JMT Month is Here!

It's been a while since my last posting. Things have been extremely busy over the last month. In preparation for my long adventure ahead, I've been spending my time finishing a variety of assignments for Backpacker and Washington Trails.  For Backpacker, there have been many, many new GPS tracks getting done - largely from the huge amount of hiking I've been doing to condition for my trip - as well as the first of several "Rip & Go" mini-features to go in next year's lineup.  For Washington Trails, I wrapped up a feature article on Oregon's John Day Fossil Beds that will be appearing in the Sept/Oct issue later this summer.  Also for Washington Trails, I've been selected to join their gear review team, so will soon be testing and suggesting new outdoors gear from popular outdoor manufacturers.

In photo news, with all the hiking lately, I have an enormous backlog of imagery that needs to be processed and posted on the site.  Included are numerous hiking locations on Mt. Hood, Mount St. Helens, and the Clackamas Wilderness.  And JMT will hardly be the end of my season, as when I return, I still have several locations on Mt. Rainier, the North Cascades, Oregon's Sisters, and more on Mt. Hood to hike/photograph for various assignments.  I'm looking at doing a major site refresh when I return, so new imagery will slowly get added later in the year.

Keeping it short for now; lots to do this week.  I'm hiking JMT with 90GB of camera memory, so anticipate coming back with an enormous task to handle.  I'm considering creating a photo book of my adventure; more details on that to come...

Wish me luck!

Washington Trails: Classic Backpacks

The July/Aug issue of Washington Trails is now available, with this issue's feature being on outstanding backpacking trips throughout the state. Highlighted are three areas: the Glacier Peak Wilderness (on my own to-do list now for several years); the rugged and remote Goat Rocks area; and Olympic's own Enchanted Valley, penned and photographed by yours truly.

This was a fun article to write, as it was a highly memorable trip. As I mention in the article, we happened across this location in our guidebook by accident, as were were actually looking up a similarly-named location: Enchantment Lakes. After checking out the description of this hike, and the author's comparison to a Hawaiian-like valley filled with rainforest and waterfalls, we just had to do this one. As it turned out, this was our first backpacking trip where we got to see a bear in the wild. It was quite an exhilarating experience, and a lasting memory.

The two-page spread features a moderately-detailed summary of our hike (including our bear-sighting!) and three photos from the trip—two of which include Mitzi; because WTA continues to love photos of Mitzi. See the article online, or pick up a copy.

Next up is a feature piece about the John Day Fossil Beds, in Central Oregon. That one is currently in the works, and will be appearing in the Sept/Oct issue...

WTA's August Hike-a-Thon

Summer is hiking time! And August is Hike-a-Thon time! Hit the trails and help raise funds for the Washington Trails Association's continued support of wilderness advocacy, trail maintenance, and outdoors education throughout Washington state. And you don't have to be a Washington resident, or even hike in Washington to participate. Log any miles, from any named trails, anywhere, for the entire month of August. I'll be counting my JMT miles! And better yet, there's prizes! So not only are you doing something you love, and helping raise funds for the continued support of outdoor recreation, you might just claim a reward too. Prizes include gear from Mountain Hardwear, MSR, Teko, Clif Bar, and more. Check out the Hike-a-Thon website for more info. Registration begins July 1.

And that lovely young lady on the Hike-a-Thon poster? Well that's Mitzi, from our backpack into Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness' Enchantments region a couple years ago. She's perched above Vivien Lake, with Prussik Peak in the background. Nice job, Mitzi!

UPDATE
The sponsor sites are now live, so log on to my personal sponsor page and help me support WTA!

JMT 2010: June Update

The calendar continues clicking down towards my summer thru-hike on the John Muir Trail, now less than two months away. In the past few months, I've met several fellow JMT'ers via Facebook that will be on the trail near or at the same time as me. We've shared info, tips, and gear and food suggestions. Several local hikers have also posted current trail conditions. There's still alot of snow up there!

Gearwise, I'm pretty set. In the next month, before heading down to CA, I'll be taking several shorter backpacks in the Glacier Peak and Garibaldi areas where I'll be breaking in the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 tent. This ultralight solo tent weighs in under 3 lbs—including fly and footprint!—yet offers an ample 22 square feet of living space, and 37" of headroom. That's plenty of room for both me and my pack, safely away from chewing little critters. The compressed size—not including poles—is a super-compact 6" x 12". I bought this tent last year, near the end of the season, and haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, but I'm really looking forward to putting this lightweight little beauty into some high-country use. Available at REI and Mountain Gear.

