Wing It and Don't Panic

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21925164596649257982011-09-21T05:22:56.242-07:00Wing It and Don't PanicKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.comBlogger1641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-90236326445822859932010-12-23T07:58:00.000-08:002010-12-23T08:01:41.499-08:00Update

I know I haven't been doing a good job updating this blog. But I've been busy. Doing nothing. The news is: We are going on the road. Next Tuesday. We have the when, just not the where. We figured we'll just drive until we find some place that's interesting until we fly to Chile. Yup, Chile. I hope. I say we're going, but the truth is we haven't bought the tickets yet, so.... Yeah, Chile!

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-42990304242224694042010-10-17T17:49:00.000-07:002010-12-17T21:49:02.047-08:00Silver City, NM and Crazy Cook

We got a really late start due to the fact that we didn't want to freeze our feet in the fords. We bagged our feet then started out just before 9:00. We crossed through Murtocks Hole, viewing the rocks above and admiring the various trees. We saw a praying mantis neat the shore at one of the crossings. At our lunch break, we were visited by a pigeon, like one you would find in the city. It didn't

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-28981309265737103892010-10-10T10:51:00.000-07:002010-12-16T13:05:57.675-08:00Doc Campbell's Trading Post, NM

Had breakfast at the Daily Pie, and tried their amazing New Mexican Apple Pie! We chatted up the owner, who gave us some bumper stickers, sent out our packages, then hiked out. Not a whole lost happened, as it was all dirt road walking. We had a great view of Alegras Mt., and other perfectly conical hills. We got water from a cache at the Fur & Feathers Animal Shelter, and had to chase off one of

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-957910238124257042010-10-05T21:13:00.000-07:002010-12-16T10:50:06.349-08:00Pie Town, NM

We had continental brekfast at the hotel, then called Hugo and Carole from a card we grabbed from their water cache. They agreed to pick us up and drive us back to Smith's. When Hugo arrived, he offered to slack pack us 22 miles! We dropped off our stuff at their home, then were dropped off by the supermarket. We headed west through town, feeling lightfooted and hoping to grab a bite to eat at

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-83918085319512365832010-10-01T07:59:00.000-07:002010-11-13T09:11:39.181-08:00Cuba and Grants, NM

Had our AYCE breakfast, then headed out. We followed the Living Museum Nature Trail to the Museum by the highway and saw that Rambler was just a day ahead of us. We hadn't seen him since Pinedale, CO. We walked along the shoulder of Highway 84 to our junction, when I saw my first tarantula ever! We took a picture then moved on. The sun was hot and we were thankful to have our sun umbrellas again.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-22358116414614146882010-09-24T16:37:00.000-07:002010-11-13T08:00:00.591-08:00Ghost Ranch, NM

We made our own breakfast then got a ride to Wolf Creek Pass. We said goodbye to Craig and Anna, chatted a bit with some folks who were interested in what we were up to (and we were called crazy), then started our climb up to Treasure Pass. We met a woman trail running, and she warned us about some bicyclists coming our way. We contoured around Alberta Peak, sown to Railroad Pass, and wound our

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-34465587687981782402010-09-18T10:11:00.000-07:002010-11-09T10:46:35.147-08:00Durango, CO

It was freezing! The valley we were in was fed by four other gulches, and so in a very large katabatic zone. We waited for the store to open to get hot coffee, then walked out of town on 780.1 to the Long Branch Forest Facility. I fed a horse grass while waiting for DP, then headed to Long Branch Trailhead. We followed 491 through cow pastures, to 492 (Hicks Gulch), to 490 (Dutchman Creek) and

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-92197305044421281592010-09-09T18:33:00.000-07:002010-11-13T08:01:17.519-08:00Monarch Pass, CO

Grabbed a pastry and coffee at the C-store, then caught the bus to Frisco, then another to Copper Mt. We got breakfast at the Waffle and Coffee. My waffle wasn't very good, and I felt kind of sick. We climbed up under the American Flyer ski lift until we found the trail, and found it to be cruisy. We switched back up Union Gulch, then contoured over to and followed Gulley Creek. We passed some

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-37925377210883233642010-09-03T18:32:00.000-07:002010-11-13T08:01:00.804-08:00Silverthorne, CO

DP was not feeling well today. We packed up, had breakfast at a coffee shop, the did our resupply. DP thought I didn't get enough food, and I said I wanted a light pack. We left town following the east shore of Shadow Mountain Lake, the Colorado River and Columbine Bay. We got to Twin Creek Ranger Station the followed Knight Ridge to Roaring Fork Campground. We crossed Arapaho Bay, taking the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-45475176790629583372010-08-28T18:30:00.000-07:002010-11-13T08:00:49.293-08:00Grand Lake, CO/Rocky Mt. National Park

We ate our continental breakfast, sent our packages from the PO, then set out. A nice man named Matt and his dog Luke picked us up and dropped us off right where we left off. We walked along Hwy 40 to Hwy 14, and followed that for 9 miles. We saw Stretch in a car on her way to town. We got to Indian Creek Road and followed it through cow country. We heard one bull lowing to another and we thought

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-90223318103955236412010-08-24T18:29:00.000-07:002010-11-13T08:00:37.167-08:00Steamboat Springs, CO

Ate breakfast at Penny's Diner, where we were joined by Lost & Found. They hiked 56 miles into town and would be taking a zero day. We resupplied from City Market, packed up then headed to the PO to forward our warm clothes and send home a few things. We headed to Anong's for AYCE Thai and met Lost & Found, and Stretch, who we hadn't seen since East Glacier. We left town around 2:30 and followed

