during my IB weekend field trip after Grade 10.

My lil sis (Ella) and I at Lake Louise... circa 1989?

So, I decided to go for a long distance run on the trails around the lake. I managed to visit Mirror Lake, Lake Agnes, both Tea Houses, and the Plain of Six Glaciers. I spent about 4hrs off/on running/hiking while taking in the sights and soaking up the sun. It was fantastic. After the run I hit Lake Herbert for a quick, refreshing swim, then it was off to Calgary to visit friends and the Stampede!

After my run @ Lake Louise

East

July 9th-10th

Drive....drive...swim in Okanagan Lake with sis, bro-in-law, nephew....drive...drive...camp near Cranbrook...no excitment

Last weekend in Van

July 6th-8th

I headed back to Vancouver on Friday, planning to spend the weekend with my good college friend Joy. After fighting some brutal traffic heading North into Vancouver, I finally ended up in Burnaby at Joy's place. It was great to see her again, it's odd to think we used to see each other almost every day for 2 years!

Joy & Me

We had a nice weekend catching up, eating out in Burnaby, running in a local park, and taking the SkyTrain & Seabus to North Van to hit a local market.

I was asked a few great questions this weekend....they were fun to answer! Perhaps the most poignant/insightful question came over the phone from my old roomie Natasha

"So, do you feel like you're on vacation? Or do you feel like you're just living life?"

The answer was that I really feel like I'm just living it up. I don't feel like I'm "escaping" from anything, or taking a vacation from a job/life...I'm just out there, living life to the fullest! I must say...it may be the first time I've been able to genuinely say that.

Juan de Fuca

July 2nd-4th

I got up Monday morning, later than I had hoped, and set out for Tsawassen to get onto a Ferry to Vancouver Island. The ferry ride was nice, got to see some beautiful scenery while slipping by islands. I then drove to Victoria, and headed to my friend Rhonda's place. It was good to see Rhonda again, another friend I hadn't seen in about 5yrs. Old camp friends die hard! Reminiscing about camp was a blast, my two summers working at Mulhurst produced a crazy amount of stellar memories!

Rhonda and I on the trail

I had decided to hike the trail from West to East, so we dropped Rhonda's car at China Beach, and took mine to the West end near Port Renfrew (Botanical Beach). We finally got on the Juan de Fuca trail by 5:30 that night (anyone noticing a theme of late starts with me?), and hike into our first campsite at Payzant. It was a dense forest, with extremely muddy trails (took us about 3hrs to hike the first 7km, a little too long). We managed to barely get the tent up before it started to rain, but remained dry all night, yay!

Tuesday we woke up later than we hoped, and started out on the trail again. We had a good distance to travel (40km over the next two days), so it was a bit of a frustrating morning, as we ran into mudpit after mudpit. It was quite the task to try to avoid slipping in up to our knees...or worse...falling in.

Rhonda trying to avoid the muck

We managed to cover ground, and after a rough morning, started to hit better trails...as well as get amazing views! After lunch, the weather started turning for the better, the sun and blue skies started to appear. We hit Sombrio beach, and I was finally starting to see why this trail as well as the West Coast Trail are so highly recommended. The beaches are fantastic settings.

At Sombrio beach we got cut-off by the tide (despite my tide tables telling me we'd be fine). So, we had to take off our hikers, and carefully wade through the ocean to solid ground. Rhonda developed a fear of crabs on this short jaunt... even though the largest crab we saw was no bigger than my thumb...go figure. I wish I'd taken some pictures, as it was one of the highlights of the day!

We kept heading East, got to cross a few suspension bridges, and wearily made it into Chin beach for the night at 8:30 or so. We were in prime location to view an amazing sunset! It was a great beach to camp at, far enough in that only backpackers were in the area. It was great talking with the different groups, finding out about trail conditions. We hiked a difficult 19km, and were a little worried about the last 21km that was still awaiting us.

The start of an amazing Sunset

We got a super early start on our final day, getting out of camp while everyone else was just waking up. It was a super foggy morning, but by late morning the fog was breaking up, which gave us some amazing lighting, and a beautiful blue sky afternoon.

