Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Update
Just a quick note to anyone reading this. I'm off the trail for good. Due to injury, boredom, the endless snow, frustration, near death experiences, and the constant question, with me from the day I started the hike, and before, as to why I'm doing this, and not getting a good answer. Also, my family needs me and I'm kind of sick of wandering around, eating crappy food, the road-life. All in all, guess I just wasn't feeling it, not enough to stay out there. I'm not too upset about quitting, not like I thought I'd be, and not like I know I'd have been if I'd quit the AT. This is how I know I made the right choice. On to other things, I guess.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Am back on the trail here in Mammoth Lakes. Well, not quite. I'm back in a trail town. Tomorrow I'll be back on the trail. When I met up with K-Bomb, Ninja and Drop and Roll, and two guys they'd been hiking with, Roadrunner and Doc, they all needed a few days off. Apperently the Sierras are kicking everyone's ass, with all the snow, river fords, and, the day they were coming in, rain and snow. They were soaked when they got to town, freezing cold and thinking only of dry clothes and hot showers, then food and rest, and lots of it. So I get a couple days here in a pretty awesome town to catch up with my friends, hear some stories, get hyped up, and eat like a thru-hiker. I don't quite have the appetite I did a month ago, but I'm making valiant efforts to keep up with my crew.
It's just great to see everyone again, been having a lot of fun. We even rented a vacation condo for a couple nights, which has been beyond luxurious, especially considering where we spent our first night in town. And of course, MY first night in town, I just camped out somewhere in the woods east of town. Set up my tarp, knowing about the rain, and assumed I'd be fine; naturally the wind shifted in the night and started blowing rain in on me. But I don't complain, because everyone else has been having a much harder time up in the high country.
It's also been good to have a few days to get a bit more acclimated to the high altitude. Going from Florida's sea level to Mammoth Lakes 8000 ft, I can really feel the change, get short of breath just walking down the street, my heart racing, though it's getting better. I still think I'm going to be dead weight for the group for a little while, but hopefully not too much. Time will tell.
It's just great to see everyone again, been having a lot of fun. We even rented a vacation condo for a couple nights, which has been beyond luxurious, especially considering where we spent our first night in town. And of course, MY first night in town, I just camped out somewhere in the woods east of town. Set up my tarp, knowing about the rain, and assumed I'd be fine; naturally the wind shifted in the night and started blowing rain in on me. But I don't complain, because everyone else has been having a much harder time up in the high country.
It's also been good to have a few days to get a bit more acclimated to the high altitude. Going from Florida's sea level to Mammoth Lakes 8000 ft, I can really feel the change, get short of breath just walking down the street, my heart racing, though it's getting better. I still think I'm going to be dead weight for the group for a little while, but hopefully not too much. Time will tell.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Pictures: Idyllwild to Agua Dulce
Finally another picture update! I know you've all been waiting on the edge of your collective seat. It's always hard to choose which to post, but I hope this continues to give you a taste of the flavor of the PCT.
Also, a quick note on comments. I don't always respond to them, but I always read and appreciate them. Usually it's just because I have limited time to post/use the internet, either at a library, or at a hostel where other hikers are waiting to get online.
Also, a quick note on comments. I don't always respond to them, but I always read and appreciate them. Usually it's just because I have limited time to post/use the internet, either at a library, or at a hostel where other hikers are waiting to get online.
