OR-E-GON!
Home sweet home, I am back in Oregon. Myself and the party I am currently hiking in (Macho Taco, Fairway, Half Point, Milarky and myself) crossed the border on the 29th and are finishing our zero today. It is nice to be out of California...finally. It only took three months and 2/3 of the trail to complete it but it has been conquered. It is very possible that I have now camped in Cali more than any other state. My current plan is to be in Portland by August 18th for a quick rest/resupply and then off to Washington. The reason for the quick stop is because I plan to be finished with trail no later than Sept 15th. Why? Outdoor school starts on the 17th of September, and I plan to be working as a field instructor. The transition will be quick from trail and could be interesting but I will be going from one thing I love to another, and I'll be living on the beach...so crying shame.
Any-who this leg has been fantastic. We were able to get a ride out of Etna by simply eating breakfast, that's right Macho and I didn't even ask. A trail angel following his wife by road named White Jeep likes to hook hikers up with magic and rides when he can and we had good timing. Then we entered the Marbled Mountains wilderness. This wilderness was filled with some of the best sights since the high sierras. It also had large amounts of thimble berries (yum) and I saw my first pacific madrone of this trip, which I may or may not have hugged.
This leg also contained Seiad Valley, which is a very steep poison oak infested climb down and a hot steep long climb out. The oak was really stressful to be honest, but I made it through and took a bath to relax afterwards...which broke my watch. On other news, I got a new watch in Ashland...the climb out of Seiad was about 5,000 feet in eight miles, and the climbing continued all day. Some times the trail makers are very literal about the crest part of the Pacific Crest Trail.
All said snd done the company has been great, the views unending and moral high for we made it to Oregon!!!!
On a side note Moonrise Kingdom is an amazing movie.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Trail Thoughts: Seriously, why so you hike?
Seriously for the chicks.
Answering the question of why I hike is more difficult to answer then you might think. In many ways you can describe this journey as a self imposed death march. If I were to go up to someone and say "hey, would you like to be unemployed for four to five months so that you can hike in the scorching sun, constantly avoid poisonous plants and animals, walk until you are exhausted almost daily, have your feet blister and callus until it is one solid piece of leather, be attacked by hoards of mosquitoes and chafe in places you didn't possible?" I am sure their response would be a sarcastic "sounds great..."
Hiking however is more then what I mentioned above. I could just as easily pitch it as, "Hey, how would you like to leave the pressures of society, push your body in ways you never thought you could, see some of the most beautiful sights this country has to offer, climb this highest peak in the lower 48, meet some of the most amazing people and to wake up every day in some new and spectacular place?" This time I believe the response would be more along the lines of "When do we start?"
The matter of fact truth is hiking is both of these things. There are days that I have to use all of my will to keep going, but in general I am seldom this happy and content with life. Every day I go to bed satisfied with what I have accomplished. Even when it is a challenging and exhausting day, the moment I sit down a eat dinner chatting with friends, I feel happy again. Not to mention that my stress level is almost non existent out here.
There is something very primal about walking in the wilderness. It feels good to move even though I may hurt and all I want to do is sit. Plus I also get to eat as much ice cream as I want (so much Ben and Jerry's consumed on trail). Hiking also has the added benefit of making for some great stories...which can be used to impress the lady's. So I guess I really do hike for the chicks...
Answering the question of why I hike is more difficult to answer then you might think. In many ways you can describe this journey as a self imposed death march. If I were to go up to someone and say "hey, would you like to be unemployed for four to five months so that you can hike in the scorching sun, constantly avoid poisonous plants and animals, walk until you are exhausted almost daily, have your feet blister and callus until it is one solid piece of leather, be attacked by hoards of mosquitoes and chafe in places you didn't possible?" I am sure their response would be a sarcastic "sounds great..."
Hiking however is more then what I mentioned above. I could just as easily pitch it as, "Hey, how would you like to leave the pressures of society, push your body in ways you never thought you could, see some of the most beautiful sights this country has to offer, climb this highest peak in the lower 48, meet some of the most amazing people and to wake up every day in some new and spectacular place?" This time I believe the response would be more along the lines of "When do we start?"
The matter of fact truth is hiking is both of these things. There are days that I have to use all of my will to keep going, but in general I am seldom this happy and content with life. Every day I go to bed satisfied with what I have accomplished. Even when it is a challenging and exhausting day, the moment I sit down a eat dinner chatting with friends, I feel happy again. Not to mention that my stress level is almost non existent out here.
There is something very primal about walking in the wilderness. It feels good to move even though I may hurt and all I want to do is sit. Plus I also get to eat as much ice cream as I want (so much Ben and Jerry's consumed on trail). Hiking also has the added benefit of making for some great stories...which can be used to impress the lady's. So I guess I really do hike for the chicks...
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Wane's World, party time, excelent
Well here I am in Etna about 100 miles away from the California/Oregon border. I guess I wont have to many posts tagged with "Northern California." I said I would post a long blog so here I go.
Well it all started when I was a poor black child...
Northern Cali has been wonderful. Not as buggy as the Sierras and more trees then the desert. After leaving Sierra City I finally started to find other hikers. The weird hiker bubble I was in must have been due to the fourth of July holiday because all these people started to appear on trail after it. Coming out of Sierra City I did spend some time alone, but this was due to my difficulty in finding hikers hiking at my own pace. Many of these groups ahead like to hike around 20 miles a day and I have been averaging closer to 25. At first when leaving town I continued my pace and more then once attempted to hike a 40 mile day for no other reason than to say I did. Though each time I began these days I was inspired by my beautiful cup of french press coffee and each time around mile 33-35 I realized I am tired and hiking further was dumb. Not to mention that this pace counteracted my intent of slowing down for old friends to catch up with me. Finally after a 3,000 foot climb out of middle fork river I came across a trail angel sign. This was for Honker Pass by Buck's Lake.
