Headlamps are coming out of packs as everyone is night hiking to beat the heat. In the forest at night, points of light bob through the trees. It's 12 noon, 93 °F, and we are siesta'ing at Hikertown, an odd western themed hiker hangout with $10 (mostly barren) rooms and a single garden hose shower for the patrons. The beautiful Los Angeles aqueduct is coming up tonight. Twenty miles of concrete. Come at me, urban sprawl (wait don't).
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
Day 24 afternoon, mile 478 (18% of the trail)
I've stopped at Casa de Luna, a well known trail angel place. There's bbq and beer. Talked with Caitlyn from Colorado. She has a 9-lb base weight in a frameless MLD pack. Mine is around 14 lb. I've met a few guys pulling consistent 30-mile days. Brian has shot ahead; Squints is hanging out playing the poker. Really good seeing him again. Politics designs water treatment systems for a living and schooled me on backcountry water treatment ("Algal toxins should be neutralized by chlorine dioxide"). He's using an MSR Guardian pump which filters viruses, and is probably the most hardcore filter on the market. Bud and his wife Fret (the verb) are also new people. Bud's not taking an ice axe into the Sierra, Fret, true to her name, is.
Days 18-24 morning, mile 454 (17% of the trail)
The last six days have been pretty smooth. I've got my hiking routine together, checking maps, buying the right amount of food. I had to dodge some nasty Poodle Dog Bush in the last two days. PDB is this mean-looking plant that smells like spoilt marijuana and causes a blistering rash. The really bad overgrowths cause trail detours. I'm past the worst of it though.
I'm in the town of Agua Dulce. It's 7 am and before I head back to the trail, I'm getting a coffee and tortillas. The stretch ahead is the final portion of "desert," scare quotes because it's not really desert in the sense of low elevation, flat terrain (Death Valley etc.). It's actually hilly and should stay below 100 deg F.
At my pace, I should be at Kennedy Meadows in 12 days. KM is the unofficial start of the Sierra Nevada portion of the trail, and the transition to an alpine environment. The timing is a tad early. There's a lot of talk about the snow and I've met several people bringing crampons. One person is taking snowshoes. I'm bringing my ice axe for sure, but am holding off on any traction devices. I think the snow will be soft and tracked out enough by then, and I'll be able to chop steps with the piolet.
I'm in the town of Agua Dulce. It's 7 am and before I head back to the trail, I'm getting a coffee and tortillas. The stretch ahead is the final portion of "desert," scare quotes because it's not really desert in the sense of low elevation, flat terrain (Death Valley etc.). It's actually hilly and should stay below 100 deg F.
At my pace, I should be at Kennedy Meadows in 12 days. KM is the unofficial start of the Sierra Nevada portion of the trail, and the transition to an alpine environment. The timing is a tad early. There's a lot of talk about the snow and I've met several people bringing crampons. One person is taking snowshoes. I'm bringing my ice axe for sure, but am holding off on any traction devices. I think the snow will be soft and tracked out enough by then, and I'll be able to chop steps with the piolet.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Engineering
Parallels between thru-hiking and engineering school:
- Much camaraderie through shared suffering
- 80% drop out rate
- Far more men than women
- You eat a lot of instant ramen
- Much camaraderie through shared suffering
- 80% drop out rate
- Far more men than women
- You eat a lot of instant ramen
Days 16-17, mile 384 (14% of the trail)
McDonald's was a success. I packed out two apple pies. We hiked out a few miles and camped in a grassy gulch that looked like the foothills of the Himalaya. In the morning, we set off for Wrightwood, with nearly 6,000' of ascent. The hike was uneventful and not that bad. The last portion of the hike descended into Wrightwood, where I hung out with some former coworkers (hi Jim and Alicia!). For lodging I ended up splitting a room with two other hikers. Within an hour the sink stopper broke, we found the toilet didn't really flush, and the shower trickled. My climbing buddy Ron visited from LA and he filled me in on his sufferfest Cactus 2 Clouds 2 Cactus hike. The next day, Brian and I found a much nicer place via CouchSurfing. The host was an electronics guru with a chill dog. In the morning we started toward Little Jimmy campground, 26 miles away, the first stop on our trip to Agua Dulce (next town on the PCT).
