Hiking – Page 7 – wandering chardonnay

One week out…..

In one week I’ll head off to Lordsburg, New Mexico to start my CDT adventure. I’m not gonna lie I’m a bit anxious. I’ve got a bunch of little things to do….you know pack, unpack, repack….weigh pack for the bjillonth time. Seriously I can’t believe it’s just around the corner.

Last weekend I got to have a Bon Voyage Campout with a bunch of friends! It was great and chilly, we were up near Mt Laguna. But my friends know how to camp so we were all good. Most of us car camped, but there were some hard core tenters! There was smores, champagne, meats and cheeses, music….and hiking both day and night. Even a fire ranger stopped by to personally give us a permit and, of course, have some of our tasty grilled meats (on our not supposed to be there grill!). Thanks Pat for getting it all together!

I’m really gonna miss everyone. Everyone has been SO helpful and supportive. Now I better get back to packing, again.

Update

CDT, Hiking, Life

I’ve been really wanting to post, and I have a couple of drafts, but I have been really busy. With a little over two weeks til I hit the trail there is still a bunch of things to do.

What have I been up to you ask?
Continue reading “Update” →

ALDHA NorCal Ruck

Hiking

aldhalogo

Interested in long distance backpacking? Come to an ALDHA-West Ruck! New for 2017 a Ruck in California!

Topics include:

Trail Nutrition with Aria Zoner
Lightweight backpacking
Pack shakedowns
Trail and town etiquette
Resupply strategy
and more!

Includes breakfast and lunch

When : March 4, 2017
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location
Camp Lindblad, near Santa Cruz, CA

REGISTER HERE

Really, no not really.

Hiking

Thru hiking is a magical and transformative experience indeed. But it ain’t all roses and butterflies as told here: 101 ways thru hiking the pacific crest trail will piss you off Here are my top ten picks from the list!

10- Backtracking. (Having to backtrack for any reason whatsoever, usually because you are lost or left your trekking poles, is infuriating.)
*This totally sucks and when people ask how many miles did I hike I feel like I should add in the “bonus” backtracking miles.
9-$100 hotel rooms that don’t allow hiker room sharing. (You can’t blame them, but ouch.) * Come on, I just want a shower & I promise not to wash my tent in the tub.
8-Being in a trail town longer than you want to for reasons beyond your control. (Like snow. Or sickness. Or the damn post office hours.)
*I dream of getting town and all I will do (shower, eat, etc) I get there and can’t wait leave!
7-People thinking you’re homeless. (I mean, you are. But still.)
6- Hitchhiking. (Bears? No problem. Mountain lions? Not even a threat. Getting into the back of a truck with a couple of drunken maniacs with an “I’m Your Bitch” bumper sticker? Unnerving.)
*I’ve had my share of sketchy hitches. But hey they gave me smokey treats! oh the stories!
5-Obsessively thinking about anything. (“What am I doing with my life” and relationshit issues seem especially aggressive.) Realizing at noon that you’ve walked about 4 miles less than you thought you had. (that math thing)
*Obsessive thinking /math kicks into high gear immediately after my mp3 batteries die. Agh!
4-Getting skinnier than your hip belt can cinch.
*When I was overweight I used to dream of my “ideal” weight. When I dropped to my “ideal” weight on the trail, it was a bit scary and not so ideal.
3-Missing something really cool happening in a loved one’s life. (Can’t you schedule your graduation/marriage/baby/art opening around my thru-hike please?)
Seriously let’s plan more things in the winter/off season, no?
2-Food portions. (The whole “serving size” designations are a fiasco of deceit. There is no way there are 4 servings in a box of mac and cheese. No way. And since when is a hamburger under half a pound?)
*me on trail: 4 portions, give me another me at home: Omg I ate 4 portions!
1-Sunscreen, Deet, and daily handfuls of ibuprofen. (You know it can’t be good for you.) * With an iodine flavored cocktail wash it down! Do the vitamins I take, off set this?

Stronger than I am now

CDT, Hiking

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” ~ Amelia Earhart

With the tentative date of April 8^th closing in fast I’ve started to kick my training up a notch. Let’s face it I’ve put on some weight over the holidays (mmm meats & cheeses) and I’ve used all the drought ending rain as an excuse for not getting outdoors. So, what does my training look like?

I hit the gym about five times a week, on the treadmill I alternate between walking at an incline and jogging. When I’m at the gym with the stair climber I torture myself with that (working my way up to 30 mins, for now at about 15 mins my motivation tank runs out). When I’m feeling saucy I grab some weights and fling them around. I’ve recently been trying out some Yoga (don’t laugh) it can help with improving flexibility and balance. The CDT will no doubt be the hardest thing I have ever done, so covering all the bases.

