15 Mile Training Hike

Our 15 mile training hike turned into 10 miles because we decided to stop and eat Mexican food instead.  Priorities!

We went out to Lake Hodges and the plan was to walk out to the pedestrian bridge and back and then out to the dam and back.  However, there happens to be a joint called the Hernandez Hideaway positioned right where the additional 5 miles would have started.  Carolen decided she was only doing 10 early on so when we reached the parking lot to bid her farewell, we all stood around and looked at each other.  None of us had a problem stopping and eating.  LOL.  I did feel kind of lame for not completing 15 miles but not lame enough to push on.  We went at a slower pace finishing the 10 miles in 3 hours and 17 minutes although it did feel like Ingrid was setting a blistering pace.  I was able to capture a couple of shots this time. 

I think we have plans to do some kind of hill work-out and then we will have "The Big 20" to send Carolen on her way to Canada.

Here's a shot of Dennis rolling out my tight calves with a rolling pin.  LOL!  He looks stoned but he's just really tired.





Carolen, Ingrid, and Nancy







I ate one of these leaves.  Ingrid said it was okay.  They were really peppery.

12 Mile Training Hike

We did our 12 mile training hike on Saturday- out and back in Penasquitos Canyon.  It was a lovely and cloudy 60 degrees at the start and only 64 at the end.  My dogs were barkin' at the end.  I tried to churn my legs over as fast as they could go but I fell behind in the last mile.  I feel really good today though and I'm ready to take on 15. 

No pictures because the mission is to WALK.

Here's a picture just for cuteness sake though.

10 Mile Training Hike

Because we (Nancy, Ingrid and I) are gluttons for punishment, we decided to do a 10 mile training hike the day after we got back from snow backpack. We are training for "The Big 20" to send Carolen off on her PCT thru-hike. In a few weeks, we'll be hiking with her, and her PCT partner Di, from the border to Lake Morena as a big send-off. So in an attempt to not kill ourselves walking 20 miles, we are building up with a 10, 12, and 15 miler beforehand. The goal was to move our legs as quickly and consistently as possible, shooting for over 3 miles per hour. We had a nice flat stretch of trail out at Mule Hill that we walked 5 miles in and 5 miles out. There was one hill towards the end of the 5 miles that was pretty gnarly. My legs were definitely sore and not fresh just out of the snow backpack. We cranked it out though. Ingrid's sister, Ina, also walked and cruised right along. When it was all said and done, we had 2.46 hours of walking time for an average of 3.5 miles per hour. We even ran the last little bit which was a lesson in pain for sure. Nothing like a little self flagellation. No pictures of this one. We were on one mission and one mission only - WALK.

Snow Backpack

This weekend we had the opportunity to do a snow backpack up Mt. San Jacinto. Unfortunately, we didn't actually peak San Jacinto so I still have it on my list to conquer (as I shake my fist up at her craggy face).

We got up at O Dark Hundred to make our way to the tram by 7am. The tram sits at about 3000 feet and rides up the cable to about 8000 feet. I don't like heights so it was not a fun ride. Here's a picture off the internet of what it looks like from the bottom. I was too scared to take pictures en route.



We made it to the top, milled around, and ate snacks for about an hour while we acclimated to the altitude.



Left to right:  Carolen (PCT thru-hiker starting April 5), Ingrid (future Camino thru-hiker), Nancy (bad ass High Sierra hiker), Tina (me, very sore hiker).



Finally we got underway and started hiking. The sky was ethereal and cerulean, the pine trees waved their arms in slow motion, and their scent cleared my mind into the relaxation of the wilderness. My Garmin was not working so I have no idea of actual distances. I believe it was 2.5 miles and 9100 feet to Round Valley where we camped. The initial climb was steep and icy. I didn't have crampons but was able to borrow an extra pair from Doug. They were pretty much worthless. They were too big and the spikes kept sliding to the side of my feet. There was a small amount of snow, maybe a couple of inches. It blanketed the hillsides with the quiet serenity that only snow can provide. It was just beautiful.









The alitude gave me a bit of a headache and my breathing was heavier than normal but I felt good otherwise. We made it to camp in the early afternoon and set up our tents. Nancy, Ingrid and I scouted out a snow-free patch of ground quite a bit away from the main group. Carolen and Donn were just above us.





We thought we were going for another hike but our fearless leader took a nap in the sun and we didn't get moving till about 4pm. Apparently, he was feeling pretty sluggish and woozy from the alitude and needed a litte rest. We just hung out in the sun and relaxed for awhile.



