New York to Florida via train

As though being baptized into the true start of my journey onto points unknown, we dive deep under the riverbed of the Hudson for 2.5 miles, to emerge into New Jersey and commence 26 hours of heading south on a single train. Here the landscape is less alluring, although we still often follow waterways. The sun sinks slowly on the horizon and my attention drawn into a long-awaited book.

In Washington D.C. We change engines; here the lines switch from electric to diesel.

The accommodations are relatively spacious and much more comfortable than traveling by plane. I can stretch my legs out fully in front of me, and the seats have foot & leg rests to make sleeping while reclined more comfortable. Unfortunately even when they finally dim the cabin lights around 10:30 pm, they are still overly bright and the cabin a bit too warm. Despite these discomforts I sleep decently. Unfortunately the train doesn't quite have the soporific effect that ferries have for me.



I awake a bit before sunrise, and am greeted by a giant glowing orange orb rising just above swampland. The reflection in the standing water surrounded by trees is stunning. Overnight I passed into southern pine ecosystems, which I have read about but never really experienced. They feel simultaneously disconcerting and perfectly right in this warm, humid environment. I associate pines with cold, harsh, dry conditions at altitude, not this warm, moist, lush place.





The journey across Florida takes most of the day, and the vegetation shifts from out of southern pine land and into more tropical vegetation. Water becomes even more prevalent and birds proliferate over the marshes and swamps. I have completed my transition from snow and ice covered temperate forests into sub-tropical warmth.

Traveling the Hudson by Train

I am transfixed by the landscape rushing past the windows of the train. To my west is the Hudson river at eye level, to the east are edges of towns and phragmities filled wetlands. Conversation floats about me in the car; I only break my enraptured state to occasionally snap a photograph.



The Hudson river is a magical being. An estuary, it pulses with the tides, which influence the river as far north as Troy, 150 miles from its mouth. Where I grew up it is nearly a mile wide; at its widest it is an expansive three and one half miles. I don't remember the exact location of this widest point, but experience the widening of the river as we head south. Ice floes fill the river when I being my journey, but becomes sparser as I travel southwards.



Giant icicles and frozen waterfalls grace the steep rock walls of the ancient mountains that the train tracks are cut into. Now laughable by most standards, these eroded hills once towered higher than the Colorado Rockies. Humans and the train are just one small erosive force on this ancient rock.

At one point two white-tailed deer race along the road next to the train; running from this metal giant that echoes its presence loudly.

As we draw closer to the city I feel the closing in of the giant metropolis of New York. We slowly cross an arm of the river and head underground; even this giant vehicle is dwarfed and sent to ground by the density of humanity here.

Thanksgiving Trip- Carlsbad Caverns & Guadalupe National Parks

Vital Stats

November 18-22.
18: Drive to Denver
19: Drive to Santa fe to meet up with my aunt & uncle, pack their car, and change around our trip plans
20: drive to Carlsbad Caverns- Hall of the White Giant Tour. Camp in main campground of Guadalupe NP
21: Solo hike up Guadalupe mountain - 8.4 miles, 3,000 ft elevation gain (up to 8,749 feet) ascent 1 hr 50 minutes; descent 1 hour 40 minutes. Trail is has a fairly continuous but reasonable grade through its length.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Spider Cave Tour. Stay in Roswell overnight
22: Drive to Santa Fe, move stuff into my car & drive back to Ft. Collins

Carlsbad Caverns - Spider Cave

We explored Spider Cave the day after the White Giant, and the afternoon after my ascent of Guadalupe Mountain. This is the only other "dirty cave" tour offered at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and was a very different experience.

Spider Cave is officially not part of the Carlsbad cave system. While research indicates that it may be connected, a passage connecting the two has yet to be found. Access to this cave was more challenging, as it involved driving and a short hike. Even well within view of the entrance it was still difficult to spot.

This cave tour was less athletic and filled with more amazing cave structures. Still, the entrance involved a very tight squeeze through a narrow hole, and we had many moments of slithering, sliding, and crawling through the cave. At one point the person ahead of me moved out of sight and I couldn't tell where to go. The maze of holes appears impenetrable. Thankfully the tours include a ranger at each end, and while out of sight, the people ahead of me could easily hear me when I requested directions.

