Hiking - 2016 PCT - Stats and Post Hike Thoughts (inc PCT Expenses)

Now that the hike is over and I have (mostly) returned to 'normal' life lots of people have been offering their congratulations and catching up with me about the hike. Unlike many of the people I had the pleasure of hiking the PCT with, I was afforded the opportunity to extend my travels post hike rather than returning to/looking for work straight away. I think this has really helped me 'wind down' from the hike and avoid some post-trail depression that is often talked about. 2 weeks down time though and I am starting to feel some of the pains (such as sore feet) that others have described.

My post hike thoughts are similar to Lisa (a fellow hiker) who summed it up nicely in her post-trail post;

Day after day I log onto Facebook and see posts from my PCT friends about a few things: post-trail depression, trouble assimilating back into the real world, how much the PCT changed their life. Here’s my confession: I feel none of those things. I am happy to be at home. [. . .] I have more or less the same attitude about nature as I did before we starting hiking, in that I am very happy in it and it’s great and wonderful and I belong there. [. . .] I seem to be in the minority of post-trail feelings of “that was really cool, but now it’s over and I’ve moved on”.

I'm happily (for the most part) back at work and found it surprisingly easy (maybe even scarily so) to get straight back into the routine of things. One of the few stark differences is my sleep pattern. I'm still waking up with the Sun (which is ~5am here at the moment) but rather than going to bed with it, enjoying the modern conveniences... such as electricity... keeping me up. I should really go to bed earlier...

Plans are already in motion for the next camping trips and even another hike so everything just seems 'back to normal.' The workplace is much the same too. Sure there might be one or 2 new staff, a few new hair styles and some new process but my work is the same. Home life is just as I remembered it; chores, errands, cleaning (who would think you would consider a hole in the woods the easier option?) I talk with family and friends as if there has been no gap, the only hurdle is my young niece not enjoying my new long beard.

I have also been hit with a lot of questions; From shoes used, Bears seen, Food eaten and How much it all costs. I've semi organised a bit of the information below and hopefully made it fairly comprehensible at a glance.

Wildlife;

One of the main topics is wildlife;
What did I see? Did a bear steal my food? Did I ever feel in danger?
Lots,                  No                                     Not for a second (on trail).
 
I was pretty 'lucky' (unlucky if you ask me) with Snakes on the trail. I didn't see any Rattlesnakes at all! Not ONE! People less than 1/2 an hour away from me saw plenty, so either I was completely oblivious or really unlucky. Other hikers told tales of coiled up rattle snakes right on the trail hissing and shaking their tail to ward them off, and plenty under rocks/bushes just on the side of the trail. Despite my efforts keeping an eye out (and of other hikers near me, such as RedHawk) I saw none. None under rocks and certainly none mid-trail in displays of aggression. Over the hike I did manage to lay eyes on 32 snakes, of which 5 I could positively identify as venomous, but not the famous Rattler. There was also plenty of lizards and other small creatures scurrying about.

Bears. Yes, I saw 2 black bears. Unfortunately both took off faster than I could get my camera out. The second was just a cub, with no sign of mum. So I bunched up with other hikers (Burrito, Snacks and Moonshine) who were close by for a mile or 2 just in case. There were a few hikers that had their camp raided and needed to scare off black bears and at least 1 hiker I heard of that lost their pack. For the most part wild rodents gave the most trouble to hikers. Nibbling through tent walls or food bags. Burrito had a marmot eat half the material of his hat (to get at the salt rich sweat) while he left his gear to make the final push to summit Mt Whitney. After the PCT when I headed to Yellowstone I also saw a Grizzly bear, however this was only through a telescope as it was very far away. Good way to see a Grizzly i guess!

Despite my 'luck' with Rattle Snakes I was in the vast minority that got to see a Mountain Lion. Again, sadly, it disappeared quicker than I could reach for my camera and I was only offered a glimpse before it was out of sight. Others that saw one had them in view for a good amount of time, and others still were followed for a while. I think I'm ok with just the glimpse.

The only two instances I was a little uneasy/panicked had nothing to do with wildlife and were both related to hitching. One hitch down a mountain I wasn't sure if the driver was a little drunk, or just a bad driver. I was definitely glad when that trip was over. The other time I had my gear in the boot and when I hopped out the driver started to take off, with my gear. Luckily they heard me holering and stopped, but my heart was beating out of my chest at that point.

Distances;

How far? Longest day? Average pace? Lots of people on trail talked about distances as well. Some able to hike far faster and others who hiked longer days (sun up until sun down). Some hiked slower and shorter days (sleeping in), but also skipped over town stops saving a lot of time. Two 'short' 15 mile days is longer than a 25 mile day and a Zero. My total recorded distance is 2,635 miles or 4,241 km. Though I was relying on my GPS watch in power save mode so many switch backs or sharp bends in the trail were ignored and omitted. This total also doesn't include 'Town Miles' which in places like Tehachapi alone was probably a good extra 12 miles. Some sections were closed due to past fires, and other sections I went off trail on alternative routes (San Jacinto, Crater Lake and Oregon Skyline trail come to mind) but with GPS constantly rounding down I estimate I walked well over 2,800 miles in my 5 months on trail.

