We woke up at 4:30 yesterday, left our tent up and open (so marmots could go in and out as they please rather than chewing a hole to get in), put our bear vaults away and headed out on the 17.4 mile (27.8km) round trip to Whitney's Summit. The morning was frigid, like below freezing and so we were glad we didn't go with some others that left at 2AM to see the sunrise. The whole walk is just gorgeous. Massive trees, creeks and small lakes are all surrounded by towering mountains. The trail follows the creek for a while and before you know it you're at Guitar Lake and now you're about to do the real work. Constant climbing from Guitar Lake to the summit. Endless switchbacks that are steep at times with big steps, to long and drawn out grinders. You can feel the air getting thinner. I was in front of our group, then Taka, Julia, June and Flatlander. At the junction with Whitney Portal it gets busier as that is the way up for the non-PCT/JMT hikers. It was a Friday so it wasn't too bad. Julia and I got to the summit first and there were only two other people up there, Sam and Hot Wing, fellow PCTers. It was a great little moment. We snapped a few victory shots and then Taka came strolling up and we took some for him. The three of us his from the wind in this little shelter made of rocks (not the building) and had a snack. About 45 minutes later, June and Flatlander made it, again we took more photos of the group, they joined us for more eating and that was it! It got busier by then, maybe about 25 others or so up there and we passed a ton on the way down, so we had PERFECT timing. Coming down was so much more fun than going up. I took a lot of photos, but the camera I was using isn't our best so I hope they turn out okay. The whole walk back to camp was so enjoyable. The scenery was like you'd see in a painting, or a professional photograph. It was incredible. We got back to camp around 3:30 and then Taka came running in about 4 minutes later. He said that his hobby for two years was trail running but he gave it up because it was too hard, now he walks! Hahaha, Taka is great. Oh, another Taka quote, atop Whitney he pulls out an entire plastic bottle of honey and goes for a shot of it, and when Flatlander asks him how it is, he replies 'oh, honey, ya good taste'. We love hiking with Taka because he's always in a good mood! Flatlander and June were back about 30 minutes later and we all ate and I convinced the group that we should knock another 4 miles up the trail to make the next day easier, as we had to climb Forrester Pass (13200 feet), the highest point on the PCT. We got to that campsite around 7PM and Sam and Hot Wing were there already. The mosquitos were horrendous so we just threw up the tent ASAP and jumped in, we'd sort out the rest in the morning.
This morning was good. No Mosquitos and not quite so cold. We had oatmeal (cooked!) and a protein shake and got moving (Julia and I are always last out, but we hike fastest so it works out). The day started with a long gradual climb and then some rolling hills that take you to Big Horn Plateau. Amazing views of the mountains all around you. We caught up with Taka shortly after as he was making his way down to the river and taking a ton of photos all the while. At the river we all had a snack and then moved on to start climbing up! The climb is gradual for quite a while and Taka, Julia and
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Sunday 24 June 2012
Some pics for Ya'llll
Here's a selction of some of the photos from Kennedy Meadows to where we are now (Independence)
Sorry that the blog is a little out of sorts. I haven't been able to upload much so it goes back a while. I have some to finish up regarding the past two days (Whitney and Forrester Pass)
I'm showered, Julia's in the shower now and then she's going to touch up the mohawk with some borrowed clippers!!
Long Update
This blog posting is somewhat long overdue. I haven't had wifi for a while and so I haven't been able to upload anything. Let me preface this by saying I'm writing this as I sit on a rock with my legs up to my knees in chicken spring lake. Look it up, it's GORGEOUS.
I'll bring us all the way back to when we left Walker Pass. It was early and we had 52 miles and some decent elevation changes to cover to get to Kennedy Meadows, but I knew we'd do it in 2 days. We left with Team Tokyo but their plan was to do it in 3 days, so we didn't really see them after lunch in day one. To be honest, the two days were pretty uneventful. On day one we covered 25 miles and camped solo up high on a ridge, 5 miles back from Chimney Creek campground. Early in the morning, we shot down to it and came across a beer cache! It was still early, so no beer for us, and we were about to start a serious climb of 2400 feet or so. Julia lets me hammer for 20 minutes and then I pull over and let her catch up, and then on and on. This day was 5 repeats of 20 minute hard efforts of hill training. After the third interval we stopped for a snack and Julia sat down in this awkward little rock about 6 inches high and about a foot wide. What neither of us noticed was a rattler sitting all coiled up behind the rock!! Her butt was inches from his face! I got a pic and video, pretty funny. The climb finishes up in this burn area, no shade to be found. It was getting warm so we just decided to keep moving back down until we found shade, at which point we'd have lunch. That wasn't for another hour and a bit. We got all the way down the other side and found a creek, barely running and a spot of shade, perfect! We were there for a little while but felt the draw to finish the last 9 or so miles of the desert. These last miles were hot, but you do get some spots of shade. Finally we spilled out on the road, made the right turn and walked the last half mile or so to Tom's. Upon arrival we found him chatting with Virgo and Kushy, and he offered us a trailer to stay in! I can't explain how nice it is to stay in a trailer and sleep on a bed after a 27 mile day! The next day was dedicated to showering, organizing, laundry and eating ice cream. Over the 48 hours we were there we polished off 5 pints of Ben and Jerry's. On the afternoon of r zero day we went to use the Internet, just to update a few things and upload a few photos. Tom's got a trailer with 4 laptops that hikers can use. While Julia was on the computer I ran down to our trailer to grab something and when I walked in, someone had just placed a bottle of champagne on ice with two glasses in there! What an amazing surprise! We shared our treat with Virgo and June. Virgo offered to give us a 'pre-Sierras shake down' to help shed some pack weight. This ended up being a very helpful 2+ hour ordeal and our packs are considerably lighter as a result. We left Kennedy Meadows in the evening, bear vaults and all, and headed a whole 2.4 miles to the campground.
