tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389121492009-07-14T15:38:18.400-07:00Diary of a 40-something woman whose trail name is PiperPiperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-3591984166998743952009-07-12T10:30:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:40:05.974-07:00

I did it! I walked all the way to Oregon! When I saw the border sign and trail register up ahead of me, I had tears in my eyes.I woke up to a cold morning. I could see fog in all the valleys below. I was glad to be up high out of it. The mountains I had walked in yesterday were like islands in the sea of fog.The trail descended gently and brought me to the edge of the fog. The wet wind was cold.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-60164607527613558152009-07-11T10:22:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:30:39.825-07:00

We all got up early, except for the guy in the other tent who was just driving by and stopped there to try the pancake challenge the next day. I wonder how he did. I felt really sticky and sweaty and wished I could take a shower but I had no more quarter and wanted to get going by 6am.The climb was steep. The PCT had forgotten long ago about gentle climbs. I realized it was these steep climbs

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-89610204708947103722009-07-10T10:14:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:21:55.392-07:00

I watched movies yesterday and enjoyed a late afternoon rain storm. I slept in the hay in my tent and slept very well.In the morning I went to the cafe, the home of the famous Seiad Valley pancake challenge. Five pounds of pancakes in 45 minutes and their yours for free. I opted for the 2 egg breakfast only with 4 eggs instead of two and an extra English muffin. After eating this breakfast, I

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-69926579246536885852009-07-09T10:02:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:14:48.374-07:00

I thought I had slept in way down in the deep valley. But it was hard to tell. The light started very early and lasted very long at night so far north. It turned out I hadn't slept in at all. I was on the trail by 6 as usual.The trail descended along a creek through thick forest. It was like Middle Earth and I was a Hobbit wit big hairy feet.I stopped at the first footbridge over Grider Creek and

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-75055235004057244862009-07-08T09:53:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:01:55.500-07:00

The trail was a bit of a butt-kicker today. It seemed so steep. I rest-stepped up every hill. I woke up usual time on my lofty saddle. I had been able to see lights in the valley below. My goal was to hike a little more than 1/2 the remaining 45 miles of Section Q.The views right away were gorgeous. I could see the big Marble Mountain far off. I knew I'd get closer because I had seen it in

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-38200117365035581462009-07-07T09:35:00.000-07:002009-07-13T09:53:32.438-07:00

I was awakened by a mosquito in the RV. The tree of us, Pat, Trekker and I went to Rob's for Breakfast. I had the 3 egg breakfast with fruit and biscuits and gravy. I was still hungry so I had 9 grain cereal with walnuts and raisins and about 7 little tubs of jelly, too. I felt like a bottomless pit.We returned to the Alderbrook with our mail. I grocery stopped. I packed up my stuff and waited

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-51794099834020733652009-07-06T13:34:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:54:56.322-07:00

I didn't sleep very well. It had been too much exercise too close to bedtime. But my site was a good one without mosquitoes.I got started like usual and the trail immediately changed. It was no longer the magic carpet or the usual PCT like it had been yesterday. It was old-school, terrible tread, steep hills, awful trail with climbs that went to nowhere and descents that ended nowhere and began

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-81099561171533882902009-07-05T13:21:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:34:29.323-07:00

The hiking in Section P had been so easy. I wished it would always be this easy. The grade had been so gentle it actually was easier to go uphill than down or flat. Nevertheless, it had been generally downhill ever since the Trinity Divide yesterday. At 12:30 I was at Scott Mountain Summit having lunch and I had already gone 18 miles. A climb was coming up and I wondered if it would continue on

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-6384240746064688292009-07-04T13:14:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:21:05.666-07:00

I woke up very early. It was silent. I lay in bed enjoying the quiet. Then the high-pitched whine started up. The mosquitoes were out.My campsite had been perfectly level and I had slept well. I packed up, ate breakfast in the tent to avoid the bugs, then set off quite a bit before 6. I crossed two tiny creeks, one with pitcher plants growing next to it. I climbed gently on an arcing traverse of

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-44400811036924795432009-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:13:57.023-07:00

Yesterday I simply wrote that Huff-n-Puff made dinner. There was much more to it than that.Huff-n-Puff barbecued a beer-can chicken, which looked like a sitting on its butt chicken. Unfortunately, it took too long. So while we waited for it to cook, we ate the roasted veggies he had prepared. We ate them in our individual salsa bowls as we sat in a circle on chairs in the driveway. After the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-25239952820845999772009-07-02T19:53:00.000-07:002009-07-02T20:03:01.442-07:00

I slept in the exact same stealth camp I made last year. The ground was level with a little trough just the right size for my body. I slept like a rock. I slept in.I got everything put away and went down to the pool by 7am. I soaked my feet and talked wtih 3 other people who were guests at the ranch. One was a man named Peter who was an illustrator who lived on the Mesa in Santa Barbara. Maybe I

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-26216519483771052002009-07-01T19:52:00.000-07:002009-07-02T19:53:29.231-07:00

My mom and Lowell dropped me off at Highway 36 around 8am. In less than 4 hours I had arrived at the North Fork of the Feather River. The forest and views seemed so different from last year when I walked through smoke in the later season. Things were green. The air was clear. Lassen loomed.I sat next to the river and bridge for a while. I was not sure of the time since somehow my watch had gotten

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-43974434998747904492009-06-29T06:27:00.001-07:002009-06-30T09:37:32.656-07:00

