tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-389121492012-01-31T07:21:17.976-08:00Diary of a 40-something woman whose trail name is PiperPiperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.comBlogger7131100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-47579796626697418552012-01-31T07:00:00.001-08:002012-01-31T07:21:18.006-08:00

I haven't posted for a while. I am still following my low-carb primal diet. I have been upping my carbs a little bit with more sweet potatoes every now and then, maybe some bowls of frozen blackberries once in a while. Otherwise, I mostly eat meat and liver, chicken, eggs and fish, duck a couple of times, leafy greens, roots and other vegetables all cooked in butter or duck fat or ghee. I went a

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-90933557101175783102012-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:002012-01-11T10:18:07.400-08:00

I modified a paleo food pyramid to reflect what I actually eat. I suppose the sweet potatoes are missing from the picture. I actually don't eat that much of nuts or fruit, either, but you get the idea. It really works to eat this way. I feel great, I've lost weight, my mental outlook is amazing, inflammation and pain left over from hiking the PCT is gone. I don't think I have ever felt as

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-59997112927733859492012-01-06T10:03:00.000-08:002012-01-06T10:03:41.977-08:00

I think I fixed the static cling problem I've been having with my hair. Either that or the weather has improved. I'm not totally sure. My hair is really long, to my tailbone for the longest fairy-tale strands. I wear a lot of nylon, mostly my down jacket or fleece jacket being the main sources of it. This plus winter plus having fine dry hair means the static cling has been a huge problem. This

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-30421866057482024462012-01-05T11:32:00.000-08:002012-01-05T11:32:38.108-08:00

I got an ipod touch for Christmas. I'm not a gadget person, but I absolutely love this gadget. I don't even have any music on it. The reason I have no music on it is because my computer is "too" old and it won't let me update itunes to a new enough version. I hate Apple for that. Planned obsolescence irritates me greatly. My computer works fine and I have no desire for a new one. So forget the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-56923512057761023862011-12-30T19:23:00.000-08:002011-12-30T19:51:00.784-08:00

We went to Death Valley for 4 days. We drove in via Baker on Monday. We didn't quite make it into the park so we camped on the side of the road outside of Shoshone. We drove up in The Man's SUV. We had some 4-inch pieces of foam for sleeping. We just put all our stuff in the front seats, laid out the foam and slept. It was so comfortable. More comfortable than at home. Crow is totally right.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-51469490911619487922011-12-11T18:57:00.000-08:002011-12-11T19:05:38.870-08:00

Last weekend I did my annual Ultimate Hike. We hike 17.5 miles and do a mile of elevation gain. The profile doesn't just go up to a summit and back down. Instead we go up and down all day, with worse hills toward the end. It's a brutal hike for people who like brutal hikes. Everyone who came had a great time and we did the hike in record time without rushing. We started at 8am and were home by

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-21191297586390234432011-11-23T17:54:00.001-08:002011-11-23T18:05:27.634-08:00

I've been wanting to thru-hike the Gene Marshall Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail. The trail is 18 miles long but I have never seen the whole thing. I had hoped to do the whole thing this week but it turned out I was only able to do an overnighter. There was a lot of snow. We started the hike from Reyes Creek campground and hoped to get to Pine Mountain Lodge. That would make it a

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-82494914651499583652011-11-19T15:53:00.001-08:002011-11-21T11:23:39.281-08:00

Today I hiked to La Cumbre Peak via Tunnel Trail. I don't think many people have any idea what hiking is like in Santa Barbara. Hopefully this set of pictures gives a little peak into it. Tunnel Trail is about a 10 minute drive from downtown. We are so lucky. It's not even the only trail so close to town, either. There are several other trailheads this close and the trailhead for Tunnel Trail

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-85732389953308009402011-11-18T17:56:00.001-08:002011-11-18T18:05:14.937-08:00

I got a Jacks R Better wearable quilt. Here I am wearing it. It's a summer weight sleeping quilt. I plan to use it inside my 20 degree quilt as an extra layer of warmth on trips where it's going to be down in the 20s. When worn like this, it's pretty warm, if pretty stupid looking. I think I could leave my down jacket at home and just wear some fleece sleeves and throw my wind jacket or

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-10835305430816835012011-11-15T06:59:00.001-08:002011-11-15T07:04:41.812-08:00

I have a backpack trip coming up over Thanksgiving weekend. We were going to go on one this weekend but it was canceled due to weather. So we're going to try again over Thanksgiving weekend. We'll be going to relatively high elevation (6000') and I'm worried my 20 degree quilt will leave me cold. I'm not as adapted as I was when I was a lean and mean PCT hiker. I have an older sleeping bag that

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-72931902347162328312011-11-13T12:29:00.001-08:002011-11-13T15:29:37.971-08:00

Week 5 and week 7 (image is wrong)Could it be possible that I've lost weight? It's barely perceptible, but I think I've lost some weight in the last 2 weeks. I don't weigh myself so it is hard to be sure. The picture should say week 5, not 4. On Wednesday, I ate breakfast but no lunch or dinner. I went to the jam session that evening. At the jam, we were told the story, by her husband, of the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-17453398236301428762011-11-11T12:40:00.001-08:002011-11-11T14:55:28.037-08:00

