tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32348589713542404062024-03-13T14:57:52.385-07:00First Church of The MasochistTrip reports and more from backpacking, mountaineering, scuba diving, paddling, hot springs, and caving trips with a focus on the Sierra Nevada and western states.Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.comBlogger360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-49164703631927805362024-02-12T18:35:00.000-08:002024-02-12T18:35:28.292-08:00Matt & Jen's Favorite Thru Hiking Trail Dinner | Freeze Dried Beans + Minute Rice + Taco Seasoning<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmAtZN6lpdhYmj_TLskTH5sEmZhm4fVIECPurIvW-K2Rw8ujsui45ARTbsl51ZnwzKxum6qiUu6L9ilYFJXVZVRqzm0mV_9hyZcTU_I9glqJRtP0VpiORSmNt2Mt2E_xjscOCIfkr-JPp9xNec9BpFrcxYm8eH9msVI-grGdwb9I6cUhzEpJnn_Ix468/s2049/IMG_8082.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmAtZN6lpdhYmj_TLskTH5sEmZhm4fVIECPurIvW-K2Rw8ujsui45ARTbsl51ZnwzKxum6qiUu6L9ilYFJXVZVRqzm0mV_9hyZcTU_I9glqJRtP0VpiORSmNt2Mt2E_xjscOCIfkr-JPp9xNec9BpFrcxYm8eH9msVI-grGdwb9I6cUhzEpJnn_Ix468/w640-h480/IMG_8082.jpeg" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div>Over the last four years I've spent months each summer running around outdoors. And one of the biggest ongoing challenges has been managing trail dinners that I haven't burned out on. And when you factor in the need to keep costs down and availability in the more remote sections of trail that's not been a trivial task.</div><div><br></div><div>The store bought backpacker meals I used to lean on heavily are now unsustainably expensive on the scale I need them. When I did the PCT and soon after the Eastern Continental Trail I did a lot of the cheap and ever avaliable Knorr sides but by the time I started the CDT I was burned out on pretty much every variety.</div><div><br></div><div>Fortunately I came across instant refried beans and they quickly became our favorite dinner.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2024/02/matt-jens-favorite-thru-hiking-trail.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-14515537415910326562024-02-11T16:38:00.000-08:002024-02-11T16:38:38.904-08:00How To Find Us Online<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J2plW23YjqM/YYwOLZ7YFrI/AAAAAAANd7c/py2q5T0tzxY-CfjPZW_zOfxIlUcAPlziQCLcBGAsYHQ/2021-08-11_09-24-10_IMG_1555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J2plW23YjqM/YYwOLZ7YFrI/AAAAAAANd7c/py2q5T0tzxY-CfjPZW_zOfxIlUcAPlziQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/2021-08-11_09-24-10_IMG_1555.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDzakH-3VsN9B3O8McsAMRQ">First Church of the Masochist Hikes</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mattonamtn/">@mattonamtn</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Email: <a href="mailto:matthew.hengst@gmail.com">matthew.hengst@gmail.com</a> (or message me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mattonamtn/">Instagram</a>)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ways to support our adventures</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://paypal.me/MatthewHengst?locale.x=en_US">PayPal</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.patreon.com/FirstChurchOfTheMasochistHikes">Patreon</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ula-equipment.9xrw.net/Rydrey" target="_blank">ULA Equipment Affiliate Link</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3ogiAVV" rel="">Amazon Affiliate using this link</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Major Video Series</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhA5m7lWRyQqFA0nFQcSG4dinbE8oEWWdWDTvzpfLAUetTH9EKwlcY2Bu0NFftYOJU3rPqcjF8Hqegv9vkF_yaIw6Lkn38t538-zjc6CR5VkbYCosTruKCtRWVvlIHiAuBwwlo832ns2lQeyWVXkEozwy_F25nBK97MizLz2eBWr6sVvliRbwXi0ubdcHY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhA5m7lWRyQqFA0nFQcSG4dinbE8oEWWdWDTvzpfLAUetTH9EKwlcY2Bu0NFftYOJU3rPqcjF8Hqegv9vkF_yaIw6Lkn38t538-zjc6CR5VkbYCosTruKCtRWVvlIHiAuBwwlo832ns2lQeyWVXkEozwy_F25nBK97MizLz2eBWr6sVvliRbwXi0ubdcHY" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREad4yba5tNpXiuPYUKgWfQF&si=TSxZekNBzjwhwBG8">Continental Divide Trail '22/23</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">176 Episodes, lots of Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0UApEuPDYVM6tfXPxTrZ_i9piI5fnUjQGQagZpypDXmFmbraUXLeoavKEawm9h0pnjFGaANcIoEpPpSLxFNv2YAFSEpwylsjkaH8bByOpIolk9VWgdBhTKs-QdXzYsJms46Gf8ki7gKLDlDNyzPc_bznF90BSZlJhlF5qFW0N97TJQzMoLoCm35f4CSU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0UApEuPDYVM6tfXPxTrZ_i9piI5fnUjQGQagZpypDXmFmbraUXLeoavKEawm9h0pnjFGaANcIoEpPpSLxFNv2YAFSEpwylsjkaH8bByOpIolk9VWgdBhTKs-QdXzYsJms46Gf8ki7gKLDlDNyzPc_bznF90BSZlJhlF5qFW0N97TJQzMoLoCm35f4CSU" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREayIdcDWaE_IMoTNw3OoKeM">Mississippi River Source to Sea in a Canoe '23</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">75 Episodes, 75 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNJC1FCpIQJYeTgDvb24bBXIsNO0ciMqMOfZ8zzfZ6cfWiKUX-kiLhm703J9246njzv2F5YqqtNLfBeDb2gmNTtmW-FCEErrFNvIl_Xcl0oKdegnAeD5r1dew62e_x-ZYdleRtnGFyCYv9vJO8HoCB7WYGqioyfrBsE7ux9gLBVA2ncyT4j7b8o4tlXzM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNJC1FCpIQJYeTgDvb24bBXIsNO0ciMqMOfZ8zzfZ6cfWiKUX-kiLhm703J9246njzv2F5YqqtNLfBeDb2gmNTtmW-FCEErrFNvIl_Xcl0oKdegnAeD5r1dew62e_x-ZYdleRtnGFyCYv9vJO8HoCB7WYGqioyfrBsE7ux9gLBVA2ncyT4j7b8o4tlXzM" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREbpOGkbtRN66sYyZTU3Vb6P&si=507Kmdk2hqHjCb22">Grand Enchantment Trail '23</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">51 Episodes, 58 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiySYMcgcwCC171rP-FOzr77ahlhbsU3VQiG8zUEal5sF0m-DJK0wcYwjL43OXOa8h0Iygb-q2y01G9VdPs-6QUL7TVSdvBAb4f8jJghSbZKr9It2gSt6p13c0D9wvnvLOSHDuO8Va99T_-xaNDZdpj4kVpMAjEIviQjAebYq2nL1bZYpFnt0_FdsQ8KZA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiySYMcgcwCC171rP-FOzr77ahlhbsU3VQiG8zUEal5sF0m-DJK0wcYwjL43OXOa8h0Iygb-q2y01G9VdPs-6QUL7TVSdvBAb4f8jJghSbZKr9It2gSt6p13c0D9wvnvLOSHDuO8Va99T_-xaNDZdpj4kVpMAjEIviQjAebYq2nL1bZYpFnt0_FdsQ8KZA" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREZPGVxm059rxEnA3AgbhhtE&si=EyDNdyZzgBeM4drz">Suwannee River Thru Paddle '22</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">12 Episodes, 12 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_mbIGm3csM6Y6U05MP-_wOvq0hCJh6-nWvZqJm_-f1o55boBlPhQiKrGzYnqbszHUcuqMJSxTeie0AewK_1K9gN_ufzD-FR8cljY_1ISWqDDaQEjS1PqUfGaY6MyX7YH9R9ADxOGALg7AUOA6J390Id9QTQ9elTDNAosgrUkRVcuLMHaEhdTHwkirqJ8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_mbIGm3csM6Y6U05MP-_wOvq0hCJh6-nWvZqJm_-f1o55boBlPhQiKrGzYnqbszHUcuqMJSxTeie0AewK_1K9gN_ufzD-FR8cljY_1ISWqDDaQEjS1PqUfGaY6MyX7YH9R9ADxOGALg7AUOA6J390Id9QTQ9elTDNAosgrUkRVcuLMHaEhdTHwkirqJ8" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREbMUidI4hCFSKpeIi2iy9Jn&si=_tuAUdYpAwnXA6BZ">San Diego Trans County Trail '22</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">10 Episodes, 10 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXP8Z9kRxGdatkvQMCBCSY6zyzRruYnFV27KL_qrAvMwS_9tTh8JP5wxSqUT9ySzkEuukLzBIEfCb6JfTvKCE4-gh1nh80XhA_EHRhIIAjKjueYQ-l4EIsfUe0BRj23eU2gRLfsiK7zVTbTFosV2VQPbtjl0OqU38IwOzaFnU9_cGk5cMvDK9DMMbGmVc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXP8Z9kRxGdatkvQMCBCSY6zyzRruYnFV27KL_qrAvMwS_9tTh8JP5wxSqUT9ySzkEuukLzBIEfCb6JfTvKCE4-gh1nh80XhA_EHRhIIAjKjueYQ-l4EIsfUe0BRj23eU2gRLfsiK7zVTbTFosV2VQPbtjl0OqU38IwOzaFnU9_cGk5cMvDK9DMMbGmVc" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREZsmF_PDRta8OXMDX5zNoor&si=c_AxJj5hU2kLAhpC">Condor Trail '22</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">29 Episodes, 30 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1hryVUMs9ql0bcBp2c_ctWuriup4kHVDTlC5CieIkS-ykfp1nnlWUBBoKr50D8a9uViOiuuKch1dAJCXXI3LgF6EYz2jDOdorQpFH2ZlrOJPBWaWo9pnAIPqvlvxAijbro4Iy28dBnpDFymrQPwLyl0Ibk4pYZL2-tBF_k6T-0ovEhSkDJKcCQ_ZAenI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1hryVUMs9ql0bcBp2c_ctWuriup4kHVDTlC5CieIkS-ykfp1nnlWUBBoKr50D8a9uViOiuuKch1dAJCXXI3LgF6EYz2jDOdorQpFH2ZlrOJPBWaWo9pnAIPqvlvxAijbro4Iy28dBnpDFymrQPwLyl0Ibk4pYZL2-tBF_k6T-0ovEhSkDJKcCQ_ZAenI" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREZ6i-2Hrk-m6HLsQwon24YC&si=FCwAWX2ZmqTa8wol" target="_blank">Green River Utah Paddle '22</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">8 Episodes, 8 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiATXee4EE8tJ0kXY4JE_rpfhJPkea6iT2QcsaMsQ6U2IBsRSRQffKhjrCgZiiyAbOLA7Uehb0xuW5RC1KXmuYuygLSODqtAoZl3ruXgB-igkuNB1ay2lk0r7AN48MKSuzEZb8iiXpoNvONA3QsRNER9yqCWc4SemNGQ4dZvRJKS5QQU26-AcewdrmOUjc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiATXee4EE8tJ0kXY4JE_rpfhJPkea6iT2QcsaMsQ6U2IBsRSRQffKhjrCgZiiyAbOLA7Uehb0xuW5RC1KXmuYuygLSODqtAoZl3ruXgB-igkuNB1ay2lk0r7AN48MKSuzEZb8iiXpoNvONA3QsRNER9yqCWc4SemNGQ4dZvRJKS5QQU26-AcewdrmOUjc" width="320" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREZt0lnSGIuHM_mOKedsG_lF&si=UL4DyMB3kT2d7Jyl">Santa