I got to the campground at 7 pm, where the host invited me to the campfire. There's this ancient feeling of safety sitting next to a fire in the woods. It feels like you're protected. Some young people today describe cities as feeling safer. Campfireish. The host was leaving soon for the Israel National Trail, which runs north-south for 600 miles. I poured some water I heated on the outdoor wood stove into a Nalgene, and held it for warmth in my sleeping bag.
I got to the campground at 7 pm, where the host invited me to the campfire. There's this ancient feeling of safety sitting next to a fire in the woods. It feels like you're protected. Some young people today describe cities as feeling safer. Campfireish. The host was leaving soon for the Israel National Trail, which runs north-south for 600 miles. I poured some water I heated on the outdoor wood stove into a Nalgene, and held it for warmth in my sleeping bag.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Day 15 mile 320 (12% of the trail)
There is a hot spring directly on the trail and it is everything you could ever hope for and more.
The other big topic on the trail is the McDonalds coming up 22 miles away. Seriously, we've had like four conversations about it in the past 48 hours. We're all getting quarter pounders, mcflurries, and a shitload of apple pies. Oh my god the calories, I can't wait.
The other big topic on the trail is the McDonalds coming up 22 miles away. Seriously, we've had like four conversations about it in the past 48 hours. We're all getting quarter pounders, mcflurries, and a shitload of apple pies. Oh my god the calories, I can't wait.
Day 14 mile 295 (11.1% of the trail)
Hiked a marathon. Hunk, Squints, Brian, Aisha (New Zealand), and I have made a good party. They're all crazy fast and runners. Flower (Netherlands) is camped here with us and has an awesome Fjallraven winter expedition tent. Thing looks bomber.
Days 9-13 mile 269 (10.2% of the trail)
These posts will probably become less frequent, as I'm usually too tired to blog. It's not from lack of noteworthy events. The trail is dense with experiences and I can't imagine how the next four months will be. I have trouble distilling just the past four days, but here goes.
From Warner Springs I hiked solo into the desert, eventually dropping into a tiny town with a hiker friendly restaurant. Met Hunk (Canada) and Diesel (USA) there. We had burgers, milkshakes, and beer before deciding to camp there that night. In the morning I left alone. The fire detour route took an awful road walk (after walking on soft ground all day, pavement just jolts your spine), so I thumbed a ride from the first car I saw. He wasn't headed to my final destination so I had to hitch again, this time jumping into the back of a pickup with three other hikers including Diesel and Hunk. We stopped at a small store before deciding to press on into Idyllwild 5 miles away. In the morning, D proposed tagging San Jacinto peak (10,734') that day then descending back onto the PCT. This was a more aggressive plan than mine of walking around town and maybe catching a movie. We summitted in 4.5 hours with overnight packs, brisk. Met one dayhiker at the top, a Native American looking fellow with a wood hiking staff. Diesel, who has dealt with altitude sickness before, was relieved that we saw him too.
The next day we descended 7,000' to the desert floor. On the way, we cris-crossed a duo from New Zealand with Aarn packs. We dodged some incoming weather and caught some watermelon trail magic at the bottom. We figured out that Chik-fil-a is so good because the hate adds to the flavor. Yet another fire closure affected the trail, so we caught a hitch to the San Bernardino transit center and took a bus to Big Bear, bypassing about 60 miles of the PCT.
Big Bear was a big nero. Resupplied at Vons and hitched to mile 266 at 6 pm, hiking three miles before knocking out. Brian had the incredible find of watermelon Pop-tarts. Pop-tarts in the past were something I consumed at my lowest points, but they (and anything else you find in a vending machine) work well as trail foods. High calories, and flavors engineered to be non-sating. Anything crunchy stored in a pack becomes powder after a few days, which a hiker can easily funnel into their mouth. I do this, many hikers do too.
More trail names are showing up. Hustler, Socks, and Whiskey Bag have the best stories I've heard thus far. Whiskey Bag poured a pint of whiskey into a ziplock bag to save weight, which leaked all over her stuff when she put it in her pack. The others will go unmentioned for now.
Shoes
We are witness to a seismic shift in PCT footwear as almost everyone is either currently wearing or switching to Altra Lone Peaks. The store person in Idyllwild said they were selling twenty pairs of Altras for every pair of Brooks Cascadias (the thru-hiker shoe for many years). I've been wearing them since day 1 of the PCT and gotta say, they just make sense. The wide toe box makes a world of a difference, the gaiter Velcro patch is long overdue, and after 220 miles of hiking almost all of the lugs are intact. One hiker predicts that next year, every trail running shoe company will have their copycat shoe, which I think is likely.
