Miles: 187.9 to 210.8 Mileage: 22.9 Day: 11 The wind picked up overnight and from our camp above 8,000 feet; it made a mockery of our tent. Stakes were pulled out of the ground and the temperature dropped. In the morning, there was frost on our sleeping bags. We slept in until 7:30 a.m. Richard […]
Miles: PCT: 1.6; Cedar Springs Trail Junction plus road walk to Idyllwild: 19, minus a 2.5 mile hitch along highway 74. Mileage: 18.1 Day: 9 When the light returned around 5:45, the rain and wind we still working full time and we were still in our sleeping bags dreading the moment when we stepped back […]
Miles: 140.3 to 161 Mileage: 20.7 Day: 8 At 5:30 a.m. I woke to hear rain pattering on the tent. I do not enjoy packing up in the rain, but I figured, it’s the desert! How long can this last? And I was right. The pattering stopped in 15 or 20 minutes and we packed […]
Miles: 115 to 140.3 (plus 1 mile to get water) Mileage: 125.3 Day: 7 We camped in a rare forested area next to a flowing stream. Once we started hiking, that didn’t last long. The whole morning was a long, slow climb through boulder-pocked desert scrub. The first few hours were cloudy and cold above […]
Miles: 101.1 to 115 via resupply in Warner Springs Mileage: 13.9 Day: 6 The walk into Warner Springs was chilly and windy. The sky was fully overcast and even the ants were slowed by the drop in temperature. Rather than moving quickly in neat lines to and from their mounds, they lay nearly still, no […]
Miles: 61.7 to 82 Mileage: 20.3 Day: 4 Body status update: Day one felt great. We made good time and nothing seemed to slow us down; not heat, not liters and liters of water, not five days of food. Day two was painful. Sore feet, hips, shoulders, the beginnings of blisters, etc. My energy […]
Miles: 22.1 to 41.5 Mileage: 19.4 Day: 2 We woke just before sunrise, but took our time getting out of our sleeping bags, discussing our dreams. The night was so quiet. I don’t remember the last time I heard less. As soon as the sun came across the valley to our ridge, it was warm. […]
Despite feeling nervous and excited, I slept well at Scout and Frodo’s. We set the alarm for 4:45 a.m. By 5:15 we were packed and sitting down to breakfast. Twelve hikers loaded into three vehicles and we all headed out to the trail head just as the sun was rising. We made it to the […]
We’ve made it to San Diego, have been welcomed, feed and bedded by the lovely and talented Scout and Frodo, and are ready to start hiking! Scout and Frodo thru hiked the PCT in 2007 and have been kind enough to host hikers at their home ever since. We are eternally grateful for their generosity. […]
As Richard and I fly out to San Diego tomorrow to start our Pacific Crest Trail hike, I have prepared for the occasion by having my gear mostly ready. Here’s what I’ve got planned. Osprey Tempest 40 2 lbs MSR 2L titanium pot/homemade cosy/homemade pop can stove 13.4 ounces Crocs for camp shoes 8.6 ounces […]