It has been a busy week! A week ago yesterday was my last day of work. I started my drive from Tucson, AZ on Sunday at 2 PM after handing in my keys to my apartment. Sunday night was spent camping in Sedona, AZ in Oak Creek Canyon. I arrived after dark and quickly realized I was not in the desert anymore! It was cold and snow was still covering the ground in patches. After a dinner of dehydrated chicken burrito and rice with tortillas, I quickly settled in for a chilly night in my 15-degree Marmot sleeping bag and my Tarptent Notch.
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| Sedona, AZ Camping |
On Monday I crossed the border into Utah but did not make it any farther than Bryce Canyon. I have wanted to explore this area for a long time and after delaying for many hours, I finally decided that this trip was not the time to get too deep into canyon country. I was on a mission and the PCT was calling me. I ended up doing a quick 2 mile hike into some of the most beautiful scenery in Bryce Canyon National Park - and I just barely scratched the surface. I am definitely planning a return trip to Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park and the many other brilliant places in southern Utah when I can devote more time to exploring these amazing landscapes.
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| "Hoodoos" in Bryce Canyon |
Monday night was spent camping in a flat spot off a dirt road west of Bryce Canyon. Dinner was Mac-n-Cheese shells with smoked salmon out of a tin-foil packet. Yummy! Temps were colder than the previous night as frost greeted me in the morning and my 2-gallon water bottle froze during the night.
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| Car Camping near Bryce Canyon, Southern Utah |
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| Hiking in Bryce Canyon |
Tuesday was a day of driving. Canyon country turned into pasture-land as I made my way up I-15 through Utah, south-eastern Idaho and finally into Montana by the end of the day. Montana is a lush and fertile place with streams and creeks running through valleys of cow and horse pastures surrounded by snow-capped peaks on all sides. These looked like the happiest cows alive! I wished I could stop and do some fishing and just enjoy the wide-open space. After searching for a motel in Butte, Montana and not wanting to pay $75/night for a Super-8 motel, I headed west about 15 miles and ended up at an RV campsite with about a half-dozen tent-only camping spots - none of them occupied. $23 paid for a site complete with a free shower! I'll take that over a Super-8 in a sleezy part of town any day! By Wednesday at 2 PM I was pulling into my mom's driveway in Spirit Lake, Idaho.
These last three days have been spent re-packaging all my resupply boxes, seam-sealing my tent, shopping for final supplies (more fuel cannisters, extra mini-bic lighters, Kathoola Micro-spikes ordered online and a new spork) and NOT shaving! With just a few days until I touch the border fence and start hiking north, I can say that I am as mentally and physically prepared as I will ever be for this journey.
I will share more when I am on the trail. Bring it on PCT!
Great to get this report on your progress. You are on the journey. Love, DAD
ReplyDeleteThanks Dad! I don't have skype right now but we'll keep in touch through email or through this blog.
DeleteThe Notch is new this year. Is it difficult to set up. What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteRockin, After a week of using this tent on the trial, I can say that it is a great tent. If I am fast I can set it up in just a few minutes. The one downside is that it does not stand up to high winds like a freestanding tent would. A couple of days ago on top of Mt. Laguna, at Sunrise Trailhead, I had my tent blown down several times in the night (tent pegs came out) and finally had to re-situate the tent length-wise into the wind, and tie the end to my backpack to keep it from blowing down. The following night I tied one end to a log and was back in some trees to muffle the wind. So bottom line, in sandy/windy conditions, some modifications may be needed. But...it's light weight and very easy to setup/take-down otherwise. Hope that helps!
DeleteIt's good to see you're finally reaching the starting line after all of your preparations. I'm envious of this great "exploration of self" you've set out before you. Good luck! I'll be looking forward to your updates! Shawn
ReplyDeleteThanks Shawn. Is this my brother Shawn? This is my first chance in a week to get access to the internet so I'll be posting updates soon.
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