I got up really early by headlamp. I had a lot to do. I didn't know why, after having survived the deserts of southern California, but I was worried about the 13 mile stretch without water. I felt I had a lot to do to get ready for it. I needed to pack and I also needed to fill all my water bottles and make sure I took care of all water-related needs like teeth brushing before I left. I had the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-7026617262037383702009-06-28T06:12:00.000-07:002009-06-30T06:27:46.979-07:00

Someone whose trail journal I have followed (crow) says you can't find a place more disappointing than Belden. To me, it did not appear they had breakfast. It was only 6am when I went through, but there were no hours posted on the door and looking in the windows, it appeared the restaurant was more oriented around the bar anyway. I made my own breakfast and ate it on their patio. Then I set off

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-84594577597721013422009-06-27T05:57:00.000-07:002009-06-30T06:12:36.533-07:00

I got going before 6am. But I kept stopping along the way for water, to eat breakfast, to drink, to snack. Still, I made good time and got to Buck's Summit a little after 10. It was about 11 miles to there.I looked at the Data Book and Belden was about 12 or 14 miles away, but I didn't want to reach Belden tonight. My preference was to get close, camp out for free, and arrive in town in time for

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-61469296200993715292009-06-26T05:48:00.000-07:002009-06-30T05:57:13.981-07:00

I'm not really sure where I camped for the night. I took a guess that I had hiked about 25 miles. I had a hard time finding a campsite at the end. It was getting on toward 8pm so I took the first thing I could find. It was almost level. I could make it work. The mosquitoes were terrible there.My mom and Lowell drove me up to Quincy-La Porte Road and I began hiking around 10:30 in the morning. The

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-4918317378420679052009-06-21T19:26:00.000-07:002009-06-23T15:15:16.242-07:00

Does it count to say that I completed Section I of the PCT if I mostly didn't actually walk on the trail? I say that I did. You be the judge. Here are my most recent posts since my last batch.Tuolumne MeadowsTuolumne Meadows againGrand Canyon of the TuolumneAbove Pleasant Valley at trail junctionNear Macomb Ridge PassNear Kennedy Canyon CreekBridgeportAnother night in BridgeportMeanwhile, here

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-38916262873158660992009-06-21T18:50:00.000-07:002009-06-21T19:12:32.049-07:00

Crazy sounding honking noises came from each tree nearby my tent last night as the sun went down. Small birds swirled in circles around my tent in the morning, cheeping as they went by me. It was very cold at dawn, but also dry. Even my clothes, which I had worn in the hot spring were dry by morning.I set off back to town early enough to do a little shopping before breakfast. I really wanted to

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-58570510044733807192009-06-20T18:20:00.000-07:002009-06-21T18:50:40.976-07:00

I woke up early after a toasty warm night. My shoes were frozen. It is nice to have a warm, dry haven each night.I prepared for the remaining miles to Sonora Pass and the end of Section I. I wondered, does it count that I did Section I with all the detours and cross-country travel I did? I decided that the hardships I endured qualify and that I can cross Section I off my list forever.I left

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-11695726630307012792009-06-19T10:51:00.000-07:002009-06-21T11:05:40.912-07:00

Today was a much better day!The meadow we slept in was really wet. OUr stuff was completely soaked in the morning. At least I had slept warm and dry. I had had to sleep nearly naked because my pants and underwear were still wet when we made camp. But I zipped my down jacket over my waist like a skirt and was the warmest I had been in a long time.We packed up our wet things because it was obvious

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-80603477564721227192009-06-18T10:30:00.000-07:002009-06-21T10:51:15.155-07:00

By the end of the day I had been not through the wringer but through the washing machine.First we had to cross Piute Creek, which is not on the PCT yet. It was not a creek but a river. The water was over my head. It was placid and there were some precarious, thin logs partially submerged. Upstream the river was whitewater rapids. Downstream we had seen a large tangle of logs over some very scary

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-34173103946676053642009-06-17T10:22:00.000-07:002009-06-21T10:30:09.566-07:00

We three set off separately but joined together again at what appeared to be a dangerus ford of Register Creek. Chuck and I waded up to our crotches in the cold, swift water while Lenny danced across some rocks that normally would be above the water line. I guess Chuck and I felt too nervous to walk the rocks so close to the edge where there were waterfalls and rapids and logs.We continued to

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-64561832983631552632009-06-16T08:09:00.000-07:002009-06-21T08:13:17.248-07:00

At 11AM, Lenny, Chuck and I set off to Glen Aulin. When we arrived, we veered off the PCT. The point of no return. We descended into the Grand Canyon of the Tulomne. It was spectacular.As we descended, the weather became balmy and warm. We were in heaven. We knew we would have to pay dearly for our illicit, off-PCT pleasure with a grueling climb, but we did not care. The roaring river, waterfalls

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-89757084400942162802009-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:002009-06-21T08:08:18.362-07:00

I was warm and snug last night. I stayed in bed until a ray of sunlight hit my tent. Then I set everything out to dry. A curious bird investigated my things. I took his picture.I hiked back to the store at Tuolumne Meadows. Then I walked down to the Visitor Center. I bought a map and investigated my options. There was a lower route through Section I that would take me through the Grand Canyon of

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-45401704443749873272009-06-14T07:42:00.000-07:002009-06-21T07:59:18.563-07:00

Everything always looks better in the morning.I woke up to a damp tent in my little stealth camp near the church in Mammoth. I packed it up wet and went to the Looney Bean for a muffin and tea. Then I went to the bus stop to wait for the bus to Tuolumne Meadows. The ride up to TM was smooth and easy. When I got there I did not know what to do with myself. I decided I would go to the campground

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0