6125 Training Hike

Last June, I didn't get nearly enough hiking done to prepare myself for the backpacking season. Not a mistake I was going to repeat this season!

We drove out to Sheep Creek on a Tuesday night; I had Wednesday off of work so we spent the night and got up relatively early to go on a training hike. I would be going up to the peak of 6125, and Ambrose would be doing a shorter hike. Usually, he would keep hiking until I came back around and caught him, but this time he was going to turn back when he felt like it. That way, he wouldn't be too exhausted to drive us home afterwards.

Ambrose brought a camera along this time.

The trailhead!

In some ways, I didn't really want to do the hike. I knew it was going to be hard - especially because I had decided to use a 32 pound pack for training. That's about the weight that I'm expecting to start my Idaho Centennial Trail hike with this year, though the load will be balanced quite differently on that trip. On this trip, I used my weekend pack, with some actual hiking gear (mostly the ten essentials) and a lot of weight in the form of sandbags. I didn't load them as well as I could, so all the weight was at the bottom - not an ideal way to carry a pack.

It took me a while to figure out the best way to adjust my pack for hiking, but it never got to a point of being ideal. My shoulders hurt pretty much out of the gate, and my calves hurt, no doubt in part due to the number of double unders that I did at CrossFit on Monday.

We started out the hike together, and though I wanted to get ahead of Ambrose quickly that plan got tossed less than a half mile into the hike when I came across a rattlesnake on the trail. I almost walked around it and went on, but then I decided to wait until Ambrose got there so I could help him avoid the partially hidden snake. I thought it was taking a nap, but Ambrose thought it was waiting for a meal to walk by, so I'm glad I waited.

Lovely view while the trail is near the road.

See the snake?

How about now?

Then it was time to set out and not look back. After all, I'd told Ambrose I was confident I could do the hike with a loaded pack and be back in time for lunch. I knew he'd understand if I didn't, but I didn't want to fail.

Okay, I know it wouldn't have been a failure to turn back. But I really wanted to get that peak!

But first I had to make my way along the creek for about a mile. Then down to cross Sheep Creek on a nice bridge. After that, a small climb up to a beautiful meadow that was bright green and bursting with flowers.

I don't think I've ever seen it so green out there - especially in June.

The trail has a quite a few nice views to offer.

After the bridge, I took a snack break. Ambrose later told me he waited to see me exit this area and was surprised at how long I took. 

No time to stop and dig for this flower's edible bulb - not this time.

I was truly not used to seeing so much green here!

And then the pain began.

The hike up to 6125 is scenic. It's beautiful and convenient to get to. And it features a hellacious climb. In a bit less than 3 miles, the trail climbs about 2300 feet. That makes for a long stretch of steep climbing on rocky trails that like to slide under my feet.

It can be difficult to capture just how steep this hike is. 

Easier to show how loose the dirt of the trail is. 

The trail winds its way around this ridge.

Just when you think it's over, it switchbacks.

Almost to the next rest spot...

I took a picture of my feet to mark when I arrived at the couch.

I focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes I count steps, but this time I mostly just spent the time thinking. Just mulling over life and work and what comes next. I thought about taking my brother and nieces on a camping trip, that I'd take them up to Kennally Creek campground outside of Donnelly, bring them to the Gold Fork Hot Springs, offer an overnight in the woods if the girls wanted to try it. Day hiking, maybe over to the spot where Ambrose and I got faced down by a wolf one time.

I don't like to take breaks on that long stretch of trail, because stopping means I have to start up again. I usually take standing breaks when I reach a spot of relative flatness, but no sitting until I reach "the couch" which is not the end of the climb, but is a bit of a longer flat spot. It's the spot where Ambrose and I stopped the first time we did this hike, we were completely worn out.

I gleefully sat my butt down in the dirt when I got there, and got out a snack. Eating is important when hiking! Even - perhaps especially - when you don't feel that hungry. Though I did feel hungry at that point.

