May: Highs and Lows

Seeing how May is quickly coming to a close I thought I'd take the time to write down some of my highs and lows during this month. It has been an amazing first18 days down here in Southern California, and I can hardly believe that I've already come 369 miles! That's farther than it takes to get from Philadelphia to Boston or just about the distance from Toledo to Madison WI (shout out to you Mikey C). Anyways, below you can check out my highs and lows of the trip thus far.

High: San Felipe Hills (mile 77 to 101)

San Felipe Hills was a high for me because this was the first hot dry section that I actually timed right. I filled up after a long hot afternoon hiding in the shade of an underpass (yes, like a troll) at Scissors Crossing then headed up into these desert hills. San Felipe Hills had such an amazing variety of cacti like barrel cactus that I have yet to see anywhere else on the trail. I walked right through the sunset which can be amazing out in the desert especially when you are high in the hills and can see the shadows being created by the rolls in the mountains; everything is incredibly colorful and makes the Earth look like a loaf of bread baking. I slept out under the stars. I started hiking at first light, seeing one of the best sunrises on the trail yet, and managed to hike most of this long waterless stretch without even worrying about water because I was just enjoying the cool evening into morning air. When I reached the spring at the bottom of the hills, I took a nice well deserved lunch break.

Billy Goats Gruff?

High: Fields around Eagle Rock (mile 105 to 109)

Walking through the grassy fields around Eagle Rock was one of my favorite early sections of the trail anda total surprise for me in Southern California. I had just come down out of some of the harsh desert hills and started walking through these huge sweeping fields on my way into Warner Springs. The low sun on the grasses just light up the fields into a golden sea of color, and gentle breezes make them billow like waves on the ocean. I was listening to my iPod shuffle as I walked through here and up popped Kids on the Run by Tallest Man on Earth which was a great song to listen to, and I just felt like I was escaping everything out here on the trail which is something I don't really let myself do very often. Then you get to Eagle Rock which is the splitting image of an Eagle just perched out in the middle of the fields. The locals say it was entirely carved out by the wind, and it must have been a sacred spot for the Natives who lived in the area because even I felt pretty spiritual as I approached it.

The beautiful ocean of fields leading up to Eagle Rock.

High: San Jaciento Sunset (mile 179 to 185)

Worth every step...

...but there were sure a lot!

I had just met Alex in Idyllwild and was getting a bit anxious to get back on the trail. The two of us waited for my old hiking buddy Karl, but he was still scrambling to get his stuff together and didn't catch the hitch we had set up with the owner of the Inn. We got to the Devils Slide Trail that heads straight up 2 miles back to the PCT from Idyllwild at 5:30pm and that is when the run began. Alex was a former cross country runner and track star in high school so he certainly was keeping up. I was just fueled on a mix of adrenaline and perseverance to make it to the top of the mountain by sunset. First we climbed a couple thousand feet to just get back to the PCT with our packs full of 4 days worth of food. Then, there were two more uphill miles to get to the alternative trail to climb up to the top of the peak. We finally got to the turn off at around 6:30pm still feeling good like we might actually make it to the top before sunset. We saw the sign say 3.7 miles, and then we just bolted. I can't explain the feeling of how my thru-hiker legs just turned on, and it was like I wasn't even climbing; I was just moving. Somehow I got the Flight of the Bumblebee stuck in my head and just kept playing that over and over as I raced to the peak. It wasn't until 0.3 miles from the top that we got off the trail again, and I got to drop my pack. I realized I had lost Alex at that point, and he was calling my name climbing up the other side of the mountain from getting off the trail. At long last we had made it to the top at around 7:45pm just in time to see the remaining red ball of the sun drop below the horizon. The view from the top was an amazing 360 of so much of southern California with the desert off to the west and the San Jaciento Mountains to the south and the San Bernardino mountains to the north. Lots of low lying clouds (maybe some of it smog) gave off more amazing colors in the sunset. It was such an accomplishment climbing 4,400 ft (that’s just a bit short of climbing a vertical mile) and racing 7.7 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes with full packs. Clearly a high seeing how that has been the highest point on the trail so far.

