Just keep hiking

SheMountainWalker

@TamiVsTheTrail I’m excited to find this group where you’re documenting your hiking goal. I’ve recently started with goal of hiking. I live by the continental divide trail CDT at high elevation.
I do day walks/hiking around the area but I’m working on a long term goal of hiking the CDT. I’m going to start reading your entire thread but would love to learn more about hiking such as how you prepare, what equipment you use and how you pick your hikes. Best wishes for great fall weather so you can continue your hiking goal!

antonyshow

SheMountainWalker wrote: »

@TamiVsTheTrail I’m excited to find this group where you’re documenting your hiking goal. I’ve recently started with goal of hiking. I live by the continental divide trail CDT at high elevation.
I do day walks/hiking around the area but I’m working on a long term goal of hiking the CDT. I’m going to start reading your entire thread but would love to learn more about hiking such as how you prepare, what equipment you use and how you pick your hikes. Best wishes for great fall weather so you can continue your hiking goal!

good thing you're working towards your goal of climbing the CDT! This is a beautiful route that has a lot to offer.

ITVGuy2000

Beautiful Pictures. I love hiking too.

TamiVsTheTrail

It's been a crazy few weeks here! I finally have some time to update so I'm going to combine a few into one update.

Fall hikes were absolutely beautiful this year, and I headed out for my favourite foggy mornings in the forest as much as I could. I also took advantage of the nice weather and headed out for two glacier hikes. The first was for my 60th birthday, my husband took me to Joffre which is one of my favourite hikes. We got there before the sun had come over the mountains and I got to the top just as the sun hit the water for that incredible blue water. My husband couldn't make it to the top and was supposed to wait for me at the second lake. Instead he chose to turn around and get lost. Now, I'd like to point out there is ONE trail at Joffre and anyone who has hiked it asks the same question, "HOW?!" It took us three hours to find him, lots of hikers helped and one finally heard him calling out and got him back to the trail. Once back at the car we checked on each other, all good? All good. Then the barbs started and we laughed about the situation for days. He was never is real danger, he had a well stocked pack and search and rescue was attempting to ping his phone to find him when we found him.

The hike I did yesterday was the big adventure lately though. The plan was to start at sunrise, hike the first couple of KM in the dark and get to Garibaldi lake by noon. Unfortunately my hiking partner slept in and we got a mid morning start instead. The only downside to that was that we missed the glacier blue water at the top but the hike overall, 10/10. We started on bare, dry gravel and by 4KM up we had to put on our spikes and the snow got deeper and deeper. The paths at some points were barely wide enough for walking through. Coming down we got to see the sun set, the moon rise and the last 5KM we hiked in the dark. I've never hiked this far in pitch black and it was actually really calming and quite enjoyable. I mean, if I had of been alone it wouldn't have been the same feelings. Pretty sure I would have tossed my emergency blanket over my head, hid in the outhouse and cried until daylight while visions of Jason, Freddy, and other horror movie icons danced through my head.

The hike was 20KM and I'm so excited I completed this one. I've done it in the summer, I love it then but hiking in the snow and then the dark really tested my endurance and belief in myself. As for gear, here's what I had with me.

Columbia waterproof hiking boots (My favourite! My feet never get cold or wet plus great traction)
Under Armer cold gear hooded shirt under hoodie. The two together have kept me warm in -10 Celsius hikes.
In my pack I carried:

- Headlamp
- Two portable chargers, one is solar
- Mini portable fire pit (how else do you make S'mores?)
- Two lighters
- Emergency kit with tons of survival items
- Rechargeable hand warmer
- Whistle
- Food and water for 2 days incase we got stranded
- Gamin with IQ so my husband can track me and I can send distress signal if needed
- Cell phone fully charged and cable to recharge
- Microspikes
- Hiking poles
- Socks, shirt, gloves
- Wipes, tissues and bags to carry out any garbage

I always go hiking prepared!

This year I've turned 60 (seems so old to say that), lost 54 out of the 50 pound goal, gone from size 20 to 14 and hiked over 1000 KM, I'm really happy with my progress and focusing on getting healthier and stronger instead of losing weight. I'm loving that I comfortably wear non-stretch jeans and my boots and that alone makes so freaking happy.

TamiVsTheTrail

@SheMountainWalker Love the picture! Please keep updating with your hikes, looks like a beautiful area. Where is the CDT?

SuzanneC1l9zz

I've been needing to use my cane basically full-time the past couple of months, so forced break for me 😢 Not sure if this is finally the point where I need to start looking at surgery if I want to get back on my feet, but in the meantime I'll be living vicariously through everyone's pictures on here.

