Your True Wild Nature - Anne McGuffey

Late summer native wildflowers in the yard. The majority of these are volunteers that show up naturally, especially in a wet monsoon summer like this year. They don’t receive any supplemental water, only what nature provides.

A 5-day sea kayak trip in the San Juan Islands in early July, an adventure like none other I’ve done before!! My cousin-in-law Julie and I started on Orcas Island, and paddled across the channel with our guide Eli to Sucia Island. That first stretch was only 3 miles, but paddling in ocean currents was challenging for a first-timer like me!😳(I got better after a few days on the water 😉) We set up camp on a scenic ridge on the island, and hiked and paddled from there for a few days.

The next day we paddled to Patos Island and hiked to the historic lighthouse on the island - it’s an important navigation aid for shipping through the Strait of Georgia. We were so close to Canada, but alas, visiting Canada will have to wait.

The sunsets from our camp on Sucia Island were spectacular. We were well-fed with wonderful meals prepared by our guide. While out paddling each day, we saw lots of seabirds, harbor seals, and spectacular purple sea stars on the rocks near the island’s shores.

It was a fantastic adventure, and my first time in the San Juan Islands. There’s something very special about the islands, the ocean, wildlife, and island culture — I look forward to returning in the future.

I did a shake-down hike today with a 29-lb pack to test some aspects of my gear in preparation for my upcoming John Muir Trail hike. My pack felt comfortable, though in reality it will weigh considerably more than 29 lbs!

Possible hiking partners didn’t pan out, so I accepted that I’d be hiking solo. On the JMT, I’d prefer to hike with someone. But I told myself, “I’m strong, I’m up for the challenge, I can do it!” Then it worked out for my sister Lynne and her husband Mark to join me!

It’s been an intense few days wrapping up the planning and gear preparation. In a few days, we’ll be on the trail from Duck Pass in Mammoth, heading south on the JMT. My mind will finally be able to relax and let my body work hard as we hike up and down the many passes we’ll cross.

[Photos: today’s hike on Little Elden Trail, not far from my house, and one of my favorite hikes in Flagstaff.]

I’m prepping for the next adventure — 120 miles on the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains in August.🌲⛺️ Most of my food for 13 days is laid out on the table — more bars, dried fruit, tortillas, and cheese will be added. I make my own oatmeal mixture, dinners (which I dehydrate), and I dehydrate sliced fruit.

The bear canister is holding 8 days of food (just to test that it would fit; well... barely🙄), with a 2-liter water bottle next to it for scale. I mailed the resupply to a remote ranch for pickup along the way. (They require that it be mailed in a bucket to protect from critters.)

Any long hike involves lots of logistics — especially the JMT. It’s all coming together, and I’m excited that I’ll soon be in the beauty of the mountains, streams, and lakes! And the eight passes I’ll climb, at elevations ranging from 10,800 to over 12,000 ft.😳

PS - my dog Jackson is always nearby checking out what’s going on 😉

Days 7 and 8 of The Great Outdoors Challenge, May 20-21, Tarfside to Kinnaber Links on the east coast of Scotland. The last 2 days of the hike were on relatively easy terrain, a combination of minor roads and dirt tracks through farmland and small villages. The weather was mostly dry — a welcome change from the frequent rain of the previous six days!

I walked occasionally with other hikers on day 6, but mostly on my own through sheep pastures and along the scenic River Esk. The night’s camp was at a caravan park with the company of many other challengers on our last night of the trek.

On the final day, six of us walked together — hailing from the U.S. (just me), Scotland, England, Canada, and Netherlands. We had a great time chatting as we walked. A popular stop on this stretch is Charleton Farms for lunch and delicious strawberry tarts! From there it was a short walk to the beach and the end of our adventure! We took off our shoes and walked into the ocean, and celebrated our finish with scratching our names and participant numbers in the sand.

Overall, this was an epic adventure through the beauty, culture and sometimes difficult terrain of Scotland. It was more challenging than I expected, and I pushed myself beyond what I thought I could do. My hiking adventures often show me that I have more strength and capacity than I believe - it’s one of the reasons that I keep looking for the next adventure!

