Little Package Blog

Other People on the SHR
2015.07.24
Latergram, Sierra High Route
It’s rare to meet other people on the SHR here we have three, including two who have hiked the route before. We’re at 11,800 feet, looking north on Puppet Lake. They have what appears to be their mother with them so they take the right side slowly, while I tackle the class 3-4 talus straight down and gain half a mile on them by the time I reach the lake. They then head East as they are on a shorter loop hike. Ah, solitude! Friday.

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That Asshole
2015.07.23
Latergram, Pacific Crest Trail
Throwback to 2 years ago on the PCT. Hiker “That Asshole” unwittingly walks away from one of the biggest trail dramas of the year – the owner of the Red Moose in Sierra City accusing him of stiffing them on his pancake breakfast. Cool guy, funny and a gentleman; unfortunate situation. Anyway, don’t steal on the Pacific Crest Trail – even people just _suspected_ of stealing are ostracized and treated very poorly all the way up trail like That Asshole was. That’s probably why theft almost never happens. But it happened this week to a friend on trail and it’s a crappy reminder that it’s not all unicorns and rainbows out there.

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Trees eat rocks
2015.07.20
Latergram, Sierra High Route
The Sierra High Route wasn’t all rocks and alpine lakes – it was also rocks and trees! Trees eating rocks! And a good chunk of this section was on well-established trail. I struggled with my feelings about this. The trails bring civilization back far into the woods, though they do definitely make walking easier. As I got closer and closer to Tuolumne Meadows, hitting Vogelsang High Sierra Camp along the way, I started to really miss being off trail and making my own way. It’s so hard but so… charming. (Like being a kid in the Alaska woods again, just setting off and exploring, climbing on things, getting whimsical and finding oneself.) The pack trails leading up over Vogelsang Pass and back to Tuolumne got wider and […]

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What Trail?
2015.07.17
Latergram, Sierra High Route
Trail? What trail? The Sierra High Route involves many miles of navigating fields of boulder fields and talus much like this, which explains how I’ve already destroyed two pairs of socks and a brand new pair of shoes in only 75 miles. Thank goodness for strong ankles a keen sense of balance, but let’s get real, sometimes I think: “fuck this shit!” It hurts. It’s scary and quite dangerous. Some of these stones are bigger than cars, many of them bigger than shopping carts, and at least half of them are sharp and unstable, and can send you stumbling when you step on them and they tip. I already have had a few bloody scrapes. But the views are so worth it. How lucky and wonderful to […]

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Ziggy and The Bear
2015.07.11
Latergram, Pacific Crest Trail
And off I go, leaving my adopted grandparents and the sweetest Pacific Crest Trail trail angels ever behind for the year. Ziggy and The Bear! They took incredible care of me and about 1500 PCT 2015 hikers this year. I’ll miss them so much. And it’s possible that due to the Lake Fire, many more future hikers will miss them, too. Look at a map, think about it. You can retrospectively support these guys by paypal’ing funds to whitewatertrailhouse@gmail.com. They’ve done tons for PCT hikers over the past 15 years and deserve big thanks (and help paying for those porta-potties!) Also, if you haven’t picked up your box there, get in touch. One of them smells really bad. 😜

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2015.07.03
Latergram
Prize shot. About twenty miles of climbing gets you to Crow Pass next to Raven Glacier from Eagle Creek. That’s the pass first notch from the right. There’s nothing gradual about the last half; this trail does huge elevation gains in spurts! You can see the trail cutting through a snow patch at high right in this photograph. But you won’t find Alaskans wearing microspikes! These wacky Alaskans – they’re hardcore! 😉 This route was part of the original Iditarod route and this pass was its highest point. There used to be a lot of traffic through here – I just can’t imagine what that would have been like – people worked so, so hard to move the mail and other goods!!!

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