We planned to go up Wellman's Divide and I believe we made it about halfway but the sun was going down and I think we were all pretty headachey so we turned back. I know my head was pounding on that ascent. Advil city, baby.







We got water to filter from the spring and it was actually clear, not like the urine water of the last trip.



Dinner time arrived and the cooking commenced. I had a chicken, spinach and tomato stew that I had dehydrated at home. Although it was quite tasty when I initially made it, it tasted alot like vomit when reconstituted. Barf! I took one bite and was like No Way can I eat that crap. I think maybe the chicken made it a litte dicey. Good thing I had a Mountain House beef stew as a back-up. That's my first epic dehydrating Fail. Oh well, that's what these little one nighter outings are for- to test stuff!



Of course, the usual honey bourbon was consumed but Nancy took it one step further and brought cinnamon whiskey. Holy smokes, that was so good in hot chocolate! Speaking of Nancy, her feet got cold so she changed her socks and then put turkey bags on her feet to keep them warm. Her new trail name is Turkey Bags. LOL!



The moon came up, full and bright, over the treetops. I gazed up, mesmerized, by her translucent beauty. March is the month of the Full Worm Moon, named so by the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. At the time of this spring moon, the ground begins to soften and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. In some regions, this is also known as the Sap Moon, as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins.





Finally my feet were getting too cold so it was off to the tents at about 8pm. I busted out the toe and hand warmers and was soon nice and toasty. Our tents happened to be on a mild slope and we spent the night sliding down the hill and clawing our way back up inside our tents. I got up about 3am to go pee and realized my water hose had gotten stuck underneath something and leaked water all over the inside of my tent. ARGH! My sleeping pad and bag were wet. Luckily I had my clothes on the opposite side of the tent so they didn't get wet. I really need to get a locking valve for that mouthpiece.

The next morning dawned sunny and chilly.



There's some water filtering going on somewhere in this picture- haha!



Our leader, Dr. Joe, told us to be ready to start hiking at 9:30 so we lazed around and took our time. Ate breakfast, drank coffee, and enjoyed our little haven in the woods. We had all our stuff packed up and ready to go at 9:35 however, several people were not ready, including Dr. Joe.

We didn't start hiking until about 10:30. The hike took us off trail and cross country to the base of Cornell Peak. Walking in snow off the beaten path is hard work. So then we had the option of waiting at the bottom or climbing Cornell Peak (google says the elevation is 9750 feet). Those who had already climbed it, chose to stay behind, and those of us who had not done it, went on up. There was no trail up this mountain. We essentially traversed the side of the mountain, taking several breathing breaks, because it was no joke! We made it to the saddle and the rest of the way was rock climbing.





Ingrid and I were not terribly excited about this part but we did it. Rock scrambling and climbing to the top, don't look down! Try to find good toe and hand holds.



We made it to the top and the views were just spectacular. Doug and DJ decided to be fearless and laid down backwards over the edge. Ingrid and I couldn't even look. What a bunch of crazies!









Coming back down was the worst part. Dr. Joe had to tell us where to put hands and feet. Nothing like a little vertigo for breakfast! We made it down at last. I'm glad to have accomplished that but I won't do it again.



We met back up with the rest of the group and then began our descent into Tamarack Valley and back to the tram. My legs were fried from Mt. Cornell and I took a little spill on the steep path. My right foot just flew out from under me, I couldn't correct, and the rest went down. Thankfully, I didn't break a hip or anything. The last hill to get back to the tram was gnarly. Nancy and I took several breaks but Ingrid powered on up the hill. I called out to her to tell her we had stopped and she yelled back "I can't stop!" LOL! We made it back up through the throngs of tourists and that was the end. BTW, that's an interesting feeling being a backpacker in the midst of regular society. I felt sort of like an oddity as we climbed that last hill. We got a lot of comments and stares. Then when we were on the tram going down, trying to jostle for position with the backpacks, and stinking up the joint, it was definitely an interesting perspective.

Back home to peel off the long underwear and cold shower because it's hotter than the hinges of hades down here!  

Mountain Backpack

This weekend my wilderness class had a mountain backpack that took us out to Pine Valley. We had a heavy storm moving through which meant we were about to get a good rain experience. We all met at a diner to have breakfast and it turned out that another group, who was going to be in a nearby area, only had two people show up so we ended up combining groups for a total of 15+ backpackers.





It was pouring rain while we were at the diner and we all wondered why the heck we were doing this! I kept telling myself that I was going to get some good experience in bad weather and just tried to keep positive. I did have moments where I thought I was out of my freakin' mind though.



