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 ...
PCT Southern California
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, ...
15 Painful Miles to Paradise
Mile 138.2, 15 trail miles 1 wandering mileAfter hearing the first hiker walk by (benefits of sleeping almost on the trail) we started packing up to get an early start. With only 15 miles we were motivated to arrive at Paradise Cafe and looked forward to a few days off which my achilles clearly wanted. Every step after the first mile was potentially painful. My achilles would send shooting pains ...
Hiking to Paradise
Mile 115 - 23 hiking miles, 1.2 wandering miles A soft flowing stream, birds singing in the background, a cool crisp to the air. I woke up this morning dreaming and then realized I was not dreaming at all. This is my morning reality... The sounds of nature all around me. Our campsite today was on the soft sand next to Aqua Caliente Creek. Sleeping on sand is heavenly when it comes to trail ...