Monica Backbone Trail '22</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">5+1 Episodes, 5 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLhiKT6s1rqj3_UV5TatyYuKPotq3JsGC7LNvh0SbTIHgEv1QELzBEmfIc4uLXE3k1qz5p40Ci9wUJ54XPJ-qg_ceoyr_Vs8q_oaZYKMbgE1GiQa4t-_pRJ4C8xQikkYZuxQG_aDb_oY8y94MuUNEtNu4bedV8QxSeBHrMLGvW4U_M1N-9lPOkxfae6AQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLhiKT6s1rqj3_UV5TatyYuKPotq3JsGC7LNvh0SbTIHgEv1QELzBEmfIc4uLXE3k1qz5p40Ci9wUJ54XPJ-qg_ceoyr_Vs8q_oaZYKMbgE1GiQa4t-_pRJ4C8xQikkYZuxQG_aDb_oY8y94MuUNEtNu4bedV8QxSeBHrMLGvW4U_M1N-9lPOkxfae6AQ" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREYk-R_M818n0sOWRS1CjZI0&si=IoCXD4DG5dhhdNnO">Eastern Continental Trail AKA Key West to Canada '21</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(aka Florida Trail, Pinhoti Trail, Appalachian Trail, International Appalachian Trail)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">116 Episodes, 302 Days</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Older Writeups</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6oYEqd0Uq8cL0jaumlJYJUtzKxVqdOIABYpGEd0FL5XHPfMNFnS-2Boe9_OeW05ZGvxWyHlFGyqckEAfQlDpxQB2_p1K0tjKL6wbPXgRxI7UK3yXobyj8y4TwELYRTizkkRZj6BZ3qmzBsjtE1n5Wn3GBNen2jhL4NRnHbwIlbbPnKOqdawUwdoiUykg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6oYEqd0Uq8cL0jaumlJYJUtzKxVqdOIABYpGEd0FL5XHPfMNFnS-2Boe9_OeW05ZGvxWyHlFGyqckEAfQlDpxQB2_p1K0tjKL6wbPXgRxI7UK3yXobyj8y4TwELYRTizkkRZj6BZ3qmzBsjtE1n5Wn3GBNen2jhL4NRnHbwIlbbPnKOqdawUwdoiUykg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/p/pacific-crest-trail-2020.html">Pacific Crest Trail '20 Writeups</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGVILbhCClKRQP1y1zDz8sfn4h0xWcwKgxvKLBPDYa-RdgCNdt21my5-FSRFI_xdE-Ieu0rsdL1U2pctdg5u_QrWuiT_xuROSuVa9cAdDZKtDUlQbiCBd_3W4L8SDOw6reccIwRwk74tT7LcfD8irrdIh56vUUah2PvfNzsG9SRR89bDeoP4_zAlcTF7k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="835" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGVILbhCClKRQP1y1zDz8sfn4h0xWcwKgxvKLBPDYa-RdgCNdt21my5-FSRFI_xdE-Ieu0rsdL1U2pctdg5u_QrWuiT_xuROSuVa9cAdDZKtDUlQbiCBd_3W4L8SDOw6reccIwRwk74tT7LcfD8irrdIh56vUUah2PvfNzsG9SRR89bDeoP4_zAlcTF7k" width="247" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/search/label/Theodore%20Solomons%20Trail">Theodore Solomons Trail '19 Writeups</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Podcasts I've appeared on</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhERXcxaCXd_nnqTnc1iFvQQiZl0KGHS9UJX0OYCQp1qZiKzOHTaBVGSqSIJkE7NARUbOJBKkBgxgKA78dWDoh55dTIyDD8R7gEeJw7er8mzrPf9HlzFjcXQNm5-Es4MINQkMpLaJNVlKkDUGwU8eL0Rl2jLyG7OL3NiIoieyD4uirWrosZ_JtkN9JZ-RU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="644" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhERXcxaCXd_nnqTnc1iFvQQiZl0KGHS9UJX0OYCQp1qZiKzOHTaBVGSqSIJkE7NARUbOJBKkBgxgKA78dWDoh55dTIyDD8R7gEeJw7er8mzrPf9HlzFjcXQNm5-Es4MINQkMpLaJNVlKkDUGwU8eL0Rl2jLyG7OL3NiIoieyD4uirWrosZ_JtkN9JZ-RU" width="239" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2023-09</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=1160773293&i=1000628808803">Like A Bigfoot: Paddling the Mighty Mississippi</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX0lupDTIj6jGCaaAkpHtPP6HPwDKWoBiyLwhOCSDtVxfWKU4dxsQtKT5fihJhDLN4q7Unep2g-OrIRMoPAGl9gQfS3XcrZ9TRAbOTIJlfzz37_ZtYEDfJd2A8uRdh73Lr17j-mCTsAlQUDwrKfyjUDm0yG4Wy1kkB4pHawGPr-OGeo8CH6acilHHIo4I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="2002" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX0lupDTIj6jGCaaAkpHtPP6HPwDKWoBiyLwhOCSDtVxfWKU4dxsQtKT5fihJhDLN4q7Unep2g-OrIRMoPAGl9gQfS3XcrZ9TRAbOTIJlfzz37_ZtYEDfJd2A8uRdh73Lr17j-mCTsAlQUDwrKfyjUDm0yG4Wy1kkB4pHawGPr-OGeo8CH6acilHHIo4I" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2022-12 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-is-masochist/id1599897108?i=1000594927862" target="_blank">Off Trail Podcast: Who Is Masochist</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFGpZceCeb02jC_OFUXfgdAPa3NwIkoY7A4pnSz6XJcr0yvFZgP7n59mx53yrLKTLlKpd2BkMhcgsPlSitJyRO-sWwnu_JNmm5ZD13F4ANFIeznc3y-OoPX5JSHZ0G7DXHDeuirE__9CypB-KWnrXoCUTO9UlTLH3RhhouV1Kn3MrzCyvXkEeIGZTM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1024" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFGpZceCeb02jC_OFUXfgdAPa3NwIkoY7A4pnSz6XJcr0yvFZgP7n59mx53yrLKTLlKpd2BkMhcgsPlSitJyRO-sWwnu_JNmm5ZD13F4ANFIeznc3y-OoPX5JSHZ0G7DXHDeuirE__9CypB-KWnrXoCUTO9UlTLH3RhhouV1Kn3MrzCyvXkEeIGZTM" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2022-01 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://podcast.almostthereadventurepodcast.com/e/episode-54-matthew-hengst-on-really-long-trails/">Almost There Ep 54: Matthew Hengst on Really Long Trails</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Scuba Diving Stuff</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmPUyGcSizOj7p0dutQsYir04Rq5JG5gS54mgBgFVkS3CjqRb1KCi45_rbD24eBeItdWpRWb9bRKIvB9bxrijVACzBgkKB125NnTyCvFiYfVki0Jc_3UqXmVdUnqKdzgw2WzW3_Wq_SjXZvEtFQ32wjMONdx8BOouNoTtjEy8foFyJhlu1EnyamBblYz4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmPUyGcSizOj7p0dutQsYir04Rq5JG5gS54mgBgFVkS3CjqRb1KCi45_rbD24eBeItdWpRWb9bRKIvB9bxrijVACzBgkKB125NnTyCvFiYfVki0Jc_3UqXmVdUnqKdzgw2WzW3_Wq_SjXZvEtFQ32wjMONdx8BOouNoTtjEy8foFyJhlu1EnyamBblYz4" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREYUrPAzD67jDIt-AKbzjYcy&si=RPnb6vsux-MQqB_x">Diving in Komodo Indonesia Via Bali Mermaid II Dive Boat '22</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLrHWE2qh8jVbBKGYn_lCjAu6khqpoDj_-esidoV7H6eYpbF_dqRFvdQudUiWUQC0-XlduImOfYQLSmKSPl0uRzujzN4jqhJ0PVtqluUERn3-CZJ6d5AB7enxPYh2yQ59uTUGhZE3rVgYW_EAECm-F-cvBeQUkMQ9gad-bYQ23rPz8-TSTZAAppyNG4BA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLrHWE2qh8jVbBKGYn_lCjAu6khqpoDj_-esidoV7H6eYpbF_dqRFvdQudUiWUQC0-XlduImOfYQLSmKSPl0uRzujzN4jqhJ0PVtqluUERn3-CZJ6d5AB7enxPYh2yQ59uTUGhZE3rVgYW_EAECm-F-cvBeQUkMQ9gad-bYQ23rPz8-TSTZAAppyNG4BA" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgw5mInRAREb6_l1_jHaPcHEfDif3--vO&si=HEJvX-MSohWS_Wo4">Various Dives in Southern California</a></div></div>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-8188230688308807032023-12-21T08:15:00.000-08:002023-12-21T08:17:53.079-08:00Triple Crown of Hiking<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE6TgelWK6mnYuHFcqXNU2wg9iFPXtOHBvrNNQoCraZ3hy5LWwBt3FwCI94N9x-vROZSiSGzRkn8cyji8mRTkxww6nyIS_fPFKTeMqMnbhO_QArk1qy_QeHNA3ckECsBHI4I2YAkh7HF8Vy8ohTPCG04bo_znsnJDpr5t6PrR6YMU4D6elU5Z1487g_MA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE6TgelWK6mnYuHFcqXNU2wg9iFPXtOHBvrNNQoCraZ3hy5LWwBt3FwCI94N9x-vROZSiSGzRkn8cyji8mRTkxww6nyIS_fPFKTeMqMnbhO_QArk1qy_QeHNA3ckECsBHI4I2YAkh7HF8Vy8ohTPCG04bo_znsnJDpr5t6PrR6YMU4D6elU5Z1487g_MA=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><div>The Triple Crown of hiking is the label for hiking the big three thru hiking trails in the US. The Pacific Crest Trail on the west, the Appalachian Trail on the east, and the Continental Divide Trail in the middle -ish.</div><div><br /></div><div>The big difference for mine other than prioritizing the somewhat seldom done red line in the CDT was the AT. When you look at the Triple Crown map the AT always stuck out and rubbed me wrong because it didn’t actually cross the country like the other two but started and stopped somewhat arbitrarily. So I fixed it by starting down in Key West and continuing up to the northern tip of Nova Scotia doing the Florida Trail, Pinhoti Trail, and several sections of the International Appalachian Trail along the way.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>As far as overall Triple Crown stats:</div><div><br /></div><div>-I started May 4th, 2020 down in Campo with no one around due to one of the Covid lockdowns and I didn’t meet my first fellow thru hiker until the second day. I finished December 11, 2023 at Crazy Cook’s with no one around as one of the last southbound of the year. I hadn’t seen another thru hiker since October 1st in Chama.</div><div>-I hiked 10,755 -ish miles (not counting the various warm-up hikes I did in between). 2,683 PCT, 5,000 AT / ECT, and 3,072 CDT.</div><div>-I spent 654 days on trail covering every month of the year. PCT 149, AT / ECT 302, CDT 112 + 81. Spread over 4 years instead of 3 due to being forced off the trail in 2022 due to compounding illness.</div><div>-Between 800 and 1,300 miles of each trail were done with my lovely partner and the remainder I was solo. I probably camped around others less than 20 times.