Edit: Here's a Quick Update on the trail conditions on the part of the trail I traveled Day 4: oregonlive article
If you haven't read the original "September" Blog listing, you may want to start with that long sordid tale.
Day 1 - 4:30 pm on the Eagle Creek Trail. Things have already started to go wrong.
Still Day 1 - Starting up the "The Hill". Inane video I don't remember taking, but in some ways it says it all.
Day 3 - Video taken just above Indian Springs Campground at start of Day 3 trip at 1:00 pm.
Day 4 - Video should say "north" of Mt. Hood instead of south. Video taken at 5:25 in the morning at Lolo Pass.
Friday, October 8, 2010
PCT Failures - The Pictoral Evidence
Here are some pics and videos from the trip:
The gorge is amazing - even the walk from Cascade Locks to the Eagle Creek Campground along an old road was fantastic.
I took a rest taking my shoes off, getting some water, and having some food at 4 1/2 mile bridge.
The trail goes behind a waterfall at Tunnel Falls (still Day 1)
Here's a log bridge on Mt. Hood (Day 4)
The famous Ramona Falls.
This river crossing was pretty treacherous.
I really felt like I almost hiked to the top of Mt. Hood.
End of Day 4 - made it to Timberline Lodge.
The gorge is amazing - even the walk from Cascade Locks to the Eagle Creek Campground along an old road was fantastic.
The trail goes behind a waterfall at Tunnel Falls (still Day 1)
End of Day 4 - made it to Timberline Lodge.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tony's Epic Fail on the PC Trail
I had so many mishaps on this Pacific Crest Trail trip(s), that when I tell people about them they start laughing. So, for your enjoyment, and as a reminder to me of what not to do, I'm chronicling them here. Many of the errors are planning errors.
Excited by Dani Kelley's PCT blog, I spent weeks planning my trip, but most of it was acquiring and optimizing equipment (and it should have been months planning, but I didn't have that luxury). I should also say that I was trying a new type of backpacking for me – longpacking. I wanted to hike for 12+ hours a day. Why? I wanted to find out if it is feasible FOR ME to hike the PCT in 5 months. How about 3 months? I'm use to a 6 to 8 miles/day style of backpacking with other people, so solo longpacking
is definitely different.
is definitely different.
Before the Trip
Error 1 – Planning Error – Heavy Pack
Actually, the real error here was that I didn't adapt to a last minute change of plans. The plan was that I start in Cascade Locks, head south with 3 days of food and (going though Eagle Creek), arrive at Timberline Lodge 3 days later and meet up with my wife who was to deliver me 6 days of food to get me to the mail drop further south. At the last minute my wife decided (and rightly so) that my son Sylvan couldn't be left alone right after ear surgery. So what did I do? I just decided to carry 9 days worth of food! That was probably the ballgame right there, let me explain. From my previous backpacking experience I knew that I could hike fairly comfortably if everything weighed less than 25 lbs. I've carried 30 lbs. before and it's fine for short distances. For the longpacking which I was attempting, it would be better if my pack was around 22 lbs. A little math: my pack's base weight was about 14.5 lbs. Add to that about 2.2 lbs. of water and 3 days of food at about 1.7 lbs./day and you get about 21.8 lbs. With 9 days of food that number becomes 32 lbs. - yikes! What I discovered on the trail was that they heavy pack was not a problem in itself, it was a Problem Amplifier. It took every other little problem I had and made it bigger. In retrospect, I should have just mailed the 6 extra days of food to Timberline Lodge.
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Error 2 – Planning Error – Mistreated Allergies
I don't like to take drugs. I don't even take aspirin/headache meds unless I have a very bad headache. The previous year was my first year ever with pollen/whatever allergies. I was trying to take 1 or 2 pills a day when I should have taken 3 each day. So, I had allergy symptoms on the trail. In particular I got a migraine 3 hours into the hike and a runny nose. Migraines give me nausea after several hours. To avoid being nauseous on the trail I stopped eating, which led to more troubles.... (Next backpacking trip I'll take the amount of medication I need to avoid allergy symptoms before I go.)
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Error 3 – Planning Error – Bad Food
I like buying a bunch of ingredients and making gorp. I like eating gorp – wait, no I don't. I like the IDEA of liking gorp, but I don't actually like it out on the
trail. If you look on the internet you will find backpacking food lists with details calorie and weight listings. I have found that both of these things are secondary to getting food you actually like when your stomach has shrunken up. Backpacking is one of the only times in my life that I don't like to eat. I also found that I don't like to cook on the trail. Next time I'll bring less gorp and more bars.
trail. If you look on the internet you will find backpacking food lists with details calorie and weight listings. I have found that both of these things are secondary to getting food you actually like when your stomach has shrunken up. Backpacking is one of the only times in my life that I don't like to eat. I also found that I don't like to cook on the trail. Next time I'll bring less gorp and more bars.
