Probable Trial Trails

I've never gone backpacking.  Never.  Ever.  (Well, maybe once back as a Boy Scout to get the Order of the Arrow thing.  But I don't really remember.  I was 12.  Or 15.  Or 13.  I don't really know.)

I have no idea if I'll enjoy the activity at all.  I may love it beyond my wildest dreams; it could suck major donkey balls.

So, I need to do a few smaller trips before I spend far too much money for equipment and such.

First, I'm planning a 2-or-3 night trip near home.  Probably up near Big Meadows in the Sequoia National Forest.  I've wanted to go there for a while, could be fun. But could have bears.  Not sure I wanna deal with bears right off the bat.

Next, another trail I've wanted to hike, the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail near Santa Cruz.  It's a 29-ish mile one way trail.  I hear it's absolutely beautiful.  I lived in the South Bay there for years and heard about the trail; saw the signs and all. But never really thought it would be something I could do.  (Well, now it might become a training trail for a 2660-ish mile hike.)  It'd be 2-3 days, too.  (Maybe this will be my first; no bears.)

Another trainer hike would be the Lassen trip I mentioned earlier. Planning now, looks like 65-ish miles from Belden, CA to Drakesbad Guest Ranch.  Should take about a 5-6 days. (I plan on going slow.) And ends in Lassen National Park near some thermal features that could be amazing fun and cool.

Finally, a week-or-two trip could the final training/shake-down hike.  Not really sure where or how long.  According to Reddit, the only way to train for a thru hike is to go on a thru hike.

First over-nighter would be May, I expect.  Next one in June.  Another in July. And the final, longer trip September.  (Already planning to be in Oregon in August for the amazing total solar eclipse.)

Knee Pain

Ever since that hike up to Big Baldy back in October, I've been feeling discouraged.  For some reason, my left knee has suddenly taken to hurting on the downhill.

Maybe it's because I didn't hike as much during the summer as I had the summer before.  If I can't resolve the pain, there's no way I'd be able to do much of the Pacific Crest Trail.

So I did some reading.  I think the pain is a tendon not being as strong as it should be.  I've since stopped skipping leg day.

Ok, in reality, I've just added some leg exercises into my mostly-weekly routine and going walking up and down the street more.

"The Street?", you exclaim.  Yeah, it's a steep grade and very much like a moderately steep trail.  And, the circuit I do, while short, is an elevation gain of about 120 feet.  (According to FitBit, anyway.)

Also, been doing leg extensions on my in-home weight bench, as well as at the gym.

And it seems to be helping.

Training Hike Around Lassen?

I've never done a thru hike.  According to Reddit, the best way to train for a thru hike is to, uh, do a thru hike.  And I understand why.  It truly seems like nothing else these days.  But, I don't want to get out on the a couple days north of Campo at the southern terminus of the PCT, and realize it's just plain not for me.

I've thought about a couple other trips near home in and around Sequoia/King's Canyon National Parks.  They'd be good.  But I see that granite frequently enough already.  And, the Sierra has the highest points on the trail, too.  Not all that, uh, Novice-User Friendly.  I'll still probably do at least a couple overnighters up there, though.

However, Lassen National Park has lots of things going for it as a Trial Run.  It's close enough to home to be easy to get to.  A portion of the PCT runs right through it.  And I haven't seen Lassen itself in 20 years or so.  So, time to plan a backpacking trip through Lassen!

https://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm

And, Halfway Anywhere has some nice things to say about Northern California.