May 18, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 653.9) to bushcamp (mile 672.9)

Miles: 19

We awoke to a beautiful morning. The birds were chirping and the sky was pink. Laurie didn’t want to get up so she did everything she could think of to procrastinate – tickle Andy, eat left overs and study the map for water sources.

Two hours after waking up we were finally walking. Luckily it was only 7:30 am.

The air was cool. Initially we climbed gradually and then leveled out – walking amongst trees and watching the pink sky turn to blue. Many hikers passed us as we got ready. We caught up with some on the trail – many new faces but some familiar ones.

The desert valleys around us were beautiful – barren yet striking in contrast to the now blue cloudless sky. We are in a transition zone – the mountains are changing. There are more trees, more jagged rocks and actual mountains compared to hills. We can also feel it in our legs as we walk up and down steeper trails.

The trail started to climb again. At times we walked on soft dirt and other times pokey rocks. The rocks made us smile – recognizing that we are getting close to the Sierras where much of the trail is rocky.

We climbed up 1,100 ft only to descend another 2,100 ft.

In the valley we passed more Joshua trees and yucca – the last of the desert section. Lizards scampered out of our way while Andy hoped they would stop on exposed rocks and do push-ups.

We passed a muddy stream and climbed up a spur trail at the 2nd crossing of the same stream to get water. We used a scooper to collect the water due to the low water flow.

Our scooper is nothing more than the bottom quarter of a Smart Water bottle Andy cut from an old bottle. It works great and fits snugly on other Smart Water bottles making it easy to transport.

We collected 7 liters in total for the next 13 miles including 1 liter to use to cook dinner that night. It was hot and we had more climbing to do.

The water tasted good but had lots of sediment floating around. We look forward to the lakes and running streams of the sierras – hopefully they won’t all be frozen!

We climbed another 1,600 ft into the afternoon and evening light. There was rarely a breeze so it felt hot! Funny how we thought we were done with the desert heat.

Eventually, we came to a saddle. It was a false summit but there were 2 campsites and a few more off a spur trail. We found a nice little spot surrounded by trees and protected from the wind.

We dropped our poles indicating this was home for the night. Unfortunately there were mosquitos so we hurriedly put up the tent and crawled in.

We cleaned and inspected our feet and sorted through our packs trying to figure out why Laurie’s pack was so heavy.

It must be the all that candy 🙂

The setting sun lit up the sky once more in pink and purple hues. We are both cozy in our sleeping bags ready for a good nights rest.

Tonight we are thankful for spring water and our cozy home (our tent).

May 17, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 643.7) to bushcamp (mile 653.8)

Miles: 9.4 (plus 0.7 mile hitch)

We woke up excited to get to Walker Pass Campground. Today was Andy’s dad’s birthday and they were coming to meet us.

We were walking by 6:30am and welcomed the refreshing morning air. The trail was mellow, weaving amongst pine trees and meadows with low brush. Rabbits ran across the trail in front of us and lucky for us it was too early for rattlesnakes!

Dark clouds covered mountains in the distance. A few drops fell on our heads but nothing major.

We descended 1700 ft down to the campground where we ran into a bunch of other campers. Brian was there with the best PCT support vehicle we have seen yet. His wife, Alta is hiking the trail and he finds dirt roads and campgrounds to meet her every few days. His set up and level of support was inspiring!

About 10 minutes after arriving at the campground it started to rain and then hail. We hurriedly put a tarp (courtesy of Brian of course) over a picnic table canopy and huddled together under the shelter. Fifteen minutes later is was sunny.

The weather continued like this all day. Threatening clouds, rain, wind and sun.

Andy’s parents pulled up in the familiar Super Shuttle and we ran to meet them with a happy birthday sign we had drawn on our Tyvek groundsheet.

Although Andy’s parents had come prepared with everything from 10 gallons of water, 5 courses of food,  a clothes line and clothes pins, we decided to drive down to Lake Isabela to get service to upload our last 4 days worth of blog posts.

We anticipate minimal to no service for the next 10 days and wanted to keep our readers informed. We hope you didn’t worry too much!

We drove 3 other hikers the 35 miles into town and found a campground near the lake to set up a picnic.

By that time it was noon and we were all hungry. We enjoyed all the delicious fresh food too quickly. It all satisfied our food fantasies. Andy’s mom and aunt had prepared stuffed grape leaves (with rice), stuffed bell peppers (with quinoa, tofu, spinach and feta cheese), shredded chicken with grilled onions, potato salad, green salad and a cake. There were also mango, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

After gorging ourselves we did laundry in a bucket and Laurie took a shower using the campground faucet. So classy!

It must have been a sight for cars driving by – a naked woman squatting in a bucket with a woman pouring water over her. Andy’s mom was having a lot of fun too!

We spent over an hour trying to upload our posts with pictures but it wouldn’t work. We finally got them uploaded but with minimal pictures. We’re hoping this doesn’t become a theme.

We then sorted through our food and switched out gear. In 3 days we enter the Sierras and from what we hear there is still a LOT of snow. We have microspikes and ice axes but are still nervous.

Our plan is to go one day at a time, listen to our guts and never put ourselves in danger. We have plenty of food and can always turn around if need be.

