Here's how Hike-a-Thon ended up for me:
I set a fund-raising goal of $600...and I raised $805.00!
I set a mileage goal of 300 miles...and I hiked 306.3 miles!
En route to exceeding my goals I went on my longest day hike ever, and I hiked 30 out of 31 days for the month! I was completely exhausted by the end, but it was all worth it!
September didn't go quite as well for hiking--school is back in session, so I'm back to long, long hours. On Monday I left the house at 6:30am and didn't get home until 9:30pm. Ugh. Sometimes I still make it home before dark...barely.
Last weekend I managed to escape town for one day--my birthday! I picked the Shedroof Divide trail in hopes of catching some fantastic fall color--and I was not disappointed! It was amazing up there!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
September 4th trailwork
I drove up to the Slate Creek Road in the late afternoon on the 3rd. I wanted to find a nice dispersed camping spot on the Slate Creek Road, and I drove by my ultimate camping location to check out the length of the road. According to my map the road dead-ends and there are some old mines nearby. I'm not really sure if it dead-ends or not, because it finally became so rough that I decided I'd better just turn around. I could see the powerlines on the Canadian side, so I know the road gets very close to the border. I settled on a camping spot that was a little closer to the road than I would have liked (although as it turned out, only one vehicle drove by, and that wasn't until 7:30 the next morning). It was also very close to Slate Creek, so I slept very well with the sound of running water just a few feet away.
After I set up camp I got out each of the saws to test them out on a fallen tree near my camp. I have never used any of the saws I brought along for the trailwork this weekend. I had two one-person saws; one was given to me by my dad, and the other I picked up at a thrift store for $25. I also had the Mountaineers' two-person crosscut with me. It had been hanging on the wall in the chalet for years, and I finally decided to take it out of the chalet before somebody stole it. I also had a feeling that it might be usable--it was covered with a thick layer of soot and dust, but it didn't have any broken teeth.
As it turned out, all of the saws were in great working order. I finally decided to carry my thrift store saw and the Mountaineers' saw for the trailwork. Both still have a little rust on them (I'm working on getting it all off), but they did great on the trees we cut. Additionally, I had my bow saw, my fano saw (a gift from my uncle--Aaron "stole" it for the day because all he had was his Sven saw), my log carriers which we did not use, my draw knife which I now know I need to sharpen, my hatchet, and a wedge which we did not need to use. I stopped on my drive up to buy the wedge for just in case--the first place I stopped, a farm supply store, didn't carry them. The second place I stopped, in Ione, seemed a little confused about what a wedge was. And I thought that Pend O'Reille county was known for logging!
It turned out that it was just Aaron & myself for the trailwork, so we weren't able to get the entire trail cleared. Still, it was pretty good for two people to clear nearly two miles of trail in just one day. We got the worst section, and now we have another project for sometime in the future. We decided to quit around 3pm, and as if on cue, that's when we started to hear thunder in the distance. The hike out was easy on our newly cleared trail, and then we checked out the Metaline Falls street fair & went swimming (or in my case, iced my knees) in the Pend O'Reille River. I'm going to miss doing this sort of thing on a regular basis; next week, school starts. My life is about to be governed by bells again. I'm hoping I can escape town to do a little more trailwork this fall, but most things are going to be on hold until next summer. Oh, well. It has been one very good summer!
After I set up camp I got out each of the saws to test them out on a fallen tree near my camp. I have never used any of the saws I brought along for the trailwork this weekend. I had two one-person saws; one was given to me by my dad, and the other I picked up at a thrift store for $25. I also had the Mountaineers' two-person crosscut with me. It had been hanging on the wall in the chalet for years, and I finally decided to take it out of the chalet before somebody stole it. I also had a feeling that it might be usable--it was covered with a thick layer of soot and dust, but it didn't have any broken teeth.
As it turned out, all of the saws were in great working order. I finally decided to carry my thrift store saw and the Mountaineers' saw for the trailwork. Both still have a little rust on them (I'm working on getting it all off), but they did great on the trees we cut. Additionally, I had my bow saw, my fano saw (a gift from my uncle--Aaron "stole" it for the day because all he had was his Sven saw), my log carriers which we did not use, my draw knife which I now know I need to sharpen, my hatchet, and a wedge which we did not need to use. I stopped on my drive up to buy the wedge for just in case--the first place I stopped, a farm supply store, didn't carry them. The second place I stopped, in Ione, seemed a little confused about what a wedge was. And I thought that Pend O'Reille county was known for logging!
It turned out that it was just Aaron & myself for the trailwork, so we weren't able to get the entire trail cleared. Still, it was pretty good for two people to clear nearly two miles of trail in just one day. We got the worst section, and now we have another project for sometime in the future. We decided to quit around 3pm, and as if on cue, that's when we started to hear thunder in the distance. The hike out was easy on our newly cleared trail, and then we checked out the Metaline Falls street fair & went swimming (or in my case, iced my knees) in the Pend O'Reille River. I'm going to miss doing this sort of thing on a regular basis; next week, school starts. My life is about to be governed by bells again. I'm hoping I can escape town to do a little more trailwork this fall, but most things are going to be on hold until next summer. Oh, well. It has been one very good summer!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I am still so tired, and I haven't hiked in two days now! Instead I met my new nephew yesterday, and I have been trying to make up for lost time in the garden and with my neglected housework. However, the hiking break is over--there are trailwork plans in the works for the weekend. It will be my final chance to really get out & play before school starts next week. Maybe we'll be lucky and find some more huckleberries, too!
