Backpacking books: Wild vs. I Hike

When I can’t be outdoors, I read about the outdoors. Time spent on the train to work is easily spent reading, especially when the books are about backpacking. I’m no literary know-it-all, but below are some thoughts on two books I’ve recently finished. I recommend them both but for different types of adventurers.

Credit: Cheryl Stayed

In Wild, Cheryl Strayed brings readers into her life long before her first steps on the Pacific Crest Trail. Her experiences before backpacking the PCT, brutally life-changing, set the mood for her jump to becoming a backpacker.

The story is not about the trail itself, but the trail as a metaphor for the mountains she trudges over to find peace with losing her mother, her marriage and in many ways, herself. Deciding she had nothing to loose and everything to gain, she left Minnesota and headed to Southern California and the PCT.

Her mistakes on the trail are unfathomable to most backpackers. Thankfully Cheryl’s struggles with gear, maps, and the brutality of hiking ease simultaneously as her acceptance of what brought her to the PCT clears a way to move forward in life and her hike.

This isn’t a trail guide; it’s about a mental journey that brings each of us into the mountains: to find peace with something. Whether it’s peace in a life that’s fallen apart or peace and quiet in a loud word, hikers can relate and respect her decision to find peace where she did. Hiking the PCT to find her peace reminds us that some life-struggles call for needed trail-struggles to sort through it.

Credit: Lawton Gritner

In contrast, Lawton Grinter, or by his train name, Disco, has hiked every long-distance trail in the US. His trail experience dwarfs that of nearly every other backpacker, yet he continues hiking to find peace and his place in the world.

Through a compilation of short stories, Disco offers readers the perspective of a veteran backpacker who is still humbled by what nature throws his way. In a reminder that no two hikes are the same, he makes mistakes, he makes friends and he makes memories that will last a lifetime.

Where backpackers can struggle with Wild, they will laugh and shudder along with Disco’s tales through some of the country’s most rugged areas. The pouring rain, scorching heat and swarming mosquitos are vividly relatable to backpackers everywhere. Yet, it’s exactly these vivid experiences and his retellings that might loose readers who are either new to backpacking or considering the jump from camping.

Two great books for the coming winter months where, if you’re like me, the backpacking  gear hibernates until the spring thaw melts away the snow, exposing the trails once again.

Curves, twists and Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon is one of the few outdoor sports meccas. A town where adventurers and dirtbags can get their fix without venturing too far from civilization and muddy hiking boots are considered fashionable. Locals enjoy daily access to the kinds of outdoor adventures that us tourists merely dream of.

Old Mill District, Bend. Credit: Bend Lodges

Bend’s landscape sets the tone: the pristine Deschutes River twists and curves through town, the Cascade Mountains rim city’s western limits and the high desert landscape to the east offer a seemingly endless horizon of adventure. The river is lined with single-track, streets are painted red with bike lanes and the downtown area boasts copious gear outfitters for all your wildest adventures.

Nearby Smith Rock State Park features miles of hiking and thousands of popular rock climbing routes. During a trip to Bend earlier this month, we took a morning to hike around Smith Rock, taking the formidably named Misery Trail for views of the famous Monkey Face outcropping and the valley below.

The trail maintains a steep climb for the first half mile before cresting the summit for a chance to catch your breath and take in the panoramic views. The trail descends to the Crooked River and around the base of numerous climbing routes. When you’re standing at the base of a climbing route, people watching takes on an all-new meaning; climbers, you are a rad/crazy group.

Beyond the scores of adventure sports, Bend has wholeheartedly embraced the art of craft brewing. In a town of 80,000 people, you’re nearly bewildered choosing between the 22 craft breweries to enjoy a post-hike pint. For fans of craft beer, the Ale Trail is a unique and fun way to see some of the town’s most popular brewers and sample their best work.

Bend finds itself being near everything while also nothing; a balance that could only be fully appreciated by people looking for adventure.

Backpacking Penner Lake

It was late June, perfect weather and a chance to teach the next generation about the joys of backpacking. We headed to Tahoe National Forest to hike from the Carr/Feeley Lakes trailhead, accessible with moderate ground clearance on any 4×4, to hike to Penner Lake. It’s a short 3.5 (approximately) miles and could make for a great day hike, too.

The trail starts off fairly level, crossing over the damn behind Feeley Lake and heading around a handful of other gorgeous lakes. At the Y on the southern end of Island Lake, keep right and hike around the left side of the lake. The views are amazing.

The trail climbs steadily up a ridge that ends just as Penner Lake comes into view. We continued along the trail to get around to the far side before setting up camp. We found a flat spot with some fallen logs about 50 yards uphill from the trail.

That night glowed with the light of a super moon, some kind of rare occurrence we’re told. It was bright all night long, making headlamps near un-needed.

