Weekend Hikes Complete

I walked 12 miles yesterday. It was nice and foggy in the beginning and 64 degrees- perfect! I was the only one out there that early too so it was nice and a little eery at the same time. The fog soon burned off though and it got pretty warm- 80 degrees by the time I was done. Not too bad and nice little breeze. It's funny the things that go through your mind when you're out there for hours on end. I went from analyzing all my past mistakes to counting spider webs to talking out loud to myself working out problems and saying little prayers. Then after awhile I realized I wasn't thinking anything except for how calm and peaceful I felt looking at the blue sky and lacy clouds.

Today I walked 10 miles. It seemed much hotter but I believe it was the humidity because it was only 2 degrees warmer than yesterday. I also got an hour later start and the trail head parking was totally full. There was some kind of race going on and they had an aid station set up. The runners were fast and they made me smile with their efforts! There was a lady in a bikini and a cowboy hat about 3 miles in. She was just standing on the side of the trail with mud smeared all over her body like she had just gotten done mud wrestling. LOL. She asked me when are the runners gonna come through? I replied that they already did and she disagreed with me so I just said Okay and continued on. She probably missed the runners while she was down at the water hole getting muddied up. Hahaha! I started analyzing the footprints in the dust soon after that to see if there were any interesting ones. I saw what looked like a child's fooprint and the tread had a little heart in it. I took a picture I thought it was so interesting. I was probably addled by heatstroke by that point. I decided to turn around a little early since it was getting so hot. The final climb out was pure drudgery. All I could think about was the ice cold Dr. Pepper waiting for me in the fridge. By the time I was done I was streaming sweat. I sat at the picnic table and ate my banana and PB&J. I noticed when I got home both yesterday and today that I had a major rash around my ankles and the only thing I can think of is that maybe I'm allergic to the wool socks that I've been wearing. Seems like I get a rash everytime I wear them in the ankle region but today was particularly bad. I took a picture of it for your viewing pleasure. LOL

It was a pretty sweet weekend.

Weekend Hikes

I'm planning a 12 mile hike on Saturday and another one on Sunday.  I'm excited and jonesing for the trail!  I probably won't bring Pico on these because it's still too warm for him.  He would peter out about 3 miles in and I'd have to carry him in the heat.  Been there, done that.  I'll take him to the dog park or something to get his wiggles out.

I can't believe it's almost October!  We have had amazing tempuratures this month- still very warm in the 80s and 90s. 

PCT Logo

I feel happy whenever I see this symbol.

Poetry Break

I love poetry.  I do dabble in writing poetry myself but will rarely share because I'm not very good!  My favorite poetry is typically from the 16th to the 19th centuries.  In high school I used to sit in the library during breaks and lunch and read poetry.  How sad is that?  At the time it seemed sad, but it certainly gave me a solid knowledge of past poets and how they lived and died.  Poetry was, and is, my church.  Edgar Allan Poe is my all time favorite.  His use of alliteration astounds me.

TO THE LAKE

In Spring of youth it was my lot
To haunt of the wide world a spot
The which I could not love the less -
So lovely was the loneliness
Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,
And the tall pines that towered around.

But when the night had thrown her pall
Upon that spot, as upon all,
And the mystic wind went by
Murmuring in melody -
Then - ah, then, I would awake
To the terror of the lone lake.

Yet that terror was not fright,
But a tremulous delight -
A feeling not the jewelled mine
Could teach or bribe me to define -
Nor Love - although the love were thine.

Death was in that poisonous wave,
And in its gulf a fitting grave
For him who thence could solace bring
To his lone imagining -
Whose solitary soul could make
An Eden of that dim lake.

Edgar Allan Poe

PCT Section A in April 2013

Plans are afoot to hike Section A of the Pacific Crest Trail next April!  Section A is 110.6 miles from Campo to Warner Springs.  SOMEDAY I will hike the whole thing from Mexico to Canada but, for now, sections will have to do.  I can't very well announce to my boss that I need 6 months off to walk 2600 miles so I will consider doing these sections as my preparation and consolation for the big SOMEDAY.  I have timed it for April, because I want to be out there when most of the thru-hikers start their journey- so I can rub elbows and ask questions about thru-hiking!

We still have a few major items we need to get, namely Dennis' backpack- just a minor detail!  Once we get that, we can actually go on little overnight practice sessions. 

I'm super excited and very scared!

Section A Map:

Halfmile's PCT Maps





Section A Elevation Gain/Loss:

New Coats for Pico!

