Thursday, August 19, 2010

Truchas backpack

I went backpacking (solo) a couple of weeks ago while the little girls were at their grandmas' houses.

I hiked 6 miles the first day, at least 16 miles the second day and 14 miles the third day. Started and ended at Santa Barbara Campground. Made it to the top of North Truchas Peak, one of three 13,000-foot peaks in New Mexico.


I saw a herd of elk, two groups of bighorn sheep, several marmots (aka rock chucks) and a few pikas. I didn't even know the pika lived in New Mexico and it's one of my favorite animals.

I'll stop right there and let you think this was the smoothest, most successful backpacking trip I've ever experienced. Any questions?

17 comments:

Colette said...

Sounds amazing!!

6littleanimals said...

So.... what's the rest of the story? :)

Kenna

Arrington said...

I have to hear the rest too! At least there was some good you could tell about!

Bryce Jr said...

What do you mean, rest of the story?

Bryce Jr said...

I'll answer specific, nice questions. (I'm just doing a little test here, to see if the story can kind of unfold in the comments. If it doesn't work, I'll just tell you when I talk to you.)

6littleanimals said...

did it all really go that easily? any setbacks?

Lisa said...

So, did you forget anything?

Bryce Jr said...

Yeah, I forgot a compass. And a headlamp. And a rain poncho.

Amber said...

did it rain?

Bryce Jr said...

Oh yes. I was up there for 46 hours and it rained for 20. I was in the tent for about 6 of those rainy hours.

Sharece said...

Haha, did you get lost?

Sharece said...

(I only say haha because I love that you said that you will answer specific nice questions... Not cuz I'm laughing at you)

Bryce Jr said...

Sharece, you're a bit of a stinker. But I'll answer it anyway. Let's just say, I was planning a thru-hike (one-way to Ski Santa Fe, not round-trip). And that I hiked more than enough miles to get there. And that I still don't know, even after poring over my maps after the fact, just how I ended up where I ended up.

Lisa said...

What's the story with the forgotten headlamp? (Is that a specific enough question?) p.s. I like this game :)

Bryce Jr said...

Actually, I didn't really miss the headlamp. Which is funny, because that's the only thing I really "forgot." I never bring a poncho or a compass. But I will next time. (I did bring a garbage bag that fit over my pack -- so my tent and sleeping bag stayed dry -- and a little windbreaker that shed some of the rain for the first couple of hours.)

Karen and Kyle said...

Was it cold? Did you have enough food?

Bryce Jr said...

It wasn't particularly cold, thank goodness, but I was. I had plenty of food, and I ate tons of it. Feed the furnace. That was one of the hypothermia rules I was chanting to myself. A couple of the others, mostly picked up from a low-budget Boy Scout film I saw a million years ago, were: If you feel warm you're still not; don't take off your clothes or thrash around in a stream.