Greetings readers!
I hope we didn't have any of you too worried. The dangers of the sub-transient, hiker trash lifestyle are many and with not hearing from us for so long it would be easy to imagine us stuck at the bottom of some mountain chasm somewhere, sawing through our own arms. Luckily that isn't the case. I apologize for our aloofness, but for the last few weeks we've been in the wildest places of the trip, with fewer resupply stops and wi-fi in short supply.
But we're back now and eager to tell you about what's been going on in our lives. Last time I wrote to you from Lone Pine, a little town near the base of Mt Whitney. I didn't get to spend much time here because I had a lot of mountains to climb over and not a lot of time to do it. I had planned to take 6 days to go the 127 miles or so to Mammoth Lakes to meet Kim, my girlfriend, so time was of the essence. Off into the High Sierras I went. We've seen some pretty amazing views over the last few months, but the Sierras took the cake. Everyday was filled with picturesque peaks, towering waterfalls, cascading rivers and vast turquoise lakes so clear that you could seen the glimmering of the hundreds of swimming trouts. I'm talking postcard worthy stuff, the type of beauty you look up on the Internet and put as the background on your computer screen. This was my home for a week. It was unbelievable. But it wasn't all scenery and sunshine, I had to work my ass off to get through it. Most days I had to climb over 2 passes, which meant going up 3000 or 4000 feet, coming right back down, and doing it all over again later in the day. It really kicked the shit out ya, but as hard as it was, I really enjoyed the passes. Most of them were between 12 or 13 thousand feet above sea level, higher than the tree line, where its raw ad barren and there is nothing but rock, water and ice and the little tufts of plants that grow among them. It was absolutely worth the work it took to get over them.
I was pushing myself to my limit every day and a few days before Mammoth I hit my wall. I was sore, I was tired, the mosquitos were relentless and for the first time of the trip I questioned why I was here. There was a few days where I actually thought about quitting. One of those days was the first time I got lost in the mountains. Like I said In the last post, I went off alone to get to Mammoth to see Kim which meant leaving my friends and their maps behind. I was having a really bad day and in my despair I took a wrong turn down a side trail which brought me 6 miles out of my way. I would have been oblivious to this and would have been really screwed had I not been stopped by some section hikers who, after a bit of conversation realized I screwed up and told me how to get to the Vermillion Valley Resort. I had planned on putting in a bunch more miles and skip VVR all together, but after the shitty day I'd been having it was nice to get some beers in me and have a bed to sleep in. Even with my unplanned detour I managed to make it to Mammoth the next day, what a relief. I really needed to get out of the mountains by this point and even better was that I'd get to see Kim again after 2 long months. I ended up spending almost a week in Mammoth, which was an awesome little mountain town. The first few days I had a great time with Kim and her parents, lounging in the hotel, seeing the sights and eating real food and much of the rest of the week was spent celebrating, I finally reunited with the rest of the team, we celebrated Canada day, we celebrated America day and just had an overall fun time. But before we knew it it was all over and it was time to hit the trail again and for Kim, it was time to hit the trail for the first time.
Next stop Yosemite.
Happy Trails,
Mike
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Saturday 23 June 2012
Day ?- Mile 790: A Date with a Lady Named Whitney
Hey hey,
I'm back, I was reluctant to have to leave the mountains, but alas, I had to come to town to resupply so lucky for all you avid readers it also means I get a chance to update you on the comings and goings of our lives!
