#extremewalking

Lowest to Highest Day 2: I had a terrible night’s sleep last night; it turns out there are still plenty of insects active at night this low in the desert (I didn’t set up my shelter). . I begin the morning in the dark with already-warm temperatures. I’m not using trekking poles and so with my free hands I’ve decided to carry my water (instead of carrying it in my pack). I quickly discover that carrying a water bottle with an attached plastic handle is superior to carrying one with a paper handle attached via stickiness (I hope this description makes sense). The attached-plactic-handle bottle is also more structurally sound (this becomes important later in the day as I’m falling on my water bottle attempting to scramble up scree). . I follow a jeep road up Hanaupah Canyon until I find Hanaupah Spring. There’s a ton of water here and it’s more like a stream than a spring, but I’ll take it. There are signs warning that the water here might be contaminated from runoff from illegal cannabis grows in the area, but I’ve yet to hear from any hikers becoming sick from it. Regardless of the water’s status, I still have plenty of water from my first cache. Still, I fill up a gallon (this turns ou to be way too much) in a bottle just in case I need it. . From the spring the route cuts steeply up to a ridge as it climbs toward Telescope Peak. The climb is steep and I can’t find much in the way of use trails and so most of the climb involves trying to find the least-bad way up the mountain. Many hours of scrambling later, the sun is setting and I’ve yet to reach the top. I can still see where I began my hike last night which is a little sad, but eventually I make it to the ridge below Telescope Peak and collapse in the first sheltered campsite I find (it’s very windy). A full day hiking and just 16.72 mi / 26.91 km to show for it - this route is certainly a challenge (that said, there was 10,548 ft / 3,215 m of mostly off-trail elevation gain). . Day: West Side Road to ridge below Telescope Peak Day’s distance: 16.72 mi / 26.91 km Day’s elevation gain: 10,548 ft / 3,215 m . #LowToHighRoute #DeathValleyNationalPark

[𝗠𝗮𝗰'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗫𝗜𝗩] Sitting on my computer eating hostel breakfast one day in Kathmandu, I'm approached by Mr. @teehandles who asks me the fateful question, "Are you, Mac?" Fast forward and I've met his wife, @paularoydhouse, and invited them to come to traverse the Japanese Alps with me after we're all done in Nepal. They already have plans to travel elsewhere and they graciously turn down the offer. A couple of weeks later and they've changed their minds - Japan it is.⁣ ⁣ Since first discovering the Japanese Alps, I had wanted to do a route traversing them and so I put together (what I thought was) a route connecting the Sea of Japan on the west coast of Honshu (Japan's largest island) in Niigata Prefecture, to the east coast of Honshu and the Pacific Ocean in Shizuoka Prefecture - and then ending the route with a hike up to the summit of Mount Fuji from sea level (Mount Fuji is surprisingly close to the coast for being the country's highest peak).⁣ ⁣ We set off in what would end up being a terrible week of rain and flooding in Japan (probably should have delayed a week), but despite the weather, we made the most of it. There were only a few hiccups in the route (and some change I would make if (when?) I do it again), but it was everything I hoped it would be (except for the absurd prices the mountain huts charged for water and for camping).⁣ ⁣ If you're interested in hiking in Japan, I highly suggest that you make the trip (and get yourself a JR Pass for the trails for traveling around before/after your hiking adventure). I can suggest all the best onsens to go get naked and hang out with locals in.

[𝗠𝗮𝗰'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗩𝗜𝗜𝗜] After spending some months working in the Australian city of Ballarat (just northwest of Melbourne) installing synthetic grass, pouring concrete, and tending a bar, I headed to the Australian state of Tasmania to live out the rest of my year-long visa in the one part of the country known for its EXTREME WALKING.⁣ ⁣ While down there I managed to hike the Overland Track (with a separate trip up Cradle Mountain), the Western Arthurs, Freycinet National Park, Federation Peak, Frenchmans Camp, Cape Raoul, and the Mount Anne Circuit. And even after all that, there's still more I wish I had gotten to.⁣ ⁣ It was some of the most frustrating hiking I'd ever done as I had never had to deal with mud on this scale before - literally walking through mud up to my knees (and sometimes waist). That, and the leeches. God damn, leeches are disgusting (but still better than ticks, I guess - leeches don't spread disease).⁣ ⁣ Tasmania is an awesome place - the landscape is very similar to New Zealand (they're at similar latitudes) but with far fewer people (tourists) and more snakes (number of snakes in New Zealand? Zero). It's certainly a much different place than the Outback (trust me, I rode a bicycle across it).⁣ ⁣ Still on my list for Tasmania (or "Tassie" if you're cool)? Walls of Jerusalem National Park, a full traverse of the Arthur Range, the South Coast Track, and the Port Davey Track (hopefully connecting this to the South Coast Track).

