Orange

October is here, and it was 99°F yesterday in SoCal. I'm dreaming about those fall colors, and the crisp air of the northeast.

K-Day + 1

One year ago today we summited Katahdin, completing our 2,174 mile hike of the Appalachian Trail.

This morning, after contacting Safari-26, She-Ra, He-Man and Turbo with congratulations, Lauren and I read a couple pages from our journals and reflected a bit on the decisions, growth and adventures we've experienced together.



Today it only seemed fitting to go for a hike, so I took four kids from the neighborhood for a morning climb in Griffith Park. I've been wanting to spend more time with kids with absent fathers, but today was the first time I actually put a plan together. Rewarding stuff.

Musical Road

On Saturday we took a quick road trip to Lancaster, CA to drive on the only musical road in North America. Just in time, too. It wont last more than another week, since the neighbors are getting riled up about the noise and traffic.

Fam Trip

Nice weekend trip with Dad and bros, showing them a sliver of the magnificent Sierra.



It was great they could make it all the way out here to visit in California; they were into it much more than I expected. Good times.

Simmering Sespe

Spent the Labor day weekend in the Sespe Wilderness. We made a 42 mile loop despite the river mostly dry, temperatures above 100°, and the hot springs too hot to enjoy. And due to mixed communication, we left Lauren's shoes at home, so she hiked the whole thing in crocs. (Her idea, not mine!)



Two days, and two massive blisters later, we got back to the car early and headed down to a hotel in Ventura to relax. Lauren was a champ about it, though.

NPR: Big Chill on the Appalachian Trail

Last weekend NPR had a 3 minute segment on the Half-Gallon Challenge at the halfway point on the A.T. To hear, follow this link and then click listen now.

I demolished a box of Hershey's Neopolitan at this spot in 2007 going head-to-head against Sunshine.

Doritos

I'm not convinced that mice are the best pets to have running about in my kitchen. Luckily thru-hiker shelter tricks work at home too. An empty Doritos bag hung from the edge of a counter is all it takes. Tasty cheese crumbs at the bottom at bedtime, a fuzzy little mouse in the morning.

Bridge

I only heard a handful of news headlines on the trail last year. There was a TV on in the laundromat in Kent, CT and I remember standing there in my rain gear watching the coverage of the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

Guess that was a year ago now.

We went to Minneapolis last weekend to visit family and I saw that very bridge without realizing it until someone told me afterwards.

Adrian's Tour Divide

My friend Adrian just finished the Tour Divide race, a bike ride along the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. That's a long time in the saddle. Congrats Adrian!



Adrian writes:

[These photos were] taken along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico (border of Mexico) from June 13 to July 7. This is the longest mountain bike route in the world at 2711 miles with 200,000 ft of climbing. But don't worry, half of it was downhill :-) My odometer clocked it at 2830 miles with the one detour I had in Grand Teton National Park to go to a bike shop for repairs, and the many times I made a wrong turn along the way. 15 riders lined up in Banff to race the route, 14 guys and one girl. 6 guys dropped out, 6 guys finished so far, and 3 riders are still riding in the monsoonal rains of July in New Mexico.

Mineral King

Mineral King is one of the least visited parts of Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park, tucked away east of Fresno at the end of a serpentine road. From Three Rivers CA, you drive 23 miles — and most of an hour — gaining 6,000 feet to a parking area in alpine meadows. (The parking lot looks like an auto-show. Everyone's hoods are propped up to keep marmots from getting trapped inside and wrecking the engine).



For the 4th of July weekend, our 30 mile loop took us over the Great Western Divide twice, over two high mountain passes, through meadows with braided streams, past remote lakes and nonstop views.

The meadow pictured above was so surreal, it looked like some kind of manicured golf course.



On the second day, we stopped by 2pm so we could set up camp and take it easy by an alpine lake. We took in the evening light show with some hot chocolate, and then directed our attention to the sky for the stars to emerge.



Our final climb was 11,630' Sawtooth Pass. The morning light was unusual and then we began to smell forest fires burning to the east.



We only met a few other backpackers out there, and camped in areas out of reach of mosquitoes. A holiday weekend well spent.



In the 1960s, the area was going to be made into a 'Second Tahoe' ski resort developed by Disney. Fortunately it remains mostly inaccessible and pristine today. Here are some more details about the scrapped project and other vintage Sky Crown logo concepts.



And if you need a real-time vacation, here's a link to the Mineral King webcam.

Billy Goat

Today Billy Goat was highlighted in the LA Times.

Virtual Offce

Since back from the trail I've been working on taking my design company, Studiofluid, to the next level. The most interesting aspect has been learning the non-creative side of running a creative business. So far, I've been quite pleased with the adventure.

I work from a few different places, but my favorite spot is the cafe, Sabor Y Cultura, down the street from where we live.

The atmosphere is relaxed, with nice people behind the bar and throughout the generous space. It's quiet enough to provide a great atmosphere for creativity, but it's also bustling enough that conversations among patrons are natural and taking a phone call is perfectly acceptable. And for a special treat, you can't beat their Mexican Mocha.

I try to head down here at least a couple times a week, for some focused creativity. I use the complimentary wifi, but disable my laptop for extended bursts to keep me on task, with a nifty little app called Freedom.

Bucket

I thought it was a small bout of food poisoning that had me feeling woozy for a couple days last week, but now that Lauren has come down with the same thing, it's clearly not.

Actually, it's quite similar to the stomach bug that we both respectively battled on the trail north of Pearisburg, exactly one year ago. We learned countless things about each other on the trip, and how to treat the other during hard times was definitely on the summer's syllabus.

I can't stand to be crowded or over-cared for, but certainly appreciate knowing someone is there when I yell "bucket!"

Lauren, on the other hand, will take all the TLC she can get.

So I'm sitting beside her with my head on her forehead, making sure she takes plenty of fluids, while I'm watching a streaming version of Frontline's Storm Over Everest.

Memorial Day 2008

This Memorial Day a few friends and I had an unforgettable trip through the High Sierra playground. Normally by the end of May, the weather is warm and balmy with lingering snowpack. But this year, winter conditions were in full effect.

I cut the year's first tracks up and over Glen Pass (11,978') and through the Rae Lakes basin.



Using an ice axe we safely navigated through some treacherous conditions. I particularly enjoyed the way that these situations demanded my complete attention, putting me in a focused and fully present state of mind.



In lower elevations the trip began with a chilly rain.







But as we climbed higher, the temperature dropped and the precipitation changed to thick piles of accumulating snow.







Friends, adventure, challenge, scenery… easily one of best adventures ever.