Wild Wayfinding

It's about perspective.

I saw downed trees and I was sad. Fire. Storms. Decay. Climate Change. Disaster...

My hiking companion heard bees and was excited. Possibility in the wood for hives and homes. Opportunity for biodiversity—lots of types of bees. Growth. Positive change.

Her views changed my perspective. And this changed my whole experience on this part of the trail.

What could have been a hot and horrible day became discovery and exploration and learning.

I ate well in the wilderness!

Grateful that I took the time to dehydrate and plan my food well. When I am backpacking I often miss vegetables so this meal was great.

I have to admit I had thought about mashed potatoes all afternoon only to discover that I had left those and had quick-cook barley instead. Once I decided that I was making chicken soup, all became better 🍲

Ingredients:

-dehydrated carrots, peas and corn
-dehydrated shredded chicken
-quick-cook barley
-sprinkled with fermented black garlic, salt and pepper (yummm)

Boiled water and let soak for 15 minutes.

A very satisfying meal.

Three women walk into a bar.

What do they have in common?

They're all wearing Woolly Clothing Co. underwear (in different colors) come to find out!!

Apparently, it's the favorite for High Sierra backpacking adventures this summer. Check out the link in the comments for a 15% off code so you can be cool (and comfy), too.

We also all like pizza and brussel sprouts and work/worked in higher ed. But the same underwear was a surprise 😲


Mountain Rambler Brewery

What I left OUT of my bear canister:

1 package of almond butter
-replaced with powdered almond butter—not as tasty but much lighter.

2 packages of crackers
-I keep the other one since I don’t need extras and I’ve mapped out my meals. I feel pretty good with not taking additional food items “just in case” because we are only going for a few days and will end up at a resupply location that has a cafe so we can get food right away if we need it!

2 bags of DIY latte mix
-replaced with powdered espresso and some coconut sugar. I’ve not been eating dairy since the new year began but who knew that coconut and cashew milk powder was so heavy??

1 fruit/nut bar
-I kept the other one. I know exactly how many snacks I need since I’ve done this a few times.

1 applesauce pouch
-subbed my dehydrated apples with cinnamon. To be fair, I thought it was a bad idea when I put it there in the first place, but thought it would be fun to have something that wasn’t powdered!

1 pouch of energy chews
-I’ve not been eating cane sugar since the beginning of the year so it was in a moment of weakness that I included these anyway…

All these bits and bobs add up to almost a pound I won’t have on my back!

And don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of food.

Honest look at my pack! When it’s all laid out it looks like a lot of stuff. Not quite ready to not bring deodorant…and I feel silly bringing an air horn but after a real life encounter with a bear years ago, I’ll bring it just to make me feel better 😅

Aiming for 24lbs. Will report back after the final weigh in later in today. I’ll also let you know what I decided to leave behind.

Let me know if you have questions!

PS. My friend is carrying the first aid kit so that didn’t make it into the photo. Nor did the items I’ll be wearing as we head out. Minus the bear canister, of course. Now that I’m done dehydrating, food will get its very own post.

Spent the day getting final food prep and some dehydration completed since I leave this coming week for my section hike on the Nüümü Poyo/JMT.

These past couple of years I’ve moved away from eating prepackaged foods as I’ve learned from my hiking buddies how to make my own. They are creative cooks.

This is my first dehydration experiment. Hope it works….And thanks to my pal Kathy for letting me borrow this cool machine.

I’ll report back on how it all tastes 🥘 and if it’s good, some recipes!

Look what's coming this fall✨

Waybook: A Year of Walking Questions

For those who loved Walking & Wayfinding and want more questions for reflection, think of this as your next fifty-two steps. There's one question a week for a year to keep your practice going.

If you haven't read Walking & Wayfinding yet, this is a lovely place to start. The questions walk you inward just like the book does.

The journal is undated so you can begin when you wish. And if you want to work through it more quickly, you can go at your own pace. If you take a break, you aren't behind when you come back. You're just right where you are.

Questions are grouped by themes each month that take you through the process of wayfinding, starting with your strengths and what you carry well.

Can't wait to share it with you.

Join the waitlist at Linkinbio!

Nothing like the first snake sighting of the season to yank me back into the present moment on my hike yesterday!

Pretty sure it was a garter snake so I wasn’t in any potential danger but I didn’t notice it until it slid quickly off the trail right in front of me. A little too close for comfort if it did happen to be a rattler….

And here I thought I was being mindful and paying attention to my surroundings. But I wasn’t. I was in my head.

For the rest of the hike my body, mind and spirit were together with me on the trail. I prefer it that way but I guess sometimes I need a snake to remind me!

I hike with a fridge.

But it doesn't actually look like this! Check out my latest Hip Hiker blog post for the details.

Link in the comments.