Pico got a new coat and sweater today!  The first picture is a coat from REI that is made for hiking to protect his skin from getting scratched up on bushes and such.  He'll be able to wear that in the Oregon rain this November to keep dry as well.  The second picture is of him with his new sweater that Hali from Chi Rescue of SD crocheted for him!  It has his name and a bone on the back.  I don't think he's too happy in that second picture since it's about 100 degrees outside and I'm making him pose in a sweater.  LOL!

Poetry Break

I just love Wordsworth:

“For I have learned

To look on the nature, not as in the hour

Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes

The still, sad music of humanity,

Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power

To chasten and subdue. And I have felt

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense of sublime

Of something far more deeply infused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the minds of man:

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All living things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things. Therefore am I still

A lover of the meadows and the woods

And mountains, and of all that we behold

From this green earth, of all the mighty world

Of eye, and ear  - both what they half create,

And what they perceive, will be pleased to recognize

In nature and the Language of the sense

The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,

The guide, the guardian of my heart and soul

Of all my moral being.”

- William Wordsworth

More Camping Pictures

http://idyllicmuse.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/more-camping-pictures/

Camping at William Heise

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September 5, 2012
Camping was a resounding success this Labor Day weekend.  William Heise campground is a very nice park.  I think it's probably one of the nicest in the county.  I like because of the strictly enforced 10pm quiet curfew.  We did have screaming kids in the next site over and a site that had loud laughers but it was a holiday weekend and you gotta expect a certain amount of noise (but I really don't like kids).
I was able to stay low carb eating all weekend.  We had sausage and eggs every morning for breakfast, cold cuts wrapped in lettuce for lunch, hamburgers, hotdogs, and chili for dinners.  Snacks were nuts, hummus, red bell peppers, etc.  All that kept quite nicely in the cooler.
We didn't do near the hiking I wanted to because it was SO hot!  Not just hot but the humidity is what really made me feel sluggish and low energy.
We were able to test out some of our backpacking gear.  We made coffee using the starbucks instant coffee Via packets and our JetBoil stove.  That thing is a gem!  I love it!  Our sleeping bags were super toasty and my sleeping pads were very comfy.  I have a foam one and a self inflating one because I have sleep issues.  Dennis only has a foam one and he believes he should also get a self inflating pad because his back was hurting pretty good by the time we were done.  The tent is fabulous.  It has 2 doors so when I have to pee 15 times during the night, I don't have to climb over Dennis.
I don't think Pico enjoyed camping.  He didn't know what to do with all the extra unfamiliar stimuli.  I was proud of his little guard dog abilities though.  There were a million kids in the next site over and they were running amuck, screaming and being the Satan's spawn that kids are.  One of them thought it would be cool to run through our campsite and Pico took off after him like a bat out of hell.  Chased that kid all the way back over to his campsite.  I could hear them saying Bad dog, bad dog, and one kid says Did he bite you?  No he didn't but he sure scared the crap outta that kid.  Love it.  Bad kid, Bad kid....
Dennis and I worked well together.  For the most part, accepting each other's little quirks and just choosing to not be irritated.  We did fine until the very end when we were packing up and Dennis was yelling at me to PULL PULL the stupid tarp. I yelled back OKAY OKAY I'M PULLING!  Reminded us of the episode of Friends when they are trying to carry a couch up a staircase and Ross is yelling PIVOT PIVOT.  LOL.  Then when we got home Dennis got mad at me for scraping the truck mirror in some bushes.  Oh well, can't win them all.  He has some OCD issues with packing/unpacking and also was a bit of a hygiene nazi.  I asked him if my behavior was okay or if there was anything annoying that rubbed him the wrong way since I have been told I can be condescending :-p but he said he was okay with my behavior.  The point is, I think we'll be okay backpacking together as long as we keep our little issues from overlapping onto the other person.
Enjoy some pictures!
Dennis attempting to light a fire using dryer lint and a flint:

Success!

