Day 62, Mile 903
This last section was a tough one but the views were worth it! It seemed just about every day we had a pass to climb up to. Most of the passes were around 10,000 to 12,000 ft and of course you would drop between 3,000 to 4,000 ft after each one so tons of up and down. There was one day where we were going down a ton of rocky steep switchbacks for most the day which takes a tole on the knees and feet. I think at one point Gator was questioning what he was doing and whether he wanted to continue beating himself up. But after taking it easy and icing the feet and knees in the cold streams he was feeling a lot better. Since then the trail has gotten better with less steep rocky steps which makes things more enjoyable.
For the last 150 miles or so the PCT and JMT (John Muir Trail) have intersected. I believe we will be on the JMT for about another 50 miles. This has been my favorite part of the trail so far. As I heard someone say to a guy who was just hiking the JMT they referred to it as "Cherry Picking" the best parts of the hike. So if you were to have limited time this would definitely be a section to do! Hard due to elevation gains and losses and altitude but well worth it!
Now I am in Mammoth Lakes and enjoying the local coffee shops and some time of feeling like a real person. Last night I even went to the movies. It is funny though when you are in town how people just automatically look at you and know you are a thru hiker or "hiker trash" (as most thru hikers refer to each other). Maybe it is the way you have dirt all over your clothes or smell or are just out looking for a deal so you can save money.
Well time to head back out to the trail. Miss you all and thanks for keeping tabs on me!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Independence
Day 52, Mile 790
Can I just say WOW! This last section I just hiked through has been quite spectacular! No words can really do justice. I was just surrounded by breath taking panoramic view after panoramic view. First hiking up Mt. Whitney the highest mountain in the lower 48 at 14,505 ft in elevation and then going through Forester Pass the highest point on the PCT at 13,000 plus. The elevation defiantly got to me and slowed me down but I didn't mind cause the views kept me going. I'd say going through Forester Pass was the best though! Just continual towering mountains, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and tons of granite rock!
I am getting ready to head back out on the trail but I ended up taking a bit of time in town to resupply and buy a couple items at the outdoor store in Bishop. I am now on my third pair of shoes, I have already worn out two pairs (which seems pretty typical). Also sending some weight back home, the ice axe seems to be a bit of unneeded weight, not much snow in the Sierras I guess. So it has just been hanging off my pack making me look hard core.
Gator is doing pretty well in the higher elevations and it seems tables have turn. Whenever we are over 11,000 he starts cruising and I start dragging.
Can I just say WOW! This last section I just hiked through has been quite spectacular! No words can really do justice. I was just surrounded by breath taking panoramic view after panoramic view. First hiking up Mt. Whitney the highest mountain in the lower 48 at 14,505 ft in elevation and then going through Forester Pass the highest point on the PCT at 13,000 plus. The elevation defiantly got to me and slowed me down but I didn't mind cause the views kept me going. I'd say going through Forester Pass was the best though! Just continual towering mountains, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and tons of granite rock!
I am getting ready to head back out on the trail but I ended up taking a bit of time in town to resupply and buy a couple items at the outdoor store in Bishop. I am now on my third pair of shoes, I have already worn out two pairs (which seems pretty typical). Also sending some weight back home, the ice axe seems to be a bit of unneeded weight, not much snow in the Sierras I guess. So it has just been hanging off my pack making me look hard core.
Gator is doing pretty well in the higher elevations and it seems tables have turn. Whenever we are over 11,000 he starts cruising and I start dragging.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Kennedy Meadows
Day 45, Mile 704
I have finally arrived at The Kennedy Meadows, which is the big resupply before hitting the Sierras! KM is a small little town nestled in the foothills of the Sierras. It is beautiful here and gives me a small taste of what kind of panoramic sights are to come. So what better place to take a zero day (day off) to relax, recoup, and get organized with some of the extra food and gear I will have to take for this next section. Hoping since there will be more water options now and I will not have to carry as much, that will make up for some of the added gear weight (ice axe, micro spikes, ect).
