I only managed a little over eight miles today, but that included 2800′ of elevation gain. The day started early, as I woke about a half-hour before dawn. I needed to pee, but it was so cold outside my nest. Continue reading →

Another roller coaster!

The best thing about spending the night at Trap Pass was not having to climb Trap Pass first thing in the morning. The worst? At 5700′, it was chillier than a lower camp would have been. Continue reading →

I’m writing this in my hammock nest at Lake Susan Jane. It’s about an hour after sunset. Continue reading →

I’m writing this with a grossly over-full belly and being surprisingly groggy for having drunk only one pint. I have a few hours of classroom training in the morning, and then I head off on my adventure. Continue reading →

If you know me, you probably know that I’m a neurotic over-planner. My solo hike along Section J of Washington’s PCT starts in three days, but I’ve put a lot of thought and planning into this. My pack is almost packed (still need to re-do my first aid kit, still need to buy the last few bits of food for my lunches); now, I just wait.

The waiting is more acute because I’m going to be in Leavenworth Wednesday-Friday for job-related training. I want my bag packed & ready to go tonight, so I can just load it into the truck tomorrow morning and not worry about anything. Continue reading →

I’m sorta-training for a trail half-marathon that I haven’t signed up for. Continue reading →

For the second year in a row, I joined the Nomads staffing an aid station along the course of the Cascade Crest 100. This is an epic race, and our aid station is just 15 miles in. We get the runners while they’re still fresh and fairly happy. Continue reading →

Maybe. Continue reading →

Over the past few months, I’ve been obsessed with hiking. This is not that unusual: if you work a fulltime job, the time available to spend on recreation is limited, and we’re also limited by the weather and season. (Oh! how I miss being a college student!) In the past, I’ve always accepted that there’s only so much time available, and there’s always next year. Inexplicably, I’m feeling a sense of urgency this year: what if there is no ‘next year’?

I promise, this isn’t a philosophical post. Continue reading →

Although I’d planned this trip, I didn’t feel really “prepared.” I think that’s because I’ve spent one night on the trail in the last few years, and this was just my first multi-day solo trip in about twenty years. This was also the first backcountry test of the hammock. Lots of variables! Fortunately, this is an area that’s fairly well-travelled, and there are a lot of forest roads that intersect the trails; if a hiker is in distress, it’s fairly easy to get to a road and get to where one may encounter a person with a motor vehicle. Continue reading →