After that, I had to do a bit more climbing, but I also got some downhills to break things up. By this point, my calves were just balls of pain, but I kept going. I was almost there...

There's still some climbing to be done.

But the views improve. 

Large views, and small views.

Almost to the last junction...

Traditionally, I consider this pile of rocks to be the end point of my 6125 hikes. 

Amazing to look back down towards Sheep Creek...

And I did make it to the top, but not in nearly the time that I had hoped. There was no way I was going to make it back to the car before lunch. I was conscious of the time, but I had to reward myself with a snack and a pack off break at the peak. I also looked over the edge to see if I could spot Ambrose on the trail below, but I didn't see anyone on the trails.

On an out and back hike, it always feels good to get to the turnaround point. On this hike, it's especially sweet because after the turnaround there's barely any climbing to do. I mean, I like climbing, but you can get tired of anything if you have too much of it.

I've only hiked along this ridge once - for this trip, it's a right turn.

Twin Springs is down there. 

At the couch, I stopped again for a break. Here, I took my socks off and started hiking in my shoes without socks. My feet were hurting by that point, and I wanted so much to wet them down in the stream crossing before the bridge. I figured I could hike sockless without any issues.

I was happy to find that my right leg did not start up with the ilio-tibial band issue. If I don't run regularly, then downhills tend to make it flare up. In short, again, running consistently is good for me.

I had a couple of scares hiking down the steep section when the dirt rolled under my feet, but I managed to avoid any falls this time. As I got lower down, I could see the Sheep Creek trail and I scanned for Ambrose, but didn't see him. I did see two people hiking in on the trail with packs, but not for long.

Going down.

Every step gets me closer. 

There are two very tiny people in this picture.

When I got to the stream, I sat down on a rock and let my poor feet soak in the cold water. The only thing I forgot to do at that point was to wet my hat. I regretted that later.

Water so cold, but feels so good.

Yeah, I was hot.

Back across the bridge, I'm practically there.

After crossing the bridge, I encountered a man carrying a tripod and had a brief conversation with him; I also saw a woman setting up a tent, but didn't speak with her (pretty sure she didn't see me). then it was just a simple hike back to the car. I made it back to the car before 2, which Ambrose reminded me was not before lunch as I had bragged I could do - in my defense, I would have been a lot faster without the fully loaded pack...

Still some climbing to do, but I can convince myself it isn't that bad after what I've already done.

Wild roses.

I'm keeping an eye out for that snake now.

It's nice to be able to see the road; I know I'll only have one more small climb at this point.

It felt soooooo good to get to the car!

I was so hot that I could hardly speak to Ambrose - I'd run out of water about two miles from the car. I walked directly into the river, stripping off most of my clothes and dumping them near Ambrose, who was sitting on the bank waiting for me. I didn't quite submerge in the river (too cold), but I got a good rinse and cooled off a bit. Then Ambrose fed me lunch and I got to break down the tent and he drove us home.

Memorial Day Backpacking 2020 Days 3 and 4

I was up a bit earlier this morning, but not for the hunting of mushrooms. I only had a run to do and everything else was just open. I could just be, in the wilderness, alone with my husband (but able to get distance if I wanted). After breakfast, Ambrose and I lounged around a bit, letting the morels dry a bit spread out on a downed log.

Panorama of drying mushrooms.

Another morel angle.

Although it was still a bit chilly, Ambrose prodded me to do my run earlier that day so we could eat lunch earlier. A reasonable request and I felt better about going to run the second time around.

I knew I could find our campsite again if I found this little grove of aspens.

But I lost sight of that little grove before I reached the trail.

 I found the trail!

There were lots of trees down along it.

Lots... 

Kid Creek has had that log crossing for at least the last 6 years. 

For this run, I took a different route to the trail and found a rusted out old can on my way. I picked it up and continued toward the trail, but I didn't want to bring it back to camp because that would delay my run. Instead, when I reached the trail I put it down so I could find it again when we left the next day. To my surprise, the straightest route from our camp to the trail did not lead me to the meadow where we had left the trail.