The next morning we were all pumped to be finally making our way into the mountains. Our first destination was a bridge, about 10 or so miles in, where we'd have lunch by the water. It ended up being way more than lunch by a creek. As we walked up I saw Virgi in the water filming something. I assumed it was just some artsy footage he can add to his PCT trail magic documentary he's filming, but the then he motioned us over to the water's edge and we could see a bunch of drinks being kept cool by the running water. Beer, soda and even margaritas! Tom and the crew did it again! They were there with punch for us and everything. About 10 - 12 hikers were there for lunch. We were even invited to stay for dinner, but we HAD to get going. That evening we camped with the crew + Dazzle and I had the most luxurious sleep on trail yet. Dazzle is an incredibly kind, soft spoken, easy to talk to guy and Julia and I really enjoy chatting with him at breaks. Anyways he came over after dinner and since we were cowboy camping he could see what we were sleeping on. Julia has her neoair, but my Z rest isn't exactly luxury. He was telling us about his 'Exped' mattress and it sounded awesome. He said he'd be right back and when he returned with it, I thought he was just going show it to us, but he offered to trade with me for the night!! That's how awesome he is. I had the best sleep out here yet and you can bet I'm buying one ASAP.
The next day we heard that Dead Animal (another hiker) had seen a bear about a quarter of a mile past where we slept, and June saw one early that morning! The day was pretty uneventful. Walking and unbelievable beauty, but lots of climbing in the afternoon which was exhausting. We all slept in the same area again, at about 10300 feet.
June 20, 2012 - The Tuna Turns 26
Like any classy birthday, it began with breakfast in bed after sleeping in. S'mores Poptarts in her sleeping bag at 6AM. We slowly got ready to go, and the others left about 40 mins prior to us. The morning highlight was Taka wishing her a 'very good day on her birthday' in his broken English. Taka's a really nice man, wish we could chat more easily. He's named me (phonetically) 'keen-ee-ku mam' which is 'muscle man'. I'll let him call me that. Anyways, the morning was pretty easy. Some flat and downhill sections through forested areas and open ridges with spectacular views. Our final destination was to be Chicken Spring lake, a mere 15ish mile day, ending around 11300 feet. The climbing in the late morning started to take a toll as we were somewhat low on energy since we had to make our food stretch an extra day and a half. We stopped for lunch early as we were both exhausted from the lack of fuel, elevation gain and the climbing. At lunch we tried making some phone calls with mediocre success. All calls got cut off a little too early, but at least we made some contact with family. The afternoon went by pretty quickly, and with full tanks of energy and a little shot of caffeine, we climbed up to Chicken Spring Lake pretty comfortably. It is absolutely beautiful. A lake surrounded by mountains. We were here just after 4 and so have lots of time to enjoy ourselves! Team Tokyo should be here soon. Whitney in two days!
I'll bring us all the way back to when we left Walker Pass. It was early and we had 52 miles and some decent elevation changes to cover to get to Kennedy Meadows, but I knew we'd do it in 2 days. We left with Team Tokyo but their plan was to do it in 3 days, so we didn't really see them after lunch in day one. To be honest, the two days were pretty uneventful. On day one we covered 25 miles and camped solo up high on a ridge, 5 miles back from Chimney Creek campground. Early in the morning, we shot down to it and came across a beer cache! It was still early, so no beer for us, and we were about to start a serious climb of 2400 feet or so. Julia lets me hammer for 20 minutes and then I pull over and let her catch up, and then on and on. This day was 5 repeats of 20 minute hard efforts of hill training. After the third interval we stopped for a snack and Julia sat down in this awkward little rock about 6 inches high and about a foot wide. What neither of us noticed was a rattler sitting all coiled up behind the rock!! Her butt was inches from his face! I got a pic and video, pretty funny. The climb finishes up in this burn area, no shade to be found. It was getting warm so we just decided to keep moving back down until we found shade, at which point we'd have lunch. That wasn't for another hour and a bit. We got all the way down the other side and found a creek, barely running and a spot of shade, perfect! We were there for a little while but felt the draw to finish the last 9 or so miles of the desert. These last miles were hot, but you do get some spots of shade. Finally we spilled out on the road, made the right turn and walked the last half mile or so to Tom's. Upon arrival we found him chatting with Virgo and Kushy, and he offered us a trailer to stay in! I can't explain how nice it is to stay in a trailer and sleep on a bed after a 27 mile day! The next day was dedicated to showering, organizing, laundry and eating ice cream. Over the 48 hours we were there we polished off 5 pints of Ben and Jerry's. On the afternoon of r zero day we went to use the Internet, just to update a few things and upload a few photos. Tom's got a trailer with 4 laptops that hikers can use. While Julia was on the computer I ran down to our trailer to grab something and when I walked in, someone had just placed a bottle of champagne on ice with two glasses in there! What an amazing surprise! We shared our treat with Virgo and June. Virgo offered to give us a 'pre-Sierras shake down' to help shed some pack weight. This ended up being a very helpful 2+ hour ordeal and our packs are considerably lighter as a result. We left Kennedy Meadows in the evening, bear vaults and all, and headed a whole 2.4 miles to the campground.
