Rancheria Trailhead (36.975345,-118.9604276) <-> Tehipite Valley Overlook (36.912811,-118.8168624)
- Rough Trail Conditions: Tehipite Valley trail (29E45) is in very bad shape.
- Slow Pace: Break/eating schedule was not followed. Aim to stop 20min of every 2 hours moving.
- Late Start: Sun rises at 7am, wasn't to trailhead until 9:15am
- Blister: Right little toe
Lesson Learned:
- New Shoes: Replace La Sportiva with barefoot shoes, more room in toebox.
- Stick to The Plan: Arrive at trail head on time
- Eat & Drink More: Stop every 2 hours, even if you don't have great seating options.
Rancheria Trailhead (36.975345,-118.9604276) <-> Tehipite Dome (36.91880,-118.78100)
- Rough Trail Conditions: Final 1.5 miles of bush waking is rough going. Swampy & steep.
- Blister: 3 on each foot. Need to retire La Sportivia Karacal (size 13.5) toebox too tight.
- Late Start: Wasn't to trailhead until 9:20am
Improvements:
- Planning (out): Don't take electrolytes every 2 hours, feels like over kill. Consider low dosage caffine pills instead.
- Planning (return): Taking water & a pain killer every 1hr was pretty great. Pace stayed pretty solid.
- Solo: We made it & didn't die hurray.
Mistakes:
- Didnt replace shoes: Ordered 13.5wide Altras Lone Peak 6's. Maybe they'll work better.
- Late Start: Didn't break camp until Noon and had to night hike back.
Rancheria Trailhead (36.975345,-118.9604276) <-> Tehipite Dome (36.91880,-118.78100)
- Blister: None. Xero aqua shoes performed exceptionally well. Bad grip on wet surfaces.
- Planning: Great
Improvements:
- Lighter Kit: worked great.
Mistakes:
- Pain Killers: Took too many, got a stomach ulcer.
Southern Lost Coast. Usal Beach to Usal Beach
- Rough Trail Conditions: A lot of blow down. Last 3 miles from Jackass to Usal was hard route finding.
- Blister: None. Xero Aquashoes stay winning. Bad grip on wet surfaces.
Improvements:
- Planning: Well Planned
Mistakes:
- Pack Weight: Approximately 35lbs total (20lbs base weight) made the hilly sections a slog.
- Bear Can: Invest in a bear bag.
- Calories: Be mindful of consumption. Day 2 I ate in an insufficient breakfast and felt like death. Killed pace.
Up & Down Mt. Umunhum from Mockingbird Hill Entrance (24.5mi round trip)
- 100cals of sugar & 500ml of water helped keep pace up.
- Average pace was still ~21min/mile.
- No blisters. Xero Aquashoes have some drawbacks when walking on rocks, after ~20 miles my feet get a little raw.