High Sierra Topix

On a good day I wont think about anything. Nothin'. Blank mind. It feels so good to liberate the mind from thought. A good day will bring me something new, something I have never seen before. A good day I will walk all day for only the simple goal of seeing what is on the other side of that ridge.

Most times I plan a route, sometimes I don't, sometimes I deviate. Usually I am up or down with the sun, sometimes I stay up late staring at the stars or glowing granite, sometimes I sleep in. I don't worry about deadlines, as long as I get back to work on time.

Camp for me is just a sheltered place with water. But it is sure nice when it has views. I wait until I am sure I am not goign to move on before I set up. Many times I have blown my load early, only to be reenergized after dinner, but stuck with everything unpacked. Now I am just patient and wait.

I keep clean when I can. I love jumping into ice cold water. It makes you feel so damn alive, so crisp. I for sure wash socks daily as I only bring one spare pair, and wash everything else when I can.

I rarely will bring a book, I'll take some photos or listen to mp3 player, but usually it is just me out there just looking at things

I am not a fast hiker, but I am relentless. On trail or off, I just go and keep at it. I stop when its beautiful.

Most trips over the past couple seasons have been solo. Not that I don't like to hike with others, but it's just hard to get people to commit. Also, my typical day has changed a bit since I started fishing.

I am in fact a bit embarrassed to admit it but I really don't care for camping that much. I only camp so I can see (and fish) remote places that are further in than is reasonable as a day hike.

My day usually begins at dawn or just before. The second I get out of my bag, I get dressed for the day. Before doing anything else, I pack up my bag, pad and tent. Then it's a quick breakfast of cold grape nuts or granola and usually some coffee.

I will sometimes do a little fishing in the morning if I had success the previous evening. No more than an hour of fishing in the morning. Then it's finish packing my gear, apply some sunscreen and hit the trail.

The distance I cover each day will depend upon the terrain. In general, on days where I will be fishing at the destination, I will aim for about 5 to 6 hours of hiking. On non-fishing days, it's 7 to 8 hours. I never do any layover days. Usually I break about every couple hours for a snack and have lunch sometime around afternoon. If I am fishing near camp, I prefer to make camp no later than a few hours before sunset. After making camp, it's usually a quick swim or some fishing.

In the past I have brought a large variety of different things for dinner. On most trips all I usually want it ramen. On the past few backpacking trips about half of the dinners I bring are ramen. I will sometimes have fish for dinner too. I seldom make a campfire unless it is really cold outside or my hiking companions want one.

It's into the sleeping bag at sunset or soon after. Funny how your life tends to be based on the clock when at home. Once I am out in mother nature's domain, "she" makes most of the decisions, and her rhythmus mostly decide my pace. I don't even bother to bring a watch anymore. If I want to know what "time" it is, I just look up at the sky. I stop when I am tired, eat when I am hungry and drink when thirsty.

I tend to start early each morning, usually up by 7:00 and on the trail by 7:30-7:45. I usually have a couple of breakfast bars first thing in the morning while breaking camp and packing up. I like to get an hour or so down the trail before I stop and have my real breakfast, which usually consists of granola cereal with blueberries and Nido milk.
Mileage is very similar to Nancy's, but occasionally I'll knock out a 15-16 miler.
I like to stop every 1 1/2 hours for about a 10-15 minute break. This allows me a chance to snack and to hydrate. I don't take a real lunch break very often.
I like to stop around 4:00-5:00 each evening. After finding a place to set up my shelter, I'll have dinner and then make any journal entries that I have left to make.