Day 31 – 24 Miles (538 miles from Mexico)

Posted on May 19, 2015 by sheraaaa

Taking the afternoon off was a good idea. My legs felt fresh this morning, and I would need them…a big climb and snow on top was how I would start the day.

And gortex socks win the day! Once I climbed up there was water everywhere. The trail had water, the meadows had water, and then there was the postholing. But my blessed gortex socks kept my feet dry and warm. Ahhhh, I’m in love.

After there was some good cruiser trail…but not before a tedious section of blowdowns. Some required climbing…others going so far around that you couldn’t find the path on the other side. Really makes you appreciate the trail crews!

Then down down down hill for a while, views! Rocks of all colors!

My view tonight is why I’m out here.

Technical Difficulties

Posted on April 30, 2015 by sheraaaa

For some reason my posts from day 11 & 12 went up with nothing in them! I’m working on fixing them…good thing I type them up in another progra! WordPress did this to me before the hike too.

Check back!

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!

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.

Having Fun on a Thru-Hike

Posted on February 21, 2015 by sheraaaa

One of the reasons I keep coming back to long distance backpacking is the pure enjoyment of it all. Sure there is pain, and dirt and a fair amount of suffering, but there is a lot of fun.

When experiences are as intense as thru-hiking can be, you learn a lot about your fellow hikers in those times. Seeing a person’s true colors leads to deep connections that often span years between hikes, and often those most memorable times include a lot of laughter.

Friends, and very funny guys, Squatch and Jester are great at putting those ridiculous moments on film. You should check out Squatch’s series, Walk, Still Walking, Even More Walking and Walked. He caught me on film in Even More Walking at the Hiker Heaven hostel in 2006…while he was interviewing me he was also deploying a fart machine.

Jester’s series Wizards of the PCT and Embrace the Brutality are freaking hilarious, for anyone looking to learn about the non-serious side of thru-hiking, check out these two guys’ movies.

Having fun can include carrying ridiculous things (you gotta find out what the Wizard is in Jester’s movie). I won a whoopie cushion in a raffle at the PCT kick-off in 2006 and carried it for most of the trail.

Why? Cause.

Mags deemed my whoopie cushion not useless, so I carried it.

Yep, still have it on the Oregon/California border, 1700 miles later.

Oh yeah, did I mentioned that I shaved my head prior to hiking the PCT? I had a going away party where for every $5 someone donated to my hiking fund, they could take some scissors to my hair. At the end of the night we shaved it all off and also shaved “PCT” into the back of my head (my friends cut enough of my hair off that I was able to buy the digital camera I took on the trail that year!). That lead to lots more shaving that night…

Why not? Lint did it too.

So one of the best parts of the PCT for me was meeting my dear friend NEMO. That girl knows how to have fun. Along the hike she taught me how to knit.

Really, knitting is a pretty good hobby to have on a long trail. Yarn doesn’t weigh much, and you can make useful things like hats for hikers while you walk!

We would knit on all the passes in the Sierra.

I finished my first hat at VVR for my AT hiking friend little g (he later wore it on his PCT hike!)

Before long we had a whole crew of hikers knitting. We started calling ourselves the High Alpine Knitting Club…here we are on Donohue Pass.

And then there was the sword. When we got to Ashland, NEMO and I decided to see a Shakespeare play (Ashland is well known for their Shakespeare Festival each year). Well, it just so happened that NEMO found a lightweight sword that she had to give me. (My trail name is She-ra after all, Princess of the Power).

I decided to knight her on the street in Ashland. (Yes, those really were our hiking clothes, we would hit up thrift stores along the trail for new duds when our old ones were wearing out)

And I carried that sword to Canada.

The point of all this (oh man, I have so many more stories!) is to have fun on your hike. Sometimes the seriousness of day-to-day life doesn’t allow for ridiculous antics that you can get up to on a long trail.

Life is far too short to be so serious.

Donna Saufley got in on the shaving action in 2006 too.

Bama & NEMO at Hiker Town. Not quite sure what’s going on there.

Calf tats courtesy of NEMO

Transformation as Inspiration

Posted on January 15, 2015 by sheraaaa

What 2015 really means.

The new year, as I expressed in one of my last blog posts, isn’t just about hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 2015, it’s part of a progression I have come to see as normal. Work, hike, study, hike, work, hike, work, work, work, hike, hike.

Yes, my resume to some seems scattered and patchy…and some might see that as flighty and unreliable…but if you ask me, everything I’ve done since college has had a logical progress based on what I’m passionate about.

Like working with the teachers in my village of Zogore, Burkina Faso, during the two years of my Peace Corps service to paint world maps at the schools.

