Continental Divide Trail: Day 2 – 22 miles (39 miles from Mexico)

Posted on April 18, 2015 by sheraaaa

Whew. They say the tag line for the CDT is “Embrace the Brutality” but I think today the brutality embraced me.

I have been literally unable to sleep the past week. I must be getting some sort of rest because I am able to function, but man, it was a looooooong sleepless night of looking at the stars and trying to convince sleep to pay me a visit. I’m hoping something changes soon because I need all my energy for this trail.

I started getting ready about an hour before sunrise, making coffee and packing up, and hiked the first bit while drinking from my french press mug. I’m glad for the extra weight so far!

The first half of the day was a cross country section, marked by posts with CDT markers on them. The trail traverses just below a mountain range, and when I lost the posts I didn’t mind as I just had to keep the range to my left. Well, I did a fair amount of bushwacking while navigating up and down and around all the drainages, cactus, and pokey things. Ouch. My legs got scratched up good!

I worked my way cross country for the first 10 miles until reaching the second water cache the CDTC maintains. The day was HOT and I took a break in a pocket sized shadow of the cache box. I’m tired. That cross country section took a lot out of me.

The sun was brutal, but a pretty steady wind made it bearable. The next four miles continued the cross country, but was easier to nagivate. I was feeling slow with the sun beating down and tried to use my sun umbrella for a bit, but to no avail. The wind was just too stong.

Finally the trail became an old road bed, easy cruising, and I made my way north. I didn’t intend to hike more than 18 mile days, but I decided I could hike more. So far I’ve been hiking about an hour and a half, then take a 30-60 minute break, and hike, break, hike, break, on and on until I’m DONE. Today I aimed to reach a water source so I could camp with water. It was a cow tank with a piped spring that turned on about 7pm, so I was able to fill from the pipe instead of the dung-infested dirt tank.

I wanted to camp near by, and with the increasing clouds I decided to set up my tarp. Uggg, broke one of my stakes trying to pound it into the rocky ground, so decided to use rocks as anchors, but the wind was so strong nothing would stay. Uggggggggg. I found a spot with a windbreak behind the tank to cowboy camp, but then I envisioned getting trappled by cows in the middle of the night, so limped on a bit farther down the trail and tucked myself in between two sage bushes. I won’t set up my tarp tonight, but keep it close in case I need to wrap myself like a burrito if it does rain.

I’m terribly tired, my legs are scratched up and I’ve got a few blisters, but getting to camp, making my mac & cheese and tending to my wounds perks up my mood. There’s nothing like a full stomach and self-care to make the world right again.

It’s another day in the desert tomorrow. I hope I can sleep.

Continental Divide Trail: Day 1 -17ish Miles

Posted on April 17, 2015 by sheraaaa

Day 1 – 17ish miles

I’m on the CDT!

What a relief to finally be on trail and find my body remembers what this is all about. The walking, the sun, the water, the maps, I love it all!

After another sub-par night of sleep, I woke to my alarm at 5:30am…just enough time to pack up, hit the continental breakfast at the Econolodge in Lordsburg, and meet Teresa, Val, and Juan who would be shuttling us to the border.

Getting to the start of the CDT is not an easy task. While there are traditionally three spots folks can start the trail on the Mexican border, two are not ideal, either passing through private property, or containing looooong road walks. The Crazy Cook monument is the spot most people start, and it is in the middle of freaking no where.

The Continental Divide Trail Coalition offers shuttle service to the border, and since I’m their trail ambassador this year, I was able to catch a ride down the day before the official shuttle service started. So did Bearclaw, Dirtmonger, and True with her dog Billy. For $120 the CDTC will take hikers the 3 hour drive over nasty rutted dirt roads to Crazy Cook, and will also maintain 5 water caches for hikers along the 84 trail miles to Lordsburg. A real deal considering others offering rides charge more and don’t cache water for you.

We loaded up the vehicles and were off! FINALLY.

We rolled up to the border about 10am, and yes, the road is nasty. We all took obligatory photos, turned around, and set off!

