Weekend Warrior

A few years ago I decided that I wanted to devote my life to backpacking. I didn't want to work some nine-to-five, and squeeze backpacking trips in whenever I could. I wanted to backpack full time... But the more I worked toward that goal, the more I realized how difficult it would be. Everyday I read about people thru-hiking the long trails every year, and I wonder, "How do they do it?" How do people afford spending half the year on the trail? What becomes of their home life? What do they go back to?

It was easy for me to give up most of my possessions when I decided that I no longer wanted to be controlled by them. That was the easy part. My last apartment I was afraid to sign a year lease. I was afraid  to be tied down, to be contractually obligated to one place for a year. I kept thinking that having a lease would hold me back from what I really wanted to do... Hesitantly I relented, and signed the year lease... and moved to Arizona 6 months later.

Until I can find a way to support my family doing what I love, I will remain what I have always been, a weekend warrior. Backpacking on the weekends has taken me on some epic adventures to some amazing places. To me, backpacking is about seeing and being in those special places, and I feel like they are all a part of me now. 

Being a weekend warrior does not make me less of a backpacker, though sometimes I feel that way when I read about guys like Barefoot Jake or The Hiking Dude, who's adventures seemingly follow one after the other. Sometimes I feel that way because of this sort of backpacker elitism attitude I've encountered from other bloggers, or on certain forums, or even from some comments people have left me on my own blog. Man, I can't really grasp that kind of useless negativity, because In my world there's no time for it.

 It's perfectly fine if your pack weighs 30 pounds, or if you prefer boots over shoes, or if you use a free-standing tent instead of a tarp. There isn't anything wrong with filtering your water or using a canister stove. And if you only hiked 5 miles in one day then I say more power to ya, because it's not about speed, its about being there, and soaking in the grandeur, and embracing that peace of mind that you only get from being in the woods.

I long for the days when I can backpack the long trails. When I can spend weeks, even moths, at a time in the woods. The call of the wild is too strong in me for that not to happen eventually... For now, I'm proud to call myself a weekend warrior.

My cousin Luke at Revett Lake in north Idaho.

Spokane Adventuring: Iller Creek and Q'emiln Park

Sarah and I at one of my favorite places in Spokane

 Sharing my favorite places with people is one of the biggest joys in my life, even though sometimes I worry if the places I brag about will live up to the hype. Late last month I had the opportunity to share some of my favorite spots around Spokane with Sarah and the kids. First was Farragut State Park for my family reunion (which I wrote about earlier this week). Boy did I talk that place up! Rightfully so, as Sarah and the kids were very impressed and a great time was had by all. I also got the chance to take the kids to Q'emiln Park on the Spokane River in Post Falls, Idaho. This place is usually hit-or-miss depending on the crowds, but as we visited during the week, we had a nice stretch of beach all to ourselves. Considering the kids are more accustomed to desert reservoirs, they were plenty happy with the grass, and the trees, and the clear blue water.

Jonah testing his balance

We also hit up one of my favorite local trails at Iller Creek Conservation Area (which I've written about previously). When I lived in Spokane this was a trail that I normally hiked in winter and early Spring as a good training spot for the warm weather backpacking season. I think this was the first time I actually hiked the loop in the middle of summer. Accompanying Sarah and I was her oldest daughter Bianca, my cousin Jesse and his lady friend Alexis, my cousins Luke and Jen, and my Uncle Steve.

Jesse and Alexis

 The hike was even better than I remember, and such a welcome change from the desert heat. We hiked the loop counter-clockwise and the first 3 miles is a steady climb through a lush green tunnel of pines. It really makes you feel like you're deep in the woods even though the conservation area is just on the edge of town. Unlike Phoenix there was zero air-traffic, which unfortunately is something I'm becoming too accustomed to as of late. Another thing I noticed immediately was just the abundance of sounds. The buzzing bees, chirping birds, scampering squirrels, and the breeze blowing lazily through the trees provided the best soundtrack for a hike that I've had in a long time. It made me miss the Pacific Northwest for sure.

Lots of Bees

Overall it was a great hike, and everyone had an awesome time. I wish I could have done some more hiking when I was up there, but the circumstances just wouldn't allow it. I haven't been backpacking once this summer, which means this is the first summer in 5 years I haven't gone! Wow, that's depressing to say the least. Hopefully I can get out soon because I have 2 new tents that still haven't been used, and a backpack I'm supposed to be testing for The Mountain Blog. I better get on it!

Reunion: Farragut State Park

Spending time with family is time well spent. Luckily for me, I have a family that gets together out in the woods every year for the annual Morley Family Reunion. We come together from all around the northwest, mostly from Spokane and central Washington, but also from as far away as southern California and Colorado. For the past 8 years (I think) we've had our reunion at Farragut State Park in north Idaho on Lake Pend Orielle. It's a great spot in a thick pine forest with plenty of shade and everything we need for 4 days of family fun. 

My nephew Mason

In recent years, our reunion has centered around one epic family event. The annual Buzz Cup Horseshoe Tournament, named after my Uncle Buzz who was a big horseshoe lover, and a great thrower too. Every year my cousin Scott organizes the big event which usually involves 10 or so teams of randomly selected partners in a two-day long double elimination tournament. The winning team is presented The Buzz Cup (which they must bring back the following year) at a ceremony around a bonfire on the last night. It's all stooped in tradition and lots of fun. To ensure a continuing crop of players, we even have a Junior Buzz Cup Tournament, so all the little ones can learn the game of horseshoes, and be ready for the day they're old enough for the big show. This year, I'm proud to say, my girlfriend Sarah won the trophy with my Uncle Shawn, and he was gracious enough to let us bring the cup here to Phoenix, were it will sit proudly on our mantle above the fireplace.

