See you soon!

Ok. This is my last post for a while. I'm not sure when/if I will have internet connection again. 

Today we are headed into Yosemite. I am going to pick up my permit, explore Yosemite a little and then set up camp a few miles away from my starting trailhead. 

Tomorrow morning, around 7am, I will set foot into the Glacier Point trail and start my hike. My first day is set to be around 13 miles. 

I should finish around July 22. Be sure to check back every so often to see if I have updated, but definitely mark July 22nd as the day to check for my finish. 

Of course, several things could happen that postpone my finish date, such as weather or injury. Unfortunately, there will be no way for me to communicate that to anyone. So, while I am hoping to finish by the 22nd, it could be a little later if I run into any unforeseen circumstances. 

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers over the next 3 weeks! 

Thank you all for your support and encouragement!!

Lake Tahoe

If you have never been to Lake Tahoe, I highly recommend you take some time to plan a visit! I've been here a few times now, both in the winter and summer, and let me just say, it is awesome. No, not just awesome. That is too lame a word to describe this place. It is.... amazing, beautiful, inspiring... magical. 

We spent the better part of yesterday looking for a campground. For some reason, "somebody" thought we could get a walk in site on a Saturday night in the middle of the summer before Juky 4th. What was he thinking!?!? Haha. But it worked out and we found an open spot just up the Truckee River. I twisted my knee at the campsite though, and really started to freak out. This is NOT something I needed before starting the trail. Thankfully Donny had a knee strap, so I put that on. It helped and the pain is completely gone now. Thank God! 

Once we got camp set up, we headed into town and ate at a place called the Bridgetender that was right on the edge of the Truckee River. Great atmosphere and staff! We both got drinks to relax us after spending about 3 hours looking for a campground and me getting nervous about my knee. My drink had a bug in it, so like the cool kid I am, I used my straw to get it out and continued on drinking it. Can't let perfectly good Vodka go to waste! The bartender was impressed and felt bad, so he gave me another for free! Good times! The taste was so familiar but I couldn't figure out what it tasted like. After a few sips, it hit me! Tutti Frutti baby food! Haha! 

(He is such a goofball...)

After dinner we walked over to the Truckee River dam and then drove to a small rock beach on the shore of Lake Tahoe. 

After we left there, we toured the Squaw Valley Olympic grounds. Oh my. The view coming into the valley was breathtaking! Unfortuately I did not get a picture of the valley. 

After that, we went back to camp, cooked some Chili Dogs and chilled to some music. 

This morning we got up and stopped at Inspiration Point at Emerald Bay. I have been to Emerald Bay, but at a different look out. This one was pretty neat. You could see the Scandinavian Castle, which I did not know existed. Next time I visit, I want to take the mile hike down to the house and see it up close. 

We are now on our way to Yosemite. So excited!!! Can't wait! 

 

Partner in crime

It should be a crime to have so much fun with one person. This trip has been awesome and I'm so ready to hit the trail tomorrow. But I can't keep writing this blog about my trip without introducing a special person. In my other posts, I say "We did this..." and I know most of you have no idea who the other part of the "we" is. 

Meet Donny...

Donny and I met several months ago in a JMT group in Facebook. He has been a tremendous help in my preparation for the trail. See, he has done the trail 3 times already, so he is a wealth of information! He has given me movies and books. He has helped me shop for things I need. We've gone on a few training hikes together. He's just a pretty laid back and awesome guy. He has definitely been a huge source of encouragement for me. I don't know that I would be as prepared as I am if it weren't for him! 

So now, when I say "we", you'll know who I have been talking about on this trip! :)

Road tripping

It's not even 9am and I've already had a freaking awesome morning! It is an absolutely gorgeous day! 

We started off packing up and headed out of our campground and Mammoth. It was really quaint and quiet, so we got a great night of sleep. 

Once we left the campground, we grabbed some breakfast and gas (at $4.59, which we thought was expensive, but we have seen close to $5, so we are glad we got gas when we did!), and then headed out of Mammoth. They had another cool sign with a John Muir quote.  The scenery there is just beautiful! I can't wait to go back in August! 

We're on our way to Tahoe, but we made a pit stop at this really awesome and very popular Mobile gas station. They are so popular that they have their own memorabilia and clothing. 

