Last out of camp this morning, but more importantly awoke to the sound of banshees. That's right banshees...well it sounded like something freaking out. After the banshees wore out I hiked up a hell of a hill mainly because the trail was destroyed by cows. A herd ran through with multiple calfs crying thus the banshee cry. I ran into a large group of kids and their parents with their two dogs headed up to the top of the Olancha Peak at around 10,500 feet. I got up there first but damn was I dizzy and disoriented from the climb to this altitude. I was able to breathe and calm down a bit and climbed a small rock pile to check out the map and what lied ahead and saw a brown bear moseying around. Now my pack was back on trail so I was stuck with a bear between me and my pack. He didn't see me up on the rocks so I whistled and hollered a bit and he took off running down the mountain right before the kids an their parents came up (the parents were happy not to have a bear in their presence).
After lunch, going down the mountain was much easier breathing-wise and at the bottom I got that nights and the next mornings water and hoofed it back up another mountain to around 10,500 feet again. The miles are becoming harder with the combination of the altitude and the mountainous terrain. Acclimation when it happens will be soo much nicer on these uphills and there are plenty ahead once I reach the high sierras.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Into Beautiful Country - Mile 719.2 - 6/23
After a small hungover delay from the day before, it was time to leave Kennedy Meadows and Tom's Place. Luckily, Tom was not cooking his fantastically tasty pancakes this morning otherwise I might not have made it out until the evening. The general store cooked up biscuits and gravy and after spending the past six months living in the south I wanted nothing to do with that!
I put my pack on with one liter of water...........40 1/2 pounds. I thought it would have felt worse but to be honest it wasn't any heavier than carrying over a gallon of water in the desert at a time. I walked the relatively flat two miles up through the Kennedy Meadows Campground and started to climb. Now my pack felt heavy as shit. While it was heavy, I was beginning to climb into the South Sierra Wilderness and I was surrounded by a river, willow trees, and Sequoias. I was so distracted that I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake and he was pissed...really pissed. After a small uphill I entered a burn area and witnessed first hand how out of control and serious fires can get on the dry and windy west coast.
The first climb took me up and out of the woods to the massive Becks Meadow which sits in front of the edge of the Sierra's mountain range and you can see the high sierras further back. It was one of those "Oh yes, those are the mountains I want to play in" moments. I've trudged through 700 miles of desert sand to see a vast green meadow and huge mountains behind it. I sat for quite there and took it all in for quite a while.
I hiked up the side of the meadow to the South Kern River bridge which was covered underneath with swallow nests. It was nice to rest and get water (upstream from all that birdshit) and watch the swallows maneuver under and around the bridge. I caught up to Shutterbug, a middle-aged woman who got her name because of her constant picture taking, as well as Listener who is a 73 year old woman thru-hiking this year. I've been around her for a couple weeks and this woman us something to admire. A grandmother, Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker, marathoner, PCT Thru-Hiker, an has completed a half Iron Man all after the age of 65! She hikes slow and steady and is quite a trooper. When I bitch about being sore or tired an she end up camping a few miles further up the trail than me it truly readjusts my mental predicament about things.
Anywho, there were a couple miles left in the day to Cow Springs Campsite so I flew up there to get the first campfire of my trail going so when everyone else smelt it down the valley it could give them that " I'm close" push at the end of the day. So myself, Spins, Listener, and Shutterbug prepared dinner around the fire swapping stories and it felt so comfortable and nice. Around an hour later a guy rolled in whom I met at Tom's Place briefly before leaving. Golden Ray is a deaf hiker who is thru-hiking this year and has also completed the AT. We all hung around the fire and conversed, ate dinner then went to bed. It was a solid day of strait uphill with a perfect and relaxing end. A great way to start the push into the Sierra Nevada's.
I put my pack on with one liter of water...........40 1/2 pounds. I thought it would have felt worse but to be honest it wasn't any heavier than carrying over a gallon of water in the desert at a time. I walked the relatively flat two miles up through the Kennedy Meadows Campground and started to climb. Now my pack felt heavy as shit. While it was heavy, I was beginning to climb into the South Sierra Wilderness and I was surrounded by a river, willow trees, and Sequoias. I was so distracted that I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake and he was pissed...really pissed. After a small uphill I entered a burn area and witnessed first hand how out of control and serious fires can get on the dry and windy west coast.
The first climb took me up and out of the woods to the massive Becks Meadow which sits in front of the edge of the Sierra's mountain range and you can see the high sierras further back. It was one of those "Oh yes, those are the mountains I want to play in" moments. I've trudged through 700 miles of desert sand to see a vast green meadow and huge mountains behind it. I sat for quite there and took it all in for quite a while.
I hiked up the side of the meadow to the South Kern River bridge which was covered underneath with swallow nests. It was nice to rest and get water (upstream from all that birdshit) and watch the swallows maneuver under and around the bridge. I caught up to Shutterbug, a middle-aged woman who got her name because of her constant picture taking, as well as Listener who is a 73 year old woman thru-hiking this year. I've been around her for a couple weeks and this woman us something to admire. A grandmother, Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker, marathoner, PCT Thru-Hiker, an has completed a half Iron Man all after the age of 65! She hikes slow and steady and is quite a trooper. When I bitch about being sore or tired an she end up camping a few miles further up the trail than me it truly readjusts my mental predicament about things.
