Well, if the rain stops here is Southern California it will be time to get out and start exploring more of the Desert Ranges of California and the Southwest. I have been climbing the desert peaks for many years. Recently I stumbled upon the Sierra Clubs Desert Peaks Section. The DPS as they are know has compiled a list of the “best” 99 peaks in the deserts of the Southwest. This is a great place to start to plan your trips to the desert region. I would have never gone into some of these regions had I not been prompted to do so by this list of mountain peaks.

The desert can be deadly in the summer, but remember it can be very nasty in the winter too. Be prepared for cold and dry conditions. But if the rains do move in, flash floods can be very dangerous! Not only can they swell and fill a canyon, but could block your path back to the trailhead leaving you stranded for an unknown period of time.

The desert offers its own set of beauty that many people miss by not actually taking a trek into it and exploring it for an extended period of time. I have seen some of the most spectacular scenery and natural beauty in the desert!

The next on the list for me is Indianhead in the Anza-Borrego Desert. This peak is an awesome sight from Borrego Springs and gets its name because, you guessed it, looks like an Indian head. Check back for planning strategies and maps for this upcoming trip.

See you on the trail, Peter

This is a little different from my usual post but I wanted to get the word out.

OnTheTrail.org Blog is now available via your Kindle! I would like to welcome any new readers that are getting OTT via Kindle. I would like to invite you to also visit our website at www.onthetrail.org. You will find lots of trail information for trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, the John Muir Trail, the Sierra High Route and more.

In my daily readings at Kindle Nation Daily I came across some helpful information on using your Kindle and wanted to pass it along. If you are experiencing any trouble with your subscriptions downloading or syncing, follow these instructions before you contact support:

Step-by-Step: Kindle System Restart

   1. Make sure your Kindle is on.*
   2. Disconnect the Kindle from the USB or Power Adapter cable.
   3. Press the Home button on the right edge of the Kindle.
   4. From the Home screen, press the Menu button on the right edge of the Kindle.
   5. Select "Settings" from the Home Menu.
   6. From the Settings page, press the Menu button again.
   7. Select "Restart" from the Setting Menu.
   8. Wait a couple of minutes for your Kindle to Restart, then give your Kindle another few minutes to update files, blog posts, etc.

*If your Kindle does not come on, or seems frozen, connect it via its Power Adapter to a wall outlet and give it an hour to re-energize itself.

See you on the trail, Peter

I have read many articles and emails about trekking poles or hiking poles. This is not going to be a pro/con article on why or why not you should use them. There are many articles related to the benefit of poles from a physical aspect. There are just as many articles about the types of poles to use and how to use them. This is just going to be my narrative on moving from no poles to poles.

I have been hiking, backpacking and trekking some 35+ years without trekking poles. I am a downhill and nordic skier for that same amount of time and have used poles. It was not until last year did I resort to using poles while out on a 4 day backpacking trip. By the third day my knees were starting to get stiff and give me a little bit of pain. Debbie my partner has been using poles for some time now, she said I should give her poles a try, I declined.

When I am backpacking, I always consider every item that I wear or carry for functionality and weight. My biggest protest against the use of poles was the weight. Even the lightest pole out there are around one pound, and this to me, was excessive.

Anyway, back to my story. By the third day we had a long downhill that was to last almost the entire day. By mid-morning my knees were screaming. I even was having thoughts that I may not be able to continue. Out came the ibuprofen and I was able to continue but was starting to lag behind the group. I was at a point where I had to try something.

I broke down and asked Debbie if I could use her poles. This was a changing moment. I will have to say that it did not take all the pain away, but I was able to continue and keep up with the group, in fact, I led the last section as we headed to the trail head.

Since that time, I bought some poles and I use them. It has change the way I hike. I especially love the assistance they give me on the downhills, but have found they give me a rhythm on the flats kind of like nordic skiing and I really fell in tune. On the uphills, I shorten them up a bit and get my arms involved in the climb. I feel they really get my whole body into the act.

I could go on about the benefits for me, but this is something that every individual will have to try out for themselves. My suggestion is to give them a try on your next multiday trek to really give them a full testing. Remember you do not have to use them every step of the way. There are situations when I collapse them and strap them to the back of the pack. But for the most part, I have them out and they are part of me…

See you on the trail, Peter

You may or may not have heard of a tpo file. This is a file that is used to store waypoints and route definitions for the National Geographic Topo! Map series. This is the mapping software that OnTheTrail.org has been using since 2004. As long as you have the NG Topo! software you can share your trail information via a *.tpo file. We found NG Topo! to be one of the best mapping software programs out there and at swiftmaps.com you will find the best prices for Topo!

National Geographic also had a website area where people could share their tpo files with others. I was called the MapExchange. It was a great resource for the outdoor community! But about a year ago, NG changed their position and removed the MapExchange. I have searched the internet and can not find any resource for these files.