I was constantly filled with awe at my surroundings; the brilliant white of calcite, the crazy fuzzy-looking chemolithoautotrophic bacteria excrement. Even while enclosed in the earth I had trouble fully realizing that all of these wonders existed unto their own in the truest dark that exists. The fragility of these wonders also astounded me; simply by our presence we were altering the cave, changing the delicate balance of life that lives on the edge. Even though the park strictly regulates the number of people who enter the cave each year - 520 including rangers - they can still detect changes in this delicate ecosystem that isn't even detectable to the unaided eye!

As with the Hall of the White Giant, our exit mostly retraced our steps out. As we retracing our path everything looked different from our new angle of approach. As with my morning hike, I felt that my exit back into the world of civilization brought me out of a deeper place of reality than what we usually exist in.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park- Guadalupe Mountain

Several times through t he night the near full moon awakened me with a false dawn. Thankfully, when my alarm awoke me I was well rested enough for my planned morning hike. With sunrise I arose from tent, greeded with dazzling colors.

As I started up the trail, my body still waking up, I questioned my ambitious hiking plans - 8.4 miles round trip, with 3,000 feet of elevation gain/loss in under 4 hours. Ascending the switchbacks of the visible face I slowly settled into a reasonable pace and began to appreciate my surroundings. A handful of deciduous trees growing along the stream bed had turned vibrant reds. They stood out brightly amidst the greens and browns of the desert. The cacti and yucca studded desert held its own splendor as it unfolded across the plains below me. Rocks along the trail were pained with vibrant purple scat of ringtail cats.

As I journeyed into the wilderness I moved upward in elevation and through changing vegetation. My approach to the lower treeline occurred as I wound around the face of the mountain visible from the campground, and was greeted with several false peaks reaching into the distance.

My first reaction was disappointment and some trepidation. the highest peak I could see looks unreachable far away and I do not relish long, exposed ridgeline hiking in windy conditions.

As I continued onwards, I discovered that the trail stays off the ridgeline, staying protected from the wind and following an easy grade upwards. I feel the universe teach and remind me - obstacles in view aren't necessarily what they seem. Throughout my hike upwards I repeat this experience, observing my gut emotional reactions to discovering yet again that the peak is further away than I thought.

Eventually I reach the summit, but misread a sign that veers me off trail just before surmounting the final rocky to pof the peak. Quickly I determine that the brambles and rock scrambling that lay between me and the actual summit are not something I want to traverse, even if they are the only way up. Reading the signs around me, I listen to myself instead of becoming summit-driven. Again I see life parallels.

Back on trail I quickly hike to the summit and stand on the highest point in Texas. The landscape below me unfolds with different textures in different directions. Salt flats, cacti, and shorter mountains all lay before me.

Exactly at my turn around time and almost at my turn around water level, I head down the trail. The easy grade allows quick travel downwards. the increasing winds and human traffic make me grateful for my early morning ascent. As I retrace my steps and eventually return to the campground, I fell that I am leaving the real world instead of returning to it.

Carlsbad Caverns- hall of the White Giant

Today was the first of our "dirty" cave tours, crawling up, over, under, and through the cave to places most people never visit. This is intentional on the part of the park; human impact is a serious issue.

Following our safety talk, designed to assure the guide that we all really wanted to be there and were ready for the intensity of the tour, we donned our gear and headed into the cave.

We immediately maneuvered through tight, twisting passageways to reach our first room. I fared better than some, due to the combination of my climbing experience, yoga, and body type. I am well built for slithering through tight spaces while still being able to reach across and over things.

As we progressed through the cave we stopped regularly, waiting for people to make their way through difficult passageways. This gave me time to gaze around each part of the cave, taking in all the features that surrounded me. They physical challenges of our adventure only added to the amazing cave features we saw. Even while climbing up slick quartzite using a knotted rope, my knees, and butt, I occasionally took the time to cavern gaze, however I can only hold myself in position while dangling from a rope for a limited amount of time.

