Days 47, 48, and 49 - Kennedy Meadows

Kennedy Meadows is nothing like what I expected.  It is smaller, much smaller.  There is a general store, a small restaurant attached to the store, a pay phone, and a smattering of homes throughout the immediate area.  One of the locals has some land and he collects old RV trailers and campers and has them arranged in a sort of neighborhood for hikers.  It's fantastic.  I've got my own trailer where I've slept better than I have the entire trip, hotels included! 

 

After arriving into KM on Saturday afternoon at 3, I went straight to the restaurant because it closed at 4 and I was starving. After a double cheeseburger, I went to work immediately taking a shower in the outdoor (but private) shower behind the general store. They charge $2 for this service.  Next, I did all my laundry (less than a load) for another $2.  By the time I had the clothes drying on the line behind the store, I bumped into some of my new friends from the trail and they informed me of the hiker neighborhood down the road.  I took my stuff, claimed a trailer bunk and went to work preparing for the longest uninterrupted leg of the trail--175 miles.  All the way from KM to Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR) on Lake Edison. 

 

Since I'm going from more of a desert climate to a mountain climate, I had to switch out a bunch of gear.  To make room for some of my new gear, I reduced my water capacity and switched from a filter to a chemical treatment called Aqua Mira.  Since there is lots of water available in the Sierras, I'll have to carry for about a maximum of five miles instead of twenty.  I'm switching to Aqua Mira because the water in the desert is oftentimes murky and full of particulate matter.  That isn't a problem in the Sierras.  Next I added my stove back to my pack.  I had removed it earlier to save weight.  I also added some additional clothes, mainly raingear for the potential thunderstorms in the mountains.  Additionally, I added a liner for my sleeping bag to bump it up a few degrees at night.  Unfortunately I also had to add what every hiker hates--the bear canister.  It's a bear-proof can that you put your food in to protect it from hungry bears.  The can itself weighs 2.5 lbs.  It may not seem like much but over the course of a mile, an afternoon, a day...trust me...it adds up.  So after making all the necessary switches, the weight basically became a wash, which i was happy about. I was really expecting the weight to be more than what I had arrived into KM with.  But basically I traded water weight for food weight.  And I'll definitely need the food because it'll take me about 10 days to go from KM to VVR.  The reasons are twofold: 1. the higher elevation will slow me down, and 2. I'll be going to the top of Mt. Whitney on Friday, June 26.  Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the continental U.S. at 14,491 feet.  The trip to the top takes about a day and I'm looking forward to the views, some of which I'll be able to share with you all when I get back to an area with a cell network.

 

At the moment I think I'm going to wrap this up and get to bed so that I can feel relatively fresh in the morning.  I'll definitely have my work cut out for me over the next several days until I get some of my food consumed which will mean a lighter backpack!

 

I anticipate poor or nonexistent network coverage for the next while, so I'll keep updating from computer terminals whenever I can.

 

Thanks for reading!

Day 46 - First Bear Sighting!

(Originally written on Friday, June 19)

 

It was my second day in the Sierras, but first full day.  I can already tell the differences in the environment around me quite a bit.  Less chapparel (desert shrubs) and more real trees (like pine and fir, for example).  There are actually naturally-occuring water sources less than 30 miles away from each other (only a slight exaggeration).  And today, I had my first bear sighting!

 

I had gotten a late start because I was so tired from the night before, so by the time 11 a.m. rolled around, I had only gone about 7-8 miles.  I was enjoying a breakand refilling my water bottles at Spanish Needle Creek when I heard a CRACK! behind me.  I turned around and the bear saw me at the same time and the next thing I saw was the backside of a bear scampering off down the trail in the direction I had just come from and also the direction of two other hikers behind me (but I don't think they were very close).  Anyway, I was startled but kind of excited...in a heightened-awareness-of-my-surroundings type of way.  I continued filling up my water bottles but with a more watchful eye and about 100 yards up the mountain in the opposite direction was another bear!  At least I think it was another bear, because he looked bigger than the one I had seen five minutes earlier.  But then again, I did only see him running away so it might have been the same one.  Regardless, it was my first time seeing a bear out in the wild!  I was actually happy about seeing it, because, kind of like rattlesnakes, I know they are there and see me so I just want to see them too!

 

After that excitement had worn off, I kept at it, trying to whittle down the number of miles to Kennedy Meadows to under 20 so that I could be fairly certain I'd be able to get there at a decent hour on Saturday.  So here I am, camped at Fox Mill Spring, after a 20.1 mile day.  Assuming I'm able to hammer out the 19.2 miles to Kennedy Meadows tomorrow, this will be my last night camping in the Southern California segment--the longest segment of the trail.

Day 45

(Originally written Thursday, June 18)

 

Wow...what a day.  I feel like I've been saying that a lot recently, but I've been putting in some bigger miles lately and that is pretty much the only creativity I can summon.  Started out before 7 this morning with an eye on Walker Pass for a great lunch location.  There wasn't much special about the morning walk, except that it was relatively flat.  Part of the area that I was walking through had been burned a while back so there wasn't much shade (again).  But it also opened things up enough for me to see a beautiful, big 4- or 5-point buck!  He was enormous and scampered away before I could get a good photo.  It made me miss the days when I would go deer hunting.

