2010 Travel Report 3
Ups & Downs
Greetings from Vancouver, WA where we are resting, preparing for Mt Rainier, and sitting out the Fourth of July.
Dinah and I, along with our cats and dogs, started our summer travels on 3 June. We are driving a clockwise loop through AZ, NV, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, CO, attempting to accomplish my goal of hiking to the high point of each of the lower 48 states. I started the summer with 43 down, 5 to go.
First stop: Grand Canyon – not exactly a high point, but definitely a great place to hike. I had intended to hike into the Canyon from the North Rim, but we decided to locate Dinah & the motor home in Tuba City, Navajo Nation, in the NE corner of AZ. From there it was an 80 mile drive to the South Rim to see the sights and check out conditions for my scheduled 3 day hike into the Canyon.
On the day my hike was to start, I drove to the Canyon in the wee hours, and started hiking down the South Kaibab trail about 4:30AM. I had been warned about high temperatures on the canyon floor; the early start was to beat the heat. The South Kaibab trail follows a ridge and has great views all the way down. I arrived at Bright Angel campground about 8AM and spent the day reading in the shade. The next day I did a couple of short hikes in the morning, and then stayed out of the sun. On the 3rd day I was up and hiking the Bright Angel trail at 2:30AM and was back on the South Rim by 8AM. I’ve written in more detail about the hike and would be glad to email the report to you; just ask.
In Tuba City, we met a Navajo couple through Dinah’s sister Ginny. We had a wonderful visit and learned a little about native American history from the Navajo perspective.
From there we headed to the base of Boundary Peak, the high point of Nevada. We parked the motor home in the desert at about 6,000 feet elevation and I drove the car to the trail head at 9,000 and pitched my tent. The next morning there were snow flurries, a cold wind, and low clouds on the mountain. I made it to about 10,500 feet and decided to turn around. I returned to the motor home, spent the night with Dinah, and tried again the next day. The weather was much improved, and I was better equipped, and was able to knock off another high point – 44 down! I’ve also written about this in more detail, just click here.
Our next stop was Orland, CA to visit friends Ed & Francey, but also to meet in person Cynthia and Kathy; high pointers with whom I have been making plans by telephone and email to climb Granite Peak, Montana. The four of us met at a restaurant in Chico to finalize our plans, and I was able to take a short hike with each of them. We are all looking forward to summiting Granite later in the summer.
Next came Mt. Hood, OR; after a day of practicing with crampons, ice axe, harness, and rope, our group of 6 climbers and 3 guides started out at 1AM by taking a snowcat to the top of the ski area, then turned on our headlamps and started hiking. Just after sunrise we were on the top! I have a more detailed report, just click here.
Our next stop was Vancouver, WA where we visited Ned & Judy Obermeyer to celebrate their Anniversary and my birthday. We are still in a campground in Vancouver, planning to leave for Mt Rainier on Wednesday 7 July. If all goes well I will summit early on Sunday 11 July.
We hope you are having a great summer!
Dinah & Allen
Lily & Noodle
Obie, Cricket, & Tiggy
Previous Report Back To Dinah & Allen's Travels Next Report
06/26/2011