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| A triumphant Moccasin at the summit of a snowy Mt. San Jacinto. |
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| Some other folks hanging out on San Jacinto. That's Pepe Lopez on the left, and probably Sport on the right. |
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| "oooh... ahhh..." |
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| Mesa Wind Farm. Kind of a weird-sound-filled night sleeping here. Wicked windy too, go figure. |
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| Sacred Datura. If we eat the root, we can just hallucinate that we hiked the trail and save ourselves a lot of effort. |
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| Headline: Hiker soaks feet in the Whitewater Preserve pool, kills fish downstream. |
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| Hey guys, remember that time we had to cross Mission Creek? No no, not that time, I mean the 15th time. |
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| But why do they sniff the trees? Because they smell like vanilla, dammit. |
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| San Gorgonio Mountain |
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| Setting up camp beside Deep Creek, which runs a few feet off the right side of the photo |
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| A little bit o' trail surgery. |
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| The crew fording Deep Creek |
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| The mountains gather shadows towards evening |
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| Enjoying the benefits of a ridgeline campsite |
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| "May your mountains rise into... |
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| ...and above the clouds." |
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| Ooooh... my colon is going to hate me later. But gorging at McDonalds was, in the end, everything I'd hoped it could be. |
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| 1,500 year old juniper near the top of Mt. Baden-Powell, or as I like to call it, Mt. Baddy-P |
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| View from ol' Baddy P. We could see all the way back to Mt San Jacinto, way in the background to the left. |
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| Drop and Roll crosses a snowfield, one of many that day. |
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| One of the dreaded roadwalks. |
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| Need I say more? |
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| The best a pasty Irish boy like me can hope for is a dirt tan. |
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| Maybe the most sublime 5 minutes of my life so far. |
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| Towards the end of our 29 mile day, and the beauty never ends. I love evening hiking. |
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| Cool landscapes as we near Agua Dulce |
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| Mousetrap tickles the ivories while Roadrunner serenades us at Hiker Heaven, in Agua Dulce. |
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Update
Alright, sorry for the lack of posts. The reason I've not been updating this is that I had to get off trail for a while; my dad was in a pretty bad accident on his bicycle in Florida, so I flew back to be there for him and my family while he was in the hospital. The good news is he's going to be alright.
Anyways, I left from Aqua Dulce the day after my previous post, and plan to go back out there in a week or so, to Mammoth Lakes. I'll skip a good chunk of the trail, including the southern Sierras and Mt. Whitney, which sucks, but I'd rather meet up with my friends and hike the rest of it with them. I'll probably just have to thru-hike the whole damn thing some other year (I could just go back and do what I missed, but I want to walk from Mexico to Canada, and that's just what I aim to do... someday). I hope I still have my trail legs, and can keep up with everyone.
Well, that's all for now from southwest Florida.
Anyways, I left from Aqua Dulce the day after my previous post, and plan to go back out there in a week or so, to Mammoth Lakes. I'll skip a good chunk of the trail, including the southern Sierras and Mt. Whitney, which sucks, but I'd rather meet up with my friends and hike the rest of it with them. I'll probably just have to thru-hike the whole damn thing some other year (I could just go back and do what I missed, but I want to walk from Mexico to Canada, and that's just what I aim to do... someday). I hope I still have my trail legs, and can keep up with everyone.
Well, that's all for now from southwest Florida.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Agua Dulce
So, here I am in Agua Dulce. Things have been going pretty well. That stay in Wrightwood was pretty amazing; what an awesome family, to open up their house to a bunch of total strangers, smelly hiker trash no less; cook them dinner and breakfast, let us get cleaned up, and want nothing in the bargain. I admit I was almost waiting for a sermon or something, but that kind of cynicism is slowly fading from my mind. Sometimes you run across such things in life, and it just restores you, deep down. There are still good people out there.
We were able to escape the Wrightwood vortex, though, by around 9 AM, when we began hiking towards Mt. Baden-Powell, our last big mountain before the Sierras. After lunch at its foot, K-Bomb and I began the climb, with Drop and Roll right behind, and Ninja and Scott a bit further back. It was a slow, steady ascent; I counted 19 switchbacks before the snow drifts consolidated into a single snowfield, and we began moving across it straight for the summit, as the trail was lost. That was some work, as we still had about a third of the way to go; that's what happens when the trail is on the north side of the mountain. After being gravely dissappointed by a false-summit, we finally found the summit spur trail and went to the top, which was snow free and provided a 360 degree view on this bluebird day. We could see all the way back to Mt San Jacinto, and had the smog been less, we could have seen the Pacific. After another lunch break, we began a ridge traverse over more snow, and we (K-Bomb, Drop and Roll, and I) did our first glissade, which is when you slide down the snow on your butt. It's cold but quick: K-Bomb says, "work smarter not harder."
That was a short mileage day, due to the late start and the big climb, only 14 miles, but we made up for it. Two days ago we had a longish waterless stretch, 18 miles from where we were eating lunch, meaning a dry camp and a lot of pack weight. As we ate, I said, "you know, I'm almost tempted to just go all the way to the North Fork Ranger Station," which was the next water and a staggering 29 miles for the day. As we got to Messenger Flats Campground around 6 and ate dinner, and Drop and Roll and I were definitely feeling like moving on. K-Bomb was on the fence. A little later Ninja and Scott rolled in, and said they were done for the day. We convinced K-Bomb to do it, since it meant we'd only have 18 miles to get here, better than a full 24, and we'd be meeting back up with Ninja and Scott the next day in town anyways. So 6 more miles of hiking, a ridiculously beautiful sunset, and a lot of stumbling around in the dusky half-light, and we were there. Felt pretty good, considering it's the farthest I've ever hiked in one go.