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-45473998880390340452010-08-15T18:27:00.000-07:002010-11-13T08:00:27.291-08:00Rawlins, WY

We had breakfast at the Ox Bow with Mike, Naomi and Found. Naomi then gave us a ride to the trail, along with Lost & Found, and we got going. We arrived at South Pass City, which seems to be a re-creation town, some old mining from the 1800's. We went to the store, where I found an official Beatles Fan Club Tie Tacks, which I bought and may use as bling. We left the town before Lost & Found, and

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-24851412979718426262010-08-14T15:23:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:27:22.621-07:00The Wind River Range and Lander, WY

We ate some cinnamon rolls we picked up, drank coffee then started to look for a ride. We were offered a ride from a guy at the Dodge dealership back to the trailhead. From Elkhart, we took the Pole Creek Trail. We ran into Rambler, and found out almost everyone was near us. We headed to Photographers Point, an awesome view of the Winds. We got to Elklund Lake, headed over to Pole Creek Lakes,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-72854707972130207172010-08-09T15:16:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:27:22.621-07:00Pinedale, WY and the Wind River Range

After a breakfast of donuts, coffee, banana and yogurt, we tried our luck at hitching. An hour later, we were picked up by a guy heading to Jackson. We stopped at Lava Mt. Lodge for gas and to buy him a coffee, and we were warned about grizzlies in the area. We were dropped off at Togwotee Mt. Lodge, then started our roadwalk on the highway. After about three miles, we found the old FS30010 along

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-68430259781947193392010-08-04T15:13:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:27:22.622-07:00Dubois, WY

We were tired and running out of food. We decided to skip Brooks Lake, and instead take the pack trail to Togwotee Mt. Lodge. We started out, climbing to the top of the plateau, had great views of the Tetons, then headed down to the Parting of the Waters. This is where the Two Ocean Creek physically splits in two and goes to either the Pacific or Gulf of Mexico. We saw a forest service crew

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-68129554050028190382010-08-01T12:47:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:13:31.158-07:00Yellowstone National Park

We ate our microwave breakfasts and headed towards Macks Inn. We had a package to pick there, our bearspray in particular. We thought the PO opened at 9:00, but it didn't open until 10:00. So we went pack to the C-Store and had coffee and doughnuts. DP picked up a bug jacket in hopes that it would help against the mozzies. We got our package then started our road walk down 84 towards Big Springs.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-79340125691915398072010-07-28T12:22:00.000-07:002010-09-03T12:47:03.546-07:00Sawtelle Resort, ID

It was hot in our room and we did not sleep well. Had breakfast at Jan's, hung my shoes on the shoe tree (new shoes!), then got dropped off where we crossed the highway. We walked the frontage road on the east side until we came to a junction with a dirt road that lead to Beaver Creek. We passed a sheep farm, went passed Long Creek, passed a herd of cows by a spring, passed Boatman Spring, got

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-87032680924173769522010-07-24T11:54:00.000-07:002010-09-03T12:22:15.547-07:00Lima, MT

Had breakfast at the cafe, then got a ride from the inn owner. As we pulled up to the pass, we saw Team 3D and Lost & Found (no Joker though...). We climbed the Divide following a fence line. We passed Deadman Pass summited Horse Prairie and contoured down to a spring in the woods. There we met Marianne and Steve, who were working for the owners of a nearby ranch. They were checking the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-6387301391623529312010-07-20T11:55:00.000-07:002010-09-03T11:53:58.988-07:00Leadore, ID

We were pretty lazy leaving town. Had breakfast at the Silver Spoon again, packed up and left our packs with the front desk. Spent time at the library updating the blog, then sat outside enjoying the fine weather. Had lunch at the Little Blue Joint, pizza this time (not bad, but not great either.) Got some ice cream at Debbie's Restaurant, then called about that ride. He met us for drinks at the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-35734150610410218362010-07-14T11:24:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:52:35.113-07:00Darby, MT

We broke camp while all the RVers were still sleeping. The trail was eay going, starting in Anaconda Pintler Wilderness and following Seymour Creek to Upper Seymour Lake. We stopped for a quick break, dried out the tent, then climbed up towards Goat Flat. This climb was spectacular, reminded me a bit of the Sierra Nevada. We lost the trail in snow on Goat Flat, so we climbed to the ridge and

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-27049392739374668952010-07-10T10:43:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:10.622-07:00Anaconda, MT

We were dropped off early by Naomi since she was catching a ride home with friends. We said our goodbyes, then went up the trail. We were soon dodging out of the way of high school cross country runners (?). We made our way easily up the switchbacks, paralleling the SilverBow/Jefferson county lines. This was all new trail, and we took our first break on top of a flat rock overlooking Butte. We

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-44552627029204667322010-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:10.622-07:00Butte, MT

It seems every SoBo hiker was in town! We had breakfast at the Quarry again, packed up, and Naomi drove us to MacDonald Pass. Boone and Mousa appeared, with Jessie no longer hiking, so we hiked with them for a little bit before they left us in their dust. We did catch them again, since they took a wrong trail in a meadow. We hiked a little bit then stopped for a break, where Dan and Anna

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-9434805257969309652010-07-03T10:35:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:10.622-07:00Helena, MT

Had breakfast again at the Bootleggers with Mike and RT, then tried our luck at hitching. A woman named Diana, who is a psychologist in Missoula, picked all of us up and dropped us off at Rogers Pass. It had been drizzling, but stopped by the time we started walking. The wind, however, was just getting started. Walking up to and along the ridge was like walking upriver; it was very tiring.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-71912130335481464372010-06-29T10:09:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:10.623-07:00Lincoln, MT

