snow and new heights

Day 11 ~ miles 178.6 - 186ish ( plus Mt. San Jacinto side trail)

We were awakened in the night several times by gusty winds, and the rain and sleet tapping on the cabin window.  Despite waking up to the sleepy little town of Idyllwild covered in a thin layer of ice and snow, intermittent sleet, and our destination up the mountain shrouded in clouds, we were still itching to get back on the trail.  We convened with several hikers at the coffee shop and shot the breeze for awhile, hopelessly waiting for the weather to improve. 

Eventually we gave up waiting and caught a ride to the trailhead, where we arrived around 10:30.  The trailhead's snow cover was more than the dusting we got in town, and as we climbed, the snow amount increased.  For the first few miles it was really fun and beautiful hiking in the snow.  The higher we climbed, the more difficult hiking in the deepening snow became. 

The PCT really doesn't go over any mountain peaks.  Mount San Jacinto is a 10,800 foot peak rising above Idyllwild...there's a sidetrail to the peak off of the PCT.  We stood at the trail junction for several minutes, debating whether we should go or not.  We decided that we'd do it, we may regret it if we don't. 

The sidetrail was difficult.  We had forgotten how slowly we move in the snow; also it was getting colder and as we climbed beyond 9,000 feet, we could feel the effects of the altitude...we were dizzy and tired, so we took it even slower.

We reached the frigid and briskly windy peak, quickly had someone take our photo, and (tried to) hurry down the mountain.  Even going down, the hiking was super slow.  Luckily, someone had broken trail prior to us going down.  We walked to the next water source and filled up, and plopped down on the very next available spot suitable for a tent.  The night was bitter cold, maybe the coldest I've ever been.  We did our evening chores and snuggled up in the tent, eventually warming up and sleeping hard from exhaustion.

double whaaaat?!?

Days 9 & 10 ~ miles 151.9-151.9 (oops) ~ in Idyllwild

So we have a confession.....we are DOUBLE zeroing [gasp]...yes it's probably what you think it is....2 days off in a row!  But it's so soon, we know, we know. We feel sorta guilty about it...but the forecast for Friday night is calling for several inches of snow and super high winds, gusts up to 75mph.  I think that might just destroy our tent, so we're playing it safe. 

Idyllwild in the best place ever for double zero!  It's such a cute, quaint, pedestrian and hiker friendly town with all of the amenities and services that we could want or need.  Not to mention, the scenery is beautiful.

A group of 8 of us got a cabin, cooked a big family dinner, and watched a couple of movies.  We did the same thing the next night, but had to move to a different, and less luxurious, cabin.  We were really antsy to get back to the trail, but we were in super good company...so we couldn't really complain :D.

walking to Paradise

Day 8 ~ Miles 134 - 151.9 ~ Paradise Valley Cafe/Idyllwild
So all the buzz on the trail is about this big section of trail that's closed due to a fire last year. This means that we got to the town of Idyllwild a couple of days sooner than we originally planned due to the closure. This also means that we carried 4 days of food as opposed to 2, so our packs were pretty heavy cruising into town.  One of the joys of town stops:  your pack is always lightest on town stop days because you should be heading into town with an empty food bag.  We're also still working up to our real "hiker hunger" that we know will hit soon.  We hit the highway and headed straight down the road to Paradise [Valley Cafe].  This place has the supposed "best burger on the trail".  We both sprung for burgers and a beer, and these were big ole fork and knife type burgers....delicious...and awesome service too. 






We planned on taking a zero day in Idyllwild, which is a day of zero hiking miles: a day off.  We decided we would stay in the campground for our first night and splurge on an indoor space for the second night.  We got a ride into town with a former thru-hiker...8 of us with packs and poles + driver in a minivan....stinky and hilarious.  (I haven't been able to listen to the audo on this clip...hope it's clean :D)




All of our favorite hikers, along with some unfamiliar faces,  joined us In the campground for a fun picnic table gathering filled with food, drinks, and laughter well past "hiker midnight" (9pm).

an unexpected stop

Day 7 ~ miles 115.3 - 134ish

This trail has been an unexpectedly social experience thus far...which is good thing! 

We hiked about 14 pretty easy miles to our lunch spot, which was at the next water source.  Unbeknownst to us, the water was right by Trail Angel Mike's place...the Skyranch.  This spot was right off the trail, Mike's getaway spot, so he wasn't around but had a caretaker watching over the place.  It was a mountaintop compound, with several buildings and rv's on the property.

