Warner Springs

Hello from SoCal! K-Bomb and I have made it to Warner Springs, a bit past the 100 mile mark. We've also teamed up with a girl named Busted Magic and a guy named Captain Caveman (we're trying to get that name to stick, we'll see). Having a good ol' time out there on the trail.

I'll lay it all right out there: the AT was a great adventure and I wouldn't trade the experience or the memories for my life, but I have to admit the PCT is going to give it a run for the money. It's great out here, an entirely different experience. Actually I'm going to try not to compare the two trails at all, since the only things they really have in common are that they are both long distance trails, and the same basic crowd of people are out hiking on them. Beyond that, the concerns are largely different. Out here, water is it. It dominates, if not all thought, then at least most planning and conversations. And there's also the constant exposure to the everpresent sun, which one does not have in the AT's "long green tunnel."

So, to break things down. Things I like:

The grades. They really are much easier than the AT or most other hiking I've ever done. I can hike all day on these uphills, without having to stop for breath. This is huge, because often on these big mountains you're going uphill all day. I can even talk to people as I do so, at least on most of the climbs. For someone with a heart condition such as mine, this is a huge relief. It's one worry I had going into this, whether I could handle the uphills at the higher elevations. Of course, we haven't really hit the higher elevations yet, but my confidence is strong now. We started right off doing 20 mile days, unthinkable on the AT, where I did just 7 or 8 mile days for a week, only slowly increasing it.

Night hiking. This has been a real treat, though we've only done it once so far. It's been ridiculously hot the last couple days, hiting 101 degrees yesterday, and out in the desert there's no shade. So we've been setting up my tarp (glad I have the 8 x 10) for mid-day siestas, then hiking the late afternoons. The other day we actually hiked in the dark, which was the most fun I've had in ages. I opted not to use my headlamp, just relying on my heightened senses, and it worked out just fine. I was as alert as I've ever been, feeling at one with the night and the mountain. The trail seemed to glow, as if from the latent energy of all those who have gone before, but probably just from the mica in the sand catching the faint starlight. Will be even better when the moon grows a bit. It was only the tiniest sliver that night.

Trekking poles: I've talked a lot of shit about trekking poles in my day, but it turns out they're not so bad, not bad at all. I used them like antennae for the night hike, and otherwise they do add power to your stride, cushion on the downhills, and are great for keeping a rhythm going. Took a day to get used to them, but I've been converted for sure.

Things I don't like:

Blisters. As usual, my idiot feet have turned on me. Not so bad as on the AT; still, the walking has been a challenge. I have one on each foot, on the bottom at the base of each second toe. Also, I have blisters under the nails of both second toes, may lose at least one. I don't know why I seem to be putting so much pressure on that toe, must be how I walk. The pain of these has screwed up how I walk, especially on the left foot, turning it pigeon toed, as I walk on the outer edge of my foot. That in turn screws with my ankle tendons and up my calf, both of which are sore. I've had to really focus on rolling through to my toes on my steps, which hurts but is better than a real injury.

The sun. Alright, nice weather is good, but this desert section is going to be a challenge. The exposure is extreme, and constant. We're learning to deal with it, but it's intense and only going to get harder. I won't complain about this much, though, since I still remember those wet days in New England.

Heat rash. Won't go into details, but let's just say days worth of sweat (salt!) in sensitive areas is not fun.

We'll be in Idyllwild within a few days, where we plan to take a full day off. I'd write more but people are waiting.