 

We packed up the following morning as the clouds came in. We got a little rain during a lunch break, but the tree canopy did a great job keeping us dry as we trotted our way back to the trailhead.

Pack weight for this overnighter was 28 pounds, a little heavy for such a short trail and trip. Greg and I carried extra supplies to lighten the loads of our young campers. This is a popular area with limited trailhead parking, so get up early and make it happen.

Have fun!

Missing canadian found, I’m back!

Where oh where have I been, you ask? Or maybe you didn’t and I’ll tell you anyway. It’s been a long time since my last post and I have some explaining to do. This summer has been a little more than cramped. Busy doesn’t do it justice. I’ll spare the details and bring you up to speed real quick.

Ready? Let’s go.

First, we traveled to Coos Bay for my sister-in-law’s wedding. Welcome to the family, J! We stayed in yurts at Sunset Bay State Park. Swank camping.

The area is beautiful and yurt camping rocks if you haven’t done it.

Flying stand-by to Las Vegas earned me a day in Portland roaming the town and Deschutes Brewery. Bottoms up!

Kevin, in the middle, didn’t let dialysis tame the bachelor’s party. Vegas, baby!

We headed to McMinnville, Oregon to visit wineries around our wedding venue last year with my parents.

Who says Oregon is rainy all the time?

Next, I headed to Tahoe for Greg’s bachelor’s party. Seeing the wedding theme yet? More to come on this hike later, I promise.

We celebrated Joe’s 45th birthday with bash and some kickin’ cake.

We got keys to our house and Kari started painting, and painting, and painting. And yes, we were closing escrow this whole time…

Then time for wedding #2, groomsman duty with some classy dudes.

It was an honor to dance and party all too hard in celebration of this amazing couple.

Greg and I took some youngsters out backpacking at Penner Lake the night of the super moon. Trail review to come soon.

To celebrate our first year of marriage, Kari and I headed out with the new tent to Point Reyes. Another trail review to come soon.

Any lastly, wedding #3 for the year. Best friend got married and yours truly was the best man. Best-ish, I guess. I invented a dance move for all you Crossfitters. It’s called the WOD.

Things are slowing down and life is returning to a more normal speed. Thanks for staying with me. There is plenty of fun ahead. Let’s make memories and enjoy every step of the way.

Keep your stick on the ice!

Take two – Camping with Lucky

The first time we went camping with Lucky, Murphy’s Law came in like a southern thunderstorm. Needless to say, we were worried that round two would not fare any better. I’m happy to report that being wrong has never felt so good.

A half day on Friday meant we headed up the hill to Colfax for a weekend at Mineral Bar State Park. Sitting along the North Fork of the American River, there are 18 first-come-first-serve sites with fire rings and tables. We got there in the early afternoon and Lucky had plenty of time to sniff around (and used to being on his 40′ cable leash).

Within minutes he was happily roaming around and playing. We set up camp, took to relaxing enjoying the sunshine and good food. Before the afternoon came to a close, camp filled and we were very fortunate to have great neighbors with an equally playful dog. Let the campfire roar.

That theme played out for the remainder of the weekend. Great neighbors mixed with an awesome mix of folks walking past that stopped to share their stories with us. It turns out Redbone Coonhounds are a hot commodity in those parts and everyone wanted to meet Lucky and spend a few minutes with us. Even the local Ranger hung out for a bit swapping tales of campgrounds past. Awesome.

By Saturday night, the rain sprinkles were coming in. We closed the tent up and threw an extra log on the fire to keep the coals red hot. Temperatures were still warm so we stayed out (Lucky with his spiffy raincoat) having a good time. By the time we retired for the night, the rain set in. What a relaxing way to sleep. It had been too long since I slept like that.

Come morning, the sun started it’s path across the sky, evaporating the storm’s hard work. We stayed around for breakfast and took out time cleaning up. As luck would have it, the rain came back minutes after we climbed in the car to drive home. Like that, our first (successful) camping trip of 2013 and with Lucky was in the books.

Here’s to a season of fun and adventure. Be safe out there.

At the speed of nature

There are days that I can feel my brain switching between thoughts, never taking the time to fully develop any of them. I feel frantic, anxious, unable to concentrate, let alone confident that whatever I’m doing is being done well. Too much happening at once.

Thankfully, those days aren’t too often. But they’re a sign; a sign that I need to clear my mind. It’s time to get back to the basics. For a while, it was almost too easy to do. Pick a lake in the Sierra’s, buy some dehydrated food, set off for a backpacking overnighter with Kari. Just the two of us, out in nature, breathing fresh air as the stars come out.