I will also admit that this last section from Tehachapi to KM was brutal due to high winds so the extra day is a welcome break. Over the last week I have been pushing through these high winds and at times if I was caught off guard I would be almost knocked off my feet. I felt like I was in a boxing ring with my hands tied behind my back. There is nothing you can do but take it. You can yell at the wind but as I found out that does no good either. Someone told me they heard there were wind gusts recorded up to 80 mph. Let me tell you, not so fun in the desert! Although I welcomed the cooler temperatures (until it snowed on me one night), the sand blasted in my face kinda sucked. There was one night I tried to set up the tent to keep out of the wind and blowing dirt but within minutes it was fully collapsed by the wind. This was no wimpy 2 pole tent either. So I just took refuge behind a couple Joshua trees, threw out my sleeping bag, fastened it tight over my head and called it good for the night. Ugg, didn't get much sleep though! Luckily winds have died down as of late but I am sure some of those ridges up in the Sierras will have more of the same to offer but at least it will come with some amazing views.
Gator is also doing well but definitely ready for a break. At times he gets a little burned out but we have only had 4 days off since we started so completely understandable. But he is looking forward to hitting the higher elevations and hiking up Mt. Whitney.
All else is going great and really looking forward to the next 200 miles of remote wilderness!!
I have finally arrived at The Kennedy Meadows, which is the big resupply before hitting the Sierras! KM is a small little town nestled in the foothills of the Sierras. It is beautiful here and gives me a small taste of what kind of panoramic sights are to come. So what better place to take a zero day (day off) to relax, recoup, and get organized with some of the extra food and gear I will have to take for this next section. Hoping since there will be more water options now and I will not have to carry as much, that will make up for some of the added gear weight (ice axe, micro spikes, ect).
I will also admit that this last section from Tehachapi to KM was brutal due to high winds so the extra day is a welcome break. Over the last week I have been pushing through these high winds and at times if I was caught off guard I would be almost knocked off my feet. I felt like I was in a boxing ring with my hands tied behind my back. There is nothing you can do but take it. You can yell at the wind but as I found out that does no good either. Someone told me they heard there were wind gusts recorded up to 80 mph. Let me tell you, not so fun in the desert! Although I welcomed the cooler temperatures (until it snowed on me one night), the sand blasted in my face kinda sucked. There was one night I tried to set up the tent to keep out of the wind and blowing dirt but within minutes it was fully collapsed by the wind. This was no wimpy 2 pole tent either. So I just took refuge behind a couple Joshua trees, threw out my sleeping bag, fastened it tight over my head and called it good for the night. Ugg, didn't get much sleep though! Luckily winds have died down as of late but I am sure some of those ridges up in the Sierras will have more of the same to offer but at least it will come with some amazing views.
Gator is also doing well but definitely ready for a break. At times he gets a little burned out but we have only had 4 days off since we started so completely understandable. But he is looking forward to hitting the higher elevations and hiking up Mt. Whitney.
All else is going great and really looking forward to the next 200 miles of remote wilderness!!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Tehachapi
Day 36, Mile 558
This last section I went through was pretty hot! I guess it should be since it goes through some of the Mojave desert. Water has been hard to come by and it was pretty common to have to go 15 to 20 miles before you hit another water source. So that means carrying over 10 lbs of water which I am finding out makes a big difference in my progress. This next section will probably be more of the same then I am gonna be out of the desert for the most part. The desert and So Cal has been beautiful and all but I am ready for some new scenery and a little cooler weather. Man I can't imagine going through all these past sections in a few weeks when the bulk of the hikers go through, most of the water sources will be dried up.