My total average for 'Trail Miles' came in at 17.6 mi (28.3 km) a day. This includes my 22 Zero days (5 of which were double days off) and 9 Neros. 'Hiking days' (including the 9 neros) averaged out to 20.6 miles a day.

My longest day was 36.9 miles (59.4 km) which was in Oregon, the day after Shelter Cove. Easier terrain and plenty of shade from trees made for the bigger distance. As well as being pretty hike fit by then, not having a huge food carry, plenty of water sources and hiking from sun up right through to sun down. For this distance I knew i was up there so I used the HalfMile App to get a better judge of trail miles covered. Many people cracked 40 mile days, some quite often. Had I been paying more attention at the time I might have hiked another 600m to make it a nice even 60 km day. There was 39 days where I hiked further than 40 kilometres (25 miles.)

Camping;

The majority of my nights were spent on trail. A lot of potential or establish campsites are marked (either on the HalfMile maps or Guthook app) which made for good camping. Majority of my nights were also spent close to water sources, which saved having to cart water consumed for dinner and over night. In total I had 26 nights off trail, while not necessarily in a bed. Some of these nights I was still in my tent on the back lawn of a Trail Angels house. Other nights we had 6 people in a 4 person hotel room, and often shared a bed with another hiker. Once was spent in a hammock at a Trail Angels place in Cascade Locks. I only spent 14 nights under the stars without my tent (Cowboy Camping or Cowboy camps), significantly less than many of my hiking friends. I liked the comfort and warmth of the tent most nights, also the barrier from bugs didn't hurt. There were 15 nights where I was by myself, not being able to see/hear another hiker from my camp. There was plenty of opportunity for more solo camps, but I liked the company for the most part.

Trail Angels and Magic;

A rather amazing aspect of the PCT is the vast support network that helps you along your way. This isn't limited to the great work of field crews, PCTA and towns getting behind hikers (like Idyllwild who had big "Welcome PCT Hikers!" banners in their main street) but also Trail Angels and past hikers. Sometimes it was as simple as a cold can of soft drink, other times people were opening their houses to dirty hikers. Beds, Showers, Laundry and often a feed. In total I was the recipient of 133 offerings of trail magic. On one lucky occasion there was 7 in 1 day!

The best I can remember was at Walker Pass where 2 former hikers (Coyote was one and I'm really sorry I can't remember the name of the other) arrived the night before under darkness and allowed me to awake to the smell of bacon cooking on a stove. They also had beer, Whisky, Gatorade, Eggs, Water, Snack foods. The perfect start to a hikers day. I would also be amiss to not mention Copper Tone. He followed the hiker herd in his Camper Truck  stopping at ~200 mile intervals. Seeing his sign on the path "Copper Tone is here" always made your pace just that little bit faster. Fresh fruit, biscuits, cakes and of course Ice-cream Spiders! (Root Beer/Creaming Soda Floats.) I have to also give a massive shout-out to Devilfish who maintained some pretty significant water caches this year. Including Cache 22. As well as giving hikers a lift to help with the Fire Closure before Big Bear.

Gear;

Luckily most of my gear held up fairly well. I had all of it (excluding Down jacket) before the trek so it was all used. My Tent zipper failed days after the hike (while using it touring the USA) which seemed to be a common theme on trail. I had to replace the tips on my trekking poles, as time and granite had worn them down.

Socks and Shoes; I used a total of 5 pairs of shoes and 8 socks. I seemed to replace them sooner than some. The grips and mesh still looked fine on my shoes but I felt the sole padding had compressed too thin. I know that at least three of the four pairs I placed in the hiker boxes were picked up and used by following hikers.
Andrew only purchased 1 pair the entire trip, the ones he started in. The rest of his shoes came from the hiker box. Some were a size or 2 too big... others only lasted until the next town/hiker box but they worked for him and he made it the distance. I went through socks a little faster as I prefer thin socks, thicker socks would have lasted longer but make my feet too hot.

The only significant gear failure I had was the aluminium stay in my SMD backpack. I purchased an Osprey (which I didn't enjoy) while getting in contact with SMD who were great and happily sent out a replacement part to the next town.

I also picked up a fleece vest and some warmer gloves in Washington as I started to feel the cold.

Favourite Part;

It was all pretty awesome to be honest. Though to list a top 5 I would pick, in order;

• Half Dome Summit - The awesome feeling of sitting on the edge and having to world in front of me. And the gasps from people thinking I was crazy ;) Easily my favourite location on trail, though technically off trail.


• 'Section J' Alpine Lakes Wilderness - Mt Rainier in the background and beautiful alpine lakes and mountains. As well as some nice cliff drops right on the path. Definitely a more challenging section of the PCT but I really enjoyed it.


• San Jacinto - I was lucky and got there the day after a fresh dump of snow. The mountain covered in snow was very scenic and vastly different to the hiking I'm use to in Brisbane. Had I done this after the Sierra Mountains it might not have had the same impact.