$70 of food again. There's swiss chard, black kale, portabello mushrooms, two cartons of pastured eggs, a whole bunch of grass-fed beef, sausage, bacon, bleu cheese, coffee and a bunch of Trader Joe's products for The Man. I got all this meat, eggs, veggies and junk food from the IV Food Coop and Trader Joe's. My new plan is to eat the meat and veggies I like and serve The Man the Trader

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-28239119978440260482011-11-05T10:23:00.001-07:002011-11-05T15:15:06.551-07:00

This is $70 worth of food from the Farmer's Market. Eggs were $5 a dozen. Butter was $10 a pound! The cheapest meat was somewhere around $6 or $7 a pound. Be grateful you don't live in Santa Barbara. They charge more for everything here. It's like when you go to India and you pay tourist prices. When you live in Santa Barbara you pay rich people's prices.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-36751589094858291712011-11-03T18:21:00.000-07:002011-11-03T18:21:30.037-07:00

I guess what happened to me on Saturday was some kind of dehydration and electrolyte thing. I've since been taking potassium, magnesium and iodine supplements plus even eating salt poured into my hand. Along with lots of extra water, I'm starting to feel pretty good now. I was able to power-walk at lunch today without any weakness. I think I felt at about 95% of normal functioning. Normal being

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-75266154910716171622011-10-31T17:56:00.000-07:002011-10-31T17:56:23.135-07:00

I dressed up as a Zombie for Halloween today.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-644574117510591652011-10-30T18:47:00.000-07:002011-10-30T18:47:46.659-07:00

This is the last in my whole week documentary of my attempts at a low carb diet. I think I turned a corner of sorts today. Breakfast at the Daily Grind: Scrambled eggs and bacon and a cup of coffee with half-and-half. I don't know why they put it in a to-go box. I bring my own cup to save on creating plastic waste. They know me there, too. Sometimes fast-food workers get carried away and don't

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-17864678745743887642011-10-29T20:07:00.000-07:002011-11-01T10:14:55.494-07:00

Today was a difficult day. I probably didn't do very well on the low carb thing. I went hiking with the Sierra Club on a trail I hike on often. I almost couldn't make it to the summit. I have been feeling weaker and less energetic at the same time I've been feeling calmer and more healthy. This makes no sense. I'm actually very worried now about my up-coming backpack trip and the big 17.5 mile

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-5412939858264385252011-10-28T18:46:00.000-07:002011-10-28T18:46:14.715-07:00

I have no idea if I'm doing this low carb thing right. I'm only 5'3" tall. I'm female and 46 years old. I sit at a computer all day but try to get a little exercise every day. Do I eat too much or not enough? I'm keeping this photo diary so that I can eventually find someone to ask and not have whoever that is accuse me of cheating or leaving anything out. See for yourself. I have lost some

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-92038526806815707052011-10-27T18:52:00.000-07:002011-10-27T18:52:39.312-07:00

Here's my diet diary for today. I'm keeping a photo diary because some people (usually men) do not believe women who tell them it is hard to lose weight on a low carb diet. They always assume we are cheating or something. Breakfast today: 3 scrambled eggs with onions, chiles in adobo sauce, cilantro and sour cream. Coffee with cream. Coffee break: Double decaf Americano with

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-78665838152182910552011-10-26T20:15:00.000-07:002011-10-26T20:20:37.465-07:00

This is a documentary of my low carb diet. Lots of people accuse us older women of cheating on the diet when we complain that weight loss isn't as easy as they say. I'm taking pictures of everything I've eaten or drank to demonstrate, with the exception of water. Maybe I'm not doing it right, but I don't think I'm overeating or otherwise eating more carbs or more anything than I say. Three

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-16084225245081689572011-10-25T19:27:00.000-07:002011-10-28T18:46:40.002-07:00

This is a documentary of my low carb diet. Lots of people accuse us older women of cheating on the diet when we complain that weight loss isn't as easy as they say. I'm taking pictures of everything I've eaten or drank to demonstrate, with the exception of water. Maybe I'm not doing it right, but I don't think I'm overeating or otherwise eating more carbs or more anything than I say.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-51893863955154831532011-10-25T07:25:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.895-07:00

I think it is working. I think I am starting to lose some weight. Not only that, but suddenly I am starting to feel really strong. Like something vital is waking up inside of me. At the same time, I'm feeling so much more calm than I used to. Even if I don't lose any weight, it's obvious that this is much healthier. My frozen shoulder is gone, too. Like instantly gone. I believe it left in the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-62757600315600372402011-10-22T11:00:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.903-07:00

I think I have figured out my problem from reading around the internet. I'm just not keto-adapted yet. In order to burn your own body fat your body has to know how to burn fat for energy. My body is clearly struggling with this because I don't have quite as much energy doing physically active things and my pee smells like acetone. This is supposedly because of the excess ketones being eliminated

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-53578788709183424042011-10-19T19:09:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.898-07:00

I think I'm probably the only person in the world who doesn't lose any weight on a low carb diet. I lost a little the first week, but none since then. I don't have a scale. I'm going by how my clothes fit. They fit no differently. My stomach is still bloated and big. I'll probably be the first person who has to do a starvation low carb diet. And honestly, if it's that much trouble, what is the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-18587175469876754992011-10-17T17:32:00.000-07:002011-10-17T17:32:21.746-07:00

