Distance: 41 Miles

 This hike was in the Sky Lake Wilderness and the Crater Lake National Park and provided a wide diversity of terrain from mountain lakes, alpine, and dessert. I am going to break this trip into several segments to avoid having any too long.

 Our trip started at Four Mile Lake which is off of Highway 140 near Lake of the Woods. To stage our trip we dropped a car near Crater Lake at the Lodgepole Picnic Area. You need to be sure and get the appropriate permits to park from the National Forest which can get at the Ranger Station.

 This area is a very popular hiking, horse camping and camping area, on summer weekends it is likely to be busy. We picked the week prior to Labor Day Weekend and had the entire area to ourselves. Being late in the summer we also avoided the mosquito swarms.

 Day 1:

 

We started our trip by getting lost as we tried to find our way around Four Mile Lake. Since there is a lot of trails and traffic around the lake we missed a turn that we needed to make. Once we found the right trail it was smooth sailing.

 We covered 6.3 miles on reasonably flat terrain starting at 5700′, climbing to 6100′ before dropping back down to 5900′. Much of the trail is in forests, but we did get occasional views of Mt McLoughlin.

 There were a number of lakes along the way, but to be honest they were nothing in comparison to what we saw later in the trip. We stopped for lunch at Badger Lake.

 

Our first night was at D Lake. There were a number of camping sites around Island Lake which is next to D Lake.

 

One point of interest in this area is a Shasta Red Fir on the south end of Island Lake where early-day Oregon conservationist Judge John B Waldo carved his name. He and his group were one of the first recorded parties to travel the Waldo Lake to Mt Shasta section of what is now the Pacific Crest Trail.

For many ultra light camping and chair is an oxymoron. For the ultra light purest this is true. I practice ultra light in my backpacking and I make very conscious decisions on where I am willing to add weight. One of these for me is to have a comfortable chair which makes my back feel great.

 

What I found is the Crazy Creek CradleLounger. There was a similar chair called the SwingLight, but I could not find them. The chair weighs 23 ounces (748 gr) and the removable headrest is another 3 ounces (85 gr).  It must really be worth it to add almost 2 pounds; for me it is.

What I especially like about this chair is that when you are sitting in it your back is well supported and I can slide down into the chair and take a nice well deserved nap. The chair folds flat and attaches very nicely to the back of my pack.

 

If you want more information on this chair you can find at the following web page: http://www.crazycreek.com/interior.cfm?page=detail&item=66.

I found an interesting post while doing some surfing related to ultralight backpacking, have a read. http://ghequity.org/blogs/outdoorgear101/2008/04/29/ultralight-backpacking-versus-traditional-backpacking/

This time a year I become a bit nostalgic, because in 2005 my son was in the last phases of his preparation for hiking the PCT. For those unaware of this feat, the Pacific Crest Trail is part of a set of National Trails, this one stretches from just over the Mexico boarder and tries to follow the mountain crest all the way to Canada.

 His trip started on May 21, 2005 and ended on October 2, 2005. As you might expect the logistics alone on such a hike are staggering. Each year several hundred brave soles head out on the trail, either starting in Mexico or Canada. Only a small fraction of those that start are able to finish. This accomplishment has to rank up there with any other human athletic feat. To put this in perspective, if you complete the PCT you have basically walked a marathon every day for an entire summer.

 

His approach was to mail supply packages to various spots along the trail, getting needed gear and food for the next section and returning unneeded items. This girl friend and now wife was his primary support person for the trip, although his mom stepped in when he got to Oregon. To make things even a bit more challenging, he is a very strict vegan so many of the normal PCT foods were off limits.

 I will chronicle my emotions during his trip as the summer progresses. I do recall May 21, 2005, the day that he and his hiking partner started out on the trail. My wife and I had a copy of his planned timetable that included the pickup spots. Our only connection with him during his hike was periodic telephone calls and photos that his girlfriend posted.

 

I remember that first day thinking on one side what an exciting opportunity, on the other as a parent apprehension of the dangers ahead.  

I have received a question about my Ultra Light Sleeping bag. Not being a technical expert on sleeping bags I am going to stick to my experience and that of a friend that I hike with.

 My bag is a 30 degree down bag and weighs about 1 pound. It is made of a very light weight material and has a standard hood and drawstring and the ½ length zipper. As the rest of my sleeping system I have been using a Thermorest Z-fold pad.