The next morning we were all pumped to be finally making our way into the mountains. Our first destination was a bridge, about 10 or so miles in, where we'd have lunch by the water. It ended up being way more than lunch by a creek. As we walked up I saw Virgi in the water filming something. I assumed it was just some artsy footage he can add to his PCT trail magic documentary he's filming, but the then he motioned us over to the water's edge and we could see a bunch of drinks being kept cool by the running water. Beer, soda and even margaritas! Tom and the crew did it again! They were there with punch for us and everything. About 10 - 12 hikers were there for lunch. We were even invited to stay for dinner, but we HAD to get going. That evening we camped with the crew + Dazzle and I had the most luxurious sleep on trail yet. Dazzle is an incredibly kind, soft spoken, easy to talk to guy and Julia and I really enjoy chatting with him at breaks. Anyways he came over after dinner and since we were cowboy camping he could see what we were sleeping on. Julia has her neoair, but my Z rest isn't exactly luxury. He was telling us about his 'Exped' mattress and it sounded awesome. He said he'd be right back and when he returned with it, I thought he was just going show it to us, but he offered to trade with me for the night!! That's how awesome he is. I had the best sleep out here yet and you can bet I'm buying one ASAP.
The next day we heard that Dead Animal (another hiker) had seen a bear about a quarter of a mile past where we slept, and June saw one early that morning! The day was pretty uneventful. Walking and unbelievable beauty, but lots of climbing in the afternoon which was exhausting. We all slept in the same area again, at about 10300 feet.
June 20, 2012 - The Tuna Turns 26
Like any classy birthday, it began with breakfast in bed after sleeping in. S'mores Poptarts in her sleeping bag at 6AM. We slowly got ready to go, and the others left about 40 mins prior to us. The morning highlight was Taka wishing her a 'very good day on her birthday' in his broken English. Taka's a really nice man, wish we could chat more easily. He's named me (phonetically) 'keen-ee-ku mam' which is 'muscle man'. I'll let him call me that. Anyways, the morning was pretty easy. Some flat and downhill sections through forested areas and open ridges with spectacular views. Our final destination was to be Chicken Spring lake, a mere 15ish mile day, ending around 11300 feet. The climbing in the late morning started to take a toll as we were somewhat low on energy since we had to make our food stretch an extra day and a half. We stopped for lunch early as we were both exhausted from the lack of fuel, elevation gain and the climbing. At lunch we tried making some phone calls with mediocre success. All calls got cut off a little too early, but at least we made some contact with family. The afternoon went by pretty quickly, and with full tanks of energy and a little shot of caffeine, we climbed up to Chicken Spring Lake pretty comfortably. It is absolutely beautiful. A lake surrounded by mountains. We were here just after 4 and so have lots of time to enjoy ourselves! Team Tokyo should be here soon. Whitney in two days!
We Passed Some Serious Windies
What makes the title funny is that 'windies' are what my mom calls farts. Haha. But these windies were farts from hell! After our incredible 4 day vacation at Casa de Carmen et Abby, we met up with Shutterburst and his aunt gave us all a lift back to Willow Springs road, where we left the trail some 4 days earlier. It was Friday evening so we knew we weren't going far, but maybe a few miles to get away from the road.
A few minutes back on trail and it was evident that we were in for some serious winds. The place doesn't house some 5000 windmills for nothin'! It was intense, at some times frustrating and all round difficult hiking. We only went about 2.5 miles until we found refuge from the wind behind a big bush and called it home. It was 7:30, we were tired and wanted to get a good start the following morning. Julia and I cowboy camped among piles of cow dung and Shutterburst set up his little tent and we watched as all the lights lit up on the windmills admit got darker and darker.
Saturday morning we woke up at just after 5AM. The wind didn't let up at all and we had dirt and dust blown all over us. We knew it was inevitable, we had to fight this wind to get out of it, so we packed up quick and were on trail shortly after 6AM, fighting the wind with everything we had. A few days earlier, people had to turn back because the winds just made the trail way too dangerous. It was a long grind to make any progress and it would only let up long enough for you to stumble forward and then it would hit you with a strong gust to knock you back again. We took refuge behind a couple shrubs here and there, but eventually made our way down to hwy 58 and a water cache, where we had a small break with Shutterburst. We had made the goal of reaching a water source 23 miles from where we woke up. He left and we really didn't see him again until the evening. The trail followed the highway for a short while and then cut away towards the mountains. Just as you turn in, there's a gate and a register.we were curious to see who may have passed us while we were in Bakersfield so we scanned the names who had signed recently. MUCH to our delight, we saw our great friend June!! She had signed it that morning as well, so we assumed we'd catch her by the evening! We were so excited now. As we climbed, the winds got stronger and stronger. Like stop you in your tracks and knock you over strong. It was a slow go and a couple times I would drop my pack and run back down the trail to make sure little Julia was ok. She's a beast though and handled it beautifully. It was just very tiring and made the day seem to go on forever. There was this one spot that was a gap between two canyons, maybe about a 20 foot stretch that was just crazy intense. I managed to get through okay, but Julia had to go off trail a bit for some shelter from the wind. Many others did the same apparently and some others even crawled. We found a nice little spot with refuge from the wind and had lunch and a nap there. Nothing like a nap, food, a shot of caffeine and some music to get the energy levels up!! We headed back out into the wind and fought our way to the top. We even had fun with the wind.