These trail angels (Nancy and Terry) had put a sign on trail. They are not listed in the guide books because though they love to host hikers, they want the freedom to come and go as they please. When I first came across their sign it said to call them at a spot called "lookout rock" a few hundred feet up trail. My first thought was "I can't do that, it would mean I only did a 15 mile day" and then I thought "who cares it's trail magic." So I went to the rock and turned on my phone, no reception. Well I guess fate is telling me to hike on. I figured that if an opportunity arose I would take advantage otherwise I would move on. As it happened when I came to the road in question for the pick up there was a SUV sitting on the side of the road. As I approached the vehicle a lady comes out and says, "Hey I am Nancy the trail angel. would you like to come over?" I believe my response was something along the lines of "hell yes!" As it turns out two hikers who were ahead of me (Copernicus and his brother Straps) did get reception and made the call and I just had impeccable timing. Nancy took us to her cabin where we had a wonderful afternoon, evening, and morning involving food, fire, and conversation. This was the first of four 15 mile days to come.
The following day when we were dropped off back at the trail head I had to choose between two hiking strategies. I could A) hike 25ish miles into the "town" of Beldon (I use the term town loosely for this "town" is merely a resort that has raves almost every weekend) or I could hike another 15 mile day and camp at Three Lakes where I could go for a swim. Guess which one I chose. The swimming was some of the best on trail for the water was warm and the bugs few. I also was lucky enough to bump into a trail crew finishing their day and who were camping near the lakes as well. Chatting them up I found out what their program was about (apparently it was a youth program that takes kids into the woods and works on a trail for a month). At on point they offered me the left overs of their dinner...score! Thus that night I feasted on steamed broccoli, chicken, and bread. It's a tough life.
The next morning, after coffee and chicken (for there was more chicken then I could eat the night before), I walked down to Beldon. It was about 9-10am when I got there and the forecast was to be in the high 90's. Well considering that getting out of Beldon involves a climb of 5,000 ft I had little and no incentive to keep hiking until the temperature dropped. And with a restaurant/convenience store so close by I stayed fat and happy all day...and spent way to much money. Other hikers rolled into the resort as the day progressed and I was finally able to catch up on where people were at behind me. Finally around 7pm the temperature finally cooled enough to move out without getting heatstroke. Copernicus and I (for his brother was only hiking for two weeks with him) packed up and moved out trying to get as far on trail before it was completely dark. Normally with a 5,000 ft climb I would have just pushed up in the night...but this section of the PCT is infested with poison oak. We didn't make it far, only about five-six miles, and decided that we would wake up early for the rest of the climb. Thus ending nero number three.
One thing I have not mentioned yet is how much I freaking love hiking with my french press. It really makes the world a better place to hike with coffee. The morning after Beldon I was the last one to leave camp because I take time to brew my cup of joe. But I also passed about a dozen hikers as I screamed up 4,000ish feet in 10-12 miles for I was jacked up on so much caffeine. The one down side to this strategy is I always crash in the afternoon due to the coffee and heat. Still worth it though. Nothing of note happened that day, just your average hiking 25 miles, walking through burn sections, seeing amazing views and avoiding poison oak. But the next day was one for celebration.
Chester is the closest town on the PCT to the half way point on trail. Hikers either celebrate here or 20 miles north in Drakesbad Guest Ranch in the Mount Lassin National Park. I chose to do both...Originally my plan was to hike the 15 miles into town, shop, eat a real lunch, and pull another 10 miles on trail. However shopping ended up taking longer than expected and I knew my hiking day was done when I visited a couple of hikers (Sesame and Beaver Cheeks) and I was given a beer from Beaver Cheeks. Luckily my mental inertia that kept me in Chester didn't cost me much for the motel room was paid for by Sesame's dad and was thus free. This evening of relaxation that involved doing things like eating pizza and watching Twister did make me hike another (and my final) nero day of 15 miles.
Coming into Drakesbad was another fun experience for I don't think I have ever been that high off of coffee. I had five-eight cups of very strong coffee that morning between the motel and breakfast. But it did make the morning go by quickly and I was hiking close to four miles a hour. Drakesbad itself is a cool place for a half way celebration for they let you have free showers, they clean your laundry, and provide cheep food. All of which I took advantage of. Durning dinner while conversing with other hikers a couple of girls rolled into the ranch and low and behold it's no other than the Rough Riders. Apparently Cornut and Sniper took about a week off trail around the time I went into Mammoth. When I finally discovered this back in Sierra City I figured that I would never see them on trail. What I didn't account for at the time was me taking four neros in a row and them averaging 30 miles a day since South Lake Tahoe with little town stops in between. Apparently they are planing on getting off trail by September 11th, an interest that I do not share.
It was, however, nice to see the girls and to hike with them for a few days. The stretch out of Drakesbad led to a 30 mile dry stretch known as Hat Creek Rim and to do anything less than two 30's in a row just didn't make sense. While chatting with the girls I found out that there are near 30 hikers behind me and as much as I would like to see old friends, I like getting into town and having food available for me. So my days of low miles are over and I have been hiking between 25 and 30 continuously ever since. I also finally found a couple of hikers who hike my pace. Macho Taco and Fairway are a couple of hikers I met back at Crabtree Meadows the day I summited Mt. Whitney. I had not seen them since, nor did I expect to see them again. But they started hiking big miles and I did enough slow ones that we met at Drakesbad.