The first few miles were cross country, but posts with big CDT symbols made it easy to navigate the great wide open. I had a perma-grin on my face the whole day. I’m on the CDT!!

Soon the trail started following a dirt road and I hiked a bit with Bearclaw & Dirtmonger…taking lunch with them in a dirt wash. Oh life! Dirt and trail food and sweat!

We all played leap-frog with eachother the rest of the afternoon, in and out of deeply cut washes. The sandy-rocky footbed was pleasent and flowers of the brightest yellow and deepest purple carpeted the desert in places.

We’ve heard the desert is greener than it has been in a while due to a wet winter. Score!

I caught up to Bearclaw & Dirtmonger once again at the first cache, and found Rambler, who had decided to hike south from Lordsburg.

Filling up on a few liters of water, I set off for an evening stroll. I had carried more water than i needed from the border, and have much too much food, but hey! Other than that the first day went amazingly.

A bit before dusk I cleared out some rocks for a place to sleep; I’ll cowboy camp (sleep out in the open without a shelter) since the sky is fairly clear. I have my shelter handy in case it does decide to rain tonight, but i want to be out in the open, I want to watch the stars twinkle into existance as the sun sets (right now!) and soak in my first day on the CDT.

Almost on the Continental Divide Trail

Posted on April 12, 2015 by sheraaaa

What a whirlwind few days! Since arriving in Silver City on Friday afternoon it has been a smorgasbord few days of connecting with hikers I’ve known on past thru hikes, meeting new hikers that will be on the trail this year, and soaking in the goodness of Silver City, NM.

Upon arriving at our destination on Friday afternoon, we immediately headed to the Little Toad Brewery where they were not only holding a happy hour celebration for us, but unveiling a special beer just for the CDT, the Divide Trail Ale! Yum.

Hikers united over good beer, a killer raffle, and a kick-ass band playing everything from Tom Petty to Heart and everything in between.

A pie from Pie Town was part of the raffle...and devoured in seconds

We danced, ate pie, and lived to tell the tale.

Saturday was a full day of vendor booths, where I sold a grip of hikertrash swag, and connecting with the community who came out in full force to see what this thru-hiking crowd was all about. And I have to say, this is one of the most welcoming communities I’ve ever hiked through (ok, I haven’t hiked through yet…that will be in a week or two, but you know what I mean.) Kids and teens and families and retirees came out to see what we were all about, and as they marveled at the weird but interesting hikers that had descended on their town, and we marveled at the eclectic, artistic, and truly beautiful community we found.

I had a chance to reconnect with multiple folks: Erica, one of my trail crew from a season building trails in Colorado 8 years ago was now working at the Little Toad; Bams, a thru-hiker I met on the PCT in 2006 was now a brewer at the Little Toad; and Restless, another 2006 PCT thru-hiker who is also hiking the CDT this year and who had already hiked into Silver City from the border of Mexico. Mint!!!! One of the things I love most about hiking over the years is running into trail friends in the most unexpected (in this case expected) times. I hadn’t seen any of these folks since we spent time on the trail together years ago. And we can pick up where we left off. Nice.

Ericotter and I built trails together 8 years ago.

Bams & Restless

Today we had a mellow start of breakfast, putzing around, and then a short hike with some folks from Silver City. It was wonderful to connect with everyone and tell stories from our numerous hikes. Snorkle, Bearclaw, and I regaled the local hikers with our experiences, and we got to enjoy a real connection to the area. Very nice.

The most excellent day was ended with a massive bbq at Carol & Richard’s dome paradise, some wonderful trail angels; the Warrior Hikers and more came together and we ate ribs and watched the sun set over the New Mexico desert. This is what it is all about.

I set up my new SMD Deschutes Cuben Fiber shelter for my first night under the tarp, and will sleep long and dark and dream of the trail which is close enough to touch.