When we arrived, there were 2 hikers there, but hikers quickly began to pour into the Skyranch until there were more than 10 of us.  The Skyranch had cold beverages to offer, and even leftover pizza from the night before. Horseshoes were thrown. Someone found a guitar lying around; a couple of hikers took their turn on it and jammed with Soapbox on the harmonica. 

A really fun an unexpected stop!  We stuck around there for almost 4 hours, and finally broke free from the gravitational pull of that place-We could see how it could possibly be quite the vortex.  We hiked on about 6 long miles after departing the Skyranch and called it a day, with a campsite just off trail to ourselves.

rejuvenated in Warner Springs

Day 6 ~ Barrel Spring - Warner Springs - campsite ~ miles 101.something - 115.3(ish)

We hiked a quick 8ish miles into town this morning.   It was quite magical watching the landscape change over the past day:  yesterdAy we started in a dry desert landscape in shades of orange and red and cacti and other prickly plants pretty much made up the vegetation; as we neared the transformative natural water source down in the valley, the landscape began to come alive with lush green vegetation and huge shade trees. We arrived in Warner Springs around 9, after stopping at Eagle Rock along the way...the rock formation looks just like an eagle.  The Warner Springs Communy Center was open for hikers-just the oasis we were looking for.  We got showers...outdoor showers with a real towel and washcloth and warm water.  We got our laundry done for us.  We got to charge our phone.  We got a ride to the post office  to pickup the resupply box with our food. We even had a delicious meal, which consisted of a double cheeseburger, macaroni salad, chips, and a Pepsi.  Seriously...what more could a hiker desire all in one building?!  Several (30+?) hikers trickled in throughout the day.  We sat under the shade of a huge tree in front of the center chatting with other hikers while sorting through our food and organizing our packs, picking at our blisters and relaxing.  We were at the center for most of the day (until 4) and still managed to put in some miles on the trail.  We're feeling clean and rejuvenated.  We hiked out with Thor and Ferntoe to a sweet large camping area.  There are lots of hikers camping here, including our 4 buddies that we've been hiking with.  We spent the evening laughing together..my abs seriously hurt.  Trail Life is so good.

one hundred miles: personal bests and reunions

Day 5 ~ Scissors Crossing to Barrel Spring ~ Miles 77.3 to 101.something

100 miles on the PCT....CHECK

Other noteworthy happenings of the day:
-We both hiked the longest day in the history of our lives...24.something miles.
-Water was very scarce, which is why we hiked 24 miles.  We were reliant upon a water cache that was crucial.  Thank you to the wonderfully dedicated trail angels that keep the Scissors Crossing and Third Gate water caches stocked, and all other caches too!! And we finally drank water from a real spring today....that was a first on this trip.
-We were reunited with a friend that was a ridgerunner on the AT with Moonshine--Thor, and his lady, Ferntoe.  We were very happy to see them and got to catch up for a few hours.
-We also were reunited with an acquaintance that we met on the AT in 2006-ish, Otto.  We camped next to him and had a good time talkin' about the Appalachian Trail.  It's a small trail world!
-We're super stoked to be going to town tomorrow!!

perfectly timed trail magic

Day 4 ~ Boulder Field Campsite to Scissors Crossing ~ miles 56 - 77.3
We got  a pretty early start today (6:10)....it's much more enjoyable hiking early before the heat of the day, so we're trying to get into an early waking routine.  Moonshine had terrible time sleeping, he was on a slope that caused him to slide into the tent edge.  Sometimes when it's the end of the day and you're tired, you just have to settle for a less than desirable campsite.
Oh yes, about that possible shower that we mentioned getting yesterday....yeah, that never happened.  So we are stinky, to put it kindly.  Our clothes are crusted and stiff with salty sweat and desert dust.  Hopefully we'll be able to shower at our next town stop in a couple of days .
The terrain today was a bit more difficult, with ups and downs and very little shade or water.   The scenery continues to be mindblowing, though, and we cannot wait to share pictures!!  The trail was also really rocky, which is rough on the tootsies.  I developed a new blister today but I think it's under control.  It seemed to be one of the hottest days yet.  We shared breaks with the crew of guys, who are fun,  and we hope to be hiking with them for awhile.

