Reunion on the Trail

Hiking solo can be very rewarding. It can also be extremely challenging. If there is one thing I have learned about myself as a hiker, it is that I do not prefer to hike alone. I enjoy the company of others and making memories we can look back on in years to come. This year, I was planning on doing some of the JMT solo and then meeting up with Donny and some friends after about 8 days on the trail alone. I was ok with that because those 8 days were just covering the same section that I hiked last year. No biggie. 

To say that I am excited about a recent turn of events would be a huge understatement. I am ECSTATIC to announce that my dear friend, Sara, will be joining me on the trail for 6 of those solo days!!!!

Sara and I go back several years. We met in San Diego through a friend that neither of us talk to anymore. Over the years, we got to know each other and last year we became pretty close. We hiked together whenever we could, to include an overnight on the PCT.  We went on a small road trip together, went shopping, went to a Padres game. You know... All those things that good friends do with each other. When I was preparing to move to Pennsylvania, she was getting ready to move to Norway. Our time as hang out buddies quickly came to an end. We kept in touch over Facebook until I deleted my personal profile. I missed my friend, but I was excited for all of the adventures she was having in Norway. In my planning for the JMT, I often wished that Sara was here to do it with me. We had once spoke about that last year. 

To my surprise, Sara returned to the States and right away we made plans for her to meet me at Tuolomne Meadows and hike to Red's Meadow with me. I was excited to do the JMT, and this just adds to that excitement. I am looking forward to our time together on the trail and catching up on the past year. 

(Sara and I at a Padres game in San Diego last spring.)

Women of the Trail

REI really is a great place for me to work. I get to combine my love of teaching with my love of the outdoors. 

Yesterday I was approached by our outreach coordinator. He told me that our store manager spoke with him about getting me to teach some classes in our store. I was so excited! I've been wanting to teach a class since I started to work there. He and I looked through a list of classes that REI offers and BAM! It was so obvious! A women's specific backpacking class! How perfect! 

Some of you might wonder why a backpacking class designed specifically for women would be beneficial. Welll, let's think about that... Men get to pee standing up, women have to squat. Men get to hike on for days or months on the trail without having to worry about a period. Men don't have boobs to hold up or to get in the way of backpack shoulder straps. Men don't have wide hips that they have to fit into a sleeping bag. Shall I go on? 

One of the most important things to stress in a women's specific backpacking class is personal hygiene. Yes, I'm talking about the Vajayjay. The HooHaa. The Lady Bits. Call it what you want (but please nothing derogatory). It's a fact that the vagina can be a girl's best friend or worst enemy. No female wants to experience an infection while on the trail. Proper hygeine is an absolute must in order to avoid an infection that could require medical attention, which can be days away when on a long hike. Unfortunately, one of the main reasons women shy away from long distance backpacking is the lack of knowledge on how to properly care for herself while on the trail. It is my hope that I can share my knowledge and experience with other women in order to inspire them to go out and enjoy the backcountry. 

Of course, there are other things that I will touch upon on my class, such as clothing. One of the most common questions in a women's group I am a part of is how to find the right sports bra. Good golly. Women with large breasts just have the hardest time finding a sports bra that is supportive, comfortable and flattering (Think Uniboob). Trust me. I KNOW! That's a struggle that I still have yet to conquer. Another clothing topic that women talk about is hiking skirts. No, this is not so we can be cute and girly on the trail, it's so we can pee more discreetly. Bet you men never stopped to think of it that way. 

I know that this class is going to be so much fun! My store manager said that when the store has done this class in the past, it has been a sell out. There is already a lot of interest in the class from women who I talked to in the store yesterday, so I am sure we will have a great crowd. 

If you are in the Pittsburgh area and would like to come, head over to the REI Settler's Ridge store page and sign up for the class! I'm not sure if it is posted yet, so you might have to check back again later. I'm also not sure how much the class will cost. The date should be Tuesday, June 9th at 7pm. 

Firing up again!

I failed. 

No, I'm not talking about finishing the JMT last year. I'm talking about updating this blog. Take a look at the last time I posted. Yeah, August 10th, 2014. And what was the title of that entry? Oh, right... "Day 1". Well, what the heck happened to Day 2-8? I know I didn't finish the trail, but I at least got past day 1! 

I would say that it was a result of pure laziness, and that very well could have been part of it. In all honesty, I think I just didn't want to go through the memories and feeling like I messed up by not finishing. It took me quite some time after I got home before I even shared pictures of my trip with anyone. I think my Dad was one of the first people I actually sat down with and talked to about it. By  the time I was comfortable talking about my trip, I was then busy with two jobs and updating wasn't a priority. Ha... It never really was a priority to start with. 

Oh well... Moving on. 

So what has happened since I last posted? Quite a bit actually. I started substitute teaching at various school districts in Pennsylvania, but I knew the pay from that wasn't going to be enough, so I got a second job. And actually, I LOVE my second job. Almost more than I love teaching. I never dread having to go into work. I never count down the minutes until the end of the day. Not in the slightest. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I show up for work an hour or two early and sometimes stay longer than I need to, whether it is to work or just hang out. Recreational Equipment Incorportated, or simply, REI. Yep! I'm an employee at one of the top companies to work for in the United States. I'm that cheerful person wearing a green vest who can help measure you to get you into a proper backpack, or advise you on the perfect hiking boots you'll need for that next adventure! It's amazing. The environment and people are so very necessary and helpful for me to get through the winter months here in Pennsylvania. Especially this winter: most consecutive days of snow 3" deep or greater since the 70s or something crazy like that! I think it was near 70 or so days. Too long!