I have to begin by saying that the Sierra Mountains are absolutely amazing. When we first left Kennedy Meadows I was extatic to finally see grass again, after almost 2 months of being in the desert, seeing nothing but sand and scrub, lush green meadows were the stuff of dreams. But the Sierras delivered on the grass and much more. The hiking has been great, we've seen and experienced some pretty sweet stuff, we watched hundreds of cliff swallows jet in and out of little mud nests under a bridge, we've seen marmots and deers, and the most spectacular views of my life. But things really got good once we approached Whitney and the PCT joined with the JMT (John Muir Trail). It had been my plan since before coming out here to climb Whitney at night and watch the sun rise from the summit. We had fallen a little bit behind out planned pace however, and it didn't seem likely that the timing was going to work out, and we would have had to summit the mountain the next day. I must admit, I was pretty bummed about it. So I walked and I thought about it and decided that I wasn't going to pass up an experience like that. I decided to leave Jesse and the guys for a while, push to Crabtree Meadows where I would set up base camp, nap for a few hours and then push my way up the mountain at 1 am. And that's exactly what I did. Fortunately for me, even though my regular crew wasn't into the idea I wasn't alone in my endeavor. So I teamed up with Agassi, Snow Turtle, Bolt, Navi, Natty, Bacon Bit, Fall Risk, Hollywood and The Indiana Boys, we got as much sleep as we could manage, threw on our headlamps and made our way up the mountain. The trail we climbed was the easiest route up the mountain, but it was a steep 7 mile, 3000 foot climb. It was rocky, icy at points and we were in a race with the sun. On top of that, the thinning air really took a toll on me. Breathing was more laboured, I suffered from bouts of dizziness and nausea and because of these things, I almost stumbled right off the edge of the mountain a few times. But I sucked it up, stayed determined and fought on. It was around 4:15 that I began to see light peaking over some peaks, and I still wasn't at the summit. So I put myself in high gear, pushed as hard as I've ever pushed myself and got to the summit as the clouds were just begining to turn orange. I had made it, I was the first one at the top (besides Itchy and Scratchy who were ballsy enough to spend the night up there and all that was left to do was sit and wait for the sun to really make an appearance.
I really have to say that this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I sat on the edge of the mountain 14,500ft above sea level, the highest point in the lower 48 states. I just sat and watched as the sun rose over the horizon, filling all the valleys and nooks, revealing an expanse of mountains all around me that I hadn't seen on the dark climb up. It was absolutely breathtaking. We all sat and relished in the view for a while but there was more hiking to do, so down I went. After a long labourour walk, and a lot a chats with day walkers and JMTers going up, I took a much deserved nap and continued on.
With Whitney behind me it was time to climb Forester pass, the highest point on the actual PCT and make my way through King's Canyon. What an amazing place it is. I have never seen water more beautiful in my life. It's an amazing shade of green and crystal clear. Seriously guys, words and pictures don't even do justice to the landscape I've had the priviledge to walk through. If you ever have the opportunity to hike the Sierras you have to all promise me you will take it. It will change your life. I could ramble on all day about it, but I need to find a hitch back up the mountains and get to the trail again. In a few days I will be in Mammoth Lakes where I will redevous with the guys and be joined by my girlfriend Kim. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about then. So stay tuned.
Happy Trails,
Mike
Ps. I don't have many Whitney pictures because in the low light my Iphone pictures didn't really turn out. But once Kim joins me we will actually be able to take some decent pictures.
I'm back, I was reluctant to have to leave the mountains, but alas, I had to come to town to resupply so lucky for all you avid readers it also means I get a chance to update you on the comings and goings of our lives!
I have to begin by saying that the Sierra Mountains are absolutely amazing. When we first left Kennedy Meadows I was extatic to finally see grass again, after almost 2 months of being in the desert, seeing nothing but sand and scrub, lush green meadows were the stuff of dreams. But the Sierras delivered on the grass and much more. The hiking has been great, we've seen and experienced some pretty sweet stuff, we watched hundreds of cliff swallows jet in and out of little mud nests under a bridge, we've seen marmots and deers, and the most spectacular views of my life. But things really got good once we approached Whitney and the PCT joined with the JMT (John Muir Trail). It had been my plan since before coming out here to climb Whitney at night and watch the sun rise from the summit. We had fallen a little bit behind out planned pace however, and it didn't seem likely that the timing was going to work out, and we would have had to summit the mountain the next day. I must admit, I was pretty bummed about it. So I walked and I thought about it and decided that I wasn't going to pass up an experience like that. I decided to leave Jesse and the guys for a while, push to Crabtree Meadows where I would set up base camp, nap for a few hours and then push my way up the mountain at 1 am. And that's exactly what I did. Fortunately for me, even though my regular crew wasn't into the idea I wasn't alone in my endeavor. So I teamed up with Agassi, Snow Turtle, Bolt, Navi, Natty, Bacon Bit, Fall Risk, Hollywood and The Indiana Boys, we got as much sleep as we could manage, threw on our headlamps and made our way up the mountain. The trail we climbed was the easiest route up the mountain, but it was a steep 7 mile, 3000 foot climb. It was rocky, icy at points and we were in a race with the sun. On top of that, the thinning air really took a toll on me. Breathing was more laboured, I suffered from bouts of dizziness and nausea and because of these things, I almost stumbled right off the edge of the mountain a few times. But I sucked it up, stayed determined and fought on. It was around 4:15 that I began to see light peaking over some peaks, and I still wasn't at the summit. So I put myself in high gear, pushed as hard as I've ever pushed myself and got to the summit as the clouds were just begining to turn orange. I had made it, I was the first one at the top (besides Itchy and Scratchy who were ballsy enough to spend the night up there and all that was left to do was sit and wait for the sun to really make an appearance.