It rained and thundered all night, but we awoke to brewed coffee in the cabin! The rest of the day was uneventful, the walking was easy (and my knee was no longer swollen!) though we all wondered if there was going to be a rain squall as we rested at a guard station. It didn't, and we found a great campsite below a big climb for the next day.We have been having unbelievably good weather! We

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-58760276867316171922010-06-25T09:35:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:10.623-07:00The Bob Marshall Wilderness

We woke in the night to the sound of rain. DP wasn't feeling well through the night, but after breakfast he was feeling right as, well, rain. We went to the PO to send home some extra warm gear and our crampons. As we were leaving town, we ran in to Rolling Thunder (RT), Mike and Jack. Jack was staying in town due to knee injuries, so we hiked out with the other two. We were wandering around

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-39967837297015614542010-06-20T19:05:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:10.623-07:00Glacier National Park

Our first week on the trail has been wonderful. We started on June 15th at the Chief Mountain border crossing at Canada. We had hoped to start at the Waterton Lakes Terminus, but we were told by the rangers that there was still quite a bit of snow in the mountains. We had to schedule which campsites we would be staying for the next six nights with the rangers. Our first night was at Elizabeth

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-81884429965959400962010-06-08T17:31:00.001-07:002010-06-08T17:34:23.794-07:00Countdown

Sometime this weekend, we will be heading out to Montana to start our hike of the CDT. We have a few loose ends to tie up here in the Seattle area (buying bear spray being one of them!) I'm really starting to look forward to this hike. I don't normally get excited for anything any more, but this time I do feel jittery. It could be that I'm anxious because we're starting in serious bear country,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-17461670973835903102010-06-02T17:26:00.000-07:002010-06-02T17:49:39.351-07:00Bagging Peaks

Jake is very much into bagging peaks. While down here in Southern California, we have climbed San Jacinto, scrambled up Telescope Peak with our friend Coyote, and just nabbed San Gorgonio. About a week ago, he and Coyote, with me as support, started out at Shorty's Well in the Badwater Basin of Death Valley (ele. -253) at 3:00am. It took ten hours and fifteen minutes for them to clamber up a

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-55625743660872649892010-05-30T12:39:00.001-07:002010-05-30T12:43:22.487-07:00Under Pressure

So, under intense pressure from my family (not really), I am going to keep blogging. Jake and I are in the last stages of our living in Palm Springs, and are gathering our few possessions for our road trip home to Seattle. Our possessions aren't too few right now, but they will have to be in order to fit two people and their belongings in a sedan. This is my favorite part of moving, realizing

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-50207927469325049282010-05-03T06:34:00.000-07:002010-05-03T06:37:03.415-07:00Blargh!

I'm really bad at this posting every day thing. Or even just regularly. I think most of it is I know no one is reading this blog, so why bother? I need to update this thing, merge it with the other blog, and at the request of Jake, rename the damn thing. Just doesn't even seem worth it any more.I know I won't keep up the next blog for the Continental Divide Trail. I'm thinking why even

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-62283343947400602972010-04-12T13:20:00.001-07:002010-04-12T13:50:45.765-07:00Apache Peak

We decided to pick up the section of the PCT from Highway 74 to Saddle Junction, which was on fire in 2008. We started out on the 8th, parking the car at the trail head and going as far as a mile past Fobes Saddle. It was dry, it was warm, and we hiked about 15 miles (a lot for me, since I haven't done any real hiking since the end of the Appalachian Trail.)The next day? We hit Apache Peak fairly

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-11280621619538287762010-04-04T09:44:00.000-07:002010-04-04T10:17:03.379-07:00We Survived

We made it to the top of San Jacinto, but it was a bit treacherous. The one time we should have had our crampons, we decided to leave them behind. Never again. I don't mind carrying them, since they are lightweight, and if I need them, I'm SO happy to have them. It took about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get up there, and about an hour to get back down. I love glissading (sliding on my ass)! Another

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-79141118152273854832010-04-01T07:22:00.000-07:002010-04-01T07:35:15.865-07:00April Fools?

We are going to snow camp near (or at) the top of San Jacinto. We'll be up there for two nights. It's supposed to rain (snow) up there. Are we fools?Last weekend we headed up to South Lake Tahoe for a snow course given by Mountain Ned. It was a snowshoeing expedition across Echo Lake up to Tamarack Lake, where we set up base camp. The next day, we went up to Aloha Lake, and practiced our map

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-4074228479698464792010-03-31T16:24:00.000-07:002010-03-31T16:28:13.094-07:00Trying Again

So, I'm going to try to hike the Continental Divide Trail this coming summer, heading southbound. I'll give more details later, but for now I'm trying to get used to writing every day, so that maybe, just maybe, I could finish a trail and blog at the same time. For now, I'll be blogging some what of my every day life as it is now, living in Palm Springs, training to get in shape for the next

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-90851166999401546792009-09-13T05:40:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:08.850-08:00DONE!!!!!

We made our summit of Mt. Katahdin at around 10:40am, September 10, 2009. Taking a few days in Millinocket, ME to enjoy the End of Trails Festival, then onward to our respective homes. I hope to update the blog within the first week that I'm back home, but I suppose I shouldn't make any promises....

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-39344746466924851692009-08-28T04:06:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:08.850-08:00Crap

I was going to use my notes to update my blog, when I accidentally deleted them all. Poof! Two months of hiking gone in an instant. I guess I may have to walk the PCT again...