Anywho, there were a couple miles left in the day to Cow Springs Campsite so I flew up there to get the first campfire of my trail going so when everyone else smelt it down the valley it could give them that " I'm close" push at the end of the day. So myself, Spins, Listener, and Shutterbug prepared dinner around the fire swapping stories and it felt so comfortable and nice. Around an hour later a guy rolled in whom I met at Tom's Place briefly before leaving. Golden Ray is a deaf hiker who is thru-hiking this year and has also completed the AT. We all hung around the fire and conversed, ate dinner then went to bed. It was a solid day of strait uphill with a perfect and relaxing end. A great way to start the push into the Sierra Nevada's.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Clint Eastwood - Mile 702.2 - 6/20-6/23
Woke up even more tired after such a big day yesterday but I was super excited because Kennedy Meadows was my destination for the day and it's only 13.5 miles away. Kennedy Meadows is a turning point in the trail; a junction between the end of the desert section and a start of the woods and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Needless to say I am absolutely stoked to finally be free of the long hot days in the blistering sun where water is scarce and so is shade. I have been dreaming of the days where snowmelt water fills my water bottles and I am surrounded by high elevation mountains and most importantly green things. The desert has some green things but they are a product of their environment, scraggly and sharp things are pervasive in the desert and it gives a almost hostile feel because its such and extreme environment. I'm not the biggest fan. Now the Sierras on the other hand, green things: trees, leaves, plants that are surrounded and live off of plenty of water, this is the environment I love. It's funny because I have an unhealthy obsession with Clint Eastwood westerns. I always saw the desert environment of the southwest in the backgrounds with the sun's heat distorting the view in the distant. That environment was foreign to me, I live in the Mid-Atlantic so as far as I was concerned the desert was an alien landscape. Well after hiking 700 miles surrounded by the desert, I can full heartily say that I need to watch those westerns again so I can get the real feel of the movie because I know now what this landscape offers and I am more than happy to be done with it. The desert was beautiful in its extreme way but I love mountains, mountains with trees and green things and I'm about to get right into the thick of them and couldn't be happier.
The thirteen and some odd miles into Kennedy Meadows went by quick they were downhill then mostly flat with a few bumps. It was hot as hell though and temperature got over 100 by midday when I arrived at the general store. I finally got to shower after 8 days and do laundry. I was gross...beyond gross even for my standards and it felt sooo nice to be clean. I received my packages from the store: a bearvault, a lot of food, and trail runners (shoes). Fitting all my food in the canister was a logistical task that I barely pulled off then fitting this massive plastic can into my pack with all my other gear was just as tricky. It didn't take long for me to get it all together though; stuffed some stuff here stuffed some stuff there and I can fit close to nothing else in my pack now. I filled it up with two liters of water and weighted it...43 pounds. I'm going to be moving a little slower in the Sierra's but I couldn't be happier to do so because its going to be some of the prettiest scenery on the whole trail. I then headed over to Tom's place down the road from the General Store and yet again I found my self in welcoming company with another wonderful and fantastic trail angel. Tom's Place has computers places to lounge outside, an outside theater with couches and a screen for movie night (every night haha), and best of all a large assortment of vintage trailers throughout the place to sleep in. Tom makes dinner and breakfast and treats you so kindly. This is the perfect place to shake the desert off and prepare for the mountain country. I may make it out of here today but its more than likely that I'll make it out tomorrow morning to start my way to the Sierra's. Now the Sierra's are quite remote and backcountry hiking so I won't have service to update most likely until the town Independence in roughly 7 days or maybe even later until Mammoth Lakes but be prepared because the pictures will be fabulous and breathtaking. I'll also be climbing Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States, no biggie!! For me this is where the trail gets really exciting. It will be really hard hiking with all the added weight and difficult terrain but damn will it be rewarding when I'm surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains and ontop on the United States.
A Solid Day of Up Up Up - Mile 689 - 6/19
Boy did I not want to get up this morning...I was tired really really tired like a freight train hit me in the face. I got to the first spring around a mile up the mountain and the water was so nice and fine. I also saw a trail heading up a steep ridge past the spring. Lightbulb moment! I checked my map and saw that if I followed the spring a half mile up I could cut off twoish miles of unnecessary walking around the mountain to get there. So I started heading up and Spins came with. It was steep...like really steep. After a slow climb we got to a clearing annnnnnddddd I didn't see any trail. Granted it was another .3 miles up some serious steepness I couldn't see trail and tried to scope it out. I considered the fact that I wanted to do twenty strenuous miles today over two mountains and because I wasn't absolutely sure where the trail was we headed back down. So lightbulb moment fizzled out pretty quickly and I wasted a good 40 minutes. Oh well...