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Day 1
Error 4 – Welts Between the Legs
On the first day I got welts from my legs rubbing together. After having a headache for several hours, I found myself in pain in another area. Chafing is an underrated problem in backpacking, but a serious one. When I got back home, I bought some athletic underwear/shorts and it solved the problem.
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Error 5 – Bumped My Shoe
OK, I had a great plan to avoid foot blisters. When I stopped to get water, I would take off my shoes and socks and take the sole out of my shoes to allow my feet and my shoes to cool down. Five hours into the hike (still on the first day, yes this is getting ridiculous) I stopped for water and took off my shoes. When I went to put my shoes back on, I bumped one which was placed too close to the very fast stream. It went down the stream about 10 foot and got caught on a stick with water rushing over the shoe. Next time I'm not going to put my shoes so close to the stream!
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Error 6 – Equipment Failure
One of my favorite things about my previous backpack which was an external frame one was that it gave me easy access to my stuff. I also don't like the idea of a heavy unbalanced backpack which puts a lot of torque on your back. A solution I wanted to try was to get a good lightweight front pack to supplement my backpack. There was a lightish one at WalMart, so I thought I would give it a try – it broke – on the first day. One of the things I found on the trip was that I don't need ready access to everything, so the extra weight of the front pack is now unnecessary for me. The simpler way to diminish the torque of the back on your back is to simply carry less weight.
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Error 7 – The Big Hill
I have been on the Eagle Creek section of the several times. Not only does it have beautiful views including waterfalls, it is gently sloped. With that in mind, let's
review what's happened in the first 6 hours of my hike – I was carrying a heavy pack, my headache was diminished but not gone, one of my water bottles was sagging in my broken front pack, I had welts between my rubbing legs, I had a wet shoe, I was “bonking” a bit because I was not eating, I was sniffling and coughing a little, and I had been hiking already for over 6 hours - then came “The Hill.”
I have since learned that this section (apparently called the "bypass") of the alternate route of the PCT is notorious for being hard. I later met two section hikers on the trail who talked about it and Dani mentions not wanting to “SoBo”
that part of the trail. Basically, it's an elevation gain of about 2000 feet in about 2 miles – it took me over 2 hours. I was not mentally prepared for the difficulty, but I made it through to Indian Springs (an abandoned) Campground. A gentle rains started. I set up my tent and walked around to find the route to take for the next day.
review what's happened in the first 6 hours of my hike – I was carrying a heavy pack, my headache was diminished but not gone, one of my water bottles was sagging in my broken front pack, I had welts between my rubbing legs, I had a wet shoe, I was “bonking” a bit because I was not eating, I was sniffling and coughing a little, and I had been hiking already for over 6 hours - then came “The Hill.”
I have since learned that this section (apparently called the "bypass") of the alternate route of the PCT is notorious for being hard. I later met two section hikers on the trail who talked about it and Dani mentions not wanting to “SoBo”
that part of the trail. Basically, it's an elevation gain of about 2000 feet in about 2 miles – it took me over 2 hours. I was not mentally prepared for the difficulty, but I made it through to Indian Springs (an abandoned) Campground. A gentle rains started. I set up my tent and walked around to find the route to take for the next day.
Conclusion: Easy Fix
End of Day 1! As I said in a video I made at the time, “the next day's gotta be better, but maybe it won't be!”
Day 2
Error 8 – The Groundcloth
I didn't get much sleep the first night. It rained. And rained. And rained. I was awake a lot, and I can only remember one 45 second stretched when the rain stopped. I was using a down vest as a pillow and my backpack was stowed under a picnic table about 20 feet away. My groundcloth was a piece of Tyvek I asked a construction guy for and I was using a new tent. One thing different about this 1-man tent was that it doesn't have a distinct bottom. So, when I cut my groundcloth, I had to guess a bit as to where the bottom was. I guessed too big. The rain hit my tent, landed on my groundcloth, and flowed under my tent. By morning I was in an inch or two of water, and my vest/pillow was useless. I was
dry as long as I didn't get out of my sleeping bag. But at some point, I would have to get out and get all wet myself. Eventually, I did just that. I've already fixed the problem – I cut down my groundcloth further.
dry as long as I didn't get out of my sleeping bag. But at some point, I would have to get out and get all wet myself. Eventually, I did just that. I've already fixed the problem – I cut down my groundcloth further.