A Few Pictures from New Mexico

http://idyllicmuse.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/311/

New Mexico- The Land of Enchantment

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April 22, 2012
We went to New Mexico last week and had a very nice time.  It was our first stay at a Bed and Breakfast:  http://lazykranchbb.com/ There were some pros and cons to this first experience.  First of all, we drove from San Diego to Flagstaff and stayed the night there.  No hurry, just mosying along.  We really liked Flagstaff.  The next day we drove Flagstaff to Edgewood, NM- not alot of interesting scenery.  There were some cool rocks and mountains along the way but mainly just flat desert.  I was expecting more I guess! We got to the B&B and Pico immediately took a giant dump on the owner's living room floor (wood).  She seemed okay with it at first and we expressed our extreme humiliation and were very apologetic.  We had a 2 bedroom cabin all to ourselves on the back portion of the property so very secluded and relaxing.  The next morning we made our way up to the main house for breakfast.  The owner was very upset with us because she felt that Pico had stained her wood floor with his poop.  She had to point it out to me because I couldn't find the stain on my own- looked like a regular wood floor to me!  Hmmmm.  We offered a damage fee and nothing was decided upon so we went about eating kind of an awkward breakfast.  She did join us for coffee though and told us all about New Mexico.  That's one thing we wouldn't have gotten at a regular hotel- lots of information about the area.  That first day we went to the top of Sandia Peak (11,000 feet).  Views were spectacular but we didn't stay long because Dennis felt woozy from the altitude.  Then we went into Albuquerque and messed around. We didn't feel a good connection with Albuquerque.  The next day we went into Santa Fe and found it to be more our style although the B&B owner had told us that fancy artsy fartsy people lived there. I felt pretty comfortable in Santa Fe.  Seemed alot like La Jolla or Del Mar to me.  The jewelry was too expensive though so I didn't get any neat turqoise pieces.  When we got back, the B&B owner had found a little dog crap behind the cabin table and left us a note to keep a closer eye on Pico.  UGH.  Really, Pico is not an inside pooper normally, I promise.  Our last day we went into Old Town and walked around for awhile and then went out in search of the petroglyphs.  Had a hard time finding them and ended up at the open space preserve instead where some very nice but gungho volunteers tried to convince us to move to NM.  Dennis didn't want to see petroglyphs after that so we headed back.  I think he was ready to go back to San Diego!  Me too.  We ended up giving the B&B owner $80 for Pico's pooping fiasco.  We stayed in Flagstaff again on the way back.  It was an enjoyable, relaxing vacation however I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to New Mexico.  It's called the Land of Enchantment but I don't feel like it was very enchanting.  It just didn't sit right with me somehow.  Maybe it was just the pooping drama that made it weird.
Next adventure- camping for the first time in almost 30 years!

Mt. Laguna

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July 31, 2012
We walked 10 miles out at Mt. Laguna yesterday.  Wow, it's beautiful up there!  Alot more pine trees than I was expecting.  We started at an unknown trail head.  Originally we were going to start at the Penny Pines Trailhead but Dennis felt uncomfortable leaving the truck on the shoulder of the road so he wanted to park at Laguna Campground.  Well we couldn't figure out where the parking was or where we were supposed to pay the day use fee so we ended up at a random trailhead that I had seen further down the road.   So the start was a little irritating.  We need to get our starting points figured out a little better.  We walked about 4 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and it was so cool because we got to see where the trees  stopped and the Anza Borrego desert began.  Great desert veiws!  We saw trash, toilet paper, and a pair of thong underwear too.  Kind of gross.  Then we actually ended up at the Penny Pines Trailhead because the PCT connected to the Big Laguna Trail.  We walked along that for about 6 miles.  Nice wooded areas, easy trail, past Big Laguna Lake.  It got pretty hot the last few miles though and we ended up carrying Pico about half the way.  I was worried we wouldn't be able to find the truck again because Big Laguna Trail kept branching off into all these little offshoot trails but Dennis has pretty good navigation skills and we made it back.  We were hot and wiped out and that truck was a vision! We stopped at the Laguna store to get gatorade on the way out because we both drank all our water (2 liters each).  I wish they had slurpees!  This little store is where we will stop to get snacks next April when we walk Section A of the PCT (110 miles from Campo to Warner Springs).
It was too much of a pain to transfer pictures over but you can see them on my old Wordpress blog:  http://idyllicmuse.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/mt-laguna/

July 7th- Oh isn't it great to be........hiking the PCT!!!!!