At the terminus of our trip we visited the Hall of the White Giant, a large room with a giant white column of pure calcium rising from the floor. Much of the rest of the room was full of stalactites and stalagmites. The whiteness of the room glitters in our headlights as we tried to absorb the beauty that surrounded us, made even more spectacular by its remoteness.

The journey back followed our footsteps, retracing them much more quickly as we covered now-familiar ground. Passages near the entrance that had seemed tight now felt spacious. The hall we exited into loomed immensely. While we returned exactly the way we came to our starting point, we each were metamorphosed by our journey into the depths of the cave.

WIFDWC Trip: Ft. Collins, CO to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

Today was the first leg of our trip up to Valemount, BC, Canada for a forest disease conference.
~~~
This is the longest road trip I've been on since I moved to Colorado, and I'd forgotten the wonders of watching the landscape slowly morph through space and time. Even the seeming monotony of the Wyoming and Montana plains undulate and change.

After traversing most of Wyoming we picked up one of the two people who traveled with us. He had driven west from South Dakota to join our journey northward.

Just over the border into Montana we stopped at the Bighorn National Monument. This is the site of the of Custer's infamous last stand. The beautiful scenery as the landscape unfolds from the top of this hill adds to the historic significance of the site. Recently they added to the monument, recognizing the natives who fell as as well.

In our brief stop we walked to the top of the hill and saw the two memorials, one to Custer and his army, the other to the Native tribes who fought Custer.

Throughout the day continued northwards, slowly working our way towards the west as well. We traveled through Great Falls, MT, where Lois and Clark were forced to being their overland journey, stopped by the falls which named the town.

In the evening we reached Shelby, MT to pick up thee last member of our traveling group, and then successfully made a smooth border crossing at sweetgrass. The sunset provided a colorful backdrop for the mountains of Glacier and Waterton National parks, which span the border in an international peace park.

Thunder Creek - North Cascades National Park - vital stats

2 Aug - 6 Aug 2008

Overall impression: Upper Thunder Basin is an amazing, magical place.

2 Aug 2008
Pre-hike: I arrived at the visitor center to have my trip itinerary totally re-arranged due to high levels of snowpack. The ranger station and backcountry office were wonderful in providing suggestions for re-planning my trip. They provided free bear canister loans. I borrowed a size "small," as I would be able to hang my food for the first few days of my trip.

Pre-trip hike: .5 mile loop - Gorge Overlook Trail. this trail overlooks the lake and hydroelectric dam.

Day 1 hiking: 6.9 miles to McAllister camp. The hike is easy, and only took about 2 3/4 hours. This was the only camp I stayed at that had seperate kitchen and sleeping areas.

Day 2: McAllister camp to Upper Thunder Basin Camp - 11.6 miles, 7 hours. The first 7.3 miles in 4 hours, 4 miles in 3 hours through "The Meadows of Despare," downed trees, and snowfields. This was the day I adjusted my trip itenerary, as I reached my intended campsite (Skagit Queen) before 2pm, and found it to be buggy and not really a place I wanted to spend my afternoon. While changing itinerary mid-trip is frowned upon, I knew this was a little used area of the park. Additionally, I was still in the same area of the park, just doing a 6 day trip in 5 days. I was also concerned about food and water purification capabilities for six full days, based on my food and water intake over the first two days. Upper Thunder Basin is an amazing location. It is surrounded by glaciers and was a valley full of wildflowers in full bloom when I was there. It is a little piece of paradise perched in the mountains.

Day 3: Upper Thunder Basin to Skagit Queen Camp (possibly Horse Camp.) 4.5 miles of backpacking plus additional "day hike" up at Upper Thunder Basin. I did a morning "day hike" up to the pass above Upper Thunder Basin, then packed up camp to head down to Skagit Queen Camp. This site is one I would avoid in the future - It lacks flat spaces, has plentiful mosquitoes, and requires a bit of a walk to get to a water source.

Day 4: Skagit Queen Camp to McAllister Camp, with Meadow Cabin Trail included Milage: ?