We had to carry a lot of water (4&5liters each--makes the packs soo heavy @ 2pounds/liter) from our lunch spot, because we weren't sure where the next water would be.   Some trail angels (trail enthusiasts that help out hikers) maintain water caches on the PCT: they stock certain locations in waterless stretches with jugs of water.  Such an awesome thing that these people do, but you can never depend on the caches to be stocked. Therefore, we carry enough water to not depend on the caches.  We planned to reach the potential water cache at Scissors Crossing, a highway underpass, by day's end. I  Finally, after lunch, on some pretty brutal terrain, we got some thick cloud cover along with a cool breeze....so nice!! Nearing our stopping point, I was dragging and my feet were so sore and I was getting pretty grumpy.  We arrived to find that the cache had a little water left,  several hikers, including our 4 friends, were gathered, and our first trail magic ( any form of generosity displayed by trail angels) -- a cooler of ice cold beers!  It's amazing how something so simple can totally change your attitude out here.  We sat down and each had a beer, hiked a bit away from the road to a campsite with a sweet view.  Looks like we've got a big climb first thing in the morning and several  waterless miles.  Oh well, life is good!

sideways, soapbox, pedi, and half and half at Scissors Crossing

campsite after scissors crossing

quickest town stop in [our] history

Day 3 ~ miles 35.2 - 56
(campsite in boulder field)

We had a super campsite all to ourselves underneath a huge live oak tree last night.  We cruised into Mount Laguna at 9:00, right when the small and expensive general store opened.  We were able to stock up on the usual hiker food (ramen, rice and noodle sides, poptarts, etc.), and we got enough food for 4 days to carry us to Warner Springs.  Historically, we have always lingered in towns, catching up on trail gossip, relaxing, eating "real food".  This time we pretty much got our food and got outta town...we even resisted the temptation of "real" food and beverages...we were very surprised with ourselves.

At the store were 4 guys we've been hiking right behind since day 1...Quinoa and Pedi( who we named), and Julius and Dan. We have run into them at pretty much every break.  We had the pleasure of watching Julius (from Germany) earn his trail name.  After shopping, he was drinking something out of a carton...we all saw that it was half and half he was drinking ....he didn't know what it was!  Someone asked him, "Do you have a trail name?"...he replied no, and in unison, all the hikers exclaimed, "half and half!!!"  It was very amusing.

The hiking was relatively easy, with not much elevation loss or gain.  We hiked through a recent forest fire area that was covered with the new growth of wildflowers amongst the black skeletons of old burnt out trees.  We also skirted around mountains, literally on the edge, with sheer dropoffs to one side.  Step by step, I guess I am overcoming my fear of heights!  Heard my first rattlesnake rattle today, it was several feet off of the trail...we couldn't even see it, but the rattle was more than slightly startling!

We continued to break with the crew of 4 guys and also a newlywed couple out for a couple of weeks, "the honeymooners".  Quinoa has been battling a some knee pain.  We gave him an ace bandage  and I used my expert nurse skills to fix him up ( I usually keep my profession a secret on the trail)...he later reported a lot of improvement. 

Our blisters are status quo.

We found a campsite in a boulder field, and had it all to ourselves. 

We are feeling physically and mentally strong...onward!

sharing shade

Day 2 ~ Lake Morena Campground to campsite (near Long Canyon Creek) ~ miles 19.6 to 35.2
Another good day on the trail!  We felt pretty good upon waking this morning.  Feet a little tender, bodies a little stiff, but definitely to be expected.  We broke camp in about an hour, which we were pretty  pleased with considering that we really haven't done this in a while.  We started hiking at 7am.
Our hike today was mostly uphill, and through some long stretches with no shade.  We had some cloud cover and an occasional refreshing breeze, but despite that, the desert sun was still brutal.  Despite the heat, we continue to be amazed by the desert landscape.
By midday, we were ready for a lunch break and planned on stopping at the next piece of shade.  Well the next spot we came upon was occupied by 2 hikers (Mountain Goat and Wesley) who so kindly offered share their tiny bit of shade with us.  Another hiker, Otto, soon joined us.  So 5 hikers huddled in the dirt in a 5'x4' area of shade...pretty comical.  But of course, after our break, about a quarter of a mile down the trail was an oasis of sorts, with soft green grass and large trees and all the shade a hiker's heart could desire...we just had to laugh. 
We both have some minor blisters that we are handling pretty well right now.  I think with the heat and dust, blisters are inevitable.  Every hiker we have talked to is dealing with blisters as well...makes us feel a little better, at least we're not in it alone!
Tomorrow morning we'll head into Mount Laguna, where we'll buy more groceries.  We are hoping that the store is able to keep up their inventory with the large volume of hikers coming through.  Hopefully we'll get a shower as well.  The dust out here is absolutely unreal...it penetrates and cover everything.  Not to mention, we're smelling pretty ripe.
Happy trails! (Hopefully photos to follow once we have computer access)

