Shakespeare Cliff and Lonely Bay

location: Whitianga to Lonely Bay coastal walk
distance: approx 5 miles

details: while our trip to New Zealand focused less on hiking than our two previous big trips, we did have one significant hike planned for the end of the trip - the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand's most popular Great Walks. we hiked several peaks over the summer in an effort to prepare for the three day hike, but wanted to keep that going while we were in New Zealand. for a country that loves tramping as much as it does, New Zealand blew our expectations out of the water.

our first stop in NZ was Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula. a nice, quiet place to recover from jetlag in the shoulder season and presumably a great, busy place to while away a summer. our first hike was more of a coastal walk along Maramaratotara Bay, over the river from where we were staying (and original site of Whitianga town). we set out along Buffalo Beach on Mercury Bay to catch the passenger ferry across the mouth of the river and on through the old town (mostly holiday homes now).

the track offered two options - a protected path along the road, or a steep climb up to the clifftop. no surprise we took the more scenic of the two routes. the top of the hill was an interesting preserve; a combination of natural landscape and well-maintained, mowed lawn around trees - perfect for picnicking, one would imagine. the overlook was a bit harder to find, further along down a fire access route (and, you know, for people who didn't want to walk to the view). the only other person at the overlook was a groundskeeper, tidying the path in advance of the big visitor numbers of high season. the views did not disappoint and the look over Lonely Bay so charmed us that we decided to climb down to see it first hand. steep in both directions, and a bit slick with damp leaves, but totally worth it.

it drizzled a bit on the walk back and we had our first encounter with tides submerging tracks, but overall a very pleasant introduction to tramping in New Zealand!

Deer Spring Trail to Suicide Rock

location: Deer Spring Trail to Suicide Rock in the San Jacinto State/Federal Wilderness
distance: 8.5 miles
elevation gain: 2,000 feet

details: we're wrapping up our time in California and decided to head back towards Idllywild for our last hiking opportunity. a friend lent us a book of hikes in the area and we settled on one in the San Jacinto Wilderness a bit beyond Black Mountain.

one quirk of the hike is that it traverses both state and federal portions of the San Jacinto Wilderness; the state portion requires you to self-register at the ranger station in Idyllwild before leaving on the hike (safety or usage reasons, maybe?). that gave us an excuse to leave a little bit later in the day than some of our other hikes - and the projected lower temperatures of late September. it also meant we passed the trailhead and knew where to find it readily after self-registering.

compared to some of our recent excursions, the trail up to Suicide Rock proved relatively easy - moderate elevation gain and a shorter distance. we had pleasant breezes and good temperatures all the way up, and it didn't begin to climb until we'd nearly completed our trek. additionally, despite reports on the popularity of this hike we saw relatively few people on our ascent and had the place to ourselves when we got to the top. seems we missed the dedicated early morning hikers (who probably headed to the San Jacinto summit anyway) as well as the casual walkers - of whom we saw plenty while coming down (and most of whom didn't seem to be porting much, let alone enough, water for a good hike).

Suicide Rock is a granite outcrop overlooking Idllwild and across Strawberry Valley from Tahquitz Peak. while probably untrue, legend claims a Native American princess and her paramour jumped to their deaths from the outcrop, rather than endure separation (most think this legend stems from using the story set out in Ramona, written in the 1880s about a mixed race Native American-Scots girl, in order to boost tourism to the area).  if possible, the views from Suicide Rock impressed me more than the views from Black Mountain; no San Gorgonio, sure, but Tahquitz did its best to make up for it. we took our time enjoying the views and refueling before heading back to the car - and feeling more invigorated and refreshed than wrung out and tapped out!

Upper Quilcene Trail to Marmot Pass

location: Olympic National Forest
distance: approx. 13 miles
elevation gain: 3,500 feet

description: early in our relationship, Andy came to San Diego with me to attend my friends' wedding. naturally, I took the opportunity to introduce him to one of my favorite places in San Diego - the tide pools and Point Loma Lighthouse at Cabrillo National Monument. a couple of months later, we visited Acadia National Park while in Maine over the Fourth of July. the following February, we escaped the midwestern winter for the Florida Keys and visited Dry Tortugas National Park, three hours into the sea by boat. we've visited quite a few more National Park Service-administered places in the intervening years (too many to list, really - that's what labels and tags are for, right?) but especially wanted to get to Olympic National Park to complete our "four corners" (but not the Four Corners) tour of the continental U.S.

to that end we headed up to Seattle last weekend to visit Andy's sister and brother-in-law and to squeeze in an ambitious hike at Oympic. the Washington Trail Association website praised the hike we chose thusly:

"If for some terrible reason you are only allowed one hike in the Olympics in your lifetime, this should be it. The trail to Marmot Pass captures the very essence of what makes the Olympics so special, and so darned pretty. Towering old growth, a tumbling pristine river, resplendent alpine meadows, and horizon-spanning views that include majestic snow-clad craggy spires-they're all part of this amazing hike."

hard to say no to something described like that, even if it would mean more than 10 miles of hiking and a gain in elevation of 3,500 feet over five miles.

we set out early with hearty lunches, snacks, and most of the 10 hiking essentials, but despite our preparation, the trail still challenged us soundly. I had the fortune of not carrying a pack - we only brought one hiking pack (since we needed a suitcase for our remaining luggage) - and set a more blistering pace than I might have if porting extra weight.

the trail starts out in old growth forest, filled with hemlocks, firs, and cedars hundreds of years old. for several miles, the sound of the Big Quilcene river accompanies you, giving a small sense of what makes the rest of Olympic a rainforest. once it splits from the river, the trail begins climbing sharply out of the forest through avalanche zones and mountain meadows. and keeps climbing. close(ish) to the top we came across one of the cooler backcountry camping sites I've seen - along a stream under pine trees at the edge of a meadow. beyond the campsite, however, we could see a sheer granite rock face - a rock face that deep in our bones we knew the trail wanted us to ascend after we'd worn out or legs climbing up the last 3,000 feet. at one point, one of our party may have exclaimed "oh, hell no. f*ck this s*it." two of the remainder of the party may have agreed.

but we sat for a spell on some shady rocks to refuel and recover before the final ascent. and, not only were the switchbacks easier than the rest of the ascent, but the summit was absolutely worth the climb. views of the Dungness Valley and some of the highest peaks in the Olympic range off to the west, and of the Hood Canal and Puget Sound down the valley to the east - breathtaking.

the hike back down also proved challenging. we started off pretty enthusiastic - much easier to enjoy the view with rested legs and full bellies, but eventually we fell to silence as the trail kept. on. going. it was pretty impressive to recognize landmarks on the way down and think "oh, wow, we thought we were so much closer to the end when we passed this in the other direction." but we made it, clocking in at just over five and a half hours and somewhere between 10 (according to the WTA site) and 14 miles (according to my pedometer). on balance, I have to agree with the WTA assessment - if you can only do one hike in Olympic, this is a great one. that said, I hope we'll make it back to explore more of Olympic and its rainforests in the future!

Czech Flashback: the hike to Štramberk

location: Nový Jičín to Štramberk, Czech Republic
distance: 28 kilometers

details: I enjoyed my solo trip to Ireland so much that upon returning from that trip almost immediately began plotting another one. ultimately, having friends who had visited and enjoyed the heck out of Prague, I settled on the Czech Republic for just over two weeks, corresponding with my golden birthday. my trip to Ireland sparked an interest in hiking that has only grown over time and while in the Czech Republic I made a point of picking towns that afforded me opportunities for day-hikes. some of those hikes I planned well, others ... suffice it to say that I had my first experience with the importance of accurate maps, adequate supplies, and thorough pre-planning while venturing out from the lovely and delightful eastern town of Olomouc.

I wrote about the hike from Nový Jičín to Štramberk extensively when I returned from my trip, so if you want to read more, check out that post over on my history & travel blog.

Ireland Flashback: Croagh Patrick

location: Croagh Patrick, County Mayo, Ireland
distance: approx 8 kilometers
elevation: 2,507 feet

details: one of my plans for my first solo trip - to Ireland for just shy of three weeks - was to break in a pair of hiking boots to use for my best friend's wedding. to that end, I consulted my guidebook for a couple of short hikes situated along my driving route to give me a chance to stretch my legs and try out my brand new boots. by the time I got to the base of Croagh Patrick near the end of the day, I'd already done a fair (if easy) hike; all sources warned of at least a 3 hour ascent and 2 hour descent. heedless young one I was, I took off booking anyway - and made it to the top in a somewhat breathless 2 and a half hours. I'd tackle the hike differently if I undertook it today (more time to enjoy the view for a start) and might try for the entire 61 kilometer Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail!

a bit more from my history & travel blog, written shortly after my trip in 2009.