From Warner Springs I hiked solo into the desert, eventually dropping into a tiny town with a hiker friendly restaurant. Met Hunk (Canada) and Diesel (USA) there. We had burgers, milkshakes, and beer before deciding to camp there that night. In the morning I left alone. The fire detour route took an awful road walk (after walking on soft ground all day, pavement just jolts your spine), so I thumbed a ride from the first car I saw. He wasn't headed to my final destination so I had to hitch again, this time jumping into the back of a pickup with three other hikers including Diesel and Hunk. We stopped at a small store before deciding to press on into Idyllwild 5 miles away. In the morning, D proposed tagging San Jacinto peak (10,734') that day then descending back onto the PCT. This was a more aggressive plan than mine of walking around town and maybe catching a movie. We summitted in 4.5 hours with overnight packs, brisk. Met one dayhiker at the top, a Native American looking fellow with a wood hiking staff. Diesel, who has dealt with altitude sickness before, was relieved that we saw him too.
The next day we descended 7,000' to the desert floor. On the way, we cris-crossed a duo from New Zealand with Aarn packs. We dodged some incoming weather and caught some watermelon trail magic at the bottom. We figured out that Chik-fil-a is so good because the hate adds to the flavor. Yet another fire closure affected the trail, so we caught a hitch to the San Bernardino transit center and took a bus to Big Bear, bypassing about 60 miles of the PCT.
Big Bear was a big nero. Resupplied at Vons and hitched to mile 266 at 6 pm, hiking three miles before knocking out. Brian had the incredible find of watermelon Pop-tarts. Pop-tarts in the past were something I consumed at my lowest points, but they (and anything else you find in a vending machine) work well as trail foods. High calories, and flavors engineered to be non-sating. Anything crunchy stored in a pack becomes powder after a few days, which a hiker can easily funnel into their mouth. I do this, many hikers do too.
More trail names are showing up. Hustler, Socks, and Whiskey Bag have the best stories I've heard thus far. Whiskey Bag poured a pint of whiskey into a ziplock bag to save weight, which leaked all over her stuff when she put it in her pack. The others will go unmentioned for now.
Shoes
We are witness to a seismic shift in PCT footwear as almost everyone is either currently wearing or switching to Altra Lone Peaks. The store person in Idyllwild said they were selling twenty pairs of Altras for every pair of Brooks Cascadias (the thru-hiker shoe for many years). I've been wearing them since day 1 of the PCT and gotta say, they just make sense. The wide toe box makes a world of a difference, the gaiter Velcro patch is long overdue, and after 220 miles of hiking almost all of the lugs are intact. One hiker predicts that next year, every trail running shoe company will have their copycat shoe, which I think is likely.
Days 7-8 mile 115 (4.3% of the trail)
Slow nero (near-zero mile) day. Hung out around Warner Spring and got my food sorted out for the trip to Idyllwild. Called a gear shop there to confirm they carry the shoe insoles and sunglasses I want. There's still a fire closure in effect on this part of the PCT. I'm taking the official detour, while some are hitching to skip it altogether. I'll probably try to hitch the road walk portion on CA 74, it sounds dangerous. Met a hiker at camp who was sending his doge home. His paws were burned after 100 miles of desert hiking. Limping. Got pizza at the golf resort grill (2/4 stars) and wrapped the rest in aluminum foil to take on the trail. At 5 pm I set off, walked 5 miles and camped next to a stream.
Really craving fresh, wet fruit.
Really craving fresh, wet fruit.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Day 6 mile 110 (4.2% of the trail)
So I walked through a brown field infested by grasshoppers. Having each step set off a storm of grasshoppers trying to latch onto your leg hair (sometimes successfully) is really unpleasant. I tried to block them with my umbrella, which kind of worked. They would tap against it and occasionally get in the concave side, and I'd frantically shake them off. One guy (Canada) said they kept hopping into his boots and getting squished. I'm ok with most insects, but the frequent skin contact was a terrible sensation.
Other than that, today was really hot. The trail came down off the crests onto the aforementioned fields. I'm at Warner Springs (tiny trail town), and there's a big welcome sign, "PCT Class of 2016" (thru-hiking culture definitely has a collegiate feel). I showered with a bucket of cold water and it was amazing. Kaleidoscope of tents pitched under a tree. Mostly American but also a few Euro brands. Tomorrow, I pick up my packages at the PO (tent, food) and set off for a 3.5-day walk to Idyllwild (favorite mountain town name). 14,000 calories of food are ready to go.