I found a great product today at the health food co-op. It's called coconut butter. It's different from coconut oil or coconut cream. I guess it's like as almond butter is to almonds, coconut butter is to coconuts. It has 186 calories in 2 tablespoons. The jar says not to refrigerate after opening. It is solid until about 80 degrees. The label suggests warming it a little and spreading it on

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-82184354084237323392011-10-16T17:25:00.000-07:002011-10-16T17:25:10.999-07:00

The Glendessary Jammers had a party today in Carpinteria. We sat outside in the deck overlooking the lemon and avocado orchards and the ocean. The sun was warm and felt real good. We had a potluck and played music while chickens pecked around in the yard and took dirt baths. I was able to find something to eat at the potluck: sashimi and a greek salad that had cucumbers instead of lettuce. I was

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-42072491677483313312011-10-14T17:13:00.000-07:002011-10-16T17:27:09.230-07:00

I've been making yogurt lately. I started using pasteurized whole milk, the kind where the cream rises to the top. It made good yogurt. I've tried goat's milk. It made thin, sour yogurt, but it was really yummy in its own way. I've tried raw milk. I tried it the normal way, heating the milk to 180 degrees then cooling to 100 before adding the culture. Then I wondered if that wasn't wasting the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-23198057508950342582011-10-13T07:17:00.000-07:002011-10-13T07:17:41.798-07:00

My parrot always wants some of whatever I am eating. She'll eat almost anything. Since I've been eating more meat, I've given her meat. She loves it. When in nature would a bird ever eat a cow? A fish I can understand, but a cow or a pig? She loves beef and pork. Today she got eggs. She ate it all up. She has a fatty tumor. She has been eating one of these supposedly healthy extruded pellet

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-13590174352637403032011-10-12T06:58:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.889-07:00

Here are the symptoms I'm experiencing on this low carb/high fat diet. Urine smells like acetone sometimes My stomach is getting flatter and my clothes are getting looser. I think I look the same though. I feel a little weak and out of breath sometimes Less hunger. A miraculous lifting of that old hiker hunger that wouldn't go away. Last night's dinner was salmon poached in grapefruit juice and

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-73259976707007712912011-10-10T07:28:00.000-07:002011-10-16T17:27:09.250-07:00

I had a nice time at the Old Time Fiddler's Convention yesterday. I seem to be getting lucky with my intonation lately, hitting notes that actually sound like notes. I took a workshop at the convention. The instructor told us up, down, up, down, up up etc with the bow. I am a ditz when it comes to that. I couldn't follow very well. I'd always end up going down when I was supposed to go up. I saw

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-90118385851771021042011-10-08T17:17:00.000-07:002011-10-16T17:27:09.264-07:00

I went to the Occupy SB protest today. I marched around downtown with a big sign that someone else had made. It just had a big red 99% on it. People chanted typical protest slogans. We stopped at banks along the way. Some guy yelled at us to get a job. It was pretty fun. I missed all the speeches before the march and if they had any afterward, I didn't stay for them. After the march, I went to

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-75203607833177795842011-10-07T18:04:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.909-07:00

Sorry to keep posting on this. I'm sure it is the most boring topic. Fifth day in a row. Basically a bowl of cream with some nuts for breakfast. No hunger all day. No lunch. No desire for lunch. I was sitting outside in the afternoon sun waiting for a class to start. I have felt so strange these past few days. I suddenly realized why. All my life my mind has been preoccupied with food because

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-27251588999240748872011-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.892-07:00

The Man asked me if I have lost weight. 6 weeks of running and tapering down to a low carb diet, I should have lost some. I don't have a scale. My clothes fit slightly looser lately and I don't see the love handles like I did, so it's obviously working. I told him it's miraculous how I'm not hungry during the day if I eat creamy food for breakfast. And I'm not hungry after last night's dinner so

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-62978696419238601602011-10-05T18:42:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.906-07:00

I ate the same high-fat breakfast as yesterday and found myself once again not hungry at lunch time. I made hamburger patties for dinner but instead of making hamburger sandwiches from them, I sauteed mushrooms, onions and sweet potatoes in the grease and added a little wine and cream. It was delicious. I didn't even want to eat the entire pile of potatoes. I didn't run today at lunch. Instead

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-62003414612501130302011-10-04T17:38:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.901-07:00

I'm usually fairly hungry most of the time, especially since hiking the PCT. My main strategy to deal with hunger is to identify healthy low-calorie foods and then try to fill up my stomach with as much of it as I can so that I can go a long time without eating. This strategy doesn't actually work though. Of course, eating very little doesn't actually work, either. So that's been the closest I've

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-90509694677373830812011-10-03T18:26:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.916-07:00

I made a really good dinner tonight. I cooked ahi tuna steaks in coconut oil. After the steaks were cooked I added a spoonful of crushed pineapple and a little packet of ginger spice I found in the fridge (we were out of fresh ginger) and some cream to the pan to create a sauce. On the side I served plantain fried in coconut oil. Our "salad" was a half avocado and a few cherry tomatoes with olive

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-89385588482547768782011-10-01T13:02:00.001-07:002011-10-01T13:05:27.501-07:00

Someone emailed the PCT-L asking for answers to some interview questions. Even though I wasn't a thru-hiker and didn't hike this year, here are mine.What was the purpose of your thru-hike?It was something I have wanted to do since I was 10 years old. That year, 1975, my dad got a National Geographic book about the PCT. I wanted to hike it ever since I read that book. The pictures in Washington

