Saturday, January 26, 2013

Wilderness Class

Today we took a Wilderness Class out at Kumeyaay Lake area.  The first couple of hours were lecture instruction on the basics of backpacking.  We learned about compasses, maps, stoves, food, leave no trace principles, bear canisters and all kinds of other stuff.  Then we went on about a 5 mile hike that included instruction along the way on animals, campsite selection, plants, and water filtration.  We rested under a huge oak tree by the river and ate our PB&J sandwiches.  It has been raining so much that the river was almost overflowing the bridge.  We had 8 people in the class so it was intimate and we got to have one on one conversations with the instructor.  It was cold and rainy but we had a super fun time!

Here's some members of our group from behind:



Our instructor talking about mountain lions.  She's the little gal in the blue jacket:



Some scenery pics:







Dennis is wearing apline gaitors.  I thought that was pretty funny but hey, it prevented his pants from getting wet out there.  There was very deep mud in some places.



Me:



Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Anza Borrego Backpack

Dennis and I did an overnight backpacking trip in the Anza Borrego Desert over the weekend.  It was quite an adventure!  We got our packs loaded the night beforehand but the next morning I found that my water bladder had leaked.  I had a moment of panic when I thought my down sleeping bag was soaked.  It wasn't though thank goodness!  Only the hip belt was wet.  The bladder didn't actually have a leak- the shut off valve was in the on position and it got squeezed up between the wall and the hip belt so that's what caused it.  I thought Oh great, we're off to a really good start here. 

We made it to the trailhead without further incident and we were the only ones out there.  I guess only idiots go backpacking in the dead of winter in the desert.  That would be us. 

At the beginning of the trail I found that my camera was totally dead and my cell phone had minimal battery life left.  We ended up doing some cell phone battery swapping and I was able to get a couple of pictures on my phone thank goodness.

Our destination was Pinyon Ridge via Wilson Trail which is actually an old road that is now only open to foot traffic.  The trail is traveled sparsley and in some areas we needed to do some creative route finding which also made my panic levels rise a bit.  It would be so easy to get lost out there because the landscape does not vary.  It looks like the surface of the moon and is easy to get turned around. 



Pinyon Ridge is at an elevation of 4300 feet so we had some difficult climbing to do.  Our backpacks weighed 40 pounds apiece since we were both carrying at least 6 liters of fluid each.  There's no water out here so you have to carry what you'll need for 2 days and plus I had Pico's food and water as well.  We stopped quite a bit in the first mile to mess around with the backpacks and figure out what adjustments were necessary for maximal comfort.  My sleeping pad was tweaking my neck so we stopped and had to adjust that.  I was getting pretty irritated.  I just wanted to do it and quit messing around.  It was a pretty difficult hike in and we stopped frequently to catch our breath. 



It took us 3 hours and 15 minutes to walk 4.5 miles.  The views were worth the agony.  We had an expansive view of the Anza Borrego desert and the Salton Sea from where we camped up on the ridge. 



The last bit of sunset behind us:



We set up our tent and used our Jet Boil to make our delicious freeze dried meals.  Dennis had thai chicken and I had chili.  Pico had his dried food and a couple of doggie chicken jerkies.  He started growling at something at sunset so we freaked out a bit thinking a mountain lion or coyote was stalking us.  We went on alert for a bit but things calmed down as night set in.  It got super chilly so we burrowed into our sleeping bags.  Pico snuggled up into my sleeping bag hood and we snoozed the night away. 

Sunrise over the desert:



I made oatmeal with walnuts and raisins in the morning while enjoying the sunrise.
We were packed up and walking out by 8:40AM.  The walk back took only 2 hours and 20 minutes, mainly because of elevation loss and our backpacks were lighter as well. 

See where the trial kind of ends in this picture?  Creative route finding....



Dennis and Pico on the second day:



Tina and Pico on the second day:



We made it out alive and with no major mishaps.  After we got back to the truck, we went to Ramona and had an Angry Whopper and french fries to end a fun adventure.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Mt. Whitney Class

We went to a Mt. Whitney class last week to learn what it will take to climb the highest peak in the contiguous US.  We learned of the different routes that can be taken to the top, where to camp, what gear is needed, what kind of training is needed, how to apply to for the lottery and how long it would take.  Permits are awarded via lottery so it's not a guarantee that you'll get a permit.  It's on my list of stuff to do so it was a good class to take. 

Mt. Whitney is located in the Sierra Nevada and boasts an elevation of 14, 505 feet.

Moon over Mt. Whitney photo © by Jim Baumgardt, Image Counts, www.ImageCounts.com



Saturday, January 12, 2013

Lake Poway

We went on a nice easy hike around Lake Poway today.  Beautiful sunny skies and 42 degrees at the start.  Enjoy some pictures I took with the super sweet camera my mom gave me!
















Thursday, January 3, 2013

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 

I have been SO sick for about 3 weeks now.  It started as a bronchial infection and then went to my sinuses.  I went to the doctor twice and they finally put me on Augmentin.  I am still congested but at least it's not green anymore- EW.  Very fatigued also.  Needless to say, I have done NOTHING hiking-wise since we got back from Oregon.  It's a little depressing.

Dennis' work is closing down so he had to find another job which he did!  He starts at Quickplay Media this Monday:  http://www.quickplay.com/  This may put a kink in our 110 mile walk on the PCT scheduled in April.  I'm not sure if he will be able to take a vacation that soon.  I've thought about doing it by myself but that's a scary thought, isn't it?  I did finally order him a backpack.  It's the Gregory Baltoro and it was on sale:  http://www.rei.com/product/809320/gregory-baltoro-65-pack  I didn't get it at REI- I got it at Sunny Sports because they were $100 cheaper.

I've got a couple of hikes planned for later this month.  Hopefully my sinuses will cooperate and I can actually follow-through on them!  That elusive full moon hike is still on my list.  The next full moon is January 27.  I also have an overnight backpack on the books for January 19 in the Anza Borrego Desert.  We shall see!