We'll be working on the Slate Creek trail, which is one of the trails I hiked for Hike-a-Thon. This is the one where somebody complained on the trailhead register that he couldn't possibly get over all of the downfall and couldn't even do the hike. I didn't think that it was all that bad, but I like the opportunity to take out the crosscut saw. The trail is only 4.2 miles long, so I hope we can finish the whole thing on Saturday.
Funny conversation at practice today: We were doing strength after today's run. It was probably around 9am. We started to do the iron bridge. One of the girls said "How long do we do this one?" I replied, "I'm not timing it; we'll just do this until I get too tired to do it anymore." To this Mariya said, "I have to leave at 10AM, Weiler." I still laugh every time I think about it. :)
We'll be working on the Slate Creek trail, which is one of the trails I hiked for Hike-a-Thon. This is the one where somebody complained on the trailhead register that he couldn't possibly get over all of the downfall and couldn't even do the hike. I didn't think that it was all that bad, but I like the opportunity to take out the crosscut saw. The trail is only 4.2 miles long, so I hope we can finish the whole thing on Saturday.
Funny conversation at practice today: We were doing strength after today's run. It was probably around 9am. We started to do the iron bridge. One of the girls said "How long do we do this one?" I replied, "I'm not timing it; we'll just do this until I get too tired to do it anymore." To this Mariya said, "I have to leave at 10AM, Weiler." I still laugh every time I think about it. :)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
A Fitting Way to End Hike-a-Thon 2010: Pulaski Trail, Idaho
I already met my mileage goal, and since yesterday I met my fund-raising goal, too! I decided that a fitting way to end my Hike-a-Thon campaign would be to hike the Pulaski Trail near Wallace. It is only 4-miles round-trip, which was good because my knees hurt today.
Today's total: 4 miles
August FINAL MILEAGE = 306.3 miles!
Today's total: 4 miles
August FINAL MILEAGE = 306.3 miles!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Today we woke up to frost, but no snow (we were fully expecting snow...it did snow a little on Saturday night as we set up camp). I ate my last night's dinner for breakfast...cold granola just didn't sound very good this morning! Then we packed up and hiked out the three miles to where we left the car.
I took some cool frosty-flower pictures as we hiked back--it was so beautiful out! Irwin still couldn't find his keys, so we made plans to rearrange things in the car so that he could ride down with us and then figure out some way to get his extra key from home. When we got to the trailhead we also saw the guy who had been out on the two-week hike--he had a dead battery! We didn't have jumper cables, but we found some forest service volunteers who did when we got to Harts Pass; they must have helped him out right away because he overtook us on our drive back to town. Irwin was also able to make arrangements to get his extra key, although he won't be able to get back to his truck until tomorrow--poor guy! All in all it was a great trip, but I still feel very sorry for Irwin with his lost keys!
Today's total: 3.0 miles
August total mileage: 302.3 miles
I took some cool frosty-flower pictures as we hiked back--it was so beautiful out! Irwin still couldn't find his keys, so we made plans to rearrange things in the car so that he could ride down with us and then figure out some way to get his extra key from home. When we got to the trailhead we also saw the guy who had been out on the two-week hike--he had a dead battery! We didn't have jumper cables, but we found some forest service volunteers who did when we got to Harts Pass; they must have helped him out right away because he overtook us on our drive back to town. Irwin was also able to make arrangements to get his extra key, although he won't be able to get back to his truck until tomorrow--poor guy! All in all it was a great trip, but I still feel very sorry for Irwin with his lost keys!
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| Frosty flowers! |
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| Pretty frosty leaf! |
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| Frosty Paintbrush! |
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| I forget what these are called...but they are frosty! Theme of these pictures: Summer is drawing to a close. :( |
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| Pretty section of trail. The frost had melted by this time. |
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| One packed Suburu. It's hard to tell, but the back was so full we could barely close the door. |
Today's total: 3.0 miles
August total mileage: 302.3 miles
Sunday, August 29, 2010
I nearly froze last night, and woke up to a heavy coat of frost this morning. Yikes.
After breakfast we started our hike--another mile to Windy Pass, then 2 miles to Jim Pass, then 7.5 miles to Holman Pass, and then all the way back. At Holman Pass we found a note that was left for some of the thru-hikers. I recognized one of the names as a fellow hike-a-thoner; apparently they will all be finishing within the next week or so. Someone had left money for the first thru-hiker to have a beer in Canada along with a funny curse that anyone not named in the note would be eaten by bears if they took the money. We left it alone! :)
It seems that we were a bit cursed, however. On our way back to camp Irwin realized that he had lost his keys somewhere along the trail. He didn't have an extra key in his truck. We hoped that we'd find the keys somewhere where we had stopped for snack breaks, but no such luck.
