UPDATE: The page below was published as I was getting ready to set out on my hike across southern Utah in April of 2009. On that hike, and my subsequent hikes each year, I've learned so much! For the latest on my southern Utah hikes, opinions on gear, trip videos and more... check out the Latest News on the new site.
Otherwise, let's go back to my outlook before the 2009 hike...
Questions and Answers
Send me new questions at: jamal@greenjam.com
Why are you doing this? Why Utah?
Why are you doing this? Why Utah? First and foremost because I find it extremely fun. There is something about seeing a landmark on the horizon, and then walking to it which is very exhilarting and fulfilling to me. Why Utah? When I was a little kid I remember seeing an article on Utah featuring Goblin Valley and The Narrows in Zion. When I got a little older I got to visit these places with my parents and from my first visit I was hooked. Southern Utah really is one of my favorite places in the world with its red-rock canyons and snow-capped peaks. This route should connect-the-dots between some of my favorite places and some that I've always wanted to visit. Are you going to the same place? Not really. There are a few sections where I will re-tread on a route that I've done in the past, but they will be few and far between. Of the 600+ miles of the route, less than 30 will be a repeat for me. Other areas I've visited-- but haven't taken the exact route I plan to take this year. Then there are a few areas I've never visited and I'm excited to see: Pine Valley Wilderness, Zion's West Rim, The Barracks, Round Valley Draw, Henry Mountains, Dirty Devil Canyons, The Fins, La Sal Mountains. Not really. Though I've been going on short hikes every weekend for the last several months, I'm probably in the worst shape of my life, so... I expect the first 3-4 days to really kick my ****. But... at least I feel I'm MENTALLY prepared for that to happen and I've optimized my gear to reduce the stress on my body. Are you going to catch rats like Survivorman? Funny-- that episode just re-ran this week. But... no, I don't plan on catching any of the local residents for my dinner. My dehydrated chili and a Clif bars will do just fine. How do you carry all of your food for that long? I don't. Before I begin hiking I drive across the state and place hidden caches where I know I will be. This often entails driving a Jeep road to a point that will intersect my route and then finding a good hiding place for my cache of extra food and clean clothes. I will return to the same site at the end of my trip to pick up my cache container and deposited trash. Who's taking care of your pets? Kona and Jasper will be taking a ride with me to my parent's house before I begin my hike and will hang out there while I'm on my trek. How long is this hike? Will you finish this time? This hike should check in at over 600 miles and will consist of 47+ days of hiking. This is by far the most ambitious project I've ever taken on. My "Big Hike" of 2006 clocked in at 278 miles in 25 days. I'm very focused on finishing this hike. I have several "rest" days built in to help keep me on schedule as well as several short-cut routes if I need to make up time. For most of the trip. A few friends of mine will be meeting me for a 4-day stretch through the Escalante region. Also, my parents plan on meeting me at the halfway point of the trip. They will drive down a fairly accessible gravel road and meet me for a camp out complete with a grilled dinner I hope! I hope to average about 12-15 miles a day. I have several free days where I can relax, do sides hikes or play catch-up if needed. I will leave my Jeep at a secure location near the trailhead. My parents will pick me up 49 days later on the other side of the state. They will take me back to my auto as we pick up my empty cache containers along the way. Basically-- a lot of dehydrated food, trail mix, vacuum-packed tuna/salmon and a bunch of Clif bars. At each cache site I will have a MEGA lunch/dinner to stuff as many calories in me as possible w/o adding weight to my pack. Can you go that long without Taco Bell? This could be the biggest challenge of the entire trip! But, truth is... I'm becoming more of a Poquito Mas guy. How will you survive without daily can (or 8) of Diet Coke? This could be extremely difficult. I might just have a hot can or two stashed at each cache site. Not really. Will you be on an established trail? Sometimes. My route will include off-trail orienteering as well as following 4x4 roads, pack trails and well established trails. I have contingency routes in place for those sections which may not be navigable due to unknown obstacles, snow or high water. Yes. I don't plan on using it for navigation, but I enjoy having one to help track my speed and mileage stats. In many ways