May 10, 2011

Our group got out of the campground and headed over to one of the cabins where some other hikers were staying and Drop Dead had promised us buttermilk pancakes and hot coffee. Definitely worth it, even though we didn't make it out to the trail until 10:00 after getting a ride from the staff at the Idyllwild Inn.

We made the trek up Devils Slide trail to Saddle Junction and rejoined the PCT. Instead of doing the regular PCT route, we took an alternate route that led us up and over Mt San Jacinto. The view from the top was gorgeous! We got some great photos wielding an ice axe, which was totally unnecessary.

Annie had a GPS with her so we were able to boot ski down the side of the hill in the general direction of the trail until it rejoined the PCT. That was definitely the highlight of the day! The plan for the rest of the day was then to hike another few miles to Fuller Ridge CG and go over and down the rest of the ridge the following day. Those next miles went by somewhat slowly since there were still some patches of snow we had to traverse and a couple of smalle creeks to jump or rock hop across, but overall it was nothing too difficult. Just as we were getting to the end of the snow, we came down a gentle grade and through the trees we could see the campground, other hikers, and fire in the fire pits! The first time having a fire on the PCT, and after walking through the snow and finishing the day with soaking wet feet and the temperature right around 40F, it was a beautiful sight!

While we were hanung out around the fire and cooking up dinner one of the hikers told us that we had just gone over the treacherous part of Fuller Ridge. We looked at each other and had to laugh a little because all the reports we had heard to date seemed to be way over exaggerated. I guess that's better than being underprepared and surprised though!

Tomorrow we drop from 7800' to 2000' and back into the desert. Sunshine here we come!

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May 11, 2011

May 11, 2011

Start mile: 190
End mile: 206

Bit of a slow start for the group today as we hit the trail at 8:00. The difference between the snowy wonderland of Mt San Jacinto and Fuller Ridge the day before, and the lack if snow today was quite interesting and seemed a sudden change. We started down the rest of the ridge and were on pace to make it to the next water source at mile 205.5 by 1:00pm.

At about 10:40am we came across a female hiker named Quixote who was taking a break along the side of the trail. We exchanged the usual pleasantries of "how are you doing?" and found out that she had come down with what sounded like food poisoning, but could also have been giardia or something similar. She said she had been sick to her stomach with diarrhea and vomiting since 7:00am this morning, someone she was hiking with was carrying her pack down, and she would be fine and she would continue on. The others she was hiking with had gone on ahead and were going to get water at the next source ~7.5 miles down the trail. Sometime during this exchange Quixote had another bout of vommiting and Annie decided then that she would hike behind her until we made it to the bottom. We caught up with Mudflap shortly thereafter carrying Quixote's pack. Mudflap and Speedbump took turns carrying the pack until they made it down to the bottom.

The rest of us (Annie, Wiz, Kylie, and I) hung around with Quixote trying to get her to keep sipping water/Gatorade so she wouldn't get dehydrated. We made it about 2 miles further down the trail taking breaks every so often to rest, or sometimes for another round of heaving.

At about 12:30 we stopped to take a break, which would end up being the last break spot we would take. Quixote was feeling much worse at this point, could not keep anything down, and after a while said she didn't think she could walk any further down the trail. During this stop we were able to get her dad on the phone, who also happened to be a physician. We told him about what was going on and got some advice about what to do, which boiled down to: keep her sipping on Gatorade until she can keep it down, and get her down the trail and to a doctor as soon as possible.

Based on how things were going, at about 1:10 Annie and Wiz started making calls to the local police and search and rescue folks to get help getting Quixote off the mountain and to a hospital. After getting information about how Quixote (Sarah) was doing, they started getting together a ground team and a helicopter to see which would be the quickest way to get her down. Over the next 3:30 hours we did our best to make sure Sarah was as comfortable as possible and that she kept sipping Gatorade.

Helicopters finally started flying up to look for us at about 3:45. We were able to signal them with our brightly colored clothing and gear and they hovered close for awhile before moving off and announcing that they would be back in about 20-30 minutes and not to move, which we had no intention of doing. Around the same time, Sarah emptied her stomach of Gatorade again and was laying in misery next to the trail. About 10 minutes later she started sipping Gatorade again and was soon starting to feel better.

When the helicopter returned, it hovered near the hillside where we were located, and an S&R member hopped down onto a rocky ledge near us. He made his way over, explained how Sarah and him were going to get back into the helicopter, and then signaled the helicopter to come back. Five minutes later it was all over and they flew off down the mountain toward the hospital.

We packed up our gear and hiked down to the bottom, still in disbelief at the events that had occurred today. What a crazy adventure the first 200 miles of the PCT have been. Although I do like excitement, I hope that thi is the first and last time I have to be involved with search and rescue in any way on this trip.

