Tuesday, May 3, 2011

May 2, 2011

May 2, 2011

Alright, now first things first. You know how I've said how great the weather has been? Well last night mother nature decided to show us thru-hikers who is in control. As soon as it got dark and I was laying my head down to relax and possibly fall asleep, a moderate wind picked up which could be heard whistling through the trees overhead, and moments later felt as it shook my tent. That was all well and good, and I think actually did get some sleep off and on through the night, but the real bugger of it came at 2am when one of of tent stakes came out of the ground leaving the tent falling on my head. At just about the same time that I started to rustle around to try to open the door so I could fix my tent, I heard Ethan say, "how's it goin' in there Alex?" I stumbled out of my tent and we exchanged some words regarding the lovely change in weather we were having. Then we shook it off and tried to get some sleep until our planned departure at 7:30.

After the restless night we were able to make it out to the trail at 7:30, and despite the rough wind, which continues through the rest of the day, we were both in good spirits. We hiked for about 4 hours in the morning with a few breaks thrown in. During that time we met and talked with a lot of other hikers who had experienced the same restless night we had. Someone also gave us the news that Osama Bun Laden had been killed the previous day. It's amazing how fast news travels, even when you feel you are a world away from civilization.

Again we took a siesta at the G.A.T.R. Spigot so we could load up on water for the next 9 miles to the next reliable water source.

After our break, Ethan decided he needed to back off a bit to make sure the soreness he was feeling in his leg didn't get any worse; hopefully we will meet up again at Warner Springs or Idyllwild. I pressed on and powered through the next 4 miles until I came around the corner of the trail to discover someone laying in the middle of the trail on their backpack, apparently taking a break. It seemed odd to me, so as I approached I asked if she was doing OK. As I got closer I realized she was having a seizure. I quickly took off my pack and shouted back to Dutch, who I had just passed to come help me. We held her head still and shaded her until it passed. Another hiker who she had been hiking with came up and we all stayed with her until she was feeling better and started walking again. What a scary moment.

After that bit of excitement I continued on the next 4.5 miles to Oriflamme Canyon, which brought with it water and a respite from the wind. Finally! Erin, Kylie, Wiz, and many others stopped there for a while to take a break, talk, prepare dinner, and get more water before heading up the trail another couple miles to find a suitable campsite, which we were able to do just past the Sunrise Trailhead junction.

Here's hoping for a better nights sleep!

1 comment:

  1. my gosh, alex, its only three days into your hike! What is next! By the way, how many miles will you have to average a day?

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