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-16784459164330146142009-08-28T04:04:00.001-07:002010-11-12T21:02:08.851-08:00Well, okay...

So, we're in Maine, and finding internet is becoming more and more difficult. I, and everyone who follows this blog, is going to have to wait until the end of the trip for me to update. And this time, I mean it!

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-73210344608867060912009-08-01T09:02:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.798-08:00Dalton, MA

Trying to update the blog, but again, there are time limits to the computer use. Will keep updating as much as possible.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-10430683703833510672009-07-17T15:03:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.799-08:00Still alive....

We are now in Unionville, NY. We can't seem to find a computer with unlimited time to update the blog, but please keep track; you never know when there will be a huge update.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-71774455732967455882009-06-20T13:44:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.799-08:00We are still alive

Computers have been few and far between, (and with time limits) so we haven't been able to update as often as we'd like. We will update more when we can, but for now, just know we were last in Waynesboro, VA, and will probably update again when we arrive in Harper's Ferry, WV.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-19927926068031697052009-06-20T08:50:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.799-08:00Waynesboro

We hiked out of Glasgow in good spirits. It had decided to drizzle, but it wasn't a bad day to hike. The next morning, however, it was raining and didn't let up once all day. We got to Priest Shelter, stayed the night there reading all of the "confessions" in the register. The next day was slightly foggy, but was clearing up by mid-morning. We had taken a break by Harpers Creek, and Don't

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-21148206864332557792009-06-15T08:38:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.799-08:00Natural Bridge

We wanted to into the town of Natural Bridge, so we hiked two miles to Glasgow, and got a ride from a trail angel. Natural Bridge is the home of a geological formation in which Cedar Creek carved out a gorge in the mountainous limestone terrain, forming an arch 215 ft high with a span of 90 ft. But that's not why we came. We came for another attraction, the Dinosaur Kingdom, a hand-made,

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-5324295530471505012009-06-13T08:19:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.800-08:00Blue Ridge Parkway

We left Pearisburg around noon, and hiked through fields of freshly cut grass, farmsteads, trees and the heat. We met Gutsy, a lady who was section hiking and picking up pieces of each of the three long trails. We got a lot of information from her regarding the Continental Divide Trail. Don't Panic at on point saw a copperhead by the trail, and used Gutsy's trekking pole to fling it off into

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-49812067667471547132009-06-11T15:20:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.800-08:00One Quarter Of The Way There

We left Atkins, and after six miles or so, we hit the 1/4 mark! Already a quarter done! We celebrated by drinking a couple of beers that we had packed out. The rest of the day went uneventful and we got to the Knot Maul Branch Shelter, and decided we felt good enough to keep going. We crossed a large foot bridge over the Kick Creek, and found a good campsite under some rhododendrons.We got

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-77746941729621813682009-06-01T12:58:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.800-08:00Bears, Catfish and Thunder, oh my!

We dragged our feet getting out of Damascus. We decided to take it a bit easy, and stopped for a late lunch before heading out of town. We ate at a restaurant called "Fatties," and had some Carolina Style BBQ. Then we started the long, hot climb out of Damascus, eight miles to the Saunders Shelter.The next morning, we woke to a foggy sunrise. About a quarter mile from the shelter, we heard a

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-1829518953628579102009-05-28T09:30:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.801-08:00Tenessee, North Carolina now in Tenessee, now North Carolina....

It turns out that when we were at Trail Days a dog decided that our tarp would make a good bathroom. Unfortunately we did not figure this out until we were a couple of miles out of Hot Springs, back on the AT. We discovered that there was a hostel only half a mile off trail 16 miles out of town, so we made a bee-line there, and got a room for the night. Borrowing a bucket, and a stick of laundry

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-41549817159941690432009-05-17T11:13:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.801-08:00Trail Days

We waited for our ride in front of the Iron Horse until about 1:00. Big Red showed up in his sedan, and we crammed six people and all of their camping gear into that one car. It was a two hour drive, and not completely comfortable, but we made it.Damascus, VA was PACKED with hikers. The camping area for the hikers felt like one giant zoo. You had to pay to get in ("donations" to help with costs)

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-2385891041512101102009-05-14T15:11:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.801-08:00The Smokies

Leaving Franklin behind, we hiked out with Alex, Vape and L-evated. On our way we climbed up Siler Bald and Wayah Bald. Wayah Bald had a great stone watchtower, where we got our first views of the Smokies, including Clingmans Dome. Otherwise, it was back into the Long Green Tunnel. We camped that night at the Wayah Shelter, where we ran into Bojangles and Curly again. While we had taken the trail

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-46838762879245491072009-05-05T06:17:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.801-08:00Early Impressions

First off, we had no idea how green the South is. It's spring, and everything seems to be a bright green. All the trees are budding, flowers of white, pink and purple lined the trail, and poison oak was EVERYWHERE! There are mini forests of sassafras, which look like 6 to 9 inch all green umbrellas. Dead leaves from autumns past littered the forest floors with browns, oranges and reds.Crawling

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-24107650896055740722009-05-05T05:38:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:02:33.802-08:00Our first 100 miles

We've made it a hundred miles! Only 2,000 more to go.We decided to skip the approach trail on the advice of our friends who have hiked the AT in the past. We were dropped off around 11:00 am at USFS Road 42 that leads to Springer Mt. The hiking was a breeze, until we met Sassafras Mt., aka Kick-My-Ass Mt. Thankfully we did this climb at the end of the day. We camped at Gooch Mt. Shelter, where we