One of the places I ended up stopping for water a few days ago was this trail angels house called Hiker Town. My timing couldn't have been any better since when I showed up the people living there were having a BBQ with the Mayor of Lancaster and Gator and I ended up being the token hikers, pictures and all. The funny thing was as I was hiking on the trail the day before I was dreaming of BBQ chicken, baked beans, and potato salad, and guess what they were serving, all that and more! It was amazing and as I was stuffing my face with all this food the people were coming up asking us all these questions. Now here was my deli ma...you are starving for real food and can't wait to eat but you are trying to be polite by not answering these questions with your mouth full, I ate anyway. Hiker Town was actually pretty cool. It looked like an old western Hollywood set with all the different buildings lined up next to each other (saloon, city hall, etc) and you could stay the night in the little buildings if you wanted too. I didn't stay even though it was tempting but I did get a nice meal, shower, and most important... water.
Now I am in Tehachapi and just finished a few errands of getting supplies for the next section. I will relax tonight and head to the Post Office tomorrow to get my resupply box since today is Sunday and PO is not open. After that back on the trail.
This last section I went through was pretty hot! I guess it should be since it goes through some of the Mojave desert. Water has been hard to come by and it was pretty common to have to go 15 to 20 miles before you hit another water source. So that means carrying over 10 lbs of water which I am finding out makes a big difference in my progress. This next section will probably be more of the same then I am gonna be out of the desert for the most part. The desert and So Cal has been beautiful and all but I am ready for some new scenery and a little cooler weather. Man I can't imagine going through all these past sections in a few weeks when the bulk of the hikers go through, most of the water sources will be dried up.
One of the places I ended up stopping for water a few days ago was this trail angels house called Hiker Town. My timing couldn't have been any better since when I showed up the people living there were having a BBQ with the Mayor of Lancaster and Gator and I ended up being the token hikers, pictures and all. The funny thing was as I was hiking on the trail the day before I was dreaming of BBQ chicken, baked beans, and potato salad, and guess what they were serving, all that and more! It was amazing and as I was stuffing my face with all this food the people were coming up asking us all these questions. Now here was my deli ma...you are starving for real food and can't wait to eat but you are trying to be polite by not answering these questions with your mouth full, I ate anyway. Hiker Town was actually pretty cool. It looked like an old western Hollywood set with all the different buildings lined up next to each other (saloon, city hall, etc) and you could stay the night in the little buildings if you wanted too. I didn't stay even though it was tempting but I did get a nice meal, shower, and most important... water.
Now I am in Tehachapi and just finished a few errands of getting supplies for the next section. I will relax tonight and head to the Post Office tomorrow to get my resupply box since today is Sunday and PO is not open. After that back on the trail.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Agua Dulce
Day 30, Mile 455
Sorry it has been so long since my last post but between technical difficulties with my phone, getting service, and losing my last entry before posting in Wrightwood, lets just say it has been interesting trying to post a blog lately. Anyway now to the good stuff.
So since Wrightwood just under 100 miles ago I have passed the 400 mile mark! It is amazing to think that I have walked 400 miles in 4 weeks. I have also hit a elevation high on the trail of 9399 at Mt Baden Powell. I even stood on a 1ft tall rock at the top so I could make it an even 9400. But that is not gonna be the highest point over all. I am hoping to take a 16 mile detour off the PCT when I get to the Sierra's to hike up Mt. Whitney. But if not Forester Pass also in the Sierra's will be the highest point on the PCT which is somewhere over 13,000 ft. Nice!
Lately I have slowed down a bit from my desired mileage. I am still about a day behind but that is not much in the whole grand scheme of things. I have had to make a couple detours to go around some burned areas (Station Fire a few years ago). Since there is only a couple approved spots to camp due to this fire and water has been hard to come by it has made progress a little slow. There is also the dreaded Poodle Dog brush. Which is a plant that thrives in burned areas that is supposed to be worse than poison oak. So that was interesting trying to zig zag through on the trail. I actually bought a cheap painter suit in Wrightwood to put on just in case it was unavoidable in areas. Luckily I could avoid most of it by walking around or pushing it out of the way with my trekking pole so I didn't have to wear it. I heard a story that some guys leg swelled up for 2 months so no thanks I will avoid that like the plague.
