Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:24 pm Subject: Time Lapse of the day
First time-lapse away from AC power. The laptop battery only let me do about 90 minutes. I've found a version of CHDK that works on my Powershot s80 so now I dont have to rely on it. Hopefully I can get some better results.
Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:17 am Subject: What kind of monitor are you usng?
I just replaced my ancient CRT monitor with an LCD. I bought a Dell 2209WA. It's an IPS panel but I dont think it's wide gamut. It's the best I could afford though and so far I'm really happy with it. It wasn't so great straight out of the box but after I calibrated it with my Spyder it was much better.
Tue Aug 31, 2010 4:36 pm Subject: blueberry/huckleberry update?
I found some pretty tasty ones up on the ridge to Alta Peak two weeks ago. There were also some decent ones, albeit small and not numerous, on Kaleetan last week.
Sat Aug 28, 2010 11:08 pm Subject: Jet Boil Popcorn
I've done the same when I had a Jetboil. It's a great snack! But be very careful not to scorch it. I scorched some popcorn in mine and it's a real pain to clean. Everything afterwards tasted like burn popcorn.
Sat Aug 28, 2010 11:05 pm Subject: Dazed & Confused - Mason Lake via Kaleetan w/ mystery hiker
EastKing wrote:
Tony, a book listed the scramble as an easy Class 3! Add on that it is a gully that is surrounded with no outside exposure and many would even debate if it is Class 3. I am not the best of scramblers and I found it very easy to scramble here. It is well within your skill level and a very enjoyable peak to go up!
It's a great little scramble. No real exposure, good hand a food holds, and not too much loose stuff. The real pain is just getting to the base of it. There is a significant gain / loss on the ridge that takes awhile. The summit is worth it though.
If you go, bring a small tablet for the register! It's empty and people are leaving scraps inside.
Sat Aug 28, 2010 11:03 pm Subject: Dazed & Confused - Mason Lake via Kaleetan w/ mystery hiker
Suzanne and Daryl continued back up to Hemlock Pass while Carla and I dropped down towards Tuscohatchie. The two trails paralleled for awhile and we jokingly yelled that we'd lost the trail already. Joking aside, we had actually stepped off the real trail! This was a great omen for the rest of my plan! Some easy brush bashing and we relocated it quickly. The trail is pretty eroded and muddy in some spots but not bad. Someone has also done work here and brushed it out nicely...until they decided to stop. All of a sudden the brush came back. Not bad, but a little overgrown.
We made quick work of this section and arrived at Tuscohatchie to find one large campsite of fisherman. We said hi and continued on our way to Pratt Lake. At Pratt we overshot the end of the trail and I led us straight into someone's camp, thinking it was the trail. Backtracking, we found where it ascended to the ridge by Pratt Mountain. No signs whatsoever and at this junction the actual trail is fainter than those leading to camps! But we were on our way now.
A slow climb up gradual switchbacks took us to the ridge where we turned right and headed towards Rainbow and Island lakes. I found I was out of water and was looking forward to a stream or any lake. Rainbow didn't look appetizing, and its outlet was barely flowing, so I held out for better. I ended up getting water from the little pond/lake beyond it and up hill. No better than Rainbow but at least it was clear. When I dug out my treatment tablets I found they'd been pulverized into dust. I poured some crushed tablets into my bottle and hoped for the best. We will see how long I have for this world.
Not much further and we reached the junction to Mason Lake. A helpful tree offered us four different signs and we picked the route to Mason. At the lake a strange sight: there was nobody here! Where were the campers? The dayhikers? The only time I've been to Mason and found it deserted was in the winter. Kind of creepy. Carla picked up the old trail, which I had never hiked, and we took this down to the new route. It's a nice trip and much more direct than the Ira Spring.
Back at the road we had a short walk back to the trailhead and reached my car about 7:10 pm, about 4.5 hours after parting ways with Suzanne. And amazingly Carla's coffee cup was still sitting on the roof of my car! According to Greentrails, about 17.5 miles total. I recorded 7125 ft of gain on my altimeter for the day.
Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:24 pm Subject: Icicle/Chiwaukums around Labor Day
We found out (from a ranger who was up there) on our trip over the 4th of July that there is no camping allowed at Lake Edna. He was up there to post a sign informing people. There was a decent site or two just over the pass from Grindstone. We camped away from Edna on a semi-flat site.
If you're heading up Grindstone from Chatter Creek, would you keep an eye out for my lost trekking pole? I left it (I think) at the first group of trees you'd encounter when heading towards Grindstone from the final switchback in the trail a hundred or so feet below the pass. It's a flat-ish area where we dropped overnight gear when going up Grindstone. A drink on me if you find it!
Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 pm Subject: Road to Mowich Lake? OK for passenger car?
I was just up there Sunday. The road is fine for any car and I saw several Prius (Prii?) at the trailhead. Some washboards are the worst of it. Just dont wash your car first; it's incredibly dusty.
Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:26 am Subject: Quartz Ck, Blue Lk, Benchmark, W. Cady loop, 8.11-13.2010
wamtngal wrote:
What tent setup is that? Looks unfamiliar to me with that band of yellow fabric.
It's a Tarptent Moment. Pretty much a shrunken and stretched version of the Rainbow with a vestibule. I'm pretty happy with it but in some ways like my old Contrail better. It pitches with only 2 stakes very easily though and seems very stormworthy.
I didn't really count calories over the day, but when I was hiking on the AT I got pretty good at visually estimating what food I needed. Things high in fats and with good calorie to weight ratios were what I aimed for.
Some things I ate (of course most of our resupplies were at Dollar General, you will have better access to stuff):
Oatmeal
Granola (with powdered whole milk)
Pop Tarts
Instant noodle or rice meal (Lipton, Rice-a-Roni, etc)
-add in slices of cheese
-add in olive oil (good source of calories)
Dark chocolate
Peanut butter M&Ms (highest calorie type)
Salami
Jerky
Nuts (honey roasted cashews especially when I could find them)
Dried fruits
Chocolate covered dried fruits
Avocados
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