Exploring the world…one step at a time
Monday, July 9 2018
Mile marker 2635.42 – Mile marker 2646.43: 11 miles / 26 total miles walked
Had a pretty good night all in all. I had my bug net up and thank god I did, the mosquitoes are nasty up here. Other than some more weird dreams I slept pretty well and got up around 6.
Sunday, July 8 2018
Mile marker 2625.93 – Mile marker 2635.42: ~10 miles / 15 total miles walked
I was absolutely freezing all night, even with my down hoody and the warm quilt. I hardly slept, but when I did I had some really weird dreams. It’s amazing what kind of crap your mind digs up when you have so much time to think.
I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard some rustling, so I looked towards my food bag and there’s a mouse sitting on top of it, trying to get in. So I clapped my hands and it scurried off.
Saturday, July 7 2018
Mile marker 2620.93 – Mile marker 2625.93: 5 miles / 5 total miles walked
Alright boys and girls…..I made it to the beginning. Finally 😄 After a few plane rides, two days in a car and a lot of anxiety, I can at last start walking.
J and J dropped me off at Ravensongs Roost in Mazama, which is an amazing place. There were a few people there who have already tagged the border and will be on their way south soon.
Although I originally planned to stay the night and head out in the morning, Broken Toe was driving up to Hart’s Pass in the afternoon and I decided to go for it.
Continue reading “PCT Day 1 : Well….I guess I’m actually going to do this thing”
Day 6:   5 June 2018 – Kohlberg – Großbüchlberg – 24km
I slept really well and got going at a quarter to 7 on the quest for water. Walking on gravel again today….sigh…I made it to a small gurgling stream, barely visible, after about an hour and filled up on slightly murky water that I treated with my SteriPen. I am kind of still skeptical about this UV treatment’s effectiveness for water purification, but I guess sometimes you have to take something on faith, right? Continue reading “Fränkischer Gebirgsweg (Franconian Mountain Trail): Day 6 – 7”
Sometimes living fairly close to the trail you’re hiking has its perks….like getting a ride from your family. Which is how I got back to where I had left off before the bad weather.
Continue reading “Fränkischer Gebirgsweg (Franconian Mountain Trail): Day 4 – 5”
If you’re not familiar with German geography, there’s an area in Bavaria that doesn’t consider itself as part of Bavaria at all. It considers itself as entirely seperate (and of course, better) than the lederhosen-wearing, weird-talking yokels of the deep south of the state….and that area is Franconia.
Historically, while Munich (capital of Bavaria) was still a nondescript village somewhere down close to the alps, Nuremberg (capital of Franconia) was already a thriving metropolis, trade center, and a seat of power.
Alright, I admit I might be slightly biased having grown up in Franconia, but I still think the people here are much more approachable and a lot nicer than the arrogant southlanders residing in Munich…but I digress.
Franconia has a lot of hiking opportunities and even markets itself as one of the premium outdoor destinations in Germany.
Continue reading “Fränkischer Gebirgsweg (Franconian Mountain Trail): Day 1 – 3”
Being back on my sleeping pad, with a constant breeze around me, and the night sounds about, really messed up my sleep pattern. But I woke up relatively fresh at 5:30am and my feet were feeling surprisingly good.
Breakfast was oatmeal with dehydrated peaches and mango, which was alright, until I added powdered peanut butter…..and then breakfast was sublime…yum.
I headed out around 6:30 and the first 1.4 miles to the water faucet went by very quickly. Continue reading “R2R2R – Day 2”
I really didn’t sleep well last night, woke up constantly…so by the time it was 4 am I got up to get going, even though my alarm was set for 4:30….ah well.
It was FREEZING outside, so I got to waer my fire-hydrant-red new puffy jacket 😀 . The drive up to the canyon wa uneventful and I found a parking spot at Bright Angel Lodge immediately. Since I’ll be coming out at the Bright Angel Trailhead (next to the lodge and therefore the parking lot) that worked out perfectly.
There’s a special hiker shuttle bus that takes us crazy people directly to the South Kaibab trailhead. And along with about 70 other people I got on the bus excitedly for the first view of the canyon.
Ever since I was lucky enough to spend 6 months working in Phoenix, the desert of the southwestern US has had a special place in my heart. There’s just something so wonderful about it. Continue reading “Mojave my love”
…or ‘How trying to figure out how to feed myself in the woods almost broke my sanity (and bank account)’.
So….my vacation here in the US isn’t just for kicks and giggles, it is actually the prelude for my hike this summer. I have some wonderful friends who are willing to act as my ‘command central’. They have been accepting and hoarding packages of all the stuff I ordered over the last few months (mainly so I could avoid German customs and sales tax and shipping costs) and are even willing to ship out resupply boxes to me on the trail – making sure I don’t starve.
Well, in order for boxes to be there to be sent out, someone has to assemble them. Continue reading “Food Prep 101”