The rest of the afternoon and early evening was pretty uneventful and the wind eventually died down a bit and it became a little more pleasant. We finally made it to the water source, to find 3 hikers already sleeping and Shutterburst quietly cheering our arrival! He told us that the they were Flatlander (a guy he hiked with early on) and two Japanese hikers, a guy and a girl. Juney! It appeared as though she was sleeping, so I took out 'Manicky Necko' that's the rough, phonetic translation of 'lucky cat' in Japanese, that June taught us way back at Warner Springs, over a month ago! I put it on one of her platypuses that was lying beside her, so she would see it in the morning and realize we were there too! Well she sort of turned over and looked our way, so we waved and she waved back but she didn't quite recognize us so she turned back the other direction and the noticed what I had left there and she immediately shot up in her sleeping bag with a big grin on her face. We went over and gave her a big hug and the three of us chatted for about fifteen minutes or so. What a great reunion!!
That night we cowboy camped too. There were six of us right by this little spring and the another few nearby. What a great day! Insane adventure to get there and to be reunited with June after more than a month of wondering how she was doing. Awesome!
A few minutes back on trail and it was evident that we were in for some serious winds. The place doesn't house some 5000 windmills for nothin'! It was intense, at some times frustrating and all round difficult hiking. We only went about 2.5 miles until we found refuge from the wind behind a big bush and called it home. It was 7:30, we were tired and wanted to get a good start the following morning. Julia and I cowboy camped among piles of cow dung and Shutterburst set up his little tent and we watched as all the lights lit up on the windmills admit got darker and darker.
Saturday morning we woke up at just after 5AM. The wind didn't let up at all and we had dirt and dust blown all over us. We knew it was inevitable, we had to fight this wind to get out of it, so we packed up quick and were on trail shortly after 6AM, fighting the wind with everything we had. A few days earlier, people had to turn back because the winds just made the trail way too dangerous. It was a long grind to make any progress and it would only let up long enough for you to stumble forward and then it would hit you with a strong gust to knock you back again. We took refuge behind a couple shrubs here and there, but eventually made our way down to hwy 58 and a water cache, where we had a small break with Shutterburst. We had made the goal of reaching a water source 23 miles from where we woke up. He left and we really didn't see him again until the evening. The trail followed the highway for a short while and then cut away towards the mountains. Just as you turn in, there's a gate and a register.we were curious to see who may have passed us while we were in Bakersfield so we scanned the names who had signed recently. MUCH to our delight, we saw our great friend June!! She had signed it that morning as well, so we assumed we'd catch her by the evening! We were so excited now. As we climbed, the winds got stronger and stronger. Like stop you in your tracks and knock you over strong. It was a slow go and a couple times I would drop my pack and run back down the trail to make sure little Julia was ok. She's a beast though and handled it beautifully. It was just very tiring and made the day seem to go on forever. There was this one spot that was a gap between two canyons, maybe about a 20 foot stretch that was just crazy intense. I managed to get through okay, but Julia had to go off trail a bit for some shelter from the wind. Many others did the same apparently and some others even crawled. We found a nice little spot with refuge from the wind and had lunch and a nap there. Nothing like a nap, food, a shot of caffeine and some music to get the energy levels up!! We headed back out into the wind and fought our way to the top. We even had fun with the wind.
The rest of the afternoon and early evening was pretty uneventful and the wind eventually died down a bit and it became a little more pleasant. We finally made it to the water source, to find 3 hikers already sleeping and Shutterburst quietly cheering our arrival! He told us that the they were Flatlander (a guy he hiked with early on) and two Japanese hikers, a guy and a girl. Juney! It appeared as though she was sleeping, so I took out 'Manicky Necko' that's the rough, phonetic translation of 'lucky cat' in Japanese, that June taught us way back at Warner Springs, over a month ago! I put it on one of her platypuses that was lying beside her, so she would see it in the morning and realize we were there too! Well she sort of turned over and looked our way, so we waved and she waved back but she didn't quite recognize us so she turned back the other direction and the noticed what I had left there and she immediately shot up in her sleeping bag with a big grin on her face. We went over and gave her a big hug and the three of us chatted for about fifteen minutes or so. What a great reunion!!
That night we cowboy camped too. There were six of us right by this little spring and the another few nearby. What a great day! Insane adventure to get there and to be reunited with June after more than a month of wondering how she was doing. Awesome!
Water Drama
One last little treat from the desert.
