Question of the day

The BIG Question

Everyone asks, "Will you be going with someone?" The answer to that question is complicated.

As my geocaching name might suggest, I'll be hikingsolo. This name came about while exploring the High Sierra near the family cabin over the last 20 years. While I like to hike with others I've always had a hard time finding someone willing to spend long hours on arduous hikes. It's not that I hike difficult trails; it's just that I haven't found many people who have the same desire to spend all day sweating in the July sun to get views that few have experienced. Besides, I like challenging myself to do more and more and more.

Hikingsolo will be my trail name until someone decides that it needs to be changed.

But that's not the full answer to the question. I'll also be hiking with 1500 to 2500 of my best friends: other thru hikers. This year the PCT will experience a huge influx of hikers out to experience the glamour of the movies. Wild and A Walk in the Woods are two movies that glamorized the thru hiking experience. To help limit the impact of large numbers of thru hikers the Pacific Trail Association has limited permits to 50 per day starting mid-February through the end of May. Do the math! If 50 hikers start out every single day there will be more than 3000 hikers on the trail. I don't expect that many to start out on the day I'm there since I'll be very early in the season, but I expect the total number of hikers on the trail after May 15 to reach close to 2500. Last year there were 2486 North Bound Permits issued. 615 individuals finished a complete thru hike (self reported).

Other questions people ask are: 

• Will you carry a gun? NO
• Will you carry bear spray? NO
• How will you recharge your phone? See my Gear list
• How much will you carry? Depends on the availability of water and how long between towns. At least 18 pounds and sometimes more than 35.

Impromptu Camping - Another Shakedown?

The other night I had an opportunity to once again test my preparation for the PCT. It's short story...

Betsy and I often go looking for geocaches on local trails in Catalina State Park near Tucson. This time she knew I wanted to go for a longer hike with my full pack in preparation for my thru hike so she suggested that she drop me off at the start of the Sutherland Trail and that I head north while she would drive to a point north of the park and walk south. We would meet up along the trail and head together back to the Jeep. It didn't quite go as planned!


I started north early in the day, stopping to get a geocache every so often, having lunch, and fully enjoying my walk. At times along the way Betsy texted me the location of the Jeep, and the names of her recent geocache finds. I followed along on the map she had given me when we set out, content in the knowledge that it wasn't really that far to where she had parked. That was my first mistake.

Cherry on Top hill.

Little did I know that the trail I was on did not meet up with where the Jeep was parked, or that the time it would take me to traverse the 13 miles of trails along with searching for geocaches would extend through the end of daylight hours. As the sun was setting on the hill called Cherry on Top I was beginning to wonder if we were destined to meet up. I had stopped geocaching at 4:00 p.m. with less than 2 miles to go to the Jeep. I headed north in earnest.

By 5:30 Betsy had completed her circuit of caches and was heading back to the Jeep. About an hour of light was left. I was just coming around the mountain as the sun started to set and with .64 miles north to the Jeep across uncharted desert I made a decision to head for a road I could see on my map, less than half a mile to the west. I reasoned that I could get to the road before I could get to the Jeep, all things equal - i.e. terrain and bushwacking. Another mistake on my part.



The terrain quickly deteriorated into a slot canyon filled with giant boulders.

Water rushed somewhere below, but I wasn't going to make it down 20 foot boulders with a pack on my back and fading light, so I headed toward the side walls of the canyon. I could see houses just below. Betsy texted. I texted back that I was heading for the road. She texted that she made it to the Jeep. I texted that I was still heading for the road. The mythical road was nowhere to be seen. I asked her to call me. As the light faded I got out my headlamp and kept going. At one point I thought to myself, "Here's a nice flat spot. I should just camp and walk out in the morning." I kept walking through the catclaw, around the boulders, under the ocotilla, and eventually to another flatish spot. Should I camp? No. Keep walking.

Houses, so close, yet so far away.

