Time Lapsed Hair Growth on the PCT

I found this gem on YouTube, and I had to share.  It's short, sweet, and to the point.  Enjoy.

Getting to the Appalachian Trail's Southern Terminus

Freefall at Springer Mountain, GA

I am making plans for the Appalachian Trail... finally. One thing is certain: I will be meeting up with Squatch up at Fontana Dam, NC around March 20th. However, getting to the Appalachian Trail's southern terminus (Springer Mountain) is still up in the air.

I did a Google search "shuttle to Springer Mountain, Appalachian Trail," and I turned up a wealth of information. Whiteblaze.net had some great suggestions.

Hiker Hostel, which is operated by Josh and Leigh Saint (770) 312-7342 looks to be the top choice. They offer a Thruhiker Special, which includes a pickup at the North Springs MARTA station, one night's stay, breakfast, 8 oz. of denatured alcohol, and a shuttle to Amicalola Falls State park. As of 2010, they charged $75 for the service, which seems very reasonable. I first read about them in an A.T. Journey's Magazine, and have been eager to check out their place. I also know that Josh and Leigh hiked the AT in 2000, so I guess I am biased to choose them. I signed up for a reservation online, and I look forward to hearing back from them. Hopefully they can swing the ride.

There's also a guy named Survivor Dave, (678) 469-0978 who also provides a shuttle from the North Springs MARTA station. The good news is that it looks like he keeps things simple: he takes one to the trailhead. The bad news is that he does not post a price. That actually deters me from choosing him. Second, I think it would be easier if there was a way to sign up for a reservation online instead of having to make a call. Not that I am averse to the phone. It's actually a west coast-east coast thing. As I research this at 8pm on the west coast, I am not apt to make the call at 11pm EST, and I am not going to remember to do it the following day. Nonetheless, he seems to run a good barebones service.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy also provides a shuttle list, which includes others like Appalachian Adam and North Georgia Outfitters. Based on what I've seen online, I imagine anyone operating on their own schedule or with a myriad of needs can score a ride to Springer Mountain... I think I did (keeping fingers crossed)!

Fuel Canisters and the PCT

Do you carry an Optimus or MSR Whisperlite stove that uses Isobutane fuel canisters? Are you hiking the PCT, and looking for places along the way to purchase fuel? Check out Erik the Black's webpage on places to purchase fuel along the way. It's a pretty good resource for planning a hike on the PCT. Perhaps one could cross reference Erik's information against Yogi's PCT Guide.

Click the Pic to Go To Erik the Black's Site

Are you planning on mailing fuel to yourself?  Did you know that you can send most stove fuels through the mail?  Check out Ken and Marcia's website Gottawalk, which has a page dedicated to stove fuel and postal regulations.

Click the Pic to go to Ken and Marcia's Website

Finally, have you not purchased a stove or made one yet?  Check out Sectionhiker.com for some recommendations on buying a stove that uses isobutane canisters.  If you want to build your own alcohol stove, click this link to build Scott's Pepsi-G stove.  I build one of these stoves in 2003, and it still works great to tis day!

Another Beautiful Day Hiking in the Bay Area

This is a blog about long-distance backpacking and thru-hiking.  Recently, I have been posting about frolicking in the outdoors here in the Bay Area, and I will continue to do so. After all, what do long-distance hikers do in the offseason?  True, some will head south to hike the Florida Trail or perhaps portions of the Arizona Trail, but not all of us the year-round luxury or resources to do that.  So, we hike on the weekends, and in our own parks.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to head up to Point Reyes National Seashore... again!  Yep, I think I've been there maybe 20-times for a day hike or a backpacking trip, and I absolutely love the place.

I never get bored with Point Reyes.  Every time I go there, I feel like I am walking into an area rich and diverse in history, plant and animal-life, geology, and geography.  For starter's, this place shifted 21-feet to the northwest in 45-seconds during the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 (take the earthquake trail, located on the San Andreas fault to learn more!).  Geologists say that the rocks in Point Reyes are the same as the rocks in the Tehachapi Mountains 310-miles to the south

Point Reyes also hosts elephant seals, whales, dolphins, tule elk, bobcats, coyotes, red-tail hawks, porcupines, reptiles, and the list goes on.  I cannot think of another place that I have hiked that is so rich and abundant with animal-life.

Finally, plant-life is off the charts.  According the National Park Service website:

"The broad range of plant communities supports over 900 species of vascular plants - pretty amazing! This number represents about 15% of the California flora. Sixty-one species found in Marin County are known only from Point Reyes."

One can stumble upon redwoods, Douglas fir, horsetail, sword fern, seaweed, algae, poppies, buttercups, and lilies.

Below are some pictures form my recent hike along with my friend Lynn.  My legs felt great yesterday, and I am really getting my sights set on my hike on the Appalachian Trail coming up in March.  Yep, I am going to get on the AT for a few weeks and walk with spring!  So, I am looking at these Bay Area hikes as a good primer for my upcoming section hike.  I will share more about that later on.