Other than that I have either seen or heard more Lions (not mt lions, we are talking Africa lions) than I have seen bears. No really! Ok so a couple weeks ago I walked by a place that takes care of Hollywood animals and there were cages holding lions and tigers and bears. And last night I stayed at a KOA that was next to this zoo facility that takes care of Micheal Jacksons lions. Imagine my surprise in the middle of the night when I was awaken from a dead sleep and I heard some loud preditorial ROAR and had no idea what it was. And of course I just sunk down farther in my sleeping bag hoping it would go away. Found out the next morning what it actually was.
But overall things are going good and even though it is hard and the feet never seem to stop hurting I am loving every minute of it. I think Gator is coming around too.
Sorry it has been so long since my last post but between technical difficulties with my phone, getting service, and losing my last entry before posting in Wrightwood, lets just say it has been interesting trying to post a blog lately. Anyway now to the good stuff.
So since Wrightwood just under 100 miles ago I have passed the 400 mile mark! It is amazing to think that I have walked 400 miles in 4 weeks. I have also hit a elevation high on the trail of 9399 at Mt Baden Powell. I even stood on a 1ft tall rock at the top so I could make it an even 9400. But that is not gonna be the highest point over all. I am hoping to take a 16 mile detour off the PCT when I get to the Sierra's to hike up Mt. Whitney. But if not Forester Pass also in the Sierra's will be the highest point on the PCT which is somewhere over 13,000 ft. Nice!
Lately I have slowed down a bit from my desired mileage. I am still about a day behind but that is not much in the whole grand scheme of things. I have had to make a couple detours to go around some burned areas (Station Fire a few years ago). Since there is only a couple approved spots to camp due to this fire and water has been hard to come by it has made progress a little slow. There is also the dreaded Poodle Dog brush. Which is a plant that thrives in burned areas that is supposed to be worse than poison oak. So that was interesting trying to zig zag through on the trail. I actually bought a cheap painter suit in Wrightwood to put on just in case it was unavoidable in areas. Luckily I could avoid most of it by walking around or pushing it out of the way with my trekking pole so I didn't have to wear it. I heard a story that some guys leg swelled up for 2 months so no thanks I will avoid that like the plague.
Other than that I have either seen or heard more Lions (not mt lions, we are talking Africa lions) than I have seen bears. No really! Ok so a couple weeks ago I walked by a place that takes care of Hollywood animals and there were cages holding lions and tigers and bears. And last night I stayed at a KOA that was next to this zoo facility that takes care of Micheal Jacksons lions. Imagine my surprise in the middle of the night when I was awaken from a dead sleep and I heard some loud preditorial ROAR and had no idea what it was. And of course I just sunk down farther in my sleeping bag hoping it would go away. Found out the next morning what it actually was.
But overall things are going good and even though it is hard and the feet never seem to stop hurting I am loving every minute of it. I think Gator is coming around too.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Big Bear Lake
Day 18, Mile 266
Yesterday I did 24 miles. I think in the past 3 days I have gone from 9000ft elevation down to 3200ft and then back up to 9000ft. Tons of up and down that takes a pretty good toll on the feet and knees. So since Big Bear Lake seems like such a fine place to hang out I am thinking 2 days off here will be what is needed. I am a little worried about taking this much time off but hoping that by Friday morning I will be fresh again and ready to put on some more miles. Although I have had a few long days of 20+ miles here and there I have also had some hard uphill days where I only have done around 15 or less. I would like to get to the point where I can do 17 to 20 miles or more every day so I can stay on schedule. But it is all about timing too. Don't want to get to Kennedy Meadows too early either because that is the beginning of the Sierras and then you have lots of snow and high river crossings to contend with (don't worry mom). The longer you wait the easier it will be going through there but if you wait too long then finishing the trail in time becomes a concern.