The third flat spot with an adjoining cliff that dropped off into nowhere helped me to decide that I would definitely be better off camping. Betsy called and I asked her to go home and pick me up in the morning. What a godsend that I had stopped earlier to fill my hydration pack and an additional one liter bottle and that I had an entire pack ready for a night out. As I set up my tent and ate some snacks the moon rose over the mountains. What a beautiful sight.

Moon over the Catalina Mountains

 The night was quiet with the occasional hoot-hoot and coyote calls until something screeched nearby! I thought it sounded like a bird, but what bird would be out hunting at 1:30 in the morning? It certainly wasn't an owl. I've since decided that it must have been a bobcat. Every few seconds it would screech and it didn't stop until I shined a light in its direction. I saw a fleeting something take off, and then it was quiet again. WOW!

The next morning I packed up and started for the top of the nearest ridge.  As I came across the ridge a big javelina stopped to check me out. I skirted along the ridge top trying my best to keep an eye on the beast while making progress to the houses.


Half an hour later I reached an abandoned house and started down to the road. Betsy was already on her way and picked me up within about ten minutes. Great timing! She even brought coffee! That's my gal.

Boxes and boxes!

Ready to Go!

Empties...

Planning for the first two months is complete! Boxes of supplies are labeled and ready to be mailed. Empty boxes of candy bars, freeze dried meals, nuts, granola, re-fried beans and cheese litter the assembly room. I think I came to the realization that I'm going to hate freeze dried anything after two months of trail food!

Fortunately, not all of the boxes will have to be mailed. Betsy is planning a series of west coast trips and will meet me along the way. It will be more than nice - wonderful comes to mind - to have supplies personally delivered, not to mention having someone to share my adventure with.

Betsy, hanging out in the ThermaRest Chair
sold to help finance a new sleeping pad.

Shake Down Hike Complete

On Thursday, February 11th, I picked up my backcountry permit from the Saguaro National Park East Visitor's Center and set out on the trail at 2 p.m. on one of the hottest days of the year to date. The unseasonably warm weather reached the mid-80's early in the week and hung on through the weekend. The trip out to Douglas Springs put my heat coping skills to the test. I made sure I had plenty of water for the 6.2 mile trek, knowing that I could easily consume the entire three liters in my hydration pack. And I did drink it all, along with another liter I added at the last minute just in case. I reached camp in just under 3 hours, immediately dumped the pack and filtered five liters of water into two 2-Liter Platypus bags and my empty one liter throw-away water bottle. That would get me through the night and next morning. The fact that I had an extra liter of water in a separate bottle made it easy to get a drink while snug in my sleeping bag that night.

The first thing I realized I forgot was coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or anything that would make water more enjoyable. The filtered water tasted fine, but had a distinct greenish cast due to minerals. I had worried about the color two weeks previously when I filtered water at a spring in the Catalina Mountains. Because it had a tint to it I called Sawyer the next week to ask if it was safe, or if my new filter was compromised in some way. They assured me that the water was safe and that since the Sawyer Mini did not have a charcoal filter the water could take on the color of minerals.

Another thing I forgot was electrolyte replacement powder. I frequently use something like Emergen-C to help thwart cramps when hot weather first comes to Arizona. This time I forgot, and paid the price, with excruciating cramps in my feet, calves, and thighs during the night. While I drank plenty of water to stave off dehydration, I didn't do a good job of replacing salts.

I set up my new Big Agnes UL1 without a hitch, although the stakes were a bit minimal. I really like the color coding of the poles and straps on the tent and footprint. They really make setup easy. I decided to skip the fly since the weather was clear and the night sky should prove to be spectacular.

Next were my new ThermaRest X-Therm sleeping pad and Sea-to-Summit 19 degree bag. I can see that blowing up the sleeping pad will not be one of my favorite tasks, as it takes about nine tries and ten minutes to get enough air into it with the supplied bag. That said, I loved sleeping on it! While the night got pretty cold, not quite freezing, but cold enough that I zipped up all sides of the bag, my feet stayed nice and warm. I also liked that the bag had plenty of room for me to turn over without the entire bag turning over too! Oh, and I had enough room inside that could actually reach down and massage my cramped feet without having to open the bag. Bonus!

