triple crown

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1859 Magazine meets a Thru-hiker

By |May 11th, 2016|Current, ODT|Comments Off on 1859 Magazine meets a Thru-hiker

 
Looking back to my time on the Oregon Desert Trail with 1859

Thru-Hiker Sage Clegg’s Desert Awakening

Last winter I was interviewed for this recent article in 1859 Magazine, and that interview has re-kindled a philosophical debate for me. This article prompted me to re-visit my 2013 hike of the Oregon Desert Trail, which was a darn good walk. The walk was darn good, partly because it was hard. Years later I am still grappling with the issues I stumbled upon out in Eastern Oregon, and last winter’s Malheur takeover added some new twists. My new high desert home is full of complexities, and I am still trying to figure out how a hiker like me (who really doesn’t like politics, but loves wild open spaces) can fit in a place that is brimming with controversy. I still have no solid answers about the politics & land management issues in Eastern Oregon, but I know I love it out there, and these public lands should stay in public hands. Thanks to Anna Bird from 1859 for asking good questions and getting my brain churning again about designation, public lands, and one of my favorite places, South Eastern Oregon.

 

 

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Stoking adventure fire: 5 books to get you through winter

By |December 10th, 2014|2014 posts, AT, Current, Japhy Ryder, PCT|Comments Off on Stoking adventure fire: 5 books to get you through winter

Last week up at the mountain it rained on top of a beautiful fresh pile of 11 inches of fluffy powder. When I went to bed I had been excited to get up, gear up, and head up to Mt. Bachelor for my first day of the ski season. Reading the report in the morning dashed my hopes- all that beautiful snow was now encrusted by a lens of heavy snow.

The snow mess meant that instead of having a wonderful morning of playing in the mountains I was going to have to turn my focus back to the endless ruble pile of my own personal life maintenance. Adam and I recently returned home from a few months of work down in the Mojave, and we have stacks of mail to sort, a yard to clean up, firewood to split, map sets to edit, a kitchen remodel to plan, huge lists of projects to sew, build, create … The to do list is huge and overwhelming.

Distractions under these circumstances are welcome. I need reminders that adventures and free time exist. Following an adventure or two, watching movies about hiking, and reading books about fresh air and freedom are my remedy for feeling overwhelmed. Below I have listed 5 of my favorite books to help stoke your expedition fire and stave off the winter blues. Happy armchair adventures!

5 adventure books to get you through winter:

Rowing to Latitude, Jill Fredston

I discovered this book years before I started thru-hiking, and it planted some kind of seed that wouldn’t die. This book helped me realize that people do crazy sounding adventures- like rowing around Alaska- year after year. Jill and her husband, Doug, treat their summer adventures just as […]

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Reaching the Redwoods on the Bigfoot Trail

By |August 10th, 2014|2014 posts, Bigfoot Trail, Current|Comments Off on Reaching the Redwoods on the Bigfoot Trail

On the 28th of July I found myself suddenly out of the sunny mountains and walking into a fog enshrouded tsunami hazard zone. My hike ended when my feet left  pavement and sunk into the sand of the beach in Crescent City, and soon there after were dipped into the icy Pacific Ocean. There was something magical about ending a hike at the edge of the Pacific!

The last day of the Bigfoot Trail revealed  four final tree species, Redwoods, Red Cedar, Grand Fir, and Sitka Spruce within the last 15 miles. The morning walk through the Little Bald Hills was a review of many of the conifers I had met throughout the hike: Knobcone Pine, Jeffery Pine, Douglas Fir, Common Juniper, and Port Ortford Cedar to name a few. Day 20 turned out to be a fantastic grand finale to a wonderful thru-hike.

My time on the Bigfoot Trail was mostly bliss tinged with moments of misery in just the right amount to make it a solid adventure. Thru-hiking is never a cake walk, and I probably wouldn’t love it so much if there weren’t challenges like getting lost on overgrown trail or dealing with my ever present sole pain (sore & bruised feet). I loved the rugged, remote, and awe inspiring terrain of this route. There was never a dull moment, even the roadwalks were entertaining with their unique emerald triangle road trash and spectacular scenery.

Swimming was possible almost daily, and some of the swimming holes were in the top 10 pools of my life (check out the Stewart Fork of the Trinity and the North Fork of the Salmon!!). Discovering trees at each new mountain range helped ease the pain of the many […]

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Hiker Trash Meets The Press

By |March 7th, 2011|2011 posts|Comments Off on Hiker Trash Meets The Press

The San Francisco Examiner just ran a “personal best” story about my triple crown and what it’s like to return home to a busy city… San Francisco was a little overwhelming after being alone for almost 7 months! Coming home after such a long time gone was really wonderful though, and it is a treat to share my adventure with people back in the Bay!

Read it here…
“Ultralight backpacker traverses nation, completes triple crown” 

Also, Freefall, an awesome hiker who runs the Distance Backpacker blog did an interviewed me in January. Here is a link to that, and you should check out his awesome journals while you are there!
Question and Answer with Sage Clegg

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