Calipidder

I know it’s been quiet around here lately. I’m gearing up for a business trip to Germany and have been a bit overwhelmed with work. My work travels will be followed by a trip to my Michigan home town to hang out at the National Cherry Festival with my family (including my sister, the 2004 Cherry Queen). In the meantime I have about 6 posts half-written based on questions I’ve received. I guess that gives me something to do on the 32 hours of flying I’ll be doing. I’ll be hitting the trail hard at the end of July - lots of Sierra backpacks in August and September!

Last weekend I threw in a couple of good local hikes. I did a short section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail on Friday afternoon up at Long  Ridge, then on Saturday I headed up to bag some county highpoints and hiked Mt St Helena.  Finally got the pictures posted last night. I hope to write a more detailed entry on the St Helena hike later, but in the meantime, here are some pictures.

• Long Ridge OSP pictures (lots of flowers still out!)
• Mt St Helena pictures (gorgeous views of Napa Valley!)

This video has been making its way through the Twitterverse and Blogosphere lately, and it’s just too good to not share. It is a black and white tourism video for Yosemite from the early 1940s. Make sure to watch the ancestors of today’s valley bears getting fed by the tourists. The winter sleigh ride through the valley sure looks nice, too! So much is different from today’s standards, yet so much is the same!

The passes are open but the high country isn’t yet melted out. Where to go on a weekend overnight that will give me my Sierra fix, but avoid the unknown conditions and snow/mud hybrid trails that are common at this time of year? The answer occurred to me last Wednesday - an easy, low elevation hike that has been on my ‘early season’ to-do list for a few years now. The destination was Chilnualna Falls out of Wawona. The falls are just above 6000 feet so I knew the trail would have long been free of snow. Also, Chilnualna Creek would be running strong with snow melt, fed even more by recent thunderstorms.

On Saturday morning David and I headed to Wawona. We weren’t in a big hurry - I had called and there were plenty of permits available, and the hike was short. I just wanted to get out there and enjoy the Sierra - I didn’t need a big hike. We got to the Wawona station and then sat in line for EVER. I’ve never come in this way during a busy time and I couldn’t believe the line. I’ve been in shorter lines on 120 on holidays. So after a long time of waiting to get into the park, we made our way to the wilderness office and finally had our permit in hand by about 11 am. Next time I’ll bite the bullet and plan on getting up for an early arrival, just to avoid sitting in line at the gate with the RVs and tour buses.

As we hit the trail my pack felt so light. Some of this year’s new gear helped, but also helping was the fact that David was along and sharing stuff. This was my first outing with some of the new gear that will be coming on this summer’s longer trips: the Bearikade Weekender Bear canister, Therm-a-Rest Neoair, a Montbell titanium mug, a womens Montbell down liner jacket (to replace an older poor-fitting unisex one), and some Icebreaker layers. All performed wonderfully, and together save me over a pound compared to last year’s gear.

We started off hiking in the sun but before long the clouds forming over Wawona dome turned into thunderstorms. The trail up to the Falls is nice and protected so I enjoyed the hike in the light rain, occasionally hearing the rumble of thunder. I really liked the trail - it climbs a little over 2500 feet in a little over four miles but it is so well graded I hardly noticed any climb at all. Wildflowers were everywhere and I’m still working on identifying the ones I was able to photograph.

On the hike in we didn’t stop much due to the rain (didn’t take many photos, either). We enjoyed the falls as we passed them, then continued on for another mile or so before getting off the trail to find camp. There is a point about 4.5 miles in where the trail crosses Chilnualna Creek and it is completely impassible at this time of year due to the high water. I had expected that, so as planned, we left the trail and followed the creek for a short distance until we found a lovely campsite next to a big cascade.

The rain stopped for the perfect amount of time for us to set up the tent, have lunch, and make tea. When the next wave of storms rolled through, we crawled into our dry clothes and sleeping bags to warm up. I dozed on and off to the sound of the rain, thunder, and nearby cascade. There is no better way to nap! As is typical in the Sierra, the storm cleared in the late afternoon and we were able to make dinner and use a small campfire to dry out. The creek was amazing - in the short couple of hours we had been in camp, it had risen almost 2 feet and was really churned up from the storms.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny, and after a leisurely morning of drying out and packing up we headed back down the trail. This time I was able to take photos since it wasn’t thunderstorming, although there were clouds forming for the storms that would strike later in the day (which we could see in the rear view mirror as we drove home). It was a quick overnight, but really satisfied that need for a night in the Sierra I’ve been itching for ever since the end of last summer’s season. Now, where to go next weekend….

