Hiking the John Muir Trail...

July 21st - August 12th, 2016.

This hike was perhaps my favourite hike of all time.  There are many hikes which I have enjoyed - all for different reasons - but this had the variety, the challenge, beautiful new friends and epic scenery!

We hiked for 21 days from Happy Isles (Yosemite NP) to Mt Whitney/Whitney Portal.  We walked through 5 different national parks during the 3 weeks hiking.  Evolution Valley has to be my favourite.  Although, Lower Cathedral Lakes was also a highlight.  Hang on, let's be honest...the list goes on.  Mt Whitney...oh wow.  It was bloody freezing but so gorgeously stunning!...taking off from camp around 4am to sit on top of the world for sunrise.

The food was my biggest challenge.  Not handling the prep as much as I normally would & doing one large 10 day order online (which I could have doubled due to not knowing the products) made what I was eating unknown.  I was hungry most of the time in the second half of the trip.  But hey, I survived and also found food 3 days out from finishing...which boosted the moral of the whole group. Tortillas and peanut butter never tasted sooooo good!  A couple of clean dehydrated brands I liked were Good To Go from Maine & Mary Jane's Organic (but the servings were untrue...2 servings = 1 meal). I would also look into Outdoor Herbivore - vegan selection.  A friend on the trail had some great meals of theirs.

My pack weight varied being 20kg at it's heaviest (the only time I got to weigh it)...& the mountains varied...& my energy levels varied due to hunger... This made the trip interesting as no 2 days were the same.  The days were really hot and the nights (in the second half) were really cold.  I could have done with a puffer jacket (only had a puffer vest) and a better sleeping bag.  But again, I survived...I just lay awake waiting for morning sometimes :)

There were endless lakes and oodles of fresh water streams, so fresh clean drinking water was plentiful.  We only had to carry 2litres at a time.  We bathed every day but it was bloody cold most afternoons.  Occasionally we would stop half way and have a dip before lunch or morning tea :)

My 2 days in San Fran at the end were excellent!...amazing Ethiopian food, Nepalese food, second hand clothes store (which were epic!) & a juice bar...just topped it all off :)  I loved catching up with Hayley in San Fran to reminisce about our time on the trail with the other amigos (Hector, Justin, Sarah, Paige & Ian) ...I couldn't have asked for a more relaxed crew.

Here are some pics.

 

London, San Sebastian, France road trips, Switzerland & Cinque Terra

Wow!  Europe was so long ago...2 years in fact (October 2014).  But as I went to update my blog about my hike in the Sierras I realised that I had left out a brilliant adventure in the middle.  EUROPE!
The highlights for me were surfing in San Sebastian and road trip through the back country roads of France.  The quaint towns, the markets, the gorgeous scenery.

Firstly, we had a week in London with Kirk's sister...enjoying parks, pubs, the theatre and enjoying a 'locals' life.  The Borough Markets were the BEES KNEES!  Oh my. I personally felt 1 week was ample...but I'm not really a city slicker.  We then flew to San Sebastian where 10 of us rented an Air BnB house walking distance from the old city.  The morning hikes, surfing spots, crossiants, 1 euro breakfasts (espresso, fresh oj & crossiant), tapas, sunshine and happy hour on the rooftop all added to the fun.  I even found some epic clothes that I still adore 2 years on.  The Europeans seem to make pants a hell of a lot better than what I have found elsewhere.  At midnight on our final night in San Sebastian we left the gang to catch a bus over the pass and enter into France...landing in Toulouse.  A dodgey place...so we were glad to pick up our hire car (for 1euro a day, relocation fee!) and head to Bourdeux...I had always wanted to go here!  & wow, did it impress me.  The markets and old ruins were impressive!  We then had 4 days to wind out way through the back country roads and arrive in Grenoble to catch a bus to Milan, followed by a train to Lugano, Switzerland, to stay with Kirk's brother.  It was nice to hang with the family and eat Raclette a Swiss tradition but the town itself wasn't amazing.  We ventured into the mountains one weekend which was beautiful, but it rained non-stop.  Kirk departed back to Oz from here & I had an extra 3 days in Italy enjoying the Cinque Terra before heading home....a beautiful whirlwind sample of some new places in Europe for the 2 of us.

So...here are some pics...

 

New Zealand...such beauty!

Feb/March 2014

Both Kirk and I had wanted to go to New Zealand for years.  We hit the South Island for some hiking, and awesome food...wholesome organic cafes, berries fresh off the bush and apples fresh off the tree, organic wine, preservative free micro breweries and organic ice cream that was ridiculously creamy!

We stayed with Blakey and J in Christchurch and enjoyed the local's view.  We visited the most amazing farmers market in Christchurch where we stocked up on lots of delights such as organic apples (which were the best I've ever tasted!), calzones, organic blueberries, preservative free beer locally brewed, fresh goat's cheese, the list goes on!  We enjoyed SUPing and a picnic at a beach and checked out the Restart Mall which has been created after the earthquake, out of shipping containers. It's super funky!  Had a bbq at a friend's house who had a plum tree in her back yard which we raided!We also did a day trip up to Arthur's Pass and found ourselves exploring a whole lot of boulders and a tunnel/cave carved out by the river.  It was a gorgeous day.

From here we hired a car and drove towards Queenstown.  Wow...It's beautiful down south!  We were told to start in the south as we would get to experience the beauty of the larger mountains. Fair call, they were stunning.  We visited an ice bar and found some great mountain bike trails which we hiked up.

From here we hit the trail for 5 days and did the Rees Dart track.  The huts on the hike were so comfortable and quite new and the trail was really well kept. There were an avalanche in the Dart valley which has been re-routed and was amazing to see the lake that had formed. The birdlife had even changed.  I loved the big mountains and the cheeky Kea birds.

At the end of our trail we stayed in Queenstown for a night before hiring a car for $1 a day and began heading up the west coast.  On the west coast we were found running from sandflies, enjoying a morning run to a glacier, walking the Able Tasman track and exploring biodynamic wineries in the north (Malbourough region).

Along the way we picked berries and apples from the side of the road and ate fresh crayfish from the one and only place in NZ. I'll be back NZ. Such variety.