Today we hippied it up. We walked 14 miles to a lake and while Lauren
swam, I did some stretching (yoga). This lake has some cold water in it.
This didnt stop Lauren from swimming to the middle and back, I will tip
my hat to that.
I didnt sleep super well last night. Drank a lot of water before bed,
so was forced up a couple times. Sometimes its so hard to get up
though. So comfy wrapped up in my down bag. Its also strange to me to be
camped near a large group of folks, and several were gone before
daybreak. We followed shortly, leaving just after 7 AM.
The Sierras slowly showed their true colors today. The colors are
mostly grey! No snow, except in tiny patches high in the mountains. The
meadows are really green still, but I suspect that even the greenest of
meadows will die this year as well. It makes me wonder about a few
things. Will the bears be more actively searching for food? Will there
be fires on the trail further north? And most importantly, will there
still be berries up north? These questions and more ran through my head
today along the dusty trail, only time will answer them.
Lauren's feet were a big part of our discussion today. Her feet have
bothered her everyday so far, but mostly after yesterday's 18 mile day.
I wish we could have trained for this more, hard to get big mileage
days in winter, but we should have tried. We debated for awhile if we
should go into Lone Pine today so Lauren could find new shoes and rest
up her feet, but we opted not to. Instead we will try to hike slower and
skip hiking Whitney in a few days. I have done Whitney before, and
Lauren says shes ok skiippin it. So we will. I just really hope her feet
can handle the beating that our feet are in for. The numbers are
freightening. 2000 miles in just over 100 days. But anything can happen.
Tonight we will enjoy Chicken Spring Lake.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
6/16/12
Slept so well in the tent. Nice and warm with a cool breeze blowing all
night. It feels good to be out again. Woke up early and enjoyed
listening to the birds sing around the tent. At six, I finally woke up
Lauren, and we were hiking by seven AM.
Nice and cool morning as we worked our way up into the mountains. We walked past several hikers camped out. Actually felt like we got an early start. We passed a spot that I remembered being snow packed in 2006, nothing but dust now. This is going to be a totally different experience than 2006. Will our feet ever get wet I wonder?
We took a nice break at a creek with Chameleon and Gut Feeling. Then on to Death Canyon and some nasty water.
We ended up hiking another 6 miles after that for a total of 18 today. It honestly wore me out. I must be carrying 60 pounds now. I am a bit worried about Laurens feet, hope they continue to be ok.. We are camped with a big group, probably 12 of us. Good to be with hikers.
Nice and cool morning as we worked our way up into the mountains. We walked past several hikers camped out. Actually felt like we got an early start. We passed a spot that I remembered being snow packed in 2006, nothing but dust now. This is going to be a totally different experience than 2006. Will our feet ever get wet I wonder?
We took a nice break at a creek with Chameleon and Gut Feeling. Then on to Death Canyon and some nasty water.
We ended up hiking another 6 miles after that for a total of 18 today. It honestly wore me out. I must be carrying 60 pounds now. I am a bit worried about Laurens feet, hope they continue to be ok.. We are camped with a big group, probably 12 of us. Good to be with hikers.
6/15/12
Today we began hiking. It felt so good, cept for the heavy pack! I had 8
days of food, and 4 beers from Denver. It still does not feel as bad as
leaving Hite Marina on the Hayduke Trail with 10 liters of water and 10
days of food! Good times.
Hiking with Lauren is much diferent than hiking by myself. I was mentally prepared for this too. We both have different hiking styles, and different paces. I think it will work, but for now it is honestly difficult for us to find a pace that works for both of us. This is a tough stretch though too. We are carrying a lot of food and working our way into the high Sierras. I feel it today, but I know Lauren feels it more. Her foot is bothering her today, says her arch feels like its falling. This is likely the most weight she has carried! We are going to redistribute the weight tomorrow, I will take her food and bear canister, she will take the tent. We are in this together, and she will help me out some way along this crazy adventure as well.
