Trail Talk Connection

“There is a connection between a lot of you TT’ers that I don’t have. You all seem to know each other, and have bcpked with each other many times. Anyhooo…none of you know me, but I thought I would tell you about my summer expedition anyway. Just ‘cause. If there are any hot spots along the way that you know of, let me know.


My roommate Ross and I are going to leave on May 20th and drive to Alaska. On our way to Alaska we will be exploring many of the amazing National Parks in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana: Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier to name a few. Then continue into Canada and experience Banff and Jasper National Park. We will then trek on through British Columbia and the Yukon, and into Alaska, stopping at a few parks along the way, like Wrangell St. Alias. Once in Alaska we will backpack all the wilderness areas we can in a little over a month. We will spend most of our time in the backcountry of Denali, and even trek on up to the Arctic Circle!!!

After our time in Alaska, we will travel back down the west coast of B.C. and the Alexander Archipelago of Alaska to do some glacier hikes, and hit at least five more parks and reserves on our way through to Washington state and Oregon. Then down into California to visit Redwoods, and Yosemite. We will return home in the third week of August after concluding our adventure at the Grand Canyon and Moab Desert. Ross and I have spent many hours in preparation for this trip and are extremely excited about the opportunities and experiences that lie ahead. Way pumped!! Anyhooo…just thought I’d let y’all know.”

“of course i will be skydiving all along the way as well. can't give that up for an entire summer!! there are plenty of DZ's along our path of travel. woo hooo!!!”

“Independently wealthy, are you?”

“Kansis to ALaska, small road trip.LOL

GL”

“Lucky little #&%!$!”

“no, Phaedrus...not wealthy...it is going to be a bit expensive, but we have all of the gear. Gas and food will be the biggest spendies. we have been saving for a while for this. but the card might come in handy.

i would NEVER use student loans to fund a trip like this, however...”

“Sounds like a great big bunch of fun. Have a ball!”

“thanx...will do”

“Have fun! :-)”

“Congratulations. This sounds like the trip of a lifetime. By the time you get back, you will have seen more wilderness than I have in my considerably longer lifetime. Go for it!
Don't forget to wear some Jayhawk gear and get your picture taken along the way. All of us would love to see any pictures that you feel like posting when you return.”

“no prob., Dunadan. My roommate has an education in film and we are going to shoot a documentary of our journey; the places we go and things we see, people we come in contact with. that sort of thing. it'll be great. and i will sure try and post some pics. i don't know how to do that exactly, but i'll give it a whirl.”

“PJ, should be the summer of a lifetime. Enjoy!”

“i was wondering if you could tell me where some of those day hikes are around Billings. Or jsut cool stuff to see. I'll need to bide my time there for a few days.”

“Have a great time! I'm also sure that if you post your trip itenarary you might be able to meet some real live TT'rs!
Keep a diary so we will have a great trip report to read when you get back. Take alot of still pics too!”

“I suggest a rendezvous with Aero and Newgirl, also. I'm sure they would consent to meet you in a local pub.”

“PJ, Go online and look for The Trail Guide To The Beartooths by Bill Schneider. It gives trail descriptions, elevation gains and loses, fishing info, difficulty, etc. on more than 300 miles of trails in the Beartooth Range. A major portion of them are within an hour and a half of Billings.

If you have trouble finding it let me know and I'll get it locally and get it out your way before you leave.

The odds are that we'll be leaving Montana before your trip. However, if we're still here we'd be dissapointed if you didn't stop in. Either Aero, Newgirl or myself would enjoy treating you to a good meal and showing you a little of Billings. And if I'm still here I'd enjoy taking you out on some of my favorite trails, all of which are breathtaking.”

“Hiking The Beartooths



http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2UZUFL26F1&isbn=1560444274&itm=1”

“How long will all this take? I wish i could do something like that. Sheesh. Mother#&%!$er #&%!$ #&%!$ #&%!$ I want to do that #&%!$ too Your a #&%!$er”

“PJ, The "latest" edition is called Hiking The Beartooths. The version I have is from '95. I understand there will be another revised edition available in June but that might be too late for you.”

