Okay, sorry for the delay in posts. We know we have some catching up to do and will hopefully get our JMT and Tuolumne photos up soon. For those of you who were wondering, we did indeed complete the JMT. After hitching from Mammoth Lakes to Tuolumne, we walked into the wilderness permit office at 4pm to see what they had available for the next day. While they were sold out for the following day, they did have an opening if we left then and there. Not expecting to leave so soon we did a quick gear and food sort in the parking lot and without skipping a beat were on our way to finish the last 20 or so miles into Yosemite Valley. Before reaching the valley however, we camped near Half Dome so that we could get up at 3:00 to catch the sunrise on Rosie's birthday. This experience, along with sleeping on top of Mt. Whitney, was definitely a highlight of the trail.

On Half Dome for sunrise on Rosie's birthday.

From the valley we then shuttled back to Tuolumne where we met up with friends and Mazamas for a week of trail stewardship and climbing. After the first two days of trail building, eight of us took off for an overnight adventure climbing a four pitch route on Dozier Dome the first day, camping at Lower Cathedral Lake and getting an early start to climb Cathedral Peak the following day. Having to shift from backpacking mode to climbing mode, this 800' climb took a good portion of the day. However, it was a great time and it is easy to see why the route is one of the 50 classic climbs of North America.

Cathedral Peak from the base of the route at sunrise.

Danny hard at work.

So after four weeks of very little external stresses and demands, we returned to Portland with a week and a half to prepare to shift gears yet again. After a visit from Heather and Felipe and saying some goodbyes, our last days were mostly filled with running errands around town, (often to what felt like the same places multiple times) and taking care of the last things we needed to deal with at the house. Finding ourselves again packing for a trip we weren't quite sure how to pack for, we hoped to pack up a few days early to give time to adjust what we plan to take with us. Of course it wasn't until the night before that we finally had it all laid out. We both were still able to fit it all in one large and one small pack each. Perhaps in a separate post we can describe with more detail what we brought with us but we were both able to keep it between 40-45 lbs each.

Just as we did with the chickens back in June, the last thing we did before we left for the airport was take our car to live on a farm outside Portland (saving a bunch in insurance by getting it off the road). Seven hours later we arrived in Guatemala City where we were picked up by our hostel. Now as we cruise through the Guatemalan countryside on our way to Xela (Quetzaltenango), we finally have a chance to relax a bit and do some processing. Well, Shane processing and Rosie catching up on some precious sleep.

JMT: Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney Portal

We have now finished the southern +/-200 miles of the JMT! After carrying nine days of food we made it to the summit of Mt. Whitney on the evening of 8/31.  Although it was a bit chilly we camped out on the highest point in the lower 48 states and saw an amazing sunset and sunrise.  We are now working our way back to Yosemite to finish the last 20 miles of the trail we had to skip at the beginning.  Photos to follow once we have a computer access in a couple weeks...

JMT: Reds Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch

After nine days on the trail we took a "zero" day here at Muir Trail Ranch to give our legs a break and soak in the hot springs. We have traveled over 95 miles; almost half way done! We are heading out this morning for a nine day stretch with hopes of a Whitney summit and existing around the first of September. Some smoke in the area but the forecast calls for it to clear soon. Until next time...

JMT Leg 1: tuolumne to reds meadow

Beautiful!  We are 4 days and 35 miles in.  So far so amazing!  After a stop over at Reds Meadow and a quick trip into Mammoth Lakes for supplies, we will be heading back on the trail in the AM.  Lots of gorgeous views, awesome terrain and superb backcountry camp sites.  This morning we got to soak in a hot spring and enjoy civilizations greatest amenities; ice cream and beer.  Until next time...

The Enchantments

Shane recently returned from 5 days in the Enchantments with Aubrey, Steve and Mike.  Rosie had the unfortunate luck of impaling her foot with a rusty nail while we were packing up to leave town.  After getting an updated Tetanus shot she made the decision to stay in town and make sure her foot healed so that she would be ready to hit the JMT.  Now after two crazy days of errands and last minute preparation for the JMT we will be hitting the road in the morning to head to California. If all goes well we will be starting out on the trail Thursday or Friday and be on the JMT for the following three weeks, followed by a week of climber trail stewardship with the Mazamas in Tuolumne Meadows in the north end of Yosemite NP.

Mountain goat resting in the Enchantments

After hiking in to Lake Stuart and setting up camp for the week, we set off on day trips to Horseshoe Lake, The Core Enchantment Zone via Aasgard Pass and the ridge above Lake Stuart for views down into the Eight Mile Zone and the surrounding area.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a couple video clips from the trip:

Bugaboos!

To head south you need to start in the north, right?  On the 4th of July we crossed the Canadian border to drive toward Bugaboo Provincial Park in SE British Columbia to meet up with Kyle, Laura, Micah and Phil.  After the steep hike in with a week's worth of food, we found ourselves settling in at the Conrad Kain Hut.  The hut is located above 7,000' in the basin below Snowpatch, Bugaboo, Crescent and Eastpost Spires which all tower a few thousand feet above.

Bugaboo Spire with Howser Towers and Pigeon Spire beyond.

Over the next five days we climbed, scrambled, hiked, traversed, rappelled, photographed and explored the impressive granite peaks and immense glaciers in this alpine wonderland.  Already dreaming of the return trip someday.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here is a sneak peak of some GoPro footage. It starts with a sunrise timelapse taken on our last morning before hiking out, then goes back to the group climbing the West Ridge of Pigeon Spire and about half of Rosie and my traverse of Eastpost Spire. No promises if or when a more polished and complete version will be done.