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.

US Half Marathon – San Francisco

One month later, we were back in it; Greg and I tackled another half marathon. We clicked the intensity up a notch and ran the US Half Marathon in San Francisco, known for its out-and-back course that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge with a few unforgiving hills sprinkled in.

The course starts with a moderate hill that leads to a mellow run along the marina. From the beginning, the views do not disappoint and kept us distracted enough to miss the first new mile markers.

The fun really starts after the third mile with the first set of hills. San Francisco did not mess around; runners head up from just above sea level to the top of the Presidio before a final climb to the Golden Gate Bridge.

After crossing the bridge came, in my opinion, the easiest and hardest parts of the race. A fast and thrilling downhill peeled runners down and under the bridge with world-class views of San Francisco. It’s immediately followed with what felt like the toughest hill all race, bringing us back up to the bridge to start our run back.

Nothing about this race is easy, yet nothing stopped us from having a blast and loving every mile. We felt strong  through the last few miles and over the last hill, a long, steady climb just after mile 12. My legs went full-jello on the unexpectedly steep downhill that leads runners to the final straight; I slowed my pace to keep stable until the bottom and then gave it my all to cross the finish strong.

Considering how much tougher this course was compared to Urban Cow, I was more than pleased with my finish time: 2:00:09. We’ll be back next year and I plan on getting that time under two hours.

For anyone interested in this race next year, the start/finish is close to Ghirardelli Square and countless attractions to make a great weekend trip. The close proximity to food, famous sights and the race itself means once parked, most people have no need to drive again until heading home.

We headed down the night before to make race morning a breeze and check out the expo. Runners got a one-time discount at Sports Basement and we made sure to stock up on Nuun, Clif Bars and other goodies. Shuttles between the race hotel made transportation carefree.

Put this race on your calendar for next year and I’ll see you there. If you’ve never been to San Francisco, this is an amazing way to see a world-class city. And, P.S. – the race shirt is pretty awesome too.

Urban Cow Half Marathon

As the summer of weddings came to a close, it was time to focus on running. I’m happy to say the early morning runs, now entirely before sunrise and becoming cold, paid off. The weekend long runs through rolling hills paid off and then some.

Early in the race, when one has the energy to be goofy.

The Urban Cow course is mostly flat, weaving through a popular Sacramento park, then near the state capitol and into Old Sacramento before sending runners on a painfully long stretch along the bike trail next to the Sacramento River.

It heads back through the city streets to the park where we started, making a few turns before finishing with a great crowd cheering us on. Race operations felt very smooth and professional, the course was well marked and water stations were well-staffed and moved fast.

This race, however, was more than just a half marathon. It was my first half marathon. It was me achieving a goal I set last New Year’s and better yet, I did it in the time I knew possible if I left it all on the road. It was a great day, a great race and an even greater amount of fun. After all, if this isn’t fun, then why bother?

I’m getting better at eating quality pre-race foods, timing the recovery drinks/meals and have learned the importance of foam rolling everyday. But I’ve also learned the joy and pride in training and running a race. It’s becoming addictive; the longing for the finishers medal pulling me in.

I’ve decided to push harder from here instead of taking my foot off the gas. Greg and I are running the US Half in San Francisco, hills galore, in two weeks. I don’t expect to beat my Urban Cow time (1:59:51 chip time) because this course looks significantly more challenging, but I hope to keep it under 2:10.

For those who might be wondering why my wife, Kari, didn’t run with me, there’s a good reason. Though we both registered, she’s 14 weeks pregnant and doctor’s orders said no long distance running. Thankfully I have a best friend who can, with two weeks notice, train and run with me. Greg’s support is a big reason why I crossed the finish with  nine seconds under the two-hour mark, sprinting with jello legs. Thanks dude.

To anyone with a used jogging stroller, I’m in the market. Let’s make a deal!

Pt. Reyes – 1 Year Anniversary

What do two outdoor junkies do for their first wedding anniversary? Backpacking, of course! We try to head to Point Reyes at some point each season and decided to book this trip long before our wedding-filled crazy summer. What a good idea!

The cool coastal air was a sigh of relief from the brutal heat of Sacramento this summer. We stopped to get our permits and plan our route. We were up for a challenge and decided to take the long way to Glen Camp, a 7.5 mile hike mostly along Sky Trail.