“pj, SKYDIVE LOST PRARIE in Marion, MT. I went witht them last summer. They are a fun bunch. That's the coolest trip itinerary you've got there!”

“yeah...so much to take in!! thanx, Geezr! i will look into that. i guess i should talk at Newgirl and Aero to see if they are doing anything when we'll be there.”

“PJ, we should still be here when you arrive, but everything is really up in the air. We traded our 2000 Dodge Ram in on a '03 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel, bought a 33' fifth-wheel trailer with 3 slide-outs and sold our house - all in about three weeks. We have one son on the east coast and another on the west. Our plan is to summer on the east coast spending time with our son and family and then head to California during the winter to be near our son and his family. In between we'll just go where our hearts take us. If everything goes good we have to be out of our house on May 22nd. Not sure if we'll stay around Billings or head out immediately. Right now things are happening so fast I'm about ready to lose my mind. ;-)”

“wow geezer, you got a road trip comin up too!

we took a hike in the beartooths last year, in the cloud peak wilderness(west of sheridan) and i have to say it was stunning. simply outstanding....and NO grizzlies!

have fun punkybrewster!”

“Quite the 'move!" Congrats! Hope you will check in from time to time and post your trip reports!

Best!”

“wow, geezr!! sounds like we should swap road trip stories in a few months!! hope we can hook up. we'll see. if not, thanx for the info!!! much obliged!”

“PJ, didn't mean to detract from your thread just wanted to let you know why we might not be around when you arrive.

Unlike you, I won't be doing any skydiving!!!!!!!!!!!”

“no problem. to each their own, eh?! if you think of anything else for me just let me know.”

“PJ, when do you plan on being in California?
If it's going to be around July 4th, see if you can hook up with the Sierrapaloozas.”

“we will be there a little after that...forgive my ignorance...who are the Sierrapaloozas?”

“Punkjumper, let me and Aero know when you'll be around and maybe one or both of us can hook w/ you. We can take you to Pug Mahon's and Aero can fill you in on all sorts of trail info. I'm a newish hiker, so I don't have as much info. for you.

Geezr, dear 'ol dad, what the heck? You sold your house and pick-up and now you're heading out . . . YOU and the Mrs. are so cool! You're my hero.”

“I meant hook UP, not hook. Skeery. I don't hook and I'm pretty sure Aero doesn't either! LOL!”

“PJ, check out the Sierrapalooza 2003 thread. Or on the "trips" page check 7/3 and or 7/5.”

“Thanx, T-Nav.”

“Maybe you can hook up with us when we exit.
"Hey buddy, wanta' meet a bunch of STINKY hikers?" 8^)”

“Awesome plans there!!! Hmm I would like to have the penny to pull that off enjoy it!”

“sounds scrumptulesant!! can't wait!”

“PJ-check with provincial parks-I think that either Jasper or Banff has a no tenting policy in some areas due to bear problems. And if you go up north, watch out for the Demster hwy, it's very rough. Have fun on your epic journey.”

“Thanks, helinka!

yeah, i had read about that no-tents thing. we'll see.”

“Have fun, pj. And I bet you're looking for real, live hiking advice, to save money on some hiking books, right?? HELP THEM OUT FOLKS!! moooola ain't easy to come by if you need hiking books for every area on a trip like this.”

“you sell boots, lizs? sounds like it. i am actually looking at getting another pair to share the load...”

“You got that all wrong PJ, lizs is a word merchant.”

“i see...i think...”

“BOOKS! Not boots.


Dang kids!”

“yeah...i know...sarcasm transmits realy realy well via internet, eh?”

“If you come up with a few titles Punk, scan Ebay and Amazon.com (used book section) for some seriously cheapies. Even the old and crinkled are useful!!

Also I've heard wonderful thangs about Latta Outdoors (how'd I do Matt!!!).”

“thanx...

i have a ton of books that i have borrowed and some i have bought. but i just get over-excited when i read them and want to leave NOW!!!!”