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-42947951868458012532009-04-17T21:15:00.000-07:002010-11-12T21:01:20.548-08:00Warm Up Hike

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, but we've been having some fun down here in Southern California. We took the tram from Palm Springs and hiked to Saddle Junction, spent an hour slipping and sliding in six feet of snow to go one mile, then turned around once the weather turned worse. We camped in Idyllwild, then hitched a ride to Pines-To-Palms Highway, and started our journey there. We

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-17270612143301931092008-10-04T10:28:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.128-07:00"And in the end...

the love you takeis equal to the love you make." -The BeatlesI finished the trail at 10:00 a.m., October 3rd. It took me a total of five months and six days to walk from the border of Mexico in California to the border of Canada in Washington.My feet hurt.My knees hurt.I'm tired.But DAMN!!! I'm so proud of myself. I had a lot of help getting from there to

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-85508671805974864192008-09-20T09:40:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.129-07:00Zero Day 39 - Snoqualmie

My mom and I picked up some beers, sodas, made Rice Krispie Treats, grabbed a box of king sized Snickers, boiled hot water, grabbed some tea and hot cocoa, then headed for the pass after picking up our family friend, Barb. I got to the Family Pancake House, but no one I was hiking with was there, but Squatch was, so we were seated next to him and we chatted it up with him. Looks like the section

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-31560815489267464052008-09-19T19:03:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.129-07:00Zero Day 38 - Silverdale

So I'm back in my home town of Silverdale recovering at my parents' place. I slept all morning, which felt great, considering I was up all night with the runs. Never a good feeling to be woken up in the middle of night after you've just about shat yourself.I got into my car and drove to the Prompt Care Doctor's Clinic in East Bremerton. They took a blood sample and found nothing. So they wanted a

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-81219459315120542692008-09-18T23:03:00.005-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.129-07:00Day 104 - Pain: "Oh no, not again."

I got a full nights sleep, but my tummy hurts like hell. Went to the "bathroom" and got a nasty surprise. This is not going to be a good day. I had hoped that it was just something I had eaten, but it may be worst than that.I started walking, and went real slow. My stomach felt like one giant knot. I pushed on to the next water source, where Edelweiss and Mr. President were waiting, set down my

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-33650850242113232292008-09-17T23:03:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.129-07:00Day 103 - Big Crow Basin

I woke up feeling wonderful. Except my stomach felt tight. I went downstairs with Edelweiss, then had to run to the bathroom. I had a total toilet explosion, and wasn't too pleased with that. I'm hoping that was a one time thing. The owners were gone, but they left us a note explaining that we could make pancakes and eat pretty much anything else they had! Sweet! We had quite the feast, then kind

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-22335666189097568192008-09-16T23:03:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.130-07:00Day 102 - Chinook Pass

I woke up feeling really down. Not really sure why, but my heart just isn't into hiking any more. I'm so close though, and I know I'll kick myself if I don't finish. We started walking, and I got ahead of the other two. I needed some time to myself anyway. The walk was beautiful, with views of Mt. Rainier all day long. My mood started to perk up then. I stoped by a creek and took a break. Mr.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-74274388338981748112008-09-15T23:03:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.130-07:00Day 101 - Walking...

We woke up feeling refreshed and ate a lot for breakfast. The continental had quite a few choices, and I indulged myself. Afterwards I did my laundry, then packed up and got antsy. I just had a lot of nervous energy, and I think it's because I'm ready for this hike to be done. I only have a few hundred miles left, but it's getting harder and harder to stay motivated. I hope I don't get deterred

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-47469429650823520082008-09-14T09:54:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:53:48.130-07:00Day 100 - Into White Pass

Okay, so I've been bad about journaling. But I'm in Packwood, about 20 miles west of White Pass, and I promise to try to keep this thing updated. The four of us finally caught up to the rest of the group. We had been calling them Team Failure, and there is a story behind that that I don't want to get into now. We four (Mr. President, Edelweiss, Fire Wizard, and I) are now the Mermaid Pod (another

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-26602760203289597432008-09-09T22:50:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.142-07:00Day 95 - New Trail Angels

The sunrise was spectacular, as expected. We got going kind of late, but not too bad. I don't really remember too much that happened today, other than the fact that my feet were killing me. We were in forest for most of the day, so the views were pretty limited. We did need to get to Stabler's Store before they closed, because Edelweiss had a package there to pick up. We walked off the trail, and

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-17650747207622505472008-09-08T22:50:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.142-07:00Day 94 - Back on the Trail

So I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to hike. I got my stuff together and met my parents for breakfast. We went into Stevenson and ate a local cafe, when Fire Wizard walked by. My dad ran out to get him, and he joined us for breakfast. Afterwards, we all went to the Post Office to send out our packages. Then we were meeting everyone at the Bridge. Edelweiss, Fire Wizard and I were going to

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-24000897945102156682008-09-08T08:05:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.142-07:00Let's Make A Deal

Okay, so I haven't done much catching up. So, what I'm going to do is just start blogging from the border of Washington until the end, and then catch up when I have all the time in the world. Deal?Sorry that you're going to have to wait for Oregon, which was a blast!