When I stumbled upon CARROT CAKE Cliff bars, I squealed! I have been wanting carrot cake cliff bars but never have seen them! I grabbed a handful! Super excited to eat these on the trail!!! 

And, I spotted National Parks Monopoly!!! I didn't get this, but will definitely look into finding one off of Amazon or something later! 

After we left, the weather was just perfect for taking the top down. I definitely love convertibles! Someday I may own one myself, though I will still need to own a Jeep because I don't want to give up my off roading capabilities! 

(My pack is loaded and ready to go. It's strapped into the back seat! She still needs a name...)

Mammoth

"The mountains are calling..." ~ John Muir. Such an appropriate quote for the journey I am embarking on. I was excited to see the quote welcoming me to Mammoth, CA. 

Mammoth is a ski resort in the winter and a mountain bike park in the summer. The whole town has the outdoor feel to it. All of the buildings have wooden rustic frontage. It is such a cute town! It's really an outdoor lover's dream town. 

I went to a few outdoor stores looking for some canister fuel. They have some great local hike stores. It's good to know so that if I run into problems on the trail, I can take a side trip and come into town for gear repair/replacement. 

We drove around a little and my friend showed me some places I'll need to remember for when I come up in August for JMT Round 2. At the end of the road where I will park my jeep for JMT2, there was this huge statue of a mammoth. It is pretty neat. The sun setting made it look like a shadow, so the B&W edit of the picture is just awesome! 

Time for some chili dogs, drinks, good music and conversation. Off to Lake Tahoe tomorrow! 

The end is just the beginning...

Just dropped my Jeep off at Whitney Portal. It will be waiting for me when I take my last step off of the trail in July. The ride up Whitney Portal Road was amazing. I had to stop a few times to take pictures! Here are a few:

Packed and ready to go

Knots in my stomach. Quickened heartbeat. A lot of excitement. A lot of nervousness. Mind blown.

You know, there were several times in the past couple months where I almost backed out of this adventure. Something would come up with my family and I'd tell myself "You need to go home. The trail can wait." Or, I'd start thinking about the hardships I will face on the trail and I'd ask myself "Seriously. What ARE you doing?" That's a good question. The simple answer is "I'm hiking. Duh!", or, better yet, "I honestly do not know!" I do know. And I'm not just hiking. I'm conquering myself; my fears and my anxiety for sure. I'm reflecting on my life. Where I am, how I got here and where I want to go from here when I'm done with the trail. Deep soul searching, if you will.

Yeah. I almost backed out, but I didn't. Today my adventure starts.

At around 9:00 this morning my friend and I will be headed up to the Sierras. Our first stop is Whitney Portal. Whitney Portal is the starting point for those who are summiting Mt. Whitney. At 14,500ft, Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Many people flock to the Portal to conquer her. Whitney Portal is also where most people who are hiking the John Muir Trail finish up. I'll be leaving my Jeep here while I am hiking so that when I finish the JMT, I won't have to hitchhike back to San Diego.

After we drop the Jeep off, we're going to do some exploring at Mammoth, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite Valley. Good times.

On Sunday, I pick up my JMT permit at the ranger station in Yosemite. You have to have a permit in order to hike the JMT. They started regulating how many people go out per day, as the trail was getting so popular and an increasing number of people were wanting to enjoy all the beauty of the backcountry. Once I have the permit we'll explore Yosemite a little. Maybe do a little warm up hiking.

Monday, it's on. With a full backpack and permit in hand, I will be stepping onto the trail with 230 miles of glorious wilderness awaiting me. I'm sure many emotions will be running through my head with that first step. With each step I take, the emotions will change. I know I'm going to cry. I know I'm going to laugh. I hope to sing. And maybe dance too (When no one is looking). I'm most looking forward to just being in such a peaceful environment. I want to lay in the grass, with a babbling stream running nearby, enormous mountains looming in the distance and a deep blue sky above me. Total peace.

I'm not sure how often I will be able to update after today. I might be able to get a few posts in this weekend, but I know that I won't have reception on the trail. I might get some at one of my resupply stops, but who knows how good the connection will be. Please do not give up on me if you don't see a post for a long time. I'm set to finish on July 22nd, so do check back on that day for sure.