</div><div>-The worst weather was probably getting nailed directly by a hurricane on the East Coast but I had everything from heat to snow to earthquakes to tornado warnings. Temperatures from the single digits to the triple digits.</div><div>-Two of my hikes are still not acknowledged by the trail organizations due to COVID era get off the trail directives even when things had calmed down. As a result I tend to refer to my Rebel Triple Crown.</div><div>-Along the way I had girardia, achilles injuries, covid + norovirus, painful planar warts for months, chemical burns from a laundry mishap, and of course a calf strain requiring a helicopter evac and a 3 week recovery. And countless little things like pack rash, heat rash, arch abrasions, skinned knees, general foot issues etc.</div><div>-Almost every piece of gear has been worn out and replaced multiple times. The one exception is my coffee cup. Though it did miss a few weeks of the trail down in Florida as I went through an experimental cold soaking phase.</div><div>-I had countless animal encounters along the way but the only times I felt truly threatened were due to dogs in rural areas</div><div>-Cups of coffee consumed along the way: more than I could possibly count. Nachos consumed along the way: far too few.</div><div><br /></div><div>And with that a goal I would have never thought I would actually achieve is done. After a 25 foot fall during a mountaineering trip in 2013 lead to knee surgery in 2015 walking without pain was a real challenge. Fortunately my not so secret super power has always been stubbornness and the inability to take a hint.</div><div><br /></div><div>I benefited from help and support from family, friends, near countless trail angels, and just random kind strangers I encountered along the way. I might prioritize camping alone and staying out of towns whenever possible but I really do enjoyed all the people.</div><div><br /></div><div>So what now? I’m doing the only logical thing and jumping headfirst into planning an east west hike across America for spring. Because there are a whole hell of a lot more adventures out there.</div></div>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-15932970066335348092023-08-30T11:04:00.003-07:002023-08-30T11:04:29.171-07:00How We Got to and From The River | Mississippi River Source to Sea 2023<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8kv3evFiz4VYxoMnP1-XSTJiyrOn0nIuwO9I9EQ0k90q2Oca9GdSNXMb-g2S_tAOdf-Sd54lVT0SKtESYlLk2JlVJlDuegUnJpN6YKWoLdXB_mXNTgD1NaF8aoTAn05yhZpvo7Cp-pHXezzk3kDoXZxPGdLRo56xsODiftXiaiIsV0N-PSr-4G3DzvQc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8kv3evFiz4VYxoMnP1-XSTJiyrOn0nIuwO9I9EQ0k90q2Oca9GdSNXMb-g2S_tAOdf-Sd54lVT0SKtESYlLk2JlVJlDuegUnJpN6YKWoLdXB_mXNTgD1NaF8aoTAn05yhZpvo7Cp-pHXezzk3kDoXZxPGdLRo56xsODiftXiaiIsV0N-PSr-4G3DzvQc=w640-h360" width="640"></a></div><br></div><div>Unlike a trip of a few hundred miles where you can generally rent a boat and get shuttled back at the end our epic paddle down the Mississippi saw us covering 2,300+ miles and crossing nearly the entire country. And so the process of getting to and from the river was a little bit more involved.</div><span></span><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2023/08/how-we-got-to-and-from-river.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-83580807687039316802023-08-30T09:58:00.011-07:002023-08-30T10:10:29.513-07:00Powering Our Paddle With a $250 Voltaic Solar Box | Mississippi Source to Sea 2023<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifOsdbejZfx1goHhSQr25q1ORXm8BGkiOLGr4OVOsPMOOB5JSGuNIgU2SyQt2rM0DajwklTDzV63qO8IwX6aSF1r1xh0FREop97XqdYmNEW906HTwFOXuXSFUVeh-3iAmxdXJQRdMfs9cvvq4XukOb78t5qcXxunvsylguU1xi0xMwvCxiY6YUEjKE-aQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifOsdbejZfx1goHhSQr25q1ORXm8BGkiOLGr4OVOsPMOOB5JSGuNIgU2SyQt2rM0DajwklTDzV63qO8IwX6aSF1r1xh0FREop97XqdYmNEW906HTwFOXuXSFUVeh-3iAmxdXJQRdMfs9cvvq4XukOb78t5qcXxunvsylguU1xi0xMwvCxiY6YUEjKE-aQ=w640-h480" width="640"></a></div><div><br></div><div>The piece of gear which provoked the most comments during our extended journey down the Mississippi was our solar box. I assembled it from pieces sold by a company called <a href="https://voltaicsystems.com/">Voltaic</a> with the goal of having something we could just set out on the boat and have it generate power without us having to micromanage it when the weather got bad.</div><div><br></div><div>I have always loved the idea of solar but at least so far I've found that the state of technology doesn't really lend itself to being usable on long distance hikes. When you're getting started early and hiking until evening you can't really set a panel out for any length of time during the effective hours of sunlight and putting it on the pack while hiking usually doesn't work real well due to the fact you invariably end up partially shading the panel. And then there's the fact that lighter panels tend to be fragile and even the few folks that I've met who have made it work seem to have had to replace them multiple times. And I'm harder on my gear in general than all those fine folks.</div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBa9_HJSukU2Yx4WMPFcOiTx4IvXxm-DrZAyIVL1ArHav7NM4cy4pWSWR2HgB1ef6hSPTiLAbAYJnw5nVOgoAsxGdow7LTA_5Dyymx9smSmvrQFqsewxjs0gzQcLz6Bw_b4u4CObPBvYBRFWQt5TPmAcK5YSxJmP4dTKkZa6Zi1ftHzrl1go26rDnmFA/s1920/Frame%20(3).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBa9_HJSukU2Yx4WMPFcOiTx4IvXxm-DrZAyIVL1ArHav7NM4cy4pWSWR2HgB1ef6hSPTiLAbAYJnw5nVOgoAsxGdow7LTA_5Dyymx9smSmvrQFqsewxjs0gzQcLz6Bw_b4u4CObPBvYBRFWQt5TPmAcK5YSxJmP4dTKkZa6Zi1ftHzrl1go26rDnmFA/w640-h360/Frame%20(3).jpeg" width="640"></a></div><div><br></div><div>But when we started planning for our Mississippi Source to Sea paddle one of our goals was to avoid the constant need to go into town to charge our hiking batteries. Because it's one thing getting a ride into a hotel when all you have is a backpack and quite another when you have to deal with a 17 ft canoe loaded down with gear. And in fact we only slept in town 6 times over 75 days and when we did indulge it was never driven by the fact we were lower on power.</div><div><br></div><div>Since after the headwaters the river is quite wide we didn't have to worry about overhead trees shading the box. And I worked around the fragility issues by using a hard panel vs anything bendable or foldable.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH64whEkrRFhUdU1lNv8szRaiT9RmPxld3E3FmrD6F5lPsWKFVR6xVE-_bkOf0cdqZfc5th0I9JQNak9a3odKFZ8lBH95NVrFafGMZb2Pk3-5pNYLYo_61R1QUCXagpVsiOPMKuVcx_7B7F-2AKxy-8OuC_ieNhsCsymWpQGBvj1ikrYsPIf3t4IgZgCk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH64whEkrRFhUdU1lNv8szRaiT9RmPxld3E3FmrD6F5lPsWKFVR6xVE-_bkOf0cdqZfc5th0I9JQNak9a3odKFZ8lBH95NVrFafGMZb2Pk3-5pNYLYo_61R1QUCXagpVsiOPMKuVcx_7B7F-2AKxy-8OuC_ieNhsCsymWpQGBvj1ikrYsPIf3t4IgZgCk=w640-h360" width="640"></a></div><br></div>And this was the end result which successfully saw us through 10 weeks and 2,460 miles despite all the rain, wind, boat wake, and heat waves. </div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2023/08/powering-our-paddle-with-my-250-voltaic.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-18992622101052136832023-08-29T09:56:00.013-07:002023-09-13T16:48:24.564-07:00Our Mississippi River Thru Paddle By The Numbers | Mississippi River Source to Sea 2023<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn0C2dUx45i0wx_YjagG4nDXSonjYInQG721AmA9jGtzvfN_neNSKuptuXRSN6Ac4Ttj1DF7zOeUQD0QhS9W_u3iZLLrFZrode355mPiIE5ggOCGbC8svVUxp9FmNx5fo3B8dZAKCJ5_d9tlrwty5hB9j1Blp4_ZIwXCw0v5Xs-dcVpDZoBm2hDCGA_xA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1754" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn0C2dUx45i0wx_YjagG4nDXSonjYInQG721AmA9jGtzvfN_neNSKuptuXRSN6Ac4Ttj1DF7zOeUQD0QhS9W_u3iZLLrFZrode355mPiIE5ggOCGbC8svVUxp9FmNx5fo3B8dZAKCJ5_d9tlrwty5hB9j1Blp4_ZIwXCw0v5Xs-dcVpDZoBm2hDCGA_xA=w640-h158" width="640" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi--JFTHiVJ3pz7986XQma8-QdGC8ey9qHsCALaHJIhZVCTww6t2SxHU1HXrMz0T1HrXmU3xA5GNtYDE66J5TuC5GLcsMqynCaJ_xokYd65DLPDAQtq7cTlLVC_Rc54XFCbX1ReoUx4fcyW85K9UyNoZvvdsA2B8YrIWicOY44GGYj6ZJTo9KU6RMxa2aQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="2810" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi--JFTHiVJ3pz7986XQma8-QdGC8ey9qHsCALaHJIhZVCTww6t2SxHU1HXrMz0T1HrXmU3xA5GNtYDE66J5TuC5GLcsMqynCaJ_xokYd65DLPDAQtq7cTlLVC_Rc54XFCbX1ReoUx4fcyW85K9UyNoZvvdsA2B8YrIWicOY44GGYj6ZJTo9KU6RMxa2aQ=w640-h258" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>It took us 60 days to reach Old River Lock where the route diverges with two outlet options</div><div>It took us an additional 5 days to reach the gulf via the Atchafalaya ending at Burns Point<div>It took an additional 10 days to travel from the junction to the end of South Pass going by New Orleans</div><div><br /></div><div>We were on the river for a total of 75 days</div><div><div>We took 0 zero days</div><div>We came off the river to spend the night 6 times</div></div><div><br /></div><div>We resupplied 15 times</div><div>It cost us roughly $187 per person per week to be on the river excluding equipment costs</div><div><br /></div><div>2,133 miles paddled from the headwaters to the gulf via the Atchafalaya</div><div>2,309 miles paddled not counting the Atchafalaya just headwaters to end of South Pass</div><div>2,450 miles paddled total in 75 days</div><div><br /></div><div>Our longest day was 58 miles which was in the Big River section where we had some current and no obstructions.