July 25th:
10 mile hike: Pioneer Ridge!
(ROB) After cycling 2000 miles you think
your legs would be able to handle a 10 mile hike. But, I've discovered
that hiking muscles are very different that cycling muscles. My legs are
buggered. Imagine hiking 5 miles in one direction with a total
elevation gain of 5000 feet. That means you go up to about one
mile in only 5 miles distance. That's a steep 
climb!
I hiked the entire hike carrying both my video cameras and my large tripod.
Its not the easiest thing to do, believe me! But I do believe that once
I got on top and pulled the camera out to take pictures, it all paid off.
I may have only gotten 2 or 3 minutes of good quality video, but that's
a lot.
Try to imagine a mountain that rises a mile from the glacier bed below. On top you have a 360 degree view of the surrounding scenery. To the North, East, South and West there are mountains all around, towing peaks of snow and ice. Just below you however to the north is a deep valley cut by a receding glacier. You can see the glacier in the distance flowing from a giant ice field. The ice field covers the tops of the mountain ranges there. You can see at the base of the glacier what seems like a progression in the maturity of the forest. Bare rock near the base of the glacier gives rise to shrubs and then farther away a spruce forest. Amazing!
