Hiking Versus A Nature Walk

It occurred to me following a recent conversation that there is some confusion about what hiking is all about. I realize that there may be other views, but a hike is not a glorified nature walk.

Hiking is an activity that is mainly done in nature and generally on an existing trail. The main goal is to get exercise. There are side benefits that include solitude in nature, scenery and photographic opportunities.

It is in the photographic opportunities that the difference between hiking and taking a nature walk come up. If you are alone - and I don't think hiking alone is a good idea - then you can do whatever you want and call your activity whatever you want, but most of the hiking we do is with others.

When you hike with others it is important to keep together as much as possible. To that end, we generally try to have someone set the pace that everyone can keep up with. On some trails that are "out and back" you can have more than one group where a faster group that wants to go farther can do that while a group that wants to hike slower to a shorter turn around can do that.

Where most problems arise in a group hiking is when people stop to take pictures and then are unable to catch back up. A better strategy for those hikers is to hike near or at the front so that they have the time to get their shots and not get dropped from the group.

It is not reasonable to have everyone stop for these photo ops in the context of a hike. That is the proper providence of a nature walk - more specifically a photographic nature walk - where everyone has as the main goal seeing every inch of the area and taking lots of pictures. That is not the goal of a hike.

The other thing that will help is to have your camera easily accessible and ready to operate. If you need to fish it out of your pack or pocket and then remember how it works every time you want to take a picture then you are not properly prepared to hike. A hiker has their camera ready for the shots they find along the way.

An I-Phone may be a cool device, but they seem to take forever to get ready to take a picture. A better bet is a cheap point and shoot camera, and Pam's Pentax WG1 at under $300 is dust proof, shock proof and water proof to 10 meters and comes with a carabineer  attach it to your pack. I hike with a full frame  SLR that I have in an attached camera bag on my waist band.

The bottom line of this is that hiking is mainly a group activity and requires some group etiquette. The point of the rules is safety along with the idea that everyone should have fun. In the winter the rules become much more of a necessity as there are more hazards and less people on the trails.

There are lots of photography clubs and groups that get out in nature. If that is your desire then that is what you should do. If you are in it for the exercise then there are a few rules that keep us all safe and ensure we all have fun.

Be very well and more soon.....

Snow Hiking Huckleberry Creek

We headed up Sunday to hike Huckleberry Creek Trail while the trailhead was still accessible. We arrived to snow at the small parking area and headed up the trail.

There was 6-12 inches of good walking snow on the trail. Our first blowdown was not far past the Patrol shelter just inside the National Park boundary. It was easy to get over and we cruised along until we hit the next blowdown at 4 miles in.

That blowdown would have been easy enough to go under, but we had elected to snack and then head back down. We decided to heat up some cocoa at the Patrol cabin before the last mile or so back to the car.

The way down had the snow turning to a cold rain and the snow in the trees creating an active rain drizzle. That made the covered area at the Patrol Cabin a welcome oasis for our cocoa making.

We finished our treat and made the last mile without incident. If you go you should know there are many log bridges that are tricky with snow and ice.

Be very well and more soon....

What's The Deal With Closed Gates? Lake Christine Trail.

Saturday we planned to hike to Gobbler's Knob fire lookout in Mt Rainier National Park because the road was to be closed as of 11/12 and this would be the last chance from the Westside Road. When we arrived the gate was closed already.

We decided to try the hike from FS 59 via Lake Christine instead. We encountered snow on the way up the FS road and we were hiking in snow virtually the whole way.

Lake Christine

Past Lake Christine there is a trail junction to Mt Beljika, but we never saw the junction. We followed the trail mostly downhill after the initial rise up from the lake and finally came to a junction for Beljika Meadows and the Puyallup Trail 248 which we followed until we could see the fire lookout a couple of miles in the distance.

We had been breaking trail in 6 - 24 inches of snow the whole way and elected to have some lunch and head back around 3 miles in since the clouds were getting lower and any potential view was going away.

We carried our camp stove and some cocoa to heat up along with some Frangelico and Garry brought some Peppermint Schnapps as well.

