Bob vs. the mountain

I had a great hike yesterday morning. Since I wanted to keep it simple and not get myself into too much trouble I went up to an area that people use for Nordic skiing. Right now the trails are snow-less and make for easy walking, running or biking. Most everyone else who hikes does so on the more challenging trails. This meant that I was practically alone. I saw two runners, two mountain bikers and one other hiker.

I had planned on a one-hour hike. At the 40 min. mark I tried to head back. However, those ski trails are a maze and I’m unfamiliar with the area. This meant that I was lost. The good news is that I could tell from the crappy maps that were nailed to trees that all the trails were connected, so, it was only a matter of time.

After another 15 minutes I got desperate and tried the iPhone. When I parked I had the foresight to use a parking app to mark my car location. This little app was good enough to give me a bearing to follow. I discovered that I overshot the parking area by a half mile or so and ended up hiking down a slope to get to the road. My hike ended with a highway walk back to the trail head. Overall I spent 2 hours hiking which was longer than I planned but not a loss because I needed the exercise.

Here’s a few select images from the hike:

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This little lost event underscores what I already knew: When hiking I need to carry a small pack containing emergency basics including a compass. After I returned I went to this mega sporting goods store to purchase some basics. Well I see that outdoors has gone high tech since the late 80′s. I wanted a simple shoulder pack but all of what I saw looked like it was made for the elitist (douchey) outdoors man. Prices ranged from $39 – $89 — forget that!

I ended up purchasing a compass, some glow sticks and a snake bite kit (there are rattlers in these here parts). I decided to re-purpose the combat lifesaver bag I carry in my car trunk. I just transfered the basic medic supplies into a plastic container and threw it back in the trunk. Back in the Army days I had this bag in the field and it’s pretty rugged. Also note that you can get one online for $18! Over the next few months I’ll slowly add to my little hiking bag. I need to get a better knife or maybe a multi-tool, a signal mirror a whistle and a fire-starter. Besides the above it already contains some basic first aid supplies, a very outdated pocket knife and a laminated Army medic cheat-sheet that covers basic medical emergencies. Expect a post concerning what I stock the bag with!

I had already planned to purchase a hand-held GPS. I priced them yesterday and they run anywhere between $89 for the most basic to upwards of $500. Since money is currently tight I decided to pass. Back at the hotel it hit me: I bet there’s an app for that! Sure enough I found the Motion X GPS for the iPhone in the Apple Store. 99 cents later and I had it downloaded to my phone. Included among the features is the ability to set way-points. Next weekend I’m going to test it out on the mountain.

Animal sightings:

Black bear have been reported on the mountain and in the area. Also about an hour west of here there have been many recent Grizzly reports. Sadly, I did not see much: One squirrel, a few birds and one antelope on my drive up.

I also found what I believe to be evidence of a Dojo Rat in the area:

Click thumbnail to enlarge probable DR shelter

Two other observations:

• The smell of crisp pine-scented mountain air is priceless.
• I found myself getting out of breath and suspect it’s due to the altitude. With time I hope this gets better.

Until the next hike!

-BCP

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