Together we have been kicking ass and taking names in Northern California as we hike in the Trinity Alps (which are beautiful by the way), beat up cows (who are everywhere around here), and do fun things like hike south for ten miles, or hike 13 mile dry stretches even though there are lakes 200 feet below all because the trail makers really wanted to keep the trail on the crest. So here I am in Etna 400 miles since Sierra City ridiculously close to Oregon, but it will take close to a 100 miles because we hike east instead of north...
See you in Ashland!
Well it all started when I was a poor black child...
Northern Cali has been wonderful. Not as buggy as the Sierras and more trees then the desert. After leaving Sierra City I finally started to find other hikers. The weird hiker bubble I was in must have been due to the fourth of July holiday because all these people started to appear on trail after it. Coming out of Sierra City I did spend some time alone, but this was due to my difficulty in finding hikers hiking at my own pace. Many of these groups ahead like to hike around 20 miles a day and I have been averaging closer to 25. At first when leaving town I continued my pace and more then once attempted to hike a 40 mile day for no other reason than to say I did. Though each time I began these days I was inspired by my beautiful cup of french press coffee and each time around mile 33-35 I realized I am tired and hiking further was dumb. Not to mention that this pace counteracted my intent of slowing down for old friends to catch up with me. Finally after a 3,000 foot climb out of middle fork river I came across a trail angel sign. This was for Honker Pass by Buck's Lake.
These trail angels (Nancy and Terry) had put a sign on trail. They are not listed in the guide books because though they love to host hikers, they want the freedom to come and go as they please. When I first came across their sign it said to call them at a spot called "lookout rock" a few hundred feet up trail. My first thought was "I can't do that, it would mean I only did a 15 mile day" and then I thought "who cares it's trail magic." So I went to the rock and turned on my phone, no reception. Well I guess fate is telling me to hike on. I figured that if an opportunity arose I would take advantage otherwise I would move on. As it happened when I came to the road in question for the pick up there was a SUV sitting on the side of the road. As I approached the vehicle a lady comes out and says, "Hey I am Nancy the trail angel. would you like to come over?" I believe my response was something along the lines of "hell yes!" As it turns out two hikers who were ahead of me (Copernicus and his brother Straps) did get reception and made the call and I just had impeccable timing. Nancy took us to her cabin where we had a wonderful afternoon, evening, and morning involving food, fire, and conversation. This was the first of four 15 mile days to come.
The following day when we were dropped off back at the trail head I had to choose between two hiking strategies. I could A) hike 25ish miles into the "town" of Beldon (I use the term town loosely for this "town" is merely a resort that has raves almost every weekend) or I could hike another 15 mile day and camp at Three Lakes where I could go for a swim. Guess which one I chose. The swimming was some of the best on trail for the water was warm and the bugs few. I also was lucky enough to bump into a trail crew finishing their day and who were camping near the lakes as well. Chatting them up I found out what their program was about (apparently it was a youth program that takes kids into the woods and works on a trail for a month). At on point they offered me the left overs of their dinner...score! Thus that night I feasted on steamed broccoli, chicken, and bread. It's a tough life.
The next morning, after coffee and chicken (for there was more chicken then I could eat the night before), I walked down to Beldon. It was about 9-10am when I got there and the forecast was to be in the high 90's. Well considering that getting out of Beldon involves a climb of 5,000 ft I had little and no incentive to keep hiking until the temperature dropped. And with a restaurant/convenience store so close by I stayed fat and happy all day...and spent way to much money. Other hikers rolled into the resort as the day progressed and I was finally able to catch up on where people were at behind me. Finally around 7pm the temperature finally cooled enough to move out without getting heatstroke. Copernicus and I (for his brother was only hiking for two weeks with him) packed up and moved out trying to get as far on trail before it was completely dark. Normally with a 5,000 ft climb I would have just pushed up in the night...but this section of the PCT is infested with poison oak. We didn't make it far, only about five-six miles, and decided that we would wake up early for the rest of the climb. Thus ending nero number three.
One thing I have not mentioned yet is how much I freaking love hiking with my french press. It really makes the world a better place to hike with coffee. The morning after Beldon I was the last one to leave camp because I take time to brew my cup of joe. But I also passed about a dozen hikers as I screamed up 4,000ish feet in 10-12 miles for I was jacked up on so much caffeine. The one down side to this strategy is I always crash in the afternoon due to the coffee and heat. Still worth it though. Nothing of note happened that day, just your average hiking 25 miles, walking through burn sections, seeing amazing views and avoiding poison oak. But the next day was one for celebration.
Chester is the closest town on the PCT to the half way point on trail. Hikers either celebrate here or 20 miles north in Drakesbad Guest Ranch in the Mount Lassin National Park. I chose to do both...Originally my plan was to hike the 15 miles into town, shop, eat a real lunch, and pull another 10 miles on trail. However shopping ended up taking longer than expected and I knew my hiking day was done when I visited a couple of hikers (Sesame and Beaver Cheeks) and I was given a beer from Beaver Cheeks. Luckily my mental inertia that kept me in Chester didn't cost me much for the motel room was paid for by Sesame's dad and was thus free. This evening of relaxation that involved doing things like eating pizza and watching Twister did make me hike another (and my final) nero day of 15 miles.