On the way back we met a guy who had been out for a solo two-week backpack trip, a group of three friends who were hiking from Canada to Highway 20, a father & son doing the loop out to Holman Pass & back on the West Fork, and three thru-hikers on their way to Canada. It also started to hail on us, and the wind was bitterly cold on the way back to camp. We stopped to filter water just past Jim Pass and I decided that would be my dinner stop, too: a cheese stick, a Cliff Bar, a candy bar, and some cookies. I was half frozen by the time we left, and didn't warm up until we'd nearly reached camp. When we go back I took the food from my backpack & hung it, taking out only the rest of my cherry tomatoes and my half-cucumber to finish as my evening meal. Then I brushed my teeth & got in the tent--at 7pm! I figured that I'd read my book for awhile before I went to sleep, but I only read for about a half-hour before I was sleepy. Talk about going to bed early! Tonight I got smarter: I wore my rainpants to bed along with my rain jacket over my down jacket. I can't believe how cold I get sometimes; my bag is rated to 15 degrees, but I still freeze. This time I stayed warm for the most part, but my feet were still cold. To think that I left my down booties in the car just 3 miles down the trail!
Today's mileage = 21 miles
August total mileage = 299.3 miles!!!
After breakfast we started our hike--another mile to Windy Pass, then 2 miles to Jim Pass, then 7.5 miles to Holman Pass, and then all the way back. At Holman Pass we found a note that was left for some of the thru-hikers. I recognized one of the names as a fellow hike-a-thoner; apparently they will all be finishing within the next week or so. Someone had left money for the first thru-hiker to have a beer in Canada along with a funny curse that anyone not named in the note would be eaten by bears if they took the money. We left it alone! :)
It seems that we were a bit cursed, however. On our way back to camp Irwin realized that he had lost his keys somewhere along the trail. He didn't have an extra key in his truck. We hoped that we'd find the keys somewhere where we had stopped for snack breaks, but no such luck.
On the way back we met a guy who had been out for a solo two-week backpack trip, a group of three friends who were hiking from Canada to Highway 20, a father & son doing the loop out to Holman Pass & back on the West Fork, and three thru-hikers on their way to Canada. It also started to hail on us, and the wind was bitterly cold on the way back to camp. We stopped to filter water just past Jim Pass and I decided that would be my dinner stop, too: a cheese stick, a Cliff Bar, a candy bar, and some cookies. I was half frozen by the time we left, and didn't warm up until we'd nearly reached camp. When we go back I took the food from my backpack & hung it, taking out only the rest of my cherry tomatoes and my half-cucumber to finish as my evening meal. Then I brushed my teeth & got in the tent--at 7pm! I figured that I'd read my book for awhile before I went to sleep, but I only read for about a half-hour before I was sleepy. Talk about going to bed early! Tonight I got smarter: I wore my rainpants to bed along with my rain jacket over my down jacket. I can't believe how cold I get sometimes; my bag is rated to 15 degrees, but I still freeze. This time I stayed warm for the most part, but my feet were still cold. To think that I left my down booties in the car just 3 miles down the trail!
Today's mileage = 21 miles
August total mileage = 299.3 miles!!!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
We were up early today to take Deb to the Mazama Community Center to catch the bus for the Cutthroat Classic. It was a little depressing for me; I think I have done the race for the last five or six years. Being injured sucks!
Jeff & I then drove up Highway 20 looking for a good place to take a hike while Deb was at the race. We pulled into the Blue Lake TH, but the mileage was very low. A car in the parking lot was covered with frost. Summer is coming to an end.
We stopped at the next trailhead--the PCT south! The PCT also passes through the North Cascades National Park here, so I got to hike in the National Park, too! We had a 9:15 turn-around time, so we went out 6.25 miles (just past Six Mile Camp). I didn't realize until we turned around that the majority of the hike out was downhill. I was a little tired & sore from yesterday's run, so I was feeling those uphills on the way back!
After that we went back to Mazama to meet Deb after the race, and then Irwin met us there to drive to our trailhead for the afternoon backpack. We couldn't decide which trip to do for the backpack, but we finally settled on Windy Pass. We were not disappointed! We only hiked in about 3 miles Saturday night, camping just past Benson Creek. The trail in was beautiful!
Today's mileage = 15.5 miles
August total mileage = 278.3 miles
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| After we dropped Deb off & on our way to hike--moon over the North Cascades |
We stopped at the next trailhead--the PCT south! The PCT also passes through the North Cascades National Park here, so I got to hike in the National Park, too! We had a 9:15 turn-around time, so we went out 6.25 miles (just past Six Mile Camp). I didn't realize until we turned around that the majority of the hike out was downhill. I was a little tired & sore from yesterday's run, so I was feeling those uphills on the way back!
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| North Cascades National Park! |
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| We were also on the PCT! |
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| Wildlife |
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| I have no idea which peak this is, but it is beautiful! |
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| Funniest sticker ever--on the toilet seat in the TH outhouse |
After that we went back to Mazama to meet Deb after the race, and then Irwin met us there to drive to our trailhead for the afternoon backpack. We couldn't decide which trip to do for the backpack, but we finally settled on Windy Pass. We were not disappointed! We only hiked in about 3 miles Saturday night, camping just past Benson Creek. The trail in was beautiful!