Or getting a masters degree in England in design. Why not! Knowledge!

And leading backcountry trail crews in Colorado.

And helping 3 backpackers lighten up in backpacking class I taught at Portland Community College (hiking part of the Oregon Coast Trail was part of the class!)

Summed up? new experiences, creativity, knowledge, wilderness, optimism, people, passion.

And seeking that has taken different forms: long distance hiking, writing, design, travel, volunteerism, graduate school, real jobs.

But at the core of my progression from Peace Corps to hiking to museum work to grad school to a design job, back to hiking, trail crew, hiking, wilderness therapy, hiking and now a sweet job as the editor of a local arts magazine (and then some more hiking), has been that quest to learn something new, to see a new place, and have a new experience; it has always been a progression.

Sometimes the progression is literal, like hiking from Mexico to Canada on the PCT in 2006.

2015 means continuing the progression.

And I can’t wait to find out what I’ll get up to next!

Finishing up the Ski Tour

Posted on January 14, 2015 by sheraaaa

January 2-3

The last two days of our New Year Ski tour we basked under blue skies.

I watched the sunrise from our tarp for a good hour.

Then chased the first traces sun…the snow was absolutely beautiful

We skied around a bit.

And enjoyed the stunning views.

Taking a break with the best show on earth.

How can I not kiss this man?

The view from camp isn’t bad on the other side either.

The hardest part of the whole trip was putting on cold ski boots.

But all good things must come to an end.

We skied out.

And headed back towards Bend.

Beneath Broken Top

Posted on January 7, 2015 by sheraaaa

January 1, 2015

I can officially say I’m hiking the Continental Divide Trail THIS year!

For those that have had to wait years between thru-hikes, and for friends and family that have heard me go on and on about the CDT in 2015 know what a milestone that is. Three more months of work baby!

Back to the trip…last night we skied about three miles before veering off the main trail to make camp in a small clearing near Todd Lake. We opened one of our beers to toast the New Year (and also lessen the burden in what had become a regrettably heavy pack). For some reason I had grabbed my new Western Mountaineering Ultralight sleeping bag (20 degree) instead of my -20 degree bag, and though the temps hovered around the 20s, my feet were still cold throughout the night. It’s hard to sleep with cold feet. But inspiration struck and I put on the down booties I had packed. Much better.

In the morning we lingered over coffee before hitting the snow.

The day was crystal clear.

And we were lucky to follow tracks most of the way up Todd Ridge.

Our lunch spot proved our first good glimpse of Broken Top.

We made sure to fuel our bodies with the proper nutrition.

And I had to rock the hikertrash hat!

Unfortunately temps rose just over freezing and the sunny patches of snow started to get sticky.

Madness! I stopped to scrape and wax about 10 times in the next hour or two.

And we finally called it good in a sunny meadow with a magnificent view of Broken Top.

And celebrated with another tasty brew.

The snow up here was more wind blown and between the stashes of pow were thick icy layers.

We set up our new Hyperlite mid and dug in a freaking awesome camp complete with snow sofa and table.

Peak to peak.

As the day came to a close we enjoyed a brilliant sunset.

And as the light faded we kept busy with a rousing game of UNO.

A New Year…Starting 2015 by Sleeping on the Ground

Posted on January 4, 2015 by sheraaaa

December 31, 2014

Kirk and I had been watching the weather forecast. I had two weeks off of work and in addition to hibernating from the overwhelming pace of life I’ve gotten myself into lately, I wanted to spend some of it outside. When a few days of sun were expected around the new year, we decided to ski into the Broken Top area in the Three Sisters Wilderness (AKA our backyard).

We both enjoy winter camping; I spent several winters working and camping outside when I first moved to Bend to work in wilderness therapy, so was no stranger to the extras needed to stay comfortable and warm when the temps are low. Kirk, well, Kirk is a hardy soul who doesn’t let things like cold keep him from the mountains. In other words, amazing!

Since he had to work a full day today, we planned on a night-time ski in. The moon is practically full so we probably won’t even need headlamps to ski. The fresh snow and cold temps from the most recent storm pretty much guaranteed great snow conditions for a tour, bring it!

My pile of stuff was growing. Shovel, probe, beacon, and skins, check. Extra layers, extra ground pad, cards, and the usual gear, check. Lots of goodies to bring in the new year: chocolate, beer, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, gummies, check.

We didn’t make it to Dutchman Flat snow park until about 8pm, but we scored: a cloudless, starry sky and a glowing moon. Hefting both of our packs on in the parking lot, we moaned under the weight. Those extra beers and pumpkin cream cheese muffins didn’t sound like such a good idea anymore, but the moment passed and we headed off into the night.