OnTheTrail.org has decided to fill this void. You can find plenty of maps for download on our website and has created the OTT MapExchange! Currently you can find  .tpo’s that I have created at OTT MapExchange . OTT will be creating more and adding them as time permits. If you have any files that you would like to share, please email them to peter@onthetrail.org and we will get them posted to share with the world!

See you on the trail, Peter

This time of year I am starting to plan my grand tours. I attempt to do two or three of these “major trips” each year. This year I already have two on the books. I will be going Mt Rainer in August with Alpine Ascents International (I will have more on this in later blog posts!) and a road trip to a family reunion outside of Chicago in July. For the trip to Chicago I am still in the process of figuring the logistics of this vacation from Southern California to Chicago and back.

I do know that the “Reunion Trip” will be by car. It will have a Northern Route and a Southern Route. It will be three weeks in length, 3 day will be in Chicago. Now the planning starts. Where are all the stops, side trips, etc? I know some of it has to be spontaneous, but I do want to have some key destinations for this trip. So, I have the atlas out and I am starting to get my list together.

I received an email the other day with a link to Google Books. I guess I heard of this before but never checked it out. After clicking on the link I was taken to an entire archive of older Backpacker Magazines! What a treasure!! I am sure I probably have all these magazines in boxes out in the garage or somewhere and the key word here is somewhere…

These are from 2004 and prior, but for browsing and adventure planning, this is an awesome resource! Not is it going to help me on this upcoming trip to Chicago but it has already sparked some additional adventures and trips that need to go on the “life list”.

For me, all the planning and re-planning is half the fun! I will be spending some “quality” time at Google Books!

Today I received a card in the mail explaining the changes in the backcountry permitting at the Grand Canyon. Effective February 1, 2010, backcountry requests made in person during the fourth month prior to the requested trip start date will no longer receive immediate, priority consideration. Instead, all of these permit requests will be placed together with the requests received by fax and mail and considered based on the date received…

Great, I wish I would have know about this in the past, now it doesn’t even matter. I was always standing at the fax machine, checking the fax machine, kicking the fax machine, etc. trying to get my permit request to go through. All this time I just could have driving there and got my request submitted and added to the top of the pile!

Well now we are all in the same boat, you too can get your second or third choice of campsite/trip itinerary just like me! But it is well worth it, you can not just drive up to the edge of this big hole and not experience it on a multiday trip. I, like many others, have done single day trips down into the canyon, doing a rim-2-rim, or a rim-2-rim-2-rim day, not much time to enjoy the canyon to the fullest.

So if you want all the details go to the NPS Grand Canyon Website at: www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/permit_change.htm .

It’s been an interesting year for OTT. We are happy that we have been able to bring some new content on our main website (onthetrail.org) but saddened that some of the projects have had to be pushed back due to other commitments. But it is a New Year and we are looking forward to exciting changes and new content!

With the new web site design and move to our own servers we are ready to bring you lots of new content and outdoor information that will help you with planning and getting outside more!

Please keep sending us your requests and questions, it is really great to hear from our readers.

Join us over the new year for all the new adventures and trail beta that will be released. Here are just some of the trips that we will be covering in 2010: Mt Whitney – the Mountaineers route, preparing, planning and climbing Mt Rainer and of course information of the wild places in the West!

Happy New Year – Peter

Here is a second response to the Question: What are the Top-10 suggestions for thru-hikers:

1) Pack as light as possible, and be willing to chuck your old gear and buy new stuff mid-trip if it’s not working out for you (especially shoes).

2) Remove the word "comfort" from your vocabulary. It doesn’t exist on a thru-hike. Pain and hunger will be your constant companion, but you’ll get used to it.

3) Be friendly and enjoy the social aspect of hiking. Long after you’ve gotten bored of beautiful sunsets and mountain vistas having some people to talk to will give you a reason to keep you going.

4) Take however much money you expect to spend, and make sure you have at least 30% more than that available. Somehow everything ends up costing much more than expected.

5) Don’t become too attached to any specific person or group of people, because the time will come when you have to compromise your hike to stay with them. Maintain a flexible, informal relationship with people you meet on the trail, and always be willing to part ways when necessary.

6) Pace yourself. You don’t have to do 20+ miles a day right out of the gate. In fact, it will be tough to do that if you aren’t used to desert hiking. It’s perfectly OK to do 13-17 miles a day, or take a couple zeros each week for the first month or so. There will be plenty of time to catch up and crank out miles in Northern California and Oregon, after you’ve gotten into the best shape of your life.

7) Don’t get married to schedules, itineraries or plans. Stay flexible and when faced with a choice between having fun and staying on schedule, always choose having fun.

Do at least one shakedown hike of 50 miles or more to test out your gear before you start (and to make sure you really enjoy hiking if you haven’t done a lot of it before). Thru-hiking is a romantic fantasy, but in reality it’s more like a job (sleep, eat, walk, sleep, eat, walk, sleep, eat, walk)

9) Make sure you eat enough. 4,000 – 6,000 calories per day. If you find yourself feeling lethargic, light-headed, or nauseous try bumping up your food intake. Food is one area where packing extra weight is worth it. You can also load up on food in towns so you don’t have to pack as much.