 

It's funny to see what kind of food you crave while on the trail.  It doesn't matter what day it is, if it is hot then I'm craving a Coke.  So today, when I got to Walker Pass and there was a sign that read "Trail Magic" with an arrow, my heartbeat quickened.  You see, Trail Magic is best described as some sort of modern comfort, usually in the form of food, being delivered to the trail for PCT hikers.  My dear friend whom I had never met before this moment, Okie Girl (from California but has relatives in Oklahoma), had everything a hiker could want.  She was also the first human interaction I had had in 3.5 days, I might add.  Let's just say I downed three Cokes and two 7-Ups before I left!  It was wonderful and exactly what I needed.  Thank you Okie Girl!

 

In the afternoon I had to do more climbing.  This time I was headed up over 8000' before dropping all the way down to nearly 5000' (my knees loved that).  Thankfully, the weather continued to be warm, but not unbearable.  I made pretty good time and saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a long time from the Owens-Jenkins saddle.  I was hoping to make it all the way to Joshua Tree Spring--another 3.3 miles up the trail--but I ran out of daylight.  So I'm camped underneath a pine tree in a valley just below the saddle where I watched the sunset.  It's not the best spot in the world because of the slope, but it'll do!  I should note, however, that this is about exactly at the 663.5-mile mark, which means I have exactly 2000 miles to go!  In the meantime, I can't wait to get to Kennedy Meadows.  I smell awful and it is mainly my socks/shoes combo to blame.  Hopefully the new shoes will help correct some of that as well.

 

Now that I am about 40 miles away from Kennedy Meadows, I'm going to try to get there by Saturday evening instead of Sunday afternoon like I had originally planned.  I likely won't have time to get myself cleaned up before dark Saturday, but my body will be so happy to not have to get up and hike on Sunday!  It'll be my first zero day since Pasadena, 250 miles earlier.  And my body needs the break!  But before I get there, there are a couple of significant mile markers for me to pass.  First, this morning I'll hit the 1/4 mark at Mile 666, then tomorrow of course I'll hit Mile 700 shortly before Kennedy Meadows. 

 

Ugh, even though I'm 40 miles away, it feels like I'm never going to get there!

Mileage Correction

(Originally written on Friday, June 19)

 

So I should let you all know that my 2,658-mile number that I've been using is a bit off.  I've been using an old guidebook because I didn't want to spend the money for a new one and apparently there have been a few, mostly minor, changes.  What this means is that the PCT is actually 2,663.5 miles.  Rounding up makes it 2,664, which means that one-quarter of the way to Canada is 666 miles and, sorry, but that just gives me the creeps!

 

Anyway, I guess if I get close enough to my fundraising total for it to matter, I'll try to get that last $60.  But I'm not gonna sweat it for now!

Day 44

My feet are not happy with me again today.  In fact, they are just plain ticked off.  My shoes definitely need to be replaced and I'm getting a new pair at Kennedy Meadows--yet another reason to look forward to getting there!  Hopefully that will take care of my issues.  Right now the bottoms of my feet are feeling pretty tender, which isn't altogether a surprise or abnormal, but it still sucks and I think the worn soles are partly to blame.  More concerning is a blister on my right little toe.  I guess it isn't a blister yet--just a hot spot--but it still hurts a bit.  It didn't even catch my attention until later this evening.

 

As for the hike itself today, I think this was likely my hardest day before Kennedy Meadows.  It seemed like it was uphill most of the way and the climb in the afternoon up to the top of Skinner Peak really took a lot out of me.  Tomorrow it is either downhill or level for the first 10 miles.  I am definitely looking forward to that, but my feet aren't because of the additional pounding they'll take.  The route today, although not a torturous uphill, was just enough to slow me down and make me tired.  It also combined with the newly-returned warm weather to really take it out of me.  But I'm not complaining!  Despite the terrible foggy days when I was singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" to keep my occupied, I'm so lucky to have crossed the Mojave and gotten back up into the mountains during a period of mild temperatures!  But regardless, today's experience was still a hot, dry one.  And there really wasn't any shade to speak of with the exception of a few boulders...no trees though.  Have I mentioned lately that I want to be done with the desert?

Day 43

(Originally written on Tuesday, June 16)

 

Okay, I can say with certainty that today I did not see another soul.  It's weird because I didn't think about it until just now as I'm in bed and writing this.  Today began very slowly.  I was camped on a ridge and the wind was blowing pretty hard, but since I was under the cover of trees it really was harmless.  Nevertheless, I hated the idea of getting up when I was so warm and comfortable in my tent.  I slept in and didn't actually start hiking until about 8:30, which is about the latest time I've started a day on this trip!

 

The terrain for the first half of the day was much like yesterday.  Without character.  I really was unmotivated to continue on thinking that it was going to be like this all the way to Kennedy Meadows.  But after Robin Bird Spring, the shift happened.  (By the way, I heard a very loud BOOM! while I was enjoying lunch at the spring.  I have absolutely no idea what it was, but it sounded like it could have been dynamite or something similar.  It also rained during lunch, which was odd because the clouds didn't look like typical rain clouds.)  The trail went from BLM--Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior--to National Forest, and the next 10 miles were beautiful!  I just found myself walking through a valley with little elevation change and great scenery.  It was a hiker's paradise!

 

I ended up logging another nearly 24 miles today, but primarily because the terrain was so hospitable.  I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that much under normal circumstances while sleeping in!  Guess that means I should get up earlier.

 

I ended up camping where the trail crossed Kelso Valley Road because a local trail angel had left a huge water cache there.  I really thought I'd have to end up setting up camp in the dark but I got there with light to spare!