• Crater Lake - Awesome blue water and brilliant view. Spoiled a little as it was also one of the more crowded sections.. and a long dry stretch despite brilliant water being in view the entire day.


• Mt Whitney - Highest mountain in the continental USA. I checked;

Trail Logistics / Food;

I pretty much followed my "Craigs PCT Planner" plan, not quite to a T... but close.;
http://www.pctplanner.com/v.php?g=pvM9qPnnv5A4
Disregard all the 'extra miles' though (except Half Dome) I had them in when I didn't have that much confidence in Hitch Hiking and thought I would have to walk to towns. (Hint: You don't)

Logistics mostly centre around food but also sometimes spare gear. Spare gear (Milo, First Aid, Laptop etc) for me was handled in a bounce bucket. I had 5 locations on trail where I had my bucket dropped. Mainly it was for the Milo, but I also had my laptop so I was able to download stats off my GPS watch and backup photos from my Phone and SD card. There were 15 different locations that I mailed food to as well. I thought it was worth it for most of them, though some I could have resupplied from the towns in store. If there is a next time I would try to avoid post offices as well, as open hours sometimes dictated my hiking time.

This is what I generally eat;

• Breakfast; Honey Bun / Poptart / ChocChip cookies / Anzac Biscuit / Cinimon Roll / Cheese & Vegemite roll + a Milo
• Trail nibbles; Skittles, More skittles, Trail Mix, Muesli Bars, Cliff Kids Z bars, Chocolate Bars (Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers), Roll-ups, Jerky, Nuts, Pringles, Reese's Pieces, Random Dried fruit, Pringles, Brownie, Nutter butters
• Lunch; Wraps, Cheese, Salami, Summer Sausage, Tuna or Chicken Pouch, Twiggy Sticks, Cliff/Luna/Power Bars, Bagels w/ Nutella or Peanut Butter
• Dinner; Knorr pasta side (with added meat), Mash Potato, Moutain House/Backpacker pantry, Ramen, Oatmeal, Mac n Cheese
• Night time snack; Dried Apricot, MnMs

My Stove is a BRS3000. No wind shield although I often hide behind my tent/tree/log/rock.

• 1x 110g lasts me ~10 days with Breakfast coffee (not quite boiling) and Boiling water for dinner.
• 1x 260g lasts me ~25 days

I'm usually attentive and don't let it over boil. With Ramen/Potatoes and Oats it's rare you'd need to get it to a point where it was boiling violently. Just starting to bubble would be more than enough.

Advice: One 260g gas Canister. Float it in water and mark a 'Full' line. After the trip refloat and take note of where 'Used' line is. Use the remainder of the gas and mark an 'Empty' line. Also weigh before and after.

Now you know how much gas you have used /7 for average daily use and in the future you can test how much gas you have left. Rather than just shaking it and thinking 'yeah, it has some gas left.'

If I had my hike over again I would still do this (AFTER confirming they're still open);

Mail from San Diego day before I leave;

• Warner Springs (SoCal)

Mail from Big Bear;

• Acton KOA
• Kennedy Meadows South (Sierra)

Mail from Tehachapi or Bishop;

• T.Mead

Mail from Echo Lake;

• Belden (NorCal)
• Burney Falls (NorCal)

Mail from Ashland;

• Shelter Cove (Oregon)

Mail From Sisters/Bend;

• White Pass (Washington)
• Snoqualmie Pass (Washington)
• Stevens Pass/Skykomish (Washington)
• Stehekin (Washington)

If you need gear/new shoes; Big Bear Hostel (Big Bear), Mellow Mountain Hostel (Echo Lake), Hiker Hut (Etna) (Hiker Hut closed :( ) and Cascade Locks Ale House (Cascade Locks) are good places.

You can 100% definitely resupply from trail. Many people do. I personally would send some boxes from trail.

I would advise against taking a Bounce Bucket. I liked having the Milo/spare FAK, but it was an unnecessary distraction. Unless you have prescription meds (fine to be stored at room temp) or something absolutely critical you're probably better off without one.  

Expenses;

Trail expenses will be different for everyone. Some people need to purchase more gear. Some eat cheaply, others buy dehydrated trail food. International hikers (like me) also have increased transport costs simply getting to and from the trail. Bounce bucket added to my Postal costs too, as did the expensive (~$80) shipment back home when I had my pack woes. I didn't shy away from town comforts including accommodation, food and drinks while others chose to pass through towns as quickly. Moving on as fast as possible, with maybe only 1 meal.

That said, my total 'PCT expenses' were $9,132.53. All prices listed are in USD.

