Mile 266 - 18 trail miles, 2.3 wandering milesWith snow in the forecast we headed out of Big Bear. The first day on trail after any kind of stop is always a bit sluggish and this day was clearly one of those days. Ten miles into our day the snow started falling. It was beautiful! Small flakes gently falling through the trees. I am sure the grin on my face was as if I was ten years old with the ...
Great Friends, Loving Dogs, and the Big Bear Vortex
Mile 253 - 13 trail miles, 1 wandering mileWe woke up early to the smell and sight of beautiful pines. Today was especially exciting as our friends Missy and Dana were meeting us in Big Bear and bringing Butterfly's two dogs. We are very lucky to have two friends willing to watch the dogs for five months! Bringing them to Big Bear for a visit is over the top! Thank you Missy and Dana! Our ...
Bears! Sadly Not Wild…
Mile 235 - 18 trail milesWe started our day hiking four miles to water, the next 17 miles are dry... Most days we are alone on the trail until we find epic shade or water. Here we had both! We were both dragging, dragging, dragging this morning. Not until after first lunch did I seem to get any decent momentum.Heading to the animals... I don't know much about the animals other than they are ...
Oh $&@% I Just Walked Through Poodle Dog Bush
Mile 218 - 17 trail miles, 1 wandering mileWe spent the night at Whitewater Preserve which was an old trout farm and is now a privately funded preserve. The gentle sounds of flowing water entertained us all evening. After hours of walking on the trail my bare legs brushed two plants side by side and it dawned on me how much they looked like Poodle Dog Bush... After a few minutes of panic I ...
What a difference a day makes!
Mile 206 - 13 trail miles, 2.2 wandering miles Waking up on the desert floor looking up at San Jacinto Peak which we spent all of yesterday coming down was gratifying to say the least. We have five miles of flat desert to walk which includes hiking under the 10 freeway before we start climbing San Gorgonio Wilderness. It still seems odd to be once again amongst the cactus and desert sand. The ...
Pines, Snow, and Ice to Cactus, Sand, and Rattlesnakes on the PCT
Mile 187 - 19 trail miles, 2 wandering milesThe tent was making eerie sounds as the wind pounded the side forcing it to lean and stretch pulling the poles from one extreme to the next. Let's wait 30 more minutes and see if it calms down. After another hour it was time to move.With all of our warm gear on with as much packed as possible we quickly had the tent down and packed. It was ...
Did Someone Order A Trail Slushy?
Mile 179.4 - 8 trail miles, 5 wandering miles After three days off I was ready to hit the trail again! Stopping at the post office we picked up our first General Delivery resupply box. The Idyllwild Post Office has this process down! I think this may have been my best post office experience to date. Walking in five minutes after they opened I was greeted, waited for a few minutes in line, ...