We woke up yesterday morning amongst big trees and under the shade of a forrested area. It almost lends itself to make you believe that you're almost in the Sierras, but we know better by now. Soon we were walking in less shade, and then no shade, and then the return of the sandy trail and rock. Back to desert. Dang. It got hot and we were getting low on water. There's a water cache at mile 616 which is where we intended to make it, but with water caches, you never really know. The same lady does the water caches at 616 and 631. Without her, there would be no quality on-trail water between 602 and 644! Not cool in the desert!
So anyways, after lunch and my obligatory nap, we made it to the cache around 4PM. GLORIOUS! Water, plenty of it. Lots of gallon jugs all in a pile, connected by a rope through the handles. It can make pouring awkward, and any spillage is devastating, but you do your best and just make it work. After filling up, we joined the other hikers that were hanging out up under a Joshua tree. There were 13 of us in total; Virgo, Dazzle, Flatlander, June, Taka, Trip, House, RoboKnee, Sea Hag, Voodoo, Twinkle Toes, Buffet and Mister C!
We woke up yesterday morning amongst big trees and under the shade of a forrested area. It almost lends itself to make you believe that you're almost in the Sierras, but we know better by now. Soon we were walking in less shade, and then no shade, and then the return of the sandy trail and rock. Back to desert. Dang. It got hot and we were getting low on water. There's a water cache at mile 616 which is where we intended to make it, but with water caches, you never really know. The same lady does the water caches at 616 and 631. Without her, there would be no quality on-trail water between 602 and 644! Not cool in the desert!
So anyways, after lunch and my obligatory nap, we made it to the cache around 4PM. GLORIOUS! Water, plenty of it. Lots of gallon jugs all in a pile, connected by a rope through the handles. It can make pouring awkward, and any spillage is devastating, but you do your best and just make it work. After filling up, we joined the other hikers that were hanging out up under a Joshua tree. There were 13 of us in total; Virgo, Dazzle, Flatlander, June, Taka, Trip, House, RoboKnee, Sea Hag, Voodoo, Twinkle Toes, Buffet and Mister C!
Sunday 17 June 2012
7 Weeks and a Day
That's how long we've spent in the desert. We're finally at Kennedy Meadows and the start of the Sierras!! We got here on Friday evening after two really long days (25 and 27 miles). We had this place in sight and just wanted to get here! This last stretch has been one of the toughest so far. We have some stuff to do, and I have other blog posting to upload but no wifi here, so hopefully in a week or so!
In this next week we'll be hitting the highest point on the PCT and climbing up to the peak of Mt. Whitney, highest point in the lower 48!
In this next week we'll be hitting the highest point on the PCT and climbing up to the peak of Mt. Whitney, highest point in the lower 48!
Friday 8 June 2012
I'm Terrible at Relaxing
We're at mile 558 of the PCT, Willow Springs road. We got a hitch into Tehachapi and then Abby and Carmen picked us up there and we're at their place in Bakersfield. We had sent them a TON of stuff from home that we now had to sort and prepare about 15 resupply boxes. Wednesday and Thursday were spent setting up 30 days worth of FULL resupplies that we mailed Thursday afternoon. This will get us all the way to South Lake Tahoe, and if needed we can supplement out of gas stations and small stores along the way. We also set up about another dozen or so boxes that they'll send to us between South Lake Tahoe and Cascade Locks. Mainly just supplements, couple pairs of shoes, supplies etc. We ALSO sent 3 boxes up to Shrek's hiker hostel in Cascade Locks, all the stuff that we'll need from there until Manning Park. When we get there we'll sort through it again and set up the boxes that we'll mail to ourselves that will get us the rest of the way. Oh, and we also sent two boxes home. Some stuff that we don't need, namely our brand new ice axes, Camp Corsa Nanotech, never used. For Sale.
It's been awesome to be here. Be clean for more than a minute after a shower, to enjoy good food, to enjoy the company of friends. But it also feels a bit weird. I feel myself seriously longing to be on the trail. I miss it a lot. I miss the feeling of walking and walking and walking, taking a break and walking a bunch more until we decide to camp. I love the feeling of making progress up the trail and I see people's pictures of the Sierras and do I ever want to be there. We're now pretty well at the back of the pack and I'm also a bit worried that we'll run out of time later on in Washington. Most of the people we know are now a few days to a week ahead, and even those that had fallen behind are probably now a bit ahead, we'll see. Also, my parents have booked a place in Tahoe and I don't think we'll be there in time. We'll have to arrange to meet them somewhere south of there.
Anyways, back to the trail early tomorrow (Saturday) morning after 4+ days off. Hopefully we can remember how to do this "hiking" thing.
It's been awesome to be here. Be clean for more than a minute after a shower, to enjoy good food, to enjoy the company of friends. But it also feels a bit weird. I feel myself seriously longing to be on the trail. I miss it a lot. I miss the feeling of walking and walking and walking, taking a break and walking a bunch more until we decide to camp. I love the feeling of making progress up the trail and I see people's pictures of the Sierras and do I ever want to be there. We're now pretty well at the back of the pack and I'm also a bit worried that we'll run out of time later on in Washington. Most of the people we know are now a few days to a week ahead, and even those that had fallen behind are probably now a bit ahead, we'll see. Also, my parents have booked a place in Tahoe and I don't think we'll be there in time. We'll have to arrange to meet them somewhere south of there.