The trail brings back memories of 2006. Missing the folks I hiked with. Also excited to meet new folks. Today we met T-Rex, Sunshine, Jeff, Gut Feeling, and Young Geezer. All great people to spend time with. It makes me feel at home, hikers are truly the best. I once again feel so lucky to be able to do what I am doing. Hard to imagine another 3 months with no work or school, but I am stoked for it.
The South Fork of the Kern River was the highlight of my day. It feels like the gateway to the Sierras. Its in a meadow, high mountains in the background, and the swallows fly around like jets on a bright blue sky. We spent time here watching the birds, meeting new hikers, and washing off in the river. Hard to beat.
We made 13 miles today, big climb tomorrow sending us up over 10,000 feet. I cant wait.
Hiking with Lauren is much diferent than hiking by myself. I was mentally prepared for this too. We both have different hiking styles, and different paces. I think it will work, but for now it is honestly difficult for us to find a pace that works for both of us. This is a tough stretch though too. We are carrying a lot of food and working our way into the high Sierras. I feel it today, but I know Lauren feels it more. Her foot is bothering her today, says her arch feels like its falling. This is likely the most weight she has carried! We are going to redistribute the weight tomorrow, I will take her food and bear canister, she will take the tent. We are in this together, and she will help me out some way along this crazy adventure as well.
The trail brings back memories of 2006. Missing the folks I hiked with. Also excited to meet new folks. Today we met T-Rex, Sunshine, Jeff, Gut Feeling, and Young Geezer. All great people to spend time with. It makes me feel at home, hikers are truly the best. I once again feel so lucky to be able to do what I am doing. Hard to imagine another 3 months with no work or school, but I am stoked for it.
The South Fork of the Kern River was the highlight of my day. It feels like the gateway to the Sierras. Its in a meadow, high mountains in the background, and the swallows fly around like jets on a bright blue sky. We spent time here watching the birds, meeting new hikers, and washing off in the river. Hard to beat.
We made 13 miles today, big climb tomorrow sending us up over 10,000 feet. I cant wait.
6/14/12 on to the PCT!
What an amazing day it has been. I woke up at 3 AM in Denver, could not
fall back asleep. So I started to get things done. Packed up all of my
stuff to send home after working in Wyoming for 10 days. I also spent
some time watching the city slowly wake up, as I did the same.
I was on a plane by 11. We flew right over the Grand Canyon, and I am pretty sure that I could make out where the Hayduke Trail took us back in April. Hopped off a plane at LAX, with a dream and my backpack. Met up with Lauren at the airport. Our flights got in about an hour apart from each other.
The travel to Kennedy Meadows went sweetly. We were somehow given VIP treatment at the Avis car rental place. We didnt have to wait in the line of 20+ folks, and were okn our way in no time. The traffic in LA was a bugger, but it moved, just slowly, all 8 lanes of traffic.
We were in Ridgecrest at 6, and I honestly had my doubts about making it to Kennedy Meadows tonight. We still had a few errands to run and the pct was another hour+ up 3 different roads and one that was super small, leading from the highway, to the middle of nowhere. We started hitching at 7 after dropping the car off. After 30 minutes an Austraiilian firefighter picked us up. Super nice guy, drove out of his way to get us out of town to 395.
Next hitch was about 30 minutes as well. This couple named Chris and Paige picked us up. They were headed right past Kennedy Meadows and gave us a ride the whole way to the campground. They were a really nice couple, coming up here for some offroading. Chris works for CBS doing lighting for shows in hollywood and Paige works for a magazine. I am still amazed that they gave us a ride all the way to Kennedy Meadows, if it werent for them, we would have slept along the highway most likely.
Kennedy Meadows really stirs the emotions. In 2006 I was here for 3 nights, along with many others. It was a high snow year and going into the Sierras with an ice axe (that I did not know yet how to use) was scary. But I made it through. Some of my fondest trail memories happened out there that year. I met so many great people. Now here I am again, this time with the girl I love, in a place I love.
Everything today has worked out great. The stars above us are amazing and the smell of sage brush fills the air. We shared a meal and drank a couple beers from Colorado, and both promptly went to bed. Tomorrow we begin 8 days of hiking towards the high country of the Sierras. Yee-Haw!
