Training, trail hazards and more research

It’s March and I’m upping my training miles and something I didn’t think about was how much time I would spend on training walks. Live and learn, I guess.
A recent training hike was on Devils Slide outside of Idyllwild to Saddle Junction with the Wilderness Basic Course for our overnight snow camp. It was a great opportunity to check out this trail as I plan to see it again at the end of April. The photo above was taken near the Tahquitz Peak fire lookout looking west toward the ocean. It’s cool that on a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean so far inland!

A training hiking trail sign in Southern California

Trail Hazards

When I’m hiking and listening to music, I only have one headphone in, as I’ve seen a few South Pacific rattlesnakes and I’m sure for every one I see, there are a dozen I miss. It’s a little hard to see in this photo, but I came across this 4′ beauty with only the back half crossing the path. When I stopped and was reaching for my phone, the snake just wandered into the brush. The body was as big as my wrist and it was clear that the snake wanted nothing to do with me. I have come across dozens of snakes over the years and that seems to be their modus operandi. People seem scared of snakes, but traffic on Southern California highways is much more dangerous.

The “friendlier side” of a South Pacific rattlesnake.

The other danger that abounds on local trails is poison oak. Although I know it very well from site, it turns out that my dog ​​does not know it and my dog ​​is the sharing type. Kunjungi tsn3. The interesting thing about poison oak is that it comes in different shapes, sizes, and colors depending on the season. I’m used to seeing leaves about 2 inches long and local trails have leaves that size, but occasionally I find leaves as long as the palm of my hand. Young poison oak tends to be bright green and darkens as it matures. As it is deciduous, when it loses its leaves they turn colors like red and yellow. In winter the branches will be bare of leaves, but still contain urushiol oil. To identify it, just remember “leaves of 3, let it be,” as each stem on the main branch will end up with 3 leaves (unless one has fallen off). Additionally, the stems and branches will be free of thorns. I have yet to see the dreaded poodle in person, but I will probably get that chance in April and May. We can’t also forget about the ticks, but I have only seen one in 4 months of hiking. Of course it was today, so it’s very much on my mind. Ha! While I was sitting here writing, I found a second tick crawling up my leg. I guess you might want to try my dog’s flea and tick medication… Please note this is a joke, DO NOT take your pet’s medication. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that a quick, semi-panic, strip and body search didn’t result in the discovery of a third tick, but Kea the dog will be getting a good brushing shortly.

Some poison oak leaves of different shapes.

«Investigation»

Sometimes the research is hard, onerous and gloomy… Other times, when it is done in a brewery, it is quite the opposite. Through a friend I connected with Cameron Ball (trail name Shaggy) of Helix Brewing. Cameron and his wife completed the PCT SOBO in the fall of 2025. Those two are pretty fit and completed the course in 4 months of 30 mile days. I had my backpack with me and we shook it out. I received good feedback on clothing, sanitation, and sleeping systems. Some takeaways include carrying a closed-cell pad in addition to an air mattress for more restful sleep and checking out lighter clothing made from Alpha Direct material as it has a good weight-to-warmth ratio. Cameron also suggested confirming that my 3-port electronics charger could charge 3 items at a time. The topic of rural bidets came up and here I will cut some weight by dropping the TP and germ juice. However, I won’t say “no to soap”, well, not yet. By the way, Helix Brewing’s beers are excellent and I will be back for more.”investigation.”

Side note: I’m not sure if the Alpha Direct top and bottom will perform as well as my merino wool thermal sleepwear, but the switch is shaving ~9 ounces off my base weight. I guess I’ll find out how well they work when the weather turns cold or I’m at altitude. Since I don’t want to bore you and become repetitive, I think the next post will be about the trail.

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