Anyways, back to the trail early tomorrow (Saturday) morning after 4+ days off. Hopefully we can remember how to do this "hiking" thing.
Thursday 7 June 2012
I Thought You Guys Were Moving Joshua Trees
So we decided that it would be a good idea to night hike the LA Aquaduct section. It's a long 17 mile waterless and shadeless stretch and it's not a pleasant experience in the middle of the day. We hung out at Hikertown all day and finally got going with Shutterburst, Busted Magic, David and Britt. We walked in pairs, with Shutter and Magic taking off in front and us in the middle. You walk for a while along this big cement aquaduct and then along a dirt road for a whole chunk before returning to follow the aquaduct, only this time it's completely covered and underground and you're essentially walking on top of it. It winds its way out to the middle of nowhere and can become a little monotonous, but it was exciting for us as it would be our first night hike. It was nearly a full moon, so headlamps were more or less unnecessary. As it got darker, We could no longer see the two in front of us and Britt and David hadn't passed us, so we were still in our little bubble. It was pretty neat. Very comfortable temperature and easy walking. After a while we could see a big fire in the distance and thought it was a bit odd because there weren't many houses along the stretch at all. As we neared, we could see a bunch of old, crappy trailers and a group of country dudes just hanging out, drinking, shooting guns and having a big bonfire. We looked in and didn't see the others so we just hammered right by and kept going. EVENTUALLY we caught the two in front of us, which was comforting for us to be in a bigger pack because Shutterburst has a GPS and there were some tricky turns we had to take. Immediately we started talking about the little party going on back there and they confirmed that what we heard were in fact gun shots. The bonfire was so big that you could see it from more than a mile away, and probably unsafe because of the wind and because of how dry everything is out here. What was weird was that as we walked, we kept looking back at the fire and it started to look like it was growing. All four of us were convinced that it started to spread and get out of control. This continued for a good while, but I started to think that maybe what we thought was a spreading fire was actually lights way in the distance that were coming into view as we walked uphill ever so slightly. We never did solve that mystery.
A little while later we saw headlights coming from behind us and so we all jumped off the road. It was a couple of guys in an ATV, whizzing up and down the dirt road, no doubt hammered. Ten minutes or so later they came back towards us and so I just turned on my headlamp and shined it on the ground so they knew we were there. As they drove by, you could hear the sound of a paintball gun that the passenger was shooting into randomness. Luckily they just drove right by and kept goin'. Layer we found out from Britt and David that they almost got shot! At the last second the guy realized they were there and didn't shoot, saying to them 'dude I almost shot you in the face!' So after that little bit of excitement, we continued along in the darkness, the four of us, just trying to make this bridge so we could get some sleep. Just as all the nerves of that earlier stuff calms down, a vehicle with no headlights in comes barreling down the road towards us. Everyone jumped off the road, again, at the last second and the station wagon swerved away from us. He slammed his breaks, rolled down his window and apologized, satin that he though we were 'moving Joshua trees' and wanted to offer us a 'consolation beer'. He was clearly drunk and high. We just reminded him that he should have his headlights on and continued on our way. His quotes provided enough entertainment for the rest of the walk.
As we neared the bridge, maybe 2 -2.5 miles away, the winds picked up significantly. Sometimes a sidewind, sometimes a headwind, but always a strong wind. All of us were exhausted, it was well after midnight and we no longer cared if we made it to the bridge. We found a little spot off the road that was a little bit sheltered from the wind and called it home. A tent store no chance for staying up, so we all cowboy camped in the the shelter of our sleeping bags and it wasn't half bad!!
Awesome first night hike.
A little while later we saw headlights coming from behind us and so we all jumped off the road. It was a couple of guys in an ATV, whizzing up and down the dirt road, no doubt hammered. Ten minutes or so later they came back towards us and so I just turned on my headlamp and shined it on the ground so they knew we were there. As they drove by, you could hear the sound of a paintball gun that the passenger was shooting into randomness. Luckily they just drove right by and kept goin'. Layer we found out from Britt and David that they almost got shot! At the last second the guy realized they were there and didn't shoot, saying to them 'dude I almost shot you in the face!' So after that little bit of excitement, we continued along in the darkness, the four of us, just trying to make this bridge so we could get some sleep. Just as all the nerves of that earlier stuff calms down, a vehicle with no headlights in comes barreling down the road towards us. Everyone jumped off the road, again, at the last second and the station wagon swerved away from us. He slammed his breaks, rolled down his window and apologized, satin that he though we were 'moving Joshua trees' and wanted to offer us a 'consolation beer'. He was clearly drunk and high. We just reminded him that he should have his headlights on and continued on our way. His quotes provided enough entertainment for the rest of the walk.
As we neared the bridge, maybe 2 -2.5 miles away, the winds picked up significantly. Sometimes a sidewind, sometimes a headwind, but always a strong wind. All of us were exhausted, it was well after midnight and we no longer cared if we made it to the bridge. We found a little spot off the road that was a little bit sheltered from the wind and called it home. A tent store no chance for staying up, so we all cowboy camped in the the shelter of our sleeping bags and it wasn't half bad!!
Awesome first night hike.
