In a world of so many great photographers and writers, I am venturing into some unknown territories, leaving comfort zones, finally very willing to practice the art of seeing. By maintaining the practice of posting daily photos, I hope to continue learning about the possibilities that I trust are out there for the taking.
Everyone enjoyed themselves. No one got injured. We all thought the route was difficult, but love how fit we feel after only 5 days of backpacking.
The girls fell in love with backpacking. That made the trip for me. Jen and Melissa are now totally knowledgeable and self sufficient when it comes to going backpacking. I do love teaching.
Sunrise our last morning. Melissa and Jen doing their thing for me in the incredible morning light. We were camped at Trail Camp, just below the 99 switchbacks that lead to Trail Pass and Mt Whitney.
See Ray (real small) way down the fairway up in the right corner?
San Jacinto beyond.
Liked Ray's reflection.
This backpack is worn but I wouldn’t change it for anything. People often make comments about how big it looks but there isn’t another pack that feels as comfortable and carries weight as well as this one on my body. I can’t have any should weight on my back. This pack transfers all the weight to my hips and thank goodness, my hips are still pain free.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning I’ll be carrying this backpack from now until Aug 1st when I’m headed into the Sierra up from Lone Pine, CA. Deep sigh. I am soooo ready to get out there in the mountains.
It's nice to be filling my backpack for a trip.
Diana, Ann, Jen and Ray as we started out this morning. Melissa couldn’t make today’s training hike but we are hoping work doesn’t stand in the way of her going on this backpack too.
Day two of training for our 5 day Mt. Whitney backpack, starting at Horseshoe Meadow above Lone Pine, CA.
6:05:48am day two training with our packs lightly filled with about 15 - 18 lbs. I'm so proud of my husband. He doesn't think his body can do this backpack, but he is willing to train to see if he can do it. And, he did something he's never done before.......exercised early in the morning on a day he is playing golf!!!!
Canon G11. Hate using this camera.
I’m back. My trail partner, Tailwinds, has more time than I do and has posted a re-cap of our John Muir Trail backpack. Click here to view what she has written on her blog.
I will be working on my photos and hopefully post a few tonight. Here is a photo of me and the two best friends anyone could ever have.
Gatekeeper, Tailwinds, and Gottago. Middle Fork Kings River (just south of Le Conte Canyon)
JJ, Gottago and Jason at the southern PCT monument.
Follow the link to see a few more photos from the backpack.
http://gottago.smugmug.com/Travel/Backpacking
The best thing of all happened when JJ stayed with Ray and me last night…….He solved the couple month long problem I’ve had not being able to receive/receive email on my Blackberry. Thanks JJ!
Loaded with 3 liters of water and 2.5 days of food, my backpack weighs in at 33.5 pounds.
It's been said that the more fear a backpacker has, the heavier their pack. hmmmm.
Here are the contents of my hiking partner’s pack:
Photo JJ sent me of his tiny pack and contents.
One thing I know, I won’t run out of food. Yes, I have a fear of not having enough food.
Hoping to blog from the trail.
Bye bye:-)
Ray says that he can smell when my backpack is in the house. Ray really dislikes the smell of backpackers in the car when he picks us up at the trail headed for town and a shower. We backpackers can’t smell ourselves when we are trail dirty, but when I’m not on the trail and I’m clean, I can smell my backpack and all the contents/clothing that come out of the yucky pack. By the way, it’s suggested when we backpackers are hitching a ride to a trail town we attempt to clean up a bit for the poor driver that stops for us. I wonder how many other backpackers carry wet ones and little individually wrapped deodorant packets?
I have once before cleaned this 8 year old McHale pack. I wouldn’t carry another backpack because of the way this McHale carries weight. I just hope it holds up for another 20 years! It just might. But it definitely needed a good cleaning. I brought a brush and laundry detergent into the shower with me this morning. The pack may still look dirty but it no longer smells! There are two emblems sewn on the backpack, one is the McHale logo and the other………Is one of three of the most important items I own. The emblem sewn above the McHale emblem is the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) 2600 mile finisher emblem.
The second of the most important items I own is a plaque a very special friend (I never hear from anymore, and I don’t know why) had made for me after I thru-hiked the PCT in 2002. Under a photo of me on the plaque is written, “If you have a goal you want to accomplish….Just go do it!!!” uffda
And the third of the most important items I own was made for me by my best buddy, LR. I was on an Outward Bound in September, 1977 attempting to learn how to backpack. That’s where I met LR. One of the days during this Outward Bound we all had to do a mountain peak ascent. I got altitude sickness and had the worst time of my life, but made it. A couple weeks after the Outward Bound ended, LR sent me a wall hanging containing two photos of me, one photo where I am exhausted and passed out with my backpack resting next to me, shot after my very first mountain ascent, Mt. Henry in the Sierra. The inscription under the photos reads, ” You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.”
Pack drying, after a good scrub in the shower.
Most backpacker’s carry less weight than I do. It’s been said that the more fear one has, the heavier their pack will be. Well, my base backpack weight is still heavier than most other lightweight backpackers. My base weight, no matter how I try to lesson it, always remains about the same at 21 pounds. But…….my pack carries weight better and lighter than the ultralight backpackers’ packs do with their really light-frame-free backpacks.
Gear layed out that's going back in the backpack.
Boy, this blog was supposed to be about my backpack and gear. I just went down memory lane. Fond memories.