My Pictures are here: Chilnualna Falls Album

Track Details:
Chilnualna Falls Backpack - Day 1 at EveryTrail

From the moment the passes close each fall, I have serious Eastern Sierra withdrawals. Getting from the Bay Area to the “East Side” in the winter involves a long and circuitous route, undoable in a weekend. Even when the passes are open, I expect a minimum of a five hour drive just to get over the mountains to the other side. The East Side is my favorite place in California and every time I visit I am in awe at the beauty, history, and opportunity for adventure that surrounds me. The 395 corridor from Bridgeport to Ridgecrest offers enough activities to keep a curious explorer and outdoor nut busy for ten lifetimes.

The Eastern Sierra is the best point of access to my favorite backpacking terrain - trail heads that start at 9000+ feet and spit you straight into the granite wilderness of the High Sierra. The western slope of the Sierra is gradual and forest covered, but the east slope is steep and dramatic, with sharp granite peaks over 14,000 feet with high desert terrain at their feet. While I’ve always been in awe of the scenery around me when driving through, and dabbled around some of the famous rock climbing areas, it was really last year that I started exploring with the help of some 4×4 geocaching friends. Those two trips really opened my eyes to all of the unique things to do along the east slopes of the Sierra.

Continue reading Exploring Owens Valley: Memorial Day 2009

Ick

I need a good cup of coffee to start my day. At home, this is generally in the form of Peet’s Ethiopian blend, or if I’m lucky and have recently been to the city, something picked up from Blue Bottle. On the trail, however, I’ve sacrificed quality for convenience, usually packing along the Folgers singles. While they are the most convenient and lightweight option I’ve found, they’re just nasty. They provide the much needed morning coffee fix, but I don’t enjoy my morning cup like I do at home.

There are other options for lightweight trail coffee and I generally carry a selection of them all when backpacking. Java Juice is pretty good, and there are some instant espressos that are palatable when mixed in hot chocolate (Trail Mocha). There are actually all kinds of coffee equipment made for backpackers, but I’ve found them to be too heavy or too messy for my simple, lightweight style of cooking and backpacking.

But I have good news to share. Would you believe that it’s possible to have the coffee of your choice with the convenience and weight of the Folgers singles? I recently ordered a bunch of summer supplies from PackitGourmet and decided to try out a new method that was inspired by one of the products on their site. I’ve tried it a few times at home and can’t wait to get it out on the trail. I know that this summer, the lure of that first cup of Peets will drag me out of my sleeping bag on even the coldest mornings. 

Calipidder’s Backcountry Coffee Technique

T-Sacs

Equipment:

T-Sac Bags, available at PackitGourmet

Freshly ground coffee of your choice

1/2 tsp measuring spoon

Stapler

Ziploc bag

Preparation:

(click on any photo for a larger view)

In order to maintain the freshness of the ground coffee, it is best to prepare these bags right before heading out on the trail. The grounds will go stale if the bags sit around too long. That’s probably one of the reasons why the Folgers bags are so terrible.

1. Filling the T-Sac

1. Using a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon, take a single T-Sac and fill it with ~2 Tb of grounds. Since the opening is small, I found that a smaller measuring spoon was about the right size to fill without spilling.

2. Filled T-Sac

2. Do not fill the T-Sac all of the way. The bottom of the sac is gusseted and can stand up on its own. Make sure you’ve expanded the bag to fit the grounds. You will want some extra space for the next step, as well as room for the grounds to expand and allow water to filter through.

3. Stapled Closed

3. Fold the top over a few times so that the T-Sac is sealed. Then, add a few staples to keep the folds closed. Make sure there is still some extra space in the bag for the grounds to expand. They should be loose and move around when you shake the bag. But don’t go with too few grounds - unless you LIKE your coffee weak!

4. Store your hike’s supply of these little bags of goodness in a ziploc bag that has had the air squeezed out - this will keep the coffee as fresh as possible on the trail. 

5. On the trail, just put a bag in your mug and add the hot water. Let it steep for about 4-5 minutes, just like you would with a french press at home. It helps to use your trusty titanium long handled spoon and stir or compress the bag a bit, especially if you like to squeeze every last drop of deliciousness out of your grounds.

Yummy!

6. Enjoy!

I love the quiet peaceful mornings when backpacking in the Sierra, but I know they will be even better this summer now that I’ll get to enjoy them with a good cup of coffee. I think I’ll go make a cup now…