I made my way down to Kid Creek and crossed on a log before changing into my running clothes - blessedly not stinky thanks to my wash-and-dry the day before. This time, I took the camera along so I could get a picture of the point where I turned back the day before. It was a pretty spectacular snag, as I recalled, and I wanted proof.

Ready to run in the wilderness! 

Yup, I got a lot of scratches on those legs. That bag holds water pretty well. 

 The run went much like the prior day. It was a lot like a Spartan Race, only all the obstacles were trees and there were rather more pokey bits to scrape myself on than at Spartan Races... I ran when it was clear, slowed when I had to go over or around a tree, and almost made it through without any incidents.

The snag! No way I was going past that in shorts. 

Now, I managed to take the picture of the snag while hardly slowing down for my turnaround. I managed to complete the run about a minute faster than the prior day. But I also managed to get in just a spot of trouble, because I wanted to keep running instead of slowing down so much while going around trees. Near the end of the run, I went around a tree and stepped into a depression that made my ankle jerk awkwardly. Not quite a twist, so I was able to run it off, but I was much more careful for the rest of the run not to run off the trail.

Right after crossing Kid Creek, there was another little flow of water, and then this. I started my run AFTER getting past it. 

After the run, I gave myself more of a "shower" to cool down and get the salt off my body. That involved holding the clothes bag over my head and squirting myself with freezing cold water while naked in the wilderness at the side of the trail. I really hoped no one would choose that moment to walk up, and no one did.

I tried to get a picture of a woodpecker, but I don't think I did. Still a pretty tree and sky.

Making my way back to camp - I see the aspens!

Back at camp, Ambrose and I ate lunch and then tried to rig things up on the tent so that we could be in it without getting baked by the sun (which tends to turn the thing into a bit of a sauna). We wanted to stay in the tent to avoid the ticks that had already found us with a couple of bites. I put my very large towel over the top of the tent and it provided pretty good shade. Ambrose rigged up his tarp and it helped, but not as much. Of course, my towel was heavier and it messed with the tent's pitch a bit more - something that we should have addressed before going to bed for the night, but we didn't.

It's mostly in the shade now, but that blanket made a big difference when the sun was shining down full force on the tent.

So when it rained that night, we were in a saggy tent, and I just hoped that we wouldn't get flooded, because I just didn't want to deal with getting out into the rain and getting wet to fix the tent. Not if I didn't absolutely have to. But it was a good reminder that we should tighten up the tent in the evenings. Just in case.

I had planned on sleeping in until the sun came up, but my plans were thwarted. Not from the usual source (Ambrose), but by Mother Nature herself. The sun wasn't going to come up around 8 am, because the clouds had taken over the sky. I agreed, upon seeing the sky, with Ambrose that we should just get moving because the sun wasn't coming out any time soon.

It was an easy hike out. We didn't rush, but it was chilly enough that we moved well. I did pick up the rusted can from the side of the trail and packed it out. Ambrose also found a hunk of glass that we packed out.

I took a lot of pictures of downed trees along the trail. It was a way to stay focused for me, although Ambrose mentioned that the tree challenges themselves were enough to keep him occupied. That stretch of trail can be a bit boring, but I'd rather have the snags cleared...

Tree challenges!

Tree falls!

Seriously, I have so many more pictures of trees across the trail and we didn't even hike two miles. 

Ah, the Queens River, almost there.

I came out ahead of Ambrose, so I had time to turn around for a good picture of him. 

We got back to the trail head right around noon and settled in for a little bit to have a meal. In normal years, we'd stop by Idaho City and get a meal after a trip like this, but we were not planning on doing any non-essential stops this time. So Ambrose cooked up some Minute Rice and then heated up a can of Dinty Moore stew and mixed it all together. It's simple, but a hearty meal that carried us home. Well, as the driver, I had some candy to make sure I would stay focused on the road and not hunger.