In December, Outside Magazine covered a project in Japan, where scientists are researching the positive effects of spending time in nature (improved cognition, relief of anxiety and stress, lowered blood pressure, etc.). Japan has the third-highest suicide rate in the developed world. They have a keen interest in confirming what many, myself among them, believe: being in nature, away from the sights and sounds of civilization, helps the mind relax and the person feel whole again.

The article resonated with me; it explained why it’s often not the length or difficulty of the outdoors adventure, but being there that matters. The calm of a cool breeze through the trees, a campfire and stars is more than what medicine can provide.

This weekend, Kari and I took Lucky on his first camping trip. It’s a long weekend and the outdoors were calling. Those calls must have been a wrong number. Lucky got a deep cut on his paw, leaving him feeling vulnerable in the wilderness and unable to relax. Our air mattress popped, leaving us freezing cold with a nervous, barking dog. We slept in the car. We were out of the campsite before the ranger’s morning rounds.

I had been looking forward to this weekend for a while. I knew I was overdue for some time outside, time to let my brain let go. I got a sliver of it around our campfire; watching the fire burn down and stirring the red-hot coals. A sliver is better than nothing.

The Outside article sited research saying five minutes is the minimum amount of time to begin the positive effects of nature. If that holds true, my few hours should be enough to get me by until the next chance we get. Here’s to hoping Lucky doesn’t get hurt and my sleeping pad doesn’t fail.

Backpacking shutdown

This summer has been tough for a close friend of mine: my pack. He’s been relegated to the closet for all but one trip.

My knee is 90 percent recovered from a nasty ACL & Patallar Ligament sprain and I’ve been cleared to hike. But my newest hiking buddy, our pup Lucky, has been put on a  rest order after having the ol’ man parts snipped. We’ve had to cancel a trip and this puts future trips in jeopardy with the changing weather around the Sierra’s and Lake Tahoe each October.

Should a weekend pop-up with good weather once Lucky’s ready to go, we’re there. But out of respect for the soon-to-be-changing conditions, I’ve decided to begin shutting down the backpacking season. Barring a mild fall and a late start to winter, I’ll be conditioning for snowboarding and Lucky will be sniffing and slobbering.

In honor of the season that wasn’t what I hoped for, I’m sharing a time-lapse of gorgeous scenery in Iceland to ease my back country cravings. The video is what backpacking is for me; motivating, empowering, peaceful, yet strangely calming and relaxing.

Here’s to a good snow season and an early start to next year. Cheers!

ICELANDIA – Time-lapse Visuals from 64° North from The Upthink Lab on Vimeo.

Backpacking Bachelors Day 3: Trails? Where we’re going, we don’t need trails!

Our curse of wrong-turns would come back to haunt us on the way out. This time, the curse tried a little harder.

Can you find me? Better yet, what about the trail?

The day started out great. Another peaceful morning, breakfast, filtering water and getting ready for adventure. We took down camp and packed everything up. We made quick time getting around the bottom of Susie Lake and over to Heather Lake.

After a short break for air, we kept hoofing it west, uphill this time, to Lake Aloha. I’m telling you, that lake is a sight you’ll never get sick of.

After passing our lunch spot from the hike in, we were excited to see where we went off trail and discover the section of the PCT we missed. One of the best parts of hiking an out-and-back is the small sense of familiarity on the way back. Yet without warning, we lost that familiarity.

Not too long after hiking the “skipped” PCT section, we cruised along Aloha’s shore enjoying the views again. The snow melt was in full tilt and I swear Pyramid Peak looked more bare than the trip in. We sailed along the base of Cracked Crag and back into the meadows.

This is where we came across a snow drift that we didn’t recognize from the hike in. We went up it, looking for signs of a trail then kept on going thinking we’d find it soon. This was the big mistake; we should’ve hiked backwards until we found the trail again and taken a better look around.

Lesson learned, trust us.

To this day, two weeks later, I still can’t pinpoint on the map where we went wrong. I have a good idea, but it isn’t until half way through our adventure can I tell you for certain where we were and where we went. We eventually located ourselves and changed headings to get back on track.

Miracle iPhone service and GPS? Only if you have Verizon. Thanks, Kevin.

A little longer and we found our exact location. We came too far southwest, ending up at Desolation Lake, headed towards Frata Lake. Most likely, we’d also hiked past Channel Lake and another unnamed water hole.We made our way to the northern shore of Frata and crossed the small gap over to Lake of the Woods, meeting up with the bottom of the trail around the lake’s eastern side. We were ready for cold water and lunch, to say the least.

Looking across Lake of the Woods at Pyramid Peak

After the break, we hiked one hell of an inclined trail up to the PCT, the lovely trail we should’ve never left. It was a tough climb, only made tougher by our extra four or five miles of “extra credit” hiking. We hopped back on the PCT right at Haypress Meadow and quickly started down the trail to Tamarack Lake. The views were amazing and lasted a little longer this time around with out extended breaks, letting overworked feet rest for a minute.

