PCT Trail Report:
After heading out of the Saufley's the next 300 miles of desert section is the part that really clouds the whole 700 miles of Southern California. These 300 miles before the Sierra Nevada mountains make you think that the whole entire first bit of the PCT in the desert just blows. I had to keep reminding myself that I really did enjoy the first 400 miles of trail. So, off from the heavenly bliss of the Saufley's house me and my hiking crew headed off into the hot blazin' sun. So hot in fact that a forest fire started that same day. In the first shady batch we got to that day where there was a cache of water and apparently beer an hour before we showed up, we were yelled at by a fellow hiker to get the hell up and get out since there was smoke and flames in the distance. Despite the fact that it was the heat of the day, the fire was exactly due north where we were heading and i had really bad inner thigh chafe action, we got the hell out of there to the road. Pretty amazing how fast you can hike when survival mode kicks in. The fire actually ended up raging on for a couple of days, a perfect excuse to hang out in the vortex of the popular Trail Angels house of Terry Anderson. The Andersons own a house in the middle of greenvalley no-where town and let hikers sleep in their expansive backyard of manzanita groves and chill on their couches in their front yard drinking endless amounts of cheap beer and eating piles of Anderson's famous taco salad. Anderson herself is a riot too. She is a large and in charge women who doesn't give a shit what the firemen say, moons you multiple times to get a good smile for the camera, and hangs barbies and random yard sale crap all around. You got to have a personality like hers to let hiker trash roll through every day for months each year. The sign above her garage says, "hippie childcare". Just the place to be while the fire was doing its thing. The fire ended up closing down the trail for 40 miles and re-routing us through 30 miles of road walking. Since road walking just absolutely sucks, the majority of the crew opted for the Andersons to drive us around the fire to the next stop at this place called Hikertown. I felt kinda bad about not walking those 30 miles on road and being an absolute thru hiker purest. But that feeling only lasted about a minute when I remembered that this section is hot and dry and ugly as hell.
Hikertown is another random PCT stopover. Word on the trail is that a wealthy dude from LA bought out all these old looking western style buildings for a porn set and then decided to host hikers in them. Interesting...
After Hikertown things for me started to get real serious. Sort of like boot camp, army stuff, sleep deprived, head down and charging kinda hiking. left that night from Hikertown at 8pm, hiked 17 miles along the LA aguaduct (a straight unshaded boring dirt road section where you follow water the whole way but you are not legally allowed to access it), slept 2.5 hours, woke up and walked another 24 miles. Was actually pretty cool hiking at night with the fire flames in the distance raging on. The next two weeks were then spent through days of Americas largest wind turbine field, road detours around the endangered yellow legged frog, burned out forests, and miles dodging the rash inducing poodle dog bush. Poodle dog bush is a plant that grows after a fire in exposed areas, looks and smells just like marijuana, and is insanely furry and tempting to touch but gives you a nasty rash. Even though I spent ours going 1 mile per hour trying to dodge this annoying overgrown plant, it was pretty much impossible to not touch it at least once. However, no one I know has actually contracted the rash and now we are all convinced it is just a governmental scheme to make us avoid picking the nugs off o this sub-class of marijuana plant that the feds are selling on the side to raise money for war on drugs.
Head down, my broken umbrella up and inside out from wind storms, sweat dripping from even my knee caps I raged through the mojave desert and miles of shadeless joshua trees. This was hands down the hardest and most uncomfortable backpacking I have ever done. I had to learn how to adapt to this new environment and really take care of my body in a place that is really not meant for much life (although rattlesnakes and lizards seem to do great out there). I carried pounds more of water, hiked early in the morning to a mid day water spot to try to siesta, and then hiked super late at night. I got very comfortable hiking at night and seeing the scorpions, bats, and black widows come out. To cheer myself up I thought a lot about how I was going to shave off pounds of gear and re-worded the Sound of Music Song "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things". I started pulling days of 28, 29, 25, 26 mile days to just get the hell to the beginning of the Sierra mountains. Despite all the heat, sweat, and lack of sleep some of the most beautiful moments happened out there. I arrived to Walker Pass road junction at 11pm at night and there was trail magic waiting up for us. Yogi, a women who has thru hiked the PCT multiple times and writes one of the most popular guide books, stayed up for us and re-heated pasta, gave us beer and soda, bread and butter, and cooked us all pancakes in the morning. I cried when I saw her it was so magical. There was also amazing micro-brew beer cooling down in this little stream crossing one day and water supplied by a 76 year old women at two very crucial places. The love and support out there in the desert is so beautiful and makes the hardest days ones I will remember forever.