Coming into Drakesbad was another fun experience for I don't think I have ever been that high off of coffee. I had five-eight cups of very strong coffee that morning between the motel and breakfast. But it did make the morning go by quickly and I was hiking close to four miles a hour. Drakesbad itself is a cool place for a half way celebration for they let you have free showers, they clean your laundry, and provide cheep food. All of which I took advantage of. Durning dinner while conversing with other hikers a couple of girls rolled into the ranch and low and behold it's no other than the Rough Riders. Apparently Cornut and Sniper took about a week off trail around the time I went into Mammoth. When I finally discovered this back in Sierra City I figured that I would never see them on trail. What I didn't account for at the time was me taking four neros in a row and them averaging 30 miles a day since South Lake Tahoe with little town stops in between. Apparently they are planing on getting off trail by September 11th, an interest that I do not share.
It was, however, nice to see the girls and to hike with them for a few days. The stretch out of Drakesbad led to a 30 mile dry stretch known as Hat Creek Rim and to do anything less than two 30's in a row just didn't make sense. While chatting with the girls I found out that there are near 30 hikers behind me and as much as I would like to see old friends, I like getting into town and having food available for me. So my days of low miles are over and I have been hiking between 25 and 30 continuously ever since. I also finally found a couple of hikers who hike my pace. Macho Taco and Fairway are a couple of hikers I met back at Crabtree Meadows the day I summited Mt. Whitney. I had not seen them since, nor did I expect to see them again. But they started hiking big miles and I did enough slow ones that we met at Drakesbad.
Together we have been kicking ass and taking names in Northern California as we hike in the Trinity Alps (which are beautiful by the way), beat up cows (who are everywhere around here), and do fun things like hike south for ten miles, or hike 13 mile dry stretches even though there are lakes 200 feet below all because the trail makers really wanted to keep the trail on the crest. So here I am in Etna 400 miles since Sierra City ridiculously close to Oregon, but it will take close to a 100 miles because we hike east instead of north...
See you in Ashland!
Friday, July 20, 2012
my lame blog update
Sorry world of the interwebs. I know I have been away for long and your life is less enriched without my ramblings. I am alive and doing well. I have been lacking on the updates due to good books, long miles and better company. I also have not taken a proper zero since South Lake Tahoe. I will have a rich update in Etna in about four to five days but for now this is all you get.
I have competed over half of the trail and will finish around September 15th-20th.
Before I go I will leave you with this Trail Thought: Why do you hike?
My answer? For the chicks.
I have competed over half of the trail and will finish around September 15th-20th.
Before I go I will leave you with this Trail Thought: Why do you hike?
My answer? For the chicks.
Friday, July 6, 2012
I don't trust horses, they wear one shoe for life. I mean seriously who makes that kind of commitment to a shoe!
Hello world!
For once I am actually writing a blog at a computer! who knew that it is easier to write thing on a full sized keyboard. I am currently in Sierra City taking a nearo. I am not sure if I every explained what that is. A nearo is when you role into a town after hiking very few miles. So today I did about four miles into town. I am taking a break, resupplying and will be back on trail in the morning...after coffee. Speaking of coffee I should be getting my french press in my mail drop! (thank you papi) I decided that since I don't have to lug around that damned 2.5 lbs bear box I might as well carry the weight in something I will find useful.
Well I finally have uploaded photos!!! I am at Red Moose Cafe where a couple of trail angels have accommodations set up including internet that is worth something. It's nice to finally back up all of my photos from the Sierras. I don't remember if I mentioned this, but I forgot my camera way back at the Anderson's. Thus I have no photos From there to Kennedy Meadows witch is a bit over 300 miles. However when I did get my camera back it came with all kinds of photos from Casa de Luna that I was not there for, including the infamous "chocolate wrestling" event. So enjoy them, there are a couple of movies that I threw up on Facebook to rub in how spectacular my trip is.
This leg has been interesting for me. I have somehow managed to blow past pretty much everyone I know. I am way in the front of the pack with only like 30 PCT hikers ahead. I still meet new groups and they are fun, but they are not hiking a pace I want to hike. Jugs and the boys were hiking that pace however they staid in Mammoth longer and I have not heard from them since...sad days. The strange thing is I really don't feel like I am hiking all that fast. I am averaging around 25 miles a day which doesn't seem like all that much to me. The irony is that since I am rolling solo I hike more because well what else do I have to do? Thus I get further and further ahead of the people I know. Eventually I'll have to make a choice: do I hike alone or wait for people I know and slow my pace? Right now I am doing it alone in hopes I'll bump into a person who has a similar hiking style, but we'll see how long I will keep that up.
The 4th was a riveting experience on trail. I was in bed by 8:30 woot! I was in the Peter Grub hut which is a Sierra Club ski hut built back in the 1930's. I rolled in there by myself, however a number hikers came in who were about 300 miles ahead of me back at kick off. It's always fun to meet people you have only heard of by their signatures in registers.
Lastly I have some sorrowful news...my hydration bladder has suffered a mortal wound. holes have sprung in the plastic making it impossible to use it for a pillow. My name sake and constant companion, my identity, has be forsaken. R.I.P. platypus, you have served me well.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
I hear their menstruations attract bears
Ok I'll be honest, I have been waiting to use that quote for a long time. I am currently at mile ~1100 in South Lake Tahoe, which by the way is a massive lake. And this leg of my journey allowed me to see something really special, but I'll get to that.