Fantastic Fog/Trees/Sun

Bear Beach looked like another great beach to camp at, we took an extended break once we hit it. I think both Rhonda and I were feeling the trail, I know my feet were pretty tender. From Bear Beach I led us up a Search & Rescue access trail by mistake...which easily added a few km to our total for the day...plus a difficult 1000ft climb. Rhonda was not pleased...my first navigational error in awhile, but made me realize how important it is to stay on the trail when going long distances!!! So, by the end of day 3 we had hiked about 23km. A long day!

The Juan de Fuca trail was a lot of fun to hike. We had to cross suspension bridges, walk across logs spanning 15ft drops, walk up stairways cut into 100ft long, fallen logs, wade small creeks or bits of ocean (fighting back loonie sized crabs), cross beaches... you name it! Some challenging stuff, which made the whole experience that much more gratifying! Someday I'd like to come back and hike the West Coast Trail as well (who's game?). Or... go on a nice kayaking trip through the San Juan Islands.

We met a lot of cool, nice people along the way. Got to practice our German a few times, talk hockey with some Edmontonians, and pilfer wood off friendly neighbours. I enjoy the trail life, and the people you meet on the trail are fantastic!

All of my pictures are posted in a Picasa Web Album, worth a look, I swear!

0 km Marker, the end for us

Californians sighted in Vancouver

June 30th-July 1st

Well, I was surprised earlier in the week when I found out my good friend Astrid was going to be in Vancouver over the weekend! Perfect timing, as all of my Vancouver friends had made plans for the long weekend (most were actually going to the States to celebrate Canada Day...what?!). So, in exchange for picking up/dropping off Astrid at her arrival/departure points, she had to spend the weekend with me.

Saturday morning we got up, Astrid went for a swim at the Kitsilano pool (which she raved about!) while I went for a run nearby. From there we wandered along the beaches & breakwater to Granville Island where we walked through shops & the market just soaking up the atmosphere. We bought some fabulous treats, sat down in the gorgeous afternoon sun and listened to some live jazz. I don't know why I don't do this more often...as I'm sure SF would offer the same luxuries.

After lunch we headed downtown to meet up with a friend of mine from Edmonton, Andrea Domes. Hadn't seen her since 2002, so it was nice to catch up a bit. She took us to Stanley Park to walk around, and see the Totem Poles. I'm realizing that most large cities have beautiful parks...Stanley park fit the bill.

Me & Andrea at Stanley Park

Eventually Andrea had to act responsibly and head off to work, so Astrid and I decided to hit the Aquarium. It was a fun time there, got to see some Beluga whales, and a dolphin show. I was a little perplexed at their lack of information on climate change, I did not see any displays talking about it...maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention?

Aquarium fun

After that, Astrid and I were pretty tired, it was a full day! So, we made our way back to the Kits area to eat dinner. Found a nice outdoor patio for a Japanese restaurant, ordered some sushi as well as other dishes, and enjoyed a great sunset! It was my first beautiful weather day in Vancouver, and I really enjoyed it.

Enjoying the patio

Sunday, Canada Day! Astrid and I headed to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. A great museum. As soon as we walked in, we latched on to a free guided tour and learned about the local First Nations history/culture. I'm a big fan of the traditional art, and it was great to see both some of the older cultural pieces as well as the newer pieces in and around the city.

Sadly, I had to see Astrid off mid-afternoon... so it was down again to the lonely Canadian. I'll just say I had a rather lame Canada Day evening... Monday I'm slated to head to the island, with a turn of events: Rhonda Stoik, a former colleague of mine (at Mulhurst Lutheran Church Camp) has decided to join me on the Juan de Fuca trail along the coast of Vancouver Island! My next big adventure!

North Shore

June26th-27th

Tuesday Danielle and I got up late, lounged around, and then headed to Kits beach eager to get some food and enjoy the sun. Well, we managed to grab some absolutely fantastic panini sandwiches from a local place called VIVA (mine was caramelized pears with brie and a vinaigrette...delicious!!!!), but the sun didn't stay out long, and a wind picked up. So, our day at the beach ended early...hopefully the weather will turn for the better soon!

In the evening I ended up on the UBC campus, and decided to go for a run. The views are amazing! I couldn't believe it, Vancouver is surrounded by these gorgeous mountains, mixed with the ocean, it's stellar. I also ran through a natural forest, it's very dense out here, I like it.