After scaling back down the mountain I trucked up the rest of the first mountain and saw some tracks in the dirt. I wasn't sure what they were but after a trusty google search i determined that they were fresh mountain lion tracks, probably from the night before. I hiked the ridge over and went up the rest of the uphill and then promptly laid down, ate, and took a nap. Went down the mountain, gathered water for the hike and the rest of the night and tomorrow and huffed it up the second big uphill for the day. Going up there was very obvious remnants of pit mining and rusted old cars from the time period that the mines were active. Around the top of the uphill the woods cleared out because of the mining and what looked like a burn quite a few years ago. The last few miles going down to the road to camp on was tough with all the water weight on my back and my feet started to be angry at me. Got to the road a little after sunset and set up camp. Right before I was asleep I hear some rustling and Spins asking if I was outside my tent moving around. I wasn't and whatever was playing on her groundcloth ran really quickly away and came back and made a ruckus again about a half hour later. We deemed it a weasel or jackrabbit or something harmless and I fell asleep. Twenty One miles down, with a small failed adventure detour in the morning. Tomorrow I hike into Kennedy Meadows, the official end of the desert and I'm really excited!
Uranium Water - Mile 668 - 6/18
After my wonderful resupply from Lake Isabella I was excited to wake up and munch down some Entenmann's donuts...a staple from childhood loaded with 150% my daily value of saturated fat...mmmm mmm. Took time getting up and hiked a solid amount of miles before taking a break. I landed back into the desert after descending from the mountains and it started to get a little hot. Luckily there was a spring (unfortunately a half mile of the trail) but when I finally got down there it was flowing nicely into a basin and most importantly it was cold. After treating it I checked the water report for the location and it said that there may be traces of uranium in the water from all of the mining that was done in the area. Of well nothing like trace metals in your water. Took lunch at the spring and continued onward until the next water location where I started going up the next big mountain and got a bunch more water and found the next camp spot which was a beautiful spot...except for the winds and mosquitoes. Set up my tent with a little difficulties because of the wind and finished the day early to be near water for the next day. Tomorrow I plan on hiking over two big inclines and doing around 20 miles so we'll see how that goes...
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Lake Isabella - Mile 654 - 6/17
Record setting day today woke up and was out to hike by 5:30 in the morning. That may not happen again for a long time...it took Herculean amounts of willpower to get up and packing before sunrise. The motivation of going into town for the afternoon (and burger king) was reason enough to get me going.
Shortly into the mornings hike I ran into Heavy and Cheers who I've been hiking behind since Tehachapi and it was good to see familiar faces again. Stopes for water at a well weathered cabin for some swampy water and a mid morning snack break. The first half of the morning was gradually uphill and the rest was downhill. When I arrived at Walker Pass Campground there were a few hikers lounging around. Come to find out one of the hiker's girlfriend came out and cooked us some chilli dogs as well as an assortment of beverages and fruits.
So fifteen miles down by 11am which was really decent. So it was time to try and get a hitch 37 miles to town no easy task. Twenty minutes go by, then forty five, then over an hour. Its super hot in the midday sun and Spins and I are starting to get a little loopy and frustrated/impatient. Then Heavy and Cheers showed up and we were like great four hikers on the side of the road now we're never going to get a ride. Heavy and Cheers realize this and went out of aight to hang out in the shade. All things work out eventually and for a good reason. Enter Marvin and Debbie. A big ol' pickup slows down and we were so excited to actually get a ride and they took Heavy and Cheers to town as well, mission accomplished!
Now we could have had a long quiet eventless ride to town but immediately Marvin and Debbie are talking with us about the trail, what we are doing, and the area as well. Sometimes personalities click and very quickly it was apparent we were with good people. They were headed over to the lake for the afternoon to fish and even offered to give us a ride back to the trail which was a huge weight off our shoulders.
We got dropped off at Burger King and stuffed ourselves something proper (bacon sundae included). Then it was off to the supermarket for a two and a half day resupply which translates to pick up a bunch of heavier delicious junk for the next few days. Donuts, over a pound of gummy bears, some bars, cheese nips, and a bit more junk is my menu until Kennedy Meadows in fifty miles. Marvin and Debbie picked us back up and drove us back to the trail. We chatted further about life and our trip and they said they will be up around the Sierraish area on the weekends and would be down with meeting up around there which hopefully pans out. It would be a lot of fun spending more time with them, they are both quality people and it's experiences like that which make this whole trip so wonderful and special.
After being dropped off I hiked another two miles uphill and watched the sunset over the far ridge. Another end to a great day. T-minus 50 miles to Kennedy Meadows and the unofficial end of the desert and start of the Sierra Nevada mountains!!!!!!
Shortly into the mornings hike I ran into Heavy and Cheers who I've been hiking behind since Tehachapi and it was good to see familiar faces again. Stopes for water at a well weathered cabin for some swampy water and a mid morning snack break. The first half of the morning was gradually uphill and the rest was downhill. When I arrived at Walker Pass Campground there were a few hikers lounging around. Come to find out one of the hiker's girlfriend came out and cooked us some chilli dogs as well as an assortment of beverages and fruits.
So fifteen miles down by 11am which was really decent. So it was time to try and get a hitch 37 miles to town no easy task. Twenty minutes go by, then forty five, then over an hour. Its super hot in the midday sun and Spins and I are starting to get a little loopy and frustrated/impatient. Then Heavy and Cheers showed up and we were like great four hikers on the side of the road now we're never going to get a ride. Heavy and Cheers realize this and went out of aight to hang out in the shade. All things work out eventually and for a good reason. Enter Marvin and Debbie. A big ol' pickup slows down and we were so excited to actually get a ride and they took Heavy and Cheers to town as well, mission accomplished!
