Endless P Summer

Day 1…6/13/25…22.5 miles…8100 ft gain…Montreaux to La Lécherette

I don’t know much about Switzerland. Besides the fact that they’re historically neutral, their cheese has holes, and their army uses a versatile knife. I guess I do know a fair bit. I’ve also heard the Alps are cool, so I figured we’d try to walk across the country following the via Alpina.

Yesterday we flew from Ajaccio, Corsica to Geneva Switzerland. We ran a few errands then took public transit out towards Montreaux and found a campground right next to Lake Geneva. This morning we had to take a bus about ten minutes and started our hike.

The Via Alpina starts from the lake in Montreaux then climbs straight up. If you reached the Freddie Mercury statue you’ve gone too far. Almost immediately we were walking up this gorge that felt like a rainforest with a cascading waterfall running in the middle of it. We continued to climb along roads and trails up through little villages until we reached Rochers de Naye, a ski mountain with a restaurant and stuff. They even had a train that brought people all they way up there from Montreaux. Guess we coulda taken that. A little side note; on the way up we saw a guy, pants down, taking a shit right on the side of the road, not the trail, the road, emergency style.

After lunch we did a little ridge walking, then dropped way down then had a very steep climb. It was hot too. I feel like we didn’t exactly ease our way into this trail even though I was expecting anything to be more chill than the GR20 that we just finished.

After 8000 feet of gain and a bunch of descent we got to La Lécherette and found a little campground for the night. Hoping that wild camping is more of a thing in Switzerland than Corsica but so far it seems like all the land we’re passing through is for people’s cows and sheep.

Day 2…6/14/25…25.5 miles…7200 ft gain…La Lécherette to Obere Lochberg

For a couple hours we just rolled through meadows this morning and then we got to a cheese factory in L’Etivaz. Huge wheels of cheese in this place, yesterday I saw a dude wrestling a wheel of cheese into his car like he was moving around 45 pound plates at the gym. We bought ourselves a wedge and as we were leaving, a parade of kids dressed as shepherds were walking a herd of cows up into a valley. I guess they do this twice a year, up into the valley now and then it’s a big spectacle in October when the cows come home.

After the parade we climbed straight up and then walked all morning. It was hard to tell what was a ski mountain or what was a dairy cow operation. Everything out here seemed to be one or the other but it was cool. We crossed over Col de Jable which is the linguistic divide here. To the west people speak French, to east people speak German. Just means I have to adjust my google translate app cuz I don’t speak either.

We followed the trail steeply down into the ritzy ski town Gstaad. I don’t like this place. It’s wicked fancy, there’s Louis Vouiton and Coach stores and stuff. They did have a Coop grocery store so we got ourselves lunch and packed out a baguette and some hiker food to go with our cheese for dinner.

This afternoon the trail climbed gradually up a valley for about 7 miles until we crossed over Trütlisberg Pass. We’re camped about a mile after the pass. Pretty sure it’s legal where we are, above tree line and I don’t think we’re on anyone’s property.

Day 3…6/15/25…13.8 miles…3100 feet…Obere Lochberg to Adelboden

We walked down about 5 miles from our campsite to the ski town Lenk. It started raining on us halfway down. In town the rain let up and the sun came out and from there it was a 3000 foot climb over 3 miles to the top of Hahnenmoospass. It was a stiff climb and it was hot out and my allergies were driving me bananas. Up the top of the pass were chairlifts and a bunch of people with remote control planes. I thought they were real planes flying around all crazy until we got close enough. This is basically a hot bed of remote control airplane activity.

On our way down we had to make a decision. The next 3 passes are the highest passes on the route. There is supposedly some snow up there but it’s hard to tell how much since there are very few people coming our direction who have hiked over the passes. I don’t want to bust my ass to climb the next pass and then force myself to make a bad decision. What I mean is, if we get up there and it’s a dangerous situation, I don’t want to push through just because we don’t feel like hiking back down. Hiking around wasn’t exactly a viable option so we ended up taking a bus and a couple trains.

It took a couple hours but we ended up in Lauterbrunnen on the other side of the highest passes, only about 20 miles as the crow flies. We’re camping in a campground, not my favorite, with a million other tourists. The wild camping situation is tough out here, hoping it improves. At least we have a massive waterfall above us.

Day 4…6/16/25…21 miles…7,653 ft of gain…Lauterbrunnen to Grosse Scheibegg Pass

It rained overnight but I slept like a rock. We packed up our wet tent and walked out of town then uphill all morning. We got to a pass where we had views of Jungfrau and the Eiger. Just barely though cuz it was pretty cloudy. We waited at the pass for a bit and here and there the clouds would break and we had quick views of these magnificent mountains. The clouds provided a gloomy or dare I say moody atmosphere for this epic scenery.

It was a bit strange because where we were, we could have just taken a train. These towns are super busy, then people take all these trains to the top for the best views, walk around a bit, then take the train back to town. Whatever. It’s been a different hiking experience here in Switzerland.

From the pass we dropped like 3500 feet to Grindelwald, another fancy Swiss ski town. QB and I got food at the Coop then spread out our stuff to dry and ate lunch on some steps as people were walking by to get some souvenirs. We packed out some meat, cheese, and bread for dinner.

This afternoon we regained 3500 feet to Grosse Scheibegg Pass. On the way up we had the Eiger on our right hand side and then the Wetterhorn. I can’t really describe just how massive these mountains feel, you just have to see for yourself. We walked about an hour on the other side of the pass, sometimes on road, and sometimes on trail until we found a spot to camp. I’m not sure if this is exactly within the rules but there were established campsites next to a river across from this huge granite wall of a mountain. It’s late, we’ll leave no trace, and get out of here early in the morning. This is one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever camped and neither one of us is passing it up in order to pay to camp at Disneyland in the next town.

Day 5…6/17/25…20 miles…6250 ft gain…Grosse Scheibegg Pass to Tannensee

From our beautiful campsite we had a nice pleasant walk downhill towards a town. We walked by a super tall waterfall Reichenbach falls, famous from a Sherlock Holmes’ story. QB thought it was from James Bond, which it may also be from, but it’s definitely from Sherlock Holmes. I can’t believe she would get those 2 characters confused.

We got into Meiringen and stopped at the Coop for our lunch and picked up a dinner. A loaf of bread, wedge of cheese, cured meats, and butter and that’s been our standard lunch and dinner. For dinner we’ll also pack out some instant noodles or something. Trying to charge our phones and batteries has been a bit tricky. The Swiss definitely aren’t giving electricity away. We really had to look around and when we did find an outlet we plugged some stuff in and camped out on the sidewalk eating or lunch.

