High Sierra Topix

Hi folks,
Don't know if I've introduced myself or not. 52 yo male living in the NorCal Central Valley. Almost always hike with my grand companion (wife). Try to hike +200 miles in the Sierra every summer. Did the JMT in 2009 but now try to stay way from it until after Labor Day. Have done some of the SHR and reaching deeper into off trail adventures. In the winter I hike a lot in the eastern coast range (see http://www.yolohiker.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )





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Hi, I'm shhsgirl, although the "girl" part is a lie, since I'm 62, with a 66 year old husband, four grown children and grandchildren. I've been backpacking since my teens, although kids and work have interrupted it somewhat. In 2012 I did the two southern sections of the HSR, and loved being off trail. Then I had a major posterior cervical fusion, and spent 2013 wondering if I'd ever get back. Coming along slowly, so planning only trail trips for 2014. Hubby was a total badass crazy climber in youth, who liked setting off for North Pal at 3:00 p.m., cowboy hat, old slick Pivetta boots, ragged orange rain parka his only equipment, summitting at 6:00 pm, descending in horrendous thunder, lightning, snow storm without flashlight. Used lightning flashes for illumination. It was either learn not to worry or divorce him, and I chose the former. Luckily, he's not physically capable of that anymore, although he still refuses to hike on trails, so I'll have to find girlfriends for my trips this summer. I've made every backpacking mistake in the book, and still have some to go. My major lesson was that if my feet are happy, so, pretty much, am I. Due to my weird duck-shaped feet (great for swimming!) I finally went with custom boots. Next major lesson: As I get older, I have to rely on brain, not brawn, but all my fellow geezers know that. Lightening up pack has been a major advance for me. Hoping to do HST as one of the trail trips this summer. Water might be an issue in my favorite season, fall.

wow. back surgery. well, it's great your planning trips again!

You've posted before, so maybe we'll see more posts from your next trip (or past trips).. It's the slow side of the season so we like any TR.

Russ

Shahs girl,

Don't let a little thing like a fusion stop you from going off trail. I'm your husbands age, had c5-6 fused in February 2001 and by summer was good to go. Of course I was a little younger then but suffered considerable reduction in coordination. Still going on demanding off trail routes (though markskor sometimes has to hold my hand when it gets scary). Trekking poles, careful route selection, shorter distance days have kept me going and looking forward to next summer.

Mike

oldranger wrote: Still going on demanding off trail routes (though markskor sometimes has to hold my hand when it gets scary). Trekking poles, careful route selection, shorter distance days have kept me going and looking forward to next summer.

Mike

Absolutely true...He has buckled at a few of my/our off-trail route selections.
I don't know why I enjoy hiking with the OldRanger...Cranky old coot!
I give him about another 5 - 10 years of planning our routes before I have to find another (tolerable) fishing partner.

BTW, Mike, where we going this year?

I suppose after nearly a year of lurking around on here I should introduce myself. My husband and I moved to Southern California from the mid-Atlantic, and thanks in part to the wisdom from these boards, we have enjoyed two successful backpacking trips through the Golden Trout Wilderness. My husband is a bit of a fly fisherman, always chasing the Goldens, while I'm in charge of the photography and bear spray. We have hiked Kern Peak, but as my husband's body starts shutting down when he looks at anything over 9,000 feet, it takes more than a bit of acclimation before he hikes a little less like a zombie so I don't think Whitney will be in our future any time soon. I look forward to heading back up North this Spring to find additional areas to explore. Thanks to everyone for the wonderfully inspirational trip reports and photographs!!

Welcome aboard! Bear spray? In the Sierra? In 60+ years of camping and backpacking and more encounters with bears than I can remember bear spray is the last thing I would carry in the backcountry. On the other hand I do carry it when car camping but not for bears.

Mike

oldranger wrote:Welcome aboard! Bear spray? In the Sierra? In 60+ years of camping and backpacking and more encounters with bears than I can remember bear spray is the last thing I would carry in the backcountry. On the other hand I do carry it when car camping but not for bears.

Mike

I will admit that the one bear I've seen was beyond terrified when he finally saw us so that was wonderfully comforting. However, I tend to jump at my own shadow so my husband accommodates my irrational fears with bear spray

Hello, I couldn't find anywhere specifically for introductions, so this looks like as good of a place as any. If the mods need to yell at me afterwards, maybe I'll learn a thing or two.

Anyhoo, I live up in Sacramento with my wife and 4 kids, all of whom have expressed an interest in spending more time outdoors. I have been camping off-and-on since I was in diapers and I'm really looking to get back into it. Most of my experience is car camping with a healthy dose of backpacking thrown in during my boy scout days. I also recently became an assistant scoutmaster for a local boy scout troop and I'm trying very hard to get them into the woods more often then they currently are. I joined this forum in hopes that I can learn more about where the good campsites and backpacking trails are so I can get my family and my troop out for as many good experiences as possible.

I guess that's it for now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

SWG,
Welcome to the best board in the Sierras. A wealth of info here. Do a search on trip reports (TR's) in any area/lake/mountain you think you would like to go and I'm sure there is info. Also if you would like input for trip advise pls tell us what is your level of experience (trail, off trial), what is important (lakes, scenery, fish, trees, miles/day...etc) The more we know the more exact the response can be.
Kudos on the scoutmaster position! What the boys learn to love now will serve them later and perhaps they will keep the love of the outdoors handed down. It's a sometime thankless position; but if you touch just one soul it's worth it.