</div><div>The fastest current we measured was 3 mph which was after the Missouri came in.</div><div>Out fastest recorded speed was 6 mph but we weren't able to measure the wind sail day on Lake Pepin.</div></div>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-17480420741819135662023-08-27T15:17:00.005-07:002023-08-29T10:02:20.423-07:00River Coordinates & Distances | Mississippi River Source to Sea 2023<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwBDVKaiHTnIU7S4VDshi0hocfr6iQCU-PmWCJx9lBcu4_wm-jp2HVH7gO7hSeWFNXycvKOuk9c6GeePXAi3YU1CM-m1L1HsHGRPWjRugGWIBQmrw5UafZHNhPSzL63gk5fm6cDqjM9tE09xTKOJz9tEFHhVksRyQvuJEk9jTt8R5EENs039yHv6S1YSg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2667" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwBDVKaiHTnIU7S4VDshi0hocfr6iQCU-PmWCJx9lBcu4_wm-jp2HVH7gO7hSeWFNXycvKOuk9c6GeePXAi3YU1CM-m1L1HsHGRPWjRugGWIBQmrw5UafZHNhPSzL63gk5fm6cDqjM9tE09xTKOJz9tEFHhVksRyQvuJEk9jTt8R5EENs039yHv6S1YSg=w640-h360" width="640"></a></div><br>Someone who wasn't familiar with the Mississippi River might assume that there would be a map somewhere with a set of river miles starting at the headwaters and counting down to zero where it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Sadly the reality is a little more complicated.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2023/08/river-coordinates-distances-mississippi.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-19235162598079218942023-03-11T20:20:00.000-08:002023-03-11T20:20:18.117-08:00Back On The Trail & Up A River! 2023 Edition!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqhuacc-Bgms59aF96uWNAEKM3tnWTUzytN2iWYa2tyPqLpR9kcfFb2Fwf7rw4wvDXGo3qN02C_uSqoKM6YC-l8z7Q--qrRw0GCXTSbLUtpC-fo3TMNtVqZ9hA2wvuC1PBlGKEL3QFWYOtTlXb48xQOeoCHFg_Djk8VTrZZMficcp9jpCAjK_tdiSv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqhuacc-Bgms59aF96uWNAEKM3tnWTUzytN2iWYa2tyPqLpR9kcfFb2Fwf7rw4wvDXGo3qN02C_uSqoKM6YC-l8z7Q--qrRw0GCXTSbLUtpC-fo3TMNtVqZ9hA2wvuC1PBlGKEL3QFWYOtTlXb48xQOeoCHFg_Djk8VTrZZMficcp9jpCAjK_tdiSv=w640-h480" width="640"></a></div><br></div><div>Hey all! March 18th I'm official done in Orange County for the season and back on the move. And this summer is looking to be a doozy. There are going to be three main phases to the summer.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2023/03/back-on-trail-up-river-2023-edition.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-88173211875828465142022-01-26T18:22:00.001-08:002022-01-26T18:22:18.833-08:00Eastern Continental Trail 2021: Key West to Canada By The Numbers
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p17QXvUccI0/YfH8LJeiZPI/AAAAAAANo5U/huRAhhuI3_gXiLkiPxIYedEBuJG2KuebACNcBGAsYHQ/Eastern%2BContinental%2BTrail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3885" data-original-width="4797" height="519" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p17QXvUccI0/YfH8LJeiZPI/AAAAAAANo5U/huRAhhuI3_gXiLkiPxIYedEBuJG2KuebACNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h519/Eastern%2BContinental%2BTrail.jpg" width="640"></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gTrXZDvZbxG2uV7UdDrqxoAnFpvEnQCN4MKjUq7Ii2A/edit?usp=sharing">[Mileage Sheet]</a></div></div><div><br></div><div>In 2021 I hiked the Eastern Continental Trail all the way from Key West Florida to the northern tip of Nova Scotia. I covered roughly 5,000 miles over the course of 302 days making this the biggest hike I'd ever attempted. And it was done just 3 months after finishing the Pacific Crest Trail.</div><div><br></div><div>While I wasn't meticulous about tracking every aspect of my hike I did keep a daily mileage spreadsheet (linked above) and thanks to credit card statements I was able to compile general cost numbers.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2022/01/eastern-continental-trail-2021-key-west.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-29367139874154945712021-11-09T19:02:00.002-08:002022-01-02T09:00:09.062-08:00302 Days and 5,000 Miles Later: Hiking Key West to Canada Along The Eastern Continental Trail<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mbONp3os2s/YYcp2KjZS8I/AAAAAAANdIc/9TCpxgH8zyk1MbezSdu0xkCBGwPeNFSjQCLcBGAsYHQ/2020-12-29_06-00-06_IMG_5095.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mbONp3os2s/YYcp2KjZS8I/AAAAAAANdIc/9TCpxgH8zyk1MbezSdu0xkCBGwPeNFSjQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/2020-12-29_06-00-06_IMG_5095.jpg" width="640"></a></div><br></div><div>On December 28th, 2020 I flew off for Key West Florida with nothing other than my phone, backpacking gear, and an optimistic plan to walk the seldom done Eastern Continental Trail all the way to Canada. Assuming the border opened I hoped to finish up in Quebec at Cap Gaspe completing the entirety of the Florida Trail, Pinhoti Trail, and Appalachian Trail along the way. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4zPbdvD2oDE/YYcqC4uATaI/AAAAAAANdIg/AenX01Nb6KwYZ1VgSBBFiFgPVhMCF_WywCLcBGAsYHQ/2021-10-26_14-37-12_IMG_7158.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4zPbdvD2oDE/YYcqC4uATaI/AAAAAAANdIg/AenX01Nb6KwYZ1VgSBBFiFgPVhMCF_WywCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/2021-10-26_14-37-12_IMG_7158.jpg" width="640"></a></div><br></div><div>On October 26th after 302 days and a bit over 5,000 miles I found myself standing at the northern tip of Nova Scotia. </div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2021/11/302-days-and-5000-miles-later-hiking.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Nova Scotia, Canada44.681986599999988 -63.74431116.371752763821142 -98.90056100000001 72.992220436178826 -28.588061000000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-60267478104818762762020-12-27T13:50:00.005-08:002021-11-01T06:43:14.711-07:00Matt Is Back On The Trail!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R_DOqaqBq-w/X-exCWd0CGI/AAAAAAAMPcY/MQfthT74KY89dr4S917Pj49O45yjbni_QCLcBGAsYHQ/0549%2BIMG_1404.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R_DOqaqBq-w/X-exCWd0CGI/AAAAAAAMPcY/MQfthT74KY89dr4S917Pj49O45yjbni_QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/0549%2BIMG_1404.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm currently attempting a thru hike from Key West to Canada along the Eastern Continental Trail. Along the way I'll be hiking the Keys Everglades Roadwalk, the Florida Trail, the Alabama Roadwalk, the Pinhoti Trail, and a small section of the Benton MacKaye Trail. And of course the Appalachian Trail!</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For a summary of what my plans are see </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/12/matts-2021-hiking-plans-florida-trail.html">Matt's 2021 Hiking Plans</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;">Ways to follow my adventure</h3><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div>I am primarily chronicling my hike via my YouTube Channel. I try to release a new vlog every few days (assuming I have reception)</div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes">https://www.youtube.com/c/FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In between I post daily -ish updates to my Instagram Live Story with occasional regular posts usually when I hit milestones </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mattonamtn">https://www.instagram.com/mattonamtn</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">If your interested in helping me out financially I’m always grateful to accept. Money goes towards replacing gear or on trail niceties like coffee, food, beer, or hotels.