I am the bat

What a beautiful leg!

I have enjoyed this leg of the PCT much more than any I have in a long time. As much as I hate to admit this (for I don't want to inflate his ego), much of that enjoyment  came from hiking with Poulo. The reason for this is because a) it's always nice to hike with a good friend b) it has been a while since I have hiked next to someone (I'll explain that in more detail in a second) and c) I hiked less miles and thus was able to enjoy more sights and sleep in. What I mean about hiking next to someone is to have company while hiking. For the last 1100 miles I have hiked with people in the sense that I see them in camp or at brakes, but we all hike different paces and thus hike alone during the day. Which is fine in my opinion, but it is nice to have someone there. When you see a sight or animal or even do something dumb, it is enjoyable to share that experience vs. talking about it at camp. It also leads to more photos being taken and assuming my camera didn't corrupt them I will have a good upload when I get to Portland in a couple of days.

Poulo also joined me for a very special part of the PCT: the part i have already hiked. Timothy lake, Little Creator Lake, and Mt. Hood are all parts of trail I have done before. So in many ways I finally feel like I am home in the Pacific Northwest. It also helps that I finally saw a western red cedar (my favorite tree) which makes me happy.

This leg went from Big Lake Youth camp to Mt. Hood. My favorite part was the views. Back in winter I was able to see from my office "window" (the lineup line for snowboard lessons a Timberline lodge) Mt. Jefferson, Three Finger Jack and North Sister. Then on trail while standing on a pass next to North Sister see all the way to Mt. Hood. Now I have hiked that 100 miles of trail and I feel accomplished.

This leg has also started a trend that is not scary as in the sense of danger but fear of trail closures for I have now out ran seven forest fires on the PCT this year. The most recent of which was when Poulo and I passed the wilderness boundary between Mt. Hood and Jefferson. There was a fire that we didn't see until we were at the top of the pass (and consequently next to the fire) that was probably less that a mile away as the crow flies. Let us just say that it made for interesting camping. Poulo was dead tired (almost as if he had only been on trail for a day instead of three plus months) so we stopped early...right where we could see the smoke about two-three miles away. I only stopped because we could see in the trees and feel on our skin that the prevailing winds were driving the fire away from us. That didn't however stop me from double checking multiple times during the night that we were safe. Hopefully this trend continues in that the forest fires happen after I hike through a section. Though I would prefer that they didn't happen at all for my time in the B and B complex burnout was not very enjoyable...at all.

Well my next stop is Portland for R&R and a much needed shower. I may also pull my first 40 mile day on trial. That will depend on motivation and five hour energy drinks.

You shot the invisable man!

When the trail goes up I go up, when the trail goes down I go down. Not only is that a mantra I constantly repeat to myself to keep me hiking, but it is also a metaphor moods. I just came off a low point of my hike that essentially lasted from Ashland to Shelter Cove. The illness I was battling and my worst mistake on trail (hiking in Chaco's) made the first half of Oregon really challenging.

Thankfully and somewhat ironically this was also the easiest part of the PCT terrain wise. I am very glad the terrain was what it was for I don't know if I could have hiked if it was like the Sierras. On the flip side, I could have hiked so far so fast in good shoes and illness free!
Well now I am waiting for Poulo at Big Lake Youth Camp and I can happily report that I am in amazing spirits. Luckily in Shelter Cove I ran into trail magic. Which always improves ones mood. Especially when it involves a wonderful person named Roadrunner and his lovely wife making us hikers burgers, pancakes, eggs, coffee, and most importantly brownies. They also helped me to treat my feet and gave me enough ibuprofen so that I could hike. My feet were actually swelling pretty badly.

On the next day I slowed my pace and saw many beautiful lakes that I wished I could have swam in though I had no time and well mosquitoes. But the day after things started to really get nice. My health had improved and spirits lifted as I made a last minute decision to go Elk Lake resort where I got a tasty beer and a delicious (though expensive) burger. The best part was they had great internet so I was able to download a ton of podcasts. I now have more than enough episodes for Science Friday, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, All Songs Considered, and We're Alive (zombie apocalypse radio drama...amazing!) to keep me entertained until Portland.

After leaving Elk Lake this leg really became fun. I had great entertainment which helps pass the time. I was hiking in the Three Sisters wilderness so I had views again, and hiking with a hiker (Andrew) so I had great conversation as well. The lava fields by sisters are out of control and I highly recommend checking them out.

Well now I am at Big Lake Youth Camp and the staff have been nothing but charitable to me. I will later eat dinner and lunch and have high hopes for both, but for now I will take a shower and clean my clothes while I wait for Poulo.

Who is bringing me back my Keens thank god.

Milk was a bad choice on a hot day.

I have the crummies in my tummy.

I am not sure what happened to me in Ashland but ever since that town I have been in poor health and thus a sour mood more often than not. I do my best yo not let my spirits down but it is hard when you are being molested by mosquitoes worse than the sierras, have debilitating stomach cramps (from illness) and took a gamble on hiking in Chacos and lost. Not to mention the salt in the wound of loosing my iPod on the trail...that happened when bush whacking near creator lake and a tree yanked out my headphones. I thought the iPod was secure...I was wrong.

I move on though! Luckily this issue coincides with me hiking with Poulo for the next week or so. This means I have to slow down for his virgin feet, but hopefully it will give my body some much needed recovery time. As ill of a mood I find myself in at times I know it is only temporary and if nothing else pride will keep me moving until the end.

On happier notes:

Creator Lake was beautiful. Granted I knew this from when I was there last fall, but this time I was able to sleep on the rim and watch the sunrise. My only regret was that there is a 27 mile dry stretch after the lake so I was not able to hang out as long as I would have liked. Luckily the 27 mile dry stretch had cloud cover most of the way making it a much more enjoyable experience and those clouds became a very exciting thunder/hail/crazy hail storm that evening. Apparently my tent is capable of handling 1/2 golf ball sized prices of hail.

Well as I write this I am waiting for laundry at Shelter Cove resort. Pretty much the half way point for Oregon...that was quick.

Are your ears pierced?

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.

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...

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!

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.