Now we could have had a long quiet eventless ride to town but immediately Marvin and Debbie are talking with us about the trail, what we are doing, and the area as well. Sometimes personalities click and very quickly it was apparent we were with good people. They were headed over to the lake for the afternoon to fish and even offered to give us a ride back to the trail which was a huge weight off our shoulders.
We got dropped off at Burger King and stuffed ourselves something proper (bacon sundae included). Then it was off to the supermarket for a two and a half day resupply which translates to pick up a bunch of heavier delicious junk for the next few days. Donuts, over a pound of gummy bears, some bars, cheese nips, and a bit more junk is my menu until Kennedy Meadows in fifty miles. Marvin and Debbie picked us back up and drove us back to the trail. We chatted further about life and our trip and they said they will be up around the Sierraish area on the weekends and would be down with meeting up around there which hopefully pans out. It would be a lot of fun spending more time with them, they are both quality people and it's experiences like that which make this whole trip so wonderful and special.
After being dropped off I hiked another two miles uphill and watched the sunset over the far ridge. Another end to a great day. T-minus 50 miles to Kennedy Meadows and the unofficial end of the desert and start of the Sierra Nevada mountains!!!!!!
Desert Mountains - Mile 637 - 6/16
Today was the day I have been complaining about for the past few days, mostly uphill and ending the day with a 1700 foot climb up and down. The best part about complaining for a few days is that you prepare for something horrible and it ends up being better than you expected and that's exactly what happened. After waking up and hiking out by 6:30, six miles were over with in two hours. I was excited and then the sandy desert started. Hiking through the middle of the day heat in deepish beach-like sand is not terribly enjoyable but pushing through it to lunch at a water source before the big end of the day climb proved to be only slightly exhausting. The end of the day climb wasn't bad at all, it was hard but not terrible and after going back down the other side I found a wonderful campspot along a mountain pass. Fifteen miles to town tomorrow means waking up super early (hopefully)and getting there for Burger King lunch....I saw a commercial for a bacon sundae no better time to eat disgustingly unhealthy food...I can't wait!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Tehachapi - 6/9-6/12
Tehachapi was a slightly spread out town but had all the essentials for a thru-hiker and then some. Relatively cheap and crappy motel-check, multiple local good food-check, burger king- check, and cheap grocery store - check.
My personal favorite thing about Tehachapi was their small local German influenced bakery. This place had a grand assortment of handmade deliciousness. I could go on and on about how good the food was each time I ate there. There was also a very exposing sushi restaurant I ate at the first night.
I planned on leaving Monday morning after shipping out the two next resupplies but heat distracted us that day and then Spins ended up with a fever and a swollen throat and hives everywhere so we spent another day in town to make sure she didn't die. The picture below I of the food I'll be eating the next twenty two days. It was so hard trying to buy all that food at once an in my head trying to manage the amount I'll carry each resupply because it's for the Sierra Nevada mountain range which is steep as hell and pretty tough so resupplying smart and light was necessary.
Finally got out of town Wed. mid-morning back to the trail and it's hot.
My personal favorite thing about Tehachapi was their small local German influenced bakery. This place had a grand assortment of handmade deliciousness. I could go on and on about how good the food was each time I ate there. There was also a very exposing sushi restaurant I ate at the first night.
I planned on leaving Monday morning after shipping out the two next resupplies but heat distracted us that day and then Spins ended up with a fever and a swollen throat and hives everywhere so we spent another day in town to make sure she didn't die. The picture below I of the food I'll be eating the next twenty two days. It was so hard trying to buy all that food at once an in my head trying to manage the amount I'll carry each resupply because it's for the Sierra Nevada mountain range which is steep as hell and pretty tough so resupplying smart and light was necessary.
Finally got out of town Wed. mid-morning back to the trail and it's hot.
Sequoia National Forest - Mile 616 - 6/15
Today was one of those days where most things fell into place and worked out. I'm still surprised. This morning I had a decent climb up into further pine forested area and saw more wildlife than I've seen in the past few weeks. I saw a doe heading up the mountain, then my first bear of the trip which was thrilling, then a couple of cattle, a crapload of grouse, and a jackrabbit. The bear was exciting because I caught it up close and when it saw me it took off like it's ass was on fire down the ridge. Its fur was partially brown and slightly darker/black so I'm not sure if it was a black bear or a brown bear. It wasn't very large so my guess was it was a black bear and if I remember correctly black bears out west can have a tinge of brown in their coat.