A Quick Note

Hey Everyone - I'm currently in Kennedy Meadows and hoping to head (officially) into the Sierras today.  But I've got a lot to do between now and then so we'll see.  In the meantime, I'm trying to update my blog as best I can.  I have a bunch of stuff on my Blackberry that I can't post to the blog because of the lack of network around here.  So what I'm going to do is retype all of my daily and non-photo updates and post them to the Trail Blog and then catch up with the photos later, which may be a couple weeks until I'm back in civilization.  Sorry for the lack of photos!

Day 42

(Originally written on Monday, June 15)

Some days you have it and other days you don't. Today I didn't. Some days of hiking seem to flow, and others don't. Today it didn't. It was really just kind of a very unremarkable day, except that I'm not 100% sure, but I think this was the first day I didn't see any other human. (I did see traffic though, but I certainly didn't interact with anyone!)

The day started out windy, as usual for this area. I slept in and started hiking at about 7. For the first several hours I just tackled the only major climb I had for the day--the initial ascent into the Tehachapi Mountains, the southernmost tip of the Sierras. Then I had a very easy trail in front of me--no big ups or downs to speak of. Wind turbines were everywhere. Just when I thought I finally got rid of them, there'd be another ridge in front of me covered with them. They get old real quick. The way they look but especially the way they sound. I felt as if I had hiked through a warehouse or factory all day!

But the crazy thing was that even though the hike wasn't that difficult, I felt like I was laboring for every step. It was quite odd but I think it is because my pack is pretty heavy right now due to all the food I'm carrying. I guess I'll have to eat my way out of this difficult situation.

Despite the lack of energy on my part and the lack of flow on the trail, I still managed to hammer out nearly 24 miles, which was more than I was aiming for. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Day 41

Tonight I'm camped close enough to Highway 58 at Tehachapi Pass to hear the hum of the traffic go by as well as the occasional train. I never used to notice those sounds. I can also hear the additional hum of the wind turbines at work on the ridgetops above me. This area is incredibly windy! I'm camped with shrubs acting as quasi-windblocks on three of the four sides of my tent and it is still whipping pretty good! One thing that I really like about the wind is that it keeps the bugs away. Speaking of bugs, there have been more grasshoppers in the last two days than I've seen in the rest of my life! I'm not kidding...the ground looked like popcorn in some places. They jump out of my way and then the wind would catch them and they'd blow 6-12 feet. It was pretty funny and helped pass the time as I was focusing on not getting blown over.

If everything goes as it has been, I'll hit 600 miles on Tuesday morning. Hard to believe it! Next week at this time I should be in Kennedy Meadows revamping my gear for my 175-mile hike without resupply. It'll likely be my biggest such stretch. But, I'm really excited about it! This is what most people look forward to on the PCT and I'm no exception!

I expect cell coverage to be spotty over the next several days and possibly for weeks, but I'll be posting updates just as often as I can, so keep checking in!

One more thing...I'd REALLY like my fundraising total to be up over $7000 by the time I get to Kennedy Meadows. So if you can do anything to make that happen, I'd be most appreciative. :) Just go to www.hikeforhope2009.com and click on the fundraising link on the homepage and you'll be good to go!

Thanks for reading!

Very Rough Timeline

Hey Everyone -

While here in Tehachapi and armed with the experience of figuring out my pace over the previous nearly 560 miles, I took a few minutes to figure out what the rest of my trip would look like at my current pace.  I've projected my resupply habits and traveling speed to come up with a few main resupply points and dates.  I know that some of you were thinking about joining me for a day or two on the trail during the summer and I would encourage you to look at this as guidance for when and where I'll be along the trail.  PLEASE bear in mind that this is only a very rough estimate, so dates are subject to change.  As you can see, this gets me to the end of the trail well into October and I would love to do everything in my power to get that closer to my original target date of September 21 both for symbolic and practical purposes.  Symbolic because that is the fourth anniversary of my last day of treatment.  Practical because I don't want to get stuck in the snow somewhere in northern Washington!

So, without further adieu, here is my timeline:

RESUPPLY POINT           ARRIVE
CALIFORNIA
Kennedy Meadows          6/22
Vermilion Valley Resort     7/3
Tuolomne Meadows         7/8
Echo Lake                     7/17
Sierra City                    7/24
Belden                         7/29
Old Station                   8/3
Dunsmuir                      8/10
Seiad Valley                  8/17

OREGON
Ashland                        8/22
Crater Lake                   8/27
Bend                            9/2
Estacada                      9/7
Cascade Locks              9/12

WASHINGTON
Naches                        9/20
Snoqualmie Pass            9/25
Skykomish                    9/29
Stehekin                      10/4
Manning Park                10/9

---

Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out.

Wind Farm

They are a lot bigger up close! I was still probably 50+ yards away at this point and you can see that it fully hid the sun!

Close to Tehachapi

I came upon another wind farm as I got close to Tehachapi. You know what that means...lots of wind.

NASA

You may not be able to see it very well, but there are some huge structures just over the second row of mountains. I'm pretty sure those are the NASA facilities in Palmdale.

Day 40 - Tehachapi!

Technically, I'm not in Tehachapi yet, but I'll be there soon. I got to the road where I was planning to hitch and saw a sign for a local coffee shop. They offer to pick up hikers and bring them to town...for free! No small thing when the town is 12 miles away.

The plan is pick up my resupply box at the post office, then get a decent meal, then it should be about time for me to check into a hotel and figure out what I need to do to get back on the trail tomorrow.