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://paypal.me/MatthewHengst?locale.x=en_US">PayPal</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.patreon.com/FirstChurchOfTheMasochistHikes">Patreon</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">If you’d like to send me a message I can be reached via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mattonamtn/">Instagram</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">You can also email me directly at </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="mailto:matthew.hengst@gmail.com">matthew.hengst@gmail.com</a></div>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Key West, FL 33040, USA24.5550593 -81.7799871-3.7551745361788456 -116.9362371 52.865293136178849 -46.6237371tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-58354680341584616462020-12-22T10:20:00.001-08:002020-12-23T13:34:13.208-08:00Matt's 2021 Hiking Plans - Florida Trail / Appalachian Trail / Eastern Continental Trail<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IPiy5H4_kNo/X-O0eL74UpI/AAAAAAAMPDo/xLNEINlWS7oUh60IpT5gpa2aDbYbNQq-wCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_4757.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IPiy5H4_kNo/X-O0eL74UpI/AAAAAAAMPDo/xLNEINlWS7oUh60IpT5gpa2aDbYbNQq-wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_4757.JPG" width="640"></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div></div>Hey all! <div><br></div><div>I spent last summer hiking the 2,653+ mile Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada. It was often difficult, sometimes miserable, and ever since finishing I've found myself really missing the constant feelings of progress and accomplishment.</div><div><br></div><div>So what's next?</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/12/matts-2021-hiking-plans-florida-trail.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-85525363452027252132020-11-06T09:51:00.006-08:002020-11-06T11:17:41.208-08:00Gear I Used to Hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2020<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jgp0W5ch7gI/X6WMszP3tPI/AAAAAAAL9ck/zkrH4NixRH4M5KwlQ_JLgBVzhT18lxa3ACLcBGAsYHQ/0896%2BIMG_1790.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jgp0W5ch7gI/X6WMszP3tPI/AAAAAAAL9ck/zkrH4NixRH4M5KwlQ_JLgBVzhT18lxa3ACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/0896%2BIMG_1790.jpg" width="480"></a></div><br><div style="text-align: center;">Below the break is everything I used to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2020.</div></div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/11/pct2020-gear.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-28296045861173562642020-11-01T12:33:00.000-08:002020-12-27T13:34:19.281-08:00Pacific Crest Trail 2020 Gear Deep Dive: Electronics<div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BwMOj7SaorY/X6c9mNP8yMI/AAAAAAAL-ew/KiiREqwwhaAtlEObuOBO5nif7g_5xu4iACLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_0236.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BwMOj7SaorY/X6c9mNP8yMI/AAAAAAAL-ew/KiiREqwwhaAtlEObuOBO5nif7g_5xu4iACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_0236.jpg" width="640"></a>
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<div><br></div><div>Being a geek I'm very passionate about the electronics that I carry on the trail. I enjoy fiddling with new devices and figuring out how they can make my hike more fun or effective. When I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2020 I had the goal of not using any disposable batteries and this is what I carried.</div></div><div><br></div>
<div>For an overall picture of my gear see <a href="https://lighterpack.com/r/s1dksg">lighterpack</a>.</div>
<span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/12/pacific-crest-trail-2020-gear-deep-dive.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-86803107034309195992020-09-29T12:00:03.300-07:002020-12-25T16:51:37.525-08:00Washington: Thru Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the Summer of COVID-19<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-muKq3ATOZV8/X9g0IF_DavI/AAAAAAAMLNU/HjRNcWmZT1c0kfnmgH-Q5kNsncjB4vZUwCLcBGAsYHQ/0800%2BIMG_1692.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-muKq3ATOZV8/X9g0IF_DavI/AAAAAAAMLNU/HjRNcWmZT1c0kfnmgH-Q5kNsncjB4vZUwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/0800%2BIMG_1692.jpg" width="640"></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>September 2nd to 29th, 2020</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>505.6 miles, 28 days</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Cascade Locks to Canadian Border </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17GV03vwzSKWafezTCRSWHE-BGID-0whp6uZoPjoqHzU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>[Mileage Log]</b></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>After 119 days on trail I'd reached the state of Washington and now I only had 500 miles to Canada!</div><div><br></div><div>After my relatively smooth experience through Oregon now I was now facing a more difficult trail and a smattering of new challenges like: historic wind events, seemingly the entire west coast catching fire, unhealthy levels of smoke lasting for days, and rainstorms. And then throw in a snowstorm at Rainy Pass and a still closed Canadian border just to round out the experience! </div><div><br></div><div>And then 28 days later I was standing victorious at the northern terminus having to contemplate life after the trail.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/09/washington-thru-hiking-pacific-crest.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-22264980395004472222020-08-31T12:17:02.248-07:002020-12-02T17:06:56.129-08:00Oregon: Thru Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the Summer of COVID-19<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F3Rr-3dLrMg/X7LdBm1yEeI/AAAAAAAL_Lk/kNEU0AZJ3gUej6KomPCzAA1eQM-7eCOHQCLcBGAsYHQ/0141%2BIMG_9573.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F3Rr-3dLrMg/X7LdBm1yEeI/AAAAAAAL_Lk/kNEU0AZJ3gUej6KomPCzAA1eQM-7eCOHQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/0141%2BIMG_9573.jpg" width="640"></a></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>August 13th to August 31st</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>456 miles, 19 days</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ashland to Cascade Locks </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17GV03vwzSKWafezTCRSWHE-BGID-0whp6uZoPjoqHzU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>[Mileage Log]</b></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Oregon! The land of flat trail, green tunnel hiking, lava flows, and burn areas! And grand mysteries like who left a bunch of crabs laying out on those train tracks near Shelter Cove.</div><div><br></div><div>I crossed the California / Oregon border 97 days after leaving Campo and by the latter part of that adventure I was joking about being in full support of the State of Jefferson movement just so the PCT would get into a new state earlier! And then after all of that Oregon took just 19 spectacular days!</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/08/oregon-thru-hiking-pacific-crest-trail.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon 97041, USA45.373615 -121.695951116.026138015697182 -156.8522011 74.721091984302817 -86.5397011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-73088546446914661082020-08-10T08:15:01.921-07:002020-11-09T12:02:49.081-08:00Northern California: Thru Hiking The Pacific Crest Trail In The Summer of COVID-19<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K5eMztJiU34/X40NTwht6aI/AAAAAAAL13U/I52BqCbQm9s5cG2CiHoS0vQrN2tW0xhUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/F64DD2A8-C7DF-4FB5-8852-1B82A260B587.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K5eMztJiU34/X40NTwht6aI/AAAAAAAL13U/I52BqCbQm9s5cG2CiHoS0vQrN2tW0xhUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/F64DD2A8-C7DF-4FB5-8852-1B82A260B587.jpg" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">July 13th to August 10th, 2020</b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>601.7 miles, 29 days</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Tahoe to Ashland</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17GV03vwzSKWafezTCRSWHE-BGID-0whp6uZoPjoqHzU/edit?usp=sharing">[Mileage Log]</a></b></div><div><br></div><div>I'd sweated my way through the desert, limped through the Sierra on crumbling shoes, and now...I was still in California for another 600 miles. Bloody hell this state is long! </div><div><br></div><div>The Northern California section of the Pacific Crest Trail has a reputation for getting people down and I can understand why. After finishing the Sierra it feels imposing to still have over half the trail and 1,500 miles to go. Also having left the epic views of the Sierra behind and having to deal with the fact that ever town stop involves a big descent followed by a steep climb to get back out causes things to drag. Especially after a large town meal and a few beers.