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Saturday 2 June 2012
500 miles, tough days
I'm writing this from Hikertown at mile 518.x on Friday June 1. Today was a huge milestone as we crossed 500 miles! What a great feeling. We've hiked 500 miles, having never really hiked before taking this on. It's been a constant learning process since we left the monument way back on April 27th. We've made so many little mistakes, and corrected them. We've become more comfortable with everything. After 500 miles, I'd say we're pretty legit hikers!
The past two days have been, by far, our most, uh challenging. They've been god awful hot and the bugs have been relentless. Like I'm talking a heat that I've never before experienced, let alone HIKED in!! We are truly in desert now. Nights are coolish, but it gets hot QUICK in the mornings. I'm talking 7AM and I've got sweat dripping off me. Not only that, but water sources are so much more scarce out here that it becomes a legitimate concern. Yesterday we hiked about 8 miles or so in the morning, until we got to the red carpet cache. It was nice, with a picnic table and a cabinet full of gallon jugs of water, lots were full. We took what we needed, ate lunch and napped for a bit. Our pal Shutterburst came through and we chatted for a bit before he took off to climb up and over the next set of mountains. We slowly got ready and finally left the cache at 2:30, with the plan of making it to Sawmill campground, 14 miles away (22.5km). It was HOT, and we were climbing, and despite having been fully hydrated and taken a bunch of water to go, we couldn't keep up with what we were losing. It was unrelenting hot, minimal wind and less shade. We walked and walked and tried to distract ourselves with music. We took a spontaneous break. Threw our packs off and sat down with our umbrellas. Shutterburst came barreling through. We got ahead of him because he pulled off for a rest somewhere. A quick confirmation that we were all feeling the same way and he was on his way. About 100 feet up the trail he turned and asked if I had a trail name yet. I said nope. He asked what I thought of 'Mr. C', like Mr. T (because of my new Mohawk) but since I'm from Canada, Mr. C is more appropriate. I said right on that sounds great and so it is. Mr. C. Though Julia will still call me Boozen or Bizzy or Bizzard if I'm in trouble. Break time was over and we knew this next stretch would make or break us. It was around dinner time, though because of the heat, neither of us felt much like cooking up a hot dinner, so we walked. We walked and walked and became more tired and dehydrated, both running low on water. We were becoming a bit cranky too. We just wanted to get to where we were going. The first goal was to get to the next reliable water source. A cement tank about 2 miles before where we wanted to camp. It seemed to take forever to get there. That's the thing about the PCT, you always think you're closer than you are. We finally dumped out onto this jeep road at about 7PM and I went to pull out my instructions on where exactly this water tank was. Shutterburst had just arrived and so he called down to us and told us how to get up there, but he warned us that there was a dead mouse in the tank. 'We'll take it!' I replied and we hurried up for some delicious rat water. With some careful scooping and thorough filtering, it wasn't half bad. We had dinner, mashed potatoes, and decided that we weren't going anywhere. Shutterburst also decide to stay and so we all set up camp and passed the heck out!
This morning we LOADED up on water, about 5+ litres each to carry plus what we drank before leaving. It was going to be a long day. We left before Shutterburst and headed towards goal number one for the day. The mile 500 marker. By the time we got there, maybe 7:30 or so, it was already boiling hot. We took photos, bug nets on because every type of fly on earth was trying to eat us. The next few miles were all climbing, and in one uphill, Shutterburst blew by us. The man can walk a hill like we can the flats. We found him shortly after taking a break at around mile 505, and so we joined him, naturally. From here we would focus on getting to our spot for lunch. We decided that we'd find a good spot under a tree and pitch the tent and have lunch inside so that we could avoid the bugs. It was so uncomfortable. Heat and bugs and no relief from either, for hours. The best thing to do is keep moving. We did for a while and eventually found a suitable spot for lunch. As planned, we put up the tent in record time and jumped in. Nutella and shredded coconut wraps, and warm water. We passed out for about 20 minutes but were awoken by some hikers that walked by and couldn't fall back asleep because it was now hot in the tent. We packed up quick and started a massive decent. Well, the bugs disappeared but it got hotter, and we got lower on water. We finally hit the floor of the descent, and from there it was just rolling terrain. In any other circumstances it would be a nice walk, but today it sucked. All you want is to be there, but the PCT can be a cruel bitch. Every time you think you may be heading for the final stretch t your destination, you round a corner and head up and away from where you want to be heading. That's so tough to deal with when you are absolutely spent mentally and physically, out of water and getting a bit delusional. It felt like we were getting closer to Hikertown, we had to be. We rounded a corner a dropped down to a dirt road that lead up to the highway where Hikertown supposedly was. That road went forever. We were both exhausted, having walked over 4 hours straight through the middle of the day to get there. We went through a gate and there was a small cache of water. We picked up a jug, poured some into one of our containers and chugged. The water was HOT, but it was wet. Hikertown was finally in view and only a few hundred feet away so we bolted over to it. Upon arrival, we saw Soren and Justin packing up outside one if the buildings so we ran over to say hi and get the scoop on this place. They had ice! And water. And so generously shared. Best part of the day bar none. Once we came to our senses, we decided to stay the night and the leave tomorrow evening and hike through the night to avoid the heat. It's 17 miles of exposed, hot walking along the LA aquaduct to get to Cottonwood creek where there is a bridge and a water cache. we'll hide there for most of the day and then night hike again the rest if the way. I managed to get a ride with a few other hikers up to a local convenience store and bought ice cream bars, Gatorade, an avocado and a bag of ice.