Conclusion: Easy Fix. In fact, I've already fixed it.
Error 9 – Planning Error – Pathetic Mountaineering
Once I got up and packed up my tent, I was really excited to get going. I didn't get onto the trail until 11:00 AM on the first day, so this would be my first full day on the trail. The problems of the previous day were behind, I wanted to do some distance! I was happy to be going down hill and because of that, I was really cruising. I was suppose to be seeing Lost Lake in the distance on my left and hours later the Bull Run Reservoir on my right. Instead I found myself coming straight at a lake on my left with campsites. I felt really, really uneasy. I soon found a work crew and asked them where I was at. Unfortunately, I knew the answer before they told me – I was at Wahtum Lake. Expletives filled my head. I had gone the WRONG WAY for 3 or so miles DOWN HILL. I was caught in what I call the Devil's Triangle – 3 trails that meet at 3 points that are all commonly used by PCT hikers. How did this happen? I didn't have a good compass (I had an unreliable thing affixed to the top of one of my hiking poles), I had a gps with PCT waypoints marked every half mile but I had the complete wrong idea of how to use a gps, I'm not good with maps, and it was impossible to tell which where north was or even where the sun was at because the sky was solid clouds. Dispirited, I headed back up hill to Indian Springs. It took me was seemed like a long time to get back there. While my headache was gone, my welts were hurting and my energy level was very low (still not eating much and didn't get enough sleep). Finally after getting back to Indian Springs I took a 10 to 15 minute rest and get something to eat.
Though still very tired, I was somewhat energized because...there was only one was to go now. I knew I was going in the right direction! A steep quarter to half
mile later and I was on top of a ridge. The trees suddenly disappeared and it was really windy when I came to a sign. More expletives cross my mind as one of the ways lead south, the other to oblivion. There was no PCT marker. (If any PCTAers are reading this, put up a PCT marker there!). I get out my maps, gps, crummy compass and try to figure out which way to go. I wish "Future Me" could go back and say “the gps only works when you're moving, don't just stand there, move and watch it!" Then something bad happens – I start shivering. Part of my preparation for the trip was learning that shivering = beginning of hypothermia = big, big trouble. Future Me never showed up so I got on my jacket and took the rocky trail a couple of hundred yards and it became unfollowable. That can't be the right trail, but I feel like I absolutely can't take the wrong trail here. I didn't know what to do. In retrospect, I should have just continued straight, which would have been correct, or even gone back to Indian Springs and taken a nap. But, because I was still suffering from many of the things that had already gone wrong, I decided to bail on the trail. That's right, I had to hike 15 or so miles back to Cascade Locks.
mile later and I was on top of a ridge. The trees suddenly disappeared and it was really windy when I came to a sign. More expletives cross my mind as one of the ways lead south, the other to oblivion. There was no PCT marker. (If any PCTAers are reading this, put up a PCT marker there!). I get out my maps, gps, crummy compass and try to figure out which way to go. I wish "Future Me" could go back and say “the gps only works when you're moving, don't just stand there, move and watch it!" Then something bad happens – I start shivering. Part of my preparation for the trip was learning that shivering = beginning of hypothermia = big, big trouble. Future Me never showed up so I got on my jacket and took the rocky trail a couple of hundred yards and it became unfollowable. That can't be the right trail, but I feel like I absolutely can't take the wrong trail here. I didn't know what to do. In retrospect, I should have just continued straight, which would have been correct, or even gone back to Indian Springs and taken a nap. But, because I was still suffering from many of the things that had already gone wrong, I decided to bail on the trail. That's right, I had to hike 15 or so miles back to Cascade Locks.
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Error 10 – Hurrying Down Hill
I now had a choice – go back the way I came or go back through Wahtum Lake and the Benson Plateau. I chose the former because I hadn't been through the Benson Plateau before and I didn't want to get lost again, and if I went back to Eagle Creek I could stop at the campground and hitch a ride the remaining 3 miles to Cascade Locks (which eventually happened). I wanted to get back to Cascade Locks ASAP so my wife could pick me up and I could get home at a reasonable time (I live about 3 1/2 hours from Cascade Locks). So, I wanted to hurry back. The thing that fed my waning energy was thoughts of a Char Burger. Going back the way I came meant going down the Big Hill, and this is where the error was. I injured my left shin. I don't know whether I injured it on the Big Hill, or merely aggravated it there. To train for the hike I used 3 ½ lb. Ankle weights on each leg. The weight on my left leg was precisely where the shin was injured.