Don't mind the Spanish...

Low: The Descent from Fuller Ridge (mile 192 to 205)

Fuller Ridge coming down from Mount San Jaciento was great with lots of pines and giant boulders that would have been fun to climb on if I had the energy or time to spare. Then you reached a point where you could see I-10 off in the distance which would be staring at all day; The bottom of the mountain is only 4 miles away from Fuller Ridge but it takes 15 miles of switchbacks to get there. I started down with a good attitude, and it was neat to see how you transitioned into the different ecosystems as you went down the mountain. Once I reached a certain elevation, all of a sudden there would be no more of one plant and tons of another. However, I felt the further down I went, the plants became pricklier because of the harsher conditions. There was also less and less shade and no water to be found, so I had to manage with what I carried down from the cool mountain streams from that morning. When I finally reach one tiny sliver of shade under a boulder, it took me about 20 seconds to realize this was right where some bees had decided to build a nest and they were not happy bees and chased me for about 5 mins after that getting stuck in my hair but luckily I didn't get stung. Alex, who was just behind me unfortunately was not so lucky. Then there was the wind. 

So windy!

I didn't even notice until the last few miles but there were hundreds of windmills down in the valley by I-10. The wind here was so strong it almost knock all 210 lbs of me over plus my packweight. It was truly impressive but would also pick up some of the sand at times and was a very warm breeze, so not all that cooling or comforting. Then, finally when we got to the bottom, there was no shade so I waited for Alex, and we trudged across the flat desert to make it to an amazing oasis.

High: Ziggy and the Bear (mile 210)

Just imagine how great this felt.

Getting to Ziggy's!

Just after descending from Fuller Ridge I hit one of the highs of my trip; Ziggy and the Bear are some of the sweetest trail angels I have met so far who had posted signs outside of town encouraging us on and letting us know when we were almost to their place. We walked into their backyard, and the Bear introduced himself to us then had us sit down so he could bring out some very hot water with epsom salt for us to soak our feet in. We didn't even have to ask; he just knew we needed to fix our feet and get some nice cold water. Then Ziggy, a sweet older woman, came out and told us everything we needed to know and explained how they would be making us salad, and we would get ice cream for dessert. You have no idea how awesome those fresh veggies and ice cream tasted. She also gave us a great guide to all of the Southern California wildlife, and I learned the names of some of the lizards and plants I saw everywhere. We had wonderful shelter from the harsh winds whipping through the desert and got to cowboy camp under a tent in their yard. I also got a good sense of the PCT community seeing how I hiked in with Alex, met up with Birdy (a really wonderful woman from Chicago who has the most fitting trail name always stopping to look at the birds), and Karl came stumbling in later. We even had aanother guy Mike show up in the middle of the night finding his way with a tiny little flashlight, and I know he was happy for this little hiker oasis. The next morning Ziggy got up at 4:30 (which she does every morning) to make us breakfast with cereal and fresh fruit so we can leave early as hikers do. Before I left, I gave them a donation, and Ziggy told me how through the generosity of hikers, they were able to cover the cost of all the tents, food, water coolers, etc. However, the encouragement and support this sweet older couple shows to all these hikers is truly priceless.

Thank you so much for your kindness!

Low: Loosing my Knife (Twice)

No too much to say here. I lost my knife in the first section, bought a new one in Idyllwild, and then lost that just outside of Big Bear Lake. It sucks, and I still need to buy a third.

Low: Dashing through the Snow (mile 255 to 267)

This was one of my poorest decisions on the trail yet. I was hiking with Karl and Alex just outside of Big Bear Lake, and we all wanted to put in some good miles so that we would not have to travel far the next morning to get into town. We had been moving at a nice pace the whole day and were feeling fine around 5pm when we got into the camp we could have stayed at to call it a 21-mile day. However, we all decided to hike an extra 12 miles to the next campsite since we were feeling fine, and there was nothing wrong with a little night hiking. Oh, and I should also mention how we ran into a group of Scouts at that camp and one of the leaders warned us it would get down to 20 degrees later that day. I thought no way man and we blindly pushed on.