Wednesday was all mine...so naturally I woke up late, lounged around, and decided I would go explore the North Shore mountain biking scene. I had received a few recommendations from a staffmember at VIVA the day before, so I decided to hit Mt. Fromme.

I thought that I had done a lot of hard trails in California, but the medium rated trails at Mt. Fromme made Skeggs look like a kiddie park, and even made Downieville look easy. It was through and through DH stuff, so me and my XC bike ended up walking a fair amount. Still, I tackled a few difficult sections, lots of 2-3' drops, a few logs, a fun rolling wooden bridge that ended with a 15ft long teeter-totter. The trails out here are super steep! The best part: I didn't manage to seriously hurt myself! That is saying a lot...still...the North Shore kicked my ass.

Wed night I also got to see Heather Barton, a good friend of mine back from Mulhurst Lutheran Camp where we used to work together. Hadn't seen her in about 5yrs, but it was easy to get reacquainted, and fun to chat! It was great catching up, and we had some stellar conversations. Hopefully we get to hang out again!

Vancouver!

June 25th

I got up early today...5:30 (it was bright out!) making note of the snow that had fallen only a few hundred feet higher up on the surrounding mountains. Glad I was still warm, I packed up and made my way towards Vancouver. I had a date to keep with an old high school friend who was opening her home to me for a few days (hooray for friends!). I had to fight the traffic a bit, but got over to the Kistilano district of Vancouver without trouble (natives call it "Kits" I'm told).

After a killer lunch at this great, local vegetarion restaurant called Naam, we headed to Grouse Mountain, which we climbed up to get a great view of Vancouver. It was a killer trail, talk about vertical! I guess it's called "Vancouvers stairmaster", and the name suits it. 2, 800ft of elevation gain in 2.9km...that means straight up! There are a lot of people who climb/run up it on a regular basis, trying to beat their last time. It's got to be killer training!

Danielle and me at the top of Grouse Mountain

That night Danielle took me out on the town to a great restaurant called the Sandbar on Granville Island. So far, I've been nothing but impressed with the food in Vancouver (an extremely important criteria). Granville island seemed like a pretty cool place as well, all these small shops/markets/restaurants/brewery.

Great day!

Manning Pass

June 24th

I finally up and left Penticton...I ended up staying quite a few extra days, it was hard to leave family (and the relative comfort). I also completely changed my initial plans (the beauty of having no commitments!). So, I'm now headed towards Vancouver for a few weeks, thinking I will most likely head back East to hit the Stampede in Calgary (July 13th or so).

Spent the night at Manning Pass Provincial Park in the Canadian Cascades. It was raining, and cold, which I looked at as a good opportunity to check out how my gear performs in harsher conditions. I managed to stay dry (after a tent readjustment around midnight). And...I finally figured out some of the settings on my camera, so from now on, hopefully you will see some better, richer, pictures!

Man in the Woods

Hairy Scary

So, little known fact: I haven't shaved since I left the Bay. That means I've got my two week beard going on right now. It's not quite, how you say...filled out? Basically from 10ft away you'd probably think to yourself

"Man, Andrew's got some dirt on his face or something."

And as you got closer to me you'd realize

"Oh, Andrew's trying to grow a beard, isn't that cute."

But...I will stick with it for awhile longer. I've got to grow it out before I hit the JMT (will 2mos do it?). I hear it keeps the wild at bay.

Penticton - my sis

Noah & Me

I've been spending the past week now with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew in Penticton. It's been a relaxing time, with flashes of excitement.

For the first time ever I went rock-climbing on a real rock face. That was quite exciting! I cleared a 5.10a, 5.10b cleanly, and made it up an extremely fun 5.9. Not bad for my first time on real rock. It was such a great experience after only climbing gym walls. I really had to feel and look around for my holds, makes things much more exciting! I found that I really was flexing my mental muscles a lot more, and I quite enjoyed it!

I also managed to go on a great MTB ride at a park called Three Blind Mice just N of Penticton. It was littered with trails, and lot's of challenges! There were some great exposed rock sections, difficult climbs, smooth, speedy rollers, and the longest, steeped decent I've ever tackled (felt like I was riding my front tire the whole way down!).