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May 9, 2011

Zero day in Idyllwild today. Ate a lot of food and wandered around. Still overcast and cold, but hopefully it will be clearing off tonight to make going over Fuller Ridge a little easier tomorrow.

Camping at the state campground tonight and it is starting to rain. Fantastic.

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May 8, 2011

Start mile: ~155
End mile: 178.9

Today started much the same as any other. Wiz, Kylie, and I got up and on the trail by 6:30, with a hearty breakfast of pop tarts, trail mix, and energy bars. About 2 miles up the trail Wiz and I came to a switchback, that turned to the right, or a gate in front of us that led fairly straight ahead. I was following behind Wiz at this point as he turned right, up the switchback. I thought to myself that the trail was going the wrong direction, but the swiftness with which the decision was made led me to believe that I was mistaken. After about 30 minutes down what we thought was the trail, we stopped and looked at the ground where there were no other footprints or trekking pole marks. We consulted the maps, realized we had just gone 1.5 miles the wrong way, and turned around to get back on track. We would later find out that Kylie, who had stopped to take a picture, saw us going the wrong direction and tried to whistle to get our attention to no avail. Unfortunately for her, she had just put some horse analgesic gel on her sore achilles and still had the remnants on her fingers, so when she used two fingers to whistle she inadvertently numbed up her mouth for the next 30 minutes! To make things even worse, she then tried to call people who had our numbers and left somewhat slurred messages for them. Eventually we did catch back up to Kylie, which was a relief for both her and us.

I should also mention that in addition to adding 3 miles to our day, the weather played quite a factor leading to utter exhaustion as well. As we were just packing up camp at 6:15, Mudflap walked by, made a comment on weather coming in based on the clouds in the valley below where we camped. I thought to myself, it didn't look that bad, but my tune soon changed. About the time we had our little detour, we started to climb up into a more exposed area and experience some fairly good wind. As we climbed higher up the ridge we went through areas where the wind was stronger, and it would knock you to the side a half step when a gust hit you. The weather didn't really turn on us until we were a few miles into the San Jacinto Wilderness. At that point, the trail got much steeper as we climbed above 8000' and the weather more intense. At certain points walking through the clouds it was hard to tell if I was getting wet from a light rain or just the misty air itself, although I think it was a bit of both.

Sometimes the weather would clear a bit and we were able to take a break at Apache Springs to enjoy some lunch and about an hour nap. The clouds that had been thin and wispy when we closed out eyes were now much thicker and blotting out the warmth of the sun, and the wind had picked up. We donned our rain shells and headed out again up the trail and into the elements.

After the break it was a long slow climb, with demoralizing wetness and wind, along with a few patches of snow to slog through, and to top it off we had to walk 2.5 miles down Devils Slide Trail to a trailhead, then another 2 down the road into town in the dark. It was quite a miserable experience, but we did end up getting a ride from a local guy the last 0.5 miles into town. He dripped us off at the pizza place at 8:30pm... It closed at 8:00 on Sundays. So we slung our wet packs over our shoulders and walked to the Idyllwild Inn in the rain to find a room. Lucky for us they had one room left which we took. Once in the room we cranked up the heat and started a fire in the fireplace. Since nothing was open, we resorted to eating leftover food from our food bags, which actually turned out quite nice.

So after 30 miles of walking (not all on the PCT), I am taking a Zero day tomorrow to recuperate and wait for improved weather to go over Fuller Ridge. Sleep, food, and warmth are good things.

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May 7, 2011

May 7, 2011

Start mile: 131.5
End mile: ~155

Today was kind of a long day, and most definitely a delicious one. We woke up early and were on the trail by 6am. We powered through the miles pretty quickly, taking minimal breaks, so we could make it to Paradise Cafe in time for lunch. Wiz and I made it to the Pines to Palms Hwy (74) at 1pm. And to our surprise two trail angels had canopies set up and had water, Gatorade, light beer, Newcastle Brown Ale, and tequila as options. Not wanting to be rude, I indulged in a Newcastle. After drinking the delicious brew and hanging out with other hikers and the trail angels Boomer and Doctor Sole, we walked one mile down the highway to Paradise Cafe and had a large and delicious lunch.

I sat with Wiz, Mudflap, Eric, and the shotgun sisters Molly and Maddy. Kylie and Speed Bump arrived a bit later and joined us as well. Also at the cafe at the same time were Sam and Ben, Redneck, Spot, and a few other hikers. Mudflap, Wiz and I all ordered the Mother Lode burger, which had 1lb of beef, lettuce, onion, pickles, cheese, bacon, and avocado along with sweet potato fries. It couldn't have been a more beautiful sight and we had no problems polishing them off. Kylie ordered the Jose burger which was a smaller version of the mother lode that also had jalepenos. We could have all fallen asleep at the table after downing the burgers, but we eventually got up and waddled back to where the trail angels were set up.