SbetaK

Love your pics. Haven't been on any big hikes in a couple months here, the grizzly bears never seem to go to sleep and are still wandering around. I did do a 5K turkey trot just to help keep in shape and "earn" my Thanksgiving dinner. Your pics make me want to get out and stretch my legs on a trail!

TamiVsTheTrail

I had planned on ending the year on the same hike as I began, looking out on those beautiful snowy mountains and lake but snow is definitely lacking up here right now and I had to accept my final hike of the year would be a soggy one.
I did make up for it two days later with a walk around the seawall at Stanley Park. While not a hike it was a beautiful morning, getting to the city at sunrise and enjoying a 10K walk.

Here's how the year ended.
150 hikes totaling over 1200KM
Equivalent of over 14,600 flights of stairs
Over 14,000 Garmin Intensity minutes
Down 44 pounds
Down 2 sizes

I could beat myself up for gaining back 6 pounds in November and December and not holding onto the 50 pounds I had lost but there's not a chance I'm going to do that. I did it, I hiked 150 hikes and I'm celebrating the hell out of that.

If anyone wants to see the complete collage of the photos from my hikes they can look at in on Tiktok, Tamivstrail

So now I need a new goal for this year. Obviously I want to keep hiking, I can't imagine just stopping and I have some one my bucket list that need to get a check mark next to them. I've also wanted to run a half marathon and had that on my list way too long so here we go, this years goals.

15,000 Garmin intensity minutes
Run first half marathon in November
Lose 40 pounds
Drop 2 sizes

I know a lot of my workouts will still come from hiking so I'm going to keep this discussion going. Thank you everyone who shared their photos and thoughts along the way, I'm excited to see what adventures 2024 brings!

mtaratoot

A few from earlier in the spring; more to follow:

mtaratoot

mtaratoot

metaphysicalstudio

This is so inspiring! Thanks for sharing!

StopWishingStartDoing365

Tami, I have been enjoying your photos and stories! I'm in the Fraser Valley, so I have been able to do some of these hikes too. In my area, I like Elk Mountain in Chilliwack and Harrison Grind overlooking Harrison Lake.
Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

LilithReigns

ahhh I am so excited I found this post. I too decided to stop making excuses and start doing the hikes I have always wanted to do. I have Ohio, Kentucky, and IL trips planned for this summer. I started last spring all the way through fall of 2023 and some of winter going to local spots in IN. I have found strength, joy, peace, and motivation in doing this. I would love to post pictures which I might do after work. If anyone would like to friend me please do and we can swap travel pictures and chat about our adventures. Solo Hiker here

mtaratoot

Out and about for my "local hike" several times the past week during the ice storm. Each day there would be more trees down across the River Path. It will be a while before they get that cleaned up.

007eiram

Tami I am so excited I found your post. It has truly inspired me. I am from New Zealand. I walked our local bush with my dog and friends in younger days and thought my tramping days were over. I am now inspired to drop all the excuses and set mini goals to reconnect with nature. I look forward to reading the threads to your post.

mtaratoot

I had a hike today.

I planned to go with a friend for his first day of retirement. He opted out. It was a gorgeous day, and I still wanted to hike, so I was just going to go anyway.

On the way out of my neighborhood, I ran across two friends. She said trails in the local forests weren't bad. I stopped to get mail, dropped a book at the library, and decided that since I'll go out with my friend next week, I'd go to another local trail that has great views but I had left a few weeks ago because even the trailhead was already in a cloud. That day I hiked another area nearby.

That trail is very short. Just a couple miles. I can add more miles in either direction if I want. But I did something different. On the way up, I saw parking at the trailhead down near the bottom. I stopped there to save the gasoline from driving way up to the upper trailhead. It's a nice trail to the top - a little more than eight miles round trip.

The weather was great. I saw blue sky. I saw native oaks. I saw clowns in the forest (Acorn woodpeckers).














I stopped just before the last little loop to the top to eat an orange in case it was too windy up top to stop. It was. I took in some views and kept walking. I saw rain moving in, so instead of stopping in a sheltered area to enjoy a delicious beverage I brought with me to celebrate the first day after January, I just hiked out. It only rained a little bit. Not enough to even pull out my rain gear. But the sun was still shining from an angle, so I got rainbows.