Once our bags were packed with bear cans, 4 liters of water, thicker long underwear and ice axe/whippet they  were heavy! It is nice knowing that they will only get lighter.

From Walker Pass we have our last 20 mile water carry for a while and we are looking forward to loosing that water weight.

After a second meal and cake we got a ride back to Walker Pass. From here it was only 1.7 miles to our planned campsite. It was a long 1.7 miles with heavy packs and 900 ft of elevation gain.

We walked slowly as the sun faded. The alpine glow illuminated the desolate desert mountains around us. The clouds reflected a strong pinkish- orange glow. It felt magical.

Poor Andy was not feeling so hot. He had hiccups as he climbed which made it hard to breathe. He also had heartburn which made matters worse. Laurie giggled at the grunts Andy made as we slowly walked uphill. Andy didn’t mind though. He still loves her.

We liked hiking in the twilight hours. We especially enjoyed seeing our shadows courtesy of the moon.

At 8:30pm we found a flat spot on top of the ridge. We quickly set up the tent ans crawled in. The air was still and the moon was bright.

We are cozy in our sleeping bags, fortunate to be here and ready for another good night’s sleep.

Tonight we are grateful for cell phone reception and a loving family.

May 16, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 623.5) to bushcamp (mile 643.7)

Miles: 20.2

Today started off great. We slept well. Ear plugs worked wonders diminishing the sound of wind pounding on our tent. The rain fly provided a nice extra layer of protection and took the brunt of the wind.

This trail is all about learning from our mistakes. We now pay attention to the direction of the wind and seek out natural wind blocks in addition to flat surfaces when looking for the ideal camp spot.

Last night we made due with what we could find- at times it felt a little sketchy- particularly when standing up and hitting our heads on Joshua tree spikes. But it turned out to be an awesome spot!

We set out around 7:10am. The wind had died down and the air was cool. The trail was mellow to start and then turned a corner and we started climbing. We climbed up the barren hills toward other brown and similarly barren landscapes.

The trail loosened and soon we were walking on sand. We look at elevation profiles and mileages but this is the “X factor.” This walking on sand business is something you can’t read about or see on a map. It is what makes this adventure both exciting and difficult.

The air was cool and made for comfortable walking. We walked passed Joshua trees and cow patties. It is hard to imagine how cows survive out here but there is evidence of them everywhere so apparently they do, at least in some part of the year.

The trail continued up and then flattened out before dipping down to a dirt road and climbing again. The sand continued.

It made for slower walking.

Laurie’s feet started hurting too – she has a blister on the ball of her left foot and the soft sand put more pressure to the sensitive area than hard trail usually does. She kept going knowing that the discomfort is temporary and will gradually subside with time and miles.

Most moments while walking something hurts, but the pain is temporary.

We left Bird Pass Spring at high noon. According to our calculations we thought we had enough water to get us the 20 miles to Walker pass. Turns out we miscalculated.

We discovered this 1 mile up the 1500 ft climb. Instead of 9 liters, we had only 7. Andy didn’t adjust for the two liters we drank enroute to the cache this morning. He offered to walk back down to the road and get more water but we decided we could make it work. Thus far we have always had extra water and food. We may be cutting it close but we both felt comfortable with what we had.

In light of scarcity, our differences became more evident. Laurie felt most comfortable individually rationing 3.5 liters. Andy felt that Laurie was detaching from the partnership and functioning as an individual. This one example is part of a larger issue and lead to a conversation about money and the future. These underlying emotions and discussion that followed helped power us up the climb.

We feel fortunate that we have created a partnership where we can voice our frustrations, concerns and other feelings as they arise instead of bottling them up.

The issues around scarcity come up now and again and it’s great being able to talk about them and see where we stand now.

Once we crested the hill, we stopped for a shoes off and lunch break. Our socks were wet from the climb. The trail was sandy most of the way up. Great exercise for our ankles but not very pleasant with trail runners and packs.

The trail always provides. This case it provided a lesson in patience and acceptance. This is the trail. There is no other way to go up. Heck, we should be grateful we had a trail to follow!

The rest of the afternoon Andy felt off. The trail was uninspiring and the road walk that followed was unpleasant. He was looking down at his phone while hiking and even stepped in a hole on the trail, resulting in Laurie laughing so hard she peed in her pants a little.

He’s glad the hole wasn’t deeper (we’ve seen some knarly ones) and that he didn’t twist his ankle, or worse.

We had planned to take a shoes off break when we got to the road but decided to forgo the break and push on to camp.

We made it to camp around 6:10pm. Soon Kiter was cruising by when we called to him. He’s camped next to us again tonight.

We ate dinner, followed by snacks and hot chocolate for Laurie.

We enjoy Kiter’s company. We chit chatted until about 7:30, then prepared for bed.

Tomorrow we hope to be on the trail by 6:30am to beat Andy’s parents to Walker Pass Campground. It’s Andy’s dad’s birthday and we want to sing him Happy Bithday when they pull up.

But til then we hope for no rain tonight. We’ve chosen to forgo the fly even though there were threatening clouds and thunder to the east (moving away from us) earlier in the evening.

Goodnight y’all.

Tonight we are grateful for opportunities for growth as a couple and hard packed dirt for trail.