Once there, we sat back down in the shade and hung out with a few more hikers. At around 5, Doctor Sole started taking about making carne asada burritos for dinner so we decided we needed to stick around for that before we headed out to get a few more miles in, making the hike into Idyllwild tomorrow a little shorter. Nitro from the PCTA also showed up not too long before we left and hung out with the angels and us. Just as we were saying our goodbyes and thanking them for everything, the next, of what I assume would be a group of hikers, showed up. Which was nice because otherwise we would have been the last hikers to leave.

On a side note, it's interesting out here how normal it is to sleep outside under the stars, or share a hotel room with people who are basically strangers that you may have met only a day or two before. An entire community of those who have put the outside world on hold so they can take time to do something that makes them extremely happy. Everyone out here has their own reasons for setting off on this journey, and come from backgrounds as different as you can imagine. You could quite literally be hiking with a millionaire businessman one day and someone who is unemployed and can't find a job in this economy the next. It is a beautiful thing that everyone is equal out here, and people are more impressed by the number of miles you did that day, than they are by the number in your bank account. It just seems right.

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May 6, 2011

May 6, 2011

Last night was the most restful night I have had yet on the trail. I decided to cowboy camp again and it was fantastic. One of the nicest parts about cowboy camping is not having to spend the extra time setting up and taking down the tent... The view of the stars is pretty nice too I guess. (salt in the wound for all you up in the NW with clouds and rain)

In the morning we were on the trail just after 7 and hiked through some quasi-forested areas as well as some exposed areas with large white/orange/pink granite stones littering the sandy landscape with wild flowers and chaparral interspersed between; it was quite a beautiful scene.

Speed Bump, Kylie, Wiz and I made it to Mike Herrera's house right about noon and proceeded to enjoy cold drinks, shade, and the two hammocks. Other hikers hanging out at Mike's included Ben, Sam, Drop Dead, Barney, Jim and Dona, Pine, and a few others. It amazes me the wide range of ages of those who hike the trail. Sunshine, 11, aims to be the youngest thruhiker (she's hiking with her dad); Rory, 18, aims to be the youngest solo thruhiker; and Jim and Dona are 65.

There was also a trail crew from PCTA working to clear overgrown vegetation from the trail just north of where we were. Thank you trail crews!

Mike was not there, but he had a caretaker to watch over the place, as well as his uncle Tommy and brother Art. Things got a little bit sketchy when Art and Mario (caretaker) returned from the store with two cases of Budweiser for their own consumption. We had heard earlier in the week there was an incident where Mario was belligerent and wielding a knife threatening to stab a couple hikers. Because of this incident Mike returned, removed the beer from the premises, and had his uncle Tommy keep an eye on things for the weekend. Unfortunately that didn't seem to help the situation because as we were leaving at 7:00pm both Mario and Tommy were pretty drunk as evidenced by their slurred speech. So although the chicken was delicious, it was not somewhere we wanted to stay for the night. We made it about 5 miles down the trail and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on a ridge overlooking the valley (and possibly Temecula?)

Cowboy camping again tonight and the stars are incredible. Tomorrow we will get up at 5am to hike the 20 miles in order to get to Paradise Cafe in time for lunch and their famous Jose burger! (If you haven't noticed by now, pretty much everything revolves around food or water). We might even stay for dinner too!

Also, if some if the names seem strange it is because many people take in trail names, which usually have a funny or embarrassing anecdote to go along with them. I have yet to earn a trail name, but I'm sure I'll do something to deserve one soon enough :)

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May 5, 2011

May 5, 2011

Today was a great Nero day. A Nero is a day when you do hike, but very few miles. The group of us staying in a room together were all able to get a hot meal for breakfast and relax at the resort most of the day. Although we had to check out of our room by 2:00pm, they said we were welcome to continue hanging out until the hot springs closed at 10:00pm. We took them up on their generous offer and sat around the pool sharing a half-gallon of ice cream, cool ranch flavored munchies, and a few other snacks, all washed down with some cold refreshing beer. Other hikers that arrived today were also enjoying the resort and it grew into quite a fun gathering around the hot pool. At about 6:00pm the five of us started to contemplate the idea of leaving and hiking a few miles, or staying another night at Warner Springs. Annie, as well as hikers that had arrived earlier in the day, were campaigning for us to stay another night, but the rest of us were leery of getting sucked into the world of zero days (zero day is when you don't hike at all for a day) which can be a dangerous precedent to set, particularly so early along the trail. Annie ended up deciding to stay, but Speed Bump, Wiz, Kylie, and I all headed out a little after 7 and hiked a few miles before finding a camping spot along Agua Caliente Creek.