the GPS plays the roll of drill sergeant keeping me on pace. Are you afraid of wild animals? Not really. For the most part there are not a lot of predators in the region. Black Bears exist in the region, but are extremely rare. Mountain Lions are more common-- but are hardly ever seen because they are very wary of humans and usually leave long before one is even close. Buffalo and coyotes can also be seen-- but these too are rare and fairly docile. Scorpions and rattlesnakes both pose small risks-- but usually watching one's steps and checking one's boots in the morning will prevent most stings/bites. I predict the most troublesome animal encounter will be with the pesky pack rats who will stop short of nothing to get to a camper's food. I've had them scurry across my legs at a camp-side dinner before! Are you afraid of wild polygamist-hillbillies? No. Despite what one sees on TV, them thar hills are not full of weird people. It would never even cross my mind. Besides being too heavy to be a part of my ultra-light pack system-- the threat really is extremely minimal. Besides, I'd be much more likely to shoot my foot than any threat. I do carry a small canister of pepper spray in my pocket however. Will you be able to contact anyone in case of emergency? I am taking a satellite phone. I hope to use it for updates to this site instead of for an emergency though. Also, though my route is very remote and over 600 miles long-- at most points along the way I'm within a day's excursion to a major road. What is the longest hike you've done before? Before 2006 I'd never done a hike more than 5-day and 50 miles in length. That's when I began my Curb Pavement project where I try to set out across the longest un-paved sections in the lower 48 states. Since then I've done a major hike each spring of 283, 176 and 89 miles. Again-- this hike will be by far my longest ever totaling more mileage in one outing than all of those trips combined! Yes. Though most ultra-light through hikers don't, I like the comfort of a real shelter to protect me from the rain and bugs. It's funny how comforting a thin piece of nylon can be. It is tiny though-- weighing in at less than 2.5lbs. I could see an extreme range of weather on the trip. Early sections of the hike are at high elevations and could still have some snow and dip down into the 30s in the evening. Later in May in the Escalante Canyons it should warm up and could easily see daily highs in the 80s and nighttime lows in the high 40s. The stretch across the Canyonlands region could be down-right hot with temps in the 90s or even 100s. The final stretch over the La Sal Mountains will cool down again and I'm likely to once again be traveling through snow-- despite it being mid-June by this point! What happens if your food cache is empty or gone? I will carry extra food and supplies just in case. I could pick up the daily pace and make it to the next cache site if needed. If two cache sites in a row are bungled-- I'd definitely be shafted and would have to hike out at that point to the closest road. Will you take music to listen to? No. Despite the fact the Prince's new album LotusFlow3r is less than a month old, I will not be taking my MP3 player on the hike. For the most part I consider music extra weight and a battery headache. Have you seen GrizzlyMan and/or Surviorman and/or Walkabout? Yes, Yes and Yes. Though I will be filming my adventure, I promise I won't play with animal feces or detail the 50 ways to build a fire. However, if I come across a lost Australian schoolgirl and her younger brother all bets are off. No way. If all else fails there's always the "throw the rock against the wall" game... solo. Do you think you will lose weight? I am sure I will. My thirty-something metabolism and nonstop work schedule makes it difficult to win any fitness awards-- despite the ample Taco Bell nutrition. Actually my biggest concern is losing TOO MUCH weight. I need to find a way to take in ample calories with high nutritional value. I'm doing this by focusing on my food choices and having MEGA MEALS at my cache sites. Nope. Patchy Grizzly Adams here I come! How can you take so much time off work? First and foremost I appreciate my bosses for letting me work out this unique situation and grateful to my co-workers who will pick up the slack during my absence. From a financial perspective I've worked my way up to three whole weeks of vacation and the rest will be an official leave of absence-- but, I really believe vacations are more important than pay. It seems like a daunting task, but by finding someone to sublet my apartment and minimizing costs while hiking-- it really is ALMOST a net zero situation. Besides, my 401K from last year is a negative number which means I'm getting a refund, right?! :) |
all content (c) 2009 by Jamal Green unless noted