Other than working, I've been planning my JMT hike for 2015. This year is going to be quite a bit different than last year, and I know for a fact that I will finish it this time, barring any unforseen circumstances. Why is it going to be different? A few reasons actually. 

1) My permit is completely different this year. Instead of starting in Yosemite Valley, I'm actually starting up at Glacier Point, which is where I was originally supposed to start last year. I'm quite looking forward to starting here, as I have heard the views of the valley and Half Dome are just breathtaking. Also, you go downhill for a good portion of the trail instead of uphill. Major time and energy saver. The big thing about my permit is that it actually only covers the first 25 miles of the JMT. This year, the permiting system for the JMT changed. You now have to have a permit to exit Yosemite over Donahue Pass, and you can only start at certain trailheads. Well, I couldn't get a permit for the entire JMT, so I had to get creative. I snagged one from Glacier Point to Tuolumne Meadows. When I get to Tuolomne Meadows, I need to wait at the ranger station for a walk up permit to exit of Donahue Pass. They give out 10 walk up permits per day from Lyell Canyon (Tuolumne Meadows) to Mt. Whitney (The end of the JMT), so if I can score a walk up permit, I can finish the JMT. I have a couple days to play with if I don't get one right away. If I don't get one at all, I'll take a but down to Mammoth, where I will be meeting friends who have a space on their permit for me. I'm pretty confident that I will get a permit. I'm basically going to camp out at the ranger station at TM in order to make sure I'm one of the first people there when they open in the morning. I'll sleep the next day in the camp and then head out either that evening, or the next day. 

2) I will be with other people this year! Yes, I was with other people last year who I met on the trail. They were wonderful people, of course, but it's one thing to meet people on the trail and a completely different thing to be with friends on the trail. Now, I won't be with friends the entire time. The first week or so of my hike I will be by myself. This is the portion that I did last year by myself, so I am very confident that I can do it again with no worries. Also, I'm sure I'll meet people along the way to hike with for that time just like I did last year. Once I get to Mammoth (Where I got off the trail last year), I'll be meeting Donny (Read the blog from 6/29/14: Partner in crime) and some friends. Most everyone in the group has already completed the JMT at least once. Once we hit the trail, there will be a group of us for a few days, but eventually, most everyone will be getting off the trail to go back to work or other committments. Donny and I are the only ones who are staying on the trail for the entire time. We're hoping to meet up with another friend who is doing the JMT northbound. We've compared schedules and should be at the same campsite one night. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone that will be hiking with us, as I've heard all about them and have been friends with most of them on facebook for nearly a year or more. 

3) Gear! Yes, gear. Oh boy. I'm certain that last year my pack aided in my knee injury. It weighed 45lbs starting off. Holy smokes! I took a lot that I didn't need. I took a lot of food that was heavy, and too much to eat. I also had some heavier gear. This year I speant some money and lighened up! I knocked 2lbs off of my tent by switching from an MSR Hubba to a ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus. I sold my North Face Blue Kazoo sleeping bag and purchased a Western Mountaineering sleeping bag, saving 11.5oz. I bought a Therm-a-Rest Neo Air Xlite which is 6oz lighter than my Therm-a-Rest Neo Air All Season. I lightned up my kitchen cook set by buying an Evernew Ti pot and getting rid of a few things I didn't need. There are a few other things that I changed out too, but those are the main ones. All in all, I shaved off close to 15lbs of base weight. WOW! (Also why I needed a second job!) There was another reason that I needed to lighten up my load, but more on that later. 

4) I'm taking a much more relaxed pace this year. For example, the one section that I hiked last year in 5 days, I am doing in 7 days. I'll be able to stop and smell the mountain flowers, soak my feet in a lake, lay out to get some sun, throw a frisbee (Yes, I'm taking an ultralight tossing ring), etc. There are a couple days where Donny and I are only doing 4 miles. There's too much to see and do to rush through it. I won't be doing the JMT again any time soon, as I will be moving on to other trails, so I want to get the most out of my experience. Thankfully Donny knows all the good spots and has planned the schedule to include all of the best parts of the JMT. 

I definitely feel much more mentally prepared for this trip. Unfortunately I am not as physically prepared. In February of this year I had surgery on my pelvic floor. I wasn't able to lift more than 10lbs for 2 months and now I'm only allowed to lift 20lbs. I wasn't allowed to hike for the first 2 months, but was allowed to start with 2 miles. I'm still not allowed to run. As can be expected, I've gained about 10lbs and am pretty out of shape, though I did go on a backpacking trip to Shenandoah National Park a couple weekeds ago. I did ok for not having been on the trail for months. I covered about 25-30 miles with 20lbs on my back. It was a good first post-surgery hike. I go back to the doctor tomorrow and am hoping I get cleared to start running and to carry 30lbs. This is the other reason why I needed to lighten up my load. It became a medical necessity. 

Thanks for reading through this. I know it was pretty lengthy and there were no pictures that helped to keep your interest. I'm going to attempt to update this as best as I can this summer. Make sure to leave comments as you read the blog entries. They are so encouraging to me! I appreciate all of the support!