This leg started at Kennedy Meadows when Dirty Brown, Anteater, and I hitched back to trail, the others did not seem like they were going anywhere quickly and I was ready to go. This section has proven to be much easier than the last section(s) for there were no passes, and being able to see the trail is always a plus. At first I was hiking with my companions, but I wanted to pull bigger miles so soon I was on my own. However this did give me the opportunity to read my book and see more wildlife.
The first day out I pulled a 28ish mile day so that I would be in a better position for South Lake. As the day progressed a hurt knee and a long day slowly pulled my spirits down. I kept pushing but I was not in the best mental state. Then I came across a couple of day hikers who told me that there was some magic about 6-8 miles down the trail. So I pushed more. Every part of me wanted to stop, but I knew if I pushed it would be worth it. So when I finally came up to trail angel Doug who cooked me eggs, gave me coffee, coke, cereal, milk, and bread I felt like a king. Magic really does go a long way to make you feel better. After that short break the thought of pushing an extra six miles seemed like nothing. Hiking after coffee=amazing.
The next day however was the true highlight of the leg. For that's when I got my first bear sighting on trail. The day started off like any other with my morning ritual of eating breakfast, reading and doing everything possible without leaving my sleeping back. Then when I had no other options I packed up and hit trail. There was nothing of note until I was descending some switchbacks. While going down (and ironically eating gummy bears) I saw him. A beautiful black bear meandering up the trail. I must have been down wind because he had no clue I was there. Tingling with excitement I stood frozen watching and eventually got a couple of blurred shot of him (camera fail). At about 100 feet he looked up, saw me and I waved. This was sufficient enough to scare him down the hill. Considering this whole trip I have wanted a bear sighting and considering I never got on in the high sierras, I was ecstatic.
Well the rest of this leg was without event and once I am recovered here I will push on, though I may wait for friends, getting a little tired of myself. It's one of the downsides about hiking faster than the big heard of hikers, less friends on trail.
This leg started at Kennedy Meadows when Dirty Brown, Anteater, and I hitched back to trail, the others did not seem like they were going anywhere quickly and I was ready to go. This section has proven to be much easier than the last section(s) for there were no passes, and being able to see the trail is always a plus. At first I was hiking with my companions, but I wanted to pull bigger miles so soon I was on my own. However this did give me the opportunity to read my book and see more wildlife.
The first day out I pulled a 28ish mile day so that I would be in a better position for South Lake. As the day progressed a hurt knee and a long day slowly pulled my spirits down. I kept pushing but I was not in the best mental state. Then I came across a couple of day hikers who told me that there was some magic about 6-8 miles down the trail. So I pushed more. Every part of me wanted to stop, but I knew if I pushed it would be worth it. So when I finally came up to trail angel Doug who cooked me eggs, gave me coffee, coke, cereal, milk, and bread I felt like a king. Magic really does go a long way to make you feel better. After that short break the thought of pushing an extra six miles seemed like nothing. Hiking after coffee=amazing.
The next day however was the true highlight of the leg. For that's when I got my first bear sighting on trail. The day started off like any other with my morning ritual of eating breakfast, reading and doing everything possible without leaving my sleeping back. Then when I had no other options I packed up and hit trail. There was nothing of note until I was descending some switchbacks. While going down (and ironically eating gummy bears) I saw him. A beautiful black bear meandering up the trail. I must have been down wind because he had no clue I was there. Tingling with excitement I stood frozen watching and eventually got a couple of blurred shot of him (camera fail). At about 100 feet he looked up, saw me and I waved. This was sufficient enough to scare him down the hill. Considering this whole trip I have wanted a bear sighting and considering I never got on in the high sierras, I was ecstatic.
Well the rest of this leg was without event and once I am recovered here I will push on, though I may wait for friends, getting a little tired of myself. It's one of the downsides about hiking faster than the big heard of hikers, less friends on trail.
The High Sierras part six: Conclusion
The sierras ended much like they began at Kennedy Meadows. This time the resort not the town. There was definitely a sense of bitter sweet when I woke up the morning I hiked the last pass (Sanora Pass). This climb was a big one, but I climbed with vigor. Unlike the previous passes the terrain on Sanora looked very different. The rocks were different, the views different, it was the trails way of saying goodbye. I also was hiking with a new group of hikers that I have not seen before. The crew consisting of Cool Ranch, Capitan, Lola, Pea Trap, Lamarki, Esteas, Dirty Brown, and Anteater. This fun crew and I crushed the 13 miles from Sanora to Sonara Pass road. On our way Down we were treated to some cool treats.
The first treat was....TRAIL MAGIC!!! I haven't seen any magic since mile 700 and it was some of the coolest magic yet. We were given food, beer and love from lamas. That's right lamas. Trail angel Lama Greg was exercising his pack lamas and decided to carry food up for us hikers. It was a surprise to come across trail magic when hiking down, but Greg told us to eat up, so of course we did.
Then soon after Lama Greg I started hearing drumming. Confused but intrigued I kept going and I came to the road I saw a Native American drum circle Playing. Well after a few questions we found out that it was for an annual 500 mile relay race they were conducting.
After enjoying our morning, cheering on the runners, we then preceded to work on hitching a ride. Never have I hitched in such a large group of people. The strategy to such a situation is all the guys sit to the side and let the girls flag down the cars. Why? because it cuts wait time down by half. Well after about an hour we had not one, not two, but three cars come over the pass all going to Kennedy Meadows Resort. Happy with our luck we jumped in and rode to a hot meal.
I am sad to say goodbye the the high sierras, but there are so many sights still to see.