• You can see that Food makes up a fair wack of it, over 40% of my total expenses.
• Sorry for not splitting out the difference between Town and Trail food Figures. Town food was definitely expensive.
• Gear is dominated by replacement shoes (5 pairs total at ~$120 each. I bought a new pair 2 weeks before I set off which I have included as they're a 'consumable')
• Remainder was for a replacement Pack - Though I ended up fixing my original SMD Fusion and sending the Osprey home.
• Travel includes flights from Brisbane, which I actually got fairly cheap on a good sale. Train costs and some shuttle expenses to/from trail towns is included in that too.
• Accommodation is mainly hotel/motel rooms, split with other hikers (though I did get my own room twice) 
• It also includes the 'donation' usually suggested for enjoying the hospitality of Trail Angels private homes. It's really worth it, cheaper than some campgrounds and usually a free shower/laundry!
• Cough America might have some pretty decent Micro-Brew Beers too... once I learned to stay away from those awful IPAs.
• Entertainment was only 2 movies at the cinemas along the way and some money sent down the drain via a Casino (South Lake Tahoe)
• ~$690 of the 'other' is Trail insurance. Remainder is Pre-paid mobile phone
• For insurance you should ensure they cover you for the Top of Whitney. A solution is to get regular travel insurance for the majority of the hike, but the 2 weeks near when you hit Whitney get Trekking Insurance (like World Nomads)

Any hiker could significantly reduce the cost of their hikes fairly easily. As I mentioned before someone taking shoes from hiker boxes to save $400. I also met many hikers (Genie, Fury and Left Foot come to mind) who spent very minimal time in towns and avoided accom costs which quickly added up for me. Resupplying entirely on trail is possible and would (from the quick head calcs I did on trail) work out a bit cheaper. Though sacrifices would be made to your sanity by way of limited diet options at some stops. Choosing to make a sandwich instead of heading out for steak dinners may have saved some money too...

Random Stats.

Just a bunch of random things I tracked;

Liters of water filtered:	Lost count
Water given to others	27 lt
Resupplies mailed:	15
Beers consumed:	Lots
Snakes seen:	22
Rattlesnakes	NOT ONE!
Bears seen:	2
Mountain Lions seen	1
Zero days	22
Double zero	5
On Trail Zeros	1
Nero days:	9
Nights off trail:	26
Cowboy Camps:	14
Solo camps	15
Rainy days (light):	8
Rainy days (heavy):	5
Socks destroyed:	4
Shoes destroyed:	5
Trail Magic:	133
Trail Angel:	7
Water cache used:	9 lt
Offers of weed	46
Hiking Dogs	76
Hiking horses	3
Day horses	18
Mule pack trains	6

What's next?

A very common question is "So, what's the next adventure?" and well.. it looks like it might be a Kilimanjaro summit mid 2017. A friend is heading up and suggested I might like to come along! Other than weekends away I also have a longer dive holiday booked on North West Island for 2 weeks in April and I'm going to try organise a 4 day hike for the Australia Day long weekend. Happy to take on any more suggestions/invites...

Travel - USA 2016 - South West (pt 2)

After a quick shower it was time to get back on the road. Taking the eastern exit out of the Canyon I stopped in at the Desert View tower for one last look at the Grand Canyon.



After that I drove towards Horseshoe bend. By the time I got close it was a little too late in the day so I pulled into another free camp, took advantage of Maccas Wifi to upload the canyon hike post them went to bed. 

In the morning I woke up to the sound of a hot air baloon being filled. After I stirred I counted no less than 38 in the sky. Didn't get the chance to find out if it was for a special event, but I imagine the view from the baloons would have been awesome.

I headed to horseshoe bend not far from camp and proceeded the walk to the the edge to try get the best pic. Tourists here a little more safety consience were overheard saying words to the effect that I was crazy. Don't worry mum, as always safety first! The ledge was solid as as rock... literally.



I also wanted to check out the Antelope slot canyon, but it's by tour only and booking was annoying and combined with the price I was put off. Maybe next time. 

I left and headed to Monument Valley, made even more famous by Forest Gump in his running scene when he decides it's time to head home. Overcast and afternoon sun don't make for the clearest pictures. My camera is now also playing up (either motor or gears for the lense) so the pictures I have won't do it justice.



From there it was almost time to find another camp. This time at the end of a road by a river, next to a huge sandstone cliff. Great little spot just outside a town called Bluff.  I was woken early in the morning by a truck pulling up and a few guys getting out to go hunting. I went back to sleep but when they eventually started shooting, even though they hiked in a fair way, it was hard to stay in bed. 
Made it to Archers NP by smoko and started doing all the little walks from the car parks. Some amazing structure here. think the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) times a thousand. I did feel myself getting a little annoyed with large groups of slow walking tourists though... 



It seems all the families, and most interstate Americans too, would move to the side and give way. Other tourists though, walking 3-4 across blocking the path needed a prompt. The double arch was probably the most impressive site of the day. Took a while to get a clean shot without people climbing/walking all over it.



Speaking of climbing, a lot of the spires here allow actual climbing up them. People with top rope setups heading up small stacks, would be very cool to stand atop one. I imagine any climber could spend months in here having fun.

Making my way to the campground at the back of the park so I could be ready for a few hour hike in the he morning starting near there. After quite a few free nights paying for a site felt silly,  but I guess it was a fairly good location and worth the few bucks.



In the morning I headed off to the Devils Garden to do a loop. The loop goes via 7 beautiful arches but the path can be tricky to follow at points. Luckily there were a lot of rock cairns marking the trail do you knew if you had wandered off. 