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-7932164454658685642011-09-30T17:50:00.000-07:002011-10-26T06:13:57.913-07:00

I have been running on my lunch breaks at work during the week. It's been good exercise. I think I may have lost a little weight. At least it seems like the luv handles are less unsightly. I usually run down to the lagoon, make two laps around the "island" then complete the loop around the lagoon. The other run I do is out to Patterson Ave. on the bike path. I take the dirt path next to the bike

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-23013909610007050272011-09-20T17:43:00.000-07:002011-09-20T17:56:24.995-07:00

I went to the dentist today. I hadn't been to a dentist in about 15 years. I broke my tooth the other day so I couldn't really put it off.I have dental insurance from two different insurances. Only one of them covered this dentist. The amount that the insurance contributed was so little as to be not worth the money spent over the years for the insurance. I have decided that it makes more sense to

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-90356414016895869762011-09-19T18:53:00.000-07:002011-09-19T18:59:08.875-07:00

They had steelhead trout for sale at the grocery store. Steelhead is an endangered species that lives in local creeks. There are prohibitions posted at trailheads against fishing for them. The ones at the store were farm-raised. I'm sure it was bad to buy it, but I was curious what it tastes like.According to something I read, Steelhead are the same exact fish as Rainbow trout, with the one

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-79149058046031052992011-09-12T08:34:00.000-07:002011-09-12T08:43:13.800-07:00

On Saturday we hiked up to Dabney Cabin on the Manzana trail. It was a lovely tropical September day with some lightning and thunder at the beginning, warm humidity with cool cloud cover most of the day and warm sun toward the end of the day. The fall colors are starting to show. We hiked fast and hard and everyone seemed happy.On the way in, there was a hive of yellow jackets on the trail. Half

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-6816676242046355402011-08-21T07:57:00.001-07:002011-08-21T08:13:17.000-07:00

I brought my Invisible Shoes on a hike yesterday. I hiked up the trail wearing my Chacos. The hike was a short one, about 3 miles on a trail and then half a mile up a creek. The creek part took as long as the trail part. I am very sore now and all scratched up from the bouldering. I'll probably get some wicked poison oak. At the end of the creek part was a huge blue-green swimming hole. We swam

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-40780316512570733332011-08-16T18:16:00.000-07:002011-08-16T18:22:58.046-07:00

I went running in my new Invisible Shoes today. I'm like the princess and the pea. Even though I got their thickest model (the 6mm Contact version), they felt plenty thin to me. I could feel the bigger stones or craters in the asphalt, and sometimes they hurt! But most of the time I wasn't being hurt and I enjoyed running in them immensely. I even forgot I was wearing them after a while and just

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-34722072693028943442011-08-15T18:47:00.000-07:002011-08-15T19:05:26.279-07:00

My Invisible Shoes came today. That was the fastest anything has ever arrived after ordering. I ordered Friday night, I think, or maybe Saturday morning. They arrived today, Monday. I ordered their smallest size. I was surprised I would fit the smallest size, but they just barely fit me. I think the next size up would be better, but these are actually a perfect fit. I think the cheap nylon

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-63279391569963548062011-08-12T17:59:00.000-07:002011-08-12T18:07:18.982-07:00

I decided after my huaraches broke that I would order some of the Invisible Shoes huaraches. They have kits that are pre-made with the only thing left to do is to punch a toe hole and thread the laces. The soles have little nubs for traction. With any luck, it's a decent amount of traction. I'll use my Luna Leadville laces if I like the sandals. I turned my previous homemade huaraches into two

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-2390330888494459442011-08-11T19:06:00.001-07:002011-08-11T19:10:17.669-07:00

My huaraches fell apart. The vegetable-tanned leather separated from the soles. It's like the leather peeled off and left leather fuzz glued to the sole. I'm so mad at how I can't get the soles to stick reliably. I guess the only good thing to come of this is I'll get two pairs of sandals from this instead of one. I peeled off the leather tops and glued them to some other soles. We'll see if

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-31644943171776039602011-08-09T19:55:00.000-07:002011-08-09T20:14:10.434-07:00

I continue to make shoes every now and then, although lately only sandals. I've made two pairs of huarache sandals and I like them both very much. One pair is relatively thin, just two 6mm layers of rubber soling sheet glued together. There are little leather tabs on the side and a loop for between the toe sandwiched between the layers of soling sheet. The leather lace goes through the tabs and

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-55524367535376145292011-08-07T12:11:00.000-07:002011-08-07T12:12:58.760-07:00

I haven't written anything in a long time. I've become a cave-dwelling programmer again. The 8-5 grind. An hour of sunshine and fresh air at lunch. A few hikes on weekends. Not much to say about that.Not a day goes by that I don't think about the PCT though.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-88597450563859925722011-07-22T19:07:00.000-07:002011-07-22T19:41:40.617-07:00

I made some Barefoot Ted-style huaraches with a leather top. I had trouble with keeping the laces over my heels so I added little side tabs to thread the laces through. I also didn't want to have the laces touch the ground so instead of a knot on the bottom between the toes I embedded a loop of leather to thread the laces through. That's why there are two straps coming between my toes. It's

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-139744814109728342011-07-20T20:25:00.000-07:002011-07-20T20:32:51.733-07:00

