… a long arduous journey, especially one made on foot.
Dateline: Lee Vining, CA (20180908)
Section H is finished! The Pacific Crest Trail, California Section H runs from Crabtree Meadows near Mount Whitney to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. It’s a 175.5 miles of trail the winds through some of the very best of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Four vlogs cover Section H, this being that last of those videos.
Fair winds
Dateline: Mammoth Lakes, CA (20180904)
After waiting for the smoke to clear, Rob returned to the trail picking up on Section H where he left off. He re-entered the Sierra Mountains by taking the South Lake trail head near Bishop and hiking over Bishop Pass. He rejoined the PCT and headed north to Red’s Meadow, the exit point to get to Mammoth Lakes. The video below shows the way.
Part 1 covered from Bishop to the top of Selden Pass. This Part 2 covers from Selden Pass to Mammoth.
Fair winds
Dateline: Vista, CA (20180731)
What began as an adventure to trek the heavenly portion of Pacific Crest Trail, better known as Sierra Nevada mountains or California Section H, ended up being a shortened trip with an exit over Bishop Pass (Trail junction at PCT Mile 831.0). The southern 65 miles of 175.5 mile long Section H were traversed before being driven off the trail. Fire near Yosemite National Park and Tuolumne Meadows, known as the Ferguson Fire, started filling the air along the PCT with smoke. Visibility dropped to less than 1/4 mile, the air smelled of fire, and the sun turned a darker orange. Conditions farther north were reported to be worse.
Knowing how beautiful the Sierras can be, and knowing that walking at oxygen depleted upper elevations while ingesting a high level of particulate matter is likely detrimental for one’s health, the decision was made to leave the trail to wait for better conditions. However, while covering the first half of Section H, much of the splendor of the Sierras was revealed and recorded for your pleasure.
The highest point on the PCT at Forester Pass was crossed as well as Kearsarge, Glen, Pinchot, Mather, and Bishop passes. Waterfalls, flower, and fauna abounded. Watch the video below to experience what Rob experienced.
Fair winds
Dateline: Vista, CA (20180615)
The great majority of people that begin to hike the PCT never finish it. Life gets in the way. Sometimes its related to the trail. Often it has nothing to do with it.
I came off trail planning to spend about three weeks to rehab a knee and let a twisted ankle recover. I also came off trail because someone very close to me was having some minor surgery during that period. Actually, not ‘minor surgery’. Minor surgery is what doctor’s do to someone you don’t know. So, it was surgery.
Well, the surgery didn’t go exactly as planned. Rather than a minor procedure completed in a surgery center, that visit became an exploratory procedure that is leading to a major surgery to be completed in a hospital. So, I’m going to stick around.
I’ll be off trail for the foreseeable future, but likely until mid to late July. When I get back on trail, I’ll post it here. Until then…
Fair winds
Dateline: Vista, CA (20180614)
Although I’ve been a sailor since I was 13 and a backpacker since I was around 20, it’s only when I started planning this trip to hike the Pacific Crest Trail that I’ve realized the strong similarities between these two activities. There are some differences, but many are differences only in magnitude, not requirements. Are they truly the same? You be the judge.
Continue reading “Cruising on a Sailboat vs. Backpacking – Is there really a difference?”
Dateline: McDonald’s, Cajon Pass, California (20180530)
The Pacific Crest Trail: California Section C starts and ends in the desert with freeways and trains, but has the mountains of San Bernardino with Big Bear and Silverwood Lakes in the middle. It’s a 132 miles of Southern California PCT. Follow along on this next leg of the journey.
Fair winds
Dateline: Big Bear Lake, California (20180524)
I finished California’s Section B of the Pacific Crest Trail about a week ago, but today is the first day I’ve had WiFi, or good cellular coverage for that matter. There’s a lot more back country out there than I realized by driving though it at 70 miles an hour. Walking gives you a much more detailed perspective. The video below continues to follow this trek north on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Fair winds
Dateline: Warner Springs, CA (20180509)
Our PCT adventure has begun and it has more learning than expected. Both cold and heat played a role. Water and food consumption were both radically different than expected. In the desert, I was needing a third to a half again as much water as I had needed on my training hikes. And losing over 14 lbs in 10 days, I know I’ve got to consumer more calories on future hikes than I have been in Section A. It’s not that I didn’t have the food. I simply didn’t have the appetite. Reflections on those items and much more are in the video that follows.
I apologize for the long video. I didn’t have time to produce a short one. I’m back on the trail to start Section B this morning.
Fair winds
Dateline: Estes Park, Colorado (20180415)
With 2 weeks and 2 days left before embarking on the Pacific Crest Trail, I had the opportunity to take another quick training hike with my son Ken, the Task Master. To date, all of my training has been near sea level in temperate Southern California conditions. At sea level, I can put in the miles and achieve the elevation gain. However, jumping up to 9000′, putting on a pack, dropping the temperature, and hiking on snow was something I wanted to do to test both myself and some of my gear. Conclusion: New clothing tech is AMAZING and I’m ready to go!
For the record:
Fair winds
Dateline: Vista, CA (20180422)
My PCT launch date is looming. I’ve been getting educated and planning for the last seven months. Data has been gathered from books, web pages, YouTube videos, blogs, and movies. Reflecting on actionable resources, below are my favorite information sources and tools for executing my PCT adventure. Continue reading “Pacific Crest Trail Information Sources and Tools – My Favorites”