I was glad to only have 18 to do the next day too, as we were getting to lower elevations again and it was hot. I'm thinking about renaming the sun "scare ball." I plan to start hiding from it more often, hiking more in the mornings and evenings, and sitting out the noon in a siesta. We shall see. We have the Mojave section ahead of us, walking the LA aqueduct, a long dry section that may call for straight up night hiking. Too bad the moon won't be out, as it's about gone and won't really be up in the night for another week, and I'm not waiting. But we are taking a zero here in Agua Dulce, as we haven't had a day off for 9 days, and feeling good or not, I need a rest. At one point I thought I'd pulled a tendon behind my right knee, walking through a burn area where the trail was in pretty bad shape, and yesterday a tendon in my right foot's arch was feeling the same way. Both are fine now, but definitely a sign to cool it a bit. I'm also very happy to be in town and able to eat to the point of discomfort. In fact, this hostel has bikes, and when K-Bomb wakes up I'm going to see if he wants to ride down to the cafe for breakfast. Can't wait for some coffee!
But of course, despite my great love for the comforts of civilization (namely food, drink, showers, and laundry), I really do love being out there, and always get antsy to be moving again. The hiking is truly where it's at; when I'm walking, the sheer simplicity of that, the pureness of the movement, the rhythm of my breathing, the sweat and the burn of the muscles, it just puts me at ease. Maybe I'm an endorphin junkie, but I can think of worse ways to get high. There's nothing like a long distance hike, in my mind. You get your fix, and you also get to see beautiful places and make great friends.
May post pictures later if I get a chance.
We were able to escape the Wrightwood vortex, though, by around 9 AM, when we began hiking towards Mt. Baden-Powell, our last big mountain before the Sierras. After lunch at its foot, K-Bomb and I began the climb, with Drop and Roll right behind, and Ninja and Scott a bit further back. It was a slow, steady ascent; I counted 19 switchbacks before the snow drifts consolidated into a single snowfield, and we began moving across it straight for the summit, as the trail was lost. That was some work, as we still had about a third of the way to go; that's what happens when the trail is on the north side of the mountain. After being gravely dissappointed by a false-summit, we finally found the summit spur trail and went to the top, which was snow free and provided a 360 degree view on this bluebird day. We could see all the way back to Mt San Jacinto, and had the smog been less, we could have seen the Pacific. After another lunch break, we began a ridge traverse over more snow, and we (K-Bomb, Drop and Roll, and I) did our first glissade, which is when you slide down the snow on your butt. It's cold but quick: K-Bomb says, "work smarter not harder."
That was a short mileage day, due to the late start and the big climb, only 14 miles, but we made up for it. Two days ago we had a longish waterless stretch, 18 miles from where we were eating lunch, meaning a dry camp and a lot of pack weight. As we ate, I said, "you know, I'm almost tempted to just go all the way to the North Fork Ranger Station," which was the next water and a staggering 29 miles for the day. As we got to Messenger Flats Campground around 6 and ate dinner, and Drop and Roll and I were definitely feeling like moving on. K-Bomb was on the fence. A little later Ninja and Scott rolled in, and said they were done for the day. We convinced K-Bomb to do it, since it meant we'd only have 18 miles to get here, better than a full 24, and we'd be meeting back up with Ninja and Scott the next day in town anyways. So 6 more miles of hiking, a ridiculously beautiful sunset, and a lot of stumbling around in the dusky half-light, and we were there. Felt pretty good, considering it's the farthest I've ever hiked in one go.
I was glad to only have 18 to do the next day too, as we were getting to lower elevations again and it was hot. I'm thinking about renaming the sun "scare ball." I plan to start hiding from it more often, hiking more in the mornings and evenings, and sitting out the noon in a siesta. We shall see. We have the Mojave section ahead of us, walking the LA aqueduct, a long dry section that may call for straight up night hiking. Too bad the moon won't be out, as it's about gone and won't really be up in the night for another week, and I'm not waiting. But we are taking a zero here in Agua Dulce, as we haven't had a day off for 9 days, and feeling good or not, I need a rest. At one point I thought I'd pulled a tendon behind my right knee, walking through a burn area where the trail was in pretty bad shape, and yesterday a tendon in my right foot's arch was feeling the same way. Both are fine now, but definitely a sign to cool it a bit. I'm also very happy to be in town and able to eat to the point of discomfort. In fact, this hostel has bikes, and when K-Bomb wakes up I'm going to see if he wants to ride down to the cafe for breakfast. Can't wait for some coffee!