Actually getting home was a comedy of errors (my wife didn't laugh), and I didn't get home until after midnight (ask me about it some time, it's too long to go into here).
Conclusion: Easy Fix
Day 3
I had planned a 26 day trip, spent almost $1000, and it only lasted 2 days. Curiously, my wife wanted me to get back onto the trail :) So, 8 days after being picked up she drove me to Indian Springs – yes, it's possible to get there but
it's not easy. We arrived at 1:00 PM after having a nice, but chilly lunch at Wahtum Lake. I hiked the ¼ mile up onto the top of the ridge, and what a difference a week makes – it was clear and gorgeous. I could see 4 snowy mountain tops in the distance, and that doesn't include the very close Mt. Hood which was blocked by the hill I was on. I hiked on and had a good time for most of the day. The trail was clearly marked at any spot which was even remotely confusing and the periodic views of Hood getting bigger and bigger were great. However, late in the day that shin (which I rested for a week) started hurting. It only hurt a little on level ground, but hurt a lot going down hill. Rarely does one look forward to going UP hills, but that's where I was at (it didn't hurt at all going up
hill). I met up with two retired PCT section hikers. They were really nice, and knew all about The Hill (I think they called it “The Cutoff”) and were surprised I actually went up it. While being encouraging, they gave me an ominous warning about the snow level at Mt. Hood. (Holy foreshadowing Batman!) At 8:00 PM, I stopped at Lolo Pass and stayed at one of the few camp sites there. Lolo Pass is a crazy place. I hadn't seen a highway since I-84, but here I was sleeping less than 200 feet from one. Bug city, I pitched my tent ASAP, climbed in and kept it closed, neglecting a few things (like my vest/pillow) which I really wanted. I made a short video and openly admitted “I've got a bad leg. I don't know know whether I'll go 2 miles the next day or 20 miles". It's about 17 miles to Timberline Lodge, and I'd hoped to be there by dinner time the next day if all goes well.
it's not easy. We arrived at 1:00 PM after having a nice, but chilly lunch at Wahtum Lake. I hiked the ¼ mile up onto the top of the ridge, and what a difference a week makes – it was clear and gorgeous. I could see 4 snowy mountain tops in the distance, and that doesn't include the very close Mt. Hood which was blocked by the hill I was on. I hiked on and had a good time for most of the day. The trail was clearly marked at any spot which was even remotely confusing and the periodic views of Hood getting bigger and bigger were great. However, late in the day that shin (which I rested for a week) started hurting. It only hurt a little on level ground, but hurt a lot going down hill. Rarely does one look forward to going UP hills, but that's where I was at (it didn't hurt at all going up
hill). I met up with two retired PCT section hikers. They were really nice, and knew all about The Hill (I think they called it “The Cutoff”) and were surprised I actually went up it. While being encouraging, they gave me an ominous warning about the snow level at Mt. Hood. (Holy foreshadowing Batman!) At 8:00 PM, I stopped at Lolo Pass and stayed at one of the few camp sites there. Lolo Pass is a crazy place. I hadn't seen a highway since I-84, but here I was sleeping less than 200 feet from one. Bug city, I pitched my tent ASAP, climbed in and kept it closed, neglecting a few things (like my vest/pillow) which I really wanted. I made a short video and openly admitted “I've got a bad leg. I don't know know whether I'll go 2 miles the next day or 20 miles". It's about 17 miles to Timberline Lodge, and I'd hoped to be there by dinner time the next day if all goes well.
