Day 44 – Our kind of nero

May 23, 2016November 26, 2016 / Andy, Laurie, Miles & Ani / 3 Comments

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.

Day 43 – a day at the beach

May 17, 2016November 26, 2016 / Andy, Laurie, Miles & Ani / 8 Comments

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.

Day 42 – What are we doing here?

May 17, 2016November 26, 2016 / Andy, Laurie, Miles & Ani / 2 Comments

May 15, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 603.7) to bushcamp (mile 623.4)

Miles: 19.7

The soft dirt provided a wonderful bed last night. We both slept well wearing our ear plugs as the wind howled through the trees above.

Andy continues to be our natural alarm clock. He wakes up between 5:39 and 5:45 am every morning.

When he wakes up, he usually wakes Laurie up too. But unlike other mornings, today Laurie woke up not wanting to hike. She was comfy on her mat and cozy in her sleeping bag. This morning was one of those mornings when you just don’t want to do anything, you know?

Eventually she mobilized. She can’t let Andy be ready to go before her ☺

We started walking a little past 7 am, as per usual. A number of hikers had already passed our tent – none of whom we recognized.

The trail was beautiful, twisting through a pine forest. Our feet and knees appreciated the soft ground and relatively flat terrain.

We walked 5 miles to Lander’s Spring and fire tank – our last reliable water for 43 miles!

There are supposed to be two water caches along the route but no one knows for sure how often they are maintained. Last thing Andy wants to do is put us at risk by relying on a cache.

So with that in mind, we filled our water bottles to capacity. Andy carried a total of 9 liters and Laurie carried 8 liters. That’s 19.8 and 17.6 pounds of water we’d be carrying to last us until Tuesday morning.

We both felt good about our decision. It’s easy to second guess yourself out here. It’s easy to want to do what everyone else is doing. But that’s usually how people get in trouble. We’d rather carry the additional weight than walk up to a dry cache.

After filling our bottles, repacking our backpacks and chit chatting with other hikers, we set off again. Our packs were heavy, but not as heavy as we thought they’d be.

Soon we walked out of the forest and into a burn area where lupine lined the trail. We gradually climbed and then descended down to Kelso road.

We chatted about what sections of trail we really liked and would visit again. We also discussed our expectations and how they compared to reality.

Andy has been reading trail journals for many years and felt he knew what to expect. Now that we are out here we realize that most of what we, and others, write about are the highlights of the day. They are the things we remember when lying in the tent at night.

What we forget are the usually temporary but nonetheless bothersome daily discomforts (pack not fitting well, achy feet, tight muscles, pain with every step when walking with blisters, baking in the sun, negative thoughts, anger, etc), and the daily joys (feeling as if you can walk forever, the stunning scenery, birds chirping, the wildflowers, the sudden breeze cooling you down during the long climb, bursting with laughter in the presence of others, reuniting with hikers from hundreds of miles ago, etc).

All of these emotions and experiences can be hard to put into words. It is the combination of feelings of joy, pain, elation, fatigue and pride that makes this trail and experience so special.

When we finally made it down to Kelso Road, there were two cars parked in the pullout. One belonging to a day hiker who had left out a cooler of soda (unfortunately they were all gone by the time we got there) and the other was a 4 runner under which hikers laid in search of shade.

We found some shade up a hill under a Joshua tree. We had a relaxing lunch as we watched the activity of other hikers down below. Kiter, a hiker we had last seen at Paradise Cafe, showed up right as we were leaving. It was great to see a familiar face!

We chatted with him for a few minutes before hiking into the dry and arid desert. This was probably the most desolate section we have walked through as of yet. Joshua trees speckled the backdrop and gave us something to look at as we fought the wind.

Initially we had a tail wind and Laurie was able to use her umbrella. After the wind suddenly changed direction and flipped her umbrella inside out we aborted that idea.

The wind continued to howl as the trail wound around the hills, with our tailwind turning into a side and headwind. It made it hard to walk.

Neither of us could believe how remote, dry and inhospitable this place seemed. Before we started hiking the PCT, this is what we imagined most of the desert section of California would be like.

It feels as if this place should be enjoyed by those on dirt bikes or atvs, but surprisingly it’s not too bad on foot either. Mind you the temps today were in the 80s with a cool wind.

Around 6 pm we finally found a flat spot next to a Joshua tree. We looked around for a spot that offered more protection from the wind but could not find anything. We set up our tent, and not even 2 minutes later a huge gust of wind ripped one of the stakes out of the ground tossing the tent into a bush.

Immediately thereafter we moved the tent under the Joshua tree hoping to be more protected from the wind. It’s not as flat of a spot, but hey, out here, in these conditions, we’ll take it!

Kiter showed up looking very tired and camped right next to us. It was nice to share the evening with him. We shared our food and traded stories from the warmth and protection of our respective tents, shouting above the wind.

We were hoping the wind would die down after the sun set but it’s 9:15pm now and it is still howling. We hope that our tent stays standing throughout the night.

Tonight we are grateful for tailwinds and our tent rain fly which offers another layer of protection from the wind.