But of course, despite my great love for the comforts of civilization (namely food, drink, showers, and laundry), I really do love being out there, and always get antsy to be moving again. The hiking is truly where it's at; when I'm walking, the sheer simplicity of that, the pureness of the movement, the rhythm of my breathing, the sweat and the burn of the muscles, it just puts me at ease. Maybe I'm an endorphin junkie, but I can think of worse ways to get high. There's nothing like a long distance hike, in my mind. You get your fix, and you also get to see beautiful places and make great friends.
May post pictures later if I get a chance.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wrightwood
Thought I'd give you all a "day in the life" for a thru-hiker; namely, me.
Wake up around 6, glance over at K-Bomb. Notice that he is already deflating his sleeping pad, ready to stuff his sleeping bag away. Go to sleep for five more minutes. Finally sit up, squinting and blinking in the light. Mumble a little. See that K-Bomb's gear is all in a neat pile, ready to pack. Feel a bit rushed. Reach into food bag (resting beside head) and grab a breakfast bar (Snickers), eat in the sleeping bag, maybe a honey bun too. Finally get out into the cold air, quickly stuff sleeping bag in stuff sack, put that, journal-and-map bag, food bag, and snack bag in pack. Brush teeth, realize you are ready to hike. Notice that K-Bomb is still largely unpacked. Wait ten or fifteen minutes. Finally begin walking.
Hike. Eat while hiking, from food stuffed in pockets. Sweat. Think about life, women, work, or maybe just sing songs in your head, or else think about nothing at all for hours. Take a break after 8 to 10 miles or so, eat. Consult map, answer everyone's questions about where we are, how far we have left, what the climbs look like, where the next water is. Enjoy being useful. Possibly play a game of Blisters (R), or else just watch one another pop theirs, making comments regarding size and distance the fluid sprays. Talk mostly about your feet, her feet, his feet.
Hike. Eat while hiking. Walk behing K-Bomb for hours, but talk seldom. Watch his feet, step, step, step, until you're almost trancing. Drool a little maybe. Sweat. Take random pictures and be unsure of their quality. Take another break after 6-8 miles, discuss where we might want to camp, eat again. Hike another 6-8 miles.
Finally reach a campsite maybe an hour before sundown (unless it's been real hot, then, an hour after sundown). Possibly play a game of Blisters (R), or else just watch one another pop theirs, making comments regarding size and distance the fluid sprays. Talk mostly about your feet, her feet, his feet. Cook dinner, enjoy it immensely, even though it's just noodles. Take a fistful of Ibuprofen, write in journal, lay down to sleep at around 8:30. Be asleep by 8:33.
******
As for what's actually been up lately, all's well. Feet are actually vastly improved, and with a few days of easier terrain, we've been cranking miles including one day over 25 miles. I also appreciate a solid lunch of avocado and cheese in tortillas, that's real power food. Food is amazing, it makes me so happy to eat.
Also, we came to the Deep Creek detour, a long road walk, and decided to just hike the real PCT, landslides or not. What a beautiful canyon, all day walking along the canyon sides, looking at and hearing the water below, a rarity for sure, not to mention the freakin' hot springs. Lots of naked hippies everywhere, but it was great to soak a while in the hot water. The landslides weren't even that bad, except in two places where it was a little tricky (read: fun). Glad once more that we didn't obey the rules.
Wrightwood is amazing, we've had a great welcome. A ride materialized out of the heavy fog for Ninja at the trailhead, and she was able to get the guy to wait for the rest of us. Then in town as we were trying to figure out lodging, not wanting to pay the high hotel rates, a local woman showed up and told us to come stay at her place: showers, laundry, internet, burgers, and beds. Amazing. Then at the bar, locals kept buying us beers and even gave K-Bomb a taco. We didn't spend a dime on drinks. And everyone's so friendly, welcoming us to their town. Wish we could take a zero here, just to enjoy that, but we're hiking out in the morning.
That's all for now, gotta go shower and eat!