The Serindipitious Travel Day

Posted on April 10, 2015 by sheraaaa

Leaving home is bitter sweet, especially when you have an amazing man to say goodbye to for a while. But, as luck would have it, I had a few serendipitous encounters on the plane rides over to Tucson yesterday.

I sat next to the one person I knew on the plane ride from Bend to LA; I had worked with David Rosell on and off over the past four years at Cascade Publications, and had a great time talking adventures…he’s an avid traveler as well.

On the plane ride from LA to Tuscon, just as I was getting settled in my seat, my seat-mate sat down saying, “I’m hikertrash!” I was wearing my new “Ode to Ridgewalking” hikertrash hat, and as I got to know Michael I learned he had done big sections of the AT, the Tahoe Rim Trail and more. What are the chances that the one person i sit next to on the plane is another long distance backpacker?

The day gathered steam when I arrived in Tuscon and Dangerprone picked me up at the airport. I met Dangerprone and her husband Hawkeye on the PCT when I spent a weekend near Elk Lake giving out trail magic back in 2008. At the time I was planning to thru-hike the Arizona Trail the next year, so they immediately offered their assistance in Tuscon the next year.

Ok!

In fact another couple I met that year, Slowride & Shake n Bake also lived in Tucson and had already hiked the AZT. Trail magic provides!

The two couples planned a hiker dinner last night, and as friends Allgood & Snorkel were driving in to pick me up for the CDT kickoff in Silver City, we had a whole crew of backpackers telling stories and drinking beer. Have I mentioned I love the hiking community?

Now we are enjoying copious cups of coffee before our drive to NM. DUDE! EXCITED!

Getting ready FEVER

Posted on April 5, 2015 by sheraaaa

So much to do!

So little time!

I’ll be ready…fortunately these cupcakes make it easier to keep plowing through the to do list:

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Erin “Hummingbird” Miller is a genius.

What is hikertrash?

Posted on March 31, 2015 by sheraaaa

When Daniel “Ratatouille” Hepokoski first contacted me because he was interested in covering the topic of “hikertrash” on his new podcast series, Trailside Radio, I was happy to oblige…trying to define hikertrash for those who aren’t hikers can sometimes be a confusing discussion. Yes, it makes sense why we self identify as dirty on a long distance trail, but Ratatouille, like others I’ve spoken to over the years, wasn’t sure he wanted to call himself trash.

Thus the podcast. What is hikertrash?

Ratatouille will be getting on his first long distance trail, the PCT, in a few weeks, and will be attempting to continue this podcast series; an ambitious but exciting proposition. When he asked me why someone would want to call themselves hikertrash, I suggested he hike for a month and then we revisit the issue.

Take a listen to the Trailside Radio podcast:

Thanks for listening!

To expand on the podcast a bit, here are some photos detailing more about my hikertrash origin story:

My first screen: a curtain stapled onto a picture frame from goodwill.

My first designs included bikes and a kayak for Kirk, ever the water lover.

The first designs included mostly bikes. Did I mention I love bikes?

Back in 2009 on Lint‘s second thru-hike of the PCT I printed my first “hikertrash” on his pack when he passed through Bend.

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Kirk helped me build a screen printing press out of 95% recycled materials for 2014’s PCT Days.

Now we make a variety of products in a rainbow of colors.

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and TEMPORARY tattoos! (I love temporary tattoos)

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Hikertrash has had a good first year…2 trips to the OR Show and hikers wore our hats on the triple crown trails. Dude!

Brian and I continue to come up with new designs (this one will be available soon!)

and I’ll be gathering more design ideas on the CDT in a few short weeks

As I said, getting dirty on the trail is the big equalizer. we are all hikertrash.

The creativity of being

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sheraaaa

I spoke a bit before about the flow of hiking, and how walking long distances seems to unlock some well of creativity, but I think it might be bigger than that. I haven’t been hiking yet this year…I’ve only been in the preparation phase the past few months (heck, really, the past few years), but the ideas keep coming.