We made good time getting up the steep Meadow Trail to Sky Trail, hung a left and followed it down to Baldy Trail. If you’re reading this, don’t hike Baldy Trail! The name is misleading; the trail has not been maintained in a long time and the Poison Oak is rampant and waist to shoulder high in some areas.

Can you see the trail? Me neither.

The trail continues downhill to Glen Trail and Glen Camp Loop. We wound in and out of thick canopy until we found camp. Point Reyes is great for having steel boxes and benches at each site, but the camp was very exposed to the mid-day sun and fairly warm. Still, better than not backpacking, so we took the time to relax and nap.

Being our anniversary, Kari hiked in a very nice bottle of wine from our wedding venue in a lightweight Platypus wine bag. Classy! We enjoyed some dinner, put the tent fly on in preparation for the morning fog and called it a night.

The hike out was a little different and longer. We decided to avoid Baldy Trail and the Poison Oak and hike from Glen Trail to Coast Trail. Not only did we avoid a bad trail, but we got more ocean views, cool breezes and wildlife.

 

 

We continued up Coast Trail until we met the end of Sky Trail, heading back uphill a for the majority of our hike. We turned off a bit earlier than before to explore a new trail for us; Old Pine Trail. We hiked under the cool canopy through the last few hours of the morning fog and until we found ourselves back at Bear Valley Trail, the main connector and our way to the parking lot. 

Glen Camp is nice, but not our favorite at this park. We still need to explore Sky Camp, but the hike is too short to get us really interested. Next time, we’ll plan a hike here during winter to make the sun exposure to our advantage. Pack weight was 26 lbs for me, carrying the tent on my own, and 23 lbs for Kari.

Get out there and have fun!

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!

Five Lakes Trail – Day hike in Tahoe

Five pristine lakes on a 2.5 mile trail? Count me in. The bang-for-your-buck on the Five Lakes Tail makes it well worth the heavy trail traffic.

The trailhead is on Alpine Meadows Road just under three miles after the turn-off from Highway 89. Look for the Granite Chief Wilderness signage on the right side of the road, about 10 feet back, and let the fun begin.

It’s a pretty steady climb for he first mile or so but when the time comes for a breather, turn around and enjoy the view. Soon enough the trail levels out at and abandoned chair lift poles pop up as you meander through a mix of private land, Tahoe National Forest and eventually Granite Chief Wilderness.

Once the trail crests, you’re in Granite Chief and start heading through nice meadows, shaded areas and yes, the five lakes. No false advertising here, boys & girls.

The closest lake to the trail also looked like the nicest to take a swim. Being mid-June at the time, it was still bitter cold.

After passing the lakes we kept heading with the trail. It ends about a half mile past the last lake at a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. Call me a hiking nerd, but  being on the PCT for a even few steps felt majestic. No through hikers today, but maybe next time we can hand out some trail magic.

From here, head back and make sure to be careful on the downhill sections. The trail is not terribly stable and slips will happen.

Have fun! It’s a small price to pay for such views.

Rest is for the weak-ish

In my last post, I mentioned how this was my first time tapering for a race. I didn’t go for the exaggerated, three week taper because the race was only 10 miles. Long for me, but relatively short compared to tapering for a marathon.

Heading into the taper week, my body was giving off signs that a week of post-race rest was on tap. Tapering worked like a charm and I ran a great race. However, the rest week is here and all I can think about is running. Not too long or too fast, simply running. Getting on the road and putting shoes to pavement.

Maybe I wasn’t in as rough of shape as I thought? Or maybe I planned my training just right, peaked when I needed to and rested before the big day. I’m still  new to this so the only way to find out will be signing up for another race and seeing if this was beginners luck. Sadly our next race is a ways off, as in October. Oh well.

Either way, I want to run. The roads call to me.

I’m still taking a few days off to plan my next move. Our next race is Urban Cow (it’ll be our first half marathon!) so I have time to experiment before training starts up. I’m going to start focusing on interval and tempo runs, new TRX routines and alternating weekends with long bike rides and long runs. What does this look like in reality? Not sure. That’s what the workout-free mornings will be for.

I’m also transitioning into a pair of Merrill zero-drops. My current shoes are half-way through their life, so why not try something different while I run through the other pairs? I’ve been enjoying the 4 mm drop Kinvara for a while, but when I tested the Merrill’s I thought they’d be worth the price of admission. Reviews to come later.

Until next time, 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.