Tomorrow we will press on about 14 miles to a trail angels house (Mike Herrera) and enjoy what is rumored to be the best barbecue chicken along the trail! I'm looking forward to another easy day tomorrow, and of course the food and hanging out with more hikers!

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May 5, 2011

May 4, 2011

We (Wiz, Annie, Kylie, Speed Bump, and I) woke up early today at about 5:45, slowly got packed up and going between 6:30 and 7:00. It was still fairly cool outside, but warmer than the previous day, so we wanted to get to the water cache at 3rd gate early so we could fill up on water and move on toward San Ysidiro, the next best source for water. The ~5 miles from out camp to 3rd gate was relatively easy and cool hiking. We got to the cache just after 8 and drank our fill and filled our bottles. After a short break we were on the trail again to traverse 14 miles to San Ysidro Creek. The sun was glaring down and there was little breeze to cool off.

We strolled into Barrel Springs (reportedly infested with dead rats in the past) at 12:45 with the intention to fix up some lunch and then move on to better water. To our surprise there was a sign on the tree bear the spring that read "free beer", so naturally we headed on over to check it out. It turned out that there was a group of trail angels setting up an entire spread of food that was to be ready in a few hours. Since we had already put in about 15-16 miles for the day, we decided that a nice break under the canopies they set up, enjoying cold water, Gatorade, and beer wouldn't be a bad way to spend the afternoon until chili dogs were ready. While sitting there and chatting they brought out chips and salsa and fresh oranges, but it didn't stop there. A steady stream of food came steaming out of their vehicles including hot dogs, chili dogs, pasta salad with veggies, pineapple, strawberries, mango, watermelon, crackers, salami, and cookies. Needless to say we were there a while and even had a bit of a nap. I love trail angels!

We finally made it back to the trail at 6:00pm and started on our way to Eagle Rock and then Warner Springs, where a pool fed by hot springs was waiting for us! We got to Eagle Rock just as the sun was setting and got some great pictures. Then pressed on into the dark and onto Warner Springs. We reached Warner Springs at 9:00, immediately got a room, and jumped into the hot springs for a bit before they closed at 10:00. What an amazing treat after a 25 mile day!

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May 3, 2011

May 3, 2011

Woke up today about 6:45 and was on the trail by 7:30. Fueled by a breakfast of pop-tarts and some water, I set off to tackle the 8.5 miles to Rodriguez spur road and the next water source. I caught up and passed Dumptruck and Squatter in the first couple miles and then Crumbs not too long after that. I hiked and talked with Crumbs for a mile or two and then sped off to the water. I got to the water hole about 10:00, where a number of hikers were gathered, and found myself a spot to do the usual routine of sit down, get my fill of water, have a bite to eat, and air out my feet. Some of the hikers at the water hole included Erin, Nick, Balls, Sunshine, Melanie, Kylie, Wiz, Ben, and Sam, as well as others.

After about an hour break, I set off again with two liters of water for the next 8.5 miles to the next water at Scissors Crossing where there is usually a cache of water, unless it has been emptied by other thru-hikers. I hiked the first half of this stretch alone before I caught up with Erin and Nick who had left Rodriguez spur about 30 min before me. The second half I hiked and talked with Erin.

When we arrived at Scissors Crossing we were surprises by not one, but two helpings of trail magic! The first was a styrofoam cooler of sports drinks and corona which had just been dropped off by Trooper, a trail angel who hiked the trail last year, and also many gallons of water. I took a sports drink and enjoyed its sugary goodness while relaxing in the shade of a juniper. The second helping of trail magic occurred when Sugar Momma drove up with a box of fresh oranges and grapefruit! Those of us there each enjoyed the fresh fruit, as it was something none of us were carrying with us. During the 2.5 hours I sat at the water cache, I drank a lot of water and enjoyed hanging out with a similar group of hikers that were at Rodriguez spur.

At 4:30 a group of us (Kylie, Wiz, Annie, Speed Bump, and I) took off to tackle the climb out of the valley where the roads at Scissors Crossing converged. The climb was long and hot, but we managed to make about 8 more miles before finding a nice big camping area at the top of the ridge around 7:30. along the way we also picked up Mr. F-ing Gentle Spirit and the six of us cowboy camped under the stars. In addition to checking out the constellations, I saw an awesome orange-tinted shooting star that streaked it's way across 1/4 of the sky before the comet broke into smaller pieces and faded to black again. It was one of the coolest I have ever witnessed.

Also of note I saw three snakes today. The first was a small black snake that raced across the trail (I'm assuming a racer snake), the second was a fatter and slower black snake with a green tint to it, and the third was a rattlesnake which was hiding in a bush just off the side of the trail.

I am camped at about mile 85/86 so tomorrow I may try to make it to Warner Springs (mile 110), but I'll see how I feel tomorrow after putting in my biggest mileage day yet, and most miles in a three-day stretch.

I love my life!

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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!