After six miles I made it to the spring which was fenced off and gushing out a pipe from the ground, more fantastic spring water, if only it was more frequent! I spent time rehydrating there and hiked another enjoyable and shaded four miles to the next water source were I took lunch and a dip in some freezing cold water. After this spring I officially entered Sequoia National Forest and it's quite a beautiful place. Your surrounded by monster sequoia trees and large clusters of boulder outcrops which make for plenty to look at. I stopped seven miles before my campsite for the night to pick up four and a half liters of water to carry down there because there was a water cache where I planned to camp at but did not want to rely on it in case it was empty. I'm so sick of being short of water that I'm more than willing to carry the water down there. I hiked through a dramatic burn area and then downhill out of the national forest back into the god-forsaken desert. The last five downhill miles did a number on my knees and ankles with all the extra water and sure enough there was plenty if water at the cache. Better safe then sorry. The campspot is a great location with views of Mayao Peak, the huge desert mountain in the picture, as well as a very colorful sunset. All in all the day pieced together pretty well. Another day, another twenty miles hiked.
After six miles I made it to the spring which was fenced off and gushing out a pipe from the ground, more fantastic spring water, if only it was more frequent! I spent time rehydrating there and hiked another enjoyable and shaded four miles to the next water source were I took lunch and a dip in some freezing cold water. After this spring I officially entered Sequoia National Forest and it's quite a beautiful place. Your surrounded by monster sequoia trees and large clusters of boulder outcrops which make for plenty to look at. I stopped seven miles before my campsite for the night to pick up four and a half liters of water to carry down there because there was a water cache where I planned to camp at but did not want to rely on it in case it was empty. I'm so sick of being short of water that I'm more than willing to carry the water down there. I hiked through a dramatic burn area and then downhill out of the national forest back into the god-forsaken desert. The last five downhill miles did a number on my knees and ankles with all the extra water and sure enough there was plenty if water at the cache. Better safe then sorry. The campspot is a great location with views of Mayao Peak, the huge desert mountain in the picture, as well as a very colorful sunset. All in all the day pieced together pretty well. Another day, another twenty miles hiked.
De-f'in-hydrated - Mile 596 - 6/14
Woke up relatively early with less than a half of a liter of water left for seven miles until the next water source. I didn't sleep terribly well for the first half of the night because I was cowboy camping an awoke to numerous stabbing sensations all over the place. Fire ants invaded all of my stuff they were in my sleeping bag, in my pack and biting my ass. I was pissed and set up my tent and proceeded to kill every ant on my sleeping bag and pad, then fell back asleep.
It was warm early and I was already dehydrated so te seven miles without water added to it. When I arrived at Golden Oaks Spring I heard the sound of angels in the background because that beautiful place had cold, plentiful spring water coming out into a wonderful basin. I drank until I damned near exploded. After a long break there I graves as much water as I could because there wasn't another water source for 19 more miles. I only had 13 more miles left for the day so I needed drinking and cooking water and water for the next morning and six miles. I HATE THE DESERT!
Towards the end of the day the terrain became more pine forested and enjoyable. I had to carry all that water up to the pine forest area and tell myself not to drink it all brcuase I didn't want to do the same thing I did this morning. Luckily my self control won and I had a liter of water left over for the morning. The ecosystem is starting to become less desert like and hopefully it stays that way.
It was warm early and I was already dehydrated so te seven miles without water added to it. When I arrived at Golden Oaks Spring I heard the sound of angels in the background because that beautiful place had cold, plentiful spring water coming out into a wonderful basin. I drank until I damned near exploded. After a long break there I graves as much water as I could because there wasn't another water source for 19 more miles. I only had 13 more miles left for the day so I needed drinking and cooking water and water for the next morning and six miles. I HATE THE DESERT!
Towards the end of the day the terrain became more pine forested and enjoyable. I had to carry all that water up to the pine forest area and tell myself not to drink it all brcuase I didn't want to do the same thing I did this morning. Luckily my self control won and I had a liter of water left over for the morning. The ecosystem is starting to become less desert like and hopefully it stays that way.
Out, Up, and Hot! - Mile 577 - 6/13
Left town by the public bus, which dropped me off on the side of a highway where the trail was. I figured it was my stop because there was freaking nothing but desert an an overpass surrounding there.
It was a little before noon and boy was that sun hot. There was little to no wind and I had a good 2500 feet or so to go up exposed with no shade. It sucked. But it cooled off and cooled off under juniper trees near the top and continued until dinner. The worst part is that this is a 17 mile waterless stretch. I carried out four liters (1 gallon) of water and most of it went fast because it was so dry and so hot out. But I'm camped six miles from the next water source so I'm going to make the half liter I have left last that long tomorrow morning until I get there.
It was a little before noon and boy was that sun hot. There was little to no wind and I had a good 2500 feet or so to go up exposed with no shade. It sucked. But it cooled off and cooled off under juniper trees near the top and continued until dinner. The worst part is that this is a 17 mile waterless stretch. I carried out four liters (1 gallon) of water and most of it went fast because it was so dry and so hot out. But I'm camped six miles from the next water source so I'm going to make the half liter I have left last that long tomorrow morning until I get there.
Still Windy To Town - 6/9
I thought after going up off the Mojave desert floor and through the wind farm my windy experience would be over....I was wrong very wrong. Coming down the mountain towards the highway the ridgeline was full of wind turbines. I saw this from afar and thought dammit here we go again!
The wind blew me up the trail, the wind blew me down the trail, the wind more often blew me off the trail and the biggest pain of it all trying to not get sunburned with a hat on. That hat stayed on my head and I have no idea how.
