Thoughts On An Upcoming Hike
A fall backpack. Good friends, crisp weather and quiet trails. I do enjoy the thought of this. Five of us are set to tackle a highlight filled loop out of Yosemite Valley. It will be a mere 3-day hike but it has already expanded my perspective of the year. We leave next Saturday.
Perhaps the fall is the only time to explore trails out of Yosemite Valley. The tourist are gone as the park returns to being a wilderness. Day in, day out, life is busy. But in the fall, the year’s plans are winding down. The un-rushed time and the solitude provides an opportunity for perspective. Yes, we have a lot in store.
I’ll will be joined by 3 familiar friends and new partner to the team: Jens, a who provides invaluable guidance to my life; Olaf who has rapidly become a wise and knowledgeable hiker, and Dick who I’ve always admired his thoughtful insights on fatherhood. We’ll be joined by Jim, a friend of Dick, to complete the team.
Fall hiking does present a few items to take stock in. One being the temperature. I find a good night’s sleep is really important for recovery. Inadequate warmth does not equate to good rest. Water sources need to be checked. In mid-summer you need to prepare for an unexpected rain. In late October, the equivalent is an unexpected snow fall. Days are shorter. Hiking estimates need to be adjusted. But that’s about it. Nothing more, nothing less.
I do plan to field test the iPhone14 Pro. I need to study up the start chart as we should have some incredible opportunities to star gaze. I’ve done a bit of cycling in the last month in preparation. The route offers 27 miles and 7600 ft of climbing over two & half days of hiking.
I’m going to wrap this post up at this point. This will mark my first post on sierrahiking.net. I’m hoping to cultivate a conversation among like minded hikers. I will be posting details of the trail and our experience in forth coming posts and pages. Thanks for reading this. I welcome your comments.
For the last few fall hikes, my outer layer has been a vest. Last year, i got caught in a early season snow fall and temps in the 20s. That was uncomfortable. It’s time for an upgrade. I decided upon the Patagonia’s Down Sweater. Last time I simply lost too much heat around the neck and shoulders. I’ll give my feedback after the hike, however Yvon Chouinard’s announcement took the sting out of this purchase.
I’ve also picked up a pillow. The stuff sack of clothes technique was getting a little old.
Last but not least, I purchased a nice warm beanie.
I’ll let you know how it goes!