Day 4
Error 11 – Planning Error – Leaving too Early in the Season
Lolo Pass is, well, a pass. I had to go down to get to it, and the trail leads up, up, up to get out. I got packed and ready by 5:30 AM, and I was happy to go up. Maybe going up gave my shin a chance to “warm up”, but while it did hurt, especially down hill, the pain was manageable. I had some Ibuprofen, but I crap in the woods. I don't need no stinkin' pain meds :) Everything went well for the longest time. I had a very serious river crossing. The river was up to my crotch and was very fast. Without the hiking poles, I don't know if I would have made
it. Eventually, as I hiked I found a small 10 foot patch of snow on the trail. No problem, I continued. Then, I saw a 20 foot patch, then a 50 foot. Then, I lost the trail, but found it again after a few minutes. You may have noticed by now that I haven't told you the date. Day 1 was July 1, Day 3 was July 8, and this was July 9. PCT Thru-hikers wouldn't be here for a month and a half. In all of these
snow patches, there were no tracks, I was the first person to go this way this year. Suddenly, the trail disappears completely amid a wash of snow and our intrepid hero who still doesn't know how to use his gps is lost (at least this time he has a decent compass). It's cold, but I have better food and I keep fed and hydrated. I also am without crotch welts this time and have kept up with my allergy medication this time. The trouble is that my gps is telling me to go over the end of a cliff. Not really knowing what to do, I decide to go up, up, up and around the saddle (cliff). Bad idea, you can't cross it that way. FOUR hours of going up and down Mt. Hood and getting nowhere (sometimes following mountain climber tracks which are not going in the right direction), I finally figure out how to use my gps. I click on a waypoint that I should be passed, and click “go there” and start walking. An arrow points me in the right direction. Eventually, I see a path leading down into the saddle and take it. I have the distinct nonpleasure of navigating 2 or 3 more saddles when I have completely lost the trail. I'm at too high an elevation to see any glimpses of the trail, and I just head in the general direction the gps tells me to go. I'm getting close, but it's 8:30 PM. It's getting dark, I've been hiking with a bad leg for 15 hours and I am totally spent. It occurred to me to start crying I was so tired, but I didn't want to sleep on the snow, I wanted to sleep in the Lodge and crying wouldn't get me there. A half hour later I got to the lodge. I got the cheapest room they had (still over $100) and a meal and (perhaps cowardly) decided to bail again. My leg was just hurting too much and the trail basically kicked my bottom. The next day my dad picked me up and took me to his house in Portland where I spent the next night. He then drove me to the bus station where I caught a bus back to La Grande. My dad is 77 and he's still bailing me out.
it. Eventually, as I hiked I found a small 10 foot patch of snow on the trail. No problem, I continued. Then, I saw a 20 foot patch, then a 50 foot. Then, I lost the trail, but found it again after a few minutes. You may have noticed by now that I haven't told you the date. Day 1 was July 1, Day 3 was July 8, and this was July 9. PCT Thru-hikers wouldn't be here for a month and a half. In all of these
snow patches, there were no tracks, I was the first person to go this way this year. Suddenly, the trail disappears completely amid a wash of snow and our intrepid hero who still doesn't know how to use his gps is lost (at least this time he has a decent compass). It's cold, but I have better food and I keep fed and hydrated. I also am without crotch welts this time and have kept up with my allergy medication this time. The trouble is that my gps is telling me to go over the end of a cliff. Not really knowing what to do, I decide to go up, up, up and around the saddle (cliff). Bad idea, you can't cross it that way. FOUR hours of going up and down Mt. Hood and getting nowhere (sometimes following mountain climber tracks which are not going in the right direction), I finally figure out how to use my gps. I click on a waypoint that I should be passed, and click “go there” and start walking. An arrow points me in the right direction. Eventually, I see a path leading down into the saddle and take it. I have the distinct nonpleasure of navigating 2 or 3 more saddles when I have completely lost the trail. I'm at too high an elevation to see any glimpses of the trail, and I just head in the general direction the gps tells me to go. I'm getting close, but it's 8:30 PM. It's getting dark, I've been hiking with a bad leg for 15 hours and I am totally spent. It occurred to me to start crying I was so tired, but I didn't want to sleep on the snow, I wanted to sleep in the Lodge and crying wouldn't get me there. A half hour later I got to the lodge. I got the cheapest room they had (still over $100) and a meal and (perhaps cowardly) decided to bail again. My leg was just hurting too much and the trail basically kicked my bottom. The next day my dad picked me up and took me to his house in Portland where I spent the next night. He then drove me to the bus station where I caught a bus back to La Grande. My dad is 77 and he's still bailing me out.
I went too early in the season, and this happened to be a late snow year. I straightened out most of my problems which were relatively easy to fix, and next time I'm hiking in August!
Conclusion: Easy Fix
So, that was my twice bungled trip. I do feel good about several things. I learned a lot, and for what it's worth,
- Not many hikers have backpacked 15 ½ hours in one day, especially with a bad leg and up a mountain.
- I was the 1st section hiker to hike the north Mt. Hood section of the PCT in 2010.
After reading this you may not feel this way, but I absolutely feel like I could Thru-hike the entire PCT in 5 months. The problems I had are easy to fix. 3 months? Need a lot more preparation and to be in much better shape for that. I'm planning on going back on the trail in 2012, maybe even 2011 but I have a lot of other plans for that summer. Again, most of my problems have easy fixes, so I'm not worried at all about my next trip.
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