The big draw to Penticton isn't the locale, weather, festivals, or produce though, it's my family! It was great to visit with Ella & Rick, and of course Noah quickly becomes the center of attention (you'll notice he's in each pic). Noah is now 7mos old, and already capable of so much! It was great just sitting down with him, and watching him tackle the world! He's become an excellent marksman with his hands, very good at grabbing my glasses. He was on the verge of learning how to crawl during my whole visit, so I'm sure next time I come through, he'll be motoring around. It was fun making him smile, he's a cutey (clearly the Peterson genes).

SuperNoah and SuperRick

But, the most rewarding experiences have been just watching my sis and nephew Noah get along. They have an amazing maternal bond, and it's really cool to see. My sister continuously amazes me with all she does. She's a fantastic mother, makes me happy!

Little Bedtime Reading

Momma's Boy

Portland

June 15th-16th

A day in Portland...not enough. From my very brief stay, I have to say I liked what I saw in Portland. I overnighted at the youth hostel, wandered the city streets, and saw a nice city. The old downtown was littered with these old industrial buildings which had been converted into lofts, businesses, stores, and restaurants. It was a cool setting.

My Portland highlights are few, I went bouldering in a local climbing gym (The Circuit Bouldering Gym), went for a half-marathon run in the largest city park in the nation (Forest Park), and blundered upon a local nau store (check it out!).

Saturday morning I came back to the hostel after my run and discovered they no longer had a bed for me. Ah well...so, I decided to make a run for the border. I was ready for a welcoming home, and so made the 10hr drive to Penticton B.C. to spend some quality time with my sis, bro-in-law and nephew.

Felt good to be back in Canada...first stop, Tim Hortons!

Lava Beds

June 13th-14th

I spent the night of the 12th in a nice campsite at the base of Mt. Shasta. It was very peaceful, I had a great sleep. Woke up early on the 14th and went down to Mt. Shasta City to the local gear shop, the 5th Season, to grab a new MSR pot. Now I can cook! (Well, heat up water and mix in some freeze dried food)

I started cutting East across the state, headed towards Lava Beds National Monument, which looked like a cool place. There are all these caves in the park which were made after lava tubes drained, leaving behind solid rock wall caves. I've never really explored caves before, though I have a friend or two who rave about it.


On the way I passed by Grass Lake, a once magnificient, large lake which almost completely drained..... What remains now is this huge marsh, great for bird watchers. I wandered around a little, and was rather amused when I found this landmark:

That's right, the glory hole, where the lake drained. Perhaps an unfortunate name, in retrospect. Did I mention this was a highway rest area?

When I got to Lava Beds I was greeted by some pretty interesting scenery. There were a few 'A'a flows (which now look like this vast swath of harsh black rocks), and of course the caves. I ventured into the very "touristy" cave called Mushpot, which is fully lit. At 700ft in length, it's not a terribly deep cave...but even with the lights, it scared me. I was all alone in it, and freaked out about 50ft in. From there, I tried my luck with a few others. I ventured out to Skull Cave, which had a frozen lake at the bottom. The only reason I made it to this feature was that I caught up to a family that had descended before me...no way would I have ever have made it down there on my own. So, that day I learned I'm still scared of caves (at least while I'm on my own).

Entrance to Skull Cave

I was able to check out some of the wide open caves which had some petroglyphs on the walls. These were not nearly as scary, and quite cool.

Petroglyphs in Symbol Bridge Cave

Well, after exploring the caves, I decided to go one an overnight trek, and planned out a 10mi loop (the $0 permit was also cheaper than the $10 camping fee). So, I set off ~5:30pm, hoping to cover half that distance before setting up camp. On this particular trek I tried a couple new things. First, I set out with my chacos instead of my hiking boots (with a pair of liner socks). Second, I set out with my new SLR Digital Camera. The chacos performed quite well, though I would never set out for a multi-day trek with them, as my feet did become quite sore by the end of it all (Still, for a one day hike, light load, I'd be willing to put 18mi on them!). The other thing would be to only use chacos on packed dirt terrain. The terrain I was on during this two day trek was gravel/sand, and not fun in chacos. The camera turned out to be quite the burden. I could not position it very comfortably in front of me, which meant I strapped it to my pack, making it inaccessible should I suddenly be confronted with a picturesque view. I may have to re-evaluate my camera choice for the JMT.

