posted by Claire on Sep 27
I have finally posted the rest of my photos on my flickr site. Everything from Lake Tahoe northward is available. Apologies for the long delay. www.flickr.com/photos/clairesgallery.
Archive for September, 2008
posted by Claire on Sep 23
I finished the PCT! On Sept 12, I walked into Manning Park, British Columbia, 5 months and 10 days after we began at the Mexican border. Now, I’m hanging out with some fellow hikers on the eastern side of the Northern Cascades. Pictures and more details coming in a few days!
posted by Claire on Sep 7
I’ve gotten a lot of questions regarding the second half of our adventure, the section through British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska. Sadly, due to lack of funds, injury, and the other priorities in our lives, the PCRExp will end at Manning Park, just over the Canadian border. While the rugged terrain there calls to me, I think I have a lot more learning to do about backcountry travel and mountaineering before I tackle a long hike there (especially alone). For all of you who knew we were biting off more than we could chew, you can have a couple good I-told-you-sos, privately or to my face, whichever you like!
Instead, I’m contemplating hiking the Continental Divide Trail, which hugs the continental Divide for somewhere between 2300 and 2600 miles. The CDT is much less well established than the PCT. Many miles of the trail are not even complete, making a CDT through hike a trail and route-finding challenge. The CDT is more remote, more rugged, and has worse weather. All in all, it sounds right up my alley.
Nothing is set in stone, but I think I have caught the long-distance hiking bug. There is no known cure, I’m told, and it only gets worse as the years go by.
I’m almost done with the PCT (4 days left). I’m liking it so much, I decided not to stop. The plan is to walk south from Canada through Washinton for a bit, until I get sick of it. I’ll still be updating this page and posting my SPOT locations. I’ll also put up my pictures (finally!) . So, don’t change that dial and thanks for following me all this way.
posted by Claire on Sep 1
You’ll never guess who I ran into at the gas station at White Pass Ski Resort in Washington: the legendary Billy Goat. We first met, as you may recall, right before I entered the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Billy was out with two LA Times reporters, and I inadvertently crashed their party (much to Billy Goat’s delight). We crossed paths once more near Etna, CA, and had a lovely 4-hour chat on the side of the trail.
But, in White Pass, we both arrived wet, cold, and generally bedraggled from days in a long, Washingtonian storm. Neither of us wanted to go back out into the rain, and so we got a hotel room at the ski lodge. Turns out there were 12 or so other hikers there. They had the same good idea to wait out the storm and dry out their stuff. We had a cute little efficiency with a lovely view of the mountain and, most importantly, a really, really powerful heater. We took off our sopping shoes and sat, toe-to-toe, with out bare feet right underneath the vent of heated air. Ah, heaven! I’m not sure how I can express the deep delight we took in being inside, warm and dry. We gleefully watched the rain pour down outside. It was such a pleasure to relax and allow an external heat source to warm me, instead of requiring my own body to produce all the warmth. It is surprising to me every time I go out in the cold how much extra energy I expend just to stay mostly warm. That’s the bad part about hiking in the cold and rain; your body has to work double time to dry the moisture on your skin before it can even address your own body’s heat needs. If your not hiking or in you sleeping bag, you get cold! Well, some thoughtful and well-prepared people bring warmer clothes, but I found that strategy to be far too reasonable to ever work for me.
Well, Billy and I had a lovely 2-day hiatus from walking, curled up in our room, loving every minute of it. He seems to appreciate my company as much as I do his. So, despite the fact that we had a widescreen plasma TV, we never turned it on. Instead we spent hours talking. as if we could stock up on social interaction before heading our separate ways (he was southbound, whereas I am northbound). On trail, you can walk with someone going the same direction as you for as long as you both like. But, when you cross paths with a southbounder, the meeting must be short, for you both have more miles to cover that day. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a full two days getting to know him better. An extraordinary synchronicity, and highly enjoyable for all.