Other than that, today was really hot. The trail came down off the crests onto the aforementioned fields. I'm at Warner Springs (tiny trail town), and there's a big welcome sign, "PCT Class of 2016" (thru-hiking culture definitely has a collegiate feel). I showered with a bucket of cold water and it was amazing. Kaleidoscope of tents pitched under a tree. Mostly American but also a few Euro brands. Tomorrow, I pick up my packages at the PO (tent, food) and set off for a 3.5-day walk to Idyllwild (favorite mountain town name). 14,000 calories of food are ready to go.
Day 4 mile 77 (2.9% of the trail)
Someone left candy canes in a hiker box (box of free stuff that hikers leave, at various establishments on the trail) and I'm eating one. I made it to Stagecoach Trails RV Resort after hitching a ride from a minivan with a Grateful Dead bumper sticker (Bill said I was #43 this season). Well, I'm the only hiker here today. Which means that the Christian convention people here gave me all of their leftover dinner and I ate around 1,500 calories in five minutes. One of the ministers here climbed Mt. Rainier (glaciated peak, requires mountaineering skills) when she was 21 in 1954. She was in a three person rope team with a guide, and one of only two women to summit that year. I mean climbing as a woman in the 1950s is just extraordinary, and she's the first climber I've knowingly met on the trail. It's windy but I'm just glad I'm not walking anymore.
For the trail, the desert is starting to feel like one. It was clear and warm today and the hills are mostly brown. I popped out the sun umbrella (weighs 7 oz) which helped, but it gets so windy that you have to stow it and use sunblock any way. The hikers are thinning out and I'm starting to wonder if I'll see the people I hiked with yesterday again.
On the gear front; man, I need those insoles. My legs feel fine but my soles are wrecked after 15 miles. I also buckled and called to have my inner tent shipped to me. I'm just not about that ultralight groundsheet lyfe. The tennis ball sized mosquitos flying inside were the last straw. Some hyperlighters (beyond ultralight backpacking) don't even use a groundsheet. The things that would crawl, run, or fly over your face at night; there are no words. My ¾ length sleeping pad is working really well and my down quilt is more than warm enough. The z-lite (popular foam sleeping pad that folds like an accordion) section I cut from my regular length z-lite pad has seen a lot of use. I sit on it every break and put my feet on it when I sleep.
For the trail, the desert is starting to feel like one. It was clear and warm today and the hills are mostly brown. I popped out the sun umbrella (weighs 7 oz) which helped, but it gets so windy that you have to stow it and use sunblock any way. The hikers are thinning out and I'm starting to wonder if I'll see the people I hiked with yesterday again.
On the gear front; man, I need those insoles. My legs feel fine but my soles are wrecked after 15 miles. I also buckled and called to have my inner tent shipped to me. I'm just not about that ultralight groundsheet lyfe. The tennis ball sized mosquitos flying inside were the last straw. Some hyperlighters (beyond ultralight backpacking) don't even use a groundsheet. The things that would crawl, run, or fly over your face at night; there are no words. My ¾ length sleeping pad is working really well and my down quilt is more than warm enough. The z-lite (popular foam sleeping pad that folds like an accordion) section I cut from my regular length z-lite pad has seen a lot of use. I sit on it every break and put my feet on it when I sleep.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Day 5 mile 91 (3.4% of the trail)
Used my first and I hope, only, water cache. 30 gallons of Crystal Geyser dropped in the desert (Did they hoof it or use a wheelbarrow? Horseback?). It's 3 pm, in the 80s (deg F), and everyone is taking a break. Marijuana in the air. I'm 18 miles from Warner Springs and I'm just fine staying here for the night. It's 5 miles uphill then 13 mostly down. No reason to tackle it head-on in the heat when it'll be nice and cold in the morning.
Day 3 mile 56 (2.1% of the trail)
A more eventful day. S (Netherlands) and I had talked about hiking together the previous night. We got up at 5:30 (easy when it's cold and wet) and drank tea with the unnamed couple (Japan). The sky was clearing and it was getting slightly warmer. We set off. In a couple hours we met up with his other hiking buddies, B and T (USA) and made it to Mt Laguna. The three of them spoke of taking an easy day at 10 miles, but my legs felt really good so I decided to press on for a 20 miler to mile 56. I also wanted to take advantage of the cooler weather at present. My feet ached (why did I neglect to buy SuperFeet blue insoles?) but I made it to camp at 6 pm.