The trail itself was good too. A few easy rock scrambles and no shortage of valley walls or beautiful rock formations to catch your view. Another bonus, it was listed as a difficult 'primative' trail so there were far less people on it.  

Back to the crowds on the way out. I did the hike to Delicate Arc which I didn't do yesterday as I wanted to get to camp early. Once at the top I saw 1 person doing what seemed to be a full photo shoot (with the photographer only using an iPhone...) They were under the arch for 8min after I arrived. No idea how long before, though the long line of unhappy lookong people waiting suggested it had been a while.



After lunch I took off out of the park and started heading west. I knew I wasn't going to make it to Bryce tonight so found another decent free camping area. Not sure if it was the Bright green Juicy van or just that I wasn't in a ute but driving down the country roads on the way to the camp attracted a few inquisitive looks from the farmers. The final track was a little rocky, only a slight underbody scrape.on dirt... missing my 4x4.

I finished the drive to Bryce just before lunch. Lots of warning signs about hiking in the heat but it was a cool day so I was happy to go hiking off into the canyon. Most of the 8 ish miles was shaded and felt and little cold anyway.  

The canyon itself was awesome. Lots of varying beautiful colours, rock pillars, sheer walls beside the path and always something to look at. I easily took more pictures her than anywhere else so far.









After the walk I took the park drive to all the various lookouts along the way. There look to be some pretty good multi-day hikes you can do in here too. Will  have to save that for the next trip though. Day was drawing to an end so I found a free camp in the forestry area just adjacent to the national park.

It was an easy drive into Zion park but by the time I arrived the 2 campgrounds were already full. I enjoyed a good lunch at the brew pub near the visitor centre, decided to get my Subway hike permit then walked up the short canyon overlook trail for a view of Zion and some cool cliff edges to perch on. 

I was really really looking to do a top down overnight hike of the Narrows, but the ranger said no one else was going to be in the canyon (no permits issued, little late in the season) and in all honesty even after the PCT a canyon hike is something different and something I wasn't really prepared for. All the hire gear the ranger suggested did look a little unnecessary. Dry pants, special shoes, neoprene socks big wooden walking stick (trekking poles too flimsy apparently) and even full dry suits on offer. Though Unprepared is unsafe, so I pulled the pin. WI'll need to come back one summer to do it.  



It was soon time to look for camp. I headed up a dirt road listed on the free camps site and saw a few spots. Decided to push on a little further but then started seeing farming fences and the road was a little more bush track like. 

When turning around another vehicle drove past stopped and asked if I was lost. Explained I was looking for camping and he insisted I followed him up the hill and that my van would probably make it. I'm very glad he stopped. One of the best backdrops I've ever had for a camp spot.



The next morning I got up and headed around to the west entrance to do a 'strenuous full day hike' up to the Subway. I slept in so got there a little late. Not wanting to waste anymore time I headed down to the river. It took just under 1.5 hours to reach the end, not quite half a day... Beautiful carved out gorge. I was expecting a full cave but it was still very impressive.





As I'd been camping in free spots for a while it had also been a few days since I had had a shower. Though I didn't last long in the 11°c water..... I think it did the trick. I certainly felt fresher.



Back to the main park and another short river side walk in the early afternoon. I took the rest of the time to find a power point to recharge my laptop which has been flat since the Grand Canyon. I might suggest an inverter on my Juicy return form. 

Back out to an different free camp for the night. By the time I left the sun was already setting and although I loved the site the other night I didn't want to go up that hill in the dark. 

In the morning I went back into the park and caught the shuttle up the valley. I hopped off for the Angels Landing hike. Short distance wise but significant elevation gain. The last 0.5 miles is a scramble over the sandstone,  with a chain along most of the path to help you on your way. Some very cool cliff edges to look over. I would also like to say that the vast majority of people were very polite and and willing to move to let me pass.



Made it back down pretty early so also decided to do observation point. Slightly longer and higher, but path the entire way. Great views of the entire valley and Angels Landing.



Back down at about 3pm and decided to call it a day and head for camp. After all I had just done 2 very strenuous full day hikes! Judging hiking time when I get back and PCT legs are no more is going to probably be a little sad.

As I had time I went back to the first nights camp. Being Friday night it was actually a little busy, still plenty of room to find a space. One group was having a good night and their voices carried in the cold night air but after the hills I was able to fall asleep easily. 



An early start in the morning as I was woken up by another group of keen hikers. Off to do a bottom up hike of the Narrows. Hopped off the bus and filled the paved path until it ended. From there on it was a lot of walking in the water. Often times up to waist deep. It either got warmer further up or my legs/feet got numb... probably the later.



I kept hiking until I couldn't see anyone else. The lower parts of the Narrows were pretty crowded but the further up you went the thinner the crowds got. After hiking for another 30 min past the last person I saw I figured it was time to start heading back down, finding someone to take my picture on the way.



After feeling returned to me toes it was time to say goodbye to Zion. Another awesome National park that I would love to come back to. The drive to Vegas wasn't too long but it pushed into night. Beautiful pink sunset painted across the desert sky.