Thank you all for your support. It is so encouraging to know that I have friends and family who are rooting for me!

 

 

P.S. The bandana on the bottom of my pack says Scotland. John Muir was from Scotland. The JMT hiking group that I am a part of on Facebook decided to designate this particular bandana as our group symbol. When we are on the trail and see someone with this same bandana, we will know that they are a part of our group, and therefore, a friend. This bandana was the one thing that I did not have. Last night when I was finishing packing, I mentioned to my friend that I never did order a bandana. Low and behold, he had ordered an extra! It was meant to be! Now, I feel my gear is complete and I am ready to go!

 

Ox

Many of you will be excited to know that I will no longer be traveling the JMT alone. I now have a new friend to go with me! His name is Ox. Ox is an Ugly Doll (http://www.uglydolls.com), though I think he is quite cute! 

Here's a little background story. When Maddock started Transitional Kindergarten I bought him a little Ugly Doll keychain for on his backpack. We already had a couple larger Ugly Dolls at home, so when I saw a small one perfect for his backpack, I thought it was a cute idea. Well, the tradition continued and the next year he got a new one for his backpack for Kindergarten and Callum also got one for his backpack for preschool. 

As I was preparing for the JMT, I thought it would be adorable for me to have one as well. But not just any one, one that THEY picked out for me. I called home and ran the idea past Bart, and he thought it was also a great idea. Together, the three of them picked out the perfect little guy for me. 

Ox arrived in the mail a few days ago and I put him on my pack right away! He looks pretty good hanging there. I hope he puts a smile on someone's face as I leave them in the dust (or, as they pass me… which is the more likely scenario). 

 

Today I took Ox on our first hike together. He's a pretty good hiking buddy! He's nice and quiet and he doesn't complain. He is a great listener and doesn't judge me when I complain. I think I'll keep him around! 

I wanted the boys to feel like they were a part of my trip as well and to know that I will be thinking of them every day. This seemed like a really fun way to do so. I'm looking forward to taking pictures of Ox and I together on our adventure. Maddock and Callum will be sure to love seeing all the places we go and hearing our stories! 

Resupply buckets

One of the biggest challenges with hiking long distances is fitting all of your food in your pack with you. Thankfully there are a few places to resupply on the JMT so I do not have to carry 23 days of food with me. There are about 4 good resupply stops that I will visit. The first 3 are all within the first 13 days, so I will only need to carry 7 days worth of food at a time. No biggy. The challenge comes at stop #4, Muir Trail Ranch, when I have to carry 11 days worth of food. This is the last resupply station before the summit of Mt. Whitney and the end of the hike. 

So, why is carrying food a big deal? Because it can get heavy! Generally, they say to carry 1.5-2lbs of food per day. So,

If you do the math, that equals between 16.5-22lbs of extra weight on day 14. Wow! My 11 day resupply weighs in at about 11lbs, so I'm a little under that. Not a problem, as much of my food is dehydrated and calorie dense. 

Here is what my resupply for MTR looks like: 11 days of dinners, lunches, breakfasts and snacks. Also some toiletries. 

For breakfast I will start out with a Zone bar (yogurt covered cereal and fruit bars that are about 200calories) and a breakfast pack (nuts and fruit by Emerald at about 200 calories each). On a few days I will have eggs, mashed potatoes and spam. Lunches consist of 300calorie Probars and some sort of tuna or meat on tortillas for my high mileage days. My low mileage days will be meat and tortilla wraps or meat and cheese sticks. Dinners will be cooked. These are various kinds of Knorr noodle and rice packs with a tuna packet, pepperoni, or chicken. My favorite so far is BBQ chicken rice with Tyson chunked chicken and a packet of ranch dipping sauce (from a fast food restaurant, such as McDonald's.) 

Of course I will have snacks as well: Cliff bars, Mojo Bars, nut packs, Jolly ranchers, gum, Girl Scout cookies and Snyders honey mustard and onion pretzels. 

My daily calorie intake should look somewhat like this:

Breakfast = 400-500cal

Lunch = 500-600cal (or less for low mileage days)

Dinner = 500-600cal

Snacks = 500cal+

Total = between 3,000-3,500 calories. 

