#Shawn Forry

[pcttrailsidereader]

Winter is Coming

The first snow has dusted the nearby peaks with news that a little further east there is snow and slush along the North Cascades Highway. The road will close soon as the expected winter snows arrive and won't reopen until sometime in the spring.

I am reminded of Shawn Forry and Justin Lichter's story "Cold Going" found in 'Crossing Paths A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader". The story describes a southbound (SOBO) PCT journey from Canada to Mexico in 2014-15. Their story is a powerful one. It speaks of stamina, determination, and excellent backcountry skills.

Wherever you live, the call of the trail may be heard even now as fall is falling and winter is soon approaching. I enjoy the white quiet of the woods near my house when we get an occasional lowland snowstorm. I also like to take my skis and swoosh around a little in the nearby Cascades. Venturing into the mountains is usually something I do on the short term. I go out for a day or part of one. To be honest, my feet and hands don't much like the cold for extended periods. I have learned that getting caught in frosty and snowy conditions even in non-official winter times on the PCT. When my body talks, I try to listen.

If you do answer the call and venture out for a cold weather excursion here are some things to keep in mind:

Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.

Check the weather and trail conditions before heading out. If you are going into National/State forests or National/State Parks the respective ranger station will have critical information in many cases.

Bring a map and/or some form of navigation...think the Ten Essentials.

Bring extra water and food (see above).

Wear appropriate footwear clothing, such as rain gear. Bring extra layers.

Stay on marked official trails.

Plan carefully for winter weather. Conditions can change quickly and the sun sets early.

If for some reason you get lost, the U.S. Forest Service recommends the following:

Keep calm. Trust your map and compass. Shelter and warmth are more important than food. Backtrack if possible. If traveling with others, stay together, if possible. If not, send at least two people for help (depending on the size of your group.)

To find your position, climb to a place where you can get a better idea of where you are. When you reach a road , trail or telephone line, follow it. As a last resort, follow a stream downhill.

Before darkness falls select a sheltered spot and plan to stay there all night.

Don't abandon skis. Build a fire and shelter. Stay warm by getting out of the wind; insulate yourself with a parka and other clothing (use an insulated, branches or skis between you and the snow).

If you are injured and alone, keep calm. Stay where you are, clear an area down to mineral soil and build a signal fire. Green boughs will create heavy smoke.

Three signals of any kind, either audible or visible, is the universal SOS call. This is where a whistle flashlight/headlamp, or mirror can come in handy.

Going out in the winter is a serious endeavor. Informing other and going prepared are essential keys for having a successful experience. There are other winter stories to be found in "Crossing Paths" that put the above tips into some kind of context. We have also posted stories here that reflect on cold weather and snowy travel that are easily accessed. Whether or not you leave the cozy confines of home or brave the weather consider your skills and equipment. Finally, please don't rely on your cell phone. What works well at home may not work at all in the backcountry.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Adventures in Dinosaur City (1991)

When nostalgia stabs you in the back, it's a particularly hurtful kind of betrayal. I doubt anyone will have the same experience as I did watching Adventures in Dinosaur City but if I can discourage one person from viewing the film, it’ll be worth the time I spent reviewing it.

When Timmy (Omri Katz), Jamie (Tiffanie Poston), and Mick (Shawn Hoffman) get sucked into the world of Dinosaur City. They are horrified to find that their cartoon heroes, Rex (voiced by Patrick Labyorteaux), Top (voiced by David Jolliffe), and Forry (voiced by Rob Sherwood) are nothing but a bunch of losers at the mercy of the mysterious Mr. Big (also Labyorteaux). When Big steals a device that will cause a chain reaction and destroy Dinosaur city, the teenagers must convince the dinosaurs to rise against the tyrant and his army of cavemen.

Although I saw Adventures in Dinosaur City years ago, I didn’t remember anything about it except for the cover. We’ve got a rockin’ leather jacket-wearing T-Rex standing next to his buddy Tops. Rex is giving some kid a high five while his herbivorous friend gives a cheerful thumbs-up. “Fun for the whole family!” a starburst exclaims. What we have here is a typical late 80’s, early 90’s costume adventure movie with teenage protagonists. The jokes are bad, predictable, and immediately demonstrate how little thought was put into them. If someone is stupid they get called “Einstein” or “Bird Brain” even though I doubt the world of Dinosaur City has an actual Albert Einstein in it, or birds for that matter. There’s a lot of annoying characters saying one-liners in an attempt to make you gloss over how awful the plot and production are.

This is a story where things just happen. The kids find out that there’s a problem and decide to meet their idols Tops and Rex (someone must have busted out their thesaurus for those). From there you can predict everything. The girl with the ponytail and the glasses will lose them and lo and behold, she’s hot. Never mind that she wouldn’t be able to see anything, it’s time for the two older teens to fall in love. That couldn’t have happened before because they weren’t in the movie yet. The character arcs are so lazy you’ll be begging for something - anything - unexpected. I know I was. Then my wish was granted.

