Day 1 on the PCT

Set off from Edison Lake trail head at 8000 ft and made our way over Silver Pass at 1100 ft. The climb was tough but the beauty of the evergreens, rock formations and the abundant source of snow melt made it spectacular. We did run into some rain with thunder claps at the top of the pass! We set up camp at Chief Lake and jumped into our tent early. Got up around 2am to a clear, cool night sky and a beautiful 1/2 moon. A great first day on the PCT.

Cooling off

Did a short day hike to the south side of Edison lake. Water was very inviting, crisp and cool! 

Vermillion Valley Resort

Two nights to settle into the Sierra thin air and cool weather. Got our bear vault and bug net protection. Have met colorful hikers which we will soon be a part of. 

Grocery shopping

21 days of "food" is a lot of food! And we get to carry it on our backs, haul out our trash and poop in "cat holes"! I am so looking forward to this wonderful adventure!

Space food in so many flavors.....

wonder if the bandito will make herself present!

Kaena Point, Oāhu, Hawaii

Practicing on the beach

A week of cruising the beachs and shoreline of Oahu will be great for our legs!

What's for dinner & where are we going?

Have made the decision to use calorie dense, freeze dried food as our primary source of nourishment. Really don't want to be hauling around pounds of salami and cheese.  The ultralight gear allows us to pack light, duh! Will restock several times while out on the trail and our maps indicate where water is available. Steri-pen to the rescue.

Got music?

One way to keep bears at bay! Bill just got a fluke, will be home schooling while on the PCT. Thanks to Pat McGrath's initial instruction as to what a fluke is and what to do with it, Bill is good to go.

music makers...

Practice overnighter to Pepeiao Cabin.

Napau Crater trek.

Check out one of my favorite spots on the wonderful island of Hawaii.www.gov/havo/index.htm

We love REI, Campmor, Amazon!

Next REI dividend will be huge! We are in the process of packing the packs and tossing all the non-essential stuff. My favorite part about backpacking is you strip down to essentials, quite liberating. We have done several recent overnighters to test new gear and see how "heavy" we want to be. Just need to figure out how to post photo's on the blog.

Preparation time!

It's all about the anticipation and preparation, at least for now. Bill and I will take on a section of the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. Got our one-way flight into LAX and will make our way up to Yosemite National Park via Fresno. Vermillion "Resort" is our start spot and we will head north. Check out www.pcta.org and www.nps/yose/index.htm for more information about the hike and area.