And Another One Bites the Dust! :(

[Bonny]

For those of you who were interested in my 55th birthday gift to myself of hiking the John Muir Trail, I got some bad news today that my second girlfriend is now dropping out.

This is the one that I just hiked with last week in the Eastern Sierras. Her back has gone out on her again and she thinks the backpacking might be aggravating a very serious snowmobile accident from a couple of years ago.

I feel bad that I might have pushed her too hard. I didn't think the hike in was that terrible (8.5 miles over 3,000' climb over an almost 12,000' pass) but she was pretty miserable. But she was a star two days later hiking the same pass but on a longer 9.5 hike. Part of me knows that it's probably for the best. If she wasn't in shape for that hike, she really shouldn't be attempting a much longer hike. And I knew I would be probably doing a good portion of this hike solo.

Still bummed.

Make me feel better about some event you did solo that turned out better than you thought.

[TheOtherMe]

Sorry Bonny.  After reading your description of her problems, I'm not surprised.

I thought it wouldn't be any fun to see Paul McCartney alone.  I found out that I'm surrounded by people interested in the same thing and it's almost as much fun as being with a friend or two.

Are you going to hike solo? 

[Bonny]

Jul 28, 2016 19:51:53 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Sorry Bonny.  After reading your description of her problems, I'm not surprised.

I thought it wouldn't be any fun to see Paul McCartney alone.  I found out that I'm surrounded by people interested in the same thing and it's almost as much fun as being with a friend or two.

Are you going to hike solo? 

Yes. Or at least as much as I can. Weather could be a factor in late September when I'm at the highest elevations.

[TheOtherMe]

Do I need to give you the lecture on hiking solo?  I'm guessing you know the drill about letting somebody know your route, etc.

[emma1420]

I went to New Zealand for two weeks a couple years ago, and did a ton of hiking.  It was awesome.  I got to go at my own pace, and spend as much time as I wanted at various views.  It was one of the best trips of my life.  I can't wait to go back.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Oh, bummer, Bonny.

If I wasn't already on duty for a likely third back surgery for DH, I'd meet you at the trailhead in a heartbeat.

It will change the tone of the trip, but can your DH go with you for a unique challenge as a couple?

[Deleted]

Jul 28, 2016 20:09:37 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Do I need to give you the lecture on hiking solo?  I'm guessing you know the drill about letting somebody know your route, etc.

If you'd like, I can send you the article about the lady who went off-trail in Maine doing the App. trail and died about 3-4 miles off trail. it was in this past week's Sunday Globe. I also have cousins who work for the AMC up in Pinkham Notch NH and they would not be happy with you. Don't go it alone unless you are a REALLY seasoned hiker. I'd offer to go with you but A) I am incredbly lazy and hate the outdoors. B) not enough vacation time. I'd rather read anyways.

[msventoux]

The last solo hike I did was just a day hike of a few miles to a waterfall.  I was taking a break by the river and heard brush crashing.  I decided to stay put for awhile and see what happened before turning around and going back to my car.  There was plenty of fresh bear sign on the trail on my way out.  Later that summer some people were mauled by bears and they closed down that trail for the season.

I had bear bells to announce my location and bear spray in case I was attacked.  While I was walking back I couldn't help thinking that the bear bells were probably just dinner bells announcing a tasty appetizer, and the bear spray was probably just some nice pepper seasoning.   

I would love to go on that hike with you.  I'm in the land of ATVs; nobody I know is actually into hiking.

[Deleted]

BTW, don't mean to come across as bitchy and sanctimonious. Where I came from, hiking alone, especially the trek you are planning, is not really a good idea. It's concern for your well-being and safety.

[Bonny]

Jul 28, 2016 20:09:37 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Do I need to give you the lecture on hiking solo?  I'm guessing you know the drill about letting somebody know your route, etc.

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a very well marked, well groomed trail complete with mile markers. Since "Wild" came out (both book and film) the demand on the trail has surged. Based on what we saw on our little trip we were lucky to get 15 minutes without seeing anyone. It's a hiking highway!