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-21413708327789722162008-09-07T22:50:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.142-07:00Zero Day 37 - Bonneville Hot Springs

Woke up and had breakfast with my parents, and was joined by Edelweiss and Monty. Afterwards we went to the Bridge of the Gods, which is the official PCT way of crossing the Oregon/Washington border. I got out of the car and my mom joined me in walking across the bridge. Holy cow bells!! You are so high up, and I get vertigo. I was laughing my head of the whole way across, just to keep myself

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-86011294270351437752008-09-06T22:50:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.143-07:00Zero Day 36 - Cascade Locks

(Recap: At this point, I'm hiking with Forager, Dr. Dirtbag, Mr. President, Rubiks and Edelweiss. Forager and I have been jumping ahead to meet his girlfriend at Cascade Locks. Also, my parents have decided to come down to visit.) Woke up at the campground in Cascade Locks. My feet hurt really bad. The arches feel like they're separating. Not good. I'm hoping I can heal them up in the next couple

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-14697593437619417662008-08-30T16:24:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.143-07:00Again, Sorry

Okay, so I suck. I'm behind by a month on this blog, and I'm trying really hard to catch it up. My pocketmail batteries finally died and I didn't have any spare on me. Soooooo, I hope to catch everything up by the Washington border. I'll be spending some time at the Bonneville Hotsprings, so I should have plenty of time to catch everything up.SORRY!!!!!!

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-82706114943686136152008-08-09T21:32:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.143-07:00Sorry

I haven't updated my blog in a while. I've been exhausted every night for the past couple of weeks. I hope to get it done soon, and get it updated by the time I reach Seiad Valley. If not, y'all will have to wait until I get to Ashland in Oregon.

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-21449673526522015232008-07-28T16:08:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.143-07:00Day 62 - Hiker Haven

We couldn't see the meteor shower. So I just rolled over and went back to sleep. It was cold and there was no sense being up if there wasn't anything to see. I did finally wake up when the sun came over the ridge and through the tree tops. We had to leave the camp area before the rangers came by to charge us for staying there (yeah I know, not the best thing in the world, but I have limited funds

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-66490250553406562932008-07-27T16:33:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.144-07:00Day 61 - Drakesbad

Woke up, ate half a Probar and offered the rest to Forager. Those things are packed with good calories, but they taste horrible! I packed up then headed out, planing on doing only 14.5 miles. Drakesbad is really hiker friendly, and they offer an AYCE buffet for half the price. And they have free showers that uses hot springs water! A great place to be, and I kind of wish I hadn't zeroed in

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-69589393612004391392008-07-26T16:33:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.144-07:00Day 60 - Hiking Hungover

I woke up hungover. It's been a long time since that's happened, too. I walked over to a gas station and picked up a tomato juice and three huge bottles of Gatorade. I walked back to the motel, handed one of my bottles over to Pat (because he jokingly said I bought it for him), then downed the rest. I got my stuff ready and didn't want to wait for everyone else. I left with Forager and Jammer to

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-8388179196085165202008-07-25T16:33:00.001-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.144-07:00Zero Day 29 - Chester

I really wasn't planning on zeroing today but everyone else thought it would be nice to chill for a day. Gee, twist my arm. Did a whole lot of nothing. Ate a huge breakfast, went bowling (I really suck!), watched some tv, napped. Then a big group of us all headed over to the bowling alley to sing karaoke. We were told that it was canceled, but that didn't stop us. We just kept putting money in

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-60740282123657787902008-07-24T16:33:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.144-07:00Day 59 - Quincy

I was awake to catch the sunrise. It was pretty spectacular. I got ready for the day and we all headed out. I was still tired and my feet were really sore. I think it's from trying to keep up with Jester yesterday. I went slow the whole day. Thankfully, the miles went by much faster than I thought it would. I got to the pick up point 2.5 hours early, when I thought I wouldn't get there with more

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-34725006746839333272008-07-23T16:33:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.144-07:00Day 58 - Feeling Strong

I woke up feeling so good. Having a king sized bed all to yourself can really help you catch up on your z's. I had breakfast with TBW. Some members had already left yesterday, one was hitching ahead and another was visiting friends. Poor Trooper's feet were hurting too bad to leave today, so I started walking with Jester, HNP and Smooth Criminal. I was doing real well today, climbing 1500 feet

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-77547710978032303182008-07-22T07:51:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.145-07:00Day 57 - Sierra City

I slept the best last night. I didn't even have breakfast because town was only four miles away. Trooper was intent on having breakfast there. We rolled into town around 8:00. The walk was easy and uneventful. Gettinginto town this early meant I would have lots of time to do what I wanted. We got to the restaurant, ate a huge brekky, then went to the grocery store to resupply. There is a fire

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-1072646176358432002008-07-21T07:51:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.145-07:00Day 56 - 30 Miles

I woke up, packed up, bid farewell to Arlo, Jenn and sweet Darwin, and headed out. I hoped to catch up to Trooper and knew I needed a quick start. Before I knew it, I had done six miles in 2.3 hours! I stopped for a coffee break using the grounds my mom had sent me. Best cup of joe I have ever had on trail! I did catch up to Trooper and Mark & Jean around 12:30. I stopped to eat lunch, and talked

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-50581350791473211612008-07-20T07:51:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.145-07:00Day 55 - Donner Pass/Peter Grubb Hut

I didn't sleep well; the wind was buffeting me and for whatever reason my mind was racing about nothing. I did manage to get some sleep. Trooper was ready to go well before I was. I told him I would meet him at the pass. And a good thing I did. I had just caught up to him, and I had talked to some early morning day hikers about the pass. I was informed there was a restaurant at the ski lodge and

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-85627338615028362782008-07-19T17:02:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.145-07:00Day 53 - Barker Pass