I was on a plane by 11. We flew right over the Grand Canyon, and I am pretty sure that I could make out where the Hayduke Trail took us back in April. Hopped off a plane at LAX, with a dream and my backpack. Met up with Lauren at the airport. Our flights got in about an hour apart from each other.
The travel to Kennedy Meadows went sweetly. We were somehow given VIP treatment at the Avis car rental place. We didnt have to wait in the line of 20+ folks, and were okn our way in no time. The traffic in LA was a bugger, but it moved, just slowly, all 8 lanes of traffic.
We were in Ridgecrest at 6, and I honestly had my doubts about making it to Kennedy Meadows tonight. We still had a few errands to run and the pct was another hour+ up 3 different roads and one that was super small, leading from the highway, to the middle of nowhere. We started hitching at 7 after dropping the car off. After 30 minutes an Austraiilian firefighter picked us up. Super nice guy, drove out of his way to get us out of town to 395.
Next hitch was about 30 minutes as well. This couple named Chris and Paige picked us up. They were headed right past Kennedy Meadows and gave us a ride the whole way to the campground. They were a really nice couple, coming up here for some offroading. Chris works for CBS doing lighting for shows in hollywood and Paige works for a magazine. I am still amazed that they gave us a ride all the way to Kennedy Meadows, if it werent for them, we would have slept along the highway most likely.
Kennedy Meadows really stirs the emotions. In 2006 I was here for 3 nights, along with many others. It was a high snow year and going into the Sierras with an ice axe (that I did not know yet how to use) was scary. But I made it through. Some of my fondest trail memories happened out there that year. I met so many great people. Now here I am again, this time with the girl I love, in a place I love.
Everything today has worked out great. The stars above us are amazing and the smell of sage brush fills the air. We shared a meal and drank a couple beers from Colorado, and both promptly went to bed. Tomorrow we begin 8 days of hiking towards the high country of the Sierras. Yee-Haw!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
PCT!
If you haven't already heard, your unhealthily adventurous friends Lauren and/or Andrew are hiking 2,000 along the mountains of California, Oregon, Washington and Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail...and we hit the trail in only a few days! We'll fly to LA on June 14, drive a rental car two hours north to Ridgecrest, then find a way to Kennedy Meadows and begin our journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. If you're interested in following our tale of joy and suffering, keep reading for more details.
Blogs: Andrew will be updating his journal at http://www.shaggyhikes.blogspot.com/ and Lauren will be using http://laurenbalcken.blogspot.com/ . We plan to update these journals at every town stop, but that depends on internet availability. We'll also get pictures up when we can, also depending on the technology levels of trail towns. Hope for an update every week!
Care Packages: We're already sending ourselves everything we'll need, so please don't send anything unless you want to. We'd LOVE to get a letter or picture - you have no idea how exciting it is to hear from the "outside". Please remember that we carry EVERYTHING on our backs, and sending things home isn't always an option. Here are some welcome items if you feel like sending goodies: Letters and pictures; current magazines and local news; baked goods; candy; cookies (yes, I already said baked goods, but cookies are in a category all their own), that's all I can think of but email me if you're not sure about something. Thanks in advance!!
Mailing Instructions: Lauren's parents have generously agreed to send our resupply packages to 6 towns along the way. If anyone feels the urge to send treats, these towns are the places to send to. Please use US Postal Service, Priority mail, that way the package can be re-directed if we have to change plans. Address packages to both of us - "Lauren Balcken or Andrew Rivers" and send them 10-14 days before our estimated arrival date. Write on your package "Hold for Hiker, ETA __/__/__"
The End: We plan to be in Manning Park, Canada around September 25, give or take. It's NE of the Cascades, near the Canadian Skagit Valley. If anyone is up for a road trip let us know! We're still taking suggestions on how to make our exodus from Canada (and no, we don't really want to walk...).