This is a film simultaneously so predictable you’ll be bored out of your skull, and so badly written you can’t tell what’s coming next. We’re told that Rex’s father (King) used to be a hero until Mr. Big arrived. Now the faceless Mr. Big rules the world and King has disappeared. What do you make of this setup? Perhaps a Star Wars-like reveal? Actually no. Mr. Big is just some random dinosaur. Basic movie and story-telling rules don't apply!

There’s no logic to the flow of ideas in Adventures in Dinosaur City. It's like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - and not only because they both have a scene where a bunch of reptiles talking in a bar. Combined with the Ghoulies-like bartenders, it’s freaking me out. How long have I been writing about this film, how many minutes wasted on a cheap cash-grab riding on the tail of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The performances are terrible, and inexplicably so. There’s no way Timmy, Jamie, and Mick are young enough to sit through an episode of the Dinosaur City cartoon they're such big fans of. Maybe younger actors kept getting distracted by the horrendous lip-synch or the creatures' tails almost falling off in the fight scenes. They needed "pros" to keep a straight face.

At best, the sets and special effects in Dinosaur City are ok. That’s if we're being generous and disregarding the standards of 1991. Under any kind of analysis, the puppets and costumes don't cut it. The technical elements, acting, storytelling, are all abysmal. This film lures children with the promise of exciting adventure and a probable franchise (complete with catchphrases and signature cheers) but it disappoints on all accounts. I hope I never have to speak of Adventures in Dinosaur City again. (On VHS, November 29, 2015)

[pcttrailsidereader]

Winter and the PCT

The PCT is more than a three season experience. For those who prepare and feel capable the PCT can also be experienced in the Winter. This is a re-post of an article from the PCTA Traildirt newsletter. If this article sparks your interest consider "Cold Going" the story by Shawn “Pepper” Forry and Justin “Trauma” Lichter in "Crossing Paths". These two men successfully walked, skied and snowshoed the full length of the PCT from north to south in 2015. They were the first known hikers to achieve that distinction. We first featured Shaun and Justin's story on this website. You can search our archive for a December 19, 2017 post to get a feel for what their experience was like or read their story and an accompanying interview in "Crossing Paths".

"Crossing Paths" is a collection of sixty stories from the past ten years published last May by Mountaineers Books. All proceeds from the sale of the book go directly to the PCTA.

Discover an entirely different PCT by snowshoeing and XC skiing

When it's blanketed in snow, the PCT is an entirely different experience than at other times of the year. It's spectacularly beautiful, and the best way to see it is on snowshoes or cross-country skis. It's not as difficult as you think—if you're new to getting on the trail in winter, our blog post provides a good introduction to winter recreation on the PCT. Photo by PCTA.

[pcttrailsidereader]

Seven years ago, Shawn Forry, 33, and Justin Lichter, 34, embarked upon an incredible SOBO thru-hike of the PCT in the WINTER. They began their trek on October 21, 2014 and reached Campo on March 1, 2015. Despite benefiting from a mild winter, snow and cold are invariably a challenging part of any winter transit of the Cascades and Sierra.  I believe that this is the most epic thru-hike imaginable.

This is one of those feats that I find difficult to imagine … given the relentless cold and wet, the very short days and long nights, the route finding challenges, the obstacles to easy re-supply, and the technical difficulties of utilizing cross-country skis and snow shoes.  But this is the time of year I think about Shawn and Justin’s quest … and then settle back and appreciate our forced air heat, solid roof, and easy access to calories.

Their story has a timeless quality to it. For that reason and the reality that it remains the one and only winter thru-hike of the PCT, we included their story in Crossing Paths plus an interview that Howard conducted with Shawn. If you don't want to wait until May 1st when the book will become widely available, check out a series of postings from late 2014 through the first three months of 2015 on this website when we followed their story with a series of posts.

[pcttrailsidereader]

Three years ago, Shawn “Pepper” Forry and Justin “Trauma” Lichter undertook an epic winter thru-hike of the PCT . . . walking where possible and using cross-country skis where necessary.  Even though it was fortuitously a low-snow winter, it was still very white along much of the crest until they reached Southern California.They successfully concluded their journey on March 1, 2015.  We posted a number of stories and images from their trip on this website (you can search for them) . . . as we wait for the arrival of real winter along much of the West Coast.

[pcttrailsidereader]

Two years ago, Shawn Forry, 33, and Justin Lichter, 34, completed an incredible SOBO thru-hike of the PCT in the WINTER. They began their trek on October 21, 2014 and reached Campo on March 1, 2015. Despite benefiting from a mild winter, snow and cold are invariably a challenging part of any winter transit of the Cascades and Sierra.  Their story is very compelling if you missed it . . . and the six posts I made in January, February, and March of 2015 are well worth visiting.