Wake up around 6, glance over at K-Bomb. Notice that he is already deflating his sleeping pad, ready to stuff his sleeping bag away. Go to sleep for five more minutes. Finally sit up, squinting and blinking in the light. Mumble a little. See that K-Bomb's gear is all in a neat pile, ready to pack. Feel a bit rushed. Reach into food bag (resting beside head) and grab a breakfast bar (Snickers), eat in the sleeping bag, maybe a honey bun too. Finally get out into the cold air, quickly stuff sleeping bag in stuff sack, put that, journal-and-map bag, food bag, and snack bag in pack. Brush teeth, realize you are ready to hike. Notice that K-Bomb is still largely unpacked. Wait ten or fifteen minutes. Finally begin walking.
Hike. Eat while hiking, from food stuffed in pockets. Sweat. Think about life, women, work, or maybe just sing songs in your head, or else think about nothing at all for hours. Take a break after 8 to 10 miles or so, eat. Consult map, answer everyone's questions about where we are, how far we have left, what the climbs look like, where the next water is. Enjoy being useful. Possibly play a game of Blisters (R), or else just watch one another pop theirs, making comments regarding size and distance the fluid sprays. Talk mostly about your feet, her feet, his feet.
Hike. Eat while hiking. Walk behing K-Bomb for hours, but talk seldom. Watch his feet, step, step, step, until you're almost trancing. Drool a little maybe. Sweat. Take random pictures and be unsure of their quality. Take another break after 6-8 miles, discuss where we might want to camp, eat again. Hike another 6-8 miles.
Finally reach a campsite maybe an hour before sundown (unless it's been real hot, then, an hour after sundown). Possibly play a game of Blisters (R), or else just watch one another pop theirs, making comments regarding size and distance the fluid sprays. Talk mostly about your feet, her feet, his feet. Cook dinner, enjoy it immensely, even though it's just noodles. Take a fistful of Ibuprofen, write in journal, lay down to sleep at around 8:30. Be asleep by 8:33.
******
As for what's actually been up lately, all's well. Feet are actually vastly improved, and with a few days of easier terrain, we've been cranking miles including one day over 25 miles. I also appreciate a solid lunch of avocado and cheese in tortillas, that's real power food. Food is amazing, it makes me so happy to eat.
Also, we came to the Deep Creek detour, a long road walk, and decided to just hike the real PCT, landslides or not. What a beautiful canyon, all day walking along the canyon sides, looking at and hearing the water below, a rarity for sure, not to mention the freakin' hot springs. Lots of naked hippies everywhere, but it was great to soak a while in the hot water. The landslides weren't even that bad, except in two places where it was a little tricky (read: fun). Glad once more that we didn't obey the rules.
Wrightwood is amazing, we've had a great welcome. A ride materialized out of the heavy fog for Ninja at the trailhead, and she was able to get the guy to wait for the rest of us. Then in town as we were trying to figure out lodging, not wanting to pay the high hotel rates, a local woman showed up and told us to come stay at her place: showers, laundry, internet, burgers, and beds. Amazing. Then at the bar, locals kept buying us beers and even gave K-Bomb a taco. We didn't spend a dime on drinks. And everyone's so friendly, welcoming us to their town. Wish we could take a zero here, just to enjoy that, but we're hiking out in the morning.
That's all for now, gotta go shower and eat!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Big Bear Lake
Here I am in Big Bear Lake, taking another zero. Why? Well, I guess I shouldn't have opened my big mouth about being all healed and doing great physically. We all have many new blisters or at least very sore feet, and a strong desire for another day off to heal. Plus, it's been snowing again and we were happy to escape that bit of bad weather. We never had any snow ourselves, but it has been very cold.
Still, the last few days have been pretty good to me, far more positive, mentally and physically, than the days leading up to Idyllwild. For starters, we began with some amazing luck. See, we'd gone into Idyllwild via the Devil's Slide Trail, a 2.5 mile trail that leaves you at a trailhead at some park at the end of a little used road: meaning, roadwalk. We'd been trying to psych ourselves up for this total of 4.5 miles back to the PCT, miles that didn't count towards Canada. K-Bomb and I were the first ones ready to go, the first ones out the door. Truly, I hadn't even made it fully outside when I heard a woman say, "do you guys need a ride to the trail?" Astonishing luck, saved us 2 miles of walking some steep road. We piled 6 hikers plus gear into her SUV.