Greg leading the charge uphill. I’m wheezing behind the photo.

The boat dock at Upper Echo Lake was a sight for sore eyes and sore muscles. We hung around for the taxi and headed back across, cool wind blowing the entire way.

To say it was an interesting trip doesn’t do it justice. It was a true test of navigation and a reminder to never hike alone. We had three sets of eyes that missed the trail, twice. Groups keep you in check and need consensus on a heading before going anywhere.

All that aside, we had a blast. A great trip and a great way to kick off the last few weeks before marriage begins. Could we have lived through a metaphor for life? Just when you think you’ve got the trail figured out, it takes you for a wild ride. Just go with what you know and try to keep heading in the right direction, the rest will all unfold as you go.

Backpacking Bachelors Day 2: Mosquito bites and day hikes

Filter water and head out -it’s go time!

After a good night’s rest, we woke to hunger pangs and a cool morning breeze. Time to filter more water, eat breakfast and head out to Half Moon Lake for the day. The trip was slightly over six miles total, just enough to keep our legs moving on the day off from our heavy packs.

Trust me, we’re on trail this time.

We headed out along the PCT past some marshy mosquito territory, adding to the dozens of bites from the night before. Before we knew it, we were most of the way there. We knew the lake would have some killer view, but this was crazy. There was no disappointment for these guys.

From the far left (outside the photo frame) the lake is locked in by Jacks Peak, Dicks Peak and Dicks Pass on the far right. Each above the 9,000 foot mark, scraping the sky as you looked up in awe.

Jacks Peak, all 9,856 feet of it.

Taking a well deserved break.

We hung out for lunch and some kick back time before heading back. The hike out was easier with the elevation working in our favor this time. After two sweaty days, a certain group of smelly boys decided to wade into the snow melt and under the waterfall for a cool down.

Totally counts as bathing…

Not-so-smelly boys…

We made it back “home” in time to toss the frisbee and the sunset through stringy clouds, playing with colors in the sky.

Absolutely a trip to look at.

Crazy coloring. Like nothing I’d seen before.

Clear skies clearing minds

After the tremendous grad ceremony and after party were done, the dust cleared and the mess cleaned, it was time for a break. Between Kari’s graduation and our upcoming wedding, our lives have turned into event planning craziness. With one successfully done, we decided some time outdoors was overdue.

It shames me to admit it, but after living in Davis for two years, I never explored the best outdoors feature in my backyard: Lake Berryessa. To my surprise, Kari had never camped overnight at the lake. Our adventure became clear, weekend drive-up camping at Berryessa. I preface camping with drive-up because it’s not backpacking or deep-into-the-woods camping at all. Still, I’d rather camp like this than countless other activities.

The plus side is the eating. Not having to hike in all your supplies means you can bring a cooler of food and drinks, a big camp stove and a mini barbecue to make awesome, under the open sky food. And, if I may brag for a moment, the aforementioned camp stove is a 1960 original Coleman two-burner, handed down through the family and still worked like a champion! B-E-A-uty with a skillet to top it off.

That Saturday we took one heck of a day hike, just a little over five miles and along the mountain peaks surrounding the lake. It was a tough climb to the peaks with never-ending staircases cut into the dirt trail.

Look hard in the photo above and you’ll see no end to the stairs. Trust me though, it was worth the view once we found the top. I like to consider this trail training for hiking in the Rockies after the wedding. If this is any indication of how I’ll do, I need a lot more training.

Yes, that squiggly line is the trail.

Once you peak the mountain, the trail cruises from peak to peak with amazing views of the lake to the left and the valley to the right, with occasional glimpses of Winters and Davis. The views of Davis were the reminder of the times I could have hiked the trail while living even closer, what a shame.

We made a quick stop for lunch at a spot overlooking the lake, stretched our legs a bit and then got back to business. After about four peaks, we finally started the downward section. The trail switchbacked as the descent kept us moving towards our car and by the time we were done, I was good and ready for a swim in the cool lake waters.

After the cool down, it was dinner time and another night in our large, yet seemingly heat-trapping tent. We hardly go drive up camping, but one of these trips I’ll break down and buy a better tent. With all the vents open, this baby still manages to feel like a pressure cooker.

After another great breakfast the next morning, we swam and read by the lake. I proceeded to get terribly sunburnt as I would later find out (I’ll be better about reapplying my SPF next time). By then it was time to pack up and ship out for home. Great weekend, great trip. Our only idea for next time? Book the site further in advance and get far away from the boat launch. We had lots of truck traffic near by, including the occasional dramatics between boaters coming and going. Such is life when you plan at the last minute, you take what you get. In this case, we got it pretty good.