What. A. Day.
The past two days have been, by far, our most, uh challenging. They've been god awful hot and the bugs have been relentless. Like I'm talking a heat that I've never before experienced, let alone HIKED in!! We are truly in desert now. Nights are coolish, but it gets hot QUICK in the mornings. I'm talking 7AM and I've got sweat dripping off me. Not only that, but water sources are so much more scarce out here that it becomes a legitimate concern. Yesterday we hiked about 8 miles or so in the morning, until we got to the red carpet cache. It was nice, with a picnic table and a cabinet full of gallon jugs of water, lots were full. We took what we needed, ate lunch and napped for a bit. Our pal Shutterburst came through and we chatted for a bit before he took off to climb up and over the next set of mountains. We slowly got ready and finally left the cache at 2:30, with the plan of making it to Sawmill campground, 14 miles away (22.5km). It was HOT, and we were climbing, and despite having been fully hydrated and taken a bunch of water to go, we couldn't keep up with what we were losing. It was unrelenting hot, minimal wind and less shade. We walked and walked and tried to distract ourselves with music. We took a spontaneous break. Threw our packs off and sat down with our umbrellas. Shutterburst came barreling through. We got ahead of him because he pulled off for a rest somewhere. A quick confirmation that we were all feeling the same way and he was on his way. About 100 feet up the trail he turned and asked if I had a trail name yet. I said nope. He asked what I thought of 'Mr. C', like Mr. T (because of my new Mohawk) but since I'm from Canada, Mr. C is more appropriate. I said right on that sounds great and so it is. Mr. C. Though Julia will still call me Boozen or Bizzy or Bizzard if I'm in trouble. Break time was over and we knew this next stretch would make or break us. It was around dinner time, though because of the heat, neither of us felt much like cooking up a hot dinner, so we walked. We walked and walked and became more tired and dehydrated, both running low on water. We were becoming a bit cranky too. We just wanted to get to where we were going. The first goal was to get to the next reliable water source. A cement tank about 2 miles before where we wanted to camp. It seemed to take forever to get there. That's the thing about the PCT, you always think you're closer than you are. We finally dumped out onto this jeep road at about 7PM and I went to pull out my instructions on where exactly this water tank was. Shutterburst had just arrived and so he called down to us and told us how to get up there, but he warned us that there was a dead mouse in the tank. 'We'll take it!' I replied and we hurried up for some delicious rat water. With some careful scooping and thorough filtering, it wasn't half bad. We had dinner, mashed potatoes, and decided that we weren't going anywhere. Shutterburst also decide to stay and so we all set up camp and passed the heck out!
This morning we LOADED up on water, about 5+ litres each to carry plus what we drank before leaving. It was going to be a long day. We left before Shutterburst and headed towards goal number one for the day. The mile 500 marker. By the time we got there, maybe 7:30 or so, it was already boiling hot. We took photos, bug nets on because every type of fly on earth was trying to eat us. The next few miles were all climbing, and in one uphill, Shutterburst blew by us. The man can walk a hill like we can the flats. We found him shortly after taking a break at around mile 505, and so we joined him, naturally. From here we would focus on getting to our spot for lunch. We decided that we'd find a good spot under a tree and pitch the tent and have lunch inside so that we could avoid the bugs. It was so uncomfortable. Heat and bugs and no relief from either, for hours. The best thing to do is keep moving. We did for a while and eventually found a suitable spot for lunch. As planned, we put up the tent in record time and jumped in. Nutella and shredded coconut wraps, and warm water. We passed out for about 20 minutes but were awoken by some hikers that walked by and couldn't fall back asleep because it was now hot in the tent. We packed up quick and started a massive decent. Well, the bugs disappeared but it got hotter, and we got lower on water. We finally hit the floor of the descent, and from there it was just rolling terrain. In any other circumstances it would be a nice walk, but today it sucked. All you want is to be there, but the PCT can be a cruel bitch. Every time you think you may be heading for the final stretch t your destination, you round a corner and head up and away from where you want to be heading. That's so tough to deal with when you are absolutely spent mentally and physically, out of water and getting a bit delusional. It felt like we were getting closer to Hikertown, we had to be. We rounded a corner a dropped down to a dirt road that lead up to the highway where Hikertown supposedly was. That road went forever. We were both exhausted, having walked over 4 hours straight through the middle of the day to get there. We went through a gate and there was a small cache of water. We picked up a jug, poured some into one of our containers and chugged. The water was HOT, but it was wet. Hikertown was finally in view and only a few hundred feet away so we bolted over to it. Upon arrival, we saw Soren and Justin packing up outside one if the buildings so we ran over to say hi and get the scoop on this place. They had ice! And water. And so generously shared. Best part of the day bar none. Once we came to our senses, we decided to stay the night and the leave tomorrow evening and hike through the night to avoid the heat. It's 17 miles of exposed, hot walking along the LA aquaduct to get to Cottonwood creek where there is a bridge and a water cache. we'll hide there for most of the day and then night hike again the rest if the way. I managed to get a ride with a few other hikers up to a local convenience store and bought ice cream bars, Gatorade, an avocado and a bag of ice.
What. A. Day.
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