Photos...

From mile 166 to Idyllwild.

Skipping and Flipping

I had two goals when I started my hike: 1. To complete it and 2. To make it a "no flips, no skips" hike.

Due to my lovely foot infection I had to skip 30 miles. Then, due to extreme heat, I skipped another ~60 miles from Cabazon to Big Bear.

On Tuesday, I'll skip the hot, waterless section that is entirely uphill out of the Cajon Pass and jump to Wrightwood.

I thought I would detest skipping. I thought I could tough it out. But thankfully with age comes wisdom. I know myself really well and I know exactly what heat (temps above 95) does to me.

I know of 1 experienced hiker who suffered from dehydration and another who has had to get off the trail in order to make a full recovery from the same thing.

So, in order to preserve my health, I'm skipping over those sections that would cause me harm and will complete them in October when it's a tad cooler out.

I think this strategy will help me achieve my first goal...to complete the PCT.

Hike safely. Hike on.

Trail Angels

Here are some photos of a few of the amazing PCT trail angels:

- Ziggy (Got to chat a bit about knitting with her.)
- The Bear (who grew up in the Seattle neighborhood that I currently live in - small world.)
- Shepherd with the amazing rootbeer float!
- Kay with Sparrow & The Barracuda, Kay, Style, and Taka.

Photos from the hike

Here are some photos from between miles 100 and 166.

Lunch spots...

Here are photos of my last two lunch spots...Big Bear lake and under Deep Creek bridge.

200 miles

I reached the 200 mile mark on Mothers Day!

Angels and Magic

I've talked about Trail Angels and Trail Magic in an earlier post.

Here are the Angels and Magic I've experienced so far...

• Mt. Laguna - Pine House: This restaurant is usually not open on Mondays & Tuesdays but the wonderful folks here opened up with a menu just for us hikers. It was unexpected and wonderful!
• Warner Springs Community Center: With the hot spring resort closed, the AWESOME folks of the WSCC set up a small store, gave hikers a place to sleep, access to showers, and made the most delicious burgers (lunch), tri-tip (dinner), and scrambled eggs & potatoes (breakfast) that money could buy. For about $35, a hiker could get all this plus the knowledge that all the money was going to the community. In fact, I read that the CC raised enough money from the hikers that they don't have to do anymore fundraising this year! Go hikers!
• Chris & Becky: I was hiking into Idyllwild with sore feet and fading energy. I had just started a three mile side trail into town when I met two hikers coming the other direction. I confirmed I was on the right trail (I missed the trail head sign) and after a bit of talking, Chris and Becky offered me a ride into town. They put my pack in their trunk, waived off my apologies for my smell, and drove me directly to Idyllwild Inn. It may seem like such a small thing, but that ride and those few moments with this lovely couple just renewed my energy and made me smile for the rest of the day. Thank you Trail Angels!
• Random group of hikers on Mt. San Jacinto: I was approaching the turn off to the Fuller Ridge trail head when I came across a group of folks taking a break before heading to the top of San Jacinto. I stopped to check my map and we all got to talking. One gentleman offered me fresh mango and pineapple. At that moment, it was the best tasting fruit in the world! I find that spending even just a bit of time with people talking about the trail just raises my spirit so much, I almost (almost) floated down the trail with renewed energy. Thank you RGoH for your trail magic and wonderful energy! Hike on!
• Bob: After a long day of hiking 16+ miles in 105 degrees with little shade, rough trails, and angry bees, I came to the first water source in 20 miles. In the near middle of nowhere, the lovely Desert Water Agency installed a drinking fountain. It was the most beautiful site ever! Cold clear water we didn't have to filter OR treat! Yum! Then...it got better. Bob was getting off work and offered to take us (Sparrow, The Barracuda, Taka, and me) the 4 miles to the 10 freeway underpass. Getting to miss 4 miles of sandy, hot trail was just what I needed. I should feel bad about skipping it, but I'm not. So thank you Bob (and Bob's wife for letting him get home late!) for getting us out of the heat and a bit closer to Ziggy and The Bear!
• Kay & Lake to Lake: When Bob dropped us off at the 10 frwy underpass, we headed for the coolers and sign-in log. What we found was Kay. This Trail Angel (along with the non-present Lake to Lake) brought cold drinks, fresh watermelon, hard-boiled eggs, salad, fried chicken, tortellini salad, and chocolate cake for all the hungry tired hikers passing by. What a treat! We dove into the food with gusto and was soon joined by Style who was just as ecstatic as the rest of us. Overall, 23+ hikers were treated to great food, drink, and company! 
• Ziggy and The Bear: These Trail Angels are the FIRST Angels to buy their home because of its close location to the PCT. They not only welcome hikers by letting us sleep in their backyard, they provide food, drinks, ICE CREAM!, carpets to sleep on, internet, and overall awesomeness. They go above and beyond to help us and keep us going on the trail. It's an oasis in the desert!
• Other hikers: PCT hikers are amazing. It's almost ingrained to look out for each other, to help each other when we can. Whether it's bringing cold water out to a hiker coming in on a super hot day, an encouraging word, or a hotel room to share (with a shower!), everyone is looking out for everyone else. This makes the hike even more fulfilling!

