Tag: Post-Holing

Big Week

Post author By Rich Duncombe
Post date June 8, 2021

Thru-hiking like life
brings toil and uncertainty
to ask who am I?
                       Ribs

I am writing from the comfort of a motel in Mammoth Lakes. I came off the trail today after the most physically challenging week so far with a profound appreciation of the scenic beauty and the responsibility we assume when thru-hiking. In seven days I covered 123 miles with 32K elevation gain from eight passes averaging over 11K feet.

I was joined by my nephew, Peter, an experienced Sierra climber and back country skier. His presence boosted my confidence to navigate the three highest passes with snow.

Kearsarge Pass, at nearly 12K feet, is required just to get back to the PCT

Glen Pass, our second 12K pass of the first day, required several steep snow field traverses – not a big deal for Peter but I fell several times

Looking back at Glen Pass from the Rae Lakes

I could have written a nice post titled “Big Day – The Sequel” after two major climbs on the first day. But we were just getting started. Every day we climbed as quickly as possible to summit the next pass before the snow got too soft or possible afternoon thunderstorms materialized. We then dropped 3K feet to the valley floor to camp before starting the sequence again. It makes me tired just listing our Big Week itinerary.

Day 1: Kearsarge 12K and Glen 12K
Day 2: Pinchot 12K
Day 3: Mather 12K
Day 4: Muir 12K
Day 5: Selden 11K
Day 6: Silver 11K
Day 7: Mammoth 10K

We met him at first light of day 2 sharing the river valley, the first of many deer over the week

Pinchot Pass featured the barren moonscape of the southern Sierra

Looking back from Mather to Pinchot Pass showed our day 3 work

Peter and I were most concerned about Muir Pass because of the snow depth. It was the most scenic section of the PCT so far. The intense azure blue of the lakes and sky radiated off the snow and ice.

The John Muir shelter, built in 1930, saves lives when storms close in on this highly exposed landscape

Wanda Lake, north of Muir Pass, defines radiance

The ice flow moved with the wind, I had to peel my eyes away lest I would still be sitting there

The descent from Muir took us into the magical Evolution Valley. I have tried to hike this section for years but permits and fires have intervened. It is the transition from the barren Sierra peaks to the lush forests that stretch from valley floor to alpine lakes.

We shared our campsite view with the residents of Evolution Valley

The constant pounding of the descents took a toll on Peter. He dealt with a daily barrage of blisters but then he re-activated knee issues that quickly escalated. He decided to hike 16 miles out rather than continue 45 more miles and risk an evacuation. It was a hard decision but demonstrated the most important responsibility we have in remote wilderness situations – know your limits at every moment. Later we concluded the issue was likely using climbing approach shoes. Every thru-hiker tweaks their gear, food, and body care over weeks and months – Peter had five days.

I continued north to finish the last three passes and 45 miles. I had hiked this section with Jenessa in 2017 so it was fun to experience the trail again and remember the trip that inspired me to hike the PCT.

Silver Pass was number seven and a crazy day of climbing

After a full meal, I decided to take on a mammoth mud pie. You’re damn right I finished it with an audience at the next table.

Tags Bugs, California, Calories, Gear, Haiku, Joy, Post-Holing, Sierra, Trail Family, Wildlife

Hiking the PCT

Cascading

In our attempt to hike the entire PCT this summer, we have been jumping north to hike short sections of the trail while waiting for the snow to melt in the Sierra. These disjointed sections were, in fact, a wonderful introduction to the Cascade Mountains. I hiked 214 miles from Belden to Castle Crags State Park on I-5 in four hikes over nine days through the Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta National Forests.

This sign announcing entry into the Cascades Range is 400 PCT miles from the Oregon border.

In my initial attempt to hike up north three weeks ago, Home Alone, I didn’t see many people but did find signs of bears and plenty of snow. These themes continued as I encountered only five parties backpacking over the entire distance. It was unnerving at first, but I came to appreciate the solitude. Signs of bears continued, and I spent time trying to understand their activities – I never saw one, which is always the goal. And, yes, the snow found new ways to tease and torment, reminding me that I am simply a visitor in nature’s house.

Looking 30 miles south at Mt. Lassen from Hat Creek Rim

Looking 100 miles north at Mt. Shasta from Hat Creek Rim

Bear scat full of Juniper berries inspired me to alert them near Juniper groves.

The next time we jumped north to avoid a snowstorm in the Sierra came after The Amazing South Sierra. I began by hiking a 46-mile section near Mt. Lassen, thinking that the worst of the snow would hit in the Sierra. I stayed with Pleasure-Way after completing that section and was surprised to find four inches of snow at our campsite the next day and likely six to eight inches covering my planned route. We decided to make a quick dash home and found that the snow stretched far north into Oregon at PCT trail elevations.

