Solo Adventures

We have spent much of April and May exploring the southwest, prior to that we were adventuring separately. Chuck was in Chilean Patagonia for two months while Trisha traveled the west coast. We have missed a couple of months of blogs due to being fully immersed in our adventures - another post or two will follow this one closely looking back at our spectacular spring <3

Before we get into that, I am tired of referring to myself in the third-person, so it's time to cut the charade. Years ago, we came up with the pen names Thought & Scribe. The idea was that Chuck (Thought) would contribute mental concepts while Trisha (Scribe) brought those notions to life on the page. This has come to fruition. Trisha here, or Scribe if you prefer. When you see the pronoun "I" - it's me. Moving on...

Exploring ~ Climbing ~ Teaching 

Pinnacles NP ~ Flash Foxy in Bishop, CA ~ NOLS in Portland, OR

I spent March and early April solo exploring California from the northern coast to the Eastern Sierras. My first stop after leaving the lighthouse (where we left off on our last post) was Pinnacles National Park. This park is small and young in terms of national parks (established in 2013). I didn't have much information about Pinnacles, but since I am on a quest to visit all 63 parks I had to get there at some point. All this to say, this park is wildly underrated. It is home to California Condors (if you want to nerd out, here is more info) and is a release site for this spectacular and endangered bird species. The park is also home to Mountain Lions - which was concerning as I hiked solo down the empty trails at sunrise... alas, I live to tell the tail. I spent my first day in the park exploring the Hike Peaks Trail. This trail is just as it sounds, traversing the high peaks of the park with a series of ladders, handrails, rock scrambles, and narrow trails. It was reminiscent of many of the trails found in Acadia National Park that were built with a similar playfulness and sense of adventure. The trail also descended into a small series of caves (more about the park caves below). 

My second day in the park started at sunrise as I headed toward more high trails and caves. The caves in the park were formed through earthquakes and fault activity that split ancient volcanic rock and toppled boulders. Boulders fell and wedged into narrow fractures in the rock and formed caves (geology nerds, more info here). I was the only person for miles around as I watched the sun crest over the ledges from my perch (one of the many times I have cried in awe throughout my travels this spring). I had the caves to myself as I waded through knee-deep, ice-cold water with my headlamp. It was glorious. 

From Pinnacles, I headed off to teach another NOLS course in Sacramento; I have very little to say about Sacramento on the whole, but my co-instructor was a wonderful human and the course went off without a hitch. Next stop: Flash Foxy Climbing Festival in Bishop, CA. I didn't take many pictures from the weekend, but my time there was magical. I volunteered in exchange for admittance to the festival. I participated in a bouldering clinic where I got the chance to play on some rocks in The Happies. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed bouldering and maybe, possibly see why people enjoy that style of climbing. I swooned after but did not attempt, a few high-balls (tall rock climbs done with no rope) that I have sworn to return to once I feel more confident in my strength. I made some new friends, camped in the desert, climbed in Owens River Gorge, lounged in some hot springs, and remembered why I love rock climbing (and have decided not to sell my trad-rack). 

The next stop on my solo adventure was teaching my first Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course for NOLS. This is what is considered a long-course (10 days) rather than the typical 2-3 day short courses I typically teach. It is exciting to be moving into this course format and opens more opportunities for travel and teaching with NOLS. I was nervous about stepping into teaching this course as it included many more hours/days worth of content. Thanks to a fabulous preceptor/mentor and co-instructor (Nissa!) my anxiety quickly turned to fun, growth, and a successful 10-day course (complete with costumes and laughter galore). 

Costumes and games :)

Practicing a litter-carry up and down stairs

Practice scenario - my co-instructor, Nissa, controlling the weather for an added challenge.

Practice rescue scenario through the streets of Portland - yes, there is a person in that litter.

And More...

Somewhere along the way I also visited Lassen Volcanic National Park, the Hoover Dam, and a wonderful McMenamin's hotel with a winery on-site... all this and more campsites along the way to meet Chuck in Arizona for a dreamy, desert springtime adventure.

 

Lassen Volcanic NP nighttime skies

Such high snow at Lassen

More Lassen

McMenamins

Camping somewhere along the way....

Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam!

Arizona wildflowers

Chuck in Patagonia!

Some pictures from Chuck's TWO MONTHS in Patagonia this spring.