All charged up we had a 5000 foot climb over about 7 miles, not unusual on this trail. When we got to the top the trail contoured along a super steep slope for about a mile before turning into a more comfortable ridge walk. The contouring was more exposed than I felt like doing today, and although the trail was mostly solid throughout, there were a couple spots where it was a bit dicey. I didn’t love it.

We did have incredible views all evening though. We’re way above treeline within a ski resort. There’s a handful of chairlifts on some steep terrain. No cows up here either. We put our tent down on a flat spot about a mile above the town of Tannensee.

Day 6…6/18/25…10.5 miles…1420 ft gain…Tannensee to Engelberg

From our campsite we descended for a couple miles to the side of a lake. We then climbed over a thousand feet to the top of a chairlift and descended again, this time straight down 4000+ feet underneath a tram to the town of Engelberg.

The hiking here has been straight up thousands of feet, then straight down thousands of feet. Usually underneath a ski lift that’s operational for sight seers and sometimes mountain bikers. Or there’s a train to the top or we’re on roads with a little bit of trails. The last couple nights we’ve been able to wild camp but it feels like we’re breaking the rules or something. Encroaching on someone’s cow territory. The towns here are fancy ski towns. Yes, the views are stunning, but I think I’ve seen enough.

Our original plan was to reach Lichtenstein, which would be about 4 more days but I’m not really feeling it. I got a good taste of what Switzerland is like and I’d like to go see some other parts of Europe.

After lunch we walked about a mile and then I told QB I’d rather not continue. We discussed our options and ended up finding a campground in town where we showered, did laundry and crashed out for the night. On to the next thing.

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Posted on November 4, 2025 by endlesspsummer

Europe, hiking, Hiking, travel, Switzerland, international travel, Thru hiking, Via Alpina

adventure, backpacking, camping, Europe, hike, Hiking, international travel, mountains, Peaks, Switzerland, Thru hiking, thruhike, trail, travel, traveling, trekking international traveling, Via Alpina, waterfalls

Day 5…6/7/25…12.4 miles…5000 ft gain…Onda to Manganu…Stages 8 and 7

Today we did stages 8 and 7. The North really starts at stage 9 but for the sake of making it simple I’ll split these 2 posts right in half. Stage 8 was great, downhill from l’Onda and then cruised through a beautiful forest before a stiff climb up to Petra Piana. In the forest there was a handful of stone huts where you can buy cheese and charcuterie. Bummer we went through there so early before the cheese slingers were open.

We ate a bunch of peanuts and drank soda at Petra Piana before attempting the notorious Stage 7. This is one of the stages I’ve been pretty nervous about and it lived up to the hype. While it was quite intimidating to me, it was also incredible to be up in these gorgeous mountains. There was a fair amount of scrambling, some boulder hopping, and climbing with the use of a built in chain. A handful of times we had to cross snowfields, some spicier than others, and fortunately we’ve been carrying our micro spikes for this very occasion. I feel like some things look sketchier from a distance and when you get to it, it’s not quite so bad. Maybe just a little sketchy.

It was a long descent to the refuge and it felt great getting thru a challenging section. There was a river with pools to swim in next to the camp so QB and I spent about an hour swimming and relaxing by the water. Seriously A++ for swimming holes on this trail. Dinner was a can of tomato sauce and a package of spaghetti that we bought here at the refuge and cooked with the stoves they provide. Took forever to boil the water!

Day 6…6/8/25…20.8 miles…5040 ft gain…Manganu to Tighiettu…Stages 6 and 5

Stage 6 was so cruiser, I loved it. Most of the morning we were walking thru lovely flat meadows and definitely earned it after yesterday. Felt like I was on some of the easy stuff on the PCT. After the meadows was little rocky ridge with some good views.

We stopped for lunch at a little store at Castel de Vergi at the bottom of a ski mountain. Ham and cheese and butter on a baguette, a French classic. After lunch we started on section 5 that was packed with people cuz I guess it’s a Sunday? Also a very pretty area and there’s hiking and rock climbing and swimming and cheese for sale and what not. For most of the section we walked up into a really cool canyon. I swam in the headwaters of the Golo, the longest river in Corsica.

Originally we had reserved a spot at refuge de Ciottulu. This was halfway through section 5 and we wanted to continue to the next refuge. No sweat, we checked in and they said that it’s fine to change your reservation. So if you’re reading this blog as a how to manual-just remember that. We continued to a pass and dropped down a steep descent, then got a 1 mile head start on section 4. The upcoming 4 and 3 have been looming over my head as the hardest parts of the trail. I heard there’s a lot of snow and they’ve got me a bit nervous. Fingers crossed it goes well. *Oh yeah, dinner was a couple cans of ravioli bolognese topped with leftover Corsican cheese from lunch and a bag of gummy bears.

Day 7…6/9/25…8.7 miles…5572 ft gain…Tighiettu to Carozzu…Stages 4 and 3

Man, these are the days! I did not want to hike either of these stages, I also didn’t want to skip them, I just wanted them to be done. There is a fair amount of fear mongering about how hard and scary the north is. And it worked on me, but I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, “Never trust a southbounder.” Still it was maybe a little scary and definitely hard. The main reason we hiked north was QB’s strategic decision to give the snow a few more days to melt and it was genius. Everyone has been telling us how steep and how much snow we’ll have to traverse but it’s been really hot this past week and a ton is melting every day. It would have been much harder going with the herd.

The wind was howling overnight and I was not looking forward to being high on a steep pass in the blistering wind. It almost completely dissipated as we started to walk this morning. Then QB saw 2 feral pigs along a ridge across a ravine from us. These weren’t the same as the wild boar I saw back on day 2 but looked more like they escaped from a farm, far far away from where they live. I took this as a good omen. We then scrambled up slabs and reached a scree field where there was a pair of perfect wooden hiking sticks on the ground so we each took one. At the refuge we had even tried to buy a pair of hiking sticks to help with the snow but they were sold out. There would be barely any snow but the sticks helped us out a bunch on walking on the loose scree.

We got to the top of a pass, Bocca Crucetta, then traversed up to the shoulder of Monte Cinto, the tallest peak in Corsica. The way down was super steep, but there was barely any snow and we just went very slow and carefully. There was hardly anything that was exposed or uncomfortably airy. It was crowded as we descended and we must have seen hundreds of hikers going up.