As I got closer to the road I saw multiple vehicles and bright colored people and passed search and rescue guys going up into the wind for a practice drill. When I got down I chatted with one of the people in charge an they asked if I was willing to be interviewed by the chief and agreed. He told me it'd be two questions. About twenty random question later they gave me a ride in a old bronco search and rescue cruiser to town.
The wind blew me up the trail, the wind blew me down the trail, the wind more often blew me off the trail and the biggest pain of it all trying to not get sunburned with a hat on. That hat stayed on my head and I have no idea how.
As I got closer to the road I saw multiple vehicles and bright colored people and passed search and rescue guys going up into the wind for a practice drill. When I got down I chatted with one of the people in charge an they asked if I was willing to be interviewed by the chief and agreed. He told me it'd be two questions. About twenty random question later they gave me a ride in a old bronco search and rescue cruiser to town.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Windy Wind Farm - Mile 546.5 - 6/8
After crashing later in the night I was up early with the sun because I felt like it was going to be a scorcher. I continued to roadwalk for quite a while and the wind started to pick up which felt great because it deflected the heat from the sun. After a couple miles I made it to the water source by the bridge, which was a massive water tank full of water from the wonderful folks at Hikertown. After a snack I went under the bridge for some shade and took a nap to catch up on sleep from last nights nighthike.
When I woke up I started back on again and the wind continued to gain as I approached the massive and newly constructed wind farm. Let's just say it was really windy as an understatement, not blow you on the ground windy but blow you all over the place windy. Imagine having to walk around in 40-50mph winds. Now imagine to do so with a huge heavy object on your back. My center of gravity was screwed.
The wind farm itself was really wonderful to walk through besides the wind though. The turbines stood motionless even though the wind was howling. Apparently they just finished the last turbines construction this week so they should be up an running very soon.
After the wind farm, it was all uphill back into the desert mountains off the floor of the Mojave. I spent a decent part of the day by the only water source until town tomorrow and continued to climb most of the way up the mountain before finding a great campspot on the other less windy ridgeline under a tree overlooking the wind farm and the Mojave floor.
When I woke up I started back on again and the wind continued to gain as I approached the massive and newly constructed wind farm. Let's just say it was really windy as an understatement, not blow you on the ground windy but blow you all over the place windy. Imagine having to walk around in 40-50mph winds. Now imagine to do so with a huge heavy object on your back. My center of gravity was screwed.
The wind farm itself was really wonderful to walk through besides the wind though. The turbines stood motionless even though the wind was howling. Apparently they just finished the last turbines construction this week so they should be up an running very soon.
After the wind farm, it was all uphill back into the desert mountains off the floor of the Mojave. I spent a decent part of the day by the only water source until town tomorrow and continued to climb most of the way up the mountain before finding a great campspot on the other less windy ridgeline under a tree overlooking the wind farm and the Mojave floor.
Hikertown and The Mojave - Mile 529 - 6/7
SLEPT IN!!! Being around seven miles from Hikertown, the last of the three trail angels in this stretch, I was able to sleep in and take my time eating and packing up. Hikes down the rest of the ridge to the flatlands of the Mojave and roadwalked on a dirt road for a mile to Hikertown.
Now Hikertown is a hostel in the middle of nowhere with miniature buildings recreating the western desert feel. The owner of the hostel, Richard was out for a few days so a injured hiker/caretaker was maintaining the place. I arrived a day or two after a larger group came through and pretty much trashed/disrespected the place so the caretaker was a bit salty, understandable though. I was able to get a monstrous cold cut sandwich delivered from the convenience store nine miles away and promptly relaxed the rest of the day. The high for the day was suppose to be in the 90's so nighthiking the Mojave/aqueduct was the plan.
I left Hikertown around six the wind was blowing and the temperature was dropping so I was happy. Leading up to this point lots of people were saying things like, "Oh man the Mojave/aqueduct walk is going to be brutal, it's the hottest section of the while PCT." so I mentally was geared up for some windy, sand blowing in my face type miserableness for the whole stretch. It was far from that, I spent the whole evening until around 11 pm walking on a relatively flat dirt road. One of my favorite things on the trail is when people inject fear into the unknown; sure the walk would have sucked in 90 degree weather but the wind in this area super deflects heat. It was enjoyable during night and near impossible to get lost. The goal was to hike 17 miles to a water source and bridge which would have led to hiking till one or two in the morning and that sure as hell didn't happen. After 11 or 12 miles found a nice campspot and called it a night.
Now Hikertown is a hostel in the middle of nowhere with miniature buildings recreating the western desert feel. The owner of the hostel, Richard was out for a few days so a injured hiker/caretaker was maintaining the place. I arrived a day or two after a larger group came through and pretty much trashed/disrespected the place so the caretaker was a bit salty, understandable though. I was able to get a monstrous cold cut sandwich delivered from the convenience store nine miles away and promptly relaxed the rest of the day. The high for the day was suppose to be in the 90's so nighthiking the Mojave/aqueduct was the plan.