I made some homemade yogurt. It came out GREAT! Wow! So creamy and sweet.I used raw milk. I heated it to 175 degrees on a double-boiler and let it cool to 100 degrees after removing from the stove. It took about an hour to cool to 100 degrees. I poured the milk into a glass jar. I mixed about 2-3 spoonfuls of plain yogurt mixed with a little milk and poured it into the glass jar. I then wrapped

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-15974583886093782602011-07-03T16:37:00.000-07:002011-07-03T17:42:25.855-07:00

Yesterday, after saying good-bye to Trailhacker, I drove home to Santa Barbara. I was really tired and had a hard time keeping my eyes open. When I got home I decided to take a nap. I slept for about 2 hours.When I woke up I took a shower and puttered around the house a little. Then I considered what I should do with myself. I had the whole day, what should I do? I thought about starting some

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-23467653123231092742011-07-02T11:31:00.000-07:002011-07-02T11:32:06.902-07:00

I just dropped off Trailhacker at the start of Section C. We parked the car at 8pm. The temperature was 102. It didn't seem too bad. You know the old saying: It's a dry heat. So we started hiking.Amazingly there are still a few flowers blooming in the desert. We saw burrowing 5 owls staring at us right away. Lots of tiny baby quail and bunnies, too.We slept in Teutang canyon on the trail. It is

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-84869006075983034342011-06-26T10:12:00.001-07:002011-06-26T10:23:13.236-07:00

To celebrate the summer solstice I led a Sierra Club hike to the top of Montecito Peak, which is at something like 3400 feet. It was a lovely summer day. The sun actually came out early on this day, early enough to watch the Summer Solstice parade at noon and then enjoy this evening hike as the sun went down.I don't do a lot of night hiking but whenever I do, I always wish I would do more. We

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-84545910747120660152011-06-08T20:23:00.000-07:002011-06-08T20:26:21.398-07:00

I won the lottery today. Well, not really. But I did find a 6-figure pile of money I didn't know I had. It's in a retirement account so it's not mine yet, but I didn't realize I had it.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-42446236933160635142011-05-30T16:45:00.000-07:002011-05-30T17:55:05.050-07:00

The Man and I just returned from hiking over San Jacinto on the PCT. We started up the Spitler Trail and then followed the PCT to just about the end of Section B.I think the PCT hates me. Three backpack trips in a row on the PCT I've found myself trying to sleep in a hurricane. This time we had 55mph winds with gusts and rain and ice-fog.We drove down and set up the cars on Friday night. We slept

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-37284852485854287432011-05-23T18:03:00.000-07:002011-05-23T18:05:44.543-07:00

What a difference it is to be surrounded by intelligent people again.I started my new job at the university. It is nice to be around smart, nice people. People who are present to the world and don't revolve their lives around their baser instincts of greed and gluttony. It's quite a difference. I may be able to tolerate not being able to do long distance hiking for a while if things remain so

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-78095074364541256602011-05-18T15:23:00.000-07:002011-05-20T14:00:10.805-07:00

As I drove home from my 5 day section hike of the PCT, the one where I endured mostly misery and terrible weather, I thought about the secret that the PCT showed me.Our whole culture that we normally live teaches us to be concerned with three things: Comfort, security and status. It tells us the more of those things we have the happier we will be. The PCT turns all of that on its head and instead

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-40474201866525933232011-05-18T15:08:00.000-07:002011-05-18T15:23:33.091-07:00

I slept very well at the hotel. I fell asleep early and slept well until super loud birds outside woke me up. I guess the birds here had to learn to shout even louder than the birds out on the trail, what with the raging wind and the freeway and the multiple train tracks going through this narrow canyon. It had felt good to be somewhere warm and quiet. I had never left my room at all once I

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-33970579193691557352011-05-17T14:47:00.000-07:002011-05-18T15:08:25.759-07:00

I woke up thinking this was the worst backpack trip ever. Well, actually, I didn't wake up at all because I never slept.My tent fell over soon in a big gust of wind. Since there appeared to be no clouds in the sky, I decided I would just sleep on top of my tent instead. so in the middle of the night, I attempted to pack everything so that it would not blow away in the wind and then I positioned

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-43801249572002385662011-05-16T14:27:00.000-07:002011-05-18T14:47:34.095-07:00

Today reminded me of everything that sucks about the So Cal section of the PCT.My sandals were frozen in the morning. It had been a cold night. The down pants were barely warm enough. I was glad I had them and couldn't imagine how cold I would have been without them.I packed up early and set off to see the detour. The PCT had been closed at the Deep Creek bridge and a detour had been forged out

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-15669021413138844812011-05-15T14:12:00.000-07:002011-05-18T14:27:52.267-07:00

The Man and I awoke to drizzle on the tent. I didn't want to get up so early because I didn't want to hike too many miles. My plan was to keep my miles around 18 per day so that I could stretch out the hike until Thursday (today was Sunday.) I also didn't want to go out into the cold drizzle. But The Man wanted to get going early so he could drive home. So I ended up starting hiking around 6:30

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-42043824810191198122011-05-14T13:59:00.000-07:002011-05-18T14:11:54.511-07:00

I recently got a real job so with a little time between jobs I decided to do a section of the PCT. Sort of a farewell since it will be a while before I can do a long distance hike again. I decided to hike from Big Bear to Interstate 15.I parked my car at Swarthout Canyon Road where the PCT begins its long climb to Wrightwood. Then The Man and I drove to Big Bear. The plan was to hike from Highway

