Re: Lurkers Please Introduce Yourself
Posted: Fri May 08, 2015 12:42 pm
Howdy HST group,
Andrew from San Jose. I've been doing outdoor activity since I was 14 years old when I spent a summer tripping from Pine Island Camp in Belgrade Lakes ME. Following this I was a trip leader, camp counselor, kayaking instructor through my 20's at the same organization. After college I did NOLS fall semester in the Rockie 2003 which included 3 weeks backcountry rock climbing in the southern Wind River Range, WY, 2 weeks caving in Vernal UT, 3 weeks traveling via raft, kayak and canoe on the Green River UT and 3 weeks backpacking grand gulch in SE UT.
I moved to CA in 2006 and have been backpacking the west coast ever since. As a teacher I use my vacation time to backpack, kayak and spend time with my family. I am lucky to get 14 weeks of sort of PTO a year and I use much of this to do outdoors trips. I love getting off trail and getting away from the crowds. More recently my adventures have included kayaking black canyon south of Hoover Dam, Havasu Falls, the Kalalau Trail Kauai, cross-country in the Hetch Hetchy area. My current obsession is the high route and I've been exploring sections through week long trips. I have a 2 week trip planned for my wife and me this August which will include cross-country from Mono Creek to Evolution Lake area. Another recent obsession is Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and Paria Canyon (I was looking for an August trip to this slot canyon but decided dying from a flash flood wasn't the best way to end the summer vacation). I also want to get to the Grand Canyon in the beginning of 2016 before the Escalante project builds their mega-mall on the cliff side.
I did my first solo backpacking trip in 2013 from Bear Creek Dam up to Lake Italy through Bear Lakes Basin to Vee Lake and back down to Bear Creek Dam. The bugs were horrible but once I got above the tree line they went away.
My favorite local stomping ground and training area is Henry Coe State Park, CA. If you live in the area and haven't been, spring is the time to enjoy the wildflowers as they'll distract you from all the hill you're climbing. I'm also a competitive kayak polo player in the SF bay area; we are always looking for experienced kayaker who want to expand their skill set.
I look forward to contributing.
Andrew from San Jose. I've been doing outdoor activity since I was 14 years old when I spent a summer tripping from Pine Island Camp in Belgrade Lakes ME. Following this I was a trip leader, camp counselor, kayaking instructor through my 20's at the same organization. After college I did NOLS fall semester in the Rockie 2003 which included 3 weeks backcountry rock climbing in the southern Wind River Range, WY, 2 weeks caving in Vernal UT, 3 weeks traveling via raft, kayak and canoe on the Green River UT and 3 weeks backpacking grand gulch in SE UT.
I moved to CA in 2006 and have been backpacking the west coast ever since. As a teacher I use my vacation time to backpack, kayak and spend time with my family. I am lucky to get 14 weeks of sort of PTO a year and I use much of this to do outdoors trips. I love getting off trail and getting away from the crowds. More recently my adventures have included kayaking black canyon south of Hoover Dam, Havasu Falls, the Kalalau Trail Kauai, cross-country in the Hetch Hetchy area. My current obsession is the high route and I've been exploring sections through week long trips. I have a 2 week trip planned for my wife and me this August which will include cross-country from Mono Creek to Evolution Lake area. Another recent obsession is Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and Paria Canyon (I was looking for an August trip to this slot canyon but decided dying from a flash flood wasn't the best way to end the summer vacation). I also want to get to the Grand Canyon in the beginning of 2016 before the Escalante project builds their mega-mall on the cliff side.
I did my first solo backpacking trip in 2013 from Bear Creek Dam up to Lake Italy through Bear Lakes Basin to Vee Lake and back down to Bear Creek Dam. The bugs were horrible but once I got above the tree line they went away.
My favorite local stomping ground and training area is Henry Coe State Park, CA. If you live in the area and haven't been, spring is the time to enjoy the wildflowers as they'll distract you from all the hill you're climbing. I'm also a competitive kayak polo player in the SF bay area; we are always looking for experienced kayaker who want to expand their skill set.
I look forward to contributing.