 I say sleeping system because I have become a day and night believer in the layering approach. I now take a set of layer cloths that will cover my needs both during the day and at night. Starting from the skin and working out, depending on the expected temperature I take:

Body layer short sleeve shirt (I take 2 pairs and wash)
Body layer long sleeve shirt
Mid-weight long sleeve shirt
Puff jacket
Rain Coat
 
Underpants (I take 2 pairs and wash)
Pants with zip-off legging
Light/mid/expedition weight long underwear (I usually take two weights)
Rain Pants

 I had nights at fairly high elevation in the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon where the nighttime temperatures were in the 20s. I wore the expedition weight long underweight and everything up to the rain coat. I was very toasty. I also had a night on the Olympic Peninsula on the beach where it didn’t get down below 40, that night I was comfortable with minimal on. I personally prefer not to sleep with my bag unzipped as that seems to either invite cold drafts or crawly critters.

I mentioned the sleeping pad. This is a critical part of the system since the bottom insulation from my bag compresses to nothing on the bottom so I depend on the pad for insulation. I Z-Fold has an R factor of 2.2 which I have found to be adequate for the camping that I have done, not sure about what it would be like in snow conditions. I have just invested in a new self-inflating bag with a higher R-factor. The reason for going this route is for increased comfort versus any real problem with the Z-fold.

 Another approach which a friend has used is an all season bivy sack and down coat and pants. His bivy sack has the ability to form a “shelter” over the head and also has a built in bug screen. The first night that he used this I had a bit of a shock in the morning. I looked over in the direction that he was sleeping and there was a black bear sitting there, or so I thought. It turned out to be him in his down suit. That is one of the advantages of his system; you don’t have to leave the comfort of the warm sleeping bag in the morning.

On a little bit of the technical side, I have read about the impact of compressing your bag. Each time that I bag is compressed it looses a bit of its loft and therefore insulating effectiveness. I know that my much used -20 degree bag is not good that temperature any more. It is very important to keep you bag stored unstuffed when not in use. My bag came with a cloth bag made just for this purpose. I also don’t use a compression bag for my bag, but rather let the other things in my pack stuff it down to as small is necessary. I made a nifty sil-nylon bag for my sleeping bag that is somewhat oversized but weights virtually nothing and is waterproof. This just compresses down with the bag as needed.

Distance: 3 mile loop with many options

Trail: Flat with all weather surfaces

 

This trail provides a neat opportunity to explore a relatively wild section of the Willamette River riparian zone. Depending on time of year and the weather various trail options exist. In the winter I would stay to the main paved or gravel trails.

 This winter a friend and I took an ill-advised unimproved path along the river only to find ourselves sloshing through mud puddles and very slippery side hills.  

 You can start at either Willamette Park or Crystal Lake Sports Park; I generally start at Crystal Lake just because the parking is better. To get there go south out of Corvallis on HW 99, cross the Mary’s River, turn left at the first stop light at Fisher Lane, follow the signs to Crystal Lake Sports Park or the boat launch. There is plenty of parking in this area. Willamette Park does have children’s play areas if you are taking young children so that could be a better option. To get to Willamette Park continue out Highway 99 until you come to Southeast Goodnight Drive, there are signs to Willamette Park, turn left.

 The trail starts out through the sports park, which during the summer could be filled with young kids playing baseball or soccer. You might also encounter groups of dog lovers throwing balls or Frisbees. I would stop and take a look that the sign post to look at the trail map.

 The trail is quite obvious and you basically can’t get lost, just always keep the river to you right or left depending on which direction you are going and the main path to your other side. In the summer do explore the various trails that head down and along the river.

At Willamette Park you can continue on the paved path on south for an additional mile or so and then loop back. For some added entertainment you can watch people playing Frisbee Golf. There is water and bathrooms at Willamette Park if you need them.

 This can be a very pleasant evening stroll in the heat of the summer.

I discovered an good blog on shoes, it is worth a read especially for marathoners. The URL is http://tighthams.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/wrong-shoe-right-pain-why-your-running-shoes-are-meant-for-running/#comment-61.

  This recipe comes from the book BackPack Gourmet and is my favorite trail meal; this is the one that I have at least once on every trip that I make.

 This makes 4 servings, although I like it so much that I divide it into three servings.