The Meadow Cabin Trail is a steep side trail that drops down to an old cabin. One cabin was in the middle of being restored, one was unrestored. I was able to explore the restored cagin, which had lots of supplies and a guest book. I weighed my pack on a spring scale there, which said it was about 30 lbs. The hike out was hot, long, and straight up.
At some point that day I saw people for the first time since the man who provided guidance - about 43 hours without seeing another human.

Day 5: McAllister Camp to Trailhead. Milage: 6.9 miles. Time: 2 3/4 hrs

My return to "civilization" went faster than I wanted. People seemed odd and foreign. There is a pay phone in Newell, WA (in the park), which is where I called out to let the world (or at least Libby) know that I had safety returned.

Mt. Rainier National Park - Trip Details

30 June - 4 July 2008
Pictures from the Trip!

I left Seattle uncertain of exactly where I would go and what I would do, as there is an unusual amount of snow this late in the season all over the Pacific Northwest. My general plan was to enter the park from the SW side and leave through the NE, seeing what I could see and camping wherever I could, be it frontcountry or backcountry.

The drive in was uneventful, and included a brief stop at the "Little White Church" in Elbe, Washington, which is on the National Historical Site register. It is a tiny church that was built by the town so that they could have their own place of worship; the priest arrived by train and bicycle for the monthly church service.

Upon entering Rainier I stopped at Longmire to talk to the backcountry rangers about the conditions of backcountry sites. They were very helpful, providing lots of information. Unsure as to how crowded the campground would be, I drove 2 miles up the road to it, got a site, and then biked back down to Longmire to explore the trails, check out the museum, and get a backcountry permit for the following night.

The short interpretive trail in the Longmire area goes around the Longmire meadow and through the mineral springs baths that were originally set up in the area by the Longmire family when they ran a resort in the area. The springs were interesting, but I think I'm a bit jaded from Yellowstone. It was nice to get out and walk through the woods, although I had trouble remembering that not much higher up everything was snowcovered.

That night I went to the evening ranger program at the campground. I was very impressed with it; usually I already have a solid background in whatever the ranger is talking about. That particular evening the talk was on the "5 senses... no the other ones," which turned out to be Adventure, Wonder, Honor, Ownership, and Place. He presented well, and I really feel like he got to the heart of what OEE and interpretation is all about. He did a great job of starting with the familiar 5 senses and drawing from there, and overall I was incredibly impressed with the content and the presentation.

I spent most of Tuesday exploring the Paradise area and the main visitor center there. They still officially had 11 feet of snow on the ground, which did put a damper on the wildflower ranger walk I went on, however we did find some wildflowers at the edges of walkways, where the snow had already melted out.

My "major hike" of the day didn't cover much mileage, but I went up about 1,600 feet to 5,800 feet over the course of just over a mile & 1/2, and all of it was on snow. I'd forgotten how much hiking up snow sucks. Thankfully going back down was a lot easier, and a few short sections I was able to glissade down (kind of like skiing, but without skis... basically sliding down on your feet in the snow... the trick is to not fall over!) Upon returning to Paradise I went on another ranger walk - this time focused on the geology of the area. We walked the Nisqually overlook trail, which leads to an overlook where you can see the terminus of the Nisqually glacier. This also gave me a good view of my earlier hike, and verified that I had been looking down at the glacier; it was just covered in snow. Upon my return to Pardise I wandered about the visitor center and then headed off to my first night in the backcountry at Nickel Creek backcountry site.

The hike in to Nickel Creek, while only about a mile, was snowy for the last 1/3, despite the "snow free" map having indicated otherwise. I successfully reached my campsite despite all the snow, however I only knew I was there because I found the pit-toilet. All in all I had a good night - my tent did fine being pitched on snow and my little soda-can stove that I built didn't seem to melt down at all (it was on a thin metal piece), which kind of surprised me. I spent a solid hour working on setting up a bear bag, as trees that shed snow well aren't too conducive to holding up ropes.