The best training is hitting the trail, I know, that is about all the information you’ll find online, too. Basically it’s my belief you can adequately train with long hikes and hilly terrain. So I’m making this up as I go. I’ve met a lot of people who use the get in shape on the trail plan. I’d rather put in the work now (even on that stair climber) and recover at home. When I do get outside, on weekends, I have a nice 20 mile loop to pace myself on backpack and all. Thinking about hauling my backpack over to the gym!

What makes hiking the CDT so physically demanding? Well, Walking mile after mile 3000 miles give or take. That’s 18-25 miles per day elevation following the Continental Divide of the Americas. Oh and weather lots of weather snow, heat, rain, cold you name it. The CDT stretches from Canada to Mexico, and crosses Montana, New Mexico, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming. Yea, Embrace the Brutality.

(side note: my wonky ankle is doing pretty good, been doing strengthening exercises. I can run for 30 mins and not be in pain afterwards…yea,me)

New Year, New Adventures

Hiking

Well, it’s the New Year, time to reflect on stuff and update everyone on my future plans.

Now you’d think after everything I went through emotionally, physically, and psychologically (on my first thru hike) I’d be done with thru hiking! Nope, on the PCT I learned so much about me plus the fact that there are LOTS of other trails. There are the three major trails the PCT, AT, and CDT. Now doing three trails back to back is pretty crazy, but not unusual. Heck there are a few who have done all three in one year!

After the PCT(2015) not having a thriving career, home base or generally any idea what to do next; the idea of doing another thru hike was pretty easy. I started the AT(2016) on a mission to conquer the trail, this attitude was not grounded in the enthusiastic curiosity I had for my first thru hike. After so many miles quitting wasn’t easy, but it was a valuable lesson. You have to want it. The trail will school you.

Thru hiking has had a major impact on my life. Sharing my experience has been surprisingly fun. I’ve gotten to connect with some adventurous women bloggers. She Explores, Hike Like a Woman to name a few. Check them out! Hope you’ll keep following and commenting, it means the world that I am entertaining all 4 of you. No wait, according to Facebook it’s about 141 of you motivators! If you’re following on Facebook I’ll be sharing links to hiking tips and other bloggers. Not my tips…because I’m just figuring this out as I go. Thank you, love you guys!

I want to continue blogging when I get on the CDT this coming April. Yes that’s the future part! (Side note: I’m also finishing the AT!!) Yes the enthusiastic curiosity is back. Things are happening; hiking (I’d like to get faster& fitter), getting my base weight down, map prep (stay found) and all the other things! Looking forward to what this year has in store! Happy New Year……get outside!

Trail Style

Hiking

Now when it comes to hiking clothes I stick to thrift stores, inexpensive and comfy boom! Heck I even got my puffy jacket at Burlington Coat Factory (it’s great and 1/4 the price outdoor name brands) I don’t cut corners on my base layer because cold is not fun, nope! Typically when I find something that works I wear it til it falls apart. Thus my current shirt situation.

On my first thru hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, I was gifted a Tan Short Sleeve Columbia Titanium Shirt from a friend (thanks Marsha!). Since I was on a limited budget most of my clothing came from thrift stores….except that shirt.

Let me just say that was a great gift! It fit great even with my pack on. I could wear an under layer with it or just my sports bra. It didn’t gather and vented enough to keep me cool.(It was a cute tan color too, just cuz your in the woods is no reason not to look good.) It was something I never would have bought myself, but it was awesome. After the trail I headed to Burning Man, I wore the shirt on the road trip. At the Burn I burned my shoes from the trail (but not that shirt).

See being on the trail carrying all your possessions you get attached to things. That shirt not only had a great front pocket for carrying my cell phone and maps, it carried memories. So with all that emotional attachment (don’t judge) I decided to wear it the next year on my hike of the Appalachian Trail! I made it all the way to Massachusetts in that shirt. Long story short I still have that shirt!

Here’s the thing though, I have another long trail coming up. At this point that shirt could probably walk the trail on it’s own! I tried to convince myself it could make it, one more time….but no. I searched Columbia’s site find this shirt but to no avail. So naturally I wrote to them hoping they had one in a back room or something.

They responded with this could be the shirt you’re looking for:

shirt

Yes! So good news they still make it…..bad news is, no tan. So black or blue I guess. It’s a bit out of my usual price range….but I’m pretty sure I’ll get my moneys worth out of it. Now blue or black….this may change my whole color scheme! or not.