I really have to say that this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I sat on the edge of the mountain 14,500ft above sea level, the highest point in the lower 48 states. I just sat and watched as the sun rose over the horizon, filling all the valleys and nooks, revealing an expanse of mountains all around me that I hadn't seen on the dark climb up. It was absolutely breathtaking. We all sat and relished in the view for a while but there was more hiking to do, so down I went. After a long labourour walk, and a lot a chats with day walkers and JMTers going up, I took a much deserved nap and continued on.
With Whitney behind me it was time to climb Forester pass, the highest point on the actual PCT and make my way through King's Canyon. What an amazing place it is. I have never seen water more beautiful in my life. It's an amazing shade of green and crystal clear. Seriously guys, words and pictures don't even do justice to the landscape I've had the priviledge to walk through. If you ever have the opportunity to hike the Sierras you have to all promise me you will take it. It will change your life. I could ramble on all day about it, but I need to find a hitch back up the mountains and get to the trail again. In a few days I will be in Mammoth Lakes where I will redevous with the guys and be joined by my girlfriend Kim. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about then. So stay tuned.
Happy Trails,
Mike
Ps. I don't have many Whitney pictures because in the low light my Iphone pictures didn't really turn out. But once Kim joins me we will actually be able to take some decent pictures.
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| At the summit |
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| Triumphant, waiting for the sun |
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| View from the top |
 |
| Forester Pass |
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| Bullfrog Lake |
Saturday 16 June 2012
Greetings,
Internet access has been shotty to say the least, so this post is a little bit overdue I think. Since Schmitty posted with updates until Casa de Luna in Green Valley, and he's too lazy to post today I'll be picking up where he left off.
A few days after the Anderson's we arrived in Hikertown. None of us really knew what to expect, but we had heard various tidbits about it here and there. It ended up being a pretty sweet spot to relax for a day and a half or so. The place was essentially a replica western town complete with post office, general store, and sheriff's office. There was also a common lounge area with a kitchen in another building and multiple trailers to for hikers to crash in. We had planned to spend one night at Hikertown, but when Damsel and her dog Lucy needed a ride to the Bakersfield airport Tyler, Mike, Wannes and I jumped at the opportunity for an impromptu road trip in the borrowed Hikertown Explorer. We made the trip, and ate at Chilli's in Bakersfield getting Wannes his first taste of their baby back ribs. Needless to say he was impressed. Traffic on the way back and some crazy weather blowing in kept us in Hikertown for a second night.
Fully rested, we were up and away by 6:00 am heading across the Mojave. As luck would have it the weather that had been blowing in the night before had held and we walked a good half day through an overcast and extremely windy desert following the path of the LA Aqueduct for a good portion. The sun came out after that but the wind persisted and we successfully crossed the Mojave in relative comfort as opposed to the expected triple digit temperatures. This section was also absolutely crowded with wind turbines that to our dismay were not turning in spite of the fierce winds.
Five days or so from Hikertown we reached the highway and a hitch into the nearby town of Mojave. Movave isn't much to write home about, but we relaxed a couple nights, bought food, and packed it away for carrying and to be mail ahead to Kennedy Meadows.