Note: Eating while hiking is hilarious. No one can eat, breathe, hike up hill, and do it gracefully. The other day I ate a snickers bar in under 30 seconds I was so in need of calories. Almost choked on beef jerky once too.
Now I sit writing this with the hardest part of the PCT behind me. The desert, where the lorax trees grow and rattlesnakes roam, and environments really not fit for human life (despite all the millions of LA people thriving off of water rerouted from Northern Cali and Colorado) is long behind me. I arrived to Kennedy Meadows, the beginning of the Sierra mountains, with tears in my eyes. Tom, a large bearded friendly man who only wears overalls, lives in Kennedy Meadows and has a bunch of RVs with beds, internet that never really works, and a projector to watch movies at night (we watched Die Hard until the projector overheated about ten times and we gave up). There is a general store to buy your energy drinks and beer and a mini restaurant to make your burgers and pancakes. Hikers everywhere laying out over couches, sharing stories on the deck, soaking blistered feet, taking showers (when the water decides to turn on), and refueling for the start of the high elevation mountain passes.
A couple of days before Kennedy Meadows I caught up to the large pack of people in front of me on the trail. I knew there was a really big crew of hikers all clumped together a few days in front of me for the first month or so. It was a bit of a culture shock to see so many people and meet all these new hikers becuase I was really liking the small crew that was surrounding me earlier. Everyone though is amazing, super friendly, interesting to chat with, from all walks of life. I have now hiked a little faster than this main group and am a little in front. It is really interesting the ebb and flow of all the people out here. To think that there are a thousand people out on the same exact trail, but all having slightly different experiences. Just depending on where you are and who you are with at the time the entire journey can be different for someone. You could hike for days and be 5 miles behind a group of hikers and never meet them. So many different ways to be out in nature and to backpack. Everyone does this trip slightly different. As the phrase goes out on the trail, "you got to hike your own hike".
So, for the beautiful and epicly amazing sierras!!! I am in the creme of the crop right now. Water is everywhere, high mountain lakes and rivers raging with water. Shade and pine trees, moon-like granite rock views, high elevation passes. After a 20 mile day, Band Leader and Focus (to hiking buddies I have been pacing with) decided to just keep going and summit Mt. Whitney that same day for sunset. Despite the fact that there were some annoying and irresponsible day hikers with altitude sickness and no sleeping bags already sleeping in the small hut on top, we smooshed inside the cabin and attempted to sleep at 14,500 feet. With maybe an hours rest we woke up for sunrise and were greeted by all our hiking friends to celebrate on top of the highest point in the continental US. Feeling like a badass, the week got better as I ascended and descended over multiple high Sierra passes. I think my favorite thing are high alpine meadows with streams running through them feeding into a high snow melt lake. backdrop of a large craggy exposed granite peak. nothing better really.
The ESPN Challenge is "Every Sierra Pass Naked". Definitely took part in that one. Also, summer solstice on June 21st was National Hike Naked Day. Took part in that one too. Good times always on the trail.
I have named my backpack Jaws or Jaw Bones. Our relationship has really grown into a full on relationship. It started out as just a simple crush, progressed to the passionate and exciting stage where we were discovering each other fully. Being together now for a while, we have had our fights and moments where I just wanted to break up and scream at him. He was also not very happy when I loaded him down with 8 liters of water weight and a full resupply of food. We got through that though and have figured out how to really communicate and move through the rough patches. I have sewed him up when he has holes, cleaned dirt off of him, and got rid of some extra weight so he feels fresh and happy. Jaws and I have a beautiful relationship, one that will last for months more to come. Since we have spent almost every minute of every day together for the last two months, I can't imagine not being around him.
Jaws and I got picked up from Toulumne Meadows in Yosemite the other day by my sister and her boyfriend. It was soooo great seeing a familiar face, and being gifted home made cookies, fresh summer fruit, and goat cheese. Both her and my parents have been amazing at hooking me up with what I need out here on the trail, sending resupply packages, buying superfood powder for extra protein, crocs for camp shoes, and making me whole made granola for breakfasts. really would not be able to do this trail without the support from home base. I got to spend two days with my sis and Alvin at the Mono hot springs soaking them worn out muscles, eating delicious foods, and strolling into Lyell Canyon to hang out by the river. So relaxing. My sis then dropped my off at Camp Tawonga, my home away from home. I was greeted by so many friends and staff members singing and cheering me in i almost started crying. I have spent the last few days here wandering around NOT hiking, catching up with friends, trying not to distract Zach from being responsible and doing his job he is wonderful at, eating prepared meals, and drinking yummy IPA beer from the Evergreen lodge. It has been a glorious 5 days off the trail. Rested, relaxed, and well fed I am ready to get back to the great outdoors. Canada is calling my name...
Till next time I have internet and time to write. Much love.