The first treat was....TRAIL MAGIC!!! I haven't seen any magic since mile 700 and it was some of the coolest magic yet. We were given food, beer and love from lamas. That's right lamas. Trail angel Lama Greg was exercising his pack lamas and decided to carry food up for us hikers. It was a surprise to come across trail magic when hiking down, but Greg told us to eat up, so of course we did.
Then soon after Lama Greg I started hearing drumming. Confused but intrigued I kept going and I came to the road I saw a Native American drum circle Playing. Well after a few questions we found out that it was for an annual 500 mile relay race they were conducting.
After enjoying our morning, cheering on the runners, we then preceded to work on hitching a ride. Never have I hitched in such a large group of people. The strategy to such a situation is all the guys sit to the side and let the girls flag down the cars. Why? because it cuts wait time down by half. Well after about an hour we had not one, not two, but three cars come over the pass all going to Kennedy Meadows Resort. Happy with our luck we jumped in and rode to a hot meal.
I am sad to say goodbye the the high sierras, but there are so many sights still to see.
Trail Thoughts: Mile 1,000!
And I would walk 1,000 miles
And I would walk a 1,000 more
Just to be the man who walked 2,700 miles
To fall down at Canada's door
I did it. It seems like a huge benchmark and yet I am still about 1,700 miles shy of the end. In some ways it feels like it has gone by far to quickly and in others it feels like I have so far to go. Regardless it feels great to say "yeah I walked a 1,000 miles."
One trend that I have noticed about my hike however is my ability to role my ankle every 100 miles. Yes with out fail every 100 miles I role my ankle. And if for some reason I don't role it, it ends up happening multiple times the next 100. It's an average I really hate. It happens on my bum ankle that I sprained back in 8th grade and it's something I have been dealing with ever since. But on trail where I hike all day it happens more often then I like. And let me tell you I have taken some good spills because of it.
The worst was at mile 900 where I full on fell on my face because I was hiking so fast down a hill. Fortunately no permanent damage thus far *fingers crossed* but as I said I have about 1,700 to go...
And I would walk a 1,000 more
Just to be the man who walked 2,700 miles
To fall down at Canada's door
I did it. It seems like a huge benchmark and yet I am still about 1,700 miles shy of the end. In some ways it feels like it has gone by far to quickly and in others it feels like I have so far to go. Regardless it feels great to say "yeah I walked a 1,000 miles."
One trend that I have noticed about my hike however is my ability to role my ankle every 100 miles. Yes with out fail every 100 miles I role my ankle. And if for some reason I don't role it, it ends up happening multiple times the next 100. It's an average I really hate. It happens on my bum ankle that I sprained back in 8th grade and it's something I have been dealing with ever since. But on trail where I hike all day it happens more often then I like. And let me tell you I have taken some good spills because of it.
The worst was at mile 900 where I full on fell on my face because I was hiking so fast down a hill. Fortunately no permanent damage thus far *fingers crossed* but as I said I have about 1,700 to go...
The High Sierras part five: Yosemite
While I was in Mammoth, like I do in most towns, I looked in my guide book to see what lay ahead. Normally the information has been relatively useless because of how dry of a snow year it has been. However I did notice one thing that caught my eye. It was a note from a previous hiker named Joker. What he basically said was the section of trail I was about to embark on was one of the hardest for him both physically and emotionally and in some ways I agree. The trail started out easy enough as far as the sierras go. The cool part about Yosemite is it is like a condensed version of Kings Canyon. You climb pass after pass but they aren't as big as in Kings Canyon, but you still get spectacular views. Yosemite is full of alpine meadows and lakes. All this beauty came at a price though. The passes are not kindly to feet. All the jagged rocks, steep climbs and steeper descents are tough on the legs. Also when you go down two-three passes in one day you become tired.
What made this a difficult section of trail was not the terrain however it was the trail makers. Ironically Yosemite has been the worst labeled section of trail of this whole trip. During my stay I encountered three official signs saying I was indeed on the PCT. I had to mostly depend on myself and other hikers who would etched in PCT on the trail signs. But the worst part was how the trail would flat out disappear. I would be hiking along enjoying the views when all of the sudden the trail vanished. I would look left and then right and nothing. Each time I would have to spend five minutes walking in circles trying to find the bloody trail.
The worst of all these trail searches was on Monday the 25th. That day I wanted to do 25ish miles to allow me a better set up to get into northern Kennedy Meadows (different then the town at mile 700). This day would have included four passes along with the high mileage. I knew it would be a challenge but I didn't mind. The day actually started quite wonderfully. The first pass went without a hitch, and the following canyon was a sight in the morning sun, but it was during the decent down that things started to go awry. The first time I really lost trail and bushwhacked was due to a fallen tree. Granted this instance was my fault. Without looking at my map I pushed down the hill, however the trail went left to avoid what I ended hiking which was steep rocks that became a cliff. Well 20 minutes later along with a whole assortment of curses I did end up back on trail.
My next endeavor with bushwhacking came at the bottom of the same canyon. This section proved to be a challenge not just to me but to many hikers. This part of the trail was in a swampy area full of downed trees. At fist I did ok, but somewhere in a creek while being molested by mosquitoes I realized the trail went a different direction. In part to get out of the creek and in part to find sanctuary from the blood suckers, I dashed up a ravine to sunny rock. Like vampires the mosquitoes seem to prefer the dark and shade. Lucky this time the trail was only about thirty feet away and a simple find.