So it seems I have gotten a trail name. The group of about 5 now some of whom I have started the trail with, have been now calling me "Chief" or "Chief Wenatchee". I think partly because I am the one that keeps trying to keep Chad and I on track so we don't take too long of breaks or don't end the day too soon without getting the miles (I like to call it motivation). And what sealed the deal is when they called me that in front of someone outside of the group named Scalpel, he said he thought it fit because he could see it in the eyes. hmmm I wonder if I should be offended. Oh well I guess I will go with it, it is all in fun. My fire crew back in Chelan would probably agree with that name anyway, they sometimes call me mom probably for the same reasons.
Side note: One thing I would like to highlight on my blog is my fund raiser. It is for the American Cancer Society. Please don't feel obligated to donate but if you feel you can give a little then the link to my hiking fund raiser is on the right side of my blog page. There have been people close to me that have been effected by cancer and this is my way of trying to give back. (Love you Mom)
Yesterday I did 24 miles. I think in the past 3 days I have gone from 9000ft elevation down to 3200ft and then back up to 9000ft. Tons of up and down that takes a pretty good toll on the feet and knees. So since Big Bear Lake seems like such a fine place to hang out I am thinking 2 days off here will be what is needed. I am a little worried about taking this much time off but hoping that by Friday morning I will be fresh again and ready to put on some more miles. Although I have had a few long days of 20+ miles here and there I have also had some hard uphill days where I only have done around 15 or less. I would like to get to the point where I can do 17 to 20 miles or more every day so I can stay on schedule. But it is all about timing too. Don't want to get to Kennedy Meadows too early either because that is the beginning of the Sierras and then you have lots of snow and high river crossings to contend with (don't worry mom). The longer you wait the easier it will be going through there but if you wait too long then finishing the trail in time becomes a concern.
So it seems I have gotten a trail name. The group of about 5 now some of whom I have started the trail with, have been now calling me "Chief" or "Chief Wenatchee". I think partly because I am the one that keeps trying to keep Chad and I on track so we don't take too long of breaks or don't end the day too soon without getting the miles (I like to call it motivation). And what sealed the deal is when they called me that in front of someone outside of the group named Scalpel, he said he thought it fit because he could see it in the eyes. hmmm I wonder if I should be offended. Oh well I guess I will go with it, it is all in fun. My fire crew back in Chelan would probably agree with that name anyway, they sometimes call me mom probably for the same reasons.
Side note: One thing I would like to highlight on my blog is my fund raiser. It is for the American Cancer Society. Please don't feel obligated to donate but if you feel you can give a little then the link to my hiking fund raiser is on the right side of my blog page. There have been people close to me that have been effected by cancer and this is my way of trying to give back. (Love you Mom)
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Ziggy and the Bear's
Day 14, Mile 210
Just made it to trail angels Ziggy and the Bear's place. Wow what a set up! They have a tent to hang out in, bathrooms, sinks, foot bath, food, treats, and tons more all set up right outside their house for PCT hikers going thru. Tonight there are about 10 or so hikers camping out here. Very nice! Hiked about 20 miles and lost about 7000 ft in elevation today (poor knees). Yesterday hiked mostly in snow so it was slow going, only made it about 11 miles. Tomorrow back up in the hills.
Just want to say thanks so much for all your comments! It is so nice to get some words of encouragement. And no I don't have a trail name yet which may be a good thing cause some of them get pretty bad.
Just made it to trail angels Ziggy and the Bear's place. Wow what a set up! They have a tent to hang out in, bathrooms, sinks, foot bath, food, treats, and tons more all set up right outside their house for PCT hikers going thru. Tonight there are about 10 or so hikers camping out here. Very nice! Hiked about 20 miles and lost about 7000 ft in elevation today (poor knees). Yesterday hiked mostly in snow so it was slow going, only made it about 11 miles. Tomorrow back up in the hills.
Just want to say thanks so much for all your comments! It is so nice to get some words of encouragement. And no I don't have a trail name yet which may be a good thing cause some of them get pretty bad.
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