CDT 2023 – hike draw hike

6.15.2023 Maps & Resupply Plans

Published on June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 by hikedrawhike2 Comments

I’ve been busy prepping my resupply plan and maps. Getting excited to start soon!

Here’s what Glacier NP to Yellowstone NP looks like in map form! I love looking ahead at the terrain I will be hiking through.

There’s something very satisfying about holding paper maps. I may be one of the few carrying them. Most people will be navigating with the farout app on their phone.

I’ve had some, let’s say, experiences with iPhone navigation. Once where my phone froze in a snowstorm and died, and another where I dropped my phone in a river and it sank. So. Having back-up paper maps makes me feel more secure. It’s a personal preference, and a really cool skill to have!

If you’re wanting to polish up on your navigation skills or learn how to use a map and compass, I highly recommend this book “Staying Found” by June Fleming!

Now to talk about food.

I’m taking a different approach to my resupply boxes for this trip. Instead of packing all my boxes before I leave, I’ve organized bins of dinners, breakfasts and snacks for Doug to assemble and send to me as I hike. This way we can adjust if my plans change and I can make requests.

I made as many homemade backpacking meals as time would allow. This site, Trail Recipes has some of my favorites!

It’s also easy to assemble meals using grocery items. I try to add a veggie and a protein (usually textured vegetable protein or tuna) for each meal. No time to dehydrate? Harmony House has got your back. They have great dehydrated vegetable options and mixes as well as proteins!

We’re going to shoot for about 4000 calories a day and see how I do.

Packing meals while we watch 310 to Yuma

I hope this resupply strategy works! I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful person helping me out with my resupply 💖

Doug is the best.

See you soon Glacier NP!

06.10.2023 My CDT Art Kit

Published on June 10, 2023June 12, 2023 by hikedrawhike2 Comments

On the PCT I was given the trail name ‘Quick Draw’ because I would do lots of quick drawings. Not much has changed with that, I am always drawing, and I plan on doing the same for this hike!

I love using watercolors when I backpack because they’re portable, lightweight and fast drying. Through a lot of trial I’ve landed on the following kit for this trip:

Art Toolkit Folio palette with extra mixing pans
Daniel smith watercolors:
- Manganes Blue, French Ultramarine, Phthalo Blue (shade Red), Phthalo Blue (shade Green), Permanent Green Light, Hooker’s Green, Sap Green, Perylene Green, Transparent Pyrrol Orange, Alizarin Crimson, Opera Pink, Quinacridone Magenta, Imperial Purple, Cobalt Teal Blue, Cadmium Red Medium Hue, Lemon Yellow, Indian yellow, French Ochre, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Gold Deep, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, and my favorite: Sodalite Genuine (great for doing ink like grey tones for comics!)
Pentel Water brush
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen, Hard Tip
Bic Mechanical pencil (with extra 0.7mm led)
Staedtler Eraser (cut into 1/3)
0.47 fl oz tube of Winsor & Newton Designer Gouache, permanent white
4×6 Fluid Cold Press Finish watercolor postcard block
Stamps! (To mail my paintings so I don’t have to cary them)
A piece of old sock to clean my brush and palette
A5 Cold press Watercolor Sketchbook from ‘Rock Your Notebook’
1 small binder clip
3 Plastic Ziplock baggies, varying sizes
Gossamer Gear Mariposa backpack

The Mariposa backpack is marketed as having 7 pockets, well, I think I’ve found the 8th haha. For easy access, I can stash my A5 sketchbook behind the removable back pad that also doubles as a sit pad. Being able to store a larger sketchbook so accessibly has swayed me to choosing the Mariposa for this trip. The folio palette, drawing tools and watercolor block all fit into 1 hip belt pocket.

I learned on the PCT: If the tools aren’t accessible, nothing is getting painted or drawn.

This kit weighs just under a pound at 14.6 oz. It’s quite the luxury item but so worth it in my opinion. My trail name is Quick Draw after all. It’s a very rewarding way to document a trip.

Also! Painting small postcards make great ‘thank you’ gifts for friends, family and trail angels!

Trail angels are super kind people who help the hiking community and will restore your faith in humanity. They give hikers rides to and from town/trail, leave coolers of drinks or snacks on trail, offer help or a place to stay, etc. I love giving trail angels my paintings 💖

Here are some from the PCT!

I’m bringing the same piece of old sock that helped make those in 2016! It’s been to some cool places and has held up incredibly well. I use it for my regular life painting too! It’s much more sustainable than using a bunch of paper towels all the time.

The Art Tool Kit folio palette is probably my favorite piece of gear. It’s slim, light and you can customize what colors or sized pans it carries with its nifty magnetic backing.

My other favorite is the Tombow Fudenosuke pen. I love it because it’s waterproof and can draw thick or thin lines with its calligraphy type nib. It is also the only pen that has yet to explode on me above tree line! fingers crossed!!!

Here are some pictures of my 2023 kit in action!

I’m very excited to share this trip with you.

Happy Adventuring!

05.15.2023 PT Prep

Published on June 7, 2023 by hikedrawhike2 Comments

We’ve figured out what my knee pain is. I have deep tissue swelling that is irritating my IT band, aka IT band friction syndrome. The good news is nothing is broken or torn! The solution is to take it easy and focus on physical therapy. I’ve been going in to see a physical therapist one a week and am already seeing improvements!

Here’s a list homework exercises I’ve been doing everyday:

Supine Hamstring Stretch with strap
Supine ITB Stretch with strap
Hip Flexor stretch at the edge of a bed
Bridge Exercises
Supine Pelvic Tilt with a strait leg raise
Lateral step down
Forward T
Supine Bridge
Lunge Matrix on an unstable surface (like a pillow)
Standing Hydrants
Single leg running balances
Forward Step Down with a heel touch

What do you do to prepare for a big trip? Have you ever had to recover from an injury?

03.17.2023

Published on March 18, 2023March 22, 2023 by hikedrawhike4 Comments

Happy St Patrick’s day!!!

I’m pretty excited about doing a short backpacking trip right after work.

Testing out my new backpack!

Mariposa 60L by gossamer gear.

I’m out of practice and a bit short on time (directing, commissions, taxes, 50k training) and April is fast approaching. So much to do!

I need to figure out my art kit for the trip.

I was thinking of bringing a molskeine sketchbook… but it seems so heavy compared to these other small watercolor books I found in a paper store… I like them a lot. They fit in my hip belt pockets!

It’s fun testing them out! I also got the larger art tool kit pallet, I’m used to the smaller ones and feel I might go back to the smaller size… but I do like the extra mixing real estate….

What I really need to do is test these in a place where I don’t have access to a pick nick table haha

What a luxury!

I really hope to keep a proper record of my hike. I feel sad I didn’t keep up the posts on the PCT and I would like to apologize to those who were following along.

I did journal everyday with the intent of posting later so I could be more present during the hike…. but then I dropped my phone in a river and everything was lost! A good lesson to back up your phone! Oops!

Anyways, yay to testing out new gear! And a test blog post! Cheers to an adventurous 2023!