Thank you to ALL the Trail Angels I've encountered along the way. I didn't know just how important you all are to the trail and the hiker community. You turn a great hike into an amazing experience.

Happy hiking!

This is Only A Test

Trail name: A name traditionally bestowed upon a hiker by other hikers while on the trail.

Most hikers have a trail name. Some names come from a physical feature, an personality trait, or most often, something that happened on the trail.

Mine is the latter.

On day 5, while hiking to Laguna campground, Lava Goat and I stopped at Burnt Ranch campground to have lunch and rest a bit. We went and had lunch, then came back to the campsite to chat with other hikers who had showed up. Part of my rest involves putting my feet up on my pack to help reduce the swelling.

For those that don't know, I'm carrying a SPOT. It is a personal GPS device that allows me to send "I'm ok" messages to my family, request non-emergency help, or request 911 "send the helicopters".

When I went to put my feet up, I laid my pack down on the ground. After about 20 minutes, we all noted the Sheriff helicopter flying in small circles right by where we were.

Within a few minutes, I got that sinking-in-my-stomach feeling and checked my SPOT. Sure enough, when I had laid my pack down, the 911 button had been pressed.

A quick check of my phone (which had been turned off) showed calls from the local Sheriff AND my mom. D'oh!

I made the important call first. I called my mom. I assured her that I was just fine and my dad called the Sheriff to let them know it was a false alarm.

After much panic and a couple rounds of phone calls, the search was called off and I got a new trail name.

Only a Test.

The full name is: This is a test of the PCT SPOT emergency response system. This is Only a Test.  

Photos...

Here are some photos from the last few days...

A small cave.
Bacon repelling into the cave.
View of the PCT through an open field.
Eagle Rock.
Me on Eagle Rock.

Day 11 - Breakfast!

Mom made gluten free strawberry shortcake. Was supposed to be dessert last night but we saved it for breakfast instead. Yum!

Day 10 - R.I.C.E.

Yesterday was my scheduled zero day and today I was supposed to hike 14 miles. Due to an infected blister on my foot, I'm taking a nero day and hiking about 5 miles or so.

So right now, I'm R.I.C.E.ing (rest. ice. compress. elevate.)  The photo is Bacon reenacting my current state instead of me posting a really gross photo of my foot.

See how much I care about y'all?  :-)

100 miles!

Days 2 - 9

Hi all,

So sorry for the long delay in posting. My solar charger isn't getting enough sun to fully charge my phone (let alone my camera and iPod) so have had to keep phone usage to a minimum.

But my wonderful parents have been running around trying to find me alternative charging options which I get to try out tomorrow.

So here is a brief review of this last week (note that all mileage is rounded to nearest whole mile):

Day 1: 20 miles Campo to Lake Morena
Day 2 & 3: Zero - Kickoff party
Day 4: 12 miles - to Fred Canyon
Day 5: 16 miles - to Laguna Campground
Day 6: 16 miles - to Chariot Canyon
Day 7: 15 miles - to a dry creek bed aka Campsite 79
Day 8: 17 miles - to a tiny trailside campsite meant for maybe 2 but we managed to get 5 of us in there (no tents, just slept under the stars).
Day 9 (Friday): 14 miles - to Warner Springs.

That's about 110 miles in 7 hiking days!

I'm taking Sat off to rest my very unhappy feet and reorganize my pack to lighten my load, then back on the trail Sunday.

I'll add photos in another post.

Happy hiking all!