 

We made our way back up and then down to the trailhead and by the time we made it to Lake Christine it was actively snowing. All in all we were only on the trail for 4 hours but with breaking trail it was a great workout.

Be very well and more soon....

No Oats Healthy Trail Bars

Since Pam has been diagnosed with an oatmeal allergy I have had to find some alternatives to Clif Bars and others that are heavy on oats. I found a recipe and adapted it as I went and this is what I ended up with.

Chocolate Quinoa Bars

2 cups cooked Quinoa
1/2 cup dates, pitted
3 tablespoons Honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 - 2 Tbsp Frangelico
1/2 cup Hazelnuts
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Unsweetened shredded coconut
 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan.

Add pitted dates and honey to a food processor and process until smooth. Add everything except the raisins and process until mixed well. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the raisins. Press into baking ban and bake for 20 -24 minutes until firm. Cool and cut. Makes 10-12 bars. Freeze what you won't use in a couple of days.

 

 

 

These guys are about 7 grams of protein per bar. There is no reason you couldn't add nut butter or chopped nuts or other dried fruits as well. Have fun with this stuff.

Be very well and more soon.....

Gate Down = Another Way To The Same Point

Pam, Phyllis and I were planning a car to car hike/snowshoe through Van Trump Park to Mildred Point and then Down the other was to the Wonderland Trail and back to Longmire but the NPS had a different idea. When we arrived at Longmire just before 8AM the gate past Longmire was down and the sign said it was closed until noon so we had to adjust.

From Longmire we could go up Eagle Peak or the Rampart Ridge or take the Wonderland Trail to Carter Falls or we could take the Wonderland and the back way to Mildred Point. We opted to do the extra elevation and head to Mildred Point.

 

 

We weren't on the trail long before we were walking in the snow although it was great walking snow with no need for microspikes or snowshoes. At 1.7 miles from Longmire there is a trail junction to the right that heads to Mildred Point. This trail is pretty steady uphill. As we climbed higher we came to a ridge and the trail followed the windy side of the ridge so we were forced to get our gloves back on and layer back up.

At 2.7 miles past the junction there is another junction to Mildred Point on the right. If you continue on you head to Van Trump Park. We headed up the unmaintained Mildred Point Trail and got to a high Meadow where the snow was deeper and the trail was not apparent so we attempted to find the route for a while and then decided to turn back. It was overcast so the view from the overlook would not have been worth the risk.

The snow was great for descending and we were able to run down and made the junction of the Wonderland Trail in about an hour. We finally ran into another hiker about 3/4 of a mile later and then another couple of groups after that.

All in all we managed the 9+ miles and 3443 feet of elevation gain in just under 5 hours including stops. Now we need to hike this in the summer sometime to see the view from the overlook.

Be very well and more soon....

Mount Rose = Relentless Grade

Saturday Pam Sue and I headed out to the Peninsula to hike up Mt. Rose. About 2 miles past Mt Rose you enter the Olympic National Park where you can hike Wagonwheel Lake. There is a sign there that warns you that it is the steepest trail in the park. They'd have to move that sign to Mt Rose trailhead if Mt Rose was in the park.

This trail gains 3700 feet in the 2.9 mile route to the summit and no mile of it has less than 1200 feet of elevation gain. She is a trudge that is always a great workout.

We were the only car at the trailhead at 8 AM and the trail was in great shape all the way up. It was foggy in the middle part of the trail until about Horse Camp at 3000 feet of elevation and then the sun was out. We made the summit in just over 2 hours and enjoyed a nice break with a couple of Common Jays that were game for any food we might have to spare.

We took the lollipop route down along the ridge back to Horse Camp and continued down - back in the fog again. With the lollipop, we weren't sure if there was anyone else on the trail until we ran into a couple less than a mile from the trailhead. At the trailhead we saw that there were 5 other cars.

One of our favorite parts of hiking the peninsula is lunch at El Puerto de Angeles IV in Hoodsport for beers and the shrimp fajitas. Even with lunch we were back home at 3.

Be very well and more soon....