[𝗠𝗮𝗰'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗜𝗜] After hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I moved to Japan where I hoped to get myself out of the debt my first thru-hike had left me in. I got a job in Fukui Prefecture - a relatively unknown and profoundly boring part of the country. I wasn't particularly excited about the location and I especially wasn't excited that I had to buy a car, but the novelty of being somewhere new doing something new ("teaching English") helped to soften the blow. That said, once the excitement of all the new had worn off, I found myself wondering what to do with my days besides karaoke and 飲み放題 (if you know, you know).⁣ ⁣ It turned out that my placement was a blessing in disguise as I discovered that some of Japan's tallest and most spectacular mountains were just a couple of hours drive from my new home (coming from California, a couple of hours driving is trivial).⁣ ⁣ I found a challenging-looking hike with the relatively small amount of English-language information available (and my limited Japanese), invited a friend to come with me (who, I would learn, had "never been hiking before") and we set off driving into the night. We slept in the back of my car (a Toyota Wish - not available in the US) in a hotel parking lot near (what we thought was) the trailhead.⁣ ⁣ In the morning, at the crack of dawn, we set off on my first adventure in the Japanese mountains (after much searching for the trailhead). It ended up being an almost 7 mi / 11 km hike with 6,233 ft / 1,900 m of elevation to the summit. We barely made it down before nightfall (which was good because we had no headlamps). I was hooked. From the summit of Mount Kasa, we could see dozens of other peaks in the Northern (Kita) Alps and I wanted to climb them all.⁣ ⁣ Five years later, and I would (but that's a story for a future post).

I’m taking a quick break from Lowest to Highest to let you know that the Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey for the Class of 2019 is going live Monday! . After a lot of hours spent in front of my computer (and some help from @paulinadao), I have the results from the most comprehensive PCT survey to date. . Head to the link in my profile to make sure you’re subscribed and get notified as soon as the results are live. . Make good decisions, friends! Don’t die out there. . #ForesterPass #PacificCrestTrail

I waffle between carrying a stove on backpacking trips and going stoveless. I find the biggest benefit to carrying a stove is the ability to make healthier food (i.e. #EXTREMEWALKING fuel). . That said, I enjoy going stoveless and not carrying the extra gear or extra water for cooking and washing up. My stoveless adventures largely consist of me shoveling M&M’S and and assortment of bars into my mouth punctuated by the occasional cheese chunk wrapped in a tortilla. Arguably, not the best way to fuel big-mile days. . Recently, I’ve made an effort to find healthier options for the stoveless life that don’t require me to stop and prepare (as much as I love a cheese tortilla, they aren’t the most convenient option). On my three-day circuit of the 93-mi / 150-km Wonderland Trail in Washington, I didn’t have much time for breaks, so eating while walking (directly out of the fanny pack) was how I optimized for distance (also, it was very wet and cold for the first two days and stopping = freezing). . My Wonderland Trail fuel consisted largely of packs of Wild Alaskan Salmon Jerky from @fishpeople_seafood (although, admittedly, I also brought a fair amount of candy). Each pack has 24 g of protein and 900 mg of omega-3s; I’m not a nutritionist (yet), but I'm pretty sure that’s healthier than the 27 g of sugar and 12 g of fat in a Snickers. . Who knew that what you put into your body could make a difference during times of extreme physical exertion? Why didn’t anyone tell me this sooner? . #SeasTheMoment #WonderlandTrail #Washington

The Timberline Trail is a 44 mi / 70.8 km around Mount Hood in Northern Oregon. I learned of its existence on my first Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hike in 2013 as the Timberline Trail and the PCT are the same for 11.3 mi / 18.2 km. Recently, I decided to attempt a day hike of the entire circuit. . I start from Timberline Lodge and head clockwise (spoiler alert: should have gone counterclockwise). This is the section of trail that overlaps with the PCT and the trail is sprinkled with southbound PCT hikers for the first couple of miles. The weather is great and it’s nice and cool (hooray fall!). What’s not great is the fact that I only decided to sleep for only three hours last night before driving out (too late) this morning. Probably should have just slept in the parking lot at Timberline. . At 10 mi / 16 km in I’m overcome by sleepiness, and I lay on the ground in a campsite for a 15-minute nap. Fortunately, my alarm wakes me up (I really ptfo) and I’m, surprisingly, feeling a lot better than I was pre-nap. . I pass Ramona Falls (a not-that-exciting but photogenic waterfall) and take the Timberline Trail turn-off as I depart the trail I hiked six years ago. . Things are going well until around 35 mi / 56 km in when my phone dies (no more head-pounding beats to keep me motivated), the sun begins to dip in the sky (definitely should have started earlier), and the fact that I forgot my food in the car and have been subsisting on M&M’S and gummy bears all day catches up to me (I guess it really does matter what you put into your body). . I'm back at my car ~16 hours after I left. Despite the food and drink-filled Timberline Lodge being just across the parking lot, all I can bring myself to do is crawl into Ottie the Outback and ptfo for the second time today. . Verdict? Solid trail. Would do it again in two days (clockwise) or, if I ever felt the need to do it again in one day, counterclockwise (the trail just east from Timberline Lodge is basically a 1-mi / 1.6 km climb through fine sand which is no fun at the end of a long day. . Day’s distance: 44 mi / 70.8 km Day’s elevation gain: 10,875 ft / 3,315 m . #TimberlineLodge #Oregon

The plan is to hit Great Basin National Park on the way back to California from Colorado, but things change after I bring up the idea of heading to the Wind River Range in Wyoming instead. . My first trip to the Winds was in 2017 when I was hiking the Continental Divide Trail. The section was incredible, but brief (because crushing miles, thru-hiking, etc.) and plagued with the most horrendous mosquitoes I’ve ever encountered in my life. I've wanted to come back ever since. . This time the pace is much more leisurely (enjoyable) and the mosquitoes aren’t quite as bad (but they’re not great, either). Great Basin will have to wait. Sorry, Nevada. . #WindRiverRange #Wyoming