By the time we got the group sorted out and permits rearranged, it was 9am. We caravanned to the trailhead and parked the cars. Little did we know we would be seeing these cars again very soon! The leaders had to change up the hike because of the weather so we ended up doing a giant loop that took us straight through the parking lot again! We set up our tents in a meadow just past the parking lot and we could still see the cars as we camped. Not exactly a total wilderness experience!









We had a nice diverse mix of backpackers but Bill was my favorite. He had no rain gear but rather a red poncho and a hand-made rain hat that he fashioned out of a garbage bag, packing tape, and binder clips. The rain poncho kept blowing up over his head so he couldn't see where he was walking. He ended up putting a garbage bag over that and using a piece of twine for a belt to keep things from blowing around. Even though he had no rain gear, he managed to get himself a brand new Jetboil stove and hadn't figured out how to put it together yet. He screwed the pieces on all wrong and couldn't get it to work so I helped him reconfigure and showed him how to ingite it. He got his water boiled and mountain house lasagna cooked and all was well with the world. Excellent sense of humor and super sweet guy. He said it may not look like he knows much about the Jetboil but he can make a good stir fry. LOL.





We practiced map and compass skills again as we walked. I still don't get it.







We had a little creek crossing to get to an old miner's foundation. This area was riddled with old gold mines. I was fascinated thinking about how the old miner's lived and what they must have gone through. We were able to crawl into a mine and shuffle in a bit. I just can't imagine going to a job every day in a dark tunnel being exposed to all the crap and fumes and Lord knows what else is back in there. What a hard life. There was condensation on the ceiling in the mine that was beautiful and crystalline. Completely out of place in the dank, dark, mustiness. We also saw bat poops but no bats, thank goodness.













We made it back through the parking lot, where Nancy was working hard on the leaders to let her get her ugg boots out of the truck but they said No Way! We harrassed the leaders for the rest of the trip about the cars. We ended up camping in a meadow probably not even a half mile from the parking lot. Those ugg boots were literally within arms reach.





Once we got our tents set up we went on another 3ish mile hike to filter water. Nancy and I both had our mini Sawyer Squeeze filters. I used a smart water bottle to fill up in the creek and then screwed the filter to the top of the bottle and then squeezed it into my platypus bladder. Seemed to work very well and didn't take long at all. Even after filtering, the water looked like urine though. That was a little hard to get past. I took a swig and it tasted fine so I just put the urine aspect out of my mind and guzzled it down.







The weather was actually not too horrible. It did pour rain and was pretty windy for the first part of the day but my rain gear kept me totally dry and I was really impressed. I actually had a more pleasant time, hiking-wise, than on the desert backpack. I believe the high was about 47 degrees. Amazing what a difference in temperature can do.







My garmin said we had 8 miles on the day but Michelle's GPS said 6.27 so we were probably somewhere in between. I kept the garmin running while I went into the mine, during my pee breaks, and while setting up my tent so my number is surely inflated.



We got back to camp and got ourselves situated. The leaders had set-up a tarp so we could all sit under and cook our dinners. We all had brought appetizers to share - Nancy's Jalapeno Pie (SO GOOD), dried fruits, salami, cheese, jerky, cookies, crackers, etc. I also shared some honey bourbon :-) I was too full to finish my actual dinner- dehydrated quinoa and black eyed peas with a little bit of smoked salmon. Delicious!



About 7ish I started getting too cold so it was time to hunker down in the tent and warm up. It poured rain on and off all night. My little annoying tent held up so well in the rain that I was totally shocked. No leaks at all! It took me about an hour to warm up, but after I got warm, I was snug as a bug in a rug. The next day, Nancy said she had heard something walking around and breathing so that was a bit freaky. Wonder what it was?





Next morning I stayed in my sleeping bag longer than usual because it was so nice and toasty. I wasn't ready to get cold! Dennis had checked the weather for Pine Valley at about 1am while he was at work and it said 37 degrees, rainy and windy. Finally I trundled off to sit under the tarp and made my oatmeal and coffee. YUM, COFFEE!

We went for a short 2 mile hike but it was pretty taxing. Bushwhacking, crawling over downed trees, mud, fighting through dense underbrush, and another little creek crossing. It was a blast! I felt like I was back in Oregon with the misting rain, lush undergrowth, fresh lilac scented air, and fog enshrouded hills.









We got back to camp and packed up. Someone asked "Is 2 liters of water enough to get back to the cars?" OMG, we laughed so hard at that. We trekked the under half a mile back to the cars and that was it! Back home to a nice hot shower.