This good fortune resulted in K-Bomb and I having enough time to summit San Jacinto Mountain. It was a 6.5 mile loop off the PCT, which means we'd miss 4 miles of the actual trail. But I'll be blunt: I'm no purist. I don't care about walking every little mile of the PCT. I'm walking to Canada. If I do it on my own two feet (no hitch-hiking to skip parts) then it counts. So on up we went, up to 10,800 feet or so. Even with the altitude, I'm pretty sure I was sucking wind far harder on the climb out of Pearisburg, VA on the AT, than going up this mountain. Not bad for a guy with a heart condition; I'm so far very pleased with how that's been treating me out here. We had to traverse a lot of snow, and the spur trail to the summit itself was lost, we just went straight up over the snow. The view was 360 degrees and perfectly clear, looking out to many other nearby ranges, several with snow on them, and down 9000 or more feet to the desert floor. We stayed only briefly, then went down.
Getting down meant more bushwhacking. The trail after the area of the little summit spur was covered as well, so I told K-Bomb that we should just pull out the compass, shoot a bearing, and get back to the PCT the quick way. It would also avoid a bit of a loop to the south, which the official side trail does. Shortcuts, right?
Well, it worked, sorta. There was much "boot skiing" over the snowpack, trying to avoid trees and rocks. It was great fun, really. But in the end it was tiring and the topography seemed to be getting far harder to get over, huge boulders and such. We found the stream we'd been looking for, though, followed it a bit until we found the side trail, and ended up following it to the PCT. The whole day was pretty tiring, complete with soaked feet. Still, I was glad we ended up summitting the mountain; we'd figured against it and only decided to do it at the last minute.
So I mentioned wet feet. I had new blisters by the time we made camp. Then the next day didn't help much. We had miles and miles (and miles) of downhill, switchbacks from 9000 ft to 1000 ft. None of our feet took it well. We ended up at the Mesa Wind Farm and camped there, relaxing and doctoring our feet. Ninja and Drop and Roll had joined us by this point, they're sort of hiking with us as a group. We all continually find it amusing how much we talk about our feet, how we all watch each other pop our blisters... I actually had an audience the other evening, as I prepared to pop a huge on on the outside edge of my foot, then one on the same foot's heel. The latter squirted out like a fountain, warning everyone back. And, I have a toenail MIA. It was there when I put the socks and shoes on in the morning, but when I took them off on a shoes-off break, it was gone. At first I thought the giant blister under it had just seriously deflated, then I looked closer and was like, "wait, where the fuck is my toe nail?!" Musta been that barefoot ford of the Whitewater creek. K-Bomb keeps saying I'm going to find it months from now after the trail, floating around in my food bag.
Ninja referred the the PCT as "dirt and pain," which we all had a good laugh over. It's sorta true, yet somehow we all love it. For myself I'm realizing how much better I am at pushing myself through pain and adversity than before. I feel stronger as a man in that sense of inner toughness. When before I might have wanted to just sit down because my feet hurt or I'm tired, it's now far clearer to me that it's better to just keep moving.
Finally, yesterday we woke up from the frigid night, dreaming of town some 20 miles away. We had an early start, easy miles, and cool (cold, almost) weather. We cruised all morning, though Ninja, K-Bomb and I did get lost briefly; while following a forest road for a while, we missed a turnoff. Still, we ended up getting to the road by 3, a pretty solid pace. For the last 4 miles or so, after our last break, I put myself in a trance with a simple breathing technique: two steps breathing in, two breathing out. The trekking poles help set the rhythm. My vision sorta blurred over and contracted to just the trail and K-Bomb's feet, most thinking stopped, the pain in my feet was gone such that I felt like I was just floating along, and the hour and a half or so that it took to get to the road felt like 20 minutes. Of course I have no idea about the landscapes we walked through, so it's a trade off.
At the road was some trail magic, and also a ride from the hostel we were going to, all in the space of about two minutes. The trail provides. Sure great to be indoors, as the weather continues to be freezing and it's currently raining out. We have showers, much food, movies, coffee. We all love the hiking, the mountains, all of that, but all of that makes us also love town more too.
Still, the last few days have been pretty good to me, far more positive, mentally and physically, than the days leading up to Idyllwild. For starters, we began with some amazing luck. See, we'd gone into Idyllwild via the Devil's Slide Trail, a 2.5 mile trail that leaves you at a trailhead at some park at the end of a little used road: meaning, roadwalk. We'd been trying to psych ourselves up for this total of 4.5 miles back to the PCT, miles that didn't count towards Canada. K-Bomb and I were the first ones ready to go, the first ones out the door. Truly, I hadn't even made it fully outside when I heard a woman say, "do you guys need a ride to the trail?" Astonishing luck, saved us 2 miles of walking some steep road. We piled 6 hikers plus gear into her SUV.