Vegas it self was also bright and colourful. There is a RV parking lot (well... They don't move on RVs at least) not 10 min walk from the main Strip. Bit loud and bright, but right in the heart of Vegas. The city itself, or at least the main area is like a huge nightclub  with many many rooms and themes. 



Public drinking in the street is fine (as long as it's not glass) and plenty of entertainers to catch your eye. Lots of scantily clad people... err... 'props' I guess you would describe them. For just $5 you can get a picture with them. I think Vegas would be much better as a group adventure. By myself it didn't seem all that appealing. 
Still pretty lights and ladies so I can see the attraction. I put some dollars down for the nights entertainment and, as expected, walked away without it. Would have been nice to be able to drive away in the Corvette though...



Despite the city only starting to come alive I sought the shelter of bed at about 11 pm. Not the best nights sleep and fully awake early morning. I was running short on time so it needed to be a big day anyway. I took my leave of the city of Sin and made way to Death Valley.

The drive out seemed well used by RVs and a few day trippers from Vegas but it was little more than a country highway. Still I got into Death Valley by also kept.  Took the time to do a little canyon walk before lunch. 



After that it was off to the lowest point in the USA. Badwater Basin. The salt Lake is tiny compared to Lake eyre but at about 70 meters lower it's the lowest point I have ever been in my life. Couldn't find a survey mark to confirm though... 

On the way out of the Valley I stopped of at some desert sand dunes. I was surprised how similar it was to beach sand, I was expecting similar red sand to the Simpson desert in Aus. If you walked out far enough you could get past vegetation but time was pressing and I had to move on.



Another 4.5 hours to get to where I wanted to camp. The route took me down a highway I crossed on the PCT and past Tehachapi, one of my resupply towns. I also passed by lots of fruit orchards. Seeing a sea of green trees amongst the brown dirt and oil pumps makes you understand why California is always in and water shortage...  

Camp was just inside Sequoia NP up a windy dirt road that took 30 min to go 12 miles. Road condition wasn't too bad but very windy sharp turns and nd ruts that required a little navigation around. Made more difficult because it was dark, even with the Super Moon lingering overhead.

Road must have been a little rougher than I thought as I awoke to a mostly flat tyre. It still had some air and I couldn't see the puncture but it deflated enough that I had to change it to the space saver spare. 

I then embarked on the long windy road up the west side of the National Park I hiked through seemingly so long ago. On the map it all looks so close but even in a car around the hairpin turns it takes a while to get anywhere. I did make it to General Sherman. The entire area had gigantic trees. Dwarfing any I had ever seen before. 



I also took in a short hour hike before heading out of the park. One last hurrah in the wilderness. Luckily I did because LA lives up to its traffic reputation. Vehicle collisions, road works accidents and congestion turned a 5 hour drive into 7. Parking in another walmart close to where I need to drop the van.

Loud traffic and pedestrian noise made for another lack luster slumber. I returned the van and because of the 'stress and hassle' it must have been to change the flat they gave me a day for free! Easiest 50 bucks I've ever made, changing one tyre. 

Caught an Uber to Venice beach and dropped my bags at the hostel. Walked along the beach and spent a while watching the Skateboarders do their thing. Also saw someone shooting a twerking video in one of the life guard stands, possibly an audition vid (?) A few surfers out and water wasn't too bad but no one was swimming. 



I still have a few days here before I fly home but this will be the end of my trip blog. Hope you've enjoyed coming along on my journey! Looking forward to catching up with everyone when I get home. 

To all my new friends if ever you visit Australia look me up, happy to show you some great hikes around Brisbane!

Hiking - 2016 11 - Grand Canyon

I packed camp and headed off for the Bright Angel trail to take me down into the Canyon. To make things a little easier on the way out I parked at the visitor centre and took one of the free shuttle busses to the trail head. I'll still need another bus ride upon finishing, but it will only be one shuttle instead of having to take two.

There was a group gearing up for a 3 day mule trip into the canyon. Strapping on my pack I couldn't help but think it might have been a better idea... Luckily I started just before them and was going a little faster. As it was I could still hear the leader yelling instructions to both the riders and hikers on trail to make way. Which lasted for about 2 miles before I was far enough away.



Beautiful views of the canyon the entire way down but the best views were probably from a little beach right on the river. I took a side trip to another viewpoint, Plateau Point, to extend the hike down a little but still arrived at camp before 2pm.

Fortunately to kill time in the arvo they have a fully stocked bar down here... as long as you like Budweiser tinnies or Red Goon (boxed red wine.) Still the beer was nice and cool, just to get that real backcountry experience... I also learnt that I could have a mule pack out my gear for the low low price of $75!

Back to camp for dinner and after the sun set I tried my hand at some silhouette/starlight photos. It wasn't long until it was time to head to camp and go to sleep.



In the morning I set off up the North Kaibab trail towards the north rim. This side canyon is much narrower than the main one which is cool. Towering sheer cliffs either side as you wind along with the creek.



I had origonally thought I would like to hike out he north rim but logistics with a hire car were too difficult or expensive so today was just a round trip to the Ribbon falls. They have an impressive moss covered limestone build up and a great little cave under them.