It was also a burden to half to hike in with all the water I would be needing (due to lack of water sources on the hike). 4L of water means ~8.8lbs...too much! I've decided that these types of hikes are just brutal on me, and stupid. On the JMT I plan to only carry two 1L containers, which means that at most I will be carrying 4.4lbs of water at any one time (usually less!).

This was my second solo trip, and I fared worse than on my first trip. For some reason the terrain: sparse, desert vegetation mixed with collapsed lava tubes/caves did not sit well with me. I suddenly was really aware of my "Cougar-bait" nickname. I mean the parallels between a dive bar, and the desert are rather stunning:

Sparse vegetation - Sparse clientèle
Few watering holes - Few beers on tap
Cougars on edge, ready to kill - Cougars on edge, ready to pounce

And as the sun began to set {the lights dimmed} I was unterstandably on edge. I rushed through a meal early, and hiked another mile or two until I started to hit a sparse forest. In the end, I found this fantastic established campsite, where I nestled my tent under a tree, and watched the sun set while writing in my journal. I took some pictures, but unfortunately, my batteries went dry, and none of them turned out.

I actually slept like crap that night, as I never calmed down. I have to get over this "being alone in the wilderness" phobia, and am really hoping that the more I do it, the more I get used to it. I eagerly greeted the dawn, packed up, and hiked the last 5mi in 2 1/2 hrs to get back to my car. Saw a deer along the way, but little else. I didn't think much of the hike in the end, and it seriously made me question why I'm trying to trek alone in any case. Seems to me that company on the trail is a wonderful thing...

From there, I headed north towards Oregon, not sure what I'd do next. I had lunch beside a lake which was fabulous, and then ended up on the highway towards Crater Lake National Park. Never heard much about this park, but it's one of the earliest parks to have been created in the U.S. (apparently #5). I drove in, went straight to a campsite which claimed to have showers, and promptly had one of the worst showers of my life (ever heard of a shower that only had hot water? Sucks...but luckily I managed to finish off the hot water stash, ending my shower with what must have been glacier run-off....still better than just hot water). It felt good to be clean! I hadn't showered in 4 days, and had done a fair amount of hiking/sweating/etc in that time. But...I know I have a friend or two out there who is of the mind that you aren't having fun until you don't shower.

Back to the park. I'm still pissed off that I don't have any pictures to share, as I snapped quite a few! Crater Lake is quite amazing! Imagine an immense volcano that completely blew it's lid (I mean immense, we're talking a cataclysmic event) leaving behind a massive crater. Then, slowly, over time it is filled with snow melt and rain. The end result is this beautiful lake, with very clean, pure water, the deepest lake in North America. The crater itself is also very steep walled, so to view it all you are standing on these bluffs, looking down at an almost inaccessible lake. It's stunning.

Crater Lake

After that, I ended up driving towards I5 along a nice creek littered with campsites (Umpqua?). I'd had enough of camping for awhile though, so ended up grabbing a hotel room just outside of Portland. It was a busy day!

Scadaddle

June 11th-12th

I have left the Bay Area...for a few months anyway. It seemed like it would never happen, what with trying to tie up loose ends as well as jamming all of my "necessities" into my Integra. But by mid afternoon Monday, I was finally on the road, desperately trying to beat the afternoon traffic, and forgetting a bag of food and my titanium mug in the process....ergh. Shortly after the sun went down I found myself camped just outside of Lassen National Park in Northern California.

In the morning I ate my CLIF bar (due to lack of titanium mug to heat water), and drove into Lassen. This park had an interesting past, what with a volcano (Mt Lassen) loosing its lids and devastating the countryside back in 1915 (much like Mt St. Helens in 1980). There were a lot of active vents spewing forth sulphur smells, good times. I decided to get some much needed exercise, so climbed to the top of Mt Lassen (a 5mi roundtrip, 2000ft climb). It's been awhile since I was above 10,000ft, feels good! I had to hike over a lot of snow to get there, I guess it's still early in the season. The view from the top was nice, I could see Mt Shasta, which I had determined would be my next destination...

Mt Shasta from the top of Mt Lassen

Orange and tasty

I had my first run-in with a varmint as well. This cute chipmunk really wanted a snack, and was rather forward in letting me know. I managed to snap this pic right before I yelled at him/her, which was good, as he/she refused to pose anymore for me thereafter.