This good fortune resulted in K-Bomb and I having enough time to summit San Jacinto Mountain. It was a 6.5 mile loop off the PCT, which means we'd miss 4 miles of the actual trail. But I'll be blunt: I'm no purist. I don't care about walking every little mile of the PCT. I'm walking to Canada. If I do it on my own two feet (no hitch-hiking to skip parts) then it counts. So on up we went, up to 10,800 feet or so. Even with the altitude, I'm pretty sure I was sucking wind far harder on the climb out of Pearisburg, VA on the AT, than going up this mountain. Not bad for a guy with a heart condition; I'm so far very pleased with how that's been treating me out here. We had to traverse a lot of snow, and the spur trail to the summit itself was lost, we just went straight up over the snow. The view was 360 degrees and perfectly clear, looking out to many other nearby ranges, several with snow on them, and down 9000 or more feet to the desert floor. We stayed only briefly, then went down.
Getting down meant more bushwhacking. The trail after the area of the little summit spur was covered as well, so I told K-Bomb that we should just pull out the compass, shoot a bearing, and get back to the PCT the quick way. It would also avoid a bit of a loop to the south, which the official side trail does. Shortcuts, right?
Well, it worked, sorta. There was much "boot skiing" over the snowpack, trying to avoid trees and rocks. It was great fun, really. But in the end it was tiring and the topography seemed to be getting far harder to get over, huge boulders and such. We found the stream we'd been looking for, though, followed it a bit until we found the side trail, and ended up following it to the PCT. The whole day was pretty tiring, complete with soaked feet. Still, I was glad we ended up summitting the mountain; we'd figured against it and only decided to do it at the last minute.
So I mentioned wet feet. I had new blisters by the time we made camp. Then the next day didn't help much. We had miles and miles (and miles) of downhill, switchbacks from 9000 ft to 1000 ft. None of our feet took it well. We ended up at the Mesa Wind Farm and camped there, relaxing and doctoring our feet. Ninja and Drop and Roll had joined us by this point, they're sort of hiking with us as a group. We all continually find it amusing how much we talk about our feet, how we all watch each other pop our blisters... I actually had an audience the other evening, as I prepared to pop a huge on on the outside edge of my foot, then one on the same foot's heel. The latter squirted out like a fountain, warning everyone back. And, I have a toenail MIA. It was there when I put the socks and shoes on in the morning, but when I took them off on a shoes-off break, it was gone. At first I thought the giant blister under it had just seriously deflated, then I looked closer and was like, "wait, where the fuck is my toe nail?!" Musta been that barefoot ford of the Whitewater creek. K-Bomb keeps saying I'm going to find it months from now after the trail, floating around in my food bag.
Ninja referred the the PCT as "dirt and pain," which we all had a good laugh over. It's sorta true, yet somehow we all love it. For myself I'm realizing how much better I am at pushing myself through pain and adversity than before. I feel stronger as a man in that sense of inner toughness. When before I might have wanted to just sit down because my feet hurt or I'm tired, it's now far clearer to me that it's better to just keep moving.
Finally, yesterday we woke up from the frigid night, dreaming of town some 20 miles away. We had an early start, easy miles, and cool (cold, almost) weather. We cruised all morning, though Ninja, K-Bomb and I did get lost briefly; while following a forest road for a while, we missed a turnoff. Still, we ended up getting to the road by 3, a pretty solid pace. For the last 4 miles or so, after our last break, I put myself in a trance with a simple breathing technique: two steps breathing in, two breathing out. The trekking poles help set the rhythm. My vision sorta blurred over and contracted to just the trail and K-Bomb's feet, most thinking stopped, the pain in my feet was gone such that I felt like I was just floating along, and the hour and a half or so that it took to get to the road felt like 20 minutes. Of course I have no idea about the landscapes we walked through, so it's a trade off.
At the road was some trail magic, and also a ride from the hostel we were going to, all in the space of about two minutes. The trail provides. Sure great to be indoors, as the weather continues to be freezing and it's currently raining out. We have showers, much food, movies, coffee. We all love the hiking, the mountains, all of that, but all of that makes us also love town more too.
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