Yep. Another good day.

iamjoyce1

Hike 73/150
One of my absolute favourite hikes is Joffre Lakes, an hour northeast of Whistler BC. It's not a very long hike, only 8KM but the views are incredible. It takes 3 hours to drive there from my house and it's 100% worth it. Hiking up to the glaciers and then sitting on the edge of the lake is such a great reminder of the life I want to live and what I'm working towards. Down 45 pounds now, I'm getting ready to change my goal of losing 50 pounds to 70 but first I want to celebrate hitting 50. I'm no longer squeamish about people taking full body pictures of me and know that in 10 years I'll look back and be glad I had them.
Hoping to do a bigger hike for the half way mark, have to see if I can work my business schedule to co-operate.

Thanks everyone who is following along and I'm loving your added photos!!
quote

Thanks for sharing the breathtaking views!! I absolutely love hiking. Great for the mind and body. Keep on hiking:)

mtaratoot

I went to visit a friend yesterday and did a hike by his house about 8.3 miles with about 1560 feet of elevation gain. Some nice views. Saw some nice birds. Mostly gravel roads, but some trails. My friend also pointed out some other trails and where they went.

He's been exploring this area since the early or mid '90s. It's the reason he bought the property he lives, and now that he's retired, he can hike around there (and bike) often. When I buy a gravel bike, I'll look forward to getting out there and checking that out too.

Part of the trail is on private industrial forest, and part is on a university research forest.

He said this is his go-to hike/bike trail. Sweet!

Then he gave me some more duck eggs. I'm about to braise one or two of them for breakfast.

sammcc7907

Love all your pics. Me taking a break on the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory of Australia. Doesn’t snow there, but need to keep an eye out for the snakes and dingos.

mtaratoot

I did a 10.5 mile hike yesterday in an amazing state park with large waterfalls. South Falls is 177 feet tall. Double Falls is a foot higher. North Falls is a meager 136 feet high.

It was, all in all, a GREAT day. Best in a long time. I tried to not be too impacted by the litter. There will always be some. It wasn't THAT bad. I want to volunteer to go pick it up once a week....

As I approached the start of the trail, where it's closest to the parking so more busy, I heard some amplified sound. I wondered if maybe there was an interpretive presentation. Nope. As I got closer, I realized it was two adults with a small child and a speaker blasting sound out to people who may or may not have wanted to share. Totally inappropriate.

I channeled my inner nine-year-old and looked them right in the face and said, "REALLY?" They said "Really what?" I said, "You're in the *kitten* forest, turn off the *kitten* *kitten* radio and listen to the sounds of nature." They packed up and left, which was good for the people still up there. I walked off shaking my head.

But really - best February day for me in YEARS. It was sunny out. My little 2011 RAV4 is actually fun to drive, and there wasn't much traffic. I took a back route that is about three miles longer but eliminates several miles on an interstate and more miles on a state highway - instead I took scenic county roads through the country and across rivers and through some small towns. The radio was boring me, so I turned on the CD. When the John Lee Hooker CD was done, "Dead Letter Office" from REM came on. The sunroof was open. It was just great. In the moment I realized how good I felt, I was crossing a river and looked to my left to see a pair of bald eagles in a tree. Oh yeah. Then I really needed to find a restroom. I crossed another river and saw a boat launch with a vault toilet. It was clean and just in time. Even though the trails were more crowded than I expected, there was plenty of parking pretty close in. I bought an annual parking pass for state parks, and this is one of the few that charge a fee. I'll probably go back when it's not so nice weather and thus fewer people - no way will I go in summer on a weekend. But yesterday was just fantastic.

This large park includes the "Trail of Ten Falls." The trail is officially about 7.2 miles of "moderate" hiking. There are a few falls you have to hike a bit more to see - I decided to go see them all. The main trail is along two tributaries of a creek. These creeks have been cutting their way through the rocks for 26 million years. The resistant rock is from the Columbia River Basalt flows, and between those layers is a layer of about 20 feet of sand and silt laid down by a stream between flows. The thick layers of lava are resistant to weathering, so they are what makes the large falls when the layers below them gets weathered away. You can actually see charred remains of tree casts in the in-between layers if you look closely along your walk. Really a marvelous place. I was sad to see some litter. I was happy how well maintained the trails are. I was surprised how many people there were, but it was a beautiful warm sunny day. I bet some people took Friday off to make a long weekend. Heck - some people might have taken the week of if they already got last Monday off for President's Day.

There are dozens of miles of back-country trails to explore too. I am a little curious about those, but being among the large falls is pretty nice just as a way to spend a day.

Oh. Here's some pictures (I have fun videos, but not sure a good way to share them):

enlightenme3

@mtaratoot - I'm surprised you encountered that many people at this time of year. We did the "Trail of Ten Falls" this past September on a Sunday and it was jammed pack. Unfortunately, it was the only day we had available since we were also going to see friends who lived nearby in Silverton that day. Other than all the people, the park was beautiful, facilities were nice and the hiking was nice and moderate after having done some strenuous hikes the couple weeks before in Olympia, Rainier and Mt. Hood areas.