Wednesday's highlight was by far the Grove of the Patriarchs, and old-growth area with 1,000 year old trees. I can't even begin to describe how amazing the old, giant trees are. Their presence can be felt throughout the grove of trees.

While I was unsure of the snow conditions I'd find up at my 2nd backcountry camp, at lower Crystal Lake, I was pleasantly surprised to find very little snow, despite the fact that I was up at 5,400 feet (Nickel creek was only at 3,400). I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon exploring the area, however my night was filled with thunderstorms. While I was in quite a safe area, it is hard to sleep amidst massive pyrotechnics going on all around.

Thursday marked the opening day of the road to Sunrise, and I migrated upwards. While I had planned on staying in the frontcountry campsite, there was a question of water quality and no one was sure if it would actually open or not. I opted to get another backcountry permit to spend the night out at Sunrise walk-in site, just over a mile from the Sunrise visitor center. I spent most of my time at and around the visitor center learning about glaciers. I went on yet another ranger walk, as well as a ranger talk on glaciers. The walk was led by someone who spent the winter working in outdoor environmental ed with someone who I used to work with down in California, yet again proving that the world of OEE is a small one.

During the glacier talk I learned a lot of cool things. In particular, there are ice worms that live in the glaciers on Rainier, as well as on glaciers in other mountains in the cascade range, up north through Alaska. They aren't found anywhere else in the world (as far as is known), and they can only survive at 32 degrees Farenheight. Above or below that they die. They regulate their body temperature by moving up and down in the glaciers through the small spaces between the ice crystals. They feed on the bacteria & algae that grow in the glaciers, and will occasionally travel into snow, but will not venture far from the glaciers. Very little is known about how they reproduce or repopulate areas. However, they have repopulated Mt. St. Helens post-eruption and now live in the new glaciers that have formed there. It is suspected that they may travel via birds which frequent both areas and eat the worms. However, due to their specific temperature needs no one knows how this would actually occur.

My last night in Rainier was by far the best. The hike out was quite enjoyable, I managed to find enough snowless ground to pitch my tent, despite the fact that the area was largely covered by snow, I had a relatively easy time setting up my bear bag, and went for a nice post-dinner walk. I also slept like a rock with near-perfect sleeping conditions.

Friday the rest of life called me back to Seattle to prepare for my next trip - 3 weeks in Costa Rica.

Mt. Rainier National Park - Vital Stats

5 day trip to Mt. Rainier National Park
30 June - 4 July 2008
Click on heading to read details.


Monday
30 June

Seattle to Cougar Rock Campground, Mt. Rainier National Park
Park Entrance Fee - $15 (good for 7 days, or "America the Beatuiful Parks pass"
Camping Fee - $15
Drove: 105 miles
Hiked: 3/4 mile - Longmire interpretive trail
Biked: ~4 miles, from Campground, down to Longmire, and back up to the Campground
I got lots of good info from the backcountry ranger station in Longmire, including a backcountry permit to camp at Nickel Creek the following night. There is no charge for backcountry permits, but you must register with the park to spend the night in the backcountry. They had a map of highlighted trails where snow was known to have melted out, which was quite useful.
Cougar Rock Campground is your standard National Park frontcountry campground, including evening ranger programs. However the layout was such that some of the sites were quite far from the bathrooms; I cut through an unused site that was behind mine to shorten my hike.

Tuesday
1 July 2008
Cougar Rock Campground to Nickel Creek backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 21 miles
Hiked: about 5+ miles
Hike in from road to site: Slightly less than a mile, took about 1/2 hour each way due to snow and swampy areas.
Nickel Creek backcountry campsite is along the wonderland trail, about 1 mile from the box canyon parking area, just east of a short tunnel on the road. There are two box canyon parking areas, however the eastern one is directly across from the trailhead. The hike is fairly easy, gaining most of its 400 foot gain early on. About the last 1/3 of the trail was snow covered, and the bridge across Nickel creek (which was about 20 feet wide and running fast) was missing a handrail, which I had been warned about. It was still a fairly easy crossing, but the bridge was only about 2 feet wide. With snowmelt full-on upstream (despite having 2-3 feet of snow on the ground) I had to do some route-finding to get past a very marshy area and up onto dry land. The toilet for the site was easily visible, and my only indication that I was actually there. The bear pole had probably fallen over and was under snow.
