Latest Tales from the Tinman -2017

A late season hike, via Mono Pass and the Edison Ferry to Vermilion Valley Resort [VVR] in order to make a special delivery. Julie O'Neill, the author of Living Without Walls had asked me to deliver a copy of her book to Jim Clements, the owner of VVR, who we've both known for many years from our yearly hikes on the JMT.

In late September, I hiked from Mosquito Flat over Mono Pass with my newfound friend, Randy. Because of an early snow storm in the area, our journey across the Pass and descent into the Mono Creek drainage was cold and difficult. Our first night was spent near the Fourth Recess and the second at the Mott Creek Crossing. We took the morning ferry to VVR on the third day, to spend two nights of fine hospitality at the Resort, then hiked back over Mono Pass in two days.

I'm out hiking the JMT from Kearsarge Pass to Taboose Pass with Ben Spillman, when to our surprise we came upon a group of Trail Angels dispensing beer and tacos below the southern approach to Glen Pass. These events are extremely rare and this was my second lucky day in crossing paths with high altitude trail angels along the JMT. The first occasion was during a southbound hike at Muir Hut, where the "Boys from the Bay" [Graham, Javin and Joe] were offering thru-hikers beer and hot-dogs for a few special days in August 2006 see my 2006 JMT page

The Taco Hut folks returned to the JMT in September; to surprise thru-hikers at Purple Lake and on this occasion assisted by Ben Spillman who also recorded their unique story for the Reno Gazette Journal. The ultimate aim of Taco Hut is to provide trail snacks at Muir Hut, like the Boys from the Bay did in 2006. Permits to achieve this have been the limiting factor for Taco Hut.

On returning to Reno from the southern summer of New Zealand and Australia, I was presented with one of the heaviest snow seasons in the Sierra Nevada since 2011. Unable to hike the High Sierra trails on rock and dirt, I decided to fill in the May to July period with what I expected to be snow-free hikes from Utah to Washington. My choices were:

May - Zion and Great Basin National Parks: No snow in Zion, but plenty of visitors to the Park. No visitors, but plenty of snow in the Great Basin Park.

June - Smith Rocks in Oregon and PCT southern Washington: No snow at Smith Rocks, but plenty of snow above 4,000' on the southern sections of the Washington PCT.

July - PCT from Cottonwood Pass to Olanche trail, out to Sage Flat: No snow along the PCT south, but a shortage of water sources.

The Bibbulmun Track is described as being "one of the world's great long distance walk trails, stretching 600 miles from Kalamunda, near Perth, to Albany through the heart of the scenic south west of Western Australia. Along the way 48 state-of-the-art campsites provide facilities unmatched in the southern hemisphere. The Track is very accessible, allowing for short family walks, today walks to overnights, to going end to end.

Between 2003 and 2008, I'd walked many sections of the Bibbulmun along the Southwest Coast, and decided this year to retrace my steps, from Mandalay Bay to Albany. On most of the hike I was accompanied by my grandson, Regan, who provided solid protection from numerous Tiger Snakes by taking the lead position!

Returning to New Zealand for further adventures in the Beech Forests of of the South Island was a questionable choice in view of the difficult trail conditions I'd experienced in 2016. See my story at: Off the Beaten Track in New Zealand

In Late March, I planned to attend an Air Force Vietnam reunion in Tauranga on the North Island, so decided to include some easy hiking close to the area I'd struggled across the previous year. This time, I chose to hike the Saint James Walkway, a popular 45 mile circuit that begins and ends on the Lewis Pass highway. There are adequate huts along the trail that provide excellent shelter from the expected rain, but getting between the huts is hard work because of the rough trails. Averaging 10 miles per day I completed the circuit in 4.5 days, with only one day of constant heavy rain.

Later, I attempted to hike into Lake Sumner from a backcountry road I remembered from my Air Force survival training days in the 1960's. Sadly, after reaching Lake Katrine campsite, it began raining, a constant rain that lasted for three days. I finally retreated from this miserable environment with no intention of returning in future years.