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| Saturday afternoon: the start of the backpack trip. We only went in 3 miles tonight. |
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| The view from the trail. |
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| Slate Peak Lookout |
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| I went crazy with sunset photos. It was gorgeous, it was freezing, and it even snowed a little. |
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| That's the Slate Peak Lookout on the left-hand side. |
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| I don't know what this peak is, but it is very pretty! |
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| The end of the ridge near our campsite |
Today's mileage = 15.5 miles
August total mileage = 278.3 miles
Friday, August 27, 2010
I had my bags (& etc.!) packed for the weekend & loaded in the car so that I could leave directly after xc practice this morning! I met Deb & Jeff at Deb's house & we started out for Winthrope!
We got to Klipchuck campground around 6pm, and we went out for an easy trailrun right after we registered for camping. We took the Early Winters Creek Trail which starts right at the campground. Deb wanted to do a 40 minute run, so she and Jeff turned around at 20 minutes. I was still feeling okay, and since I was not racing on Saturday I decided to take the trail all the way to its end at Highway 20 (4 miles each way).
It is a pretty enough trail, but it is so brushy! I had to stop and walk in places because I couldn't see my feet. I had scratches that were bleeding by the time I finished the run. I can't believe that a trail that starts in a popular campground right next to the highway would be so brushy!
Today's mileage = 8 miles
August total mileage = 262.8 miles
We got to Klipchuck campground around 6pm, and we went out for an easy trailrun right after we registered for camping. We took the Early Winters Creek Trail which starts right at the campground. Deb wanted to do a 40 minute run, so she and Jeff turned around at 20 minutes. I was still feeling okay, and since I was not racing on Saturday I decided to take the trail all the way to its end at Highway 20 (4 miles each way).
It is a pretty enough trail, but it is so brushy! I had to stop and walk in places because I couldn't see my feet. I had scratches that were bleeding by the time I finished the run. I can't believe that a trail that starts in a popular campground right next to the highway would be so brushy!
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| I was bloodied by the too brushy trail. Plus I think Deb wants to kill me here. |
Today's mileage = 8 miles
August total mileage = 262.8 miles
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Today I decided to go out to Riverside State Park to run before the GSL coaches' meeting at North Central HS. I should have gone for a hike instead! I wanted to do my favorite 5-mile loop from Bowl & Pitcher out trail 25 to 110 on the ridge above the river (?--if I remember the trail sign properly...my Riverside SP map doesn't have the numbers on it), then back down & across the Centennial Trail to another section of trail 25 that goes along the river and back to B & P. This loop brings back a lot of memories of college training. There is a section of this route that we used to call the Half Pipe, and we'd do hill repeats on it. We also used to run from SFCC out along trail 25 to the Seven Mile Bridge--the guys' team would take the van out to Seven Mile & hide the key, and we'd run out & drive the van back. Now I really, really miss those trails! We were so spoiled for our training runs with Riverside right there!
Here's why I say I should have gone on a hike instead:
I made it to the top of the Half Pipe Hills and was started across the ridge when my calf started killing me. It may have been that yesterday's hilly run was too much for it, or it may have been that I decided to try running without wrapping my calf first. At any rate, by the time I got to the place where I was supposed to cross Centennial Trail for the river section, I knew that I was going to be walking back to the car. Since I had to be at the coaches' meeting, I decided I'd better take the short cut by sticking on Centennial Trail. I figure that this cut a half-mile off my route.
Today's Mileage = 4.5 miles
August Total Mileage = 254.8 miles
Here's why I say I should have gone on a hike instead:
I made it to the top of the Half Pipe Hills and was started across the ridge when my calf started killing me. It may have been that yesterday's hilly run was too much for it, or it may have been that I decided to try running without wrapping my calf first. At any rate, by the time I got to the place where I was supposed to cross Centennial Trail for the river section, I knew that I was going to be walking back to the car. Since I had to be at the coaches' meeting, I decided I'd better take the short cut by sticking on Centennial Trail. I figure that this cut a half-mile off my route.
Today's Mileage = 4.5 miles
August Total Mileage = 254.8 miles
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Today's workout was a run up to the Liberty Lake waterfall & back. I got in a little extra by running to the cedar grove, running back downtrail to the last group of girls, and then running back with them. The run felt pretty good today, but my calf was sore afterwards. Not to mention that I am so, so tired! It would have been nice to join the Mountaineers' Wednesday night hike tonight, but I'm just too tired (and too far behind in so many other areas!); I spent a little quality time in the garden this afternoon instead.
Today's Mileage = 6.5 miles
August Total Mileage = 250.3 miles
Today's Mileage = 6.5 miles
August Total Mileage = 250.3 miles
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Today's mileage was the lowest mileage of all (save my "day off" after the Cake Walk). The xc team camp-out at Liberty Lake started today; we met at the school at 8am, so there wasn't any time to do a hike before practice. The team had a time trial in the morning, some time to hang out & play games, and then an afternoon run. I joined the girls for the afternoon run, but most of it was on our course--no named trails, so it doesn't count. However, for the last part of our run we went out on the Edith Hanson Equestrian Trail in order to get to the cold stream so we could all ice our legs. I get one mile of countable distance for our three mile afternoon run!
Today's Mileage = 1 measly mile
August Total Mileage = 243.8 miles
Today's Mileage = 1 measly mile
August Total Mileage = 243.8 miles
Monday, August 23, 2010
Wogging in the Park
This morning was the first official xc practice! Things get busy from here on out...it'll start to be a lot tougher to get the last of my miles done, so we'll see if I can hit my mileage goal. I will at least beat last year's mileage goal, barring illness or injury, and I have already beat last year's fundraising total!