We started off fine joking around having a good time. Then the winds and the cold started coming. It was funny how we stopped just where our friend Birdy set up a stealth camp, and she had decided to call us her boys since she was tired of all the older men hitting on her. We kept going for a while and soon got ourselves lost temporarily but quickly rejoined the trail no problem.  We went up through a steep valley then got out on this wide windy plain which is where we first saw the dark ominous looking clouds. I was totally consumed by the moment and wanted to chase the storm and didn't bother putting on extra layers or gloves like the other guys. I raced off across the plains battling the chilly winds and nearly running into these black clouds rushing to the west just ahead of us. After a while, we finally got under the clouds and the sun had set, and I was starting to lose my enthusiasm. I think at that point most of us would have been fine with stopping but nobody wanted to be the one to quit on our goal. I kept hinting to Karl who was in the front that he could stop at any time but he took this as my sarcasm and just started to get extremely pissed at me and more stubborn about reaching the camp still 6 miles away. 

The morning after...

At one point my flashlight died and I had to replace the batteries and my hands were so numb I felt like an old man who had forgotten how to work his fingers. When I got my headlamp working properly I realized we were now in the middle of a snow flurry. We kept mindlessly pressing on through the dark and snow at breakneck speed and were lucky nobody got injured. We ended up passing the camp because we blindly cruised by the sign and had to backtrack about half a mile. When we got in, nobody wanted to talk and I finally got some warmer clothes on and tried to battle out setting up my tarp with my numb hands. I got it up but set it up poorly so I had to crawl out of my warm sleeping bag and adjust it twice in the night. The tarp was also right up against my sleeping bag and hammock which made the outside damp, not good for a down sleeping bag, but luckily I stayed warm. We woke up the next morning to a thin layer of snow, and luckily everyone was in a much better mood.

High: Deep Creek and the Hot Springs (mile 297 to 312)

Deep Creek was one of the best spots on the trail so far. It was relatively large canyon where the trail stays up near the rim, and I could take in some of the amazing views down by the water. This combination of water and shade in the hot desert was very much welcomed, and there were many opportunities to head down to the creek and take a quick dip.

Ahhh, relaxation.

Then there was a clothing-optional hot springs tucked away in the Canyon which the guidebook had mentioned could be a bit sketchy and dirty. However, when I showed up it was an amazing scene that I will probably always think of whenever I think of California. The hot springs trickled down from the hills and was trapped in three pools some man-made, some natural along with a beach overlooking the cool flowing waters of Deep Creek. The beach was full of young couples enjoying the water with beautiful California girls in their short shorts and bikinis. The smell of pot mixed aromatically with the wildflowers and the dry desert air. There were some nudists, mostly older, including one rather large woman sprawled out on a floating raft sipping away at a handle. There were jam sessions going on under the shade, guys showing off their dirt bikes, and packs of dogs roaming around everyone where you couldn't quite make out whose dog was whose or if they even had owners. Everyone was super friendly and all seemed to know each other just from hanging out that weekend. It was an amazing morning just soaking my dirty feet in the hot springs then cooling off in the creek but sadly this is a trip in motion, and I had to keep moving and couldn't stay the whole day.

High: Cajon Pass (mile 338 to 352)

This day started off heading up into the chaparral. I had been bitten twice by ants and was tearing my way through an overgrown trail full of sharp, prickly shrubs. I had looked over the map and figured the day would be mostly like this until I reached Cajon Pass when the PCT crosses I-15. Then, all of a sudden, I turned a corner just after some power lines and one of the most impressive vistas was unveiled before my eyes. I was up on the edge of a mountain-side with a panoramic view into the hills leading up to the San Bernardino Mountains with Mount Baldy and Mount Baden Powell. You could also see the San Andreas fault line cutting through creating a valley. I-15 was a small little sliver that snaked its way off into the high desert. I started making my way down and was so glad to find that it was nothing like the descent to I-10 where it took 15 miles to travel 4 miles. Instead, this trip took roughly 4 miles to travel 4 miles, and it was nice and breezy but not too bad and I kept getting new view. 

