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!
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
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!
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 MountainGreat day!
Manning Pass
June 24thI 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 WoodsMonday, 25 June 2007
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 & MeI'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 SuperRickBut, 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 BoyFriday, 22 June 2007
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!
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
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:
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
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
Petroglyphs in Symbol Bridge CaveWell, 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
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 LakeAfter 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!
Friday, 15 June 2007
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.
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.
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
Mt Shasta from the top of Mt Lassen
Orange and tastyI 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.
Friday, 8 June 2007
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.....
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 PeakThe 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.... :(
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
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.
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.
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