Today I decided to try an afternoon run at Mount Spokane since I haven't been running since last week. I did the Day Mountain loop described in the park map as five miles, but I added a mile each way by starting at the Bald Knob Picnic Area TH instead of the Upper Mount Kit Carson Loop TH. I'm calling the post wogging because my calf is still bugging me enough that I'm walking all of the steep hills, and I'm currently so slow that it's more jogging than running.
Today's animal sighting was another coyote--this one was a full grown adult that was probably twice as close to me as the ones I saw on the 12th. It's too bad that I hardly ever take my camera with me when running because I surprised it and it couldn't smell me, so it stood still for a moment and I could have gotten a nice picture of it.
Today's mileage = 7 miles
August total mileage = 242.8 miles
Today I decided to try an afternoon run at Mount Spokane since I haven't been running since last week. I did the Day Mountain loop described in the park map as five miles, but I added a mile each way by starting at the Bald Knob Picnic Area TH instead of the Upper Mount Kit Carson Loop TH. I'm calling the post wogging because my calf is still bugging me enough that I'm walking all of the steep hills, and I'm currently so slow that it's more jogging than running.
Today's animal sighting was another coyote--this one was a full grown adult that was probably twice as close to me as the ones I saw on the 12th. It's too bad that I hardly ever take my camera with me when running because I surprised it and it couldn't smell me, so it stood still for a moment and I could have gotten a nice picture of it.
Today's mileage = 7 miles
August total mileage = 242.8 miles
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Trail Work!
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| Me & my marker of authenticity--courtesy Lynn Smith |
How I counted my mileage today = 1 mile back and forth on trail 140; 2.25 miles walk/jogging up to the work site after opening the gate for our early-leavers (first half-way back, then back to the gate & all the way back).
Today's Mileage = 3.25 miles
August Total Mileage = 235.8 miles
Saturday, August 21, 2010
So I'll admit it, the sign at the trailhead freaked me out a little bit. I slept in the car Friday night; I never sleep in the car! I noticed a note someone left in the trailhead register at the North Fork trail this morning; the person who left it made some very good points about how the forest service needs to post a little more information about the cougar "encounter." I agree wholeheartedly. If the sign had said cougar "sighting" I would have understood and probably not been so scared; "recent encounter" seems like a totally different situation, and I wanted to know how recent and what happened. At any rate, I slept very well inside the car, and I didn't have any encounter of my own.
Today Jeff met me at the trailhead and we hiked the North Fork Silver Creek trail up to the summit of Abercrombie Mountain. Abercrombie is the second tallest peak in Eastern Washington; Gypsy Peak beats it out by one foot. I have only hiked Abercrombie once before, and when I last did it I used the other trailhead. This hike is much longer, and I think I like it better besides! It would make it difficult to do the Abercrombie/Hooknose combo hike from this trailhead (there is no trail to Hooknose, although there is an obvious route--about 2 miles each way).
The best aspect of this hike is the forest. The trail is completely different from the South Fork Trail even though they start only a few hundred feet apart. This trail is almost completely dry (only two very small water sources in 7.7 miles). There are portions of the trail that are thickly treed, but there are also sections of amazing ponderosa pines that must be hundreds of years old. Additionally, there is a large section of aspen trees, and some of them are huge! Near the intersection with the Abercrombie trail there is a section of open meadow with a few giant, moss-covered old trees. The meadow has a few wildflowers left; I'm sure it was spectacular a couple of weeks ago. There are also sagebrush plants up there--I love seeing sagebrush up above 6,000'!
Read my trip report here.
Today's Mileage = 15.4 miles
August Total Mileage = 232.55 miles
Today Jeff met me at the trailhead and we hiked the North Fork Silver Creek trail up to the summit of Abercrombie Mountain. Abercrombie is the second tallest peak in Eastern Washington; Gypsy Peak beats it out by one foot. I have only hiked Abercrombie once before, and when I last did it I used the other trailhead. This hike is much longer, and I think I like it better besides! It would make it difficult to do the Abercrombie/Hooknose combo hike from this trailhead (there is no trail to Hooknose, although there is an obvious route--about 2 miles each way).
The best aspect of this hike is the forest. The trail is completely different from the South Fork Trail even though they start only a few hundred feet apart. This trail is almost completely dry (only two very small water sources in 7.7 miles). There are portions of the trail that are thickly treed, but there are also sections of amazing ponderosa pines that must be hundreds of years old. Additionally, there is a large section of aspen trees, and some of them are huge! Near the intersection with the Abercrombie trail there is a section of open meadow with a few giant, moss-covered old trees. The meadow has a few wildflowers left; I'm sure it was spectacular a couple of weeks ago. There are also sagebrush plants up there--I love seeing sagebrush up above 6,000'!
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| Aspen grove in b&w |
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| Another view of the aspen grove. I want to come back in October to see what this looks like at that time! |
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| Our first view of Abercrombie |
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| Trail intersection. Apparently someone had a lot of nails left over and wasn't sure what else to do with them. |
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| Pretty butterfly! I've never seen a brown one of these before. |
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| At the summit of Abercrombie. |
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| The aspen grove on our way back down. |
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| I saw this on my way home. Too funny--plastic kid chained to a garbage can. Child abuse? I think so. |
Read my trip report here.