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-80483082336712994902011-05-13T12:35:00.000-07:002011-05-13T18:27:00.743-07:00

Looks like Blogger had a hiccup and didn't post my last post which was to say how amazing things can turn around in an instant. I had a 4th bounced paycheck one day and a job offer the next. Naturally I accepted and I'm once again back into the realm of the middle-class. I'll be full-time with benefits and all that. Proof you can drop out, be a bum and hike the PCT for a few years, and drop back

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-8361554073290234652011-05-11T10:35:00.001-07:002011-05-11T10:46:32.104-07:00

Another bounced paycheck. I went home after that. If I don't get paid I don't want to come in. I feel like I do a good job, try to do my best work, I'm reliable and come in on time and try to make a positive contribution. I put up with what can only be described as a hostile and intimidating work environment with off-color racist jokes that turn my stomach and fellow employees who seemed stunned

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-50833430314532991572011-05-04T15:13:00.000-07:002011-05-04T15:19:31.680-07:00

This will be my fourth bounced paycheck in the year and a half I've been working at the company. I'm thinking of quitting and not telling The Man and just pretending I have a job. I don't sit there in that office for my health. There are lots more fun things I could be doing for free.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-55454252627149413902011-05-02T18:03:00.000-07:002011-05-02T18:12:00.998-07:00

Went to the PCT Kickoff. It was fun. The Man and I walked in from Boulder Oaks campground where we left the car. It was only a 5 mile hike but it was just enough to feel worthwhile. We enjoyed ourselves a lot while we were there.The kinds of people who hike the PCT are generally really amazing and nice people. I sit in an office all day with very unpleasant people. It became clear to me as I was

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-10810859337135324692011-04-28T17:09:00.001-07:002011-04-29T06:15:46.358-07:00

The job search is not going well. I've been wondering if it came to the point of not being able to get a job, what could I do instead? There are actually quite a few resources out there that could make a life without "work" feasible. By "work" I mean conventional 40-hour, cubicle type work, because some of these options are work.WWOOF - I could relive my La Huerta days working on organic farms,

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-57607161434133084982011-04-26T16:16:00.000-07:002011-04-26T16:30:16.642-07:00

I applied for a job as a campground host. I figured that since it seems I have to leave the area to find a job anyway, I might as well go for broke and have a real adventure. I applied for campgrounds in the Mt. Hood area and near Lake Tahoe. One of the campgrounds was almost on the PCT. I have no idea if they would be willing to hire someone who would be doing the job alone and without owning an

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-57154055448394162552011-04-24T16:55:00.000-07:002011-04-24T16:58:54.085-07:00

My parrot is very sick. She may not live through the night. For some reason, birds only get sick on the worst possible days. I drove 200 miles trying to see an avian specialist in Calabassas only to find out he went to Spain. There is nothing I can do now but wait until the bird clinic opens tomorrow.I called a bird breeder who said my poor bird is probably egg-bound. She has not laid an egg for

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-73588152221912064302011-04-20T20:38:00.000-07:002011-04-20T20:47:00.477-07:00

I'm just a relatively ordinary middle-class person trying to make a living, trying to save for my retirement. What have I achieved in all my years of trying to hoard and save for the future? Mostly just more worries for my future along with fear, despair and anger. Lately my worries have been consuming me and making me very unhappy.A few days ago I was sitting out in the wilderness when a pair

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-79509699136247074912011-04-19T17:25:00.001-07:002011-04-19T17:28:46.369-07:00

Looks like the summer fog season has begun. Probably won't see the sun for more than a couple days in a row until November or so. I get to endure 6-7 months of cheery Ed Hat people who actually like the fog. They haven't lived in Santa Barbara their entire lives like I have. I remember sunny summers. We don't have them anymore. Oh well, guess it's a good time to go fire up the Extinction for

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-63702003899196711932011-04-17T18:48:00.000-07:002011-04-17T19:05:17.928-07:00

I decided to do a little overnighter this weekend. The Man was leading a Sierra Club Hike to Little Pine Mountain. I told him I would bring my backpack and go on the hike and then stay overnight up there and then walk home or something. The Man decided he wanted to come with me. So we both did the Sierra Club hike with our backpacks and just let the other hikers find their own way back. We went

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-72299032724868447312011-04-15T18:56:00.000-07:002011-04-15T19:37:02.807-07:00

I was at the college today where I have my data structures class. The college overlooks the ocean. I had this sudden thought, What would it have been like to have lived my entire life in nature, as a natural being? I thought of people like the Hazda. I would be useless to them were I to try and live with them, but what if I had been one of them? What would my outlook on life be? What would I see

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-31070078365841713612011-04-13T20:03:00.000-07:002011-04-13T20:04:35.147-07:00

My paycheck has bounced for the third time. I am sick of this. Can I retire on 50K?

