May 7, 2016

Mile 456.6 to Leona Divide Fire Road (mile 469.3)

Miles: 12.7

Laurie woke up anxious this morning. Something about heading back to the trail is unsettling to her.

Perhaps it is change, or leaving the comforts and safety of home for the unknown trail life. She loves being on the trail but quickly becomes accustomed to having a shower and bed at her disposal.

At 9:30am Andy’s friend Tony picked us up and we went somewhere very familiar.

We had forgotten to go to REI on our zero day yesterday to address the sternum strap issue Andy has been having for the past week, so we decided to go today before we hit the trail.

While there, Andy tried on 4 other packs and ended up walking out with the same model as it was the most comfortable for him. It was reassuring to know that he was using the best pack we could find-at least for now.

Around 1pm Tony dropped us off at mile 456.6, where the PCT intersects Petersen Road. We didn’t want to road walk through Agua Dulce and the twisty Agua Dulce Canyon Road to get back onto the trail, so we skipped it.

We don’t mind walking reroutes on other trails and fire roads, but we don’t feel comfortable or safe walking on narrow canyon roads with blind corners.

It felt good to be back on the trail again. Our packs were heavy but our bodies felt good. We had a 2,000 foot climb right out of the gate.

The dark clouds gathered during the climb, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped, but thankfully no rain.

We enjoyed the gradual climb with our heavy packs. Six days of food on this leg. And per usual, we left Andy’s parent’s home with leftovers, which are incredibly delicious but very heavy!

After we crested the mountain we descended to Bouquet Canyon Road. Across the road we came upon our first trail magic of the hike. Thank you to whomever left water, mandarins and cuties under an oak tree. What a great treat!

Refreshed by citrus fruit we climbed yet again. We decided to camp early and ease back into our hike.

Mile 468.2 was where we decided to stop. There are a few flat spots near power lines. We could stretch, Andy thought. And blog. And go to bed early…

“Rats.” Andy remarked 50 ft before we got to the campsites.

“I see tents” said Laurie.

“Yeah” Andy replied on a disappointed tone.

Three people were already set up there with little to no room for more people. 

So we kept walking.

Andy expressed a few minutes later that during the day all of the other hikers feel like comrades, but in the evening, when we start to get closer to camp, they feel like competition.

It’s really amazing the stories and scenarios the mind creates. Scarcity doesn’t exist out here. There’s enough trail and enough campsites for everyone. We just need to continue reminding ourselves of this fact.

Just over one mile later, Andy saw a use trail and decided to see where it led.

A turnout on a dirt road is where.

And this is where we are calling home tonight. Slightly slanted but not overly so.

We enjoyed eating the remainder of the leftovers inside our tent, watching the clouds drift north, hiding the new moon now and again. It’s almost 10pm now. Time for bed!

Tonight we are grateful for loyal friends and beautiful sunsets.

May 6, 2016

We woke up stiff and decided to spend the day stretching and relaxing.

Thunderstorms are predicted for the Agua Dulce area today too, so it’s nice to be out of the rain for a change.

Oh but it is hard resisting the temptation to keep pushing. We both keep asking ourselves why. Why do we feel pressure to keep up with others? Why does it feel wrong to slow down and give our bodies rest? Why do we care where other people are? What are we racing for?

Laurie feels anxiety in her chest when she slows down. But this is why we are here – to enjoy and to step away from the rat race of life. These feelings are what we want to identify, confront and process so that in 5 months when we return to society we keep a sense of peace and serenity amongst the chaos of life and responsibility.

In the meantime we will continue to feel and identify. We talk about our discomfort and reassure one another that this pace is right for us, and in the end, this is all that matters.

We will meet our friends again (we hope) whether on the trail or after. In the meantime we will make new ones – who knows who we will meet tomorrow?

After all, this is the excitement of the trail!

Special thanks to Shushan (Andy’s mom) for the delicious food, Anait (Andy’s aunt) for the foot rubs and Grigor (Andy’s dad) for providing us with everything we need, mailing our resupply packages and keeping us entertained with jokes.