from coast to coast

We've had a fabulous past week traveling and visiting family from Briantree, Massachusetts to Encinitas, California. 

Our long train ride from Lynchburg to Boston area was uneventful.  We spent  a relaxing 4 days in Braintree with Moonshine's family, which consisted mostly of gorging and napping, and a little bit of walking and sightseeing.  Exciting news- Moonshine's mother and stepfather welcomed their first grandchildren into the world while we were visiting (twins, a boy and girl)...congratulations to the Crispins!

On Monday, we flew to San Diego (a gorgeous 6 hour flight with phenomenal views of the Rockies and the Grand Canyon), where we were greeted by Moonshine's Uncle Bruce and his very hospitable family. 
I am just awestruck by southern California!  The weather is normally a pleasant 70ish degrees (our visit was no exception), colorful blooming plants abound, the landscape is so beautiful and varied with sandy beaches, rocky bluffs, and mountains covered in chapparal.  Everything even smells amazing!  The Dugmores fed us well and drove us around their town of Encinitas.  I touched the pacific ocean for the first time ever!  We also had an opportunity to do a presentation about the PCT for Brian's cousins' boy scout troop (hello and thanks to troop 669!).  We stayed  up to watch the complete lunar eclipse/blood-red moon ( which meant we were awake for close to 24 hours!).  Many of you may know that we have an obsession with craft beer.  We were able to visit Stone Brewery in Escondido, which was very exciting, as Stone was pretty much both of our intros to craft beer.  Stone has an amazing brewpub with an expansive garden out back, where we sat and had a pint.  Thanks Dugmores for a great time!

Next stop...Southern Terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail!

and we're off...

 

Day 1 ~ Campo to Lake Morena  Campground, miles 0 - 19.6

I surprisingly got a great night of sleep before our start...I was exhausted and could've slept much longer.  I'm the type who's usually kept awake by excitement/anxiousness, tossing and turning into the night.  Moonshine experienced a bit of that.  Our ride to the border was about an hour and fifteen minutes...I was actually able to sleep most of the ride!  I was  emotionless until the southern Terminus monument came into view, when my stomach filled with what felt like thousands of tiny butterflies, fluttering about in my belly.  Several other hikers were there when we arrived, and they continued to trickle in as we got our things in order and took our standard starting photos at the monument.

The desert flora is just beautiful.  So many unfamiliar flowers, shrubs, and trees, and a few that are familiar (rosemary and sage).  We took pictures of many in hopes of Id-ing them later.  Everything is in bloom and smells so good, and it's definitely causing some allergy symptoms for me.  As for the fauna of the trail, we've seen several lizards.  Moonshine walked right by a baby rattlesnake without noticing it...I actually spotted it (moonshine is usually the wildlife spotter in the group); it didn't coil or rattle, we just walked on by. 

We felt great on the hike.  It was a relatively cool day, in the the 70s...but felt much hotter in the brutal SoCal sun.  We took several breaks where we could find shade.  We talked to a few other hikers, saw several hikers struggling with really heavy packs...people have already been ditching  things (huge jars of peanut butter and other items) on the side of the trail to lose pack weight.

We saw several border patrol agents, in vehicle and chopper.  We had one pretty difficult ascent....we saw a border patrol agent just prior to the climb...he told us that the climb would take approximately 42 minutes; we found his precise time estimate to be  pretty humorous.  We completed the climb in 45...guess he's seen a hiker or  2 complete it. 

There was no water on trail, which we planned on.  We carried plenty (6 liters each) and did not plan to come all the way to Lake Morena, but we were feeling pretty good so we went for it.  It was a super long day.  We rolled in to see soo many hikers here (probably 30, maybe more).  We chatted with a few while cooking dinner, and appointed a couple with trail names. 