About halfway down I saw 2 guys sitting on the side of the trail and 1 was taking his own pulse so I figured something was up. None of us spoke the same language, not even close, but QB and I talked to him with our google translate app and he was having chest pains and had an elevated heart rate. He was 73 and pretty uncomfortable, there was no way he was walking out of these mountains. QB climbed back up trail a bit to the next group of people and found someone to call for a rescue. I stayed with him and then the next woman to get to us was a french speaking cardiac nurse. What are the chances, including QB, 2 cardiac nurses show up while you’re in the middle of a medical situation? She took over the scene and by this time a handful of hikers had gathered. We transferred care and our job was done so after an hour of being on scene Sara and I were basically told we should continue down the trail. This was one of those too many cooks in the kitchen situations and after the guy took an aspirin he was feeling a bit better instead of declining and his heart rate was coming down.

As we walked out we watched the helicopter fly up the valley then lower a couple of techs on a cable and eventually pull up the patient in a litter. He was in quite a precarious position and it would have been impossible to land a helicopter. Plus the whole scene unfolded next to a huge spire so it didn’t look like the helicopter could even get that close. They got it done though. Very impressive! It took me and QB another hour and a half to descend down a steep slope with a bunch of class 3 and 4 scrambles, some with built in chains. At the bottom of one scramble was a puddle of blood. We later learned someone made it into the refuge at the bottom with a head wound an hour before us. At the parking lot at the trailhead, the helicopter was unpacking the chest pain patient just as we were getting there so we checked in on him and he was doing ok.

What a morning! We got sandwiches for lunch at the bottom of Asco Stagnu ski mountain and were on to our next objective: Stage 3. This was a 3 mile section that the book said should take 6 hours. It didn’t quite take us that long, sure was tough though. The first mile climbed almost 2500 feet and then we traversed a ridge and descended even further. I watched one guy fall right in front of me and crack his head, it didn’t seem so bad and he had a bunch of people around to hold his hand so we were dismissed quickly. Didn’t need to have 2 medical aids today.

Finally made it to Carozzu which feels like the busiest and maybe the grossest campsite of the trail. We got the very last tent site down in a gully. If this were a rafting trip we’re in the groover spot.

Day 8…6/10/25…12.8 miles…3823 ft gain…Carozzu to Calinzana…Stages 2 and 1

GR20 wasn’t letting us off the hook easily, Stage 2 was rugged! We slept good in our little hobbit hole then climbed out of the tent and then thousands more feet directly up a steep mountain pass. From the first pass we had to traverse along a rocky ridge with lots of little scrambles up, down, over, under and around rocks. We got to another pass and began a long and tedious descent towards refuge de l’Ortu and the end of the segment. This was basically slower than 1 mph territory.

We had crepes for lunch at the refuge and then were on to finish this thing. Stage 1 isn’t ‘easy’ for us but if we were going south it would be way harder. It’s a massive effort because you’re basically climbing up 5000 ft in 7 miles, into the mountains from near sea level. For us it was all downhill. Still kinda tough though. There was about a mile of it that was lots of downhill scrambling, some with chains for assistance. What didn’t help was we had to keep waiting for people climbing uphill. Watching these people going uphill on their day 1 was like watching lambs going directly to the slaughter. I felt bad for these suckers, some of them just didn’t have a clue what they were in for. People kept asking us how long until the top, in French. A long way baby lamb, a long way.

Next there was about 3 or 4 miles of dusty trail downhill to Calinzana. Other than being exposed to the hot sun it was easy walking. At the bottom we passed through a gate and into the town of Calinzana and that was that. No fanfare or nothing. We walked through the town, stopped at a little store which is basically where everyone starts from and started hitching. Quickly we got 2 rides and got into Calvi on the northwest coast of Corsica where we’re staying for the night. A well deserved nice meal, shower, laundry, and a bed. Couldn’t find any of that wild boar stew though.

Final thoughts:

The GR20 was tough! I was in good shape going into it but other than that I didn’t really know how hard it was going to be. I would say the terrain isn’t that far off from doing a high route in the U.S. Logistically it was easy to get food, but I’m not a fan of having such limited camping opportunities although I understand why this system exists. Water was easy. Swimming was excellent. Everybody showers and does laundry here daily-I’m not doing that. I take baths when I can and put on the same smelly clothes and wash them at the end like real hiker trash. Anyway I recommend this trail if you’re in for a challenge but maybe not before early June.

Thank you for reading! Make sure to go back to the first half if you haven’t already

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Posted on June 11, 2025 by endlesspsummer

Corsica, GR20, Hiking, Thru hiking, Uncategorized

adventure, corse, Corsica, Europe, France, GR20, grv, hike, Hiking, mountains, thru hike, Thru hiking, thruhike, thruhiking, travel, traveling

This route is an ancient pilgrimage across Sicily, from Palermo south to Agrigento. It’s 130 miles give or take(I don’t care what the guide book says) and we did it over the course of five days. I walked with my hiking partner/wife, QB/Sara. The route basically goes from cathedral to cathedral and stopping at churches along the way is encouraged? Neither one of us is all that religious but nobody checks so we’re good to go. It’s both of our first “Camino” style walk. Anyway, here’s my account of the MVF.

Day 1…..5/23/25…..20.3 miles

Palermo to Santa Cristina Gela

Last night Sara and I flew from Porto, Portugal to Palermo, Italy. From the airport we took a shared taxi 45 mins for 8€ pp. The owner of the AirB+B tried to tell us that at 8:30 pm you won’t be able to get public transportation and she would send us a private car for 55€. I don’t think so lady; there were plenty of buses, cabs, and trains.

Our AirB+B was less than a mile from the Cathedral where this whole thing starts but first we had to run one little errand which added a couple miles. We went to the Casa D’Amici hostel where they have the passports. This is my first Camino so I didn’t know this. You take your passport with you to the different cathedrals along the route and they stamp it-you know, for proof.

At the Cathedral of Palermo we toured the ancient building from the 1100’s and went to get the MVF guidebook. The Liberia Paoline Bookstore across from the Cathedral is the only place that has it. Just go in there and tell one of the nuns what you’re up to and she’ll help you out.

Now we were on our way. First of all, almost all pavement all day. It was a few miles of walking through the city of Palermo, it wasn’t pretty, and then we started to climb. We walked into Monreale and did a lap around town before getting our passports stamped in a massive cathedral.