Uncle Ozzy teaching Bianca how to horseshoe.

It's not all about horseshoes though. We play volleyball, hike, bike, explore, and generally just enjoy each others company. Saturday is the big day of the reunion. On Saturday morning we cook a huge breakfast on big cast iron skillets over a wood fire, and Saturday night is a big potluck. After the potluck we move over to a large stone fire-pit left over from World War 2 when Farragut was the largest inland Naval base in the United States, and we have a talent show, the trophy presentations, and talk about any family issues that may have arisen over the course of the reunion. One thing we always discuss is where to have the next year's reunion, but we all love Farragut so much that no one wants to leave.

Bubbles

The consensus was that this year may have been the 50th year of the Morley Family Reunion. I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty awesome that we've been getting together for so long. The reunion has given me so many great memories over the years that I hope it will always be there for the younger generations. Its important that family get together, and its even better when family gets together in the woods. 

Me, relaxing.

Back In Action: Overnight on the Mogollon Rim

After a hectic couple of months, I've finally made it back to the woods. I was invited by friends to help scout a possible location for an Elk hunt at the end of the year. The spot they were looking at was none other than The Highline Trail below the Mogollon Rim. We made a weekend out of it, camping on top of the rim near Woods Canyon Lake. The entire area was overrun by people, and it took over an hour to find a spot. We didn't set-up camp until 1am, and since we were so excited with anticipation for Saturday's scout, we decided to build a fire despite the late hour, and stayed up talking politics and quantum mechanics. By the time I crawled into my tent it was 3:30am. 

We awoke at 5:30am to a bugling elk somewhere near our camp, and after a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee, we drove down to the Geronimo trail-head for our scout. This area of The Highline Trail is also part of The Arizona Trail, making it the most heavily marked trail I've ever been on. Between the white-diamond blazes of The Highline, the frequent Arizona Trail signposts, and the fact that the Mogollon Rim is always visible to the north, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to get lost here.

Arizona Trail signpost

The trail was a lot of up and down, but other than the heat, it was pretty easy going. Unlike further south, the Arizona rim country has tons of trees, and of an impressive variety. We saw big ponderosa pine, alligator juniper, and the alien-like manzanita, which I found to be really cool looking with the twisting red and white bark.

Manzanita

Since the goal of this hike was to scout terrain for a hunt, there was a lot of map reading, and looking through binoculars. I was definitely interested in the insights my friends were sharing about the area, and about elk behavior. The most knowledgeable woodsmen I have ever known have been hunters, and I am always eager to soak up any information they are willing to share. In fact, it made me want to take up the bow and give hunting a go. I like the idea of finding a good hide, and just waiting and watching. As a backpacker, it seems like I'm always on the go. Especially hiking in groups, I find that people tend to hike too fast, and rarely just stop and soak in the surroundings. I think that's why hunters can be so knowledgeable, because they are watching and studying their environment, instead of just hurrying through like hikers do. 

Adam scoping out the area.

After returning to camp, the rain set in. I honestly didn't mind, especially after the hell-like weather Phoenix has been having. It rained all night, and we got to witness a spectacular lightning storm overhead. The next morning we fished Woods Canyon Lake. Other then a crayfish, I didn't catch anything. This was the second time I fished on Woods Canyon Lake, and although beautiful, its overcrowded and littered with trash. I don't think I'll be returning. 

Overall it was a fun trip. The boys have invited me to any future scouts, and even the hunt itself in November. I am really excited for next week because I'll be driving to Spokane and spending 4 days camping in Farragut State Park for my family reunion, which is always an awesome time. Well, thanks for reading.

The Highline Trail heading west.

The Scoop on Waterproof Down

Here is another story I wrote for Mountain Gear last month. This one is all about the new water repellent down technology that is being used in place of traditional down as insulation for sleeping bags and jackets. Anyway, I think you'll find this one pretty interesting.  

http://www.mountaingear.com/themountainblog/2013/06/the-scoop-on-waterproof-down/

Boots or Shoes?

In my last blog I mentioned that due to my busy schedule I've been really inactive the last couple months. Well, that wasn't entirely true. I've been writing steadily for The Mountain Blog at Mountaingear.com, and I wanted to share one of the stories I wrote last month on some of the benefits of switching to shoes from boots. Check it out!

http://www.mountaingear.com/themountainblog/2013/06/boot-or-shoe-whats-for-you/

Real Life

Holy smokes, what a crazy last couple of months. Some of you might be wondering where I have been, and what I've been doing, well let me give you the rundown.

 

It all started in May when my laptop crashed. Luckily I was able to save all the files before the end, but I was still without a computer. I borrowed an old Dell from a friend to hold me over until I could afford a new one of my own. Unfortunately I couldn't do any photo editing with it, so I have been piling up photos on the SD card.

 

Anyway, it was around this time that I got my butt back into college. I enrolled in 3 classes for the Summer 1 semester at Paradise Valley Community College, and holy crap did they kick my ass. For the entire month of June I lived Algebra, Speech, and Computer Programming. I didn't hike or camp, or do anything fun at all, I was just so damn busy with my classes and my regular life.

 

So that's why I haven't been blogging here at writerinthewild.com... I thought about writing a blog post explaining how to solve quadratic equations, but I figured you might pass out from boredom before it was over. Well, the semester is over, and I have a brand new laptop, so I am definitely back in business, so keep an eye out for new stuff.