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-88522387304145014922011-04-11T07:51:00.000-07:002011-04-11T07:59:09.679-07:00

This weekend I did a day hike with The Man in the Figueroa Mountain area. This is supposedly prime wildflower season but it appears it is not really a good year for wildflowers. We got a lot of rain, then a hot of heat, then a ton of rain. It probably stressed out the seedlings.This hill is normally covered in poppies and lupine. There were mostly just poppies. It was a cool and cloudy day so

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-52956358875947412632011-04-07T15:15:00.001-07:002011-04-07T15:25:23.619-07:00

I will probably have a phone interview tomorrow for the job in Washington. I'm not sure I want to live in Washington but what can I do anymore? There are no jobs in Santa Barbara. The Man is sad that I am looking at jobs out of the area. He says snarky things about how I don't have a good job and so now I'm looking for one and he's not quite understanding of the fact that there are no jobs in

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-90464076762161940502011-04-06T15:29:00.000-07:002011-04-06T15:36:56.031-07:00

I posted my resume on a big online job board. I got two messages almost immediately. One is for a job at REI in Washington. Maybe I will move away. Maybe I am on my way to my hermit life. Maybe I will make enough money to buy a cabin. Once I have a cabin and a couple hundred thousand bucks, I will fade away from society.I gave The Man a list of all the good Sierra Club hikes for all the weekends

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-3679882726174457292011-04-05T15:40:00.000-07:002011-04-05T15:53:41.805-07:00

I have been furloughed for a few weeks so I have Mondays off for a while. I decided I could use this time for backpacking trips. I'm trying to make a big schedule of trips I can do each weekend.I was thinking of perhaps using the Kickoff as an excuse to hike down near the border on the PCT. I could hike southbound into Kickoff on Saturday night where they are likely to be showing some good movies

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-48098272348877730772011-04-03T20:20:00.000-07:002011-04-03T20:21:17.617-07:00

Yesterday Trailhacker and I went with the Sierra Club to hike to Santa Paula Peak. The hike was a car shuttle and about 16 miles of hiking. We started at St. Thomas Aquinas college and hiked along the creek, which was flowing strongly, keeping to the right of the creek the whole way until we reached some switchbacks that brought us up to a trash-filled awful campsite. I hadn't been on this

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-45120754354960009202011-03-31T20:24:00.000-07:002011-03-31T20:31:47.961-07:00

My boss has cut everybody's hours in the office by at least 20%. I elected to do that by taking one day off each week. Supposedly this is temporary. I should be bummed that the company is in such dire straights or that I will be making less money but the only thing on my mind is that I have more time for backpacking.This weekend we are planning to join the Sierra Club hike to Santa Paula Peak.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-71699076011477523292011-03-30T07:01:00.000-07:002011-03-30T07:36:41.861-07:00

The love of money is the root of all evil.Trees are moneyRocks and mountains are moneyShark fins are money...... but not sharks.Plastic is money. Figuring out how to dispose of it is not.Water is money when it's like this...But not so much when it looks like this.Your attention is money. Thinking, experiencing and being is not.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-61997504856475002572011-03-29T19:09:00.001-07:002011-03-29T19:36:05.991-07:00

I've been feeling lately like it's time to get a new job. I need a job with better pay and higher quality, more professional work. Something to feel proud of.But then I remember that The Man was thinking of hiking the PCT next year and I think I should wait until after the hike. I don't want to find a really good job just to quit a year later. And then I start thinking what if he doesn't hike

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-10579219027692151362011-03-23T20:43:00.000-07:002011-03-23T20:46:03.566-07:00

The Sierra Club groups and the boy scouts weren't the only ones who got surprised by the weather and rescued last weekend. There's a pretty good trip report on Backpacker Mag's web site with some great pictures from a couple who attempted to hike the Sisquoc Loop this weekend.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-37107112601190219902011-03-22T21:52:00.000-07:002011-03-26T11:57:36.508-07:00

My latest homemade shoe. A one-button moccasin shoe.The leaf pattern disguises a means to attach my dirty girl gaiters.This leather was hard to work with. It is not very soft or stretchy. The pull loops on the heels really dig into my heels. But wearing them around a little bit seems to be softening them up and I think in the end they'll end up being really comfortable.It took me a lot of

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-37248849464839587762011-03-22T06:21:00.000-07:002011-03-22T06:36:02.665-07:00

It turns out that there were three Sierra Club groups hiking in the backcountry this weekend and all three of them were rescued by search and rescue. People are all mad at them now. Bad publicity for the Sierra Club.The three groups were part of a Wilderness Basics course where they teach backpacking. The beginner group had tried to get themselves out of the backcountry by trying to hike out to

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-85944866623298881872011-03-21T06:24:00.000-07:002011-03-21T06:41:48.113-07:00

We got a call last night from a woman who was concerned because her daughter went on a Sierra Club Wilderness Basics backpacking trip. The Wilderness Basics is a course that teaches people how to backpack. The Man and I don't have anything to do with it so we couldn't help the woman. We knew there were three separate groups out there this weekend but we weren't sure where they went and we

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-12413496198643479112011-03-20T10:16:00.000-07:002011-03-20T10:23:46.368-07:00

So, since I found out that Chacos makes shoes, ordered some and sent them back for an exchange because they didn't fit, I thought I would take an old pair of Chaco sandals that I had in the closet and staple the uppers from a pair of my homemade shoes to them. The uppers were made from nylon men's bathing trunks. I hammered thick metal staples through the uppers into the sides of the sandals.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-14494918262237076892011-03-20T08:26:00.000-07:002011-03-20T08:29:42.467-07:00

