My trail journal

Posted by: haikublue

My trail journal - 02/24/08 09:25 PM

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=216313

This is my JMT journal... finally. I also plan to get my photos on an album and will put that out when I have accomplished that. It is a bit long winded...like my posts...so skim for important stuff...take what you want...leave the rest! Thanks again to everyone on this Board who answered every tiny or big question I had before I left!
Posted by: phat

Re: My trail journal - 02/25/08 09:55 AM


Not even close to long winded. It's wonderful!!! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Bearpaw

Re: My trail journal - 02/25/08 03:11 PM

Excellent Journal! I look forward to getting back out there again in 2009, when I will wrap up the parts of the TRT I didn't finsh this past summer, then head into the Tahoe-to-Yosemite Trail from Meeks Bay to Tuolomne, and finally walk the JMT to Whitney. Your journal makes me look forward to it even more! Thanks.
Posted by: leadfoot

Re: My trail journal - 02/25/08 03:45 PM

awesome! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Pretty empowering, isn't it? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: haikublue

Re: My trail journal - 02/25/08 05:58 PM

It really, really is. I smile just reading it over again!
Posted by: haikublue

Re: My trail journal - 02/25/08 06:13 PM

I felt really bad for you before I left and you were already having trouble. How is your ankle now (better than mine I hope!)
Posted by: Bearpaw

Re: My trail journal - 02/25/08 08:54 PM

The ankle has done pretty well on days of up to 12 miles so far. I will find out next month when I do the Bartam Trail, 102 miles through the Carolina Mountains in 9 days. If it holds up well to 10+mile days several days in a row, I'll know I'm back in the long-distance game.

Thanks for asking.
Posted by: wandering_daisy

Re: My trail journal - 02/26/08 07:38 AM

A great trip report! I do not know why you ever doubted you could do it. Way to go. What are you going to do this summer?

You have inspired me to add a few more personal comments to my own trip reports. It does not matter how experienced we are or what level of trip we do, it all boils down to those thousand conversations within our heads that push us on, drag us down, or lift us up.
Posted by: OregonMouse

Re: My trail journal - 02/26/08 08:53 PM

Great journal, haikublue! Are you still planning the Wonderland for this summer?
Posted by: haikublue

Re: My trail journal - 02/26/08 11:09 PM

I am hoping to do the Wonderland if my ankles repair enough!
Posted by: mockturtle

Re: My trail journal - 02/27/08 11:36 AM

Great journal, Niki! Very inspiring! I'm too old to do a strenuous hike like the JMT but it helps inspire me to lesser feats. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Posted by: Pika

Re: My trail journal - 02/28/08 05:39 AM

Haikublue: I am reading a bit of your journal every day in anticipation of my hike. I am trying to ration the reading a bit to make it last. Somehow, seeing the trip though your eyes makes my upcoming trip seem far more real than just an anticipated start date and a list of logistical arrangements to be taken care of. You have a good eye for detail and a sensitive approach to our environment; I hope to follow in your footsteps both literally and figuratively. Many thanks!

Right now, I am trying to figure out how to get 12 days worth of food into a BV 400 for the MTR to Whitney Portal leg plus side trips part of the journey. I am currently considering using a hydraulic press to compress things. I remember when you were having the same problem; I'm not quite so casual about the issue now that I'm facing it!
Posted by: wandering_daisy

Re: My trail journal - 02/28/08 11:41 AM

Go on a diet! No, seriously, here are some suggestions.

My experience is that you often can find food left in bear boxes that people give away. In the past, the ranger at Crabtree Meadow used to have a stash of food that she gave to people short on food. You could pack for 10 days and beg, borrow or steal two day's food! Most people take too much anyway so I think you would be OK. I have no pride - I have begged food off overloaded backpackers before!

Also check the location of all bear boxes. There should be a list on the internet. You may consider taking some of your non-perishable food into one of these on a separate trip before your JMT trip.

The other thing I have done (but it is not legal) is get the most important food in the cannister and counter-balance hang the remaining. Within a few days you should be able to fit all inside. Camp off the trail and a hidden spot - bears frequent the known sites and you are less likely to get cited for "improper" food storage if nobody sees you. What I left hanging was olive oil, sport drinks, coffee and tea, and other stuff that I could do without if it came to that and stuff that did not smell. There are smell-proof plastic bags too.

The ranger station at Kings Canyon (Cedar Grove) has some Bear-i-kades for rent - they may have an expedition size one. It is pricy because they charge more for the Bear-i-kades. These larger cannisters weigh the same as the BearVault.