From Monreale we followed busy roads down and then back up to Altofonte where we got lunch and met 5 other pilgrims or pellegrinos. I guess we’re in the bubble. I would say QB and I are doing this route more of a cultural experience since neither one of us is religious so I’m not super comfortable calling myself a pilgrim. Pellegrino is cool though, I like that. Dish of delicious lasagna for lunch, I like that too. Then we assaulted some stairs and walked roads the rest of the day into Santa Cristina Gela.

SCG is a little town. We rented a room for the night from this woman Sylvana for 50€. You really can’t wild camp in Sicily so I guess we’re renting rooms every night? We’ll see. So far it’s quite luxurious opposed to thru hiking. Dinner was bruschetta and heart shaped pistachio raviolis.

Day 2…..5/24/25…..31.3 miles

Santa Cristina Gela to Prizzi

We dropped the keys off to Franco at the bakery and grabbed a couple pastries for breakfast. The beginning of the day brought us up out of town on some trails with views of Lake Piana. We then dropped down on an overgrown trail that had some tall hay or wildflowers or just general vegetation. Whatever it is, I’m allergic to this stuff and it was all over my arms and legs. I was covered in hives and itchy so I took a Benadryl and survived. As of now anyway.

The route passes through the tiny town of Tagliavia where we stopped to check out the church and get our passports stamped and enjoy a quick espresso. South of Tagliavia, there was a little detour to Gole da Drago that I really wanted to see so we went out and back about a mile each way to see this series of waterfalls. They were cool, if not a bit tricky to find, and were helpful washing some of that stuff off my arms and legs.

Next up, Corleone, of “The Godfather” fame. It seemed pretty quiet there this afternoon and the churches are closed on Saturday so we got our passports stamped at a local pizzeria instead. After splitting a pizza with anchovies, QB and I were on our way. *a bird shit on me in Corleone. QB had a bird shit on her in Lisbon last week so I guess we’re even.

Because you can’t camp along this trail and can really only stay in town you can’t really fly by the seat of your pants. Most pellegrinos walk from SCG to Corleone and stop for the night. Since we only gave ourselves five days total we have to push another 12 miles or so to Prizzi. Typical.

The rest of the afternoon was rolling Sicilian countryside to the town of Prizzi up high on a hill. We stayed at a hostel here where we met 2 other Pelegrinos, Daniel and Stella from southern Italy. Dinner was rigatoni licorice and spaghetti carbonara and ate at a nearby Trattoria.

Day 3……5/25/25…..25.2 miles

Prizzi to San Giovanni Gemini

Tip-toed out of the hostel this morning so not to wake our Italian friends who were still sleeping. On our way out of town grabbed some ricotta filled pastries for our morning walk.

Another beautiful day in Sicily. The path this morning was mostly dirt roads that brought us into a couple different forests, which we haven’t seen too much of out here. We caught up to an Australian couple Bob and Faye, veterans of Caminos all over Europe. They walked into Castronova de Sicilia with us and we found a spot for lunch that was open on Sunday. Pizza/calzone/rice balls or arancini if you were wondering. Castronovo is a delightful looking town carved right into the side of a mountain.

QB(or Regina B in Italian) and I walked another 8 or 9 miles this afternoon into San Giovanni Gemini. It’s hard to tell specifically how far everything is until it’s done. The trail is well marked, however it’s in kilometers and even though the conversion to miles is no sweat, all the signs seem to be a bit off, as well as the guidebook. Anyway the walking was chill. There were some caves that are cool and Regina B stepped on a green snake, supposedly. According to her it slithered away unharmed.

We rented a room for the night in San Giovanni Gemini. It’s directly next to the town of Cammarata, high up on a mountain and a bit of a busier place than we’ve been used to. On the way back from dinner (pizza/panini’s/gelato) we saw a ton of young people walking around wearing the same leather jacket. I felt like there was a flash mob or something-it was very strange.

Day 4…..5/26/25…..27.3 miles

San Giovanni Gemini to Racalmuto

Hot one today! Blue skies and sunny. We got pastries at a bakery on the way out of town, pretty much our standard breakfast. Today we passed through towns about every five miles.

First was Acquaviva Platani, we met Senor Federico there and he told us about his 11 years in England and how he made enough money to build 3 houses in Sicily. He sent us on our way to Sutera where the ridge walking into town was one of the highlights of the trail for me. Sutera is this town built around a mountain sticking right out of the middle of it-I’ve never been to any place like it. We ate some baked ziti there for lunch and moved on.

As we were walking through Campofranco, Rosetta pulled us into her house. She and her husband Antonio filled our water bottles and stamped passports. (The people in Sicily have been wicked nice, always welcoming us and beeping and waving.) A few miles later we had to ford a knee deep river, not something I expected. We then crossed paths with multiple shepherds with their flocks and sheep dogs. These things are built to take down wolves. All they did was bark a little at us. We also got eyes on Mt. Etna today, far to the east, looks like it’s erupting.

Tonight we’re staying in Racalmulto. Got ourselves a nice room with a balcony and everything. Like I mentioned earlier, luxurious living for thruhikers. Pizza with sardines for dinner.

Day 5…..5/27/25…..26.2 miles

Racalmuto to Agrigento

Finito. Did the damn thing. It was another hot one out there today. I don’t think we realized how lucky we were the first three days that we had decent cloud cover, because today and yesterday were hot! With limited shade. Felt like the Mojave out there.

This morning our walk was uneventful until the trail was so overgrown that I couldn’t see my feet and suddenly fell in a hole up to my chest. WTF MVF? Lucky I didn’t get hurt. Besides that it was a lot of pavement and a handful of towns. The best part of the walking today brought us up on a ridge where we could see the Mediterranean Sea to the south.

In Joppolo Giancaxio I got a sausage and onion sub for lunch. I’m telling you, it was so good. Sara got a chicken sandwich and I just know she had food envy when she tried some of mine.

The last ten miles into Agrigento weren’t my favorite. We aimed for Cattedrale San Gerlando which we could see high up in the city on a hill. The destination of this whole pilgrimage. Overall I enjoyed this route and I definitely like Sicily. Walking into Agrigento was just kinda beat. We got to the church and they sent us around the corner to a museum to get our final stamp and ticket to tour the church. It was about to close for the day so we’ll go check it out tomorrow and celebrate with a victory pizza instead. Or pasta.