Mission accomplished !

Hiking

This morning I woke up with a mission to get some things DONE. First I went to workout (best to get that out of the way) then there was laundry, a pre-employment drug screen (man they make you wait a long time considering I really had to go!), visit office(timecard, sign forms, chat…), post office (they still haven’t located my mail) and finally the bank! Whew! All done by noon!

Now what’s a girl to do with herself……well hike of course! First off it was a beautiful sunny day (with a forecast of rain at the weeks end) and secondly I was inspired by a friend’s recent hike through Mission Trails (thanks Cricket). Plus I was in the area! I always have hiking ‘stuff’ in the car….because ya just never know.

Parked just shy of the Visitors Center I wiggled into some tights grabbed my daypack, water, shades, tunes and I was off. I grabbed a map at the trailhead and started off on the Visitors Loop a 1.4 mile trail that, duh, goes by the the Visitor Center. But before I went there I hopped over to the South Fortuna stairs, it was a fun challenge but you have to watch your step! I opted to turn around just before “summit” as I had parked in the gotta be out by 5 parking lot.

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I’ve hiked Mission Trails before, but usually the same area. It was fun exploring a new area, there is a lot of ground to cover out there. Mission Trails Regional Park is a 5,800-acre open space preserve within the city of San Diego!

20161212_160341 — MissionTrails wandering chardonnay

I couldn’t pass up a stop in the Visitors Center, it was right there. So glad I did! There is a lot of historical information in there, art and a library. Tom Thompson a trail guide was super helpful and pointed out the areas of interest. After a stroll around I headed back out on the trail to my car.

What a great afternoon! Monday funday? Sure why not!

Not older…better.

Hiking

Went an hiked El Cajon mountain today, the El Capitan Trail. I really needed to be out there. I had a really tough week, a lot going on right now. Nothing terrible, just stuff I don’t want to deal with, or rather shouldn’t have to.
It was a great hike, it’s a challenging trail. As a friend once said “that trail has as many up’s as down’s”. With 4000 feet of elevation spread over close to 12 miles, it just is.

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I’ve done this hike before a couple of times, it’s good training and I like to torture myself! Most clearly I remember the first time, it was terrible and I was unprepared. I thought how tough could it be? (The trail guide said difficult, duh) Well I didn’t make it to the top that day. As I came back down (& up) I was having leg cramps. I thought I might die or my legs would fall off. (Either would have fine considering the pain.)
Hindsight being 20/20 I should have had more water and training. I had to move as the parking lot gates locked at 5 and my car was in there. I passed on a ride down with the ranger, pride and all. I made it down, eventually, in a world of hurt.
Anywho, it was good today to make it to the top and back in record time (my record) and no pain. Well nothing a hot bath won’t fix. Mostly it felt good to leave my troubles on the mountain and know that I’m better than I was!

Music’s at its best when it has a purpose. ~EV

Hiking

Let’s talk tunes….

I figured I should get a jump on adding music to my mp3 player. I currently have about 200 song loaded, that is not enough. When I hike alone (which is most of the time) music is super important. Music can make me fly through the miles, change my mood and get me out of my head, if only temporarily.

You may or may not have noticed I’m a huge Pearl Jam fan. I’ve used lines from their songs and titles (and other artist) as blog titles. I gave my mp3 player to a friend before the PCT, said hey put some music on there…..I ended up with a whole bunch of Modest Mouse! Great travelling music he said, and it is, sorta kinda. My other big mp3 filler is DJ sets. These are great because they are a mix of really pumping tunes. They aren’t just any sets either, they are sets that I’ve danced to live. I love how it conjures up feelings/emotions/memories and pushes (read:dances) me up the trail.

Favorite (crush miles) Playlist
Tina Dico -Count to Ten (Pumpkin remix)
Weather- (Pumpkin)
Jonny Quest – JQ – 320
Pearl Jam -Porch- Live from Mansfield
Robot Heart – Scumfrog BM12

Then there is the singing! You think singing in the shower is awesome? Well, singing here so beats that:

That’s me about to take a bow after a premier performance!!

So many people have found me dancing/singing along the trail it’s just ridiculous. But a girl has to express herself. (that being said I do wear earbuds, you know trail etiquette)

Favorite (sing it girl) Playlist
Anita Baker – Body and Soul
Martin Sexton – Glory Bound
Kelly Clarkson – Walk Away
Janet Jackson – Lonely
Seal – Love’s Divine

So I’m looking for some more tunes. Thinking about going old school 80’s maybe some R&B! Gotta any suggestions?