I did a day hike yesterday in the rain. It was not raining at the start but the bushes were wet and it was a bushwhacking adventure so I got pretty wet. It was still a nice hike. It finally started raining for real near the end of the hike. My fleece jacket worked out well. I have resisted fleece for a long time because I don't like how it gets all full of static cling and my hair sticks to it,

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-49855521261679336962011-03-18T07:02:00.000-07:002011-03-18T07:06:56.022-07:00

My attempt to make a pair of fancy moccasin boots was an abject failure. I should have quit while I was ahead and stuck with my patterns from Simple Shoemaking. The shoes I made with the patterns came out well. At least the ones that came out at all came out well. My plan now is when they wear out, I will take them apart and make patterns from them. I'll have to do that because of the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-81685638513033261832011-03-17T21:42:00.001-07:002011-03-17T21:51:01.654-07:00

I feel really invisible today. I think it is because I spent the week reading Jonathon Ley's CDT Journal. His writing is really good and he made me feel like I was hiking the trail myself. He also managed to speak all the thoughts I had while hike the PCT and continue to have while I endure this meaningless life of commerce and money.While it feels like there is somebody out there who understands

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-64431647651792618142011-03-16T20:25:00.001-07:002011-03-16T20:31:49.639-07:00

I hiked Rattlesnake Trail again today. This time I went beyond the meadow all the way to the end of the trail where I sat for a few minutes on a rock overlooking the city and the ocean. It was really pretty out. The trail was a green tunnel of canyon sunflower, hummingbird sage and fiesta flowers. Yellow, pink and purple. Since the fire, it looks like a park almost with so many green and blooming

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-33632143368428927942011-03-14T18:58:00.000-07:002011-03-14T19:11:15.492-07:00

I went for a hike today on Rattlesnake Trail. I hiked up to the meadow and back. The flowers were in bloom, but there will be even more coming soon.Yesterday I altered my homemade hiking shoes. I tapered them inward at my arches and removed a layer of EVA foam. It really made a big difference. They are more flexible and comfortable. They feel more like moccasins now but with enough protection

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-47630254789285777162011-03-14T09:25:00.000-07:002011-03-14T09:31:58.031-07:00

I've always admired Peace Pilgrim even before actually reading anything about or by her. Somehow I just always knew about her.Peace Pilgrim walked all over the place with nothing more than the clothes she wore and a comb. It turns out she also walked the Appalachian Trail and was the first woman to hike the whole trail in a single year. Also, she did it at the same age I hiked the PCT and it

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-58621867008168880272011-03-13T17:35:00.000-07:002011-03-13T17:59:00.698-07:00

The Sierra Club hike this weekend was to a really great place called Pine Mountain Lodge. It's a great destination for a backpack. The trail is steep and climbs up to over 5000ft elevation. Up there are pine, big cone spruce, cedar and manzanita. Also snow. There's no longer a lodge, but a long time ago there was a hunting lodge. There are Chumash cave paintings, but they've almost completely

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-9088342579458792802011-03-11T16:59:00.000-08:002011-03-11T17:07:59.576-08:00

I have been reading Johnathon Ley's CDT journal. It is very good. He seems to have all the same kinds of thoughts that I do about money, about machines, about the direction our technologies and culture have taken us. He's a good writer.I highlight the text on the page and have my computer read it to me out loud using the Text-to-Speech function. Then I can work on projects with my hands at the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-77138408682838147162011-03-08T17:01:00.000-08:002011-03-08T17:04:48.091-08:00

I found my way to this interesting story of a man who decided to just walk around America and Mexico for a while. He walks back roads mostly but manages to live kind of by trail magic. I found it inspiring.

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-51507582426991128402011-03-07T17:52:00.000-08:002011-03-07T18:24:37.277-08:00

The Man couldn't sleep last night. He looked like hell in the morning. I went to work as usual and when I came home he was still at home. He had taken the day off and gone to the hospital. They tested his heart. He showed me his EKG. It's all messed up. It looks worse than an episode of House. His heart doesn't work right. It's got some kind of electrical arrhythmia or something.The doctor asked

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-47064488421602612102011-03-06T13:38:00.000-08:002011-03-06T14:18:18.788-08:00

I made it out to one of my quickie backpack places on my list. I went to Matias Potrero.It was really nice to spend some time back out in nature again. Doing something like hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, where you spend months living in nature, is hard to recover from. I think about the trail every day. It took me about a year to get used to our dry backcountry again. But I can't get used to

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-18617159265487426892011-03-04T19:13:00.000-08:002011-03-04T21:04:53.290-08:00

The Man plans to return to the PCT where he left off last year. Last year he hiked from the Mexican border to Apache Peak where he slipped on the snow, slid 100 feet down the mountain and sprained his ankle. He was rescued by helicopter and it took about 8 weeks to heal his ankle. He plans to return and hike for at least 3 weeks. Apparently he'd like to go solo. This is fine. I'd like him to know

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38912149.post-18304230618272104072011-03-02T14:27:00.000-08:002011-03-02T14:33:49.541-08:00

I have ordered kits to make Bilgy Parchos for me and The Man. We don't believe that a poncho can serve as both a shelter and rain gear unless it's near 100% certain you won't need to use it for rain gear. This is because if you are using a poncho as a shelter, you probably want to leave all the tie-downs attached so it's easier to set up at night. Otherwise, you'll be stuck standing there in the

Piperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884645686976359244noreply@blogger.com7