The sunrise was beautiful, but I was tired after the night hike so I went back to sleep. I finally got myself up and ate breakfast, then packed up and headed out. It was 8:00 and everyone else was still asleep. So I went on by myself. There were a lot of lakes in this area, and I was determined to go swimming, even if the water was cold. I stopped at Richardson Lake for lunch, and jumped in

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-55030812341715052632008-07-18T07:51:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.146-07:00Day 54 - So Tired

The party got loud last night, but it seemed everyone had fun. I got going around 7:00 and was by myself again. I kind of got bored too, even though thr ridge walk was beautiful, with great views of the northern shore of Lake Tahoe. I caught up to Trooper and Mark & Jean at a water source and made myself lunch. They all left shortly before I did, but I caught up to them at Squaw Creek, the "last"

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-77527033193882249182008-07-17T17:02:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.146-07:00Day 52 - Dicks Pass

I had some last minute things to take care of, then I headed out with Breezeway. We hitched on Highway 50 to the junction towards Markleeville, then waited half an hour for a ride to the pass. There is construction going on here, so the hitch was difficult. But we got a ride all the way to the trailhead. Once we got to the trailhead, I got myself an ice cream cone, then chatted with other members

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-34970011036335333692008-07-16T15:27:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.146-07:00Zero Day 28 - Movies

Breezeway needed to go to REI, so once again, I ran up to Reno. HNP came with us too. We picked up some other items folks asked us to get, then drove back. HNP and I wanted to see Wall-E. It was pretty cute, if not a wee bit preachy. I kind of got offered a job too. Before the movie had started, the theatre was playing a Disney song, and I busted out singing along with it. A woman asked if I

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-42084604379849771572008-07-15T15:27:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.146-07:00Zero Day 27 - Barbeque

Don't Panic and Nick are leaving today. I know I have to stay behind. I have to get better, first. Team Bad Wizard showed up this morning. It was good seeing them again. They were also staying at the motel, and HNP was going to host a bbq for us all. I drove DP and Nick up to the pass, bid farewell, and drove back. By the way, those two decided to do something crazy with their resupply - a food

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-2152706467250963152008-07-14T15:27:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.147-07:00Zero Day 26 - Another Run

We woke up then decided to get breakfast next door at Carrow's. I ordered my breakfast then got a massive pain attack. When the food arrived I was so nauseous I couldn't eat. Don't Panic told me to go to bed and he would box up my food. I all but ran back to the room, took some vicodin then passed out for a few hours. It's what I really needed. After I woke up, I ran into HNP at the motel. He

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-8332037289881387572008-07-13T15:27:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.147-07:00Zero Day 25 - Lake Tahoe

I woke up somewhat refreshed. I ate a slice then mosied to catch a bus. My plan is to rent a car, because I'm thinking I need to get to REI in Reno to exchange some equipment that crapped out on me. I also think I'm going to be here a while, so may as well be able to come and go as I please. I got a Chevy Malibu, and it's kind of fun to drive. I had forgotten how much I enjoy driving. I drove

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-697129431885807532008-07-12T14:06:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.147-07:00Day 51 - Heading Back

I woke up several times in the night in agony. I knew something was seriously wrong when I realized I had no appetite, so I said goodbye to my fellow hikers and walked with Brandon back to the highway. My plan was to hitch to Tahoe somehow and get to a hospital. Brandon waited with me for about 20 minutes until someone picked me up. Soames and Tracey were really cool, but they could only take me

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-39725434297367774392008-07-11T14:06:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:03.147-07:00Day 50 - Sonora Pass

I stayed the night with Monty and Edelweiss, who had also gotten an apartment. I slept okay, but I think that's because I stayed up too late. My side aches and my back on the opposite side is achy too. I feel good for about four and a half hours after taking Vitamin I, but then I start feeling more pain, and I'm only supposed to take it every six hours or so. Very inconvenient. We all had

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-23480294281729632822008-07-10T08:23:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.162-07:00Zero Day 24 - Abdominal Pain

So that sleep I said I was going to get? Not in the cards. I was flopping around in pain. It felt like someone tied my who knows what into a knot and then was pulling on it. I was sharing one of the king size beds with Don't Panic, who eventually took his pillow and left. He said the only thing he could do was either give me drugs or call 911. I agreed to ibuprofen, but after flopping around for

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-6417957615785804182008-07-09T08:23:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.162-07:00Day 49 - 1,000 Miles

Nick and I took our time this morning. We had 25 miles to Sonora Pass, and I knew we could do that pretty easily. We got going and ran into Trooper and Argues With Tractor. We chatted about the insane amount of mosquitos that are in the Sierras (how is it we killed off the harmless, gentle dodo, but we haven't eradicated the mosquito?) Looking at my data book, I saw that we were coming up on mile

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-60441464750538846532008-07-08T17:40:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.163-07:00Day 48 - I Have No Idea Where I Am

I woke up in the middle of the night to Razor yelling at something to go away. Scared the daylights out of me! I had no idea what it was at the time. Then real early this morning, I heard something sniffing around my tent. I kind of moved around and made noises, and it went away. Found out later it was a deer. Thank the stars! I got going around 6:30, but I had to backtrack 0.4 miles to get back

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-2782788092662938962008-07-07T17:39:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.163-07:00Day 47 - Benson Lake

Woke up to the birds singing. That's always nice. I got going around 7:15, then I ran into Bobcat. He and I were heading to the same place, so we hiked together a little bit. He's faster on the climbs than I am, so he pulled ahead quickly. By looking at my Data Book pages, I could see what I had ahead of me. A lot of ups and downs, and steep. I just decided to go as far as I could and hope I get