The last bushwhack on the other hand proved to be the most frustrating experience on trail yet. It started with a lovely stroll by a creek. Until this point I had a rule: When hiking by a creek, life is good. This proved to be the exception. As I was walking along the trail it yet again vanished. This had happened many times before, but normally the trail was just ahead. This time though, I could not find it. Full or rage I stormed around. Up the rock I was on, across the creek, I could not find it. Eventually after some extravagant curses and a moment with my GPS I knew it had to be near. So I ventured until I finally found trail. Excited and relieved I followed the very well maintained trail. This trail led up to another exquisite alpine meadow with granite outcroppings. As I hiked along enjoying the views I started to feel off. All day I had been following a fellow hiker name Big Wuss who was wearing Brook's Cascadias and I hadn't seen those treads for a while. Well as this sense of unease built I eventually decided to stop and check my location via GPS. Well as the GPS gained a lock on my location I compared it to my map. As I read my Easting coordinate my heart sank and when I read my Northing it plummeted. For I was on a entirely different trail then the PCT and had been for the last half hour. Infuriated about hiking 1-2 mile off trail that I would have to re-hike to get back on trail I stormed off. Never have I hiked so fast. Steaming I came back to my original junction and of course there were no signs saying what trail I was on nor could I see any other down trail. Fed up I gave up on the PCT, put in a goto function on my GPS and plowed into the woods. As time progressed my frustrations changed to despair. I was tired, I knew the trail was close, yet I could not find it. At one point, feeling defeated, I sat down to orient myself to my map. After analyzing it for a few minutes I realized the trail had to be on the other side of the ravine I was sitting by. And right as I looked up I saw no other than Big Wuss walking along the trail. Excited, relieved, and happy I scurried up to true trail. Fortunately I managed to stay on trail for the next pass and the rest of the day. But needless to say I only managed 20 miles that day...on the PCT.
The rest of my Yosemite experience was much smoother partially because from that point on if I lost trail I stopped and looked until I found it again, no matter how long it took.
On a side note, as soon as I left Yosemite boom there were again trail signs for the PCT *sigh*. Also I kid you not I saw a hare that was at least two feet big. No joke, it was massive.
What made this a difficult section of trail was not the terrain however it was the trail makers. Ironically Yosemite has been the worst labeled section of trail of this whole trip. During my stay I encountered three official signs saying I was indeed on the PCT. I had to mostly depend on myself and other hikers who would etched in PCT on the trail signs. But the worst part was how the trail would flat out disappear. I would be hiking along enjoying the views when all of the sudden the trail vanished. I would look left and then right and nothing. Each time I would have to spend five minutes walking in circles trying to find the bloody trail.
The worst of all these trail searches was on Monday the 25th. That day I wanted to do 25ish miles to allow me a better set up to get into northern Kennedy Meadows (different then the town at mile 700). This day would have included four passes along with the high mileage. I knew it would be a challenge but I didn't mind. The day actually started quite wonderfully. The first pass went without a hitch, and the following canyon was a sight in the morning sun, but it was during the decent down that things started to go awry. The first time I really lost trail and bushwhacked was due to a fallen tree. Granted this instance was my fault. Without looking at my map I pushed down the hill, however the trail went left to avoid what I ended hiking which was steep rocks that became a cliff. Well 20 minutes later along with a whole assortment of curses I did end up back on trail.
My next endeavor with bushwhacking came at the bottom of the same canyon. This section proved to be a challenge not just to me but to many hikers. This part of the trail was in a swampy area full of downed trees. At fist I did ok, but somewhere in a creek while being molested by mosquitoes I realized the trail went a different direction. In part to get out of the creek and in part to find sanctuary from the blood suckers, I dashed up a ravine to sunny rock. Like vampires the mosquitoes seem to prefer the dark and shade. Lucky this time the trail was only about thirty feet away and a simple find.
The last bushwhack on the other hand proved to be the most frustrating experience on trail yet. It started with a lovely stroll by a creek. Until this point I had a rule: When hiking by a creek, life is good. This proved to be the exception. As I was walking along the trail it yet again vanished. This had happened many times before, but normally the trail was just ahead. This time though, I could not find it. Full or rage I stormed around. Up the rock I was on, across the creek, I could not find it. Eventually after some extravagant curses and a moment with my GPS I knew it had to be near. So I ventured until I finally found trail. Excited and relieved I followed the very well maintained trail. This trail led up to another exquisite alpine meadow with granite outcroppings. As I hiked along enjoying the views I started to feel off. All day I had been following a fellow hiker name Big Wuss who was wearing Brook's Cascadias and I hadn't seen those treads for a while. Well as this sense of unease built I eventually decided to stop and check my location via GPS. Well as the GPS gained a lock on my location I compared it to my map. As I read my Easting coordinate my heart sank and when I read my Northing it plummeted. For I was on a entirely different trail then the PCT and had been for the last half hour. Infuriated about hiking 1-2 mile off trail that I would have to re-hike to get back on trail I stormed off. Never have I hiked so fast. Steaming I came back to my original junction and of course there were no signs saying what trail I was on nor could I see any other down trail. Fed up I gave up on the PCT, put in a goto function on my GPS and plowed into the woods. As time progressed my frustrations changed to despair. I was tired, I knew the trail was close, yet I could not find it. At one point, feeling defeated, I sat down to orient myself to my map. After analyzing it for a few minutes I realized the trail had to be on the other side of the ravine I was sitting by. And right as I looked up I saw no other than Big Wuss walking along the trail. Excited, relieved, and happy I scurried up to true trail. Fortunately I managed to stay on trail for the next pass and the rest of the day. But needless to say I only managed 20 miles that day...on the PCT.
The rest of my Yosemite experience was much smoother partially because from that point on if I lost trail I stopped and looked until I found it again, no matter how long it took.
On a side note, as soon as I left Yosemite boom there were again trail signs for the PCT *sigh*. Also I kid you not I saw a hare that was at least two feet big. No joke, it was massive.
Trail Thoughts: Those goram mosquitoes
One thing about the sierras is that it is a wild wilderness full of beautiful lakes, streams and creeks. However this also comes with a drawback. It is prime mosquito habitat. Nowhere in Oregon have I seen them this bad. These bastards will land on you while you are hiking and have no remorse. But the really scary part is apparently this year they aren't to bad.
Well I guess it's the trade off you make for wilderness and at least they don't have any diseases up here. But if you find yourself in the sierras make sure you have two items. A) a tent, very important for mosquito free sanctuary and B) DEET. I am normally anti chemical, but this stuff is amazing I went from the brink of a mental breakdown to happy because after application they stop landing on you. I literally ate lunch with hundreds of them swarming me, but was bite free due to DEET.
That said it would have been nice to jump in those lakes...if not for the molestation I would have received at the hands of bloodsuckers.
Well I guess it's the trade off you make for wilderness and at least they don't have any diseases up here. But if you find yourself in the sierras make sure you have two items. A) a tent, very important for mosquito free sanctuary and B) DEET. I am normally anti chemical, but this stuff is amazing I went from the brink of a mental breakdown to happy because after application they stop landing on you. I literally ate lunch with hundreds of them swarming me, but was bite free due to DEET.
That said it would have been nice to jump in those lakes...if not for the molestation I would have received at the hands of bloodsuckers.
The High Sierras part four: On to Tuolumne
Being in Mammoth was an interesting experience. Not because of the town, I actually liked the town (yet another ski town and the runs looked pretty fantastic) , but because of being back in civilization. I really appreciated being out in the woods away from television, cars and marketing. So to come into a town where it's everywhere was over stimulating. That said the bakery in town was amazing.
After I left Mammoth I had one more pass before entering Yosemite. I left alone because Jugs wanted to wait for some friends who were behind us. But the hike was yet again beautiful. The first thing I came across was the Post Pile national monument. It a basaltic rock formation where the basalt cools slowly giving the rocks a columned look. If you haven't seen it before it is pretty neat, and I'll admit that it is a better example of columnar basalt than I have ever seen, but living near the Columbia River George it's nothing new to me.
The lakes coming up to and over the pass were also something else. My favorite was 1,000 Islands lake that was, as you guessed, a lake full of islands. The real treat however was finally coming into Yosemite. This has been a point of interest for me for a very long time and being able to walk in an open flat valley up to the Tuolumne campground was a nice way to end that leg of the journey. However I did not realize the challenges that Yosemite had in store.
After I left Mammoth I had one more pass before entering Yosemite. I left alone because Jugs wanted to wait for some friends who were behind us. But the hike was yet again beautiful. The first thing I came across was the Post Pile national monument. It a basaltic rock formation where the basalt cools slowly giving the rocks a columned look. If you haven't seen it before it is pretty neat, and I'll admit that it is a better example of columnar basalt than I have ever seen, but living near the Columbia River George it's nothing new to me.
The lakes coming up to and over the pass were also something else. My favorite was 1,000 Islands lake that was, as you guessed, a lake full of islands. The real treat however was finally coming into Yosemite. This has been a point of interest for me for a very long time and being able to walk in an open flat valley up to the Tuolumne campground was a nice way to end that leg of the journey. However I did not realize the challenges that Yosemite had in store.
Trail Thoughts: When did I become a badass?
When you are hiking the PCT you don't feel particularly special. Climbing up hills is tiring, down hills hurts your feet and the only burning questions in your day are "should I eat my snack now or in a hour?" or "do I need water here or can I wait?" So when you role into a town and happen to mention that you came from Mexico and are walking to Canada it feels strange to have people look at you like you're some kind of superhero.
I mean I don't feel like a badass. I still suck wind climbing the passes in the Sierras and feel tired at the end of a long day. But when you come across some John Muir Trail (JMT) hikers you realize, yeah I am hiking way faster and further. I think the point that most resonates to me as the switch between being a hiker and this is my life was coming over Forester Pass. Forester is the highest point on the PCT and when walking down the north side there was a point where I had my trekking poles in one hand and my other in my pocket as I strolled down to tree line. It was a very odd feeling once I realized how I was walking. I discovered then that this isn't some dream for me now, it's my life. Yes that takes away some of the nostalgia of the PCT for me, but at the same time THIS IS MY LIFE! How cool is that.
So if hanging out in the woods is considered to be "hardcore" then I guess I am pretty awesome. But honestly I am only interested in is where the next creek crossing is...
I mean I don't feel like a badass. I still suck wind climbing the passes in the Sierras and feel tired at the end of a long day. But when you come across some John Muir Trail (JMT) hikers you realize, yeah I am hiking way faster and further. I think the point that most resonates to me as the switch between being a hiker and this is my life was coming over Forester Pass. Forester is the highest point on the PCT and when walking down the north side there was a point where I had my trekking poles in one hand and my other in my pocket as I strolled down to tree line. It was a very odd feeling once I realized how I was walking. I discovered then that this isn't some dream for me now, it's my life. Yes that takes away some of the nostalgia of the PCT for me, but at the same time THIS IS MY LIFE! How cool is that.
So if hanging out in the woods is considered to be "hardcore" then I guess I am pretty awesome. But honestly I am only interested in is where the next creek crossing is...
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