Sierra teaser

June 6th-7th

I managed to squeeze in a very quick trip to the Sierra's this past week. Went up Wed night, getting a rather late start of 6pm at the trailhead. Still, I managed to get 4miles in, setup camp & eat just before I lost the light. This was my first night ever alone in the wilderness. I was a little scared to be perfectly honest. But all went smoothly. I've got this little bit of crazy going on with my constant yelling out of absurdities to keep bears away.

The next morning I set out early, planning to hike over 10miles, and see how far I could get. I ended up going to the top of El Capitan (finally seeing another hiker ~noon), followed by getting to the top of Eagle Peak. Eagle Peak was amazing! The top of the mountain is littered with these boulders you can climb on to get amazing views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Nevada Falls, Yosemite Falls, etc.. I spent about an hour up there, and was amazed to find I got better cell phone reception then I ever did at Casa de Bryant in PA.

Top of Eagle Peak

The rest of the day I pushed myself, and managed to hike 14miles, cutting my trip short by a day. Turns out that was a good thing, as I was having issues with some of my gear... I need to get those issues resolved soon!

I also hitch-hiked for the first time ever! Should I be excited? I got picked up by this nice Canadian (of course) couple from Vancouver (a sign?). After the first 20 cars zoomed by me, I was ecstatic to be picked up. I had begun to have these terrible visions of me having to trek 15miles to my car in the dark.....

Killer weekend!

June 1st-3rd

One of my last weekends in the Bay Area....and talk about a weekend! Friday night I went to see Arcade Fire at the Greek theatre in Berkeley (it's an outside ampitheatre by the way...good to know on a cold night). Great concert! It was fun to see a ten person band nail it out on stage. It was also amazing to see how they create their sound, they have this two piece horn section which blends with a two piece string section to make a lot of those deep, rich flowing melodies.

On Saturday, after a great brunch with great company, I participated in the San Francisco Night & Day Challenge! Talk about an amazing, incredibly fun event. I was the P in the Boston Pee Party (Jon was the Boston, Erin was the Party), and we spent 3.5hrs jogging/trekking followed by 3.5hrs biking through the city. Great way to see the city. The crazy part is that we ended up winning our class! Whaaa? Awesome! I may just have to swing by Seattle to run in their event...

Sunday I managed to celebrate a few birthdays, my cousins 16th, as well as my roomie Natasha's 30th. Again, lot's of good company, and great food. Great day! Great weekend.

And through all that, I managed to move out of my house.... :(

Catch-up

May 28-29

The last weekend in May I went to Henry Coe State Park with Jon, Rebecca & Andy for a quick in and out hike. It was hot, and there were few water sources (meaning we each packed in about 4litres of water). We had many run-ins with little hitch-hikers (ie. ticks and various seeds), a few rattlesnakes, and some nice views. It was extremely hot out there, and we climbed a lot of steep hills. I was trying out some of my new gear for the first time, and became enamored with my new trekking poles. They really help out, my knees thanked me.


Rebecca keeps telling me that JMT thru-hikers go to Henry Coe to train, I suppose because of the steep hills.

JMT Maps

I received my JMT maps a few days ago...they're perty. Printed on plastic, so they're water & tear proof, fancy. It's been great to be able to spread them out on a table, and start to really think about camping/re-stocking spots. I also found this great website (On the Trail) which has complete, free, digital topo maps for the PCT & JMT, plus some other good info. So see the attached pic for my route, it's a good one!

JMT bound

Today I managed to secure my wilderness permit from Yosemite National Park to hike the entire John Muir Trail! I'm quite excited. I'll be starting my 220mi trek at the Happy Isles/Little Yosemite Trailhead in Yosemite Valley on the 21st of August. I'm planning to finish at Whitney Portal on Sept 11.

In preparation I've been doing a little John Muir reading, and rather liked some of his comments on being captured in the beauty of a Sierra Nevada meadow.

"The influences of pure nature are as yet so little known, that it is generally supposed that complete pleasure of this kind, permeating one's very flesh and bones, unfits the student for scientific pursuits in which cool judgement and observation are required. But the effect is just the opposite of this. Instead of producing a dissipated condition, the mind is fertilized and stimulated and developed like sun-fed plants."
John Muir,
An Essay on Meadows of the Sierra Nevada

Come on nature, inspire me!

The beginning

As I so aptly put it this past Friday night: "I'm taking the next five months to explore myself."