Tonight we are grateful for fresh fruit and yoga mats.

May 5, 2016

North Fork Ranger Station (mile 436.1) to Vasquez Rocks (mile 453.2)

Miles: 17.1

Laurie had a very restless night. The howling wind, the flapping of nearby tent flies and the static from the power lines above woke her up many times. Andy, who uses earplugs, slept soundly.

We were up at 5:40am and walking by 6:45am. We had a goal of hiking 17 miles to Vasquez Rocks by 3pm. We were on a mission for lasagna, salad and showers! It’s Cinco De Mayo but Andy’s mom had promised to make us lasagna, and that’s what we’ve been thinking about all week.

The trail in this section affords great views of the valley and hills beyond. We walked on the right of one hill, then climbed up and walked along the ridge before dropping down on the left of another. This pattern continued for 8 miles; we could see the trail slicing through the surrounding hillsides.

We watched as the clouds rose out of the valley below – playing hide and go seek with the sun.

The Acton KOA was a green oasis in a valley surrounded by brown, dry hillsides. It was our midpoint and water source for the day. Within 1 mile of starting this morning, we could see it down in the valley but the trail frequently took us in the opposite direction.

As Andy reminded Laurie “this is what the PCT does, all these miles count, enjoy them.” Once again the trail reminds us it is not about the destination but the journey.

Laurie likes efficiency. She’s very straightforward and the trail is not. The trail’s wandering ways plus the continued pain in her knee made her a little grumpy.

Grumpy or not we arrived at the KOA around 9:30am. Eight miles in 2 hours and 45 min – not too shabby! We were ahead of schedule and that brought the smile back to Laurie’s face. Being ahead of schedule in Laurie’s mind means she’s winning. And she likes to win.

Getting to the KOA meant we were past the majority of poodle dog bush. And this we were very thankful for!

At 1030 we left the KOA and started walking uphill. The trail was steep at first and then leveled out into long switchbacks. We were back in the dry, arid desert and despite the breeze, it felt hot!

Laurie pulled out her umbrella but Andy still didn’t have a system to attach his umbrella to his new pack. We continued to make our way up and up towards the ridge and the darkening rain clouds.

We crested the hill and gazed down onto highway 14. This would be our second opportunity to walk under a major highway.

The 2 miles to the tunnel went on for what felt like forever! The increase in noise, trash and sand made the walking less enjoyable.

Finally we saw iron pillars and a tunnel. It felt like we were miniature people walking through a drain. There were a bunch of branches and other debris piled up on the outside of the iron posts like a dam, as if a flash flood carried them here, but the posts stopped them from going into the tunnel.

Nevertheless, we walked around the debris into a long dark tunnel. Towards the middle we could see the light on the other side but could not see our feet or the ground. It made both of our heads feel a little funny- good vestibular training!

We passed 3 hikers having lunch on the other side of the tunnel and exchanged hellos.

“Have you paid your toll?” A hiker asked us jokingly.

We continued walking (it’s what we do) and made it to Vasquez Rocks County Park half an hour ahead of schedule.

Vasquez Rocks are featured in Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Little Miss Sunshine and many other movies. Who knew?!

We walked through the beautiful rock formations in awe, not caring about the few drops of rain falling from the sky.

Andy’s friend Tony came to pick us up and we changed out of our dirty, stinky and possibly poison oaked clothes.

The Saufley’s are popular trail angels that cater to hikers in this area. Their home is referred to as “hiker heaven.” We wanted to go see their set up and experience the place Andy has read all about but we decided that Andy’s parents home would be our hiker heaven.

Being only 45 minutes away from the Dischekenyan household we opted to spend the night there instead. No lines for showers, ability to do laundry and home cooked meals – all the thru hiking essentials under one roof!

Shushan (Andy’s mom) made her famous lasagna and we enjoyed each bite! Laurie and Shushan later made cream cheese frosting to go on a carrot cake. Yum!

Tomorrow we may go back to the trail or take a zero. We will decide in the morning based on how our bodies feel.

Tonight we are grateful for comfy sofas and cream cheese frosting.