After leaving Mojave we walked our longest stretch between stops yet. A solid seven days, and the final seven of the desert section of the PCT, thankfully. A few days into this stretch we came across a few guys exploring the mountain and from what I gathered trying to talk with other people on some old sort of radios. Regardless, they were very interested in what we were all about and six of us all scored a cold beer, Fritos, and some cookies. A good day.
A couple days after that we had the good fortune of stumbling on some more trail magic. At Walker Pass mile 651, a PCT veteran and trail angel named Jackalope and her son Bear-bait were at the campground serving up three meals a day, water, sodas, cold beers, and some handy PCT advice. Again our intentions were to eat and run, but every time we were about to get motivated and leave there seemed to be another meal just cooked, or a cooler of cold beer just arrived. We spent a full 24 hrs there, and headed out towards Kennedy Meadows very full, and very satisfied.
We are current in Kennedy Meadows mile 702. It's a tiny town with a general store and one more trail angel. Tom has a sweet set up here and its one of his computers that I'm posting from. A total of 11 trailers are on the place, with tons of lounging areas, flat spots for tent pitching, and even a movie theatre with couches and seats terraced all around. We'll likely spend another night here and head off into the High Sierras tomorrow morning. I can confidently say that each and every member of our party has had their fill of the desert. I personally cannot even convey with words hows happy I am to be heading into the mountains, and out of the heat.
There are some staggering climbs, beautiful vistas, and we're hopeful for some sweet wildlife viewing in our future. Schmitty's going to post some pictures later today of some of the stuff we've seen thus far and stay tuned for the mountain scenery shots. I've still been unsuccessful in uploading any of my 300 some pictures. Should be interesting to finally see them whenever I get the chance.
I'll leave it at that for now,
Take care all
Internet access has been shotty to say the least, so this post is a little bit overdue I think. Since Schmitty posted with updates until Casa de Luna in Green Valley, and he's too lazy to post today I'll be picking up where he left off.
A few days after the Anderson's we arrived in Hikertown. None of us really knew what to expect, but we had heard various tidbits about it here and there. It ended up being a pretty sweet spot to relax for a day and a half or so. The place was essentially a replica western town complete with post office, general store, and sheriff's office. There was also a common lounge area with a kitchen in another building and multiple trailers to for hikers to crash in. We had planned to spend one night at Hikertown, but when Damsel and her dog Lucy needed a ride to the Bakersfield airport Tyler, Mike, Wannes and I jumped at the opportunity for an impromptu road trip in the borrowed Hikertown Explorer. We made the trip, and ate at Chilli's in Bakersfield getting Wannes his first taste of their baby back ribs. Needless to say he was impressed. Traffic on the way back and some crazy weather blowing in kept us in Hikertown for a second night.
 |
| Hikertown |
 |
| The Mojave |
After leaving Mojave we walked our longest stretch between stops yet. A solid seven days, and the final seven of the desert section of the PCT, thankfully. A few days into this stretch we came across a few guys exploring the mountain and from what I gathered trying to talk with other people on some old sort of radios. Regardless, they were very interested in what we were all about and six of us all scored a cold beer, Fritos, and some cookies. A good day.
A couple days after that we had the good fortune of stumbling on some more trail magic. At Walker Pass mile 651, a PCT veteran and trail angel named Jackalope and her son Bear-bait were at the campground serving up three meals a day, water, sodas, cold beers, and some handy PCT advice. Again our intentions were to eat and run, but every time we were about to get motivated and leave there seemed to be another meal just cooked, or a cooler of cold beer just arrived. We spent a full 24 hrs there, and headed out towards Kennedy Meadows very full, and very satisfied.
We are current in Kennedy Meadows mile 702. It's a tiny town with a general store and one more trail angel. Tom has a sweet set up here and its one of his computers that I'm posting from. A total of 11 trailers are on the place, with tons of lounging areas, flat spots for tent pitching, and even a movie theatre with couches and seats terraced all around. We'll likely spend another night here and head off into the High Sierras tomorrow morning. I can confidently say that each and every member of our party has had their fill of the desert. I personally cannot even convey with words hows happy I am to be heading into the mountains, and out of the heat.