Today's Mileage = 15.4 miles
August Total Mileage = 232.55 miles
Friday, August 20, 2010
Today I drove up to the North & South Fork Silver Creek Trailheads and campground to go for a hike and camp. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was a sign that said there was a recent cougar "encounter" in the area. Encounter, not sighting. I don't get scared about most wild animals, but I do get scared about cougars. I kept my pepper spray handy the whole time I was there. I also brought my Pulaski along so that I could sharpen the adz-end before Sunday's trailwork; I carried it with me when I hiked to the outhouse. I'm sure I was overreacting, but we all have phobias, right?
I got a late start (again!) and then made a few stops enroute, so when I arrived at the trailhead it was already 2pm and I was starving (here lately, I'm always starving). I made myself lunch and looked at my maps and guidebooks and finally settled on the South Fork Silver Creek trail to Gunsight Pass. It's seven miles each way, so I knew that I'd have to fly in order to make it to the pass and back before dark.
The trail really surprised me. Things are typically pretty dry in this area, but this trail has reliable water sources the entire way to the pass. The first two stream crossings were almost enough to make me take my shoes off and wade across, but I made it by hopping on rocks instead. I wished that I had gotten an earlier start so that I could have soaked in the streams when I was done hiking...my legs were killing me by the time I got back.
I was also wishing I had gotten an earlier start when I arrived at Gunsight Pass and saw the size of the huckleberries up there. They were amazing! I also spooked a bull moose in the last 1/4 mile of the hike to the pass--he ran off so quickly that I didn't have time to get the camera out.
The views along this trail are not great until one is really far up the trail, so I decided that my favorite feature of the trail (aside from the huckleberries) were the giant larch trees. This would be worth another hike up in October to see the changing colors. Next time I'm going to get an earlier start so that I can include the scramble up Linton and Sherlock.
My stats for today: hike up = 3 hours; hike back = 2.5 hours (including snacking time); TH @ 3,230' & Gunsight Pass at 5,600'; trailside snacks = huckleberry & thimbleberry.
Read my WTA trip report here.
Today's mileage = 14 miles
August total mileage = 217.15 miles
I got a late start (again!) and then made a few stops enroute, so when I arrived at the trailhead it was already 2pm and I was starving (here lately, I'm always starving). I made myself lunch and looked at my maps and guidebooks and finally settled on the South Fork Silver Creek trail to Gunsight Pass. It's seven miles each way, so I knew that I'd have to fly in order to make it to the pass and back before dark.
The trail really surprised me. Things are typically pretty dry in this area, but this trail has reliable water sources the entire way to the pass. The first two stream crossings were almost enough to make me take my shoes off and wade across, but I made it by hopping on rocks instead. I wished that I had gotten an earlier start so that I could have soaked in the streams when I was done hiking...my legs were killing me by the time I got back.
I was also wishing I had gotten an earlier start when I arrived at Gunsight Pass and saw the size of the huckleberries up there. They were amazing! I also spooked a bull moose in the last 1/4 mile of the hike to the pass--he ran off so quickly that I didn't have time to get the camera out.
The views along this trail are not great until one is really far up the trail, so I decided that my favorite feature of the trail (aside from the huckleberries) were the giant larch trees. This would be worth another hike up in October to see the changing colors. Next time I'm going to get an earlier start so that I can include the scramble up Linton and Sherlock.
My stats for today: hike up = 3 hours; hike back = 2.5 hours (including snacking time); TH @ 3,230' & Gunsight Pass at 5,600'; trailside snacks = huckleberry & thimbleberry.
Read my WTA trip report here.
Today's mileage = 14 miles
August total mileage = 217.15 miles
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Short mileage day
Today I only had time for a morning run with the team. I met the girls at the trailhead and did part of the run with them; I did three miles of their five mile run. I can't find my Dishman Hills trailmap, so for now I'll call it what the girls do: Northwest Passage. I'll have to update this once I find my map!
Today's mileage: 3 miles
August mileage total: 203.15 miles
Today's mileage: 3 miles
August mileage total: 203.15 miles
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Back to the Salmo Loop--Backwards!
Today was a beautiful, sunny day in the Salmo Priest Wilderness! Three of us hiked the loop today, and because I didn't want to do the exact same route as a week & a half ago, we did the exact same loop in the opposite direction. The added advantage was that we finished the exposed Shedroof Divide section before it got too hot. We saw two backpackers, too many spiders (webs across the trail), and no bears. This made me disappointed, but it made Marge very, very happy. Pictures to follow once life slows down a little & I get them transfered to my computer!
Today's Mileage: 21.5 miles
August Total Mileage: 200.15 miles!!! (only 99.85 to go!)
Today's Mileage: 21.5 miles
August Total Mileage: 200.15 miles!!! (only 99.85 to go!)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
AM: I met the xc team for their morning practice today. Most of the girls wanted to run in the Dishman Hills, so I drove to the trailhead while they started running through the neighborhoods. I met them there to run 2.5 of their 5 mile run with them.