Back to the Phantom Ranch at the Bright Angel campground just after lunch for a few more beers before an early night. Tomorrow is going to be a big climb out, only 7 miles but ascending 4700 ft, so I'll need my rest.

Despite wanting to get an early start the comfort of bed kept me until I was able to break free about 650. By 735 the pack was on my back and I strolled out of camp. Crossed back over the river via a cool suspension bridge that leads you directly into the cliff face. A short tunnel before the steep climb back out began.



It wasn't long before I was overtaking some of the people I had beers with yesterday, they had left at 6am. In their defence the youngest in their crew was 58... and I have just gone through a pretty rigorous 5 month training hike...

A few more mule pack trains as well. Plenty of evidence left behind by their predecessors. Nothing quite like working hard, huffing up a hill, and getting a huge wiff of mule dung and urine... Did give motivation to keep moving though...

Made it back to the top in just under 3 hours, not too shabby when the park info has the average descent taking 4-6 hours. Taking a breath to enjoy the views once more before heading off for a shower and then moving onto the next destination.

Travel - 2016 USA - South West (pt 1)

Took a days rest in Santa Barbara before making my way down to LA to pick up my home for the next 2.5 weeks. A Juicy camper van. Getting ot of LA again proved a little more difficult. Dual multi vehicle accidents slowed progress. It crawled as bad as South bound on the Bruce hwy after an easter weekend.  

Didn't quite make it as far as I would have liked but I'm glad I at least clear the more populated areas. Stopped to 'camp' in Walmart car park. There were already a few RVs parked so I found a nice place a little away and bedded down in the roof top tent. 

The next day was a pretty short drive to Joshua Tree National Park. The landscape is very similar to just after Warner Springs. Lots of granite bounder to enjoy. There was a nice view of San Jacinto and some cool little palm oasis' to hike to. I picked up new shoes in San Fran so this was their first real test.  





Ended up at a free camp just (as in <1 min drive) south of the National Park. No services but I'm kinda use to that in a camp site... Quite a few people with the same idea but it's strange very large area and everyone is very spread out.

Started the day with bacon and eggs for breakfast, having a fridge again is great! Slow pack before heading to the Grand Canyon West Rim. It's a bit out of the way but they have all glass skywalk that I wanted to do. It was a little pricey at $72 but for that view straight down I thought it would be worth it.  

Near the skywalk were also some awesome cliff edges to get to the edge of. Seems to be a lack of safety concern here, works for me! Only one person in a sea of tourists to tell me to be careful.



It was a little shorter than I expected but still had great views of the canyon and straight down! Before entry they made us turn in all personal items, so we didn't drop them I guess. As I was putting away my wallet I was told I could keep than on me, then my hat and sunnies and car keys. in fact the only 2 items I had to stow were my phone and camera. 

Once on the platform it was a bit of a line. They had personal photographers that would guide you through and take pictures. I knew I wasn't going to buy them so just enjoyed the heights by myself. Upon exit I saw why they took our phones and cameras. $65 for a digital copy of the pictures taken... $18 for a single print... tell 'em he's dreaming.



Left the west rim and pulled into another free camping area for the night. It was off the main road a bit and down some fairly rutted dirt roads. Would have preferred to have a high clearence vehicle but the van made it with only minimal scrapes.

Made my way around to the South Rim of he Grand Canyon. Got there by lunch and took the afternoon to take a quick peek but mostly for chores. Laundry time, some grocery shopping and putting a fresh coat of seam sealant on my hiking tent. Also headed to the permit office to get my 3 day hiking permit down into the Canyon, Yew!!



I took advantage of the free shuttle bus to take me right to the western end of the line and did a small 12 mile warm up hike back to camp. Pack is so light with only water, first aid kit and and few snacks. 

The walk follows the rim of the canyon the entire way with plenty of viewing points to take pictures. It was easy to tell which ones were close to shuttle stops. It's impossible to describe, or show in photos, just how immensely massive the Grand Canyon is.



Got back to camp packed own my tent and did my final chore before tomorrows hiking. Replacing the tips of my poles again. I would have done it yesterday but they are used for my tent and I needed to give the seam sealer time to dry. Tomorrow morning I'll head out on a 2 night hike to the bottom of the canyon. 

Diving - 2016 10 - Channel Islands

Well, doing multiple adventures in one holiday sure makes things harder. Way too much gear. Hiking gear, backpacker gear and now diving gear! Luckily the IHSP hostel let me store my hiking bag there for the duration of the dive charter, which made managing it a little easier.

Lugging all the hire dive gear from the shop to the jetty, while only 3/4 of a mile, felt like ages. Didn't help that I had to carry it all, tank and weights included... I miss my wheeled dive bag :o Took a break mid way to rest my arms. I think I'll take an Uber to return it, will be twice as heavy when wet. Got to the boat a little early and enjoyed just sitting and looking over the beach.