</div><div><br></div><div>I also really didn't expect the heat. Suddenly we were back in mid 90s and now there was high humidity to boot.</div><div><br></div><div>But there were also spectacular rivers, lush vegetation, and some of my favorite town stops of the entire trail.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/08/northern-california-thru-hiking-pacific.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Seiad Valley, CA 96086, USA41.8404055 -123.192548913.530171663821157 -158.34879890000002 70.150639336178841 -88.0362989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-63099447119562969682020-07-11T08:09:01.441-07:002020-11-08T16:48:30.149-08:00Sierra Nevada: Thru Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the Summer of COVID-19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Uu-rpx1Wzo/X4y1bdQ6PoI/AAAAAAAL0xs/qlBpG3oEkGYRAfkKnb-pmN0tTF0rgx2bgCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/IMG_7500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Uu-rpx1Wzo/X4y1bdQ6PoI/AAAAAAAL0xs/qlBpG3oEkGYRAfkKnb-pmN0tTF0rgx2bgCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/IMG_7500.jpg" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>June 20th to July 11th, 2020</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>388 miles, 22 days</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Kennedy Meadows South to South Lake Tahoe</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3234858971354240406/9206267218434617886#"></a><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17GV03vwzSKWafezTCRSWHE-BGID-0whp6uZoPjoqHzU/edit?usp=sharing"><b>[Mileage Log]</b></a></div></div><div><br></div>Brace yourself because I'm about to utter high heresy. Are you ready?<div><br></div><div>The Sierra wasn't my favorite section of the Pacific Crest Trail. In fact it was the least memorable.<div><br></div><div>I know, I know. <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/netflix-joel-mchale-come-on-ScmA88oVeD78aEpd2O">Pitchforks</a> down please. Let me explain. </div><div><br></div><div>I've done quite a bit of backpacking and climbing in the Sierra. I have countless remote little corners that I absolutely adore and I can jaw your ear off about all the underappreciated areas and how nothing can compete with the feeling of sitting on top of some remote peak looking out across the high sierra.</div><div><br></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-26ddjCApKjY/X6B5ftBUGJI/AAAAAAAL9A8/UqaNWuKaVLAEQvY8oe7JZErOsiXxBH_bACLcBGAsYHQ/9682756526_301ecdf75a_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-26ddjCApKjY/X6B5ftBUGJI/AAAAAAAL9A8/UqaNWuKaVLAEQvY8oe7JZErOsiXxBH_bACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/9682756526_301ecdf75a_b.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in my happy place<br></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br></div><div>So why didn't I enjoy this section as much as the usual punching bag sections like SoCal or NorCal? </div><div><br></div><div>First off I'd done most of the Sierra section just last year. In June 2019 I went from Kennedy Meadows to Horseshoe Meadows grabbing multiple peaks along the way and then I did Yosemite Valley to Whitney southbound on the <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2019/08/john-muir-trail-plus-half-dome-whitney.html">John Muir Trail</a>. in August That meant that I knew what to expect around every corner or on the far side of every climb which ended up taking me out of the moment a bit.</div><div><br></div><div>I was committed to the idea of a continuous footpath from Mexico to Canada so I wasn't about to skip anything but I did find myself constantly thinking of what was ahead vs just being in the moment.</div><div><br></div><div>Also after enjoying solitude for long sections of SoCal the Sierra was where things started to feel busy. There still weren't near as many thru hikers as the last few years but we did start to see a lot more section hikers jumping on and we hit a massive flood of JMT'ers fleeing the lockdowns.</div><span></span></div><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/07/sierra-nevada-thru-hiking-pacific-crest.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com070000 Edison Lake Road, Mono Hot Springs, CA 93642, USA37.3762076 -119.01192919.0659737638211553 -154.1681791 65.686441436178853 -83.8556791tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-92062672184346178862020-06-19T15:29:03.272-07:002020-11-08T16:48:14.461-08:00Southern California Desert: Thru Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the Summer of COVID-19<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3kaDeTJ-o4s/X4xzSnHpFHI/AAAAAAAL0tc/JF8wyQVKICYIJqnBo05qVPieC4pwO4y7QCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_5937.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3kaDeTJ-o4s/X4xzSnHpFHI/AAAAAAAL0tc/JF8wyQVKICYIJqnBo05qVPieC4pwO4y7QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_5937.jpg" width="640"></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>May 5th to June 19th</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>702 miles, 46 days</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Campo to Kennedy Meadows </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17GV03vwzSKWafezTCRSWHE-BGID-0whp6uZoPjoqHzU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b>[Mileage Log]</b></a></div><div><br></div><div>During the summer of 2020 while <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/05/pandemic-crest-trail-thru-hiking.html">absolutely nothing</a> was going on in the world I thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Since all I had with me was my phone I wasn't able to do my usual style of blog posts on this site and had to settle for posting pictures on my Instagram / Facebook story quasi daily (which you can still see archived by clicking on the little circles <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mattonamtn/">here.</a>) </div><div><br></div><div>That still left me wanting to better capture the experience especially since this year was so unique. I don't have the temperment for a typical vlog (which would have been a lot of "today my feet hurt and I'm tired") so I decided that I'd do a post for each major section relating some of the highlights of my adventure. This covers the first 700 miles of the trail from Campo up to Kennedy Meadows. Stay tuned for posts about the Sierra, Northern California, Oregon, and of course Washington.</div><div><br></div><div>The Southern California section of the Pacific Crest Trail tends to get a lot of flack from hikers due to the high temperatures and lack of water. In fact it seems like so many people are so focused on rushing through it in anticipation of the Sierra they don't properly appreciate all it has to offer. </div><div><br></div><div><div>While it is labeled as desert the trail runs through a wide variety of terrain. Desert scrub gives way to local mountains, lakes, hot springs, big grassy plains, and so much more. Tired of what you're seeing? Wait a day and it'll probably change. (Well, except for around Tehachapi where if you're anything like me you're going to get really really sick of wind farms!)</div><div><br></div></div><div>Along the way I did encounter heat waves, earthquakes, water borne illness, an achilles injury that almost ended my hike, and the occasional curfew due to civil unrest. But looking back it's the section I look back at the most fondly since it was such an iconic start to the trail.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/06/southern-california-desert-thru-hiking.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Campo, CA 91906, USA32.607579500000007 -116.46973215.8797908935062431 -151.6259821 59.335368106493775 -81.3134821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-22026630787634828032020-06-01T17:56:00.001-07:002020-12-21T16:31:23.658-08:00Planning & Preperation For Hiking The Pacific Crest Trail