PM: We'll see if I have time to get in an afternoon hike or run today--I'm meeting friends to carpool to the Salmo Loop trailhead tonight--we're going to do it again! Okay, I'm going to do it again--these guys weren't there for the rainy/cloudy version of the hike weekend before last. We are going counter-clockwise this time to get the cooler temperatures during the exposed Shedroof Divide section of the trail. I'll have my camera ready in case there is another bear encounter!
UPDATE: I managed a few more miles this afternoon--when we first arrived I set up my tent & then took off for a short run. I ran up 535 about a half-mile past the Wilderness boundary & then ran most of the way back before my calf started to hurt again & I had to walk the rest of the way back. Then after dinner Marge and I walked a quarter mile back up 535 to take pictures of the sunset.
Today's total mileage: 6 miles
August total mileage: 178.65
PM: We'll see if I have time to get in an afternoon hike or run today--I'm meeting friends to carpool to the Salmo Loop trailhead tonight--we're going to do it again! Okay, I'm going to do it again--these guys weren't there for the rainy/cloudy version of the hike weekend before last. We are going counter-clockwise this time to get the cooler temperatures during the exposed Shedroof Divide section of the trail. I'll have my camera ready in case there is another bear encounter!
UPDATE: I managed a few more miles this afternoon--when we first arrived I set up my tent & then took off for a short run. I ran up 535 about a half-mile past the Wilderness boundary & then ran most of the way back before my calf started to hurt again & I had to walk the rest of the way back. Then after dinner Marge and I walked a quarter mile back up 535 to take pictures of the sunset.
Today's total mileage: 6 miles
August total mileage: 178.65
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Mountaineers' general membership meeting (& huckleberry festival) was at the chalet tonight--this year we held it in honor of long-time member Lorna Ream who recently passed away. It was a very nice potluck dinner, and several people shared great stories about Lorna and some of the amazing climbs she participated in over the years.
I got up to the chalet early to work on making it look pretty (and smell pretty!) before everyone got there. Then I headed up to the parking lot by Cook's Cabin to try my third trailrun in four days since my injury all the way back in June. This was another case of plans going awry, but what followed was also pretty cool. I wanted to run to the summit of Mount Kit Carson, then take the connector trail (170) across to intersect the Day Mountain trail (130), and then finish the loop by taking the Kit Carson Loop back to the parking lot. Instead, I heard a loud crashing up ahead of me at the 1/2-way point and looked up to see a cute little black bear cub climbing a tree!
I had no idea where his mother was. I see no shame in talking to wild animals (or plants, or bugs) so I said "Little baby black bear, where is your mother?" At that, he climbed back down and ran down the hill. I assume that must have been his way of telling me where his mother was, but just to be on the safe side I turned around and went back the way I came.
The distance was still the same (7 miles of running...okay, more like wogging...the darn calf still hurts so I still walk the steep sections and average 9-minute pace for the rest), and it was great to see a baby bear and live to tell about it. I knew that seeing a bear on that section of trail was a strong likelihood--the huckleberries back there are fantastic, but hardly any people venture out that far. In fact, this is the fourth or fifth bear sighting I have had on that same trail--perhaps the cub is the kid of the bear I saw there last year. I only wish I had my camera with me for the run! That would be cool to have coyote, moose, and bear photos in just a few short days...although the week isn't over yet!
After the run I picked up my backpack for a short huckleberry hike (2.5 round trip) before the potluck started. By the time I hiked back down the trail I only had about 45 minutes of picking time before I needed to hike back up, but I still found about 1.5 cups. They were good on trail 170 tonight.
Today's total mileage: 9.5 miles
August total mileage: 172.65 miles
I got up to the chalet early to work on making it look pretty (and smell pretty!) before everyone got there. Then I headed up to the parking lot by Cook's Cabin to try my third trailrun in four days since my injury all the way back in June. This was another case of plans going awry, but what followed was also pretty cool. I wanted to run to the summit of Mount Kit Carson, then take the connector trail (170) across to intersect the Day Mountain trail (130), and then finish the loop by taking the Kit Carson Loop back to the parking lot. Instead, I heard a loud crashing up ahead of me at the 1/2-way point and looked up to see a cute little black bear cub climbing a tree!
I had no idea where his mother was. I see no shame in talking to wild animals (or plants, or bugs) so I said "Little baby black bear, where is your mother?" At that, he climbed back down and ran down the hill. I assume that must have been his way of telling me where his mother was, but just to be on the safe side I turned around and went back the way I came.
The distance was still the same (7 miles of running...okay, more like wogging...the darn calf still hurts so I still walk the steep sections and average 9-minute pace for the rest), and it was great to see a baby bear and live to tell about it. I knew that seeing a bear on that section of trail was a strong likelihood--the huckleberries back there are fantastic, but hardly any people venture out that far. In fact, this is the fourth or fifth bear sighting I have had on that same trail--perhaps the cub is the kid of the bear I saw there last year. I only wish I had my camera with me for the run! That would be cool to have coyote, moose, and bear photos in just a few short days...although the week isn't over yet!
After the run I picked up my backpack for a short huckleberry hike (2.5 round trip) before the potluck started. By the time I hiked back down the trail I only had about 45 minutes of picking time before I needed to hike back up, but I still found about 1.5 cups. They were good on trail 170 tonight.