I spent most of the day at Paradise, hiking upwards on snow and learning things in ranger programs. I hiked up to near Panorama point, up to around 6800 ft, gaining something like 1,600 feet over just over 1.5 miles. Thankfully going down on the somewhat wet snow was much easier than going up.

Wednesday
2 July 2008
Nickel Creek backcountry site to Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 19.7 miles
Distance from road to campsite: 2.3 or 2.5 miles to lower crystal lake, 3 miles to upper crystal lake. 1 hr 20 minutes to lower crystal lake, about another 15-20 minutes to upper crystal lake (Includes time to stop & check out lower crystal lake campsites.) The hike down took just under an hour.
Hiked: 7+ miles
Lower Crystal Lake campsite is near the NE border of the park on crystal mountain. When chatting with a ranger my first night I was warned that the parking area is one of the few places that they have had theft problems, as it is on the main highway (and by theft problems its been about 2 "smash & go" situations of small valuables over the course of about 5 years.) Hiking up I passed several dayhikers on their way down, as well as two backpackers who were going without a permit, and who didn't seem prepared for how hard the hike would be, possibly due to elevation.
The hike is fairly continually up, with an elevation of 1,900 feet (up to 5,400 feet) over 2.3-2.5 (signs & maps dissagree) to lower crystal lake, and a total of 2,300 feet over about 3 miles to upper crystal lake. The trail was almost completely snow free, which was a nice change from all my snowy hiking earlier in the trip. I went all the way to upper crystal lake, but decided to head back down to lower for more solitude (and thats where my permit was actually for, although I basically was told by the ranger I got it from that it didn't really matter.) I was glad of my choice overnight when massive thunderstorms rolled through, as the sites at lower crystal lake are a bit more protected than the ones at upper crystal lake.
On my way I stopped at the Grove of the Patriarchs, which is a 1.5 miles fairly flat trail that leads to a suspension bridge across the Ohenapacosh river onto a small island with 1,000 year old trees. The grove is amazing and I spent quite a bit of time there.
Ohenapacosh proper, one of the 4 visitor centers in the park (Longmire, Paradise, Ohenapacosh, and Sunrise) was a bit disappointing, as was the small guided trail there. I'm sure if I had just entered the park I would have enjoyed it more. The visitor center is quite small and in the midst of the campground there.

Thursday
3 July 2008
Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site to Sunrise walk-in backcountry site
Camping fee- free, backcountry permit required
Distance to campsite - 1.3 miles, -100 feet of elevation from parking lot. It took me around 30 minutes to go each way, with snow slowing down sections of the trail.
Drove: 26 miles
Hiked: ~5.5 miles

I slept in quite late due to lack of sleep from the massive thunderstorms overnight. I arguably chose either a really good or really bad night to test out a few things in how my tent was set up. I am continually impressed with how well it does in wet weather, even when not set up quite right (It is the Tarptent Contrail). It does MUCH better than the "standard" tents I've slept in under inclement weather, is super light weight, and was relatively inexpensive.
I spent the afternoon wandering about paradise and checking out ranger programs. I learned a lot of cool things about glaciers, including that there are ice worms that live in the glaciers in the cascade range. I got a lot of good info as far as finding my campsite for the night from one of the rangers.
A good portion of the trail out was snow free, and I managed to find a space just big enough to squeeze my tent into that was snow free in one of the campsites. I did the 1.3 mile hike in about a half hour. However, most of the ground in and around the campsite was covered in about 2 feet of snow.

Friday
4 July 2008
Sunrise walk-in backcountry site back to Seattle
Drove: 107 miles
Hiked: 1.3 miles
The hike back and drive back were both uneventful. There is NPR reception from Seattle for the entire drive back, and there are several forest service land campsites just to the north of the park, some of which are free.