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OZ7F1FhV7ZQ/X49TNZGn-kI/AAAAAAAL2H8/G2MkQrr-pBgtrCaFvWWok0ECw093zfkvQCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_5683.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OZ7F1FhV7ZQ/X49TNZGn-kI/AAAAAAAL2H8/G2MkQrr-pBgtrCaFvWWok0ECw093zfkvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_5683.jpg" width="640"></a></div></div></div><div><br></div><div>Whenever I talk to people about my 2,653+ mile 149 day thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail they almost always comment on how it must have taken a massive amount of planning and want to know how you can do such a big trip and return to a normal life afterwards.</div><div><br></div><div>Well I'm here to share how it doesn't take near as much planning as you might think and how I decided normal life is overrated, threw caution to the wind, and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life thus far.</div><span></span><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/06/planning-preperation-for-hiking-pacific.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-3837842443180445722020-05-01T08:15:01.493-07:002020-10-20T19:33:05.637-07:00Pandemic Crest Trail: Thru Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the Summer of COVID-19<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Raa2FkM3FSs/X4NkjBi9RXI/AAAAAAALzrc/W4iYFgj8GHwWFzm2ZSOvElYQ7JL1Mm_XQCLcBGAsYHQ/IMG_7633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Raa2FkM3FSs/X4NkjBi9RXI/AAAAAAALzrc/W4iYFgj8GHwWFzm2ZSOvElYQ7JL1Mm_XQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_7633.jpg" width="640"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div>Hello, my trail name is Masochist and I am one of the dirty rebels who thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail during the summer of 2020.</div><div><br></div><div>In the highly uncertain early days of the shutdown, talk about whether it was responsible or even possible to hike this year reached some slightly excessive levels of vitriol. Now that it's several months down the line and we've all hopefully regained a bit of perspective I feel it's important to relate the thought process leading up to my decision to hike and also document how COVID-19 actually affected life on trail this year. Because I still see people online repeating statements that are just wrong.</div><div><br></div><div>I started down in Campo on May 5th when things were past the peak of uncertainty but still very much up in the air. I finished at the Canadian border on September 29 when life still wasn't back to whatever passes for normal these days. Along the way I encountered heat waves, earthquakes, landslides, fires, unhealthy levels of smoke, rain, and finally a bit of snow. And for what it's worth the only disease I personally encountered or even heard of others having on trail was waterborne giardia. </div><div><br></div><div>As far as I'm aware I didn't get anyone sick or contribute to anyone getting sick though that's impossible to know for sure and I would personally feel horrible if I had. I set out taking what felt like an appropriate amount of precaution and despite the early weeks of uncertainty this became the best year I could have asked for to do the trail.</div><div><div></div><div><span></span></div></div><a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/05/pandemic-crest-trail-thru-hiking.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-59480210712787047932020-04-22T18:54:00.000-07:002020-05-03T17:56:16.717-07:00Section Hiking The Condor Trail: Lower Rancho Nuevo to Piedra Blanca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs9YrSevbDk/XqyUVWbTNXI/AAAAAAALVEo/4TWL8WQBn64R-R-xvQmdYTrgp1UHYk4rQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_5527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hs9YrSevbDk/XqyUVWbTNXI/AAAAAAALVEo/4TWL8WQBn64R-R-xvQmdYTrgp1UHYk4rQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_5527.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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<b>April 22nd to 26th, 2020</b></div>
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<b>48 miles, 7,000'</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewhengst/albums/72157714080745592">[Pics]</a> <a href="https://caltopo.com/m/E6U5">[Caltopo]</a></b></div>
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I'd now been backpacking the Condor Trail since April 9th. I'd started at the northern terminus doing 85 miles <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/04/section-hiking-condor-trail-bottchers.html">Section Hiking The Condor Trail: Bottchers Gap to Kirk Creek</a> and then when they closed some of those trails I jumped south for another 58 miles <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/04/section-hiking-condor-trail-cuesta-pass.html">Section Hiking The Condor Trail: Cuesta Pass on the 101 to Adobe TH on the 166</a>.<br>
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Now I only had about 5 days left before my Pacific Crest Trail plans were starting. Jen and I had booked an Airbnb for a week starting on April 27th so that I would have a chance to recover before kicking off what was potentially 5+ months of nonstop hiking on May 5th.<br>
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I'd originally eyed continuing the last section and coming out at Manazan but Brian Sarvis had described the trail as involving some significant bushwhacking and as much as I was enjoying the solitude I was really hoping to get in more hiking and less manual tick removal to better prepare for the PCT.<br>
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I also debated doing Piedra Blanca to Lake Piru allowing me to see the southern end of the trail but that also reportedly had some bad sections.<br>
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I decided to do the section from Tina / Lower Rancho Nuevo along the 33 down to Piedra Blanca aka the trailhead most people use for <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2017/04/sespe-willett-hot-springs.html">Sespe & Willett Hot Springs</a>.<br>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NPreT6TZ4qQ/XqyMyKDDtEI/AAAAAAALU_I/PNe5PerrsskY51H7Bpl8vd589ercMdoHgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/OVerview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="521" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NPreT6TZ4qQ/XqyMyKDDtEI/AAAAAAALU_I/PNe5PerrsskY51H7Bpl8vd589ercMdoHgCK4BGAYYCw/s640/OVerview.png" width="640"></a></div>
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So this time I did the yellow section of the map above and while there was still some significant brush and an ungodly amount of ticks it was another enjoyable section of the Condor Trail.<br>
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<a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/04/section-hiking-condor-trail-lower.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Piedra Blanca Trailhead, Rose Valley Rd, Ojai, CA 93023, USA34.5601645 -119.16465558.814169 -160.4732495 60.30616 -77.8560615tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-13879442038447294672020-04-18T18:52:00.000-07:002020-05-03T16:16:48.263-07:00Section Hiking The Condor Trail: Cuesta Pass on the 101 to Adobe TH on the 166<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n6F6mF2SFXM/XqyMLmp3dVI/AAAAAAALU-8/lK6E1DpEphQ6zwaHdXJcJsFId3yGqwstQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_5137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n6F6mF2SFXM/XqyMLmp3dVI/AAAAAAALU-8/lK6E1DpEphQ6zwaHdXJcJsFId3yGqwstQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_5137.jpg" width="640"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>April 18th to 22nd</b><br>
<b><a href="http://www.condortrail.com/">Condor Trail</a></b><br>
<b>58 miles, 8,800'</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewhengst/albums/72157714078416831">[Pics]</a> <a href="https://caltopo.com/m/E6U5">[Caltopo]</a></b></div><br>
This is the second of three sections I backpacked along the Condor Trail during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on the trail itself please see the first post <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/04/section-hiking-condor-trail-bottchers.html">Section Hiking The Condor Trail: Bottchers Gap to Kirk Creek</a>. It covers the first 85 miles along the northern end to the point where I was forced to exit at Kirk Creek due to county trail and road closures.<br>
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Since then my girlfriend and spent two nights in an Airbnb. This mostly involved sitting in bed researching options on my laptop, taking some very well deserved showers, and resting up my feet while eating everything in sight.<br>
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So why did I settle on the the section between the 101 and 166? I'd originally intended to continue the trail south from Vicente Flat but I didn't want to flagrantly violate a trail closure even if the chances of getting caught where I'd be spending most of my time were slim.<br>