There are some staggering climbs, beautiful vistas, and we're hopeful for some sweet wildlife viewing in our future. Schmitty's going to post some pictures later today of some of the stuff we've seen thus far and stay tuned for the mountain scenery shots. I've still been unsuccessful in uploading any of my 300 some pictures. Should be interesting to finally see them whenever I get the chance.
I'll leave it at that for now,
Take care all
Monday 4 June 2012
Day 39- Mile 478: Casa de Luna
This is an interesting stretch of the trail. Over a span of less than 75 miles, there are 3 substantial trail angel houses. First we had the Saufley's, Hiker Heaven. Hiker Heaven was orderly and well organized. Showers, laundry service and rides to town were all on a tight schedule, the bunk tents were kept spic and span. They even had a post office running out of their garage. Hiker Heaven ran like a well oiled machine. Then just 24 miles up the trail we meet Terri and Joe Anderson, the proprietors of Casa de Luna, yet another spot to not hike, and easily one of the most unforgettable spots on the whole trail.
We left Hiker Heaven around 8:30pm, it was a 24 mile stretch in a notoriously hot section, so we decide to beat the heat and do the whole hike at night. Jesse, Waffles and Gator called it a night around 4am but Tyler and I pressed on. With nothing but a power nap at 630am, we made it to the road early that morning where we happened to meet Terri and a van full of hikers she was dropping back off at the trail. She greeted us with big hugs and drove us to her home. This place was nothing like the Saufleys'. We pulled up to a house where chairs couches and tables littered the front lawn and driveway. There was a big 'Casa de Luna Class of 2012' banner hanging on the garage that everyone signed and about 25 people lounging around. The van doors opened to a slow clap that erupted into roars of cheers and applause as soon as we got out of the car... It turns out that's how everyone is greeted at Casa de Luna, but it still makes a guy feel good. So I got out, set up my sleeping bag in a nice spot in the magic manzanita forest in the back and then joined the crowd again for pancakes and beer. Let me remind you, this was at about 9 in the morning and everyone had a beer in their hand, or in the case of Hollywood, 3... I knew I was going to like it here, an boy did it ever deliver. It was great to catch up with everyone again and the atmosphere was awesome. We got pancakes in the morning, taco salad in the evening and the beer never stopped flowing.. except for when it was replaced by Sunny D and rum.
This next part sounds a little unbelievable, I understand that, but you'll just have to trust me. Never in my life have I been witness to a small man in a bikini top, 2 girls in bathing suits and an older, very very drunk woman with a red mohawk and a tutu (Terri) wrestle in a kiddy pool filled with chocolate syrup. I lived in a university town for 6 years and never saw such a spectacle until I decided to live in the woods for 5 months. Go figure. Apparently the chocolate wrestling happens only once a year at the Andersons'. Its hard to say what made that night the special night. It may have been the music in the air, the gravitational pull from Venus, or the 4 giant jars of tequila we drank. But regardless of its cause, we had a pretty unreal 2 days there.
Joe and Terri are awesome people, they genuinely care about each and every person that comes through and the PCT experience wouldn't be the same if we hadn't met them. There is a reason they call their house a vortex, it's hard to pry yourself away. But it's what we had to do. It's onto new peaks, new valleys and new places to not hike. The 500mile mark, Hikertown and the Mojave lie north, and that's what we're after.
Happy trails,
Mike
Ps. It seems like I'll always be posting from my phone. I don't think it's possible to format or label pictures I post from here, so I'll just have to post them as they are. Hopefully it's not to hard to figure out what they are, or too bothersome to see so large. But the people demand pictures. So pictures they shall receive!
Pictures from top to bottom:
-A chilly lizard, lounging out
-Some mountains or something
-These cool butterflies were everywhere
- A cool night time snake
-Hiker trash at Casa de Luna!