Fresh snow on May 20 at Old Station near Mt. Lassen 2,500 feet below where I was hiking the day before

The snow highlighted the magnificent trees in the Mt. Lassen National Park

We returned after a few days to complete the section. I will leave you with some visual and poetic images of the southern Cascade Mountains. I look forward to hiking the remaining 1,150 miles of the Cascades after I complete the Sierra.

The Sugar Pine trees were the winner in the pine cone category, with a close second going to the Gray Pines.

My campsite at sunrise looking down on Lake Almanor

Snow plants signal the start of spring, bursting forth from snowbanks

Emerging from snow
everything given freely
sweet nectar of life.
              Ribs

Tags California, Cascades, Flowers, Haiku, Post-Holing, Wildlife

Hiking the PCT

The Amazing South Sierra

This is my fifth trip into the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It stretches 400 miles long and about 70 miles wide for a mind-boggling 40M square miles. I got to take the journey through 110 miles of the southern end of this magical place with my son Scott. The scope of this gem is hard to fathom, and the photos shared might blur together. But each and every valley or vista we traveled called for deeper exploration.

One request frequently faced by PCT hikers is for family or friends to join them on a portion of the hike. This often ends badly as the finely tuned bodies and packs required for thru-hiking meet their guests’ not so finely tuned bodies and packs. I had no such concerns about Scott, given his penchant for ultra-marathons and other endurance events. But even he admitted that the 30-year age advantage did not fully account for my 750 miles on the trail. He did, however, make up the difference by the time we reached Mt. Whitney and left me hiking in the dark.

The trip started frantically picking up Scott in Reno, driving six hours to Kennedy Meadows, and sorting gear and food for a week. We got a late start, and neither of us was in very high spirits as the mid-day heat and reality of 110 miles loomed ahead.

Sorting our gear and food for seven days

Leaving Kennedy Meadows with a hot sun and monstrous packs

The first two days were through the transition zone of high desert to alpine abundance. We had to carry water to last a full day, given the infrequent opportunities to fill.

The first day ended at the South Kern River – a morale booster

Our campsite on the second day provided views of what was to come

By day three, we kicked into gear to start climbing from 6K feet into the 10K – 14K feet elevations that would be our new home. The living systems were changing before our eyes.

The Bristlecone Pine forests greeted us at every turn

We camped at an alpine lake at over 11K feet

Days four through six included epic adventures from climbing Mt. Whitney (14.5K ft) before sunrise to hiking through mountain plains that looked like Peru and climbing over Forester Pass (13.2K ft) with a snowstorm closing in. The physicality of the place consumed me – this was tough work. But that faded rapidly as the majesty fueled me. I could spend a week exploring any one of the dozens of mountain basins we saw. This place is a must-see if you lose yourself in wild places.

Looking back at Mt. Whitney, now a tiny bump on the horizon

The mountain plain stretched for miles as we approached Forester Pass

Summiting Forester Pass (13.2K ft) required scrambling over a cornice at the top

We had miles of snow to contend with on the north side of Forester Pass

Our final look back into this fantastic area as we left through Kearsarge Pass

Tags California, Freezing, Post-Holing, Sierra, Trail Family, Water

Hiking the PCT

Home Alone

Part of our PCT plan is to use my wife’s incredible support, the ultimate trail angel, to leap forward and backward to optimize the chance of finishing the trail in one year. There are many reasons this helps from avoiding snow, fires, and dealing with injuries. The time window is short for finishing the desert section before the summer heat and the northern Cascades before the snowfalls. We successfully lept backward to complete the San Jacinto section earlier, so what could go wrong?

This week we lept 700 miles forward to start an 83 mile, three-day hike beginning at Burney Falls, north of Mt. Lassen, and ending at Castle Crags on I-5. It was time to test our approach to find terrain with less snow. I immediately felt at home, entering a deep, lush forest, and I did not see another person for 65 miles. I could make out one pair of shoe prints from this season, maybe two weeks earlier.

My camp on the first night after 25 miles – home alone

COVID deprived us of our holiday traditions, so we experimented with a few new ones. One was to watch the classic holiday movie Home Alone. That first day on the trail felt a bit like Macaulay Culkin’s first night celebrating after realizing that he had the house to himself. Similarly, it is the second day when the real story begins. My experience shifted from a stroll through the forest to a 13-hour orienteering drill through deep snow. The faint shoe prints vanished early on, replaced by deer and bear prints. I could not figure out why there were 12-foot drifts and miles of snowfields when the snow reports showed otherwise. I put those theoretical questions aside and got serious about using all my navigation tools (apps, maps, compass, and GPS) to find the most efficient route.

Black bear prints and scat were frequent, so I used my whistle to alert them of my presence.

I hiked four hours through deep snow – sometimes, the most accessible trail is straight up.

The views of Mt. Shasta continued to inspire me.