Up on the Sky Trail in Point Reyes

Approaching the Sky and Woodward
Valley Trails

The Most Awesome Tree Ever!
Located On The Sky Trail

Seagull Perched on Arch Rock

View North From Arch Rock

Lynn Runs on Beach Below Arch Rock

Marin County Hiking At Its Finest!

Map of Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Muir Wood National Monument

Describe a classic hike in Marin County, and one might get several responses: "Take the Miwok Trail in the Marin Headlands" or "Climb the summit of Mt. Tam for panoramic views!"  I offer a classic route emblematic of the Marin County hiking experience that captures its diversity, beauty, and challenge.

With my friend Lynn, I started out on the Dipsea trailhead at Stinson Beach (a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area), taking a small side road, and crossing Highway 1.  The trail climbed gradually through coastal chaparral, and briefly entered a forest glade, offering cool shade on this warm, sunny day in February.  The trail topped out at an overlook, offering splendid views of Stinson Beach, Bolinas Bay and Bolinas Lagoon.

Freefall with Stinson Beach in the Background

We re-entered forest, and descended shortly to a bridge, which is the intersection of the Dipsea and Steep Ravine trails.  Lynn and I crossed over Webb Creek continuing east on the Dipsea trail, and then climbed a long series of stairs up steep terrain.  As we ascended occasional trail runners passed by us - this trail is famous for an annual footrace!  We continued huffing and sweating up the trail under a canopy of madrone and bay trees, which later transitioned into a young redwood forest.  The scene was serene!

The Dipsea trail left the shade and continued through sunny open space, offering beautiful sweeping views of the Marin Headlands and San Francisco to the south, Oakland and Mt. Diablo to the east, and the Farallon Islands to the West.  Here, Lynn and I took a break to eat a sandwich, bask in the sun, and admire the views.

Lynn Poses Near a "Family Circle" of Redwoods.

We then descended steadily east on the Dipsea Trial through a mixed forest of Douglas fir, tanbark oak, and madrone trees.  We came to an intersection of the trail which alerted us of a bridge closure over Redwood Creek at Muir Woods National Monument.  Instead of taking the official detour, we chose to be adventurous, and continued on the steep drop down the Dipsea.  We easily crossed shallow Redwood Creek near the dismantled bridge, and entered Muir Woods.

Muir Woods influenced me to move out to California... seriously.  When I first saw the old-growth redwoods here in 2002, I was amazed and awed by their size - I had never seen anything like them before.  I was also blown away by the fact that they are located so close to San Francisco.  I continue to be enamored by the redwoods.  Muir Woods is an outdoor cathedral filled with 250-foot tall redwoods, sword fern, sorrels, and banana slugs, which should be visited by everyone.  That said, on this Saturday, it seemed like everyone was visiting Muir Woods!  Through the first mile of our hike, it was hard to escape the crowds wanting to visit this place, but after crossing the fourth bridge, near the Alice Eastwood Trail, our journey was less congested and much quieter.

Our journey continued up the Bootjack Trail, which follows narrow ravine of Redwood Creek.  Several times I was drawn to photograph quaint, beautiful falls and mushrooms along the trail.  We climbed steeply out of the dark canopy of redwoods, and re-entered a forest dominated by mixture of young redwoods tanbark oak, and bay trees.  Along the way, we passed a few hearty tourists, who had hiked more than 2-miles form the Muir Woods parking area - props to them for sucking the marrow from the bone of life!

Falls on Redwood Creek

Lynn and I left the Bootjack Trail, and reached the Pantoll Ranger Station after a short .4-mile hike on the Alpine Trail.  At the busy campground, we sat down for a rest, which included a second lunch, and refilling the water bottles.  I admired the number of outside cycling, hiking, or just frolicking in the outdoors - this is how life should be!

We continued our journey on the Steep Ravine Trail, which follows the aforementioned Webb Creek back to the Dipsea Trail.  True to its name, the trail is indeed steep in many areas.  At one point along the way, Lynn and I had to climb down a 10-foot ladder!  Nonetheless, it was a beautiful descent through a deeply carved ravine, lined with thickets of sword fern and the occasional forget-me-not flowers.  At one point along the way, I had to stop and admire what appeared to be a rare trillium.  We also ran into several hikers going the opposite way, scrambling back to the Pantoll Ranger Station before the sun set.

We reached the Dipsea Trail again, closing our scenic loop hike.  We ascended familiar trail, but were treated to a different scene, as the sun was starting to set.  The coastal mountains of California now had deeper colors and more depth in these golden hours - my camera was very happy to be out of the harsh mid-day light.

Lynn and I scrambled down to Stinson Beach just in time to catch a picturesque California sunset.  Kids were still playing on the beach, and couples were basking in the final rays of sunlight on what had to be one of the most beautiful days in February ever!  I thought about the wonderful diversity I had just experienced: beach, forests, ridges with panoramic views,  redwoods, and deep ravines.  Can I experience Marin County more fully?

Sunset at Stinson Beach