I left Hikertown around six the wind was blowing and the temperature was dropping so I was happy. Leading up to this point lots of people were saying things like, "Oh man the Mojave/aqueduct walk is going to be brutal, it's the hottest section of the while PCT." so I mentally was geared up for some windy, sand blowing in my face type miserableness for the whole stretch. It was far from that, I spent the whole evening until around 11 pm walking on a relatively flat dirt road. One of my favorite things on the trail is when people inject fear into the unknown; sure the walk would have sucked in 90 degree weather but the wind in this area super deflects heat. It was enjoyable during night and near impossible to get lost. The goal was to hike 17 miles to a water source and bridge which would have led to hiking till one or two in the morning and that sure as hell didn't happen. After 11 or 12 miles found a nice campspot and called it a night.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
500 Miles Down - Mile 511.7 - 6/6
Today was a relatively easy day due to the nice weather and terrain. The high didn't get above 80 which is still extremely low for this time of year and I couldn't be happier. Right before lunch I passed the 500 mile mark (which there were three of). The marker is usually made of stones or sticks and this one was stones as you can see from the picture. I am starting to get back into actual desert terrain and the water sources have been slightly further away and are mainly large water tanks used for wildfires. While I am headed for the desert again today was an exception became I spent a majority of it under trees on mountain ridgelines which provided a almost chilly feeling! It was nice to get under tree canopy though because tomorrow I get to hike the flat and hot aqueduct for 30ish miles on the desert floor. Hopefully the temperature stays the way it's been but it's warm tonight which means it'll be warmer tomorrow. Irregardless it won't be over 100 degrees like it usually is so I can't really complain. Got over twenty miles done today an plan on keeping that consistent up until the Sierras so another good day completed.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Boy Scout Trail Camp - Mile 489.9 - 6/5
Woke up thus morning about four miles from the Andersons place, known as Casa de Luna, and planned on spending the rest of the day/night there so I slept in until 9am. It was glorious to wake up and know that I didn't have to get moving right away, even though I've been able to do that for the past few days.
The four miles went by quickly and I got a hitch really quickly to the Andersons. I arrived to a chorus of slow claps building into applause which was pretty funny and felt welcomed immediately by them. I also had an unexpected gift waiting for me and this is why:
Way back around the Deep Creek/
Hot Spring area I found a small iPod nano on the ground in the bushes and figuring it was a hikers took it along up trail. That night I crossed a bridge with a note looking for said iPod. So I contacted the hiker named Trip and was going to meet him at Cajon Pass. Well after slowing down for Spins' injury he ended up further ahead. This happened for three more towns and finally I got to the Saufleys and he said he was on his way back to the Andersons from a side trip to Vegas so I sent the iPod with another hiker uptrail and it finally rejoined it's rightful owner. This little epic journey got me a six pack of Sierra Nevada and like five HUGE candy bars as a thank you left for me. So good deeds are noticed!!
Anyways, I had a beer or two shared the rest an grabbed a bite at the local cafe which was pretty tasty for the middle of nowhere. While at lunch Spins and I decided that instead of only hiking four miles today we'd hike out and shoot for another ten because the Andersons wasn't really hopping with the crowd of people there. So after lunch, packed up grabbed a bunch of water and headed up into the mountains. On the way up there were a network of manmade caves, none really going anywhere but regardless I crawled into a bunch of them and explored for a bit. They were pretty cool and maybe at one time connected but now were only dead ends. The weather was quite blustery going up and it'll be chilly tonight but compared to the extreme heat that could be here in this section, I'm not complaining.
The four miles went by quickly and I got a hitch really quickly to the Andersons. I arrived to a chorus of slow claps building into applause which was pretty funny and felt welcomed immediately by them. I also had an unexpected gift waiting for me and this is why:
Way back around the Deep Creek/
Hot Spring area I found a small iPod nano on the ground in the bushes and figuring it was a hikers took it along up trail. That night I crossed a bridge with a note looking for said iPod. So I contacted the hiker named Trip and was going to meet him at Cajon Pass. Well after slowing down for Spins' injury he ended up further ahead. This happened for three more towns and finally I got to the Saufleys and he said he was on his way back to the Andersons from a side trip to Vegas so I sent the iPod with another hiker uptrail and it finally rejoined it's rightful owner. This little epic journey got me a six pack of Sierra Nevada and like five HUGE candy bars as a thank you left for me. So good deeds are noticed!!
Anyways, I had a beer or two shared the rest an grabbed a bite at the local cafe which was pretty tasty for the middle of nowhere. While at lunch Spins and I decided that instead of only hiking four miles today we'd hike out and shoot for another ten because the Andersons wasn't really hopping with the crowd of people there. So after lunch, packed up grabbed a bunch of water and headed up into the mountains. On the way up there were a network of manmade caves, none really going anywhere but regardless I crawled into a bunch of them and explored for a bit. They were pretty cool and maybe at one time connected but now were only dead ends. The weather was quite blustery going up and it'll be chilly tonight but compared to the extreme heat that could be here in this section, I'm not complaining.