Took my breath away for sure.

Then, it ended by heading down into a small canyon and before I knew it I was right in front of the highway. Best of all, there was a McDonalds at the bottom which was a great way to beat the midday sun grab some lunch, and raid the dollar menu. I also timed out the section heading out of Cajon Pass into Wrightwood well by hiking the worst of it in the evening and the early morning and carrying extra water for this 22 mile dry stretch which many other hikers were not warned of before. The hardest part of this part of the trek was not stopping to take pictures every 5 minutes.

The Transformation

It has begun. I have slowly become transformed into a thru-hiker. After 278 miles of walking through everything from hot, dry, prickly desert to snow-covered, freezing mountain storms I have already weathered a lot. This transformation has reshaped me both physically and mentally. I remember one day as we were approaching the Paradise Cafe to grab our first burger in a week, we were noting how thru-hikers really not fully people and not fully animals but a good balance of the two. After my first 250 miles I feel I am finally starting to become comfortable with my thru-hiker self. Below I will share with you the many ways the PCT has transformed my budy (as my fellow thru hiker from Quebec, Karl, likes to say)

It's like my pack wasn't even there!

Hiker Legs- All I can say is wow! It is amazing once you grow your hiker legs. I think I first officially realized I had my hiker legs when I climbed Mt San Jaciento (climbing over 1.5 vertical miles to beat the sunset making it just in time). Another thru-hiker I've been hiking with, Alex, and I raced up this mountain with our full packs and it was astounding how it didn't even feel like I was climbing. It was more like I was falling forward and my legs just kept propelling me onward. Now I'm putting in 25+ mile days having just finished my biggest day yet of 33 miles, (which beat my record of hiking 32 without a pack) so clearly I have earned my hiker legs.

Much cooler hiking at night!

Night Vision Eye- It is amazing how wonderful it is to hike at night. At night there is no sun, little wind and a nice cool temperature to close out your day. However I don't like relying on my flashlight and have grown a pair of night vision eyes that can get me through any night hike. With the clear skies and amazing stars there is often plenty of light even with the new moon. I cannot wait until I get into the Mojave and can take advantage of the full moon to avoid the 110+ degree temperatures during the day.






Rabbit Ears- You wouldn't think hearing is too essential for hiking until you encounter your first rattlesnake. I have already run into two on the trail, luckily with no problems. It is great to be able to hear their rattle because life-flight helicopter rides aren't always easy to catch. I just need to learn to not put both of my headphones in when I listen to my iPod so that I can always have one ear to the trail to beware of the rattlers.

These guys are always alert, and camouflaged! 

Paws- Paws are probably the best way to describe the calluses that have developed on my feet. Hiking in trail running shoes means that your feet are much more in tune with the Earth. (ie. you feel all the rocks) Luckily my feet have proven to be quite blister-proof with only a few here and there and instead have developed these thick calluses where I feel less and less of the sharp pointy rocks on the trail. Even when I get into camp and take off my shoes I am surprised how easier it is becoming to walk barefoot. At the same time my ankle are constantly in a swollen state but not in a bad way. I like to think this helps them get thicker and stronger. Finally as you walk a lot your feet become flat as a pancake. I didn't think I would happen but sure enough I can see them getting wider and wider each day.

Desert Skin- I have described my desert skin in a previous post (layers of dirt, sweat and sunscreen) but thought I should add one additional component that unfortunately occurred during this last stretch; sunburn. Unfortunately when you are baking in the hot sun only focusing on the road you are trying to get to off in the distance, you sometimes forget to apply sunscreen. Therefore my desert skin was not complete and I developed the alternative. My sunburn went away fairly quickly but it was no fun wearing long-sleeves hiking in the hot sun to help cure my sunburn.

