Yosemite Day 3

When we woke up this morning it was raining.  Not a heavy rain, but enough to get us wet.  After breakfast and packing our things we put on the rain gear and quickly got out and packed up the tent.  The rain stopped and we only got wet from the dripping trees.  After a few hours the sun came out we could take off our rain gear.  I even got the tent in the sun so it could dry some.  Below is a picture of Sydney crossing a stream.  The picture makes it look more difficult than it actually was.  The kids are getting really good at spotting the trail and finding ways to cross streams.  We had lots of water crossings on this hike because of snow melt.

The hike today was downhill back to the car.  The kids are always motivated to get to the car and in Pete's case, get home to his new stuffed animal.  Sydney wants to see her friends and we all want to get back to Mary-j.  With food running out we didn't stop for a lunch break, but snacked along the way.  The hike was downhill, so it went fast.  Total miles was about 13, and it took us about 5:30.  The picture below is near the spot Harvey said "This is the real Yosemite".

Night 2 in Yosemite

Stopped at 1:30 today to setup camp. A wind is picking up and clouds are rolling in so I wanted to have camp ready if it rained. A bit chilly so I started the fire. My back is really worked but the pack is getting lighter with every meal.

Rock Climbing Day 2

This picture is from our lunch stop. We had crackers, cheese, salami, carrots and Sydney had a "Morning Round". We had a good hike so far and the kids love the rocks and snow. For the AT we need:
Poles for everyone
Better shorts for Mark
Tighter water bottle pouches for Sydney and Pete
More TP

On our way to a lake to camp, then tomorrow a long downhill hike to the car.

Yosemite Day One

We have an awesome camp spot. We miss mom and hope she is taking care of Obla (Sydney's favorite stuffed animal). We saw a snake and Sydney saw 3 lizards. It is colder than we executed, but we brought jackets and are warm. The hike was all uphill and we did at least 8 miles. It is 7:00 and dinner is almost ready, but my pot is to little for the box of pasta I brought.

The kids love the beauty and when we got to an overlook Harvey said "this is the real Yosemite".

Yosemite Backpacking - Chilnualna Falls

With less than three weeks till we start the Appalachian Trail we need a hike to check out our gear. So I'm taking the kids on a two night trip to Yosemite. The plan is to spend the first night around the falls and the second night near Grouse Lake.

The trail should be snow free, but the nights could still be cold so we packed extra layers for warmth. But we won't need the extra clothing for summer AT hiking so our packs will be a bit lighter. Total my pack weighs more than 50 lbs, and the kids are around 14 lbs. I also brought really good food that added about 20 lbs to my pack. The food will go fast so the change in weight I carry will change quickly over a few days.

It might rain, but we are fully prepared and I hope we get some rain so we can test our rain system. The car is packed and my alarm is set. I'll attempt to report on the trip each day, but cell phone coverage is very limited.

Drop Box "Invoice"

I created an invoice for my drop boxes so I remember what I need to buy in town and what the food plan was. It also helps keep things organized and should make it easier when mailing them.

Capitola Half Marathon

Today was the Capitola Half Marathon.  I trained for this race and wanted to do really well.  My official time is 1:40:25, only 25 seconds off my goal time of under 1:40.  I was 13 in my age group (30-39) out of 109, and 70 overall out of 1,072.  Out of the 13 miles I ran, 9 of them were under 7:50.  The weather was perfect and the course was flat to a slight slope, with a few short hills to keep things interesting.  I think the Santa Cruz Half is flatter, but I liked this course better because it stayed along the coast.  The shirt was really great, it was blue and different from the white shirt the Marathon runners got.

  

Posting Photo

I have a photo in this email, but will it post to the blog?

Yes it did!!!

Drop Boxes

I'm fine tuning my first few weeks of hiking, trying to keep daily mileage under 10. The problem is the 6 day gap between drop boxes. I will need to carry 6 days of food for 4 people. Or 72 meals (48 packets of oatmeal at two each for breakfast, snacks and lunch, and 6 dinners). I'm not sure my backpack can fit all that!

I ordered a new phone for the trip. Hopefully I'll get better battery life, but it also has an 8 mp camera and will take HD video. The phone will be critical for communicating when Mary-j needs to send a drop box and in case we need extra stuff.

I got the white iPhone 4S.

Food Bag

Today I bought two heavy duty, but lighter weight than my Bear Canister, Ursack food storage bags. I also got liners that are suppose to keep animals from smelling what you have inside. The bags should protect our food from all the mice that visit the shelters along the trail. They are also strong enough to withstand a bear trying to rip them open. I have rope usually used for a clothes line that will also work when hanging the bags in bear country. I'll use "The PCT Method" to hang the bags.

I am confident two bags will meet our needs when I have to bring over 3 days of food for the four of us. We can also use them for storing toothpaste and othe scented items.

Next obstacle is putting together a rainy weather system.

Blog Updates

I am working on the best way to update my blog while hiking the AT. I have an iPhone and will keep it off most of the time. At night I will turn it on in airplane mode and compose a post in a note. Once I get to town I will email the note to my blog and it will automatically post.

This is the first test.

Email posting setup

Just finished setting things up.

Thinking of Blogging again

I am planning a summer of backpacking with my kids and may use my blog to post updates if I can do it from my phone.  More to come....