That said, demand will taper off after Labor Day (I'll be starting Sept 1 and I think Labor Day is the 5th). If there is heavy snow it's possible to lose the trail. But if there's heavy snow this Coastal Wimp will be exiting! For my husband's peace of mind we bought a satellite communicator that gives me the option of sending pre-set or unique text or e-mail messages. It also has a GPS positioning device that sends messages every 10 minutes of my location to whomever I want. It's pretty cool as the application has a topo layer so you get a pretty good "picture" of where I'm at. Finally, there's an SOS button which could send a message that gets picked up by a dispatch and forwarded to the nearest rescue entity; e.g. Nat'l Parks, Mountain Rescue, Sheriff's Dept, et cetera. No I haven't tested that yet.

Obviously no system is fool proof. I am committed to staying on the real trail (or designated feeders for resupply) and will curb my natural inclination to "explore". BTDT about 13 years ago while in a wilderness area in AZ. Scary enough experience that I learned an important lesson which I figured is why I survived it; i.e. I was meant to share it with others so they didn't try the same thing alone.

Bears can be an issue. The National Parks and the US Forest Service in the area require that all wilderness hikers bring an approved bear canister. That sucker is heavy! In addition, many of the more "developed" campsites have "Bear proof" storage containers for you to put your food in. All the literature we read said the bears are not interested in you. Bear encounters tend to happen in three situations; 1) they want your food 2) You have gotten between a mother and her cub(s) or 3) You have startled a bear (coming from down wind). The instructions are to stop, don't make eye contact, explain in a low and calm voice that you are a human and mean no harm and to slowly back away. I'm sure this is easier said than done (!) but we did run into one guy who had an uncomfortably close encounter with a bear two days before we met him on our hike. Apparently some nearby campers didn't properly secure their food in a bear canister and a bear came through the camp at about 5am. At first the guy thought it was a human maybe getting up to relieve him/herself. He realized it was a bear, called out "Bear!", people got up and the bear ran away. We also learned some tricks on how to stash our bear canister so that if the bear does find it that s/he can't run off with it.

Yeah, scary and exciting at the same time. That's our wilderness!

ETA: for GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl, my husband thinks this whole backbacking trip is crazy. Calling it a unique "couples' experience" would actually mean filing for divorce soon after!

[lexxy703]

I too was going to comment on you hiking alone but it sounds like you are a seasoned hiker & taking all reasonable precautions. I hope you have a wonderful & safe birthday experience! And sorry your girls bailed.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I'm jealous. You're mixing physical, mental, and emotional challenge in to a trek full of breathtaking natural beauty.

It's good to do things once in a while that both scare us and wake us up to the world around us.

I wish you happy trails. Show your DH how to log on here to keep us posted on your journey!!

[Bonny]

Jul 29, 2016 11:52:27 GMT -5 lexxy703 said:

I too was going to comment on you hiking alone but it sounds like you are a seasoned hiker & taking all reasonable precautions. I hope you have a wonderful & safe birthday experience! And sorry your girls bailed.

I appreciate your kind thoughts. However your post reminded me of the exchange between the Park Ranger and the Park Police when I went on my 17 mile "walk about".

Ranger: She's an experienced hiker

Park Police: They always are.

I can't eliminate all risk (and what would be the fun in that anyway ) but sticking to the trail and proper communication will go a long ways toward a safe, enjoyable journey. Sucks to be an adult, lol!

[toomuchreality]

Bummer, about your friend not being able to go.  But if she were miserable, it wouldn't have been any fun. So it' just as well. Still unfortunate though.

[TheOtherMe]

If I was in shape, I would hike with you, but I'm not. 

Yes, they always are experienced hikers. 

Just be safe as this worry wart will worry about you.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Bonny, the Real Hiking Viking (see his Facebook page) just reached the summit of Mt. Whitney at the end of the JMT.

Maybe you want to add that to your trek. ;-)

[Bonny]

Jul 31, 2016 7:59:01 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Bonny, the Real Hiking Viking (see his Facebook page) just reached the summit of Mt. Whitney at the end of the JMT.

Maybe you want to add that to your trek. ;-)

It's part of it.

But that will be very weather dependent. I'll be there late September and there could be snowstorms.