SbetaK

I grew up in Oregon, hiked the Silver Falls trails just about every year. @mtaratoot I recognized the falls in your pictures before I read your post, now I want to hike it again next time I go home. I love the trails were I am now, but always a good idea to have a friend or 2 along, and a dog, to keep our eyes out for our Kodiak grizzly bears. @sammcc7907, not sure whether I'd like to run into a bear here, or your snakes and dingos!

rlpomeroy

I have really enjoyed reading through this thread and it's getting me excited to do some more hiking myself. I am in Minnesota and have done several miles of the Superior Trail, but not all of it. Thank you for inspiring me to get back out there!!

sammcc7907

SbetaK wrote: »

I grew up in Oregon, hiked the Silver Falls trails just about every year. @mtaratoot I recognized the falls in your pictures before I read your post, now I want to hike it again next time I go home. I love the trails were I am now, but always a good idea to have a friend or 2 along, and a dog, to keep our eyes out for our Kodiak grizzly bears. @sammcc7907, not sure whether I'd like to run into a bear here, or your snakes and dingos!

Eek, snakes and dingos any day over bears

TamiVsTheTrail

@sammcc7907 Love the backpack! What a great view. No dingos here but definitely bears and cougars, I've only run into a couple of bears. The snakes are harmless, I think your snakes would point and laugh at ours.

TamiVsTheTrail

@mtaratoot Looks like a great place to get out and explore! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

TamiVsTheTrail

This year I had planned on doing less hikes and work more on other cardio but here's the problem, I need my nature therapy. I love my indoor gym and weights but hiking resets me and keeps me focused. This week I moved work around and made time to get out for a snow hike. We may be at the end of winter but we finally got a cold snap here that gave us a winter wonderland. The Ravens and Whiskey Jacks hung around seeing what snacks there were and followed us along the trail. At the top the we got above the clouds, it was so peaceful!

mtaratoot

A friend came to my town for a hike a couple days ago. We went to "the other side" of a trail I often hike/run. We went to the far side because it's more open and thus sunnier - out of the canopy of the forest. I forgot how well-maintained the gravel trails are. Not one spot of mud on my pants or even boots! We hiked farther than I thought she would want to, so we got up to the viewpoint I often hike or walk to from the east side up a creek and across a ridge. It was a very nice day for both of us.

It was about 7.2 miles with about 1400 feet of elevation gain overall.







The day before that I went up a trail that I haven't been on for decades. I have no idea why I don't hike there more often. It's really close by. I will be going back! I focused on it because it's lower elevation so I wouldn't have to hike through the snow. This trail goes through some nice forest, and is on trails not roads. The main trail up is kind of "the highway" with a well-engineered trail that has side rails and has gravel on most of it. It goes up from a City park on the other side of town. My initial plan was just to go up and back on that same trail. It would have been a bit short of seven miles.

When I left the park and entered the research forest, I grabbed a trail map. Good thing. When I got to the top, I used both that map and the GPS on my Garmin fitness tracker to see some other trails and found my way back down using some very much less used trails. Some were pretty muddy. They went through a diverse forest, or I should say a diversity of forest stands. It was very nice. I saw almost nobody else.








They yesterday I "hiked" on a paved path over by the coast.

mtaratoot

Back to Silver Falls yesterday because it was a gorgeous day, and it was a Tuesday.

Oh my - it was even more crowded than a few weeks ago on a Friday! The Parks Department used to be a branch of the Highway Department. It felt like I was on a state highway a bit today, what with so many people out on a beautiful day. I am glad it's not a weekend. Next time I go, maybe I'll wait for a nasty, rainy day...

I kept catching up to people and passing them. Funny too - some people had stopped to rest or take a picture or whatever, and when they saw me coming, would start hiking again... slowly. Instead of just letting me go past. I apparently walk fast. Nobody passed me, but I kept passing other people.

I made the decision to hike up to the rim when I got to the Winter Falls trail and then hike the Rim Trail in the opposite direction that most people do, then hike back down into the canyon at North Falls and hike counter to most people. This meant I would see everyone who was out, but it would be a shorter interaction. It was fun to pass people I had already passed, and I wondered if they recognized me and wondered what happened.... By doing the hike this way, and then hiking back out on a different steep trail I hadn't taken before, I turned the 7.2 mile trail into a 10.1 mile hike with about 1400 feet of climbing.