That's it! If you have any other questions, I'd love to hear them - I haven't thought about much else for weeks so I'm chock-full of trail info. We'll miss everyone of course, even more than we'll miss spending a summer in the mountains of Montana. But adventure calls, and those kinds of calls must be answered while we have the chance. Thank you all for your interest, your love and your constant support - we'll need it all!
-Lauren (trail name TBA) and Andrew (Shaggy)
-THE INFO-
Mail Drops - Deliver hand-outs and happy messages here:
(Hiker Names Here)
Sierra City Country Store (Send by July 5th)
213 Main St
Sierra City, CA 96125
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 7/18/12
(Hiker Names Here) (Send by July 7th)
General Delivery
Belden, CA 95915
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 7/23/12
(Hiker Names Here)
Crater Lake Campstore (Send by August 3rd)
Mazama Village
Crater Lake, OR 97604
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 8/16/12
(Hiker Names Here)
Howard Johnson Inn (Send by August 29th)
Snoqualmie, WA 98068
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/18/12
Dinsmore's River Haven
(Hiker Names Here) (Send by September 1st)
PO Box 374
Skykomish, WA 98288
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/21/12
(Hiker Names Here)
General Delivery (Send by September 5th)
Stehekin, WA 98852
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/26/12
Blogs: Andrew will be updating his journal at http://www.shaggyhikes.blogspot.com/ and Lauren will be using http://laurenbalcken.blogspot.com/ . We plan to update these journals at every town stop, but that depends on internet availability. We'll also get pictures up when we can, also depending on the technology levels of trail towns. Hope for an update every week!
Care Packages: We're already sending ourselves everything we'll need, so please don't send anything unless you want to. We'd LOVE to get a letter or picture - you have no idea how exciting it is to hear from the "outside". Please remember that we carry EVERYTHING on our backs, and sending things home isn't always an option. Here are some welcome items if you feel like sending goodies: Letters and pictures; current magazines and local news; baked goods; candy; cookies (yes, I already said baked goods, but cookies are in a category all their own), that's all I can think of but email me if you're not sure about something. Thanks in advance!!
Mailing Instructions: Lauren's parents have generously agreed to send our resupply packages to 6 towns along the way. If anyone feels the urge to send treats, these towns are the places to send to. Please use US Postal Service, Priority mail, that way the package can be re-directed if we have to change plans. Address packages to both of us - "Lauren Balcken or Andrew Rivers" and send them 10-14 days before our estimated arrival date. Write on your package "Hold for Hiker, ETA __/__/__"
The End: We plan to be in Manning Park, Canada around September 25, give or take. It's NE of the Cascades, near the Canadian Skagit Valley. If anyone is up for a road trip let us know! We're still taking suggestions on how to make our exodus from Canada (and no, we don't really want to walk...).
That's it! If you have any other questions, I'd love to hear them - I haven't thought about much else for weeks so I'm chock-full of trail info. We'll miss everyone of course, even more than we'll miss spending a summer in the mountains of Montana. But adventure calls, and those kinds of calls must be answered while we have the chance. Thank you all for your interest, your love and your constant support - we'll need it all!
-Lauren (trail name TBA) and Andrew (Shaggy)
-THE INFO-
Mail Drops - Deliver hand-outs and happy messages here:
(Hiker Names Here)
Sierra City Country Store (Send by July 5th)
213 Main St
Sierra City, CA 96125
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 7/18/12
(Hiker Names Here) (Send by July 7th)
General Delivery
Belden, CA 95915
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 7/23/12
(Hiker Names Here)
Crater Lake Campstore (Send by August 3rd)
Mazama Village
Crater Lake, OR 97604
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 8/16/12
(Hiker Names Here)
Howard Johnson Inn (Send by August 29th)
Snoqualmie, WA 98068
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/18/12
Dinsmore's River Haven
(Hiker Names Here) (Send by September 1st)
PO Box 374
Skykomish, WA 98288
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/21/12
(Hiker Names Here)
General Delivery (Send by September 5th)
Stehekin, WA 98852
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/26/12
Friday, June 8, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Back in Helena, reflections of the trail!