Another recent milestone in the continuing preparations for JMT is that I have placed my ginormous food order with Packit Gourmet. I've mentioned in previous postings how great this food is. Filling my bear canister will be several packages of tortilla soup, chicken & dumplings, bangers & mash, and the super-tasty breakfast smoothies. I've also ordered alot of bulk dehydrated grocery items—meats and veggies—for some of my own concoctions from recipes found on TrailCooking.com, BackpackingChef.com, and of course, Backpacker.com. Add to that lots of Annie's noodles, instant mashed potatoes, energy bars, dehydrated fruit, granola, trail mix, and some awesome beef jerky made by one of Oregon's own local farmers. Once everything is in hand, likely early July, I'll be spending a good deal of time repackaging and trying to squeeze those last 14 days worth of food into that bear can...

Tracks on Trails

The Washington Trails Assn. has recently produced a new Pocket Naturalist Guide featuring many of the animals commonly seen around the Northwest. The laminated, fold-out guide contains images of over 40 animals and large birds, from tiny pika, chimpmunks, and marmots to foxes, eagles, elk, moose, large cats, and bears. It features illustrations of their tracks and information for size comparison and other traceable features. An additional section also suggests some of the best hiking locations for viewing specific animals. And featured on the back of the guide—representing our own two-legged species—is a photo of Mitzi hiking above Mt. Rainier's Glacier Basin.

This great new guide—small and light enough to stash in any pack or pocket for quick reference—is only available thru the Washington Trails Assn. as an exclusive membership premium for 2010. Log on to the WTA's membership page, become a member, or renew an existing membership, and under Additional Information, check the box for Tracks Pocket Field Guide. Membership funds for joining the Washington Trails Assn. directly support trails and wildlands throughout Washington, and include a subscription to Washington Trails magazine. And speaking of Washington Trails, I'll have an article and photos about backpacking in Olympic's Enchanted Valley coming in the July/Aug. issue. Check it out!

Imagery Update

The June issue of Backpacker is out now, and I have a small photo featured in the "New Trips Near You" section, spotlighting the Dog Mountain trail. One of the more popular spring hikes on the Washington side of the Gorge, Dog Mountain offers one of the better wildflower displays, along a steep, 3-mile trail to the summit; with a nice 7-mile loop option. See the GPS track and more photos of this hike at Backpacker.com.

Its been a while since I've posted a photo update, and I have quite the backlog of images to get posted up to the site. In the recent months, I've been quite busy with additional projects, including writing several articles for the Washington Trails Assn.'s magazine, Washington Trails, as well as working on new GPS tracks for Backpacker.com, and a brand new assignment for Backpacker magazine. I've also been experimenting with a new HDR program - PhotoMatix Pro - to breathe new life into some of my images.

Here's a sampling of new imagery that I'm still working on...

• Maui, HI: hiking, whales, etc. (in progress)
• Crater Lake, OR: winter snowshoe
• Forest Park, OR: local trails
• Columbia Gorge, OR: Wauna & Mitchell Point hikes
• Siouxon Creek, WA: falls trail
• Falls Creek, WA: falls loop

Coming soon will be a selection of trails and images from the Central Oregon area, including Smith Rock, The Badlands, Tumalo Falls, and Dome rock. And as the snows clear and higher trails start drying out, look for images from trails in the Clackamas Foothills and the southern Mt. Hood area.

And JMT is coming...

Isn't that Slik!

As I wrap up my search for new gear for this summer's JMT trek, a new tripod had been on the list for a while. My current Manfrotto tripod was just too heavy and bulky for such an extended trip. I wanted something compact, lightweight, and reasonably affordable. A $600 carbon-fiber model (without head!) was just too far out of my budget. But recently my search has come to an end, as I have acquired the Slik Sprint Mini II tripod.

The Sprint Mini is not a full-size tripod, but not a tabletop model either. Fully opened, it reaches a 32" height (42" with column extended), with legs that can be positioned at three different angles. The mini ballhead (included) is capable of stably supporting up to 4.5 lbs. - more than enough for my D90 and 10mm wide angle. And best of all, the Sprint Mini weighs in at just 1.5 lbs. and closes down to just 14" - perfect for slipping into a water bottle pocket, or strapping to the back of my pack.

I've already used the Sprint Mini on several local dayhikes and have been extremely happy with its performance and support. I'm now looking forward to putting it to use in the High Sierra...

Available at Adorama.com