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Posted on May 30, 2025 by endlesspsummer

Hiking, Magna via Francigena, Uncategorized

adventure, Camino, Europe, hike, Hiking, Italy, magnaviafrancigena, mountains, Sicily, thru hike, Thru hiking, thruhike, thruhiking, trail, travel, traveling, travelling

When Sara and I left Colorado we had a couple weeks before we had to be back in Massachusetts. Our plan was to meet our friends Mike and Heather in Minnesota and spend 10 days paddling around in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area(BWCA) on the Minnesota/Ontario Border. These two had recently flown home to New Hampshire from a multiple month trip in Alaska where they spent their time pack rafting, hiking, biking, and fishing. They were driving out west from New England to carry on with their trip and met up with us along the way. When Sara and I left Colorado we drove north through Wyoming into South Dakota then North Dakota. We stopped in Theodore Roosevelt National Park for an evening then found a place to park for the night. Driving east the next day across NoDak and into Minnesota we reached our destination and got a room for the night in Ely, MN. After a day of errands and prep or whatever we got on the water.

Campsite 1534…Basswood Lake…9/23/20

Last night the 4 of us car camped in Ely. This morning we drove to Boundary Waters Outfitters and had them slap a couple canoes on our roofs in exchange for a few bucks and the promise to return 10 days later. After gathering our canoes we went into Ely and enjoyed our last town meal for awhile, a couple of manhole cover sized pancakes each then picked up our fishing licenses at a gas station. From Ely it’s about a 15 minute drive to our put in spot, Fall Lake. We got a permit for 10 days and all you need to confirm is where you’re putting boats in. There’s a couple thousand campsites in the BWCA and I guess they’re all fair game once you get in the water. We started our day on the water paddling across Fall Lake a couple miles to the first portage; a quarter mile walk between Fall Lake and Newton Lake. Sara and I did it in two trips but planned on getting these portages down to one. A couple miles later on the other side of Newton Lake we got that chance and succeeded on another quarter mile portage to the Pipestone Bay portion of Basswood Lake.

This was a long narrow bay with a handful of islands. A father/daughter team told us about their previous nights campsite where they left a bunch of firewood. We found the island, stopped and scooped up the wood before paddling another couple miles to Basswood Lake. There’s a kidney shaped island out in the middle with a sweet campsite on the eastern side where we’re making our home tonight. Saw 5 eagles, a fifty pound beaver, and some of the most stunning peak season foliage I’ve ever seen in a deciduous forest.

D2…..CS 1547…..9/24/20

We were slugs this morning and weren’t feeling 100%. Some of us worse than others. Probably eating 3 day old unrefrigerated Walmart chicken yesterday didn’t help, but we rallied and in a couple hours were on the water. I used that time in camp wisely to narrowly defeat Sara and Mike in Cribbage and explore some of the island we were living on for the last night(had I lost you wouldn’t have been reading about a cribbage game). We had a short paddle across Pipestone Bay and then a long 1 mile portage to avoid being swept away in Basswood Falls. This time we took all the bags down first then Mike and I jogged back for the canoes. These canoes are 17 feet long made of Kevlar and weigh only 45 lbs, they aren’t unreasonable to carry solo by flipping them up on your shoulders. Just a little awkward and not super fun to do for a mile. When we got back to the put in the girls had made lunch and Heather had caught a fish. I threw a line out there and also caught a fish but Sara and Heather claimed it was the same smallmouth bass Heather just caught and she weakened it for me. We were now in narrow water, in Basswood River I believe, and on the northern bank was Canada. There was a short paddle and then a short portage to get around another set of falls, this time Sara went beast mode and hauled the canoe on her shoulders. I went for a nice swim and we all did some fishing. After swimming I caught a gigantic smallmouth bass then Mike caught an even bigger one. Probably Canadian fish.

After awhile we moved on to our last set of falls that we had to portage around and then another 20 minutes of paddling to the campsite we selected. This peninsula we’re camping on was protected by a large bald eagle and a giant beaver. Typical of a piece of land right on the US/Canada border. Mike and I paddled over to the Canadian side to gather firewood and the girls got dinner going. Because we don’t have everything on our backs the whole time we can carry a little more. Tonight Sara sautéed up peppers and onions and cooked quesadillas on the fire pit and somehow Heather baked gingerbread in the fire.

D3…..CS 1863 …..9/25/20.

This morning started off well enough. We paddled across the river from our campsite to a short portage that brought us around Lower Basswood Falls. The rest of the morning we spent slowly paddling and fishing down the narrow Crooked Lake. There were some pretty beefy cliffs on the American Side that had ancient pictographs drawn on them. Probably could have found a spot to jump those cliffs but it just wasn’t swimming weather. Around noontime it started to drizzle. I wanted to press on because I figured it would let up soon(it did not let up soon). The four of us quickly pulled over on a narrow spit of land as it started to downpour. Mike packed a small tarp so they set that up quickly and we all jammed under it for awhile. Once the rain relaxed a bit we started towards an actual campsite that wasn’t too far away and waited out the weather. It pretty much poured until about 6pm. It took me awhile to commit to this being a half day of paddling but it was out of my hands.

This evening when the rain had stopped and the sun was shining across the lake it gave the world a very cool look. I wet a line and caught a couple of northern pike. Sara and Heather somehow got a fire going with some very wet wood and birch bark while Mike and I went out and gathered a bunch of firewood. It was very nice to hangout by the fire and dry some stuff out instead of being confined to our tents all night.

Day 4…..CS 1860 Iron Lake…..9/26/20

The skies didn’t look good this morning but fortunately it didn’t rain all day until just as we were going to bed. We had a great day of paddling and spent most of our time on calm water crossing Crooked Lake. The bays are named after the days of the week and we went by island after island crossing Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday bay. We stayed mostly along the border but a couple times dipped into Canada going around islands. At the end of Crooked Lake we reached Curtain Falls which had a 30 foot drop and also a half mile portage that avoided the 30 foot falls. On the other side of the falls we were now in Iron Lake.

The first couple of campsites we tried were occupied even though we saw barely anyone the last two days but eventually we found a great spot on an island in the middle of the lake. At camp I started a campfire with Mike’s flint and steel, a super primitive toy that was probably left over from his Boy Scout days. I caught a northern pike gutted and cleaned it under Mike’s tutelage, cooked it over the fire then we all ate it with a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Delicious! Sara then made Gnocchi with Pesto and Heather baked gingerbread in the fire. It was a great night.