Whether it’s new designs for hikertrash:

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I call it the Ode to Ridgewalking

Or making my own gear:

Kirk has been gear designer for years…I enlisted his help again in my quest to get as much out of the 3 yards of cuben fiber that I ordered from Zpacks as possible. (Kirk is wearing the first design I ever screenprinted…tall bike!)

We came up with some patterns…

And I mapped out the cuts we’ll make so we can make sure to use every inch.

And screenprinted the tall bike on the new stuff sack.

So I haven’t been hiking yet, but ideas keep coming…so there has to be something else. Hiking helps with the flow of ideas, but the source is probably more in the lines of: I’m living the kind of life I want to live…and a few examples happen to be making cuben fiber gear, creating new designs for hikertrash, and planning for a long, long hike. Of course freedom plays a big roll here…I’m on the cusp of having no job for the first time in years. The absence of that tether is incredibly powerful too.

I’m excited to hike, yes. Excited to grow my business (hikertrash), heck my businesses (freelance writing, designing, hikertrash), but even more excited that they are all interrelated, and all feed into one another. But even more than that, I’m excited to be. To be, and to be doing what I love.

Maybe that is where creativity comes from.

Thank YOU!

Posted on March 16, 2015 by sheraaaa

Wow, the CDTC fundraiser we put on last week was a great success! We filled the seats and raised over $1,300 for the trail. I’m grateful for friends, co-workers, and everyone who was just plain curious about these crazy people who quit their jobs to go hike across the country…again and again and again. And for all my sponsors and supporters for donating some amazing items to the raffle, thank you!

But don’t take my word for it, here some some pics (courtesy of Robert Curzon):

Tons of items were donated to the raffle

This ladies package was really popular! Jewelry by Bronwen Jewelry, Sierra Sage products, Go Macro bars, Salazon Chocolate, a Purple Rain Skirt & Pro Knot card.

Our breakfast raffle bundle had coffee & hazelnuts from Strictly Organic, Breakfast oatmeal/cereal from Straw Propeller, mugs from Stanley & a CDTC shirt!

And the prizes keep getting better, $100 to Desperado, Stanley flask & more…

I put everything in giant zip locks, because zip locks are GOLD on a trail!

Patagonia @ Bend was very welcoming and let us use their beautiful store for the talk.

I shared a bit about why I hike.

And invited Kim (SOL), Sage & Mary (Speedstick) to tell stories from their CDT hikes.

I shared all the gear that I’ll be taking on the trail.

Even the bug condom!

Raffle time!

This little pup really wanted to win the Ruffwear dog bed.

Grady (Fun Size) won the Stanley lunch box, I expect to see him carry that on the CDT this year…

So much fun, now for the hike!!!

Screw it, I’m gonna ski Colorado if I have to

Posted on March 8, 2015 by sheraaaa

The major hurdle for northbound thru-hikers on the CDT pivots on snow levels in Southern Colorado. This is a major point of stress, and rightly so. Stories of thigh-deep post-holing for miles (a veritable swimming pool of spring snow) may sound sweet if you are a skier, but as a backpacker intent on making it to Canada before NEW snow falls on THOSE mountains, anything that slows your pace down to 1 mile an hour deserves the panic. Just ask anyone intent on heading out on the CDT what their snow plan is, and see the wild look that comes into their eyes. It’s a real fear.

My good friend Speedstick had EPIC snow in 2011, her stories made me think…

Since moving to Bend, and taking up several new outdoor sports, backcountry touring has been one of the most enjoyable ways Kirk and I spend time outside. We’re not talking about skiing sick lines off of Broken Top or South Sister, but traveling long distances over snow. Really, it’s backpacking…in winter.

Here we are camping on LaConte Crater (think the volcanic cone on the PCT right at South Sister) in JULY 2011.

Here we are camping on LaConte Crater (…think the volcanic cone on the PCT right by South Sister) in JULY one year.

2010 was a low snow year...my pack was much heaver as we hiked half way into Tilly Jane hut on the east side of Mt. Hood.

2010 was a low snow year…we hiked half way into Tilly Jane hut on the east side of Mt. Hood before the skis went on.