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July 9, 2012
Saturday we really went after the adventure.  We drove out to Warner Springs to find the Pacific Crest Trail and it was interesting just trying to find the thing!  Dennis was grouchy and irritated because he was so tired.  We did these hikes right after he got done working the graveyard shifts which is why the early start times.  Then he would go home and sleep.  Anyway, this last day he was REALLY tired and all this hiking and not sleeping was getting him down.  We finally found the PCT markers- very obscure and difficult to find.  Then we parked in a turn-out on the side of the road with our adventure pass posted in the windshield.  Off we went!  I was thrilled and excited to be out on the PCT for the first time!  No marine layer out here though so things got very toasty very fast.  We originally planned to walk 4 miles out and 4 back but we had to turn around at 3.5 miles because the trail was so overgrown we couldn't get through.  So the total ended up being 7 miles and it took us 3.5 hours.  Pico made it halfway and then we had to carry him back because it was so frickin HOT.  We had to stop every few minutes to rest it was so hot.  The last 1/2 mile seemed to take FOREVER.  When we were done, we saw the temp was 90 degrees! We stopped at Don's market in Julian and got ice cold drinks.  So good.  Here's some pictures- we (meaning I) look pretty delirious from the heat so warning!

July 6th

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July 9, 2012
Friday we hiked the Lake Poway Loop and Mt. Woodson.  This was just shy of 9 miles and took us about 4.5 hours.  We started off ready to have another great hike and we had let Pico off the leash and were just strolling along minding our business.  This lady came up behind us and reprimanded us for having Pico off leash.  Yes, it is the law to have leashed pets.  Yes, we were taking a chance with it and it's a "No-No" but this lady was obnoxious!  First she tried to use the scare tactic of rattlesnakes and then fines if a ranger caught us.  When she was done with her tirade I just said "Okay have a great day!"  Then she took it to the next level and shook her head at us and said "Just be more responsible for your pet."  So then for the next few miles I was pissed and called her all kinds of derogatory names.  Then I said a prayer for her and let it go.  Anyway, we did put Pico back on the leash since there ended up being too many people and dogs around anyway.  So aside from that it turned out to be a fabulous hike.  It was very difficult and the marine layer burned off and it got VERY hot.  Pico made it to the top of the mountain, bless his heart, and then we took turns carrying him down.  We (meaning I) look pretty wrecked in these pictures so be warned!

July 5th

Oops looks like my pictures posted before my summary!  Oh well!
Thursday we went to North Fortuna Mountain.  Nice marine layer yet again.  We got to the trailhead at about 7:30am- little later start!  The total hike was about 3.5 hours and I can't remember what Mr. Garmin said as far as exact mileage goes but I know it was just shy of 8 miles.  Pico again walked the whole way by himself!  I notice that he does very well when it's cool and there's a nice marine layer.  When it gets sunny and hot all bets are off as you will see in the remaining 2 days of hikes.

July 4th

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July 9, 2012
I had a 5 day weekend for July 4th since it fell on a Wednesday this year.  YEEHAW!  I made major hiking plans and will post each day separately so I don't confuse myself.  It was a wonderful and fabulous time.  I just love being away from people and I was sad every day when it was over as we made our way back into civilization.
July 4th we hiked the whole of Penasquitos canyon which, according to my garmin, ended up being about 12.5 miles.  Simone came with us on this one.  We started about 6:30am and it took us 5.5 hours.  Marine layer the whole time which was actually nice.  Pico walked the whole way by himself- he is amazing! Lots of poison oak- nice picture of a good sized thatch of it below.  The last picture below is a grave of the only person known to have been buried in Penasquitos valley although lots of people lived down there in the 1800's.  We saw a coyote and shortly after that, some ambulence sirens went off and the whole hillside where we were started echoing with coyote howling.  Very eery to hear that during the day!
 

Got a New Grill!!

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July 2012
I've been grilling like a maniac on our new Grill.  Steak, hotdogs, sausage, chicken.  So nice to sit out on the patio in the sun and grill up some dogs!  It's a little portable Uniflame- perfect size!

Backpacking

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June 2012
Well I guess we are doing the backpacking thing!  We have been accumulating the gear slowly as things go on sale.  Will not buy anything full price since this crap is expensive!  I will create a new tab for our gear list so you can see what we have going on.  It's been fun!  We have also been testing out the freeze dried meals.  Not too bad although the ingredients are definitley questionable.  I guess when you hike 15 miles and set up camp, you would eat your arm off if you were hungry enough.  I think so far our favorite is chicken teriyaki.  Chili Mac was okay but I think we need to let it soak in the hot water longer- the noodles were still a bit crunchy- LOL!  Next up I believe we have sweet and sour pork to test.  Here is a picture of the Chili Mac:

Oops it's sideways.  Oh well!  And here is a picture of Dennis trying out his new sleeping bag:

We got some good hiking/backpacking boots at the REI scratch and dent sale (used gear).  Will be testing those this weekend!
More to come!

Some Yosemite Pictures