We left Hiker Heaven around 8:30pm, it was a 24 mile stretch in a notoriously hot section, so we decide to beat the heat and do the whole hike at night. Jesse, Waffles and Gator called it a night around 4am but Tyler and I pressed on. With nothing but a power nap at 630am, we made it to the road early that morning where we happened to meet Terri and a van full of hikers she was dropping back off at the trail. She greeted us with big hugs and drove us to her home. This place was nothing like the Saufleys'. We pulled up to a house where chairs couches and tables littered the front lawn and driveway. There was a big 'Casa de Luna Class of 2012' banner hanging on the garage that everyone signed and about 25 people lounging around. The van doors opened to a slow clap that erupted into roars of cheers and applause as soon as we got out of the car... It turns out that's how everyone is greeted at Casa de Luna, but it still makes a guy feel good. So I got out, set up my sleeping bag in a nice spot in the magic manzanita forest in the back and then joined the crowd again for pancakes and beer. Let me remind you, this was at about 9 in the morning and everyone had a beer in their hand, or in the case of Hollywood, 3... I knew I was going to like it here, an boy did it ever deliver. It was great to catch up with everyone again and the atmosphere was awesome. We got pancakes in the morning, taco salad in the evening and the beer never stopped flowing.. except for when it was replaced by Sunny D and rum.
This next part sounds a little unbelievable, I understand that, but you'll just have to trust me. Never in my life have I been witness to a small man in a bikini top, 2 girls in bathing suits and an older, very very drunk woman with a red mohawk and a tutu (Terri) wrestle in a kiddy pool filled with chocolate syrup. I lived in a university town for 6 years and never saw such a spectacle until I decided to live in the woods for 5 months. Go figure. Apparently the chocolate wrestling happens only once a year at the Andersons'. Its hard to say what made that night the special night. It may have been the music in the air, the gravitational pull from Venus, or the 4 giant jars of tequila we drank. But regardless of its cause, we had a pretty unreal 2 days there.
Joe and Terri are awesome people, they genuinely care about each and every person that comes through and the PCT experience wouldn't be the same if we hadn't met them. There is a reason they call their house a vortex, it's hard to pry yourself away. But it's what we had to do. It's onto new peaks, new valleys and new places to not hike. The 500mile mark, Hikertown and the Mojave lie north, and that's what we're after.
Happy trails,
Mike
Ps. It seems like I'll always be posting from my phone. I don't think it's possible to format or label pictures I post from here, so I'll just have to post them as they are. Hopefully it's not to hard to figure out what they are, or too bothersome to see so large. But the people demand pictures. So pictures they shall receive!
Pictures from top to bottom:
-A chilly lizard, lounging out
-Some mountains or something
-These cool butterflies were everywhere
- A cool night time snake
-Hiker trash at Casa de Luna!
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Day 32: Mile 454- Hiker Heaven
Hello again everyone,
We are here in Aqua Dulce CA., writing to you from Hiker Heaven. You're probably all sick of hearing me blabber on about trail magic, but this place is sweet. It's home to the Saufly's a great couple who completely decked out their property for us. We're talking 10 big heavy duty tents with 4 cots in each, 2 campers, one with a kitchen and shower, they do our laundry, have about 20 loaner bikes to take into town and basically everything a hiker would want or need. So naturally we've spent much of yesterday and all of today hanging out here, catching up with the people we haven't seen for a while, restocking on supplies, getting some much needed R and R, and in our typical fashion... getting drunk.
But now let me try and recall all the events leading up to this point. We left Wrightwood and set out to conquer Mt. Baden Powell. The bad weather rolling in kept many hikers in town for another night, but being the bad ass mountain men we are, we pushed on. It was a pretty awesome climb though. There was a heavy fog and high winds from the minute we hit the trail head, but once we got to the top we were being blasted with 60 mph gusts of winds, trying to knock us off the path and bouncing chunks of ice off our faces. We missed out on what could have been a great view, but it was a much mroe thrilling experience climbing it when we did. We got down the other side, set up camp and tried to warm up around the fire before settling in for a cold icy night. The next day was a little better, the fog and wind settled down a bit and we set off again. This day wasn't too out of the ordinary, although I did accidentally send half my trekking pole down a hill trying to play pinecone baseball, and I had a bit of an accident with my alcohol stove and fuel bottle that ended up shooting a stream of flaming alcohol 10 feet and set the grass on fire. But I found my pole and we got the fire taken care of quickly. No harm no foul. We also met a cool couple in a camp ground we walked through, JR and Rose, who made us delicious PB&J's and promised next year thru-hikers some pasta dinner trail magic. Cool people.