Today's total mileage: 9.5 miles
August total mileage: 172.65 miles
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
First, how I spent my morning:
Today I was back to running! I decided to stick to the Mt. Kit Carson Loop Road in the park, since it has a fairly level surface and no overly-steep sections. I only ran as far as the three-mile marker & back, but I ran the entire way (and relatively pain free)! I'm still really surprised about how out-of-shape I feel. I knew that hiking was not a substitute for running, but I can barely handle 9-minute mile pace right now. By the end of the run my stride was feeling a little closer to normal anyway, and I was even able to get up on my toes a little. Progress!
Today's mileage = 6.0 miles
August total mileage = 163.15 miles
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| My sink all full of huckleberries! |
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| Ten jars for the freezer plus eight cups for the huckleberry cheesecake recipe for Monday's potluck |
Today's mileage = 6.0 miles
August total mileage = 163.15 miles
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Today was the first day that I really started to feel the effects of high mileage without rest days. It was tough to drag myself out of bed this morning, and my legs just felt heavy. I decided to postpone plans for a trailrun and just focus on hiking today.
I had plans to meet Mount Spokane State Park Manager Steve Christensen this morning in order to walk a portion of the proposed new/improved trail 140. This trail will be replacing the old trail 115. The Mountaineers started work on the upper portion last fall, opening up a section that is approximately 1-mile in length. Then there were some delays, some postponements of plans, some angry emails, and finally the approvals we needed to continue this badly needed re-route. Steve was able to bring in some prison crews to finish opening up the entire route--cutting all of the brush and trees that were in the way. That makes me feel a lot better--the Mountaineers do allow volunteers to do chainsaw work, but I generally feel more comfortable just using traditional tools. Now that the route is clear, it's just a matter of using handtools to establish the trail tread. Chris Bachman and I will be leading trailwork on the lower portion of the trail next Sunday.
Steve and I only walked a short section of the trail, so I'm calling it just .25 miles.
Then I returned to the Nordic area for more huckleberries. I wanted to see if I could find any on the Quartz Mountain/Twin Lakes Loop. I didn't find many, but I was still very happy that I walked that way. When I met with Steve I mentioned to him that I was a little disappointed that I haven't seen any moose in the park yet this summer. I heard one crashing around in the bushes a few weeks ago, but I couldn't see it. Steve told me a funny story about a mother moose and calf that had been hanging around his house--apparently the baby walked right on his covered back porch in order to peer though his windows! So again, I was feeling a little sad that I hadn't seen any--and then I saw a big bull moose on the Twin Lakes Trail!
After that I went back to my usual spot on Shadow Mountain. I ended cutting approximately .5k from the route because there were so many people out picking this weekend that I headed uphill and off the trail to pick my berries. I didn't get the mileage I needed, but I am still at least a little ahead for the month--and I have another 1/2 gallon or so besides!
Nordic trails hiked: out on Valley View, Larch, Lodge Pole, Quartz Mountain, Twin Lakes, around most of Shadow Mountain getting huckleberries, then back on Shady Way, Lodge Pole, Alpine, and Mountain View. [8.39 miles here + 1/4 mile on trail 140]
Today's total mileage = 8.64 miles
August total mileage = 157.15 miles
I had plans to meet Mount Spokane State Park Manager Steve Christensen this morning in order to walk a portion of the proposed new/improved trail 140. This trail will be replacing the old trail 115. The Mountaineers started work on the upper portion last fall, opening up a section that is approximately 1-mile in length. Then there were some delays, some postponements of plans, some angry emails, and finally the approvals we needed to continue this badly needed re-route. Steve was able to bring in some prison crews to finish opening up the entire route--cutting all of the brush and trees that were in the way. That makes me feel a lot better--the Mountaineers do allow volunteers to do chainsaw work, but I generally feel more comfortable just using traditional tools. Now that the route is clear, it's just a matter of using handtools to establish the trail tread. Chris Bachman and I will be leading trailwork on the lower portion of the trail next Sunday.
Steve and I only walked a short section of the trail, so I'm calling it just .25 miles.
Then I returned to the Nordic area for more huckleberries. I wanted to see if I could find any on the Quartz Mountain/Twin Lakes Loop. I didn't find many, but I was still very happy that I walked that way. When I met with Steve I mentioned to him that I was a little disappointed that I haven't seen any moose in the park yet this summer. I heard one crashing around in the bushes a few weeks ago, but I couldn't see it. Steve told me a funny story about a mother moose and calf that had been hanging around his house--apparently the baby walked right on his covered back porch in order to peer though his windows! So again, I was feeling a little sad that I hadn't seen any--and then I saw a big bull moose on the Twin Lakes Trail!
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| Bull Moose at Mount Spokane! |
After that I went back to my usual spot on Shadow Mountain. I ended cutting approximately .5k from the route because there were so many people out picking this weekend that I headed uphill and off the trail to pick my berries. I didn't get the mileage I needed, but I am still at least a little ahead for the month--and I have another 1/2 gallon or so besides!
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| A pretty butterfly I saw while hiking |
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| It would be better if the butterfly wasn't on a thistle flower--I asked it to land on a pretty wildflower, but it wouldn't listen. |
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| View from the Quartz Mountain Trail |
Today's total mileage = 8.64 miles
August total mileage = 157.15 miles
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