Travel
24
Pacific Crest Trail SOBO Southern 1/2, Part 4
Day Six August 23/17 Sierra City – Mule Ears Creek 16.1 miles/6hrs 5’ The half-pound Sierra City burger and fries works my digestive system to its maximum. Many stops to unload the prior town food consumption. Not sure how good the meat is for me considering I don’t eat much if any at home. Yet somehow I can’t resist it’s greasy smell from the grill. I know … more
19
Pacific Crest Trail SOBO Southern 1/2, Part 3
Day Five: 22.8 miles/9hrs August 22/17 Up at 4am to the alarming sound of rain falling. Rain? Rain !! In a panic I retrieve dirty clothes from various open-air hanging perches, stake out the vestibules that were set wide-open for maximum air flow the previous night, get everything under their protective cover when it promptly stops raining. A friendly warning from the wet-weather gods. I’ll take it. … more
16
Pacific Crest Trail SOBO Southern 1/2 Part Two
Day 3: 21.4miles, 8.5hrs Devastated Forest Camp – Exhaustion Camp August 20/17 Im so fucking tired. Stoked and tired all at once. Stopped myself well before real exhaustion. This fatigue will pass with some food and sleep. I know myself well enough to stop the effort before I reach the point of no recovery or return. These early days of a walk are the ones that dictate … more
15
Pacific Crest Trail SOBO Southern 1/2 Part One
Okay so I have to admit this is the hike that should not have been. Major ACL reconstruction surgery back in December left me thinking there’s no way walking long miles with a lightweight yet loaded pack would happen in this calendar year. But after months of rehab and physio exercises and patience I started to walk. Then hike. Then run. Then, finally, carry some weight in the … more
2
The Hiking Trail and Being a Girl
I’ve noticed a few blog posts about being female on the hiking trails. Walking solo and finding your place among a mostly male environment. Made me think about the Appalachian Trail hike I finished back in 2015. Brought me back to one of the very few strange encounters I had. And yes, it involved a man. What made me me think back to this experience was reading … more
20
Hot Spring Soaking and the People You Meet
Okay so it’s been a chill beginning to Spring that still feels like Winter but what’s the rush anyway? Let the seasons change in their own time. Let’s all relax a bit and not expect immediacy in everything. This world needs to slow down and…soak in some hot springs! We spent a few days in BC this week hanging out at some natural HOT springs soaking in … more
3
The Big City
We don’t live in a big city but I find myself in these booming metropolitan centres more often than I do my own home. What’s rare is when I’m walking a big city street with my husband Peter. We’re in Vancouver and found ourselves doing a little city walk to explore a new part of town to us: Kitsilano. My limited knowledge understands this area to be … more
15
Bike Touring Galore: some new galleries!
I’m riding down memory lane and posting some photos from bike tours past. These two are from the deserts of Baja California, Mexico and Arizona. I’ve ridden down in Baja on three different trips, lasting from two weeks to six weeks, all with Peter who is Señor Baja (he’s bike toured down there I think 9x and ridden almost every dirt road, as well as walked the entire … more
22
THE ACCIDENTAL THRU-HIKER: WALKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, PART SIX
I’ve done a lot of difficult things in my life. Finishing some comes easier than others. One of my coaches made me promise a long time back to always finish what I started. No matter the situation, cross the finish line. Finishing the Appalachian Trail hike is another of these great challenges. I’m happy to report that just over a week ago, the trail was done. At … more
23
THE ACCIDENTAL THRU-HIKER: WALKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, Part four
The Appalachian Trail, also referred to as the AT, has a life of it’s own. It also has a language of it’s own. The vernacular is definitely easier than learning french. Less than a week on the trail left me speaking Hiker Talk. NOBO, SOBO, nero, zero, double zero, trail gaiting, yellow, white and blue blazing, slack packing (didn’t do it!), ‘hike your own hike’, purist, trail magic, … more