One thing very high on my list of things to do is to get a good night's sleep! Last night was horrible--even worse than the almost-dog-mauling night the night before! As I mentioned in a previous post, I was planning to cowboy camp (without a tent). Not five minutes after I crawled into my sleeping bag, I started hearing things...things that I have heard before...things that sound like...MICE! They were everywhere! One even scurried right next to my head. Needless to say, I got up, set up my tent and hung all my food. I've never hated mice more than I did at that moment (and I'm still seething about it because I only got one hour of sleep!). Because after I did all that, they started to nibble on my hiking pole handles! So I hung those too. Then they started going after my tent! At this point I'm livid because I'm totally worn out and all I want to do is sleep. I finally moved my tent and that helped but only a little. So I set a trap by putting a couple little pieces of crackers right outside my tent door and I was waiting with a shoe. I thought if I could get one of those little turds, I could put him out there in the open for the rest of his buddies to see and be warned. Well, the trap didn't work, but after getting very close on a couple of occasions, I think most of them got the message. A few of them would still wake me up now and then when I heard them messing with my tent. I've never hated an animal so much. I'm DEFINITELY looking forward to a night in a hotel!

Day 39

After barely any sleep following a night of wondering if I was going to become kibbles 'n bits for Junkyard Fido, I woke up to Tom and Tori passing by. I've been playing leapfrog with them from the beginning of my hike. Actually, Mount Laguna. Anyway, I relayed to them my experience and then decided that at 6 am I wasn't going to sleep anymore. I made some good time and was at Cottonwood Canyon by about 10:30. I ended up eating and resting a bit until about 2, then hitting the trail again, hoping to put in another 8-11 miles. Again, I was making good time so actually ended up close to 20 for the day. Tomorrow I'm planning to get up before the sun and knock out the 11 miles to the highway that I have left before hitching a ride to Tehachapi. My resupply box is at the Post Office and it's only open until 2.

Sweet Dreams?

Hopefully. I'm cowboy camping (i.e., without a tent) on top of that ridge tonight (Friday). In fact, I'm typing this while in my sleeping bag! You won't see it until tomorrow though due to lack of network. We (Tom and his wife Tori) descended into that canyon and then I continued up the side of that ridge via switchbacks.

Mojave, cont.

Here's a wider shot showing more of the desert. It's crazy to think that I've hiked through all those mountains that you see in the distance!

My Better Side

Again, taken by Tom.

Mojave Desert? Check!

Behind me is the Mojave Desert, that I had just finished crossing over the previous two days. We were in the Tehachapi Mountains looking south. In the background, you can kind of see the fog pouring over the hills that I hiked through a few days ago. Brrr! It makes me cold just thinking about it!

Fellow hiker and all-around good dude Tom took this photo for me today (Friday).

The Ubiquitous Joshua Tree

Joshua Trees like this dotted the Mojave as I crossed it. I looked for U2 while I was there but didn't find them. This was taken on Friday.

Day 38

Okay...so I'm writing this on Friday night even though this is a summary of Thursday. Some of details may be glossed over, but I'll try to include as much as possible.

I nearly got mauled by a dog tonight. That's right...after hiking over 550 miles in the woods and I nearly fall victim to domesticated canine. Let me explain...

I left Hikertown at about 6 pm. It was later than I wanted to get out of there since the weather was so mild but I knew I'd be hiking at night either way, so I figured it wouldn't make much difference. Anyway, much of the day's (night's) route is notorious for being hot and boring. It follows the California Aqueduct for a while before changing directions when it crosses the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The sun went down while I was following the LA Aqueduct so it wasn't long before it was dark. The ambient light of the neighboring towns was enough for me to see where I was going without my headlamp. I walked for several miles when I noticed some headlights that were doing all kinds of weird things. It looked like the driver was trying to turn around but couldn't. Bear in mind this is a dirt road and is relatively remote. Instead of continuing on to Cottonwood Canyon like I originally wanted, I decided that I didn't want any part of whatever was going on up ahead. I stopped literally on top of the aqueduct (it is covered with a layer of concrete so it was flat) and laid out my mat and sleeping bag. Not more than five minutes later, some guy with a truck and trailer pulls up. I was certain he saw me because I was so close, but he didn't. He proceeds to start using a bunch of tools and then fires up some kind of generator when it dawns on me...this guy is stealing water out of the aqueduct--or I think is stealing...he could have been doing something worse. Regardless, something is definitely amiss because he's bangin' away on the pipeline. All of a sudden a dog, a BIG dog, starts barking and growling and is getting closer with each bark. Before I know it, I've got my hunting knife in my hand and he is stopped, about 25 feet away. Apparently even though I'm a stinky hiker, he could still smell me! Thankfully he doesn't come any closer, even though he knows I'm there. His owner (the alleged perp) finally stopped what he was doing and called him back to him, all the while completely oblivious to the fact that there is a person there witnessing everything. It's a tenuous situation--I don't really want the guy to know that I'm there and am witnessing his breaking of the law (maybe) because, again, 1. I'm in a remote place, and 2. he's got a big dog. I finally decide I should call the cops and tell them what's up. Luckily, the guy couldn't hear me over all his machinery. But the dog knew and still didn't like the fact that I was there. In the end, the guy left in about 10 minutes, the cops never showed, and I got little and terrible sleep. Kind of anticlimactic, huh?

California Aqueduct

Here is the California Aqueduct shortly after I left Hikertown on Thursday. It was a very flat hike last night, but I enjoyed it because it gave my body a break. The majority of my time, however, was spent following the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which is a long pipeline underground.

Hikertown IV

In Hikertown, chickens roam free. As well as a duck (not pictured).

