On January second, I packed up the dogs and drove about 2 hours out to Canton, NC to hike my first of the (inaugural) Appalachian Six-Pack of Peaks challenge. I am excited to be able to participate in this again, after moving out to Tennessee I missed having a Six-Pack of Peaks challenge available close by….
Author: Pepper
Rose Peak – 2019
I think that this was the longest day hike I have ever done! There was a hike along part of the PCT that I did when I was in middle school where our trip leaders got lost and we went much further than we planned, but I don’t think that was more than 15 miles,…
Mt. Umunhum- 2019
For the first 6 pack of peaks hike of the year, Karl (fellow ambassador) put together a fun Sunday morning hike. Our group had 5 people, which is a big change from my usual solo hikes! We expected rain but thankfully there was no rain, and while the skies weren’t completely clear, we could see San…
JMT Day 19: The Summit
8/12/2018 Guitar Lake –> Mt. Whitney –> Whitney Portal! I woke up at 1 am, just as I had planned. (Take that, guy who said I’d sleep in!) This was one of the only times that I set an alarm throughout the whole trip. I had heard from many different people that finishing the trip…
JMT Day 18: The Hardest Day Yet
8/11/2018 Shepherd Pass Trail –> Guitar Lake I woke up at 5:30 and ate my breakfast. I took my time drinking my tea, but I was still on the trail by 7:00! I started heading towards Bighorn Plateau but by 7:20 I could tell something was wrong. My stomach was in knots. I stopped to…
JMT Day 17: This Is Where One Step At A Time Will Get You
8/10/2018 Vidette Meadow –> Shepherd Pass Trail I woke up around 5, having to go to the bathroom, but then went back into my tent for the warmth and ended up falling back asleep until 7:30! I stretched a little bit and made some breakfast then got started with my day. It is crazy to…
Day 16: Let Me Tell You About My Favorite Pass
8/9/2018 Suspension Bridge –> Upper Vidette Meadow I woke up early like I planned but I took my time with my breakfast and didn’t end up actually hitting the trail until about 9:30 am. I made my way through the rest of the valley, eager to get to Rae Lakes, as I had heard that…
JMT Day 15: Update – Lakes are Freezing!
8/8/2018 Lake Marjorie –> Suspension Bridge As expected, Justin didn’t actually wake up at 4. He got going around 8am and we said our goodbyes. If we each stuck to our schedules, I knew I probably would not see him again. I had a dehydrated potato-egg-quinoa mixture for breakfast that was a lot better than…
JMT Day 14: New Friends, Old Friends, Wet Boots
8/7/2018 Foot of the Golden Staircase –> Lake Marjorie We woke up around 4:30 and quickly packed up (it was a lot faster for the other guys because they didn’t have a tent to put away!) I had a quick breakfast, some cheerios, and an energy bar and drank some water, then we headed towards…
JMT Day 13: Lions and Tigers and What Now?
8/6/2018 Muir Hut –> Foot of the Golden Staircase We woke up at 4:30 (well, I hid in my sleeping bag until 4:45, then got up). I like to eat in the morning, so I heated up a quick meal and ate. Ramiro and Taylor apparently only eat an energy bar and then have a…
Pepper Hikes 