Yup. A mound of dirt and grease.

Mat of Hair- Finally I have acquired a nasty mat of hair to top off my new thru-hiker body. With no water to wash in, my long hair has quickly become a tangled, greasy mess. I have found that I can put it back in a bandana and it will stay slicked back even after I take the bandana off. Also the other night when we had a freak snow flurry just outside of Big Bear Lake I realized my hair also serves as a nice hat and keeps me warm at night. (Along with any critters living in there)
While I anticipate further transformations as I go, it is impressive how much you do adapt when you have been thru-hiking for two weeks. I can't even imagine what I will be like at the end of the hike!

2012 Trail Fears

Yesterday I made it safely down the Devils Slide Trail into Idyllwild for my first shower in 8 days which was wonderful. This last section I have been meeting a lot more hikers and trail angels as I go. Its great to hear stories from trail angels or former PCT thru-hikers but one of the things everyone loves to do is warn you about what they see as the hardest thing on the PCT. This is fine if they are all saying the same thing but you start to get concerned when everyone has their own warning. Below is a list of the larger overriding fears I now have that are always lingering in the back of my head. Many may be real, some may be exaggeration, but only time will tell.

Definitely do not want to disturb this guy.

Before I start I must clarify these are overarching worries not the day to day worries in the back of your head. I have already had many days were I run short of water just before the next water source and am afraid the next stream may be dry. Every time I take out my stove I worry that that I will accidentally grab a drink from the alcohol which fuels my stove (which will not get you drunk but put you in a permanent state of intoxication, i.e. death). Then there are the rattles you may heard as you walk or the poison oak lying in wait by the water sources. That is not what we are talking about here. These are things that may stop your hike or keep you from making to Canada.

1) Snow in the Cascades- This has been my worry from day one. There is a little window of time one can complete a thru hike and I am a late season hiker which means I am flirting with the snow up in Washington. We are not talking about a little flurry (my stubborness will prevail and get me through that) but snow starting to pile up so that you simply cannot pass into Canada. To prevent this I hike 20+ miles a day and try to beat my schedule as much as possible. Its tough because each of the late season hikers I pass who are only pushing 15 mile day I got to wonder if they will make it in time.

I did find some snow between Warner Springs and Idyllwild, which was delicious!

2) Poodle Dogbush- This I learned of just before leaving. Apparently there is this terrible plant that sounds like it could be used for biological warfare. It takes over areas just after they have burnt down and is now covering the area just around where the Old Station fire was (I believe around mile 300 or 400). This plant will give you a nasty rash like poison ivy or poison oak. I have heard of people who have had to leave the trail because they had such a nasty case. Knowing my history with poison ivy I don not want to mess with this plant.

3) Mojave Sand and Heat- I had recently been warned by a former PCT thru hiker how brutal this sand can be in the Mojave. It is not the same as the sand we are used to because this sand comes from the granite in the Sierras which is apparently tough and will tear apart you feet and socks leaving you nasty bloody blisters. Then throw on the fact that you are hiking through a relentless sun and 100 degree + weather. I may pick up some gaiters which you can put over your shoes to keep the sand out and will do some midnight hiking because hopefully there will be a full moon when I reach the Mojave. Also more justification for me to go crazy.

4) Downed Trees in the Sierras- This was another one that I had heard of by did not fully grasp until being given the low-down by a trail angel. This winter a terrible windstorm crushed the Sierras leaving thousands of downed trees and even closed down one of the resupply towns for at least the start of the summer. I can hike over or around a single tree but when you have a giant Sequoia or Douglas Fir with all its branches covering over the trail then repeat by 1,000 it could be near impossible. He warned that no PCT hiker may make it through that section this year and it may take 10 years to clear out that section entirely. I really hope that was an exaggeration.