Hikertown III

Here's another shot of Main Street.

Hikertown II

Here is a photo of Hikertown "Main Street"

The Post Office/Sheriff building was where I spent my time indoors, unless I was on the computer, which was in the white building next to it (a church).

Hikertown

So here I am in the middle of the very tip of the Mojave Desert.  I've hiked about 8 miles today when I get to the crossing of Highway 138.  If I go east then I'll end up in Lancaster.  To the west is Interstate 5 a mere 15 miles away. 
 
All of a sudden I come across this fake, little Old West town.  This is Hikertown and the owners have been doing this for about seven years.  It is exactly what I need.  Shade, water, an air-conditioned place to hang out if I want to.  A store about a mile away which I was able to access using a car here.  A microwaveable burrito, pint of chocolate ice cream, and 20 oz Coke later and I'm fat and happy and loving life!  The weather isn't that hot, thankfully, but the wind is abrasive.  I'm resting up and cleaning up, sort of, before heading back out this afternoon/evening.  My plan is to get the bulk of the 20+ hot(ter), waterless miles out of my way during the relative cool of the day, before climbing into the Tehachapi Mountains. 
 
I'll take some pictures of Hikertown and post them before I leave.  It really is a great little place!

Day 37

Wow...lots of news to report for today. Let's start with the boring stuff...

Fog. I hate it. I didn't like it before and now I absolutely loathe the stuff. I hiked about 50 straight miles in between yesterday and today and it felt miserable the whole time--cold, damp, clammy, gloomy. It seriously was putting me in a funk because I couldn't see anything except for maybe 100 feet and then BAM! white. A person expects to see fog in Oregon or Washington, but I'm in SoCal! It kind of feels like getting rained on at the beach, like you got cheated out of something.

Anyway, I survived, obviously, and even hiked another 25 miles today (that makes 50 miles in two days)! I was definitely motivated to get out of the fog even though it took everything in me to get up before 6:30 this morning! I just got to a point where I put myself on autopilot and cruised. It's not like I could see anything anyway! (Forgot to mention this in yesterday's post. I was so bored that I sang all 99 verses of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" to myself on the trail yesterday. THAT is bored, my friends!) But the good news is I made it to Pine Canyon Road and had my tent up before dark. Tomorrow I'm planning to go about seven miles in the morning and hang out at a place called Hikertown. Then in the afternoon, set off across the Mojave Desert. Don't worry, it's only about 20 miles where I cross and it's still not very hot.

Now for the more interesting stuff! With my 25 miles today, my tally is now past 500 miles for the trip! (See photo below.) My plan is still to be around 560 miles when I reach Tehachapi hopefully on Saturday. More importantly, I start hiking North tomorrow after weeks of going west!

Also, my fundraising mark passed the $6000 threshold yesterday! Obviously I've still got a ways to go, but I've got a long ways to hike, too. But I'd really like to keep my fundraising mark ahead of my miles. For example, right now I've hiked 511 miles ($5,110). If I get to 600 miles with about the same dollar amount, then I will have caught up to it. In other words, if you've been planning to donate but haven't yet, now is a great time! :)

Finally, and most important, I just got a message from an old buddy of mine who has been undergoing chemo for the past weeks and months. The doctors delivered the good news today: He is cancer free!

News like that definitely makes it easier to get up on the cold mornings!

Hike On!

Foothills

I took this photo right after the one below of the Mojave Desert. This is the way the fog was behaving for the entire stretch of the Sierra Pelona that I had been hiking for the past two days. You can see just how close I was to sunny weather. It was just out of arm's reach--teasing me--the entire time. Two of the most frustrating days on the trail so far.

Mojave Desert

I took this at about 5 pm after I finally escaped the clutches of the fog. I was so excited to be able to see beyond 100 feet, that I had to take a picture, of what it didn't matter! I stopped soon after that to celebrate my fogless fortune by eating a Snickers.

More Fog

I kid you not, this is what I had to look at all day (until the very end). I felt like I was in the middle of a cheesy horror film set (cue fog machine). I'm glad I wasn't up there at night, because that really would have looked spooky!

Celebrating 500

Decided I should snap a photo capturing the moment. I was feeling silly so stuck out my tongue. If you're wondering why it goes to your right, it's because the surgery I had 4 years ago pulls it that way.

500 Mile Mark

I hit 500 miles today at about 2 pm. It was foggy, windy, and very cold, so I almost didn't stop to take a photo. But then I realized...I've hiked 500 miles! I've got to take a photo!

Day 36

I woke up this morning with my mind on getting some good mileage racked up. Since I didn't get nearly as much done yesterday as I would have liked, and roughly 100 miles to do in 4.5 days, I had my work cut out for me. But as I started to wake up around 4:30 this morning, I couldn't help but notice the heavy condensation on the inside of my tent. When I looked outside with my headlamp, sure enough, visibility was nearly nonexistent.

I was on the trail by 5:30 and ended up hiking a couple miles (as is usually my custom) before having breakfast on the backside of a ridge where I had a windbreak. That is where I took the picture that I posted earlier.

Anyway, I hiked all day and continued to hope that the fog would burn off, but instead it seemed to get thicker. It's a California phenomenon called "June Gloom". I experienced it when I lived in Santa Barbara but there it was usually warm. This was definitely not! Again I seemed to add more layers as the day went on. It is very frustrating. I expect this kind of weather later on, but not in SoCal!