A great day on the trail, we are so happy to be living this lifestyle again!  Thanks for reading. Until next time, take care!  And by the way, we plan to add pictures to this and all future posts once we have access to a computer.

12 boxes

Never in my life did I think that 12 boxes would cause so much distress.

I stuffed 12 boxes (approximately 50 days worth) with nutritious, calorie dense, vegetarian, mostly homemade meals...and it was EXHAUSTING and STRESSFUL.  Perhaps I wasn't the most methodical while preparing these boxes.  I pretty much didn't have a plan.  This lead to a positive outcome of lots of variety within the boxes.  The negative: buying and preparing and buying and preparing, lots of trips to the grocery store, and counting and recounting.  Then thinking that I had all of the breakfasts that I needed, and realizing I had only half as many.  Then pulling out my eyelashes due to stress.  And sleepless nights.  And an increased electric bill from constantly running the food dehydrator.  BUT -- we will be well fed.  We will eat veggies.  It will be worth it.

50 days of food...and I'm spent

But look at me now...they are done!!  (commence celebrating!) We have packed about 50 days worth of food into these 12 boxes.  This will constitute about 1/3 of the food that we will consume on the trail.  These boxes will be mailed to pre-determined locations at specific times, so that we may pick them up along the way.  The other 2/3 of our food will be purchased at grocery stores along the way.  This is typically referred to as a hybrid method of resupply.  Some people have all of their trail food sent to them along the way (I seriously pity those who have to do this x 3).  Some people only buy food as they go.  We chose a hybrid method, because we wanted to be sure to have access to more nutritious foods.  Also, some resupply locations are known to have a poor selection or to be very expensive. Unfortunately, we did not have the time and/or money to sample all of the meals prior to packing them up.  We're hoping they'll be delicious because: 1. What have I ever cooked that wasn't? 2.  We will be starving, so anything should taste great...if these aren't edible, we have a huge problem.  We'll let you know how they turn out, and maybe post some recipes in the future if we find any of the meals to be extra tasty!

12 boxes ready to go!

goodbye familiarity, hello adventure

As I type, we leave familiarity behind in our rearview.   We worked our final work shifts yesterday, and less than 24 hours later, we're leaving the Outer Banks.  I am surprisingly  emotionless as we set out on our adventure.  (OK...then we missed our exit, then I had to stop blogging to help navigate).


car packed...leaving the Outer Banks.  Jed looks deceptively OK with it (he cried almost the whole ride)

(...4 days later)
We have been saying lots of "goodbyes" (to the wonderful students that I have come to know and love and learn so much from).  We've been saying "see ya in 6 months" to family and friends.  And our kitty....we'll say goodbye in the morning, and I'm really distraught about it (though he is in good hands).  We've been having lots of "last time for 6 months" moments...last walk on the beach, last time at our favorite bar with our favorite bartenders with half price beers, last time we'll wear our wedding bands, last meal at our favorite restaurant, last time driving over the big bridge, last time driving.  A couple of  real "lasts": last time unlocking the doors of Manteo High School, last time goofing off, bedazzling house arrest anklets at the Alternative School, last day of my dream job.

hike up Crabtree Falls with
some of our very favorites...
Weston, Katy, and Penny. 
We love y'all!

So here we are, 4 days later; we are nearing completion of the first leg of our travels.  We've been visiting with family and friends in Lynchburg, Virginia.  What better send-off could a guy and gal ask for?  Surrounded by our family and family-like friends, devouring mass amounts of delicious foods and tasty beverages (hey-we gotta get it while we can!).  And FINALLYYYYYY...our 12 resupply boxes are complete: overstuffed, addressed, ready to go...
SHEWWWW (that was a HUGE sigh of relief). 





Visiting Granny - an inspiration
of a lady at 90 years old!

Tomorrow, we'll begin the second leg of our trip: a 12.5 hour train ride to Boston, where we'll face some more "last time for a while" moments.  The adventure ahead remains very surreal.  Each step we take is a step in a less normal and less familiar direction.  Before we know it, we'll take a step (or 6 million) into the complete unknown.  It's not hit me yet....and it may not before it's over.  Stay tuned, folks. 

As always, thanks for reading.  Much love, and Happy Trails!