So fun! It’s one of my favorite places on earth. I’m training for my trek in Bhutan, and Alex and Patrick agreed to joint me for a backpacking trip up Electric Peak.
Alex picked me up at the Sequim Airport in his very fancy Epic airplane.
Alex in the EpicPilot Alex
Next stop, Boise to pick up Patrick, then on to West Yellowstone.
West Yellowstone Airport Campground
The campground is fenced, so there is no bear worry. It has four campsites with picnic tables, a really clean pit toilet, fire wood, and a wagon to haul your stuff.
The next morning, we loaded the rental car and headed to the trailhead. Along the way, we visited Norris Basin, saw a fox, sand hill cranes, some elk and a huge bison!
Sand Hill CranesElkFox
Big Bison
Along the drive, we stopped at Norris Geyser Basin. It was early, so we had the place nearly to ourselves.
We made it to the trailhead and began our seven mile trek to camp. It was breathtaking with wildflowers everywhere.
The map I left in the car…..
The highlights of the trail were the silence and the wildflowers. Amazing!!
Balsa root, lupine and moreElectric Peak view
Camp was cozy with sleeping quarters, a bear pole and fire pit.
Lots of flies and mosquitos
The next morning, was the climb. 7.5 miles and 3000′ elevation. Party Bear had ruined feet with blisters, so he waited down lower before the serious scrambling. Alex and I made it just below the summit. I remember a walk up…..40 years can do that to your memory. It was a serious rock scramble…..
Party Bear’s feet Mountain Goat near the summitScrambling downOur summit
This was our second try, and there was never going to be a third. This climb is brutal. Not because of the summit push, but because of the arduous route to get there. I could not have had a better climbing partner for this trip.
We drove to the trailhead and slept in my Westie, then hiked to beautiful Ross Lake and called the resort to come pick us up (we had a reservation). Soon we were whisked away to our trailhead. Our boat driver was a crazy man who went about 40 miles per hour through the smallest break in a log boom… well, that’s another story.
The hike is 16 miles to the first camp. It’s a pretty good cruise until after Luna Camp. Then we had over 80 deadfall trees to navigate around, over, and under. It took about 5 hours to get to Big Beaver Pass camp.
The Lodge and our rideThe trail in….and outInto the ParkCool FrogSam did this SO much easier than me!
The next day is the crux. You leave camp and just start up — weaving in and out of slide alder, devil’s club, and multiple cliffs. Eventually we made it to the top of the ridge (about 4 hours), and then we just navigated our way up, down, and across ridges, cirques, and rugged terrain. We used a high route, which added some extra time and effort, but eventually we got to our camp on the edge of the Challenger Glacier.
Out of the brushand up and upAnd across
Oh, and the weather. It just wouldn’t give us a break after our first day. It rained every day, and most nights. It rained all night at our high camp, and our feeling was that we had no more than a 50/50 chance of summiting.
I woke up at 3:30 and it was socked in and rainy. When I woke up again at 4am, it was getting lighter, the clouds had lifted, and it looked like we might have a chance. I woke Sam up and said, “Let’s give it a try.”
The glacier was in great condition. The snow was soft-ish, but not too soft, and the crevasses were closed. The biggest crevasse/bergschrund was open and very passable.
And down we go.
The climb was a cinch. Sam is so in his element on rock. It is pure pleasure to climb with him — strong, competent, efficient. Getting to the summit was a blast. And we were SO SO surprised that we made it up! Sam mentioned that I might be the oldest female to ever summit Challenger. I think he’s right! I am claiming the title.
When we got back to camp, we decided to break it down and move at least a couple more hours toward home. That was a great idea. We hiked for about 3.5 hours and set up camp in a nice basin. Again, the rain returned. It was amazing that we got the window we did to summit.
The view from campBack downAnd downCamp after summit. Poor Sam was in a bivy bag and it did not stop raining! Sam’s Bivy homeI look pretty cozy in my tent
The next day we again went the extra distance, stopping for the night at Luna Camp instead of our permitted Big Beaver Pass camp. That way, we only had 10.8 miles to go to the dock and our boat ride out.
Bushwacking downLuna Camp – NO RAIN!
We arrived at the dock at 11:30 am, and our reservation wasn’t until 3pm. Lucky us! The boat was arriving just as we stepped onto the dock. We asked if we could get a ride back early, and the driver said, “Sure!” What timing! We were so relieved.
So happy to be on the boat.
The highlight of the trip for me was getting to spend five full days in the backcountry, doing a big mountaineering trip with Sam. We had so much fun. The icing on the cake was the summit.
Wow, what a place. I flew from Bali to Sulawesi on April 1. No joke. Sulawesi is a world away from Bali.