Day 5…..CS 170 Lac LaCroix…..9/27/20

We woke up to crisp air and bright blue sky. From our campsite on Iron Lake we continued paddling west along the US/Canada border and eventually came to a very shallow rocky area that led into Bottle Lake. Today this required a minor portage but it definitely doesn’t when there’s deeper water. We paddled across the short and scenic Bottle Lake to Bottle Portage which is a half mile long muddy trail on the Canadian side of a set of rapids. Normally I think you can go back and forth between Ontario and Minnesota but because of Covid and the border being closed you’re currently not supposed to. That being said, Bottle Portage is in Canada but this is the only way to go. It started to get very windy and suddenly we were in big water, Lac La Croix. For the next hour we paddled hard across a big section of the choppy windy lake to campsite 170, an absolute gem of a site.

We got here in the early afternoon and planned on calling this place home for 2 nights, spending the rest of the day here today then taking a day trip from here tomorrow. The rest of the day we just chilled. Sara and I swam and took a short hike exploring the island. Heather and I paddled the shore collecting fire wood and Mike came with me on a fishing expedition. While we were out we got chased back to camp by some thunderheads. Luckily we made it back but it got super windy and a bit stormy while we were trying to catch dinner. I got skunked fishing today, not for the lack of trying, just wasn’t my day. Sara made quesadillas over the fire that were delicious so I guess just as well.

Day 6…..CS 177 Tiger Bay, Lac La Croix…..9/28/20

Last night Sara and I were terrorized by a mouse at our tent. The gd thing was doing laps around our tent at a million miles an hour then climbing up the screen and running above us between the screen and the fly. This went on until 3 in the morning when I finally fell asleep. Up until now I had been sleeping like a rock out here on these islands. Mike and Heather also got some attention from a mouse last night. The four of us decided to pack up and find another place to camp for tonight instead of spending 2 nights here.

We paddled across a windy section of Lac LaCroix to a small island within Tiger Bay. Our new campsite was on a corner of this island. This was the smallest island we stayed on yet and I easily walked around the rocky shores of the whole thing. Sara and I then Mike and I took exploration and fishing paddles around Tiger Bay and again got shut out on the fishing front, it must be the lake. I did find a big mussel So Heather cooked it over the fire then her, Mike, and I split it up. A bit gamey otherwise I would have gone back for a bunch more. And who knows with shellfish, that’s a gamble I don’t want to lose. We gathered a bunch of firewood then all had a relaxing afternoon and evening out here by the fire. Tomorrow we’ll start slowly backtracking then looping back towards Fall Lake.

Day 7…..CS 1867, Friday Bay, Crooked Lake…..9/29/20

I woke up to the pitter patter of rain on the roof of the tent this morning. Luckily it didn’t last long and we were able to get out on the water. Over the next handful of days we don’t have an insurmountable distance to go but it’s significant enough that a day or half a day lost to lousy weather will put the pressure on us. We moved a few miles from within Tiger Bay north to the Ontario side of Bottle Portage and walked all our stuff and canoes up to Bottle Lake. Sara threw one cast out into Bottle Lake and caught the biggest Northern Pike so far and her first fish of the trip. It was exciting.

We quickly crossed the lake then picked our canoes up over some rocks and were in Iron Lake. In Iron Lake we paddled through Canadian waters to stay protected from the wind and got ourselves back to Curtain Falls where we had another half mile portage up to Crooked Lake. We ate lunch here then paddled about 6 miles across Sunday and Saturday Bay to campsite 1867 on a small island at the mouth of Friday bay. This is a pretty sweet spot on a rocky coastline with a nice view of the brightly colored trees on the American Side of Crooked Lake. After a cloudy and chilly morning the sun was out for the rest of the afternoon and after collecting and chopping a bunch of firewood, Sara and I went for a cold swim. I’ve been struggling to catch a fish the last few days so Mike and I took a little trip around the island to try. I got skunked again but Mike caught a massive smallmouth bass and we brought it back to the fire. I gutted and cleaned the fish and the girls had sharpened sticks in order to splay the thing across the grill on top of the fire. A little salt, pepper, and lemon juice and the 4 of us had a feast while watching a killer sunset and lightning storms in the distance. An excellent day.

D8…..CS 1106 Fourtown Lake…..9/30/20

Today was challenging but we made a lot of progress. First thing we did was move south away from the Canadian Border through Friday Bay and portaged out of Crooked Lake onto Papoose Creek. This felt like we were off of the big water and onto smaller lakes and creeks. With all the wind it’s much more comfortable on the small stuff. Papoose Creek was boggy and cool looking and brought us through Chippewa then Niki then Wagoosh Lake. From there we continued onto Gun Lake, Fairy Lake, Boot Lake then finally across Fourtown Lake to our home for the night, campsite 1106 next to a rocky creek into a smaller part of the lake. Most of these lakes have portages of varying lengths between them. In all we had seven portages with the longest being a mile.

Sara and I have got it down to just 1 trip which makes the portages super quick. She’s been taking the bulk of the gear and I carry the canoe and a small backpack. The canoe, although light for a canoe, is still a chore to carry. The portages are a nice change of pace to the paddling. I don’t mind getting out and stretching my legs once in awhile. When we got to camp the wind was still whipping and kept it pretty chilly here. We’ve got into a nice camping routine of setting up tents, collecting firewood, chopping it, going fishing, playing cribbage, starting a fire, cooking and eating then eating more. Basically in that order. Tonight right after we put the fire out we all heard something crashing through the woods but none of us saw it. I’m guessing either a bear or a moose but Sara thought maybe a beaver dragging a log. We did see a couple beavers or otters swimming nearby so probably.

Day 9…..Ely, MN

Today was heartbreaking. We spent the morning and into the afternoon paddling across windy lakes and made it to a campsite on Pipestone Bay for the last night of the trip that was within striking distance of our take out spot. Throughout the Boundary Waters, none of us had cell service, I never even bothered to check. When we got to this spot we were only about 7 miles from our cars and not much further to the town of Ely. After setting up our tents, Heather turned her phone on and got the tragic news that her mom died. Suddenly, and unexpected.

I can’t write down what Heather and Mike went through that day. It was devastating to witness and be a part of. We knew being out in the woods, miles from the car and half the country away from home wasn’t the place to grieve. We needed to get moving. Sara and I packed up and the four of us paddled and portaged 7 more miles to our cars. To get off the water, everybody had to paddle, there was no automatic transport home. They had a very long way ahead of them to get back to their family. Heather realized the situation and didn’t flinch. It wasn’t easy either, there were multiple portages where we had to again unload the canoes, then carry them through the woods, load them back up, and resume paddling. After a full day on the water too. I couldn’t believe the strength Heather and Mike had. I can’t imagine doing anything but crawling into my tent and wishing it wasn’t true if I had been in their shoes. A couple hours later we were back in Ely. We returned the canoes, said tearful goodbyes, then separately started our drives back to New England.