The whole trail covered in this would not be good.

Well this is the list of trail enders for now but I feel every new PCT alum or trail angel I meet has a new warning for me. Luckily I am not letting this get me down or too worried about finishing. I will just have to face these sections when they come. I am trying not to look at these as fears but instead see this as preparing myself for the worst so I am ready to battle it out when the time comes. Hopefully none of this will keep me from reaching Manning Park.

Thank you Angels!

Lessons Learned Thusfar

Thought I'd add another post with some of my early lessons learned. I had done quite a bit of work to prepare myself for Southern California but here are a few things that you just need to get out on the trail to experience.

Thank you!

Finally got to the water source...

Siestas are the Greatest: I am not usually much of a napper, not even in college, but now I will be religiously taking my afternoon siesta. There is no reason to be out hiking with the midday sun beating down on you. My very first day I knew this and took a break but as I went I found I was hiking earlier in the morning and later at night and taking a longer breaks in the afternoon. This also provides a great opportunity to cook your 'dinner' for lunch because might as well get good use of all those calories. It is also important to plan where you take your siesta, more so than where you camp. You want to take them in places with good shade and good water. That way you can kick-back and take a nap and hydrate your body. I expect to keep up this trend throughout the desert portion of the trip.

Night hiking. Dark, but much cooler.

Beware the Poison Oak: This is one that I knew beforehand but have a greater appreciation of now. The very first day I took a siesta at Hauser creek and lay my pack and shirt and pack down in a little patch of poison oak. I quickly moved them when I realized and was sure to keep myself away from it but didn't worry about it. Sure enough the next day my back started to break out slightly with poison oak. I have had terrible experience with poison ivy in the past (once it broke out so bad on my face I couldn't see out of one eye) and know its cousin can be just as bad. I will now be much more cautious and have been fighting hard not to scratch and spread it.

Hiking Poles Have so Many Uses: In addition to preventing ankle injuries, helping to set up tarps, keeping you balance and crossing streams I have found even more uses. First they help push the brush away. The chaparral is infamous for shrubby brush getting in your way scratching up your legs. Plus everything in the desert is sharp and tough and will easily scratch you up so the poles help to push stuff out of the way. Also when you are night hiking they help you like a blind man's walking stick. Even with a headlamp I find I don't have much depth perception at night and the hiking poles help guide me down the path. Can't wait to find out their other uses I'm continuously impressed.

Me at the Mexican Border!

Legs Need Sunscreen Too: When I used to row I used the theory of a base tan, that after the first few days out you get a good enough tan that you don't need sunscreen and your legs are not as sensitive. Well turns out they are. I have done a good job of applying sunscreen twice a day to my upper body which has worked well. I like to think that under my desert skin is a nice tan building but I will keep this practice up throughout the desert. I never applied any to my legs though and after the third day they were burning pretty bad. The sunburn wasn't too bad but I could definitely feel it when I bent my legs after taking off my pack.

Alcohol Stoves Can Boil Water if You Do It Right: At first I was having a bit of trouble cooking on my pop-can alcohol stove until I realized my problem. I just need to add more fuel. Once I started filling up my pop-can stove all the way with alcohol it would boil water no problem. Other ways to significantly help is to use any water that was already heated in my water bottle on the outside of my pack during the day. I don't like drinking hot water anyway so might as well cook with it. The biggest help is to build a pot stand out of rocks instead of placing the pot on top of three tent stakes (which also works well but lets the wind blow the heat around). Rocks help insulate the heat and focus it all up to the pot and creates the hottest stove.

Jelly?! I Don't Even Like Jelly: I made some questionable food choices for the first leg of my trip. the worst was a 1 lb container of squeezable jelly. Why?! I though if you have peanut butter you need to have jelly, right? Well I didn't even made a peanut butter and jelly tortilla until night five and when I was eating it I realized I don't like jelly and dried cranberries make a much better option. From now on I will more carefully consider my food choices.