 Ingredients:

 Olive Oil
1 Onion - minced
2 whole Portobello mushrooms - about a pound - minced. You could also use crimini mushrooms which seem to be more available or really any mushroom that you like.
4 cloves garlic - minced (you can never have too much garlic)
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (any flour will work)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 15 ounce can of small white beans rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetarian soup stock
2 cups plain yogurt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 ounces thin spaghetti - broken into thirds (I use whole wheat spaghetti as I feel it is more nutritious and is part of my diabetic diet)

 How to make: 

1. Sauté  the onions, mushrooms and garlic in a large skillet for 10 minutes
2. Add the flour and curry powder to the skillet and mix in well
3. Add the white beans and soup stock and bring to a boil
4. Turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt, salt and pepper flackes
5. Cook the spaghetti and drain it in a colander
6. Mix together the spaghetti and the sauce, blending it together well.
7. Spread the mixture on your dehydrator trays. It is liquid enough that you will want some form of solid tray.
8. Dehydrate - the original recipe says 6 hours at 145 degrees, in my dehydrator I find that it takes a bit longer then that. When finished it should be very dry and the spaghetti and beans are fairly fragile.

Place serving sized portions in ZipLock bags - I use the Freezer variety to better preserve. I find that the spaghetti when dried can be very sharp and I have had it pock through the bag so be a bit careful. I have double bagged it to be safe.

 On the trail, pour the serving into your cook pot and add enough water to cover the food. You need to experiment with this a bit; my meals were a bit watery at first, but still great. I bring the water to a boil, after a couple of minutes the mixture has hydrated enough to be flexible enough to stir. Since I use a Pepsi Can stove it will naturally go out after the curry has cooked a few minutes. I cover the meal and let it set five or so minutes (the smell is so good that I have trouble waiting.)

I labeled this hiking food versus camping food as there is a huge difference between the food used for car camping and that for hiking. I am going at add a string of blogs related to various meals to my site.

 For me there are several considerations when dealing with food when I hike. Obviously size and weight are key as both come at a definite premium when you have to carry it on your back. The flavor and texture is also important to me. When you are out on the trail for several days the same old rather bland flavors gets old. The nutritional value is also a big deal. Being Diabetic I have to watch some of the high energy items, namely sugar that complete many hiker’s menu.  Ease of cooking and cleanup is another factor which is easy to overlook.

 There is a wide selection of dehydrated and freeze dried foods available, in our area you can find a good selection at a local grocery store. These are flavorful and easy to make, and since they generally use their packaging to cook the food, clean up is a breeze. For me, the downside is that they tend be heavy on the starch and salt.

 What I discovered was the world of home dehydrated foods. I started with a book, Backpack Gourmet by Linda Yaffe, where she provides great information on dehydrating foods and a bunch of good recipes. The first thing that I had to do was to buy a home dehydrator; I bought a fairly inexpensive basic unit. The two key features are having adjustable heat and a fan to move the warm air. Mine has trays that stack on top of each other and has both mess screens and plates that can used.

 To make the meals you simply cook the recipe as if you were making dinner. Take the completed and fully cooked meal and divide it into serving size portions and put them in the dehydrator. Dehydration can take several hours, so I generally do the cooking in the evening and let it dry overnight. From what I can tell you really can’t over dry the food. Once dry I place each portion in a Ziploc bag, with the cooking instructions and description written on the bag. These bags then go into my freezer for storage.

 I have not done exhaustive testing, but the meals seem to last a long time in the freezer, I have eaten meals that I dried a year before and they didn’t seem to have changed. On the trail I have had meals for a week, but I understand that will last much longer, especially if dried very well.

 To cook the meal I place the meal in my cook pot, add water, the amount varies depending on what you are cooking, and bring the water to a boil. You can simmer the meal for four or five minutes, or just let it sit to fully hydrate the meal. Some of the recipes that I have found suggest using the storage bags that can be used to cook the food. This would eliminate the cleanup, but I worry about cooking in plastic bags, so I use the cook pot. I don’t find cleanup to be a problem, since you are basically adding water and not cooking the food itself things don’t seem to stick.

 As a quick hint on clean up, I use a 6″ square of mosquito net material as a cleaning pad. It has just enough texture to scour the pan and it weighs almost nothing. I keep it in a plastic bag.

I ran across an interesting blog about meditation walking, it is worth checking it out. http://zencast.wordpress.com/2008/04/13/instructions-for-walking-meditation/#comment-2116