{"id":45,"date":"2016-04-22T22:49:37","date_gmt":"2016-04-22T22:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/montybillpct.net\/blog2016\/?p=45"},"modified":"2016-04-27T05:19:53","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T05:19:53","slug":"last-training-hike-wet-grass-ticks-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montybillpct.net\/blog2016\/2016\/04\/22\/last-training-hike-wet-grass-ticks-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Last training hike–wet grass, ticks, FUN!!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_0472\"Well, the countdown is seriously happening–we did our last “big” training hike yesterday, out at Point Reyes National Seashore, on one of our favorite 20-plus mile loop hikes.\u00a0\u00a0The route we took\u00a0has everything we want–big hills, awesome mountain and ocean views, and enough uncomfortableness to make it a reasonable replica of what we figure will be\u00a0the real deal on the CDT.<\/p>\n

We parked our car at the Bear Valley trailhead and headed out across the meadow on the\u00a0Rift Zone\u00a0trail.\u00a0 It didn’t take long before we were knee and thigh deep in VERY wet grass hanging over the trail.\u00a0 (Trail?\u00a0 What trail?\u00a0 We couldn’t even see it in all the long grass!)\u00a0 Our nylon hiking pants were totally soaked, but no problem–we knew they would dry fast.\u00a0 Then into the cow pastures (short grass, well chewed down) and waved at the cows as we went by.\u00a0 We’d anticipated a lot of mud there, but it wasn’t as bad as usual.\u00a0 Along the fire road then–easy going through the beauty of a Point Reyes forest full of magnificent trees, ferns and wildflowers.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0476\"The Horse Camp was empty–no horse people there yet–we joined up with the Olema Valley trail, and finally\u00a0 began climbing the first big hill, up and up till we reached the Bolema Trail at the top of the\u00a0first ridge.\u00a0 From there we switched to the Lake Ranch Trail, which passes a lot of interesting territory (including some bogs and swamps) high up on the mountain, before switchbacking down through a lot\u00a0more long wet grass with the added challenge of large stinging nettles and poison\u00a0oak.\u00a0 Sometimes I felt like I was running a gauntlet, trying to avoid the nettles and the\u00a0oak.\u00a0\u00a0 Usually along here we get our first\u00a0wonderful views of the ocean, but no luck there–it was gray and obscure, since we were actually IN a cloud.\u00a0 The forest around us looked mysterious, misty\u00a0and wonderful.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0475\"Four hours later, we had come down to the Coast Trail, and one of our favorite lunch spots under a huge old Douglas Fir tree that overlooks a large lily pond.\u00a0 When I sit there leaning on the massive old trunk, with long branches drooping almost to the ground around us, I feel like a chick under its mother’s wings.\u00a0 And another bonus–underneath a Douglas Fir, the ground is dry, even if it’s rainy.\u00a0 And it was rainy–misty rain that didn’t even make raindrop ripples on the pond.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0467\"After lunch, we followed the Coast Trail past large, dark, beautiful Bass Lake\u00a0to the Ocean Lake Loop trail and headed along there for ocean views and more lakes.\u00a0 Finally we\u00a0reached\u00a0 Wildcat Camp and another big hill climb with views (and often wildlife sightings).\u00a0 The trail wanders through dark forests and sunny meadows, on rough trail and smooth, before reaching its final descent to the clifftops right above the ocean.\u00a0 (Yesterday, somewhere along there, both Fixit and I picked up some ticks, which we had to deal with later.\u00a0) The hike along the clifftops is wonderful–wildlflowers!\u00a0 Waves breaking on rocks!\u00a0 Fishing boats offshore!\u00a0 Finally we made the turn for home onto the Bear Valley Trail and followed\u00a0creeks up the wooded, ferny\u00a0valley to the ridgetop, then down the other side.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0465\"It made for 8 hours of awesome hiking, with only a lunch break.\u00a0 We didn’t follow our PCT\/CDT routine of stopping every 2- 2 1\/2 hours for a snack–just kept walking.\u00a0 So when we got back to the car, we were pretty tired!\u00a0\u00a0 We also discovered that we’d picked up some ticks–they were crawling on my pants (but my gaiters kept\u00a0me out of trouble).\u00a0 Once we got home, we did a thorough “tick check” before taking showers and I found two ticks\u00a0crawling on Fixit and one teeny tiny one crawling on me.\u00a0 But crawling was all they were able to do–we got rid of them, pronto!\u00a0 Oh well, my motto this time of year is, “When the grass is green, the ticks are seen”.\u00a0\u00a0 As long as they don’t “bite in”, we’re fine!<\/p>\n

Our CDT boxes have left our house and gone to live at a friend’s house–he will be mailing them for us!\u00a0 Now we are down to all the “little stuff”–I still have more modifications I want to do on my pack, and we need to make sure our garden irrigation system is working OK.\u00a0 And we are getting ready for our final big Awana event–Awards Night!<\/p>\n\n\t\t