In this event, it’s the people I met who made it a fantastic trek. The support and camaraderie were key in my successful journey. I now feel more confident that I could do the full coast-to-coast crossing (15 days) in the next year or two!

Day 6 of The Great Outdoors Challenge, May 19, Sheilin of Mark bothy to the village of Tarfside. It began to rain at 1 am, and didn’t let up until late morning. It was clearly going to be a wet day, so I put on damp socks from the day before, knowing that keeping my feet dry would be futile.
The day started with crossing a small river near the camp (see? my feet were wet immediately), and then climbing uphill through pathless terrain for a while. Three guys, Steve, Robert, and Peter, had asked me if I wanted to go with them, and it helped so much to follow them on terrain they had familiarity with from previous challenges.
I didn’t even look at the navigation on my phone — I just followed them. What a blessing!! The rain and wind were intense, making it hard to see much. My focus was on where to plant my feet on the bumpy and boggy terrain, and following the guys — my main goal. I didn’t notice or even care much about the views, which were probably beautiful on a day with different weather.
In the late morning we came to a sheep stable, and took a short break there, as it was still raining hard. Later, we stopped for lunch in a graveyard, and since it wasn’t raining, we even sat on the grass for 20 minutes!
We were continually pulled forward knowing there would be tea, coffee, sandwiches and cakes at St. Drostan’s lodge near the end of the day’s walk. What a welcome break on a cold and wet day, and the place was filled with other challengers enjoying warm drinks and food.
We set up our tents with dozens of others on the village green in Tarfside. I enjoyed some horizontal rest in my tent, then joined others at the nearby Mason Lodge in the evening. The lodge opens for a few days during the TGOC, serving burgers and adult beverages at the bar. I enjoyed a veggie burger and a well-deserved Scottish ale (two actually) and great conversations with many of my new friends. A great finish to a tough day!

Day 5 of The Great Outdoors Challenge, May 18, Balmoral Forest and Glen Muick, Cairngorms National Park, Scottish Highlands. The morning began dry and sunny as I left the bothy campsite. The route went downhill at first, then a long uphill climb on wide tracks.

I traversed under the Lochnagar ridge in the morning, with nice views of the high slopes with patches of snow. If I had taken my high route the day before, I would’ve been up on that ridge, and ascending a few high points. Perhaps I’ll get up there on a future trek with better weather!

Eventually the rain came, and I walked a long descent over very rocky and wet terrain, and I was cold and wet for a couple hours. A visitor center with a picnic table was a welcome break, and the rain had stopped too.

I talked with another hiker in the Challenge, who was on his 9th TGOC (doing the full 15-day event), and he said this has been the worst weather he’s experienced. He said if I can handle these conditions, I could definitely do the longer hike in the future!

I left the visitor center and climbed up a beautiful grassy slope with a barely defined path. As I climbed higher, I entered a narrow drainage, following a stream on one side, with grassy slopes, plants, and rocks. It was one of the most scenic parts of the entire trek.

I was hiking alone until I was joined by John from Scotland. The route had become more difficult to follow, and John knew the area from previous TGOC treks. We were both headed for the same camp spot, the Sheilin of Mark bothy. I worked hard to keep up with him, and once again I appreciated so much that a guide came along at just the right time!

I set up my tent outside the bothy, then went inside to join others to make my dinner and have some good conversation. I had met most of them in the past couple of days, and it was definitely a highlight of the TGOC to spend time with others in this challenge. Hikers always talk about the gear they use (tents, stoves, shoes, everything!), and the wet weather was always a topic.