I have in the past crammed 11 days food in a BearVault but I had to be extremely careful about bulk - for example all breakfasts of Malt-o-meal because it takes less room than oatmeal! Couscous is less bulky than pasta. Dried fruit and nuts is less bulky than trail bars.
Posted by: Trailrunner

Re: My trail journal - 02/28/08 12:04 PM

My situation will be similar to yours Pika. I'm resupplying at Muir Trail Ranch and my food may exceed the capacity of my canister. As Daisy suggested I plan to use bear boxes for the first night or two out of MTR.......and eat a lot!!!!
Posted by: Pika

Re: My trail journal - 02/28/08 02:10 PM

Quote:
The other thing I have done (but it is not legal) is get the most important food in the cannister and counter-balance hang the remaining. Within a few days you should be able to fit all inside. Camp off the trail and a hidden spot - bears frequent the known sites and you are less likely to get cited for "improper" food storage if nobody sees you.

This is the approach that I had in mind, that and the use of bear boxes where available. I was considering putting an Ursack in the MTR re-supply package and hanging it when I camp in the out-of-the-way locations I much prefer. Of course, I would never do anything illegal. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have managed ten plus days in my Bear Vault but I'm finding that storage space in them is finite. And, yes, I generally take too much food on trips. But, I think I have that factored into my food planning and it is still a really big pile. I was on half rations for the last six days when I last hiked the JMT in 54. Don't want a repeat of that. I was in my late teens then and what with the food I needed to grow plus that that I needed to keep me moving; I almost ate Lone Pine out of food when I got back to civilization.
Posted by: haikublue

Re: My trail journal - 02/28/08 05:07 PM

It really was a challenge...and I didn't meet it that well (as you will read in my journal!) I did have success with the odor proof bags that I used for overflow those first few nights. I was never bothered by a bear...but that could have been completely coincidental!
Posted by: haikublue

Re: My trail journal - 02/28/08 05:09 PM

I am so excited for both of you! Even now, taking the time to put my journal on line allowed me to re-live one of the best adventures of my life! I like the idea of thinking of you guys out there hiking your hike while I am teaching summer school or out on my own hike. I will definitely send you good thoughts!
Posted by: Ulhiker

Re: My trail journal - 02/29/08 09:50 PM

Is it true that south of MTR, that bear canisters are recommended, but not required, for a certain distance before reaching the Whitney area,or did I read this wrong somewhere?
Posted by: Pika

Re: My trail journal - 03/01/08 05:00 AM

I think that as soon as you cross the Piute Creek bridge and enter the park, bear cannisters are required. If that is not correct, I would like to hear about it; it would make packing a bit easier for the last southbound leg.
Posted by: kevonionia

Re: My trail journal - 03/01/08 06:32 PM

haikablue:

Did it different from Pika and read your journal start to finish in one sitting (helps to be at home with the flu). Great trail journal! And really liked your insights and observations, especially your conclusions on the final page. That hike and the journal are two substantial accomplishments.
Posted by: Trailrunner

Re: My trail journal - 03/02/08 01:41 PM

MTR is within the confines of Sierra National Forest, a jurisdiction where canisters are recommended but not required:

"Proper Food Storage
Backcountry and wilderness users are required to store food or refuse in a manner designed to keep bears from gaining access to it. Visitors are encouraged to use bear-resistant food canisters to safeguard food. If a bear canister is not available, the counter-balance method of storing food is also an acceptable method."

But the party ends about 3 miles south as you enter SEKI, just as Pika said.
Posted by: azcanyon

Re: My trail journal - 03/02/08 06:18 PM

Quote:
But the party ends about 3 miles south as you enter SEKI, just as Pika said.

Is that right? I know the park service strongly encourages the use of canisters in SEKI, but I thought they were only officially required in Dusy Basin, Palisades Basin, and Rae Lakes area. The link is here; for some reason the pdf map won't open for me, but you can check it out, Pika.
Posted by: Trailrunner

Re: My trail journal - 03/03/08 10:25 AM

It looks like I stand corrected AZ. I thought canisters were required in more of the Park. Once when I picked up a permit for Pear Lake I was required to have a canister. And that area is well outside the required areas on the map.

Sorry if I misled anyone.
Posted by: azcanyon

Re: My trail journal - 03/04/08 02:53 PM

Yeah, it may require some thinking ahead (and some groaning as you hoist a 12-day ration!), but you and Pika should be fine by choosing among the various bear-box/hanging/odor-reducing strategies for a few days until you are able to cram the can with the remaining food. As an added bonus, you'll probably even be legal. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />