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.

General Sherman

location: Sequoia National Park
distance: approx 2.5 miles

details: one fun thing about being on the west coast is the awesome proximity to National Parks and Forests and Monuments and Sites. we booked a B&B in Monterey for some recuperation after our wedding and since we were driving north, it seemed like a good opportunity for a bit of a sidetrack to visit Sequoia National Park, stand beside the General Sherman tree, and meet up with a friend who recently moved to Visalia.

once through the Tejon pass, the drive up the Central Valley was pretty dull ... until we reached the park and the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, where the Generals Highway was delightfully twisty (at least to the person who wasn't driving) with spectacular views of the mountains and desert.

we had limited time on our hands, so after a picnic lunch with our friend, the three of us headed off to find General Sherman and the Giant Forest. knowing it wasn't a particularly far or difficult walk, I opted to stay in my Tevas, while Andy put on his new hiking boots - in an ongoing attempt to get the right fit and feel before we do serious trekking. the boots still presented some problems, so a different pair may be necessary. my Tevas did me just fine, though my feet ended up nearly black from tramping through the soft dirt, making a mess of the bathmat at our B&B later that evening.

Andy also had the opportunity to try out our new day-hike pack - a mere 20 litres and much better suited to shorter hiking trips than our larger packs. we opted for one that has a different set-up to allow airflow to your back and it worked out great. I'll get a chance to use it the next time we go on a long hike - maybe San Gorgonio?

the trees were about as incredible as anticipated. General Sherman - while not officially the oldest or tallest or widest, is the largest tree by volume. it stands 275 feet tall and has a diameter of 25 feet. a fence kept visitors from getting too close and a friendly ranger was giving a talk at the base of the tree - to inform and observe, I'm sure. nearby were a pair of trees that path went directly between, inviting people to touch the trees and experience their texture. while circling General Sherman, we passed a young man giving a rather shocked-looking young woman the last of dozen roses ... and then get down and propose. the group listening to the ranger's talk caught on to what was going on at the opposite side of the tree and clapped and cheered for them.

running short on time (again) we opted for the shuttle back to our parking lot from the Giant Forest parking lot. I wish we could have spent more time hiking and exploring the forest - and getting a bit farther off the beaten path and away from some of the crowds - but that just serves as motivation to do another trip to visit the great trees and parks of California! it's only 2.5 hours between Sequoia and Yosemite.

Black Mountain

location: Black Mountain in the San Bernardino National Forest
distance: approx 11 miles
elevation gain: 4,400 feet to 7,772 feet (3,372)

details: another suggestion from Andy's co-worker and another great (if challenging) hike. setting out early on Sunday, we weren't entirely sure of the round-trip length - could have been 3.6, could have been 9 - we had conflicting information. however, unlike Pinnacles, we found the trailhead on the road to Idllywild without a problem and dutifully marked off our Adventure Pass ... only to discover that (as with Pinnacles) the parking area was now free. oh well - the National Parks Service is something I'm willing to spend $5 on.

even if we didn't know the precise length of the hike, we did know about the elevation gain from the outset and the rapid ascent kicked off right out of the parking lot. in spite of the challenge, though, the climb wasn't terrible; the chaparral and pines made for good shade and the cloud helped out in the open areas. it didn't take long for us to get to the great views in all directions - most notably of Mount San Gorgonio across the Banning Pass (and the 10).

as great as the views were, I needed a good long rest once we got to the (near) summit. we knew the fire lookout tower was at the top somewhere, but my calves wanted precise distances before taking another step beyond where we parked for a breather and views to the west. I will concede that I was ready to call it, to just head back down the mountain without reaching the tower - we'd pushed hard up the mountain, had finite water resources, and still needed to get along way back down to the car. Andy, though, didn't want to give up without a little exploring and headed down an access road and found a campsite and forest ranger in short order. it meant a bit more climbing (1/4 mile, according to the ranger) but we couldn't give up so close to the destination.

we found two retired guys volunteering in the lookout tower, who pointed out various landmarks  for us (including other lookout towers) and explained their tool for triangulating the location of smoke in their field of observation. they recommended additional hikes in the area and let us use their binoculars to look around before we left. I must say the views we had while climbing up were a bit better - more clear as clouds rolled into obscure the Pass and San Gorgonio by the time we reached the summit. still pretty great sights to the south and west, though. we were the first visitors of the day, but passed several family groups heading up the fire access road on our way back down.


the hike down was good, if a bit challenging in length. we both tapped out our water packs (and felt grateful for having brought both of them, rather than just the 3L and some loose bottles) and ate all the snacks we'd packed. despite the aches and fatigue, though, we both felt glad of the challenge - pushing ourselves will only make us all the more ready for hiking the Great Walks in the fall!

Pinnacles Trail

location: Pinnacles Trail near Lake Arrowhead
distance: 5.2 miles
elevation: 5,737 ft

details: Andy asked one of his co-workers (who grew up in the area) for some hiking recommendations within a reasonable driving distance of us. today we headed into the San Bernardino Forest beyond Lake Arrowhead to hike the Pinnacles.

the area is know for excellent rock climbing, as well as trails for off-highway vehicles (ATVs, dirt bikes, etc.). we set out early this morning so as to beat the forecast heat of midday and found the trailhead, located near the entrance of a rifle range, with a bit of effort. (we got a chance to test out the new car's suspension by taking a rutted track to the OHV staging area, only to realize we weren't anywhere close to the trailhead and had no interest in encountering motorized vehicles while hiking.) the sounds of target practice kept us company along the first part of the trail through rocky creek beds, steadily working our way uphill.

we gained a fair bit of elevation during the course of the hike, though I can't find the exact figure. on numerous occasions we climbed over boulders and squeezed through narrow openings between rocks. the mountains are part of the Transverse Ranges and the rocks stem from an older epoch than the mountains themselves. I not any good with geology, but we identified some granite and possibly some quartz (probably dating from the Cretaceous period, according to this map). as Andy observed, each of our recent hikes has been remarkably different from the others - Mt. Baldy, Mt. Rainier, Pinnacles - hiking up scree, sliding down snow, bouldering... what will next time bring?

the views from the top of the peak were expansive - the mountains to the east, west, and south; Victorville and the Mojave to the north (west and east, respectively). the online hike description we found indicated there was a register for people to sign - we didn't see it nor look for it. we couldn't miss the American flag braced among the top rocks! another hiker who arrived at the summit the same time indicated the flag blew over not infrequently and moved around the summit; a filled-in post hole on top of the highest rock supported that observation.

after resting for some water and snacks, we headed back downhill - a much easier prospect as always, though the gravel made for occasionally unsure footing and left the heels of my palms slightly worse for the wear. overall, we prepped and coped better with this hike than Mt. Baldy; we've now got one of the hiking packs stocked up with (most of) the 10 hiking essentials, which should make getting out of the house to beat the heat just a little bit easier next time!

Mt. Rainier - Burroughs Peaks

View from First Burroughs, with snow-covered trail
in the distance and Rainer shrouded by clouds

location: Mt. Rainier
distance: approx 5.5 miles
elevation gain: 1000 feet

details: on all my previous trips to Seattle, I hoped for the opportunity to get out to Mt. Rainier for some hiking. this trip, not only did we have plenty of time to make the trip but also a driver eager to join us. after some discussion (and random searching to help narrow down the plethora of ideas presented by the Washington Trails Association) we settled on the route from Sunrise that covered both Burroughs peaks on the northeastern slope of Rainier.

our initial directions too us to a campground on the White River, some 600ft lower than our desired starting point. we got back on the road and followed it to its terminus - and the second-most visited starting point for Rainier hikers. after grabbing sandwiches from the lodge for lunch, we set off on the Sourdough Ridge trail at the direction of one of the rangers and got an early glimpse of what scrambling over snowpack might be like. (one tween nearly took me out with sliding down the snow, heedless to the presence of people on the trail behind her.)

the Sourdough trail took us past Frozen Lake, where we followed the path up to the First Burroughs peak. I was a little surprised at how quickly we reached that summit - maybe 2 miles and 600ft of elevation gain. we all agreed that we ought to continue in spite of the snow covering most of the trail to the Second Burroughs and made the remain distance in good time.

a fair few people had settled down for lunch in view of Mt. Rainier; one recommended we take a look at the meadow to the west of the Second Burroughs to see some mountain goats - something we'd been hoping to espy along our hike. we enjoyed our sandwiches and sitting for a bit, then headed back the way we'd come - slightly more treacherous going downhill with minimal traction or purchase for shoes on the snow. none of us went careening off the mountainside, however, and we even indulged in a bit of shoe-sledding going down the last bit of snow on the Wonderland trail.

after some painful misadventures with the last set of hiking boots, Andy bought picked out some new ones last week an tested them out for the first time at Rainier. overall verdict - pretty good. a couple of hotspots on his heels, but after tightening up the laces the rubbing that produced those spots dissipated sufficiently to make them worthy of at least another shot. here's hoping they'll make it through the qualifying all the way to Fiordland!