ONDA and Wahoo Films released the movie they made about the Oregon Desert Trail and my 2013 summer hike.
The creation of this movie added quite a bit of work & complexity to my hike this summer and it is nice to see the end result. I hope it inspires people to come check out the mostly ignored eastern side of Oregon!
Check out the MOVIE here
On June 5th, 2013 I set out from my door in Bend, Oregon for a grand adventure. By the time I reached the Snake river and the Idaho boarder on the 11th of July I had covered 845 miles by foot and pedal, and stepped across my 10,000th thru-hike mile. It is hard to say exactly where mile 10,000 happened, probably in the upper West Little Owyhee River. When I think back to my very first three miles of thru-hiking, hauling myself out of Albuquerque up to the soaring heights of the Sandia Crest on the Grand Enchantment Trail, I realize now I had stepped onto a new path in life. I found something that made my soul sing at the same time it made the soles of my feet hurt with gut wrenching pain. 10,000 miles later my foot soles still throb at the end of each trail day, but my soul is rocking out more than ever to the rhythm of the routes. I am in love with long trails, creative routes, and the feeling I get when traveling over landscapes day after day. I am endlessly grateful to have had the opportunity to walk these miles, and I hope to be lucky enough to wander over another 10,000 or more- there are so many places to visit!
Thank you to all those wonderful people and places I have met along the way, though I was alone for most of my miles I always felt supported.
Over the past month Adam & I hiked from the Lost Coast across the Yolla Bollies, biked through the Central Valley, walked up the South Fork of the Yuba & down the PCT to the Tahoe Rim Trail. We are currently on a week long break from the Ryder Route to shuttle trucks, cache food, and for Adam to attend a friend’s wedding. Soon we will head back up to Mt. Rose and resume our hike south to Whitney & Death Valley. 500 down, 500 to go!
So far the hike has been breathtaking in the terrain and views. There has been many challenges, like following trails that haven’t been maintained for years, dodging pot fields under blackhawk helicopters, or figuring out how much water to carry into the unknown. Huge climbs & descents have become part of our daily rhythm and California has shown us much of her wild variety- from cool redwood forests to sunbaked chaparral coated hillsides and finally to the open granite slabs and gnarled pines of the high sierra.
I hope to post a full description of the route and our experiences once we finish the route. Adam has created a Facebook page for the Japhy Ryder on which you can see our frequent updates & posts.
Adam and I began hiking last Wednesday out at Cape Mendocino after my Mom dropped us off at an oceanfront ranch. We hopped a fence & crawled under a bunch of alders to gain the beach, then headed south down the lost coast. Now we are here in Garberville, day 6, sore but stoked. This week we will head to the Yolla Bolly Mountains via a long road walk. So far so good! For more pics & words about our journey check out the Japhy Ryder Route page on Facebook!