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Also near the area marked Ragged Point on Google Maps there's a somewhat unfortunate 50 ish mile section of "trail" which involves walking along the beach / PCH. If I had a shot at doing the entire 400 miles then I would have powered through that section but considering I had a hard stop date when I needed to pivot to the PCT I was inclined to spend what time I had along the more wilderness-y section.<br>
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Talking to the always informative Brian Sarvis I settled on starting at the 101 near Cuesta Pass and heading south. He said the trail was likely to be in better shape than what I'd been through and he said it was a spectacular section where he'd seen more bears than anywhere else along the trail.<br>
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So the morning of April 18th I threw everything back in my pack and I was off for another round of tick infested bushwhacking.<br>
<a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/04/section-hiking-condor-trail-cuesta-pass.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Cuesta Pass, California 93453, USA35.3488254 -120.631343235.3225214 -120.6716837 35.375129400000006 -120.5910027tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-72779919016678611152020-04-09T10:01:00.000-07:002020-05-02T16:27:03.521-07:00Section Hiking The Condor Trail: Bottchers Gap to Kirk Creek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>April 9th to 16th, 2020</b><br>
<b><a href="http://www.condortrail.com/">Condor Trail</a></b></div>
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<b>85.5 miles, 15,000'</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewhengst/albums/72157713942624277">[Pics]</a> <a href="https://caltopo.com/m/E6U5">[CalTopo] </a></b></div>
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Life has been rather interesting the last few months. In February my girlfriend and I gave up our apartment in favor of living out of a conversion van in a local campground. It seemed like the perfect fit for our lifestyle which rarely involves sitting around at home these days and would hopefully allow us extra flexibility when it came to travel.<br>
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With all the planning that went into downsizing and the move itself I felt like I'd considered everything. Except, oh I don't know, a worldwide virus pandemic causing mass closures of campgrounds, businesses, ect.<br>
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And so here we are in the times of COVID-19. The campgrounds we used are all closed. An issue with our vans solar system left us without reliable power and forced us to throw it in storage and temporarily move into an Airbnb so we could meet our teaching commitments. And then I got sick.<br>
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I don't have confirmation what I had thanks to the testing situation but I had all sorts of potential exposure thanks to a public transportation trip a few weeks ago, campground living, and contact with a friend who did test positive for COVID-19. I ended up having a rough few weeks health wise.<br>
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Meanwhile the shutdown forced us to end the Wilderness Travel Course early without the snow travel or snow camp outings and then I had to cancel the Spring Advanced Mountaineering Program course completely. And without a home to shelter in per the state orders I started to look at options to get on a long trail as soon as possible.<br>
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Amongst the other issues the virus caused shutdowns of local trailheads and so I wanted something relatively obscure that would get me away from any crowds. Starting the Pacific Crest Trail early was an option but that situation has been fluid with more closures potentially on their way and reports from people on the trail of getting doxxed or even death threats from slightly obsessive Facebook keyboard warriors. All of which left me inclined to stay away until my May permit date.<br>
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The end result was that I found myself taking a hard look at the Condor Trail.<br>
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The Condor Trail is 400-ish mile thru hiking route that runs the length of Los Padres and promises a remote wilderness experience. It first came onto my radar after my <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/02/section-hiking-hot-spring-trail-santa.html">Hot Spring Trail trip</a> back in February and had the advantage of going through a lot of areas I've yet to visit.<br>
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The dashed black line is the entire trail. I ended up doing three sections and this write up covers the northern red section which I did across 8 days before a local road and trail closure caused me to skip south.<br>
<a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/04/section-hiking-condor-trail-bottchers.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com0Bottchers Gap, California 93920, USA36.3539913 -121.813621710.607995799999998 -163.1222157 62.099986799999996 -80.5050277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234858971354240406.post-7380261720255207692020-03-04T14:39:00.000-08:002020-04-04T11:08:01.498-07:00Thru-Hiking The Santa Monica Mountains Backbone Trail (BBT)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fMk6I-eVE3E/Xm1JJ_050JI/AAAAAAALK2o/pAUtqUNBlzYuvbuL4H-VUznDUo3RjoSMQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_3165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fMk6I-eVE3E/Xm1JJ_050JI/AAAAAAALK2o/pAUtqUNBlzYuvbuL4H-VUznDUo3RjoSMQCK4BGAYYCw/s640/IMG_3165.jpg" width="640"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>March 4th to 8th, 2020</b><br>
<b><a href="https://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/backbonetrail.htm">Santa Monica Mountains Backbone Trail</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>73 miles, 11,600' gain</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewhengst/albums/72157713486594642">[Pics]</a> <a href="https://caltopo.com/m/7LG7">[Caltopo]</a></b></div><br>
The Santa Monica Backbone Trail (aka the BBT) is a long distance trail running the length of the Santa Monica Mountains. It has been around in various forms since the 80s but it first hit my awareness in 2016 when I saw a <a href="https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/news/backbone-trail-set-for-completion.htm">press release</a> announcing that it was now complete. I promptly got excited, looked into it, and was discouraged by the warning that it was a long trail that wasn't intended to be thru hiked because of the lack of backcountry campsites. The recommendation of doing it as a series of dayhikes just didn't have the same appeal considering the drive to get there but they did mention plans to add campsites in the future. So I filed it away in my list of things to do someday.<br>
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Fast forward to spring of 2020. I've been trying to get ready for an attempt of the Pacific Crest Trail and looking for PCT-like hikes where I could get some distance in. That caused me to take a more serious look at the BBT and start asking questions of friends in the area.<br>
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The backcountry campsites still don't exist and fire damage over the last few years has made the developed off trail camping options even worse with the closure of Circle X Ranch. However after my experiences on the <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/01/section-hiking-desert-trail-mexican.html">Desert Trail</a> and <a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/02/section-hiking-hot-spring-trail-santa.html">Hot Spring Trail</a> sections I was ready to be a bit more flexible.<br>
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I ended up doing the trail east to west over 5 days and I had a spectacular time. I've done my best to compile everything I used, saw, or looked at and hopefully this can help spur interest and the further development of the trail so that more people get to experience this remarkable trip.<br>
<a href="http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist.com/2020/03/thru-hiking-santa-monica-mountains.html#more">Read more »</a>Matthew Hengsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691337883025102993noreply@blogger.com4Backbone Trail, California, USA34.079598 -118.777919433.658820999999996 -119.4233664 34.500375 -118.1324724