The boat returned from it's trip and after the crew had a chance to clean and reload we all took our gear on, claimed spots and headed off to dinner. At dinner a few people were getting ready for the long drive out with oyster/vodka shots... they seemed to really enjoy them but it looked like a snot shot. I got a pretty lucky draw with the allocated beds, near the back on the lower bead, perfect. Boat sleeps ~35 pax and we had 32 divers on board. Dive deck was a little crowed at times but there was usually plenty of space. Nice sun deck too.

Time to gear up for the first dive. As it was a lobster hunt the vast majority of divers were keen to be first in the water and first to the bugs. This meant that a lot of guys were geared up with tanks and all before the anchor was even dropped. No faffing about on this boat. Hunting is apparently a more solo sport as well so I geared up to jump in alone. After getting over the instant shock of cold water I descended to the floor to start getting use to my hire gear. Sorted buoyancy and got too it. Then started to hit the sand, huh, pretty unusual. So I pumped my BCD with some more air and was good, then hit the sand again... Third time I just sat still and could hear small bubbles between breaths. Found a diver and signalled 'Problem, Bubbles' and pointed behind me to which he responded that I should surface.

Got to the top pretty easily using the anchor chain to do my safety stop without sinking and when on board noticed a decent slit in the BCD. Good way to start a 3 day dive trip... I love hire gear. Luckily Dee had some repair glue so we patched it up. I had to sit out the next 2 dives anyway to let it dry but the boat does 7 day dives and a night (all short) as most people fin and blow through their air looking for lobsters. My dives were short as I was getting cold :o



After the repair goop set I was able to jump in for an actual dive. Swimming through the Kelp forests was great. Weaving amongst 30m tall strains made me feel like I was flying through a forest. Everyone was off looking for the biggest lobster they could find but off I went looking for the small stuff as usual. A few Nudi and Slugs on the rocks but not too much in the way of macro life. Fish life was pretty abundant, including some larger ones like the Black Sea Bass. With all the divers poking their heads under boulders and into any crevasse they could find the bottom did get kicked up a bit, so if I was close to one there was a lot of sediment being kicked up into the water, made it harder for some pictures.

The crew were pretty helpful on deck and food was great with plenty of lollies, snacks and good main meals. No-one donated a lobster for dinner though :o Despite bailing on the first dive and missing the next 2 I was able to fit in 3 actual dives and a night dive on the first day. On the night dive the usual critters were out, including the lobsters everyone else was hunting. Some massive sea hares were crawling along as well. Bio-luminescence is a pretty strong blue here, so after I got far enough away from the boat and other divers it was good to sit there in the dark and have a personal light show.



Sadly with all the repetitive and fast diving Ryan (who organised the group for the trip) developed some minor DCS symptoms. Overnight the skipper drove to Saint Catalina island (which had a chamber) to drop him off. It wasn't until after the first dive that I found out but it certainly made me think a little harder bout my bottom time for the next dive. As I was getting cold pretty easily none of my dives were really long. I think my longest was 45 min. I was often back on the boat with well over 1500 PSI (100 Bar) and a few times at the shallower sites still had 3/4 of my air left.



I managed to jump in for most of the dives on the second day, skipping 3rd and 6th to warm up and then returning to the cold for the night dive. The afternoon dive had some seals swimming around us, but unfortunately I my housing fogged up and all the shots were just white washed. Did manage to snap a few when they were on the surface though. For the night dive the bio-luminescence was out in force again so I spent 65% of the time with my torch off swimming around. It was strong enough that even with other divers with their torches on I could see the specks of light created by their fins. Found a little Octopus doing its thing as well.



After the night dive there was a big Margarita mix made and beer flowing. Some card games played, with varying international rules used and a few dice games to boot. Felt a lot like a URGQ trip. Not everyone new everyone else but the group (excld me) had a common connection with at least a few other people. Everyone was really friendly and happy to share diving stories from the area and other places they've visited across the globe. I was of course happy to do the same and share trail tails from the PCT. Mixed skill levels too, some with many dives under their belt and a few who were only certified recently.



Slept in and missed the first dive on day 3, enjoyed a nice relaxed bacon and egg breakfast before gearing up for the second. The moment I hit the water I felt cold. Was a really scenic site with the kelp looking quite healthy  so I stayed down for 45min and was shivering by the end of the dive. I checked the temperature and my computer was on 12.9°c, after near on 800 dives this is the coldest water I have ever been in. Coupled with the not so great fit on a 7mm and I definitely shouldn't have been down as long as I was. Still shivering after surfacing I borrowed a big warm fishing coat from another diver, grabbed a cup of hot chocolate and sat in the sun. Warmed up a bit, but decided to sit out the next dive anyway.



Had to jump in for the final dive and went in with one of the newer divers, actually got my hands on a pretty decent lobster this dive, or so I thought. Gauge said it was too small so back it went into the crevasse of an overhang. Was able to find and point a few more nudis to my buddy including a really small one no more than a centimetre long. Sadly camera had fogged up again so I wasn't able to get any shots taken. After that it was a fairly calm cruise back to Santa Barbara to unload and head off. Got a final group shot with most of the haul before everyone headed off their separate ways. Paul was kind enough to give me a lift to the Backpackers saving me a long walk/Uber trip.