hiking

January 16, 2022March 1, 2022

OCT Day 2

Sleeping in the shelter was nice. There was a curtain-type thing to block the entrance and that, surprisingly, kept the cold wind out. Critters didn’t find their way inside either, at least none big enough to wake me or chew on my gear. It was still a bit cold overall and I used my emergency blanket for some additional warmth. This had the unfortunate side effect of collecting moisture though and caused my quilt to retain moisture. I’ll need to dry it out at some point today.

January 1, 2022March 1, 2022

OCT Day 1

The cold last night was relentless and I slept in my thermals, socks, and a fleece sleeping bag liner. The wind also picked up at some point, in which I took a mental note to position my tent better to block wind from the coast, which only increased the chilliness. I woke up at 5am to the sound of hundreds of birds! It was a beautiful, magical thing to wake up to and made suffering through the cold worth it. Fort Stevens park is packed with old trees and these birds remained hidden in the canopy, though they echoed throughout the park.

December 25, 2021March 1, 2022

OCT Prep & Day 0

Way back in May, I took a couple weeks off of work to go hike the Oregon Coast Trail. Beaches along the Oregon coast are publicly owned, which apparently is very unique! Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, I hadn’t realized, until sometime in my adult life, that beaches could be privately owned and the public blocked from using them. How rude!

May 7, 2016December 30, 2016

Memaloose State Park – Wildflowers

Memaloose State Park is in the region that I grew up in. “The other side of the mountain”, as I tell new Portlanders. Life is drier, there are more oak and pine trees, as firs start to thin out. Grasses and wildflowers thrive during the spring and in the summer, everything turns brown or catches on fire. Continue reading “Memaloose State Park – Wildflowers”

April 2, 2016December 30, 2016

Glissading Mt. St. Helens

My first mountain summit! Well, of course I have climbed smaller “mountains”, but nothing like this. I have done very little hiking on Mount Saint Helens, though it is only a couple hours away. The original purpose of this trip was to glissade, ie. sitting on your ass and sliding down a snow covered mountain. It turned into the added benefit of summiting a volcano.

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February 14, 2016December 30, 2016

Small Steps

Each year I work toward a lifestyle change: eating healthier, exercising more, not going out as much, etc. This year, I want to walk more. We bought a car last year and since that time my partner and I have relied heavily on it. I have also been working towards a career change and have spent many hours on my laptop learning new skills. All of this equates to a lot of time not moving.

Continue reading “Small Steps”