Now it's time for some rest at the Saufly's before heading out to Casa de Luna, home of the Anderson's, and yet another place to not hike.
We are here in Aqua Dulce CA., writing to you from Hiker Heaven. You're probably all sick of hearing me blabber on about trail magic, but this place is sweet. It's home to the Saufly's a great couple who completely decked out their property for us. We're talking 10 big heavy duty tents with 4 cots in each, 2 campers, one with a kitchen and shower, they do our laundry, have about 20 loaner bikes to take into town and basically everything a hiker would want or need. So naturally we've spent much of yesterday and all of today hanging out here, catching up with the people we haven't seen for a while, restocking on supplies, getting some much needed R and R, and in our typical fashion... getting drunk.
But now let me try and recall all the events leading up to this point. We left Wrightwood and set out to conquer Mt. Baden Powell. The bad weather rolling in kept many hikers in town for another night, but being the bad ass mountain men we are, we pushed on. It was a pretty awesome climb though. There was a heavy fog and high winds from the minute we hit the trail head, but once we got to the top we were being blasted with 60 mph gusts of winds, trying to knock us off the path and bouncing chunks of ice off our faces. We missed out on what could have been a great view, but it was a much mroe thrilling experience climbing it when we did. We got down the other side, set up camp and tried to warm up around the fire before settling in for a cold icy night. The next day was a little better, the fog and wind settled down a bit and we set off again. This day wasn't too out of the ordinary, although I did accidentally send half my trekking pole down a hill trying to play pinecone baseball, and I had a bit of an accident with my alcohol stove and fuel bottle that ended up shooting a stream of flaming alcohol 10 feet and set the grass on fire. But I found my pole and we got the fire taken care of quickly. No harm no foul. We also met a cool couple in a camp ground we walked through, JR and Rose, who made us delicious PB&J's and promised next year thru-hikers some pasta dinner trail magic. Cool people.
Now it's time for some rest at the Saufly's before heading out to Casa de Luna, home of the Anderson's, and yet another place to not hike.
Thursday 24 May 2012
Greetings from Wrightwood, CA.
Mile 369 and goin strong. After a day relaxing at the McDonalds at Cajon Pass and enjoying a couple too many iced coffees we hiked a short 5 miles and made camp right on the San Andreas fault. Yesterday morning we rose early and started a 6000 ft climb up into the mountains on our way to Wrightwood. Although at the time it seemed as though we'd be climbing forever we made some pretty stellar time and covered the 21 miles from our camp to town by 4 o clock in the afternoon. Everyone seems to be getting their hikers legs under them and our pace is picking up without being too detrimental to our bodies.
After hiking down the steep Acorn Trail into town we set about getting some candy, and cold drinks. The hardware store had a list of Trail Angels who offer beds, laundry, internet, rides etc. etc. Just as we were about to start making some calls to try and find a home for the night a gentleman pulled up to us in front of the grocery store, introduced himself as Jeff and offered us a roof for the night. We promptly accepted and hopped in the car for a short mile ride down the highway to his place. Jeff showed us to our quarters, a cosy little room above his garage, gave a tour of his house and told us to help ourselves to whatever. We chatted a bit and shortly afterwards he took off for his sons graduation ceremony telling us as he left that the old white pickup in the driveway has the keys in it and feel free to take it into town should we need to. I probably sound like a broken record but once again we were all blown away by his tremendous kindness.
Last night we met up with a bunch of other hikers at the Yodeler for some beer and eats. A good dozen of us occupied the patio for a good majority of the evening. Needless to say those of them that have seen us today cruising around in our sweet old Toyota are thoroughly jealous.
We plan to spend a good portion of the day enjoying all Wrightwood has to offer, and by that I mean the library and the grocery store. Tonight around 6 we'll be meeting up with Bobby once again, and he'll be hiking a four-day section with us all the way to Aqua Dulce.