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-25858769909584696242008-07-06T17:39:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.163-07:00Day 46 - Virginia Canyon

Heard some sad news. Last night, a bear had wandered into the camp, and apparently headed towards someone's picnic table. Razor overheard a woman frantically telling a ranger about the bar, then about ten minutes later we all heard gunshots. I'm hoping they were just to scare the bear away, but more likely they killed it. All because someone probably left food on their table instead of putting it

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-35415821429193784502008-07-05T17:38:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.163-07:00Zero Day 23 - Tuolumne Meadows

I wasn't planning on taking a zero, but Don't Panic's little sister, Rachel, is coming tonight, and it will be nice to see her. Plus, I need to rest my feet after the pounding they took yesterday. I didn't do a whole lot today. I messed around with my bounce box and figured out what I would be sending home. My cookpot, my stove, my maps of the JMT, stuff like that. I'm debating whether to go into

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-51718554042596628942008-07-04T17:38:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.164-07:00Day 45 - Donahue Pass

Got up kind of late, but got going by 7:00. I was trying to get all the way to Tuolumne Meadows. HNP had tole Team Bad Wizard that he was planning on having a BBQ, and we thought it would be sad if no one showed up (not that there wouldn't be other hikers to help eat the food.) I figured I had about 22 miles to do, so I started to haul. Around 10:30 or so, we stopped for a snack break, when the

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-25712311389142623722008-07-03T17:37:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.164-07:00Day 44 - Garnet Lake

Leaving Mammoth Lake proved difficult. Especially when you wake up in a dark room in a comfortable bed. Eventually I did get out, and DP and I waited for a shuttle to Reds Meadow. We took some pictures with the Mammoth Statue while we waited, then watched all of the day trippers. It's funny to now be able to see all of the unnecessary crap that people bring with them. We decided to take the JMT

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-26771488748174213052008-07-02T19:25:00.009-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.164-07:00Zero Day 22 - Mammoth Lake

Cute town! A bit larger than some of the others I've stayed in. It's a ski town, and in the summer a rock climbing/mountain biking town. Quite a few people.I had breakfast the Base Camp, which was alright; nothing special but not bad. Then I sat around and did a lot of catching up on my blog (sorry folks). Nathan and High Octane said their goodbyes and were on their way. Bye cuties, hope to see

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-51176979719294280142008-07-01T19:25:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.165-07:00Day 43 - Reds Meadow

To get to Mammoth Lake I had to first get to Reds Meadow Resort. It was 13 miles away, so I got an early start and headed out. It was supposed to be mostly down hill, but I knew the data book wasn't too reliable and there had to a hidden climb somewhere in there. It was the first thing off the bat. Crap. Oh well, better to get it over with early. I was hoping for more water on the trail because

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-48137014392602594962008-06-30T19:25:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.165-07:00Day 42 - Silver Pass

Woke up, had a big breakfast, then on to the ferry. My next stop is Mammoth Lakes, and I can get there tomorrow easily. But first I have to go over Silver Pass. The hike was pretty much like the rest of the trail so far. Creeks to ford, trees, meadows, mountains and views. The pass itself was easy, just extremely windy! I almost got blown over on a switchback, which would not have ended well had

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-22548077512454074122008-06-29T19:25:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.165-07:00Day 41 - Vermilion Valley Resort

I was exhausted when I woke up. But I knew breakfast was waiting for me, so I bucked up and went for it. I had over six miles to do and I figured it would take three hours or so to do it. Also, there is a hairy crossing at Mono Creek that needs all of my attention, so the more time I have, the better. The descent from the hill we were on was all switchbacks and rocky as hell. I kept rolling my

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-736380021892062462008-06-28T22:40:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.165-07:00Day 39 - Muir Pass

The climb to Muir Pass was full of false summits and lakes. Everytime I thought I would get to Helen Lake, a major point before the pass, I was actually just at some unnamed pond. There were frogs at said pond, and it was really cold, being fed by all the melting snow. Dave, another fellow hiker (and hottie), decided to go for a swim in the frog pond. He complained how cold it was, then dove in

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-33780524319145644462008-06-27T19:25:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.166-07:00Day 40 - Selden Pass

I slept in. It felt good. Evolution Creek crossing was supposed to be a hairy crossing, but it turned out to be pretty easy. I just wetfooted it; walked across without taking my shoes off. Makes crossing other streams easier. I watched as others crossed, and HNP lost one of his crocs. I was standing in the shallows downstream, so I saved it for him. I guess I've become the Croc Queen. Coyote and

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-63751223429214484822008-06-26T22:40:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.166-07:00Day 38 - Mather Pass

I thought yesterday was bad. The ascent to Mather was relatively easy, but the pass itself was harsh. It was already a steep pass, but it was covered in snow, and people had decided going straight up would be easier. Since that was the only way to go, I just climbed straight up the snow. It was scary. I actually lost the bottom section of my trekking pole. Luckily, three hikers I know, Mark and

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2192516459664925798.post-53554482150677784172008-06-25T22:40:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:54:18.166-07:00Day 37 - Pinchot Pass

What a pain in my ass. The trail leading to Pinchot Pass was a seven mile ascent. Seven miles all uphill!! Rough. There was a suspenson bridge over Woods Creek, and anyone who knows me knows I'm afraid of heights (Whitney was fun) and I don't like bouncy bridges over fast water with sharp rocks. Everyone was aheadof me and they all wondered why it took so long to cross the bridge. I told them I

Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530371544297926977noreply@blogger.com0