So Kirk and I got to thinking after hearing our friend’s horror stories (or lack there-of because they skipped around the heavy snow sections) about these “spring skiing” conditions on the CDT. Spring skiing is some of the best skiing out there! The snow pack is relatively stable, the air warm, the sky blue, and the snow slushy in the mornings, icy at night. I feel pretty comfortable in those conditions.

And then Kirk, ever the searcher of cool experiences and amazing adventures, commented that he had seen shoe bindings made for polar expeditions that would probably work if I wanted to ski some of Colorado. What!!?!

OF COURSE I WANT TO TRY THAT.

Needless to say I liked his idea, and we decided that some old Atomic Rainier metal-edge touring skis that he had were light, and would work well for the job.

So now to make the binding.

Now please don’t think I’m any sort of McGyver type here. This is all Kirk. I would still be in snowshoes if it wasn’t for this man. He can make anything, and I think we are a pretty damn good team.

He started with a cardboard template.

Now for the webbing and such…

Yep, yep, a little more this way…back an inch…

Now for the plastic.

Ok, yep, this is coming together.

Let add the shoe!

Damn, that Oboz Luna looks good in there, oh and hey, nice socks!

Things came together over the past 4 months. Some of that time was spent sitting on the couch talking about the idea of how great these would be if they worked, but for practicality, I was eager to try them, could this really work?

Cut to this weekend.

Kirk finished up the bindings on Saturday and mounted them on the Atomics. We headed to Dutchman Sno Park for another amazingly clear “spring” day in Central Oregon.

First ski!

I hiked in a ways before putting the skis on (you know…simulating real world conditions!!) Really, how will these skis carry on the back of my pack?? Verdict: very well indeed. The two skis together weigh just over 4 pounds.

STOKE!

I discover my limiting factor will be the strength of my ankles.

All in all a great first run. We started to ski into some more varied terrain, but after falling a few times it sunk in: I was not in my plastic touring boots, I was in low-top trail shoes (no ankle support). I think these shoes will be perfect if I have a deep snowy section of less than a week. If it happens that there is a blizzard Armageddon in Colorado between now and June, and I think I’ll need the skis more than a week or two, I would get high-top hiking boots instead for the extra ankle support. That, however, is unlikely.

Kirk went for it though. Whenever we are out touring he’s always climbing to get in some short runs.

Oh! Maybe some air?

On the ski back we took off layers and again bemoaned the fact that this was the winter that winter didn’t happen, all the while pretty happy to soak up the warm sun on a beautiful day.

Ahhhh, life.

And here’s a short video I put together of the ski.

Rucking it up

Posted on March 4, 2015 by sheraaaa

I spent last weekend at the ALDHA-West Ruck in Cascade Locks. What’s a ruck you ask? It’s on of those German words we’ve appropriated that means backpacking. Although Urban Dictionary tells me it’s a fight, a rugby term, and some other much less inspiring definitions.

Anyway, it was a blast. There were old friends, quite a few hikers who will be on the CDT this year, and I had a chance to sell a bunch of hikertrash stuff.

We love our Purple Rain Adventure Skirts! Oh and Mont-bell put in a good showing among the thru-hikers too. Me, Jill, Focus & Allgood (Focus will be on the CDT too this year, I hope we get to meet up at some point!)

These guys. It was great to catch up with SoFar & Lint.

Hikertrash did really well…

We were trying to look like hikertrash here. Focus & Justa bought our new hat. I had a lot of fun designing this one, should be available for sale in the next month or so in our store.

Six Moon Designs also unveiled their answer for the bankrupt GoLite’s very popular Chrome Dome. This is the Silver Shadow (guess who designed the logo!!). This too will be available in the next month or two.

Oh man, every since we worked together as metal roofers one rainy January in Portland I have missed these two. Love these guys. Metal roofing in January? I wouldn’t recommend it.

So lots of catching up with friends, bolstering my business with new sales, and above all else, getting FREAKING EXCITED to hike the CDT.

Soon.