Back on the Trail - Mile 474 - 6/5
After being dropped off by Bill near the Saufleys it was back on the trail after a few days off and it felt good, except for my heavy ass pack. I over resupplied my food and had a bunch of water, this stretch is pretty few and far between for water unfortunately, so I was moving slowly to say the least. The forecast called for unseasonably colder days (15 below average) and I was quite alright with that! Climbed up through the low lying clouds into the mountains and rode the ridge for the most of the day. The weather was perfect, low 70's with a slight breeze which was a godsend because this is supposed to be the hottest stretch of trail on the whole PCT. While hiking throughout the day I ran into a few familiar faces and ended up hanging around the hikers oasis for a bit, which is a water cache set up by the Andersons. The trail had a fake skeleton arm and leg with hiking gear on it before the cache and the cache itself was decorated under the trees with lawn chairs, blow up zombies, skeletons, and other fun things. The cooler was stocked with Natty Ice and off-brand mountain dew as well as plenty of water. It was a nice place for a break! I also met a hiker, Tuna Helper, who is going for the unassisted speed record so needless to say I won't see him ever again ha! Hiked four more miles past the cache and set up my tent because the clouds looked as if they might open up over night (which they thankfully didn't) and had a successful 20 mile first day back. It felt good....oh so good to be back on the trail again!
Bill's Place - 6/4
After my stay at the Saufleys, I was lucky enough to have a coworker of my fathers who lives around 15 miles from the Saufleys pick me up and be a wonderful trail angel for a day. Bill drove me to REI so I could buy some new compression shorts and a bunch of fuel canisters. He then took me over to the grocery store so I could resupply and then we went over to his beautiful home where I showered, hung around and watched TV and got some tasty Thai take-out. In the morning, Bill drove me to the trail head as well as mailed out my fuel canisters. Bill I can't thank you enough for your kindness and hospitality as well as for mailing out those canisters, because of you I'll have hot dinners for the next 500 miles!!
The Saufleys (still) 6/2-3
Spent two other days here at the Saufles while Spins' foot healed and was able to get to know the people who volunteer around this place pretty well. They are also quite knowledgeable a far as looking/planning ahead on the trail and made it much easier for me to configure and plan for my resupply strategy for the Sierras. I watched countless classic movies for a couple days, tested most of the local eats around town, and relaxed in a very comforting environment. I can't thank The Saufleys and everyone else who volunteers there I cannot thank enough for being flexible and welcoming. In the pictures are the entrance to the hiker trailer at the Saufleys where you can escape the heat in the air conditioning as well as their backyard where you can see camping further back. (minus the large white tents I slept in and helped disassemble due to slower pace of hikers coming through). 
Friday, June 1, 2012
The Saufley's - Mile 454.6 - 5/31
Hiked a VERY HOT ten miles to the Saufley's into the small town of Agua Dulce. The latter part of the hike wove through Vasquez Rocks which was an awesome display of tectonic movement with multiple plates of rock angled into the sky. Arriving at the Saufley's was like being welcomed home. The atmosphere is quite relaxed and welcoming with plenty of hikers hanging around and enjoying each others company which hasn't really occurred terribly much on the trail so far for a number of reasons that I don't feel like getting into. But here at Hiker Heaven its like family, real trail family and its fantastic. I got all cleaned up, had laundry done for me (so nice!), got nice town clothes to wear (wearing cotton never felt so great), and spent the rest of the day hanging around. Seeing all the hikers here reassured me that I am still in a decent bubble of hikers because when you're out on the trail sometimes you only run into a handful of people not realizing that there are a bunch of people a few miles ahead and behind. I'll be taking the first of June off at the Saufley's and try to plan what to do for my food situation as far as mailing ahead supplies for the Sierra Nevada's. Planning ahead is not something I really look forward to doing but a number of volunteers here are a wealth of information as far as resupply strategies are concerned for the weeks ahead because towns are more sparse and limited. In 24 miles there is another trail angels place, The Anderson's, which boasts another completely different experience enjoyable as well so I can't stay in heaven for too long.
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| Vasquez Rocks |
KOA - Mile 444 - 5/30
Slept very well, which is a rarity, and left the campground heading for another ranger station about six miles away for a nice breaktime and water re-up. I took a look at the map for the day and saw that there was a Kampground of America at mile 444 with showers, a pool, a campground store, and a restaurant which makes and delivers Chinese, American, Italian, and Mexican. Needless to say I had some motivation to hoof it over there and relax from the increasing heat. Arrived at the KOA and was not alone in thought because there was another 15 or so other hikers who were swimming or stuffing there face with Chinese food. The Saufley's house, trail angels who host their place known as Hiker Heaven, is only ten miles from the KOA so I figured I would hike out of the KOA later in the afternoon but it never happened and I called it a night after too much Chinese food.
Poodle Dog Brush - Mile 430.6 - 5/29
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| The infamous Poodle Dog Brush (above) |
Poodle dog brush is basically a weedy plant which appears in the first wave of plants after a fire disturbance has occurred in the desert environment. its a relatively new plant species and is pretty distinctive in appearance and smell. it has a skunky odor and is a single stalked plant that grows in clusters with very pretty purple flowers. The problem with this plant is that it is a possible skin irritant due to the fact that it has glandular trichromes which contain a substance that can give you a poison ivy like skin rash. On multiple parts of the trail there have been roadwalk detours around it and needless to say I haven't really taken them sometimes deliberately sometimes accidentally. This section definitely didn't know....whoops.
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| View from the Desert Burn Section |
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