The one good thing about the crappy weather is that I don't stop to take pictures! (Because there is nothing to see.) I'm sure that Sierra Pelona has some beautiful areas, but I didn't see them! Anyhow, I ended up doing 26 miles today which is about what I was aiming for. There was a part of the day where I thought I could do 30, but when I realized it would put me at a higher elevation (read: colder) I decided to just stay put where I was.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is a bit nicer tomorrow, but I have my doubts! Regardless, I still need to get in some good mileage if I can. If I do another 25ish then I should be back on track.

Hmmm...feels like I'm forgetting something. Oh well, if I remember it will be in a different post.

Fog

Sorry I haven't been able to provide very good photos lately, but this has been what I've been given to work with lately. I'm getting sick of the fog.

Oasis Cache

I came upon this cache this morning at 10:30. This is the best one yet! I had a Pepsi despite the fact that I was cold because it was only 50 degrees and the wind was blowing. It didn't warm up the entire day.

Sierra Pelona Sunrise

I took this at about 6:30 this morning. Turns out this would be the only sun I saw all day.

Day 35

Tonight I'm camping somewhere around the Sierra Pelona Ridge, just outside of Agua Dulce about 5 miles. My original plan was to get 10 miles logged today in order to make the rest of my week a little less rushed. But due to an error on my part, my maps for Tehachapi - Kennedy Meadows are going to be waiting for me at Kennedy Meadows. Oops. So I had to figure out a second plan so that I had some maps and wasn't just wandering out into the Tehachapi Mountains.

The stay at Agua Dulce and the Saufley's truly are trail angels in every sense of the word. When you first arrive, you get to a laundry tent where you pick up a laundry basket for your dirty clothes and clean loaner clothes if you want/need them. Then you take a shower and leave your dirty clothes next to the wash machine and Donna washes them for you!!! In the meantime, you can hang out in the single-wide trailer converted to a guest house watching TV, reading the paper, etc. Or you can just sit outside or ride a bike into town. The system they have in place is wonderful and they actually have to limit the number of hikers staying on any given night to 50...yes, 50. There weren't nearly that many while I was there. Maybe just 10-12.

The weather continues to be mild, which is wonderful! What was not fun up in the San Gabriels is definitely good down where it is usually hotter! Hopefully it will stay this way for a few more days until I get across the Mojave.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a pretty big day. I'm planning to get an early start and hike for as long as my body and the weather cooperate. My guess is that my body will be the first to give in since I just resupplied and have some extra weight to contend with! Regardless, I need to get to the Tehachapi post office by 2 pm on Saturday, so I've got my work cut out for me with about 100 miles to go!

Hiker Heaven III

And these are the horses. They are enormous!

Hiker Heaven IV

Here's the inside of the trailer.

Hiker Heaven II

These are more cots for hikers who don't get a bed in the trailer or RV. On the other side of them is the horse stable.

Hiker Heaven

These are the main accommodations for all the hikers that come through Hiker Heaven. They include all the amenities that a hiker might need, including TV! :)

Day 34 - Hiker Heaven

As expected, today was a rather easy day.  I decided that after not-the-best sleep the past two nights, I was going to sleep in this morning if I could.  Turns out, I did!  The weather was perfect for sleeping and so sleep is what I did.  After waking up around 7 a.m., I stayed in my tent for a little while and read some of the book I've got with me entitled Three Weeks With My Brother.  (Thanks James!)  After packing up, I was on the trail by about 9 a.m. with 10 miles to Agua Dulce.  The weather was warmer, but not overbearing at all.  In fact, I'd still get chilled if I stopped hiking. 

I crossed Highway 14 at about noon and quickly entered the Vazquez Rocks area (see photos and posts below).  About a mile after that, I was approaching Agua Dulce and the home of Hiker Heaven--a private residence that caters to PCT thru-hikers.  The owners, the Saufley's, open up their home to thru-hikers to rest up, resupply, and do laundry...all free of charge.  It is wonderful here and I've got fully clean clothes and I've already showered.  There are also a bunch of dogs and horses around, which adds to the peaceful surroundings.  I'll have to get some photos tomorrow so that I can post them to the blog.

I've got a few details that I need to work out before I head out from here, but my next goal and deadline is to get to the Tehachapi Post Office before they close on Saturday at 2 p.m.  It's about 104 miles away, and then about a 10-mile hitch into town.  From there I've got a big trip to Kennedy Meadows--close to 150 miles.  Even though the Tehachapi Mountains are considered to be the most southern portion of the Sierran Chain, most thru-hikers consider Kennedy Meadows to be the end of Southern California and the beginning of the Sierras.  Regardless, it will be a big resupply point for me. 

Agua Dulce

The locals here are definitely PCT hiker-friendly!

More Vazquez Rocks

Approaching Vazquez Rocks

This shot was taken shortly after Highway 14 and was seen while approaching the Vazquez Rocks, which were named for 1850's outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez.

Inside the Tunnel

When I imagine walking toward the light, this is the image I come up with.

In Case You Were Wondering...

...this is how a PCT hiker gets from one side of California's Highway 14 (Antelope Highway) to the other.

PCT Landmark

This small plaque near the railroad tracks in Soledad Canyon commemorates the official completion of the Pacific Crest Trail in 1993. There should have also been a larger plaque, but somebody swiped it.

San Gabriels

I'm so glad I'm not up there anymore. I had been hiking through that stuff for two days (taken yesterday).