Day 4 of The Great Outdoors Challenge, May 17, Cairngorms National Park. The morning was cold and cloudy as I left the town of Braemar. I walked along a nice path through the forest, then along a river, and finally climbed up and away from the river.
It rained on and off, at times very hard rain. During an intense downpour, I took shelter with another hiker in the eaves of a private vacation cottage (no one home). In the afternoon, I was cold and wet from the rain when I rounded a bend and was surprised to see a small shelter! I sat in the shelter to get out of the rain, and the sun came out! I put my wet gloves in the sun to dry them a bit.
I moved on down a hill, across a beautiful spot where two rivers came together, and up the hill to my camp spot at a shelter in the Balmoral royal estate.
When I arrived, I was greeted with a friendly welcome from other hikers, who I was meeting for the first time. I set up my tent near the bothy (stone shelter) — my Durston tent joining two other Durstons. It’s one of the most popular tents in the TGOC!
After I set up my tent, I walked into the bothy, and I was surprised to hear a guy talking who was clearly from the States! I hadn’t met any Americans during the first four days of this adventure. I joined everyone in the bothy as we ate our dinners, then ventured outside to enjoy the dry weather and beautiful evening.

Day 3 of The Great Outdoors Challenge, May 16, Cairngorms National Park, Scottish Highlands. I woke up at 3:30 am and got out of my tent to look at the “night” sky (it’s twilight all night long at this latitude, no night). The sky was bright twilight already! I could see only 3 objects in the sky: Jupiter, Spica, and Arcturus. It was a beautiful, clear, twilight sky, with sunrise color already appearing.

I went back to sleep, and woke later to a sunny day. It would be the first dry and mostly sunny day of my journey! 🌞 I turned on my Garmin inReach satellite device, and it had reset to being a blank device, in setup/activation mode!! It was a mystery how this occurred, and it was frustrating, as the inReach is my safety communication tool. I was hiking into the town of Braemar, so I was hopeful I could reconnect the inReach to my account that evening.

The day was fairly easy and included a stop at the Mar Lodge Stables for tea and cookies! A welcome treat for hikers in the TGOC event.

When I arrived in town, I got myself situated at the Braemar Hostel, and began trying to reconnect the inReach to my account, with no success. Dinner was a priority, so I went to Farquharson’s Bar & Kitchen, and ordered both a Scottish Ale AND an Ardbeg whisky from Islay! And dinner. 😉 Had a lovely time there, connecting with other hikers in the TGOC.

After dinner, I continued trying to reconnect my inReach, but nothing worked. It was essentially a dead device. 😕 I had a decision to make the next day between two routes: a high route over Lochnagar Ridge and a few high points, or a lower-elevation route through the Balmoral Estate. The forecast for the next few days showed wet, cloudy weather, which didn’t bode well for the high route.

Most hikers heading in my direction were taking the low route because of the weather, and with my inReach not working, I would have no way to communicate if needed at higher elevation. I was told the low route was a lovely walk, so, all things considered, I chose the lower option, and went to sleep in my bunk in the hostel.

Day 2 of The Great Outdoors Challenge, May 15, Cairngorms National Park, Scottish Highlands. The weather was a mix of sun in the morning, rain and hail on and off throughout the day, and sun at the end of the day. Sunset was around 9:30 pm during my hike, so I always went to sleep in daylight and woke up in daylight (sunrise at 5 am).

There were two challenges on this day, the first being a detour due to a landslip (UK term for landslide 😉) along the River Feshie. Fortunately, I was hiking with Onno from the Netherlands as we encountered the detour, which climbed very steeply up the slope above the river. Had I been alone, I likely would’ve felt unsure and panicky about the climb, but his presence gave me confidence and I followed him up the slope.

At one point, I glanced back and we were high above the river. I briefly considered what it would take to get back down to the path along the river, but I pushed that thought aside and focused on the present challenge. The descent turned out to be fairly gentle, down a drainage below a waterfall, and we made it back to our route unscathed. He was the first of many angels who helped me along my hike, and I was so grateful he showed up at that time! (No photos of the climb or descent - I was focused!)

Later in the day, the second challenge was wet, muddy, boggy terrain, stream crossings, and rain and hail. Alan from Ireland came along at the second stream crossing, and he laughed at my attempt to cross without getting my feet wet. I knew he had more experience than I did in this terrain, so I walked through the water to cross the stream. We walked together over the slow, wet terrain, and my feet were wet the remainder of the day.

By the time I set up camp along a river, with sheep for company, I was able to dry my shoes in the evening sunlight. Another day completed in my adventure!