I apologize to all of you who'd like to see more pictures, I have yet to find a computer that'll let me connect my camera and do some uploading. Someday hopefully.
I'm sure there are plenty of details about the past weeks that I've left out and I'll leave it to Schmitty to pick up my slack in his post.
So long,
Jesse
Mile 369 and goin strong. After a day relaxing at the McDonalds at Cajon Pass and enjoying a couple too many iced coffees we hiked a short 5 miles and made camp right on the San Andreas fault. Yesterday morning we rose early and started a 6000 ft climb up into the mountains on our way to Wrightwood. Although at the time it seemed as though we'd be climbing forever we made some pretty stellar time and covered the 21 miles from our camp to town by 4 o clock in the afternoon. Everyone seems to be getting their hikers legs under them and our pace is picking up without being too detrimental to our bodies.
After hiking down the steep Acorn Trail into town we set about getting some candy, and cold drinks. The hardware store had a list of Trail Angels who offer beds, laundry, internet, rides etc. etc. Just as we were about to start making some calls to try and find a home for the night a gentleman pulled up to us in front of the grocery store, introduced himself as Jeff and offered us a roof for the night. We promptly accepted and hopped in the car for a short mile ride down the highway to his place. Jeff showed us to our quarters, a cosy little room above his garage, gave a tour of his house and told us to help ourselves to whatever. We chatted a bit and shortly afterwards he took off for his sons graduation ceremony telling us as he left that the old white pickup in the driveway has the keys in it and feel free to take it into town should we need to. I probably sound like a broken record but once again we were all blown away by his tremendous kindness.
Last night we met up with a bunch of other hikers at the Yodeler for some beer and eats. A good dozen of us occupied the patio for a good majority of the evening. Needless to say those of them that have seen us today cruising around in our sweet old Toyota are thoroughly jealous.
We plan to spend a good portion of the day enjoying all Wrightwood has to offer, and by that I mean the library and the grocery store. Tonight around 6 we'll be meeting up with Bobby once again, and he'll be hiking a four-day section with us all the way to Aqua Dulce.
I apologize to all of you who'd like to see more pictures, I have yet to find a computer that'll let me connect my camera and do some uploading. Someday hopefully.
I'm sure there are plenty of details about the past weeks that I've left out and I'll leave it to Schmitty to pick up my slack in his post.
So long,
Jesse
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Rough times, fighting through
Hey hey,
Writing this post on the unfamiliar iPhone keypad so I'll keep it short and sweet. Climbing down off of San Jacinto and then back up into the San Bernadinos all within two days really played hell on an old knee injury from work. that compounded with drinking some questionable, not so potable water, upset the old stomach and I had a rough few days. A much needed zero day in Big Bear Lake got me back on my feet.
Currently sitting at McDonald's at Cajon Pass, roughly mile 342. We hiked a couple days along beautiful Deep Creek, and from up on the ridge gazing down into the crystal clear waters it wasn't hard to pick out the shadows of tons of rainbow trout and get me longing for the feel of my fly rod in my hands.
Wrightwood is a day away and hopefully I'll be able to write a more substantial post at that point.
I'll sign off with a shout out and a huge thank you to Megan Osbourne for purchasing and sending me a new set of trekking poles. Couldn't have kept going without them.
Until next time,
Jesse
Writing this post on the unfamiliar iPhone keypad so I'll keep it short and sweet. Climbing down off of San Jacinto and then back up into the San Bernadinos all within two days really played hell on an old knee injury from work. that compounded with drinking some questionable, not so potable water, upset the old stomach and I had a rough few days. A much needed zero day in Big Bear Lake got me back on my feet.
Currently sitting at McDonald's at Cajon Pass, roughly mile 342. We hiked a couple days along beautiful Deep Creek, and from up on the ridge gazing down into the crystal clear waters it wasn't hard to pick out the shadows of tons of rainbow trout and get me longing for the feel of my fly rod in my hands.
Wrightwood is a day away and hopefully I'll be able to write a more substantial post at that point.
I'll sign off with a shout out and a huge thank you to Megan Osbourne for purchasing and sending me a new set of trekking poles. Couldn't have kept going without them.
Until next time,
Jesse
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