This photo during my descent from the San Gabriels yesterday may not look like much, but I tried to capture the contrast between rock types. As I walked along the trail a few miles before Soledad Canyon Road, the surface went from white to black in the span of no more than 4-5 inches. I looked up the side of the trail and saw a clear line with white rock smashed up against black rock. I had seen similar differences before, but not this stark.

Day 33 - San Gabriels, Check.

I'm very happy to report that I'm finished with the San Gabriels! That mountain range does not know the meaning of the word "moderation." Regardless of where I was on the trail in this section--from ascending Baden-Powell to descending Mattox Canyon--the trail always seemed to be going straight up or straight down. Combine that with the substandard weather I had for the last couple of days and it definitely was not easy.

Today I started out at 5200' then quickly climbed up over 6500', meeting another hiker named Daniel in the process. He's got a film crew along the way and is making a documentary. He's an ultralight hiker--his pack weighed only 20 lbs total! He's a marathon runner and has never done any hiking until now. I guess I should feel good that he started on May 10, only five days after me.

Anyway, the weather was still freezing and when I stopped for lunch at about 4200', it was 45 degrees and really windy. It was another case of me not wanting to stop because I'd just get so chilled. Today though, I had another reason to keep moving and that was because I was planning to end the day around 2200', or 3000' lower than when I started the day.

I arrived at a KOA camp on Soledad Canyon Road at about 6:30 this evening. After making camp, I was even able to further warm myself up (the lower elevation helped significantly) by taking a nice, hot shower.

Tomorrow should be a relatively easy day consisting of 10 miles of minor ups and downs into Agua Dulce, where I'll stay at a place called Hiker Heaven. It is the Saufley residence. They are probably the most well-known trail angels on the PCT and their hospitality is legendary if all the stories are true. So I'll resupply there with one of the boxes I mailed myself from Pasadena and be back on the trail on Monday. I'll also be able to do laundry and get (another) hot shower!

I think I'm getting soft! :)

T-T-T-Today was F-F-F-Frigid!

So after taking an extra day in Pasadena, I guess I had this coming.

Ken dropped me off at the trail around 7:30 this morning. It was chilly but nothing I hadn't experienced before. I figured that I'd get warmed up soon after I started my first and most significant climb of the day (about 1200'). Wrong. There was a remnant of the weather system I mentioned a couple blog posts back that wasn't quite done. I climbed right into a cloud that was half-drizzle, half-fog, and all cold. It was miserable. It wasn't really rain in the sense of rain, just mist, and no sun. And it was windy. Instead of removing layers, I was adding them! (I even had to wear my gloves a couple of times!) There were a few times when I thought the sun might poke through the clouds for more than a few seconds, but it never really happened. So this went on until finally I dropped below the clouds at around 5800'. So I was all good until I had lunch around 2:30. By then I had racked up 15 miles, mainly because I just wanted to keep moving to stay warm! At about 3:45, off I went again...another climb. My goal was to go about seven miles where there was a camp at about 5200' and therefore hopefully below the clouds. Well, after more hiking in damp and frigid conditions, I made it. In fact, I even made camp and ate dinner before it got dark. Not bad for 22 miles starting at 7:30!

Anyway, after breaking off a big chunk of my mileage to get to Agua Dulce where I'll pick up my resupply box, I'll be able to go a little slower if I want to. Since the elevation will be lower, I think it should at least be more comfortable. Fingers crossed!

IMG00277.jpg

This is the view from the western part of the San Gabriels toward the Mojave Desert. I think that the town in the photo is Lancaster. You can see the clouds creating a very low ceiling. After walking through them for most of the day, the trail finally dropped below the cloud level which was good because it was COLD walking in the clouds!

R & R in Pasadena

After a wonderful two days off from the trail, it's time to get back on the PCT tomorrow.  The timing couldn't have been better, however.  In the news today were stories about multiple lightning strikes up in the San Bernardinos and in the San Gabriels not far from where I had been.  In the vicinity of where I was picked up from the trail on Tuesday, there were something like 33 lightning strikes and three fires resulting from those lightning strikes.  So as you can imagine, I was very happy to be far removed from the action!  Now it seems the weather has cleared so it's back to work.

Despite being time away from hiking, I've still been staying very busy.  Yesterday I made a trip to REI where I exchanged some equipment and picked up some new gear that I'll need later on.  For example, there have been a few nights where I've been quite cold up in the mountains.  It's only going to get colder in the Sierras and points north so I invested in a liner for my sleeping bag that increases the temperature rating of the bag by 12 degrees.  After the trip to REI, I got back to Ken and Gillian's just in time to clean up a bit and then the guests started showing up for the BBQ.  It was so good to see everyone, some of whom I haven't seen in several years!  (The carne asada was awesome, too, Ken.)

Today was all about getting my resupply boxes put together and off to the Post Office.  I'm really motivated to get to Kennedy Meadows and to put an end to hiking in Southern California--not because I don't like it here, but mainly because of the water and heat issues.  So now I've got a resupply set for Agua Dulce (50 miles from where I am on the PCT), Tehachapi (155 miles), and Kennedy Meadows (just under 300).  My load from Tehachapi to Kennedy Meadows is going to be a substantial one! 

Tomorrow I'm hoping to hit the trail by about 7 a.m. and get a good 15 miles in by the end of the day.  Then another 20 or so the next day, then into Agua Dulce on Sunday for a shower and resupply.  We'll see how it goes though.

Hike On!

Rees and Taylor

These guys have been my hiking buddies for the last three days. They've been a Godsend as we've made our way through the San Gabriels together. I caught up to them on Saturday at the McDonald's at Cajon Pass. They are section hiking through Agua Dulce, which is a 2.5-day journey from Three Points where we went our separate ways.