I had met Trisha Ballestero a couple times. She was awesome, full of life, the kind of person that wanted to get to know you, made you feel welcome in her home, fun, funny, outgoing, happy. And I only met her twice. I feel I really got to know her during the canoe trip, Heather talked about her everyday. The two of them told us all kinds of stories, mostly about Heather’s family, and most of those centered around Trish. A truly devastating loss for the Ballestero family.

A couple weeks later, after Sara and I returned home, donning Aloha shirts and bright clothes we went to Trisha’s celebration of life. On a beautiful fall day in New Hampshire, we listened to best friend after best friend(everyone that met her was Trisha’s best friend) tell us stories about her life and her passion for living it. I’ve never left a funeral feeling so inspired to live and enjoy every day of my life.

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Posted on May 4, 2021 by endlesspsummer

Boundary Waters, bwca, canoe trip, minnesota, road trip

adventure, Boundary Waters, bwca, canoe, canoe trip, canoeing, fall, foliage, minnesota, Ontario, paddling, road trip, sunset, Theodore Roosevelt National park, travel, traveling, waterfalls

After we finished up in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, Sara and I made our way out to nearby Bishop Hot Springs for a relaxing soak. While there I’ve come as close as I ever have to adopting a puppy. There was a pair of wild(?) dogs out there, although more likely ranch dogs with a gigantic range, that were so friendly and well behaved that I wanted to take them with me. A pair of dogs they make Disney movies about. In the end we figured we didn’t want to actually steal someone’s dogs in case they did actually belong to a ranch or farm out this way. From there we drove east across Utah and into Colorado stopping in Fort Collins and staying with BK and Prickly Pear for a few days where we paddle boarded on the reservoir, ate burritos, and played trains. We couldn’t convince BK but we talked Pear into playing a little hooky and joining us for a few days backpacking through Colorado’s Western Collegiate peaks and maybe summiting a mountain. Sara and I drove south from FoCo to Leadville and parked out in the foothills for the night with plans to start a trip the next day with Pear, and also friends Jabba and Badger who were joining us.

Day 1…..8 miles…..9/15/20

This morning at the Safeway in Leadville we met up with Prickly Pear and also Jabba and Badger who drove over from the Denver area. Our plan was to hike a 60 mile section of the Colorado Trail or the Continental Divide Trail as they overlap here and hopefully(maybe) climb a few of the fourteeners. An early season snow from last week might make matters difficult for climbing these peaks but without that snow the Colorado wildfires would keep us from hiking here at all.

We dropped 2 cars at Missouri Gulch Trailhead then Badger drove us all down to the Boss Lake Trailhead just north of Monarch Pass. There was about a 1.5 mile access trail to the CT then we just cruised all afternoon until finding a place to camp. In places there was snow on the ground and we got up high topping out over 12,000 feet on Chalk Creek Pass. It may be a bit cold for the next few days but I like our plan and the hiking should be good.

Day 2…..17 miles…..9/16/20

We rolled out of bed a little later than normal and waited until it got slightly warmer to start walking. Soon we fell in behind 3 hunters and between them and us we saw two bucks about 10 feet from the side of the trail. They either weren’t hunting for deer or are terrible hunters. We walked along the alpine tunnel trail and then up a long slow climb to the top of an unnamed pass. That was the theme of the day, drop down to a creek and then climb up another unnamed pass with excellent views.

I hiked this trail southbound on the CT in ‘16 and then northbound on the CDT in ‘17. Lots of it seemed very familiar but nothing completely jogged my memory. We did pass through a section where QB, Prickly Pear and I remembered seeing what we thought was Barack Obama’s plane in 2016 and then diving into a bush to take cover from a hailstorm.

Our pace was a little relaxed today which was nice with some long breaks. Camping looked to be tricky in the next handful of miles so around 5 we found a spot that did the trick. Hiking was great today but there was some snow fields here and there in particular on the north sides of the passes so we walked with rather wet feet all day. This was never really an issue until we got to camp and everyone seemed to have super cold feet.

Day 3…..19 miles…..9/17/20

It was a cold one this morning, we camped close to 12,000 feet and Badger’s thermometer said something like 33 degrees. The air was also much smokier than before, a local fire was ruled out so we’re guessing it’s smoke that drifted over from California. Because of the smoke we’re probably ruling out climbing any of the fourteeners we loosely planned for at the end of the hike. Other than that the hiking has been great.

Most of the morning we were climbing before topping out just before Cottonwood Pass. Up at the pass we crossed a road and a bunch of people taking pictures of the Continental Divide sign then started down towards Texas Creek. Jabba, the loudest person I know, was having some sort of ankle injury caused by the high top Altra Lone Peaks he was wearing. He almost hitched out at the pass but since I wear the low cut version of the same sneakers and same size QB suggested we try switching. No problem. It was kinda weird, I’ve never ever switched shoes with someone before, but it was the difference of him bailing or not and they didn’t bother my ankles.

After walking a few miles in another man’s shoes we dropped down to Texas Creek. We ate lunch, walked along the creek playing the movie game then started a long slow climb up towards Lake Ann Pass before finding a flat spot to camp big enough to accommodate 4 tents. Oh yeah, I saw a moose. Pear, Jabba, and Badger claimed they saw another one but only just the one for me.

Day 4…..13 miles…..9/18/20

It was significantly warmer at our campsite last night most likely since we were about a thousand feet lower. The 5 of us started strong up our last challenge of this hike, Lake Ann Pass. This is a long gradual climb that tops out around 12,500 feet and provides some awesome views. In 2017 while QB and I were hiking the CDT the north side of this pass was one of the trickier obstacles in Colorado. Thankfully we didn’t have to navigate down a gigantic cornice this time. There was a fair amount of snow on the north side but it wasn’t too difficult to descend.

On the way down we crossed paths with a couple of ultra runners going for FKT attempts. In particular, Courtney Dawaulter, who might be the most b.a. person in the sport. Today she was out here pacing her friend on a training run. The rest of the day we spent descending, while passing the Huron Peak Trailhead, then the ghost town of Winfield and back to the cars. Prickly Pear and QB headed to Leadville for the afternoon and I drove Jabba and Badger back to Badger’s truck near Monarch Pass.