Dinner was easy to prepare with my new JetBoil MiniMo system. I warmed a few fingers trying to determine if it was actually lit, since it's ultra quiet when the gas is on low. Won't do that again! The JetBoil made my MSR Whisperlite Multi-fuel stove look like ancient technology!

As I put food away for the night inside a Sea-to-Summit Dry Sack I realized that I had forgotten my bear hang rope! I'm not sure what I would have done with the food that night without it, but I was saved this time by the foresight of the National Park Service as they provide Bear Boxes at all of their remote backcountry camps! Woo hoo! I also didn't have to worry about mice or pack rats stealing my food. While on the PCT I'll seek out a tree to hang the food bag from. I know mice and rats can climb down the rope, but at least it won't be on the ground for them to easily chew on it.

The rest of the trip went without a hitch. I took a nice walk up to Cow Head Saddle the second day for a view of the surrounding area. There was a little snow and ice on the trail; nice to see on a hot day. A bobcat and I also shared the trail - at least I think it was a bobcat and not a mountain lion.

The walk back to town was warm, but since it was down hill I didn't overheat. My pack is much easier to carry with all of the light weight gear, so all in all I think it was a successful shakedown trip.

Shake down hike

Tomorrow I'll head out to a local trail to give my new gear a final shakedown before hitting the PCT on March 2nd (hopefully). Anyone in the Tucson area is welcome to join me Thursday through Saturday at Douglas Springs.

New backpack, tent, sleeping bag, pad, and stove system. Plus all the accessories for a through hike. Should make for an entertaining couple of days.

Before WILD!

Before 'Wild', before 'A Walk in the Woods', I decided that I would walk the PCT at my first opportunity. I'm not completely sure why I chose to do this, but it never crossed my mind that I couldn't, or that I needed some motive other than a desire to experience nature and the trail. I'd been hiking and camping in the High Sierra for many years and had met many people on thru hikes. They all seemed to be friendly and interesting, and determined.

In November 2014 I made the decision to retire May 2015 from thirty-eight years in K-12 education  to pursue my dream of walking the PCT. My wife and partner for the last 31 years, Betsy, fully supported my decision to retire and begin training. My target date for departure would be March 2016, giving me over a year to get in shape.

With that in mind I started training in earnest by walking a local challenge, Tumamoc Hill, almost daily after work and on weekends. Tumamoc Hill gains 750 vertical feet in just under 1.5 miles, making it a good workout for someone training their legs and heart to hike long trails with a load.


My first real training hike came on November 10th, 2014, and led to 'The Window' in the Catalina Mountains outside of my hometown. The 12.8 miles and 4000 feet of elevation gain took literally all day! I remember my first and only time to The Window over 40 years previous with friend and climbing partner Dave Baker. We took the long way up Sabino Canyon, past Hutch's Pool, through late March snow around Bridal Veil Falls, to The Window, and then down Esperero Canyon. The 16 miles took 14 hours! I wore a new Nordic sweater, a gift from my mother for Christmas, and literally tore it to shreds on the catclaw as we descended Esperero. My return to The Window this time was much easier on my clothing, but not on my body; my legs hurt for days.

Since November of 2014 I've hiked most weekends with my wonderful wife or friends. My wife, an avid geocacher by the name grandmabetsy, often hits the trails in search of that 'Tupperware in the woods' form of treasure. Several of our hikes have been to places requiring extreme bushwacking to the tops of peaks or other remote locations; Mt. Wrightson, Blackett's Ridge, Buster Spring and Peak, to name a few. If I didn't have the conditioning to make the climbs when we started out, her determination to get the cache made sure I had it after the hike!

Betsy will be my support for the PCT. While I'll be hiking it alone (along with 1500-2500 other hikers this year) I won't be without help. She plans on visiting me along the trail as she collects more geocaches. I'll definitely need the support, as planning for five months away from home has been a daunting task.