Rocks Can Work as Toilet Paper: I'll try not to get too graphic here but this was one surprising insight that I just had to share. I usually just use leaves in place of toilet paper when I'm backpacking but those are hard to find and I'm not about to use a cactus. So one of the days when I had to do my business and was looking around for a toilet paper option you got to go with what you have. Remember you already have dirt covering your entire body so there really isn't too much of a difference. Then you can just bury the rocks when you are done. Now that I've sufficiently disgusted everyone reading my blog I think I'll leave you with that thought.

Well, maybe not these rocks, but wow. Bald Eagle anyone?

Intro to Southern California

Well I'm now 111 miles into my thru-hike and couldn't feel better. This morning I made my way into Warner Springs very excited for the long anticipated dip in the pools at the Warner Springs Resort, a nice shower and a night in a bed. I stopped into the post office to pick up my resupply and ask what time the resort opens. "Didn't you hear? The resort has been closed since Jan 1st." Apparently I was one of the only hikers who didn't get the memo.

However my lost zero day turned into an enjoyable half-zero. The postman offered me a ride to the Warner Springs Community Center where they have set up a great little shelter for hikers. I got to clean up a bit, grab breakfast and lunch and send my first post from the trail

5 Words to Describe Southern California

Yup, this is the desert alright. 

1) Dry: Alright no big surprise here, but this first week has give me an new definition of the word dry. Southern California dry just sucks any moisture off you leaving only dirt and salt behind. Its a dry that when you wake up there is no dew but instead my hammock and tarp crinkle as I fold them. A dry that sucks the life out of unsuspecting bushing, then it sucks out any last ounce of water, and if that wasn't enough, the sun finally sucks out any pigment left bleaching the wood dry. I started a fire in a fire pit one night and it was terrifying how quickly everything set a blaze. I would certainly never dream of starting a campfire outside of a fire ring and have a whole new respect for the forest fires you hear about in out west.

My legs before my first shower...

...and after!

2) Dirty: Dirt is everywhere. It penetrates every article of clothing covering you body in a constant layer of filth. I like to call this my desert skin. My desert skin consists of three elements; sunscreen, dirt and sweat. You see, every morning and afternoon I put on a layer of sunscreen. As I hike that sunscreen picks up all of the dirt. Then my sweat blends it all together into a wonderful sticky layer of desert skin. The best is when I go to eat and throw some hand sanitizer on my hands which basically just moves everything around. I'm sure I've already eaten at least a cupful of dirt by now. After day three though I accepted the fact that I will forever be dirty and accepted it as my new life on the PCT.

Along the trail from Campo to Warner Springs

3) Colorful: There are so many colors out here and many that you really don't see anywhere else. First are all the beautiful wildflowers in chaparral (the not quite desert ecosystem consisting of small shrubs). Then you get into the desert and see all the cacti in full bloom along with their alien cousins. Literally some of these plants look like they just do not belong on Earth.(I may or may not have yelled at some of them in the heat of the day to go back to their home planet). You also have the grasslands which have all shades of yellow and gold with some flecks of blue and purple too. Finally the rocks have so many shades of white, orange, red and brown and are constantly changing with the sun. Southern California has certainly impressed me.

Almost stepped on this little guy!

4) Alive: There are so many critters out here always scurrying across the path. I've see hawks, lizards, woodpeckers, beetles, snakes, rabbits, chipmunks, quail, rattlesnakes, and hummingbirds galore. I find it amazing how much diversity and life there is in this hostile environment. Best is when I am taking my afternoon siesta and just lying in my hammock by a watering hole watching all the birds fly around.

5) Temperature-flux: This is one of those things that I used to pride myself in elementary school for knowing that at night the desert actually gets quite cold. Well you don't understand the significance of this fact until you get out here. It is astounding how some mornings I wake up shivering in long-sleeves then just 5 hours later am dying from the heat in my sleeveless shirt. My rule of thumb is once the sun reaches 45 degrees in the sky it is no longer fun to be out hiking in the heat. I have also been taking advantage of evening and morning hiking which doesn't require as much water or exhaustion.