Well I am back in Helena! It was a wild ride, the Hayduke Trail. Even if I complained a bit in my journal, I loved everyday out there. Even the days I was suffering from stomach problems, I could not ask for a better place to be sick, well... besides a bed with a toilet nearby! But really, it was a great trip. All in all, I walked about 750 miles. I missed nearly 90 miles, due to the stomach problems and bad weather near Tropic. I wore out 3 pairs of shoes, ripped holes in my hat, tent, shorts, rain jacket, and had a mouse chew through one of my stuff sacks.
To future Hayduke hikers: I would first of all recommend doing this trail with at least one other person, at least the first time. Its an extremely demanding trail, requiring you to constantly be thinking of where you are, where you are going, and how the hell you are going to get there. I could not have asked for a better hiking partner. d=rt helped me, I helped d=rt. We shared water, food, fuel, and its always nice to have someone to laugh with, or at. Given that I have hiked the trail once, I would be inclined to try it again solo. It would mean a lot of time completely alone, but it would be interesting.
I believe that we hit this trail at the perfect time. We never had to deal with too much snow. We also had plenty of water. We had a few cold nights and mornings, but nothing that we couldnt handle.
The Hayduke has its challenges to hike. The biggest challenge we saw was the permits. Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, Escalante, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, all require permits to camp overnight. We honestly only took our Grand Canyon permit seriously. Most public areas do not have the funds to have folks out patrolling on a regular basis. We spent over $140 on permits for this trip, and I honestly think that I would probably poach the parks if I did the hike again. A $100 ticket wouldn't be terrible. Sticking to permits for 45 days would be terrible. I would even consider trying to packraft the Grand Canyon. It would be impossible to get a permit, but it would be an amazing addition to the trip.
East to west, west to east. Either way would work on this trip. Hitching across the Colorado River in Marble Gorge could pose a problem. Other than that, there are a few climbs that would be hard to find going Westbound, but it would be okay!
At any rate, here I am back in Helena. Jobless and homeless is not so bad after all! I will be going to Wyoming for an internship in June, right before me and Lauren will take off for the Pacific Crest Trail on June 14th. This year has already been something that I will never forget.
Its 70-80 degrees in Helena right now. I ran the Prickly Pear 30K today! I ran it slower than the last 2 years, but I also did not push myself too hard, and feel better than I did the last 2 years!
To future Hayduke hikers: I would first of all recommend doing this trail with at least one other person, at least the first time. Its an extremely demanding trail, requiring you to constantly be thinking of where you are, where you are going, and how the hell you are going to get there. I could not have asked for a better hiking partner. d=rt helped me, I helped d=rt. We shared water, food, fuel, and its always nice to have someone to laugh with, or at. Given that I have hiked the trail once, I would be inclined to try it again solo. It would mean a lot of time completely alone, but it would be interesting.
I believe that we hit this trail at the perfect time. We never had to deal with too much snow. We also had plenty of water. We had a few cold nights and mornings, but nothing that we couldnt handle.
The Hayduke has its challenges to hike. The biggest challenge we saw was the permits. Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, Escalante, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, all require permits to camp overnight. We honestly only took our Grand Canyon permit seriously. Most public areas do not have the funds to have folks out patrolling on a regular basis. We spent over $140 on permits for this trip, and I honestly think that I would probably poach the parks if I did the hike again. A $100 ticket wouldn't be terrible. Sticking to permits for 45 days would be terrible. I would even consider trying to packraft the Grand Canyon. It would be impossible to get a permit, but it would be an amazing addition to the trip.
East to west, west to east. Either way would work on this trip. Hitching across the Colorado River in Marble Gorge could pose a problem. Other than that, there are a few climbs that would be hard to find going Westbound, but it would be okay!
At any rate, here I am back in Helena. Jobless and homeless is not so bad after all! I will be going to Wyoming for an internship in June, right before me and Lauren will take off for the Pacific Crest Trail on June 14th. This year has already been something that I will never forget.
Its 70-80 degrees in Helena right now. I ran the Prickly Pear 30K today! I ran it slower than the last 2 years, but I also did not push myself too hard, and feel better than I did the last 2 years!
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