10) Whenever you feel like quitting, give yourself three days to think about it. Chances are that within three days, you will discover a new reason to keep going. If not, take some time off and do some non-hiking activities for a week or so, and then come back to the trail. But don’t rush home just because you had a bad week. You will regret it almost instantly.

Happy trails!

By Erik The Black

I thought this was a good question and an informative answer, OC.

Here is a question that was posed on the PCT-L: “What would you tell me are the 10 most important things to do in the months ahead to ensure a successful hike?” by Elderly Ellen. Here is the response from Wandering Bob:

1. Decide on what you expect to get from your trail experience, then plan accordingly.

2. Develop a budget and stick to it. Only you know how much you can afford to spend. Allow a reserve for the unexpected, as you WILL encounter it.

3. Research the trail for yourself. Don’t expect others on the forums and Yahoo Groups to just pony up the answers to all your questions. You are responsible for your own success or failure; make this YOUR hike.

4. Make a written route plan and calendar. Keep modifying it right up until the time you leave. Leave a copy of your plan and calendar with at least two different folks at home.

5. BE FLEXIBLE. No battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. The Trail Gods will screw with your plan; you can bet on it.

6. Be realistic regarding daily mileages when planning. Start low and work up. Just because you can pound out 20+ mile days on the flat parts does not mean you can do that in the mountains or on a continuous day-in, day-out basis. Fifteen mpd is a fast pace in the Sierra; 10 to 12 mpd is more reasonable as there is a huge amount of elevation gain and loss each day.

7. Avoid excess food weight. You won’t eat much anyway for the first couple of weeks until your body gets used to the routine and the physical stress. Have a plan for rehydrating and electrolyte replacement and stick to it. Dehydration and/or altitude sickness (brought on in great part by dehydration) can ruin your hike fast.

8. You will not use the same gear set continuously from end to end. Factor this into your re-supply strategy. Things will wear out, get lost, or just plain won’t work for you.

9. Plan for lay-over days. You will need them. How often and where is your choice. Rule of thumb: hike 6-7 days, rest 1. Lay-overs do not necessarily have to be town stops. We took one at Evolution Creek and another at the Ida Bell Hot Springs this summer.

10. Don’t be reluctant to get off the trail – for just a few days or for the rest of the season -if things turn to absolute crap. The trail is not going anywhere; it will still be there next year, and you can return refreshed, re-equipped, and more knowledgeable.

As OnTheTrail.org moves to start archiving and making available .tpo files in our own Map Exchange section, I came across this interesting conversion article. OC

Extracting TOPO (.tpo) track files

Yesterday I posted about being able to convert National Geographic TOPO (.tpo) track files to .gpx using GPSBabel. This is something that will excite quite a few people, as it overcomes what (IMHO) is TOPO’s biggest disadvantage. Let’s take a look at the whys and hows.

When I first discovered GPS and mapping software, I went wild mapping trails in our area. I mountain bike with my wife every weekend, but the area we ride is private land, and there are no good trail maps. My first software purchase was National Geographic TOPO! Not only did I record tracks of rides, I started adding logging roads that show on aerial photos, trails that only showed up on 1:100,000 scale maps, etc.

In an effort to build a complete map of the area,
I kept adding data to the same map file, but I ended up with a mess; a relatively clean section of map is shown at left. To make matters worse, when I used the same trail again to access a new area, TOPO layered GPS tracks on top of one another, which caused all sorts of problems. If the track was fairly accurate, you couldn’t even tell this unless you deleted the top layer.

As my mapping got more sophisticated, I wanted to extract tracks for clean printed maps and to load to my GPS. But extracting tracks in TOPO was a pain until the recent update of GPSBabel. But once you extract the tracks, then what do you do?

I chose to extract them in the .gpx file format, since it’s become something of a universal standard. The TOPO file I extracted tracks from contained over a hundred track segments, but when I opened the .gpx file, there was only one track.

I then turned to OziExplorer and imported the .gpx file. (BTW, I believe you can do everything I’m describing here in Ozi’s trial versions.) Using the Track Control dialog, I chose the button
that says "Use mouse to draw a box around a track point. All track points in the same track section are made active." (See image at right). Then, under "More options for active track points," I selected "Save active track points to a file." Ozi forces you to save this in their .plt format, but Ozi can also convert it back to .gpx.

<Tangent>Just to check it out, I tried converting the .tpo file to Ozi’s .plt format using GPSBabel. It put over a thousand files on my desktop, so if you’ve got a bunch of data, you might want to stick to .gpx files, or at least create a separate folder.</Tangent>

The end result? Beautiful clean tracks (example at left) ready for use in your GPS or favorite mapping software!

Brief commercial message: There are separate chapters in my book, GPS Mapping – Make Your Own Maps, on National Geographic TOPO!, OziExplorer and many other mapping programs. You can check out the table of contents here.

Extracting TOPO (.tpo) track files | GPS Tracklog