Me testing out my sun umbrella. It's really hot!

T Minus 7 Hours!!!

Just wanted to write a quick post from San Diego before I take off tomorrow. Bob Reiss has been an amazing host here in San Diego picking me up from the airport, helping me with my final errands and giving me and another hiker a ride out to the trailhead tomorrow. Its people like Bob going out of their way to help stangers that make the PCT community so great. He was telling me how before him and some of the other San Diego trail angels were around hikers would be sleeping out in the streets of El Cajon waiting for the bus out to Campo which wouldn't get them to Campo til late at night. I'm very lucky to have his help otherwise I too would have been stuck in San Diego waiting for the Monday morning bus out to Campo.

Anyways the start of my trip is finally here! I said goodbye (temporarily) to everyone in Victoria with fun bow-tie birthday bash last night and flew down the coast looking at all of the terrain I'll be covering over the next 5 months. Cannot described how excited I am. The butterfliesin my stomach are gone. My pack is packed. My first resupply in Warner Springs is ready to go. PCT here I come!

One Week to Go!!!

My trip is finally here! Crazy to be just moments away from something that has been years in the making. That's five more days of working at the office. Seven more nights of sleeping in an actual bed. Twenty one more meals that won't primarily consist of granola or trail mix. Sixty more hours where I can use my computer and phone.

I couldn't be more excited/anxious.

Now is the time when all the worries start to surface. Did I print off all the right maps? Have I trained enough to be ready to hike twenty mile days with a full pack? Will there be any water in Southern California? Will my ankles hold out for me? The list goes on and on. I have been fighting hard to not let this get the best of me and am loosing that battle. I'm trying to picture myself on my flight down to San Diego, or better yet standing at mile zero facing the long trail ahead, and just feel there is so much that I still need to prepare for. I am certainly well experienced with the nervousness you get before a big race and just can't wait to finally get to that first step and then there will be no looking back.

Like any big trip, the biggest worry eating away at me is what if I've built up my PCT thru-hike to be something more than I had hoped for. I've tried hard not to have many expectations coming out of my trek, but don't want this to turn into something that majorly lets me down or when I finish, makes me never want to go out backpacking again. Luckily I just got back from the most perfect places to calm my fears; Salt Spring Island.

For my last weekend here in Victoria I went out to visit my friend Cassie with her family (and new fiancee!) out on Salt Spring Island. I took the ferry over and biked across through the hundreds of farm stands, rolling hills and artist studios. We had a nice little campfire and got to see the brightest full moon of the year over St. Mary Lake. Sunday I biked up to Mt Maxwell and jumped off to hike when the road got too steep and rough. I had brought my pack to do some final training and all of my last minute worries about the trip kept running though my head. Then I got to the top and saw the amazing view.

View from Mt Maxwell

I just stayed up there for an hour gazing out across the islands, watching the cliff swallows dive down the rock face, looking at the the boats sail around the bay and following the hawks as they soared through the thermals. This is what my trip is about. Its about taking those moments in my everyday life to appreciate this beautiful world God has given to us. While this trip could be one of the greatest experiences of my life or may just be a grueling test of my nerves, I know that at the very least I will be able to take pride in the fact that I followed through with my dreams and set aside the time to appreciate the world around me.

One Final (Song) Request

As this will be my last blog post here in Victoria with my personal laptop, I also wanted to ask any of my friends and family reading this a favor. I'm putting together the playlist for my iPod shuffle that will get me through my trek. I imagine a little music here and there will be a good pick-me-up for some of the long tedious stretches through the desert or logged forests. I wanted to have each of you suggest a few songs to not only give me some good trail beats but also to trigger some great memories as I'm pushing on through my trip. Sorry if this is super cheesy but I'd be happy to hear your requests. Shoot me an email with your suggestions at mattspcthike@gmail.com.