I had a driver pick me up for the eight hour drive to the hills. It was so fun to spend a day with a local. He was fun, kind, a good driver and a very motivated entrepreneur. We spent a lot of our trip talking about ideas for his business.
Flight to SulawesiIkhsanCrazy gas lines at every gas stationRocky Mountains on the way to Toraja (the male)Across the valley: the femaleToraja building
I’m staying at a very simple homestay in the center of Rantepao. I have a guide for two days, and yesterday was amazing. We visited the water buffalo market, a funeral ceremony in the hills, and some very traditional villages around Rantepao. We had a wonderful time and I learned a lot about the culture here.
The culture is deeply connected to the funeral ceremony tradition — there’s an entire economy wrapped around it, which is rather fascinating. The funeral I attended involved sacrificing 67 water buffalos and 200 pigs. Mind-boggling. The ceremony lasts a full week, with hundreds of villagers and family members attending. We spent the entire morning there, and I feel lucky to have experienced this firsthand.
Wila, my guidebuffalo marketThe pig marketA very valuable buffaloSome of the horns from the sacrificeWila and brother of deceasedImmediate family of the deceasedThe meat goes inThe flute playerServing lunchLunch is served Buffalo lunch
After the funeral, we visited some very old villages and checked out the cliffs where burials used to happen. There were MANY skulls.
Village outside the funeralA new burial siteCliff burial siteTao tao’s they are 1:1 sizeCliff burialThe pig head is for female’s
Today is coffee day! It’s raining, so should be a wet one.
CC and I found ourselves in the hot tub one evening, discussing plans for New Year’s. I suggested, “Let’s go somewhere.” Without a destination in mind, we decided to consult the globe. Before we knew it, we were booking tickets to Panama. Why Panama? It’s warm in December, tropical, and neither of us had been there before.
And what a delightful surprise it turned out to be!
Arriving in Panama with just one night’s accommodation booked, armed with a rental car and a vague itinerary, our trip unfolded in three distinct sections:
New Year’s and the Pacific
Coffee and the highest peak in Central America
San Blas (Bliss)
Our New Year’s weekend took us to the West Coast, where we lucked out finding a charming, small surfing paradise called Playa Venao. It was perfect—a quiet hostel-like place amidst music and festivities on the beach. We spent three days enjoying the warm, blue waters, working on our tans, and easing into our two-plus week adventure.
During our research, I discovered Isla Coiba, an island that seemed unmissable. And boy, was I right! Coiba turned out to be one of the highlights of our entire trip, offering the best snorkeling experience since my visit to the Great Barrier Reef in 1993.
In Santa Catalina, a tiny village on the Pacific Coast serving as the gateway to Coiba, we found a fantastic hostel called Surfers Paradise—ideal location, friendly hosts, and a great vibe.
Our day trip to Isla Coiba included snorkeling in three spots, exploring the Park and the museum, enjoying lunch, swimming, and absorbing all that Coiba had to offer. Just wow! I regretted not having more time there, but our schedule was packed, and after two nights, we were off to coffee country.
Chiriquí, David, and Boquete equal coffee for me. We took a scenic drive through the countryside from Santa Catalina to David, then to Boquete. In Boquete, we joined a coffee tour at Don Pepe Coffee Estate on the slopes of Volcan Baru. The ripe coffee cherries and the ongoing harvest added to the charm. We even had the chance to cup coffee, a treat for CC, a coffee enthusiast who was cupping for the first time!
Volcan Baru was another reason for our visit to Boquete. I wanted to climb the highest peak in Panama. Completing the journey at 11,460 feet, I discovered that Volcan Baru is also the highest peak in Central America. An achievement unlocking the highest peaks in all of the Americas for me—North (Denali), Central (Volcan Baru), and South (Aconcagua).
CC graciously served as my shuttle to the trailhead. After picking me up, we hiked the pipeline trail, a lush jungle trek leading to a waterfall— a perfect day.
The next chapter in our adventure involved driving back to Panama City, returning the car, and embarking on our trip to San Blas. Little did we know, that the best part of our journey awaited us.
San Blas Islands, an archipelago in the Caribbean managed by the Kuna Yala native population, exceeded our expectations. Booking a single-hull sailboat The Tintamare with Captain Hernando and his wife Montse was a fantastic decision. Their hospitality, kindness, sense of adventure, and competence made for an unforgettable three days in Panama. The blue waters, the fun sailing, delicious food, and amazing company—it was a special experience that will be etched in my memory forever.
In our final days in Panama, we visited the canal museum and the canal itself—an experience not to be missed. We learned a lot and witnessed a ship passing through. It served as the perfect conclusion to our trip, blending history and significance to wrap up our incredible time in Panama.
christiontheroad 