I finally broke free of the snowfields and discovered the answer to my question. I was hiking through a north-facing basin that funneled the weather from several mountains leading to deep snowdrifts. I did not see another section with this level of variation. I hiked hard once I cleared the snow basin and camped after covering 24 miles. I was exhausted but also felt good about how I worked through my unexpected challenges.

I solved the mystery once I reached the ridge.

The third day was like the triumphant coming home party that the wiser and more confident Macaulay Culkin experienced. I hiked 34 miles through beautiful old-growth forests and completely lost myself in the experience. My wonderful trail angel was there at I-5 with trays of food, including fried chicken, salad, potato wedges, fruit, cookies, and I ate it all. I am so fortunate to have a chance to immerse myself in this experience with such unconditional support.

My reward was an amazing 34-mile day through old-growth forests.

Tags California, Cascades, Falling, Flowers, Post-Holing, Wildlife

Hiking the PCT

Big Day

In an earlier blog, I shared that I had to pull out of the last 30 miles of the San Jacinto section of the PCT due to heavy snow. Within a few days, Alesia and I were scheming on how to get back to complete this section. I did, and it was a big day. In my hiking vocabulary, a big day is just beyond reach, possible, but it calls forth more of everything; more focus, more energy, more endurance with a large splash of attitude.

The goal was to hike back to Saddle Junction where I left the PCT. The Devil’s Slide trail was the shortest route at 2.5 miles but added 1,700 feet of climbing to the front end of my hike. The starting temperature was 37 degrees, and it was below freezing on San Jacinto.

The climb was beautiful as the morning light filtered in from the east. I quickly climbed from 6,400 feet to Saddle Junction at 8,100 feet.

Once on the PCT, the climb continued up to 9,000 feet. I felt that this challenge was going much easier than expected. The morning had a brisk and brilliant feel, and my legs and lungs were more than excited to push forward.

The wheels started to come off as quickly as turning a bend on the trail. The deep snow returned and was not at all what I had heard from other hikers. I spent the next eight miles navigating snow on the ascent and descent. Fortunately, the cold temperatures over the previous days kept me from sinking deep into the snow (post-holing). I put micro-spikes onto my hiking shoes to gain some traction. Nonetheless, it was exhausting and my pace slowed to the point that I assumed I would need to shelter overnight.

After descending several thousand feet, I finally left the snow behind. I had only covered 13 miles in seven hours. Looking north, I could see my destination 7,500 feet below and 20 miles away. It seemed out of reach, but thinking about what is possible is much less effective than seeing what is possible – one step at a time.

Looking back at San Jacinto from the north

The descent took me down over 15 miles of switchbacks from the lush forest to a barren desert. San Jacinto’s presence was apparent around every corner. My feet and legs begged for a break from the pounding, but the remaining miles started to look doable.

I covered 33 miles, climbed 6,700 feet, and descended 12,700 feet in under 14 hours. San Jacinto is a small wilderness by western standards, but it is wild and dangerous. I had read reports and watched videos of this hike, and it was hard for me to grasp why this area has taken the lives of PCT hikers and locals. I am so glad to have seen it first hand, and I admire it as a precious wild place.

Tags California, Falling, Post-Holing

Hiking the PCT

Well, now

For the first few days on the trail, I felt like I was setting the agenda. That bubble burst this week. After ten days and 200+ miles, it is clear that the trail and everything surrounding it provide the experience, and I am here to learn (one way or another). My lesson so far is to connect with what is, don’t add my delusional views, whether blissful, angry, or needy. Then I must decide what I will make of it. I will be relearning this lesson every day, and I sense there are many chapters to come.

Crossing a welcoming meadow north of Warner springs.

Segment 2 started with two hot days, little water, and questionable sources. With 10K feet of climbing, I began to get angry, thirsty, and hungry. All these growing obsessions were neither accurate nor helpful. The bliss-meter took a nosedive. I found refuge at Mike’s Place, a renowned oasis in the Lost Valley of all places. Never has a tortilla filled with a hot dog slathered in refried beans tasted so good.

This was one of the better water sources.

Good strumming and conversation at Mike’s Place.

I climbed the San Jacinto mountains for the next three days, known as one of the PCT’s most challenging and dangerous sections due to the exposure and volatile weather. On the first day, I faced 60-mile hour winds and on the second deep snow. It is beautiful, but every few steps, I post-holed waist-deep, risking injury. I decided to detour around the final 30 miles as an even stronger wind storm approached. My learning was put to the test as my ego argued against all evidence to fight through the conditions and my fatigue. I chose to learn and hike another day. Well, now, my trail angel just arrived.

I started to post-hole on every step and quickly lost the trail. Following other tracks only made it worse as they also wandered through the basin.

Tags California, Desert, Falling, Post-Holing, Trail Family, Trail Magic, Water