Seems like a lot right? Well, a normal daily diet for my age and activity level requires about 2,000 calories. Now, add to that the high level of calorie burn I will experience with hiking, which is between 1,500cal - 2,500cal per day and you're looking at a daily need of 3,500 - 4,500. It's totally fine that I'll be under on some days, because let's be real... I could stand to lose about 15-20lbs. 

As you can see, planning for a hike like this requires careful thought... And math! It's quite interesting and fun to research and plan out your meals. I had hoped for some more unique meals by using a dehydrater, but I never got to that. Maybe next time! 

What is the JMT?

When I tell people I'm getting ready to hike the JMT, the first question everyone asks is "What is the JMT?" The second question that usually follow is "AND YOU'RE DOING THAT BY YOURSELF?!?!?!" The second answer is the easiest "Yes. Yes I am. And I'm awesome." The first answer takes a little more time. 

The JMT, or John Muir Trail, is a 211 mile trail that spans from the valley of Yosemite National Park to the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States. Ok, so... you have to get DOWN the mountain, so really, a JMT hiker will go about 221 miles. I'm actually starting at a different trail head, which is a little further than the Yosemite valley trailhead, so I will be hiking about 230 miles. Yes. All on my feet. WITH a pack weighing between 35-50lbs (Though I am trying desperately to get that weight down a little). 

Sure, it might not be your thing, but it is my thing. If it was everyone's "thing", it wouldn't be nearly as special for those of us who love to do this. See, the trail is beautiful. And, while it has become increasingly more popular over the years, it still is not highly traversed. Untouched, for the most part, by man. Because of this, the sky is super clear at night. You can see the milky way and millions of stars. I'm very much looking forward to that! 

To learn more about the John Muir Trail, you can watch a documentary on Netflix called "Mile, Mile & a Half". Below, you will find the trailer for it.

Getting Started

Hi all! I decided to start a new blog for my summer 2014 hiking adventures. I'm not good with keeping up with journaling or blogging, but I'm going to give it a go. Obviously my layout is extremely plain, but hey, that's not why you're reading this after all is it? It's my hope that the pictures that I take on my journey and post will be the only thing you'll want to look at anyway. 

As many of you know, I am starting out on quite the hiking expedition soon. On Friday, June 27 I will be loading my Jeep with my hiking pack and heading north to the John Muir Trail. I officially start hiking the trail on June 30th and plan on hiking 220 miles in 23 days. Yes, you may think I'm crazy. Sometimes I think so too! In all reality, it's not crazy. It's adventurous. I've always been adventurous. Always doing things that others "would never be able to" (only, I think they could if they gave themselves a chance!). 

Let's recap: My first big road trip that I drove completely was in 2004 when I drove from Pennsylvania to Florida and back. After that was my first international trip in 2005: I flew to England and explored the UK with 2 friends from high school. Then came numerous solo road trips back and forth from PA to North Carolina. A move to Okinawa, Japan in 2007 opened the door for more international travel. This included a 30 day urban backpacking trip to Taipei, New Zealand and Australia... with an 18 month old and a bun in the oven (That was the trip that most people gasp at). Add in several international flights and a couple cross country trips alone with my kids. Yeah. I've been very independent and good with travel. 

However, this is the first time I will be out in the wilderness by myself. Ever. Let alone for more than a day. More than a week. This is 3 weeks total. Yeah, I am a little nervous. I'm a little scared. I'm a little "KEIRNAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!". But I'm a whole lot of excited. I know there are going to be challenges I've never faced before. I might come face to face with a bear. Hopefully not a lion (mountain lion of course). Thankfully there will be no tigers. There will be marmots who might try to eat my food when I'm not looking. I guess the JMT saying should be "Lions, marmots and bears! OH MY!" I'll be faced with personal and emotional challenges. Pushing myself when I want to quit. Finding the courage when I'm scared. Becoming comfortable with being alone when no one is around. I'm looking forward to this time of personal growth. I know I will come out of this a stronger person. And boy, will I be proud of myself when I finally take that last step and exit the trailhead in Whitney Portal. 

I can't promise many updates, as I probably won't have good reception for most of the trail. However, I'll do my best to put up some good information on my preparedness (or lack there-of?) and information about the trail. So be sure to check back often! 

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support!