Milepost 400

I encountered this on the trail today. Someone out there was just as enthused as I am about crossing that threshold! I'm done for the next day or two while I resupply in Pasadena and currently sitting at 403.6 miles for the trip.

Mt Williamson

Here is the view down towards the greater LA area shrouded in fog (known in CA as a marine layer). I took this just a couple hundred feet from the summit of Mt Williamson.

Little Jimmy Campground!

This is where I camped last night. I didn't know James Glueck had his own campground! Thanks for letting me stay, dude.

View from Atop Mt Baden-Powell

This is looking southwest from the summit.

Day 28 (June 1)

I had a fitful night of sleep at Grassy Hollow. I'm not sure if it was because I was a little cold or because I didn't have a pillow since I was wearing all clothing I had! So when the alarm went off at 5:30, I turned it off and went to sleep for probably the best 30 minutes of sleep I got the whole night. The bummer of it was the guys I've been hiking with (Rees and Taylor) didn't sleep through their alarm so I started out about 30 minutes behind them.
The approach to Mt Baden-Powell was mostly descent but with a couple of inclines. By the time we got to where the trail began the ascent up the mountain, at Vincent Gap, we were at 6565'. After about two hours of hiking, I reached the summit of 9399' (see previous posts). It was a long haul with some very steep climbs, probably the longest climb of that grade for the entire trip so far, so I felt exhausted and exhilerated at the same time when I got to the summit.

After a mostly easy descent with a couple more tough climbs, we settled in at Little Jimmy Campground (shout out to my boy James Glueck!) at about 3:30 in the afternoon. The climb was difficult enough that we elected to do "short" mileage of about 13 miles today.

Tomorrow it is about 18 miles for me to get to Three Points by 5 pm, where my buddy Ken will pick me up and take me back to Pasadena where I'll shower, do laundry, and resupply. I'll also do a lot of eating! On Tuesday night, In-N-Out...and lots of it! On Wednesday night, Ken's hosting a cookout and I'm SO excited to see some old college friends! But for starters, I'll just be happy to be clean again!

Victory!

Here I am at the top of Mt. Baden-Powell. I started at 9:06 am PDT at 6565' and reached the summit at 10:59 am PDT at 9399'. It was a heck of a climb! Good training for the Sierras. Speaking of the Sierras, they say you can see Mt. Whitney from here on the clearest days. Well, I can see a long ways but I can't see Mt. Whitney. Bummer.

My body hates me right now after that climb. But it's been said that pain is weakness leaving the body. I think Katie Boots is the one who most recently quoted that to me. Thanks Katie!

Hike On!

Victory!

Here I am at the top of Mt. Baden-Powell. I started at 9:06 am PDT at 6565' and reached the summit at 10:59 am PDT at 9399'. It was a heck of a climb! Good training for the Sierras. Speaking of the Sierras, they say you can see Mt. Whitney from here on the clearest days. Well, I can see a long ways but I can't see Mt. Whitney. Bummer.

My body hates me right now after that climb. But it's been said that pain is weakness leaving the body. I think Katie Boots is the one who most recently quoted that to me. Thanks Katie!

Hike On!

Baden-Powell Summit Attempt

I may be all smiles here, but we'll see if that is the case at the top!

It's about a 3000' elevation gain in 4 miles. God help me.

Day 27 (May 31)

Wow...I can't believe tomorrow is only the first day of June! So much has happened this month that it is hard to believe that not even a month has passed. It's even harder to believe that I've only tamed 373 miles of this beast! But I'm trying to stay focused on the big picture. Really, even with my slow start due to injuries, blisters, etc., I'm only six days off my original pace. I know that sounds like a lot, and it is, but considering how I started it is pretty good.

Anyway, this morning I started out at about 5100' and decided to reward myself for my high mileage with a day of sleeping in. So I got up at 6 instead of 4. It felt wonderful. My body has seriously been protesting the mileage I've been putting in, and after getting through the really hot areas so quickly, I'm giving it a bit of a break...but not too much. Today was an 18-mile day and tomorrow will be about a 13-mile day but with a very steep climb up to the peak of Mt. Baden-Powell at 9399'. (Mt. Baden-Powell is named after the man who founded the Boy Scouts.) Then on Tuesday, it should be a relatively uneventful day of hiking around 6000'.

So even though I'm not sticking with the high mileage, my body is still getting a workout!

Tonight I'm camped in Grassy Hollow Visitor Center/Camp and enjoying the luxuries of an outhouse and a water spigot. Ah, the simple things in life! Rees and Taylor, a couple of section hikers who I've been passing and getting passed by for the past week or so are camped here too. The weather is clear but cold and they were gracious enough to share their soup with me (I'm hiking without a stove until the Sierras) so that helped get me warm!

It's only 8:33 now and I've already been in bed for about 20 minutes. There's really not much else to do. Tomorrow we're planning to take off around 6:30 am. Hopefully my legs won't feel too much like jelly during the steep climb of Mt Baden-Powell.

Grassy Hollow Camp

Here is another mileage sign for Mexico and Canada. I'll be just over 400 miles when I get off the trail to resupply on Tuesday. Slowly but surely...

Inspiration Point

This was taken Sunday afternoon. It is the view from near Inspiration Point in the San Gabriels. Elevation approximately 7300'.

Above the Clouds

I took this shot this morning (Sunday, May 31) from about 6000' up in the San Gabriels towards the south. You can see the fog/cloud layer down below.