This day's trail was spectacular. It dawned on me that the naming of the trail was specific; it really follows mountain crests most of the way. After topping out at Mt Laguna, it descends and traverses between several hills with wide views of the desert floor 4,000 feet below. I really like rugged cliffs with cracks and a lot of stuff going on, and there were a bunch of those. I knew the trail would be pretty, but right off the bat, wow.
This day's trail was spectacular. It dawned on me that the naming of the trail was specific; it really follows mountain crests most of the way. After topping out at Mt Laguna, it descends and traverses between several hills with wide views of the desert floor 4,000 feet below. I really like rugged cliffs with cracks and a lot of stuff going on, and there were a bunch of those. I knew the trail would be pretty, but right off the bat, wow.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Day 2 mile 36 (1.4% of the trail)
More rain. My outer tent plus groundsheet ultralight shelter plan was a terrible idea. The groundsheet has pools of mud in it and I just have to put my sleeping pad and bag there because there's nothing I can do to dry it. I would need a beach towel or something. My down bag is hydrophobic and rated for much colder, so, to be safety focused, I am not at risk for hypothermia. Just being damp all the time. Ugh.
Warner Springs is 74 miles away, 3-4 days. I'll take a zero mile day there. I cannot wait. I'll have to wash everything and I might send for my inner tent with its bathtub floor (this is a waterproof floor with walls that come up a few inches). El Niño could be here all summer. It's like a chilly rainforest down here. This is the Patagonia Crest Trail.
Warner Springs is 74 miles away, 3-4 days. I'll take a zero mile day there. I cannot wait. I'll have to wash everything and I might send for my inner tent with its bathtub floor (this is a waterproof floor with walls that come up a few inches). El Niño could be here all summer. It's like a chilly rainforest down here. This is the Patagonia Crest Trail.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Day 1 mile 18 (0.7% of the trail)
I vowed to take it easy on my first day, and I did. 18 miles in 7 hours, but I felt I could have gone an additional 7 miles or so. I'm camped just before Lake Morena which is the first town on the trail from the southern terminus. I won't have to pay for a campsite in town, and I can grab a "gigantic" (per Yogi) breakfast burrito in the morning.
One very interesting thing about the trail is the camping arrangement. A PCT permit gives permission to camp anywhere along the trail. Every half mile or so, you find a pocket or two carved out of the brush, usually big enough for one tent, either adjacent to the trail or down a short use path. It's pretty random, and fun to evaluate each site. Some are on rock slabs, some are next to sharp turns in the trail, some contain long abandoned gear from people who quit on day 1 (spooky).
Otherwise, not much noteworthy today. Weather was drizzly and cloudy, quite nice. Haven't witnessed any Cheryl-esque meltdowns thus far. Ran across hikers from the US, Western Europe, and Japan.
One very interesting thing about the trail is the camping arrangement. A PCT permit gives permission to camp anywhere along the trail. Every half mile or so, you find a pocket or two carved out of the brush, usually big enough for one tent, either adjacent to the trail or down a short use path. It's pretty random, and fun to evaluate each site. Some are on rock slabs, some are next to sharp turns in the trail, some contain long abandoned gear from people who quit on day 1 (spooky).
Otherwise, not much noteworthy today. Weather was drizzly and cloudy, quite nice. Haven't witnessed any Cheryl-esque meltdowns thus far. Ran across hikers from the US, Western Europe, and Japan.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Resupply
I put together six gear resupply packages before embarking on the trail. In no order:
- Gore-Tex gaiters
- Northern Terminus Package (passport, entry to Canada permit, car keys)
- Hiking pants (in case it gets cold, wet and my running shorts and long johns don't cut it)
- PNW Package (headnet, baseball cap, bug repellant - only as a package because I'm worried this bug season will be bad, and stores tend to run out of these things)
- Backpack hipbelt, size small (weight loss is expected)
- Kennedy Meadows Package (ice axe, bear canister, trekking pole, sundries)
I also made zero food resupply packages. I plan to resupply wholly from the trail, by buying in towns and shipping ahead as well as online ordering via Amazon Prime, Zero Day Resupply, and Sonora Pass Resupply. What a time to be alive.
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