I backtracked to Leadville met up with the girls. Over Pizza we changed our minds and decided to try Huron tomorrow. This meant driving back out to Missouri Gulch and setting up camp for the night. With lighter packs we’ll hopefully get up the peak tomorrow.

Day 5…..11 miles…..9/19/20

The road out to Missouri Gulch isn’t great. It gets worse significantly worse for the 2 miles past the ghost town of Winfield to the Huron Peak trailhead. We camped on the side of the road shortly before Winfield giving us an extra 4 miles round trip of road walking but I’d rather that than destroy my car.

QB, Prickly Pear, and I quickly covered the 2 miles of road to the Huron Peak Trailhead. The trail climbs almost 3500 feet over 3.5 miles. It’s steep and it’s a challenge but it’s a walk-up. There aren’t any crazy moves necessary and the exposure level is low. For the first couple miles we were below treeline and just switchbacked upwards gaining significant elevation. Once above the trees we could look up at the behemoth were about to climb. As with all of Colorado’s Fourteeners, Huron was busy. Especially on a Saturday in September. I’m guessing the early season snow kept some people away, still busy though.

Shortly above treeline we hit snow and spent the next hour climbing up towards the summit. Once we got close it got steeper and icier. We put on what we had for traction; QB and I shared a pair of trekking poles and a pair of spikes. Pear didn’t wear spikes but she had 2 poles. All 3 of us survived and summitted. At the top it was clear, sunny, and warm. Views were awesome and it was a truly beautiful summit. We quickly and easily descended the mountain then backtracked the road to the car. The three of us ate burgers in Leadville then Pear headed home to FoCo. QB and I showered and did laundry at the laundromat then started making our way northeast on the long drive to Minnesota to paddle the Boundary Waters.

Feel free to checkout our instas for more pics of this adventure and others: @endlesspsummer and @sarahikes.

Our friends have been doing some awesome stuff, if you’d like to see @peardontcare @therealhikingviking @zrdavis

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Posted on April 23, 2021 by endlesspsummer

colorado, colorado trail, continental divide, mt huron, road trip, rockies, western collegiates

adventure, backpacking, cdt, co, colorado, coloradotrail, continental divide trail, hike, Hiking, honeymoon, Leadville, mountains, mt huron, road trip, Subaru Outback, thru hike, Thru hiking, thruhike, thruhiking, travel, traveling, travelling, western collegiates

9/8/20…..20 miles…..Overland Lake

The Ruby Crest Trail follows along the top of central Nevada’s Ruby Mountains for 31 or so miles. We’re hiking from north to south and then again from south to north. Starting at Lamoille Canyon we’ll walk to the southern edge of the Ruby Mountain Wilderness which is about 6 miles north of Harrison Pass trailhead. Those 6 miles are a double track jeep road and Sara and I don’t feel like doing that twice. In a covid free world I’d probably hike one way between the two trailheads then hitch back to the car. These mountains spring up out of the desert in central Nevada creating a sky island of granite peaks and alpine lakes among a rather flat expanse of dry open desert. I’d first heard of this trail from a shelter caretaker on the AT in ‘16, I put it on my to do list then figured I’d get to it one of these times I’m driving across Nevada. The time is now.

Yesterday Sara and I left Sacramento and drove east all day on I-80 to Elko, NV where we spent the night. Elko is an interstate, casino, desert town that has a big anti-drug billboard that reads, “Don‘t meth up our town.” This morning we drove south for less than an hour and could see the Rubies from a distance rising way up above the desert. Soon they were all around us. While following Lamoille Canyon Road to the end, we were cut off by a coyote which is always a good sign. When we got to the trailhead my cars thermometer read 30 degrees. Yesterday it was in high 90’s. A day before that us 112 in Sac. Be careful what you wish for I guess.

The Ruby Crest Trail begins at the trailhead at the end of the road and the first few miles we climbed steadily up past a few beautiful lakes to Liberty Pass. The views really were remarkable. This place is easy on the eyes. We walked up and down through a lakes basin for a half a dozen miles along with a bunch of hawks and other hunting birds before finding ourselves on a ridge walk for awhile. We topped out for the day on Wines Peak which I believe is the high point of the trail around 10,800 feet. There were a few hikers out there and one of them, Camel, was hiking the Hot Springs Trail which starts on the Canadian Border(I think) and goes to Santa Barbara specializing in hot springs. The trail itself was very nice all day and besides being a little chilly it was sunny and clear out. In the evening we found a cozy campsite next to scenic Overland Lake and quickly set up the tent and warmed up.

9/9/20…..23 miles…..Overland Lake

We should have left the tent set up and maybe left our sleeping bags in it. Just didn’t think it through and didn’t realize we’d be camping in the same spot again. This morning we zigzagged up above Overland Lake to a smaller tarn and then zigzagged some more to a steep pass which we think is Overland Lake Pass. From here we switchbacked way down a couple thousand feet and suddenly were in cow country. We crossed a couple different forks of Smith Creek where water was flowing then kind of went up and down while contouring on the side of mountains. When we reached the edge of the wilderness and beginning of the double track we figured we really don’t need to out and back 6 miles of atv trail. We turned and doubled back to our spot by the lake. Some say that every trail is actually 2 trails, a trail in each direction. You could say that.

From the top of Overland Lake Pass the scenery gradually got less dramatic heading south. If I was recommending this trail to someone(which I would) I’d say start at Harrison Pass and walk north but just go one way. That way the trail keeps getting better and better.

9/10/20…..20 miles…..car

To read about today’s hiking just go back to day 1 and read it in reverse. Just kidding. The weather today was the best of the 3, nice and warm, sunny, no wind, and clear blue skies. I got in my only swim of the trail in Liberty Lake shortly before finishing.

To prospective hikers or to my future self if I was to hike this trail again I have a couple little nuggets of advice. This is what I would do: first of all I’d prefer to hike it just one way and I’d go south to north as it gets better as you go, if a yo-yo was my only option I think I’d go from the north to Overland Lake Pass and turn around. Also take note that there’s no water for roughly 12 miles between Favre Lake and a series of springs a couple miles south of Overland Lake. Other than that, enjoy! This place is a gem like the name implies.

Feel free to follow this blog or find us on insta for more pictures: @endlesspsummer and @sarahikes

These are pretty much all Sara’s pics, I dropped my phone in Lynn Harbor shortly after our trip. Unintentionally of course, and although I recovered it I lost tons of the best pictures you’ll never see.