I did one of my speedhiking excursions this weekend. I planned a 38-mile loop in Desolation Wilderness by Lake Tahoe. Things didn't go exactly as planned, and the story became so long I had to write my first blog post ever. It didn't end up being a lot about running, but there are some thoughts on safety on the trails in there:
http://trailsanity.blogspot.com/2013/06/desolation-wilderness-trip-report-june.html
Lots of pain and pics inside. :-)
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flashlight and sidewalk
From your blog:
There were a couple of decision points here that I’d welcome discussion around:
Sounds like a rough hike...sounds like you managed the circumstances well.
I was going to comment on each topic individually, but from re-reading your report, it seems like you made rational decisions based on the changing circumstances.
Oh, and I'm fine with hitchhiking...but the trunk? What kind of vehicle?
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Le professeur de trail
I have no experience with backpacking (although I would like to) and probably little experience hiking as compared to you but your read was interesting. First thanks for sharing. Second, I agree with Jamezilla. It sounds like your decision making was very rational. The "what ifs" can get scary such as "what If you had stayed at the campsite overnight?" How would your ankle have been the next day? The only questionable part was the people and the "trunk" at the end. Maybe it's just your description and the visual we get, but it sounds like something out of a made for Tv "try to be scary" movie.
Keep sharing your adventures with us. It was a fun read.
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Thanks for reading, and for your thoughts!
It seems I should clarify the trunk situation. The people in the SUV were two well-kept couples in their early thirties, the trunk was roomy, and I had both bear spray and a sturdy knife handy. So even in case of things going bad, I felt I would be able to deal with everything except the most extreme scenarios.
Thanks for reading, and for your thoughts! It seems I should clarify the trunk situation. The people in the SUV were two well-kept couples in their early thirties, the trunk was roomy, and I had both bear spray and a sturdy knife handy. So even in case of things going bad, I felt I would be able to deal with everything except the most extreme scenarios.
Haha, I had pictured you crawling into the trunk of an old buick le sabre and them shutting you in. Back of a clean SUV with respectable looking people driving I would do in a heartbeat.
Tim
Wow, not the adventure you had planned. Thanks for the pics and for sharing. Hope you heal up quickly. Sounds like you did the right thing.
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Thread killer ..
I wondered how it was going for you when we were on the East Shore Saturday . It was crazy crowded over here .
Hitch hiking is a pretty common way to get around on the West Shore, I think in Tahoe it is fairly safe .
You might look at the Toiyabe Crest Trail for a less crowded wilderness experience , it's off the beaten path another 3 hours of driving on the 50 . It is up high , it's pretty in a different way and you might not see another person the whole time you're out there .
Thanks Valerie - that trail looks great!
Do you know anything about the trails South of CA-4 into the Highland Peak/Tryon Peak area? That also looks pretty remote. I was considering going there, but the hydrological map showed too much snow.
Sue
Sorry it wasn't what you were hoping for. Yes Tahoe is crowded and quite frankly I wouldn't be running the rim trail if it was my firends dreams. I am a woods person and the woods aren't that impressive up there but I guess you run for the views. But I will continue to run the segments with her until we have completed them.
I thought there would be a lot of snow up there. I am not in the mood to run that. Did you see any bears? I've done the hike from the campground to Velma Lakes a few times...very steep.
As for the hitch hiking, I would do it in Tahoe as long as the folks looked normal and had a woman with them.
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QoN: to be fair, Rockbound Valley felt good and remote. I didn't meet anyone between Lake Aloha and a bit past Velma. Most people probably keep to TRT. Obviously, I had hoped for something more like my October Yosemite trip, when I didn't see a single person between noon Saturday and 2pm Sunday.
I was really paying attention in Rockbound Valley, but I didn't see any bears. Especially if you like the forest you could enjoy that. Maybe an out & back from Rubicon Reservoir to Lake Aloha?
The snow wasn't too bad, and will probably be gone pretty soon give how warm it was. I will be back to complete the loop in one day when my foot heals!
I agree with what the others have said. Sounds to me that you made good choices at each juncture.
It's easy to second guess yourself once you are back, have had some time to see how your foot feels, and can reflect on the big picture.
tbd.
Uh oh... now what?
I think getting out while you could still walk decently was wise. You never know
what a rolled ankle will do when it has time to get cold and stiff. You might not
have walked the next day without a jinyewhine-made-in-the-woods crutch--never
a good thing.
Still, beautiful pictures, and you had an almost good day-thank you for taking
us along.
rgot
I think it was a good call except for folks who offer you a trunk space ... seriously?
It is interesting that everyone is reacting so strongly to this. While I had second thoughts about hitchhiking in the first place, I had no worries about the SUV situation. Maybe I'm just too confident in my ability to read people, or my ability to fight back, or maybe I'm just jaded.
This made me remember a ride when I got seriously worried:
In 2003, a friend and I were going to climb Mt. Elbrus in the Caucasus. It is near Georgia, and you pass within 200 miles of Chechnya when you go there. After landing in the town of Mineralny Vody (Mineral Water), we shared a ride with a used-car dealer and small gangster who was from the area but currently living in Berlin. We had met him on the stop in St. Petersburg, and looking over the available options at the airport he and his ride felt like the safest bet.
The driver dropped the other dude off in Nalchik for his grandmother's birthday, and we continued toward the mountain pass to Elbrus. If the name Nalchik seems familiar, it is because 150 people were killed in there during a siege by Chechnyan rebels two years later. We were making good progress up the pass with beautiful mountains with wildflowers and wild horses, when our driver suddenly turned up a dirt road. He stopped by a gate protected by a machine-gun nest, tossed the guards a few bills and proceeded up the road.
The driver didn't speak a word of English, but suddenly he started shouting "Georgia! Georgia!" gesturing straight ahead.
At this point, I got worried. Maybe that's what it takes for me, but I started looking for my knife to make him stop in one way or the other. I didn't fancy the idea of going to either Georgia or Chechnya.
Before I could act, he suddenly stopped and jumped out of the car, gesturing for us to get out as well. When we did, he exclaimed "Look, waterfall! Nice! Nice!". And in deed, there was a gorgeous water fall there. That's what he wanted to share with us strangers. I'm really glad the drive to the waterfall wasn't longer.
The people in the region were very poor, but very helpful and friendly. Several times they helped us out and coached us on how to deal with the corrupt police and military. But those are other stories.
I'm sure one day I'll misread a situation and something bad will happen, but the closest I've gotten this far was judging it bad in the wrong direction.
running under the BigSky
missed this, beautiful country- glad it all worked out in the end
might consider permethrin for clothing items (shirts, calf compression, etc) for skeeters, it works pretty well and everything I've read pretty safe- a spray treatment lasts several washings
I'm going to add that to my "need to run" list
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