Road Trip California!

I couldn't be happier when I saw Michelle come down the escalator in the Sacramento Airport. It felt like an eternity since I've seen her.  We're lucky enough to have a whole ten days together to explore Northern California.

Strangely enough, the first few places Michelle and I went on our road trip were spots the PCT also passes through. Even a random scenic overlook had the PCT running right through it. We spent the first couple days in Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP).

Bumpass' Hell

This place was like a mini-Yellowstone, with bigger mountains. We walked through the horribly smelly (due to the sulfur) Bumpass' Hell trail. This trail featured  a tons of volcanic activity like mud pots, steam vents, and boiling pools. All of which are connected to the active volcanoes in the park like Lassen and the Cinder Cone.

Looking into the crater of the Cinder Cone volcano.

Lassen Peak was closed for trail maintenance so we opted for the Cinder Cone. It was an incredible experience to climb this conical cone of ash. We actually got to hike into the very center of the volcano, where it erupted in the 1650s.

Michelle in front of the Cinder Cone. The trail is wrapping up the right side up the cone; its way steeper than it looks!

Our next destination is Redwoods National Park, but on the way we made a couple of really cool stops. The first was a walk though a lava tube called the Subway Cave. This was a pretty cool free entry cave that was formed by an underground lava flow.

Burney Falls

We also stopped by Burney Falls, an incredible 129ft waterfall that is fed by beautiful blue spring water. The spring actually comes out of the ground 3/4 of a mile up stream from the Falls, and is dry above that point. This area is so dry that this gorgeous waterfall seems very out of place. It's not something to pass by if you're in the area.

The Redwoods are truly majestic. I'm so happy that they are now preserved, and also disturbed by how people had justified in clear cutting most of their native range.  These trees feel so ancient that I felt like a dinosaur was going to come around the corner any second.

Can you see Michelle in this Redwood?

There are several Redwoods on private land that have been tunneled into for cars to drive through as a tourist attraction. Its only five dollars, and well worth it.  The tree below was tunneled through in the early 1900s and is still growing strong.

After the Redwoods we went backpacking along the Lost Coast.  This is a largely undeveloped stretch of coast on BLM land in Northern California. We saw enough people that I wouldn't call this place "lost", but it was still an amazing experience to backpack on the beach.  There were sections of trail/beach that were impassable during high tide, so we just had to plan on hitting these sections at low tide. 

Walking on the Lost Coast.

 To be continued....

Getting into the Sierras

June 1st, 2014
This post is a bit out of order, its meant to be read before 'Hitchhiking'.

I just finished an awesome weekend in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks with a great old friend of mine. He was nice enough to pick me up in Wrightwood along with 4 other hikers and drive us all north.

I got to see the largest tree in the world, it's called the General Sherman tree and weighs about 2,770,000 pounds. Walking around groves of sequoias is an amazing feeling, like you've been transported back to a prehistoric time. We also saw a black bear cub and a gigantic waterfall, which was especially shocking considering how little snow is in the Sierras.

Right now, I am sitting in the shade of a tree in the pullout of a quiet mountain road. About one car passes my direction every 10-20 minutes. They have mostly looked like local ranchers, and were uninterested in giving me a ride. I've never attempted to hitch-hike such a long distance, or from such a terrible location, yet I can't think of a better plan. Where I need to go is about a two hour drive up this road. Then I can pick up my resupply box and hit the trail.

The next segment of trail I'll be on is from Kennedy Meadows to Vermilion Valley Resort. It'll be my longest stretch yet at 200 miles. I'll hopefully be able to summit Mt. Whitney, if the conditions are right.

I'm a little nervous for this new section, just because of the unknowns, but that also adds to the excitement. Except for my current predicament of being somewhat stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, that's less exciting. My phone is showing service yet I can't make any calls. Damn you Sprint. It's been an hour already and things aren't looking any more promising, probably worse actually because the weekend traffic is dying down. It looks like people are only driving out of the mountains, coming home from a nice weekend out. I just hope I meet one going back in.

A man just stopped and offered me a ride in the other direction. He told me I have a good 75-80 miles to go, but I'm on the right road. I just need to be patient. I have plenty of food and water, I could sleep here if I needed to, I just hope it doesn't come to that.

Mono Hot Springs to South Lake Tahoe

This section has been just as incredible as the last. So much so in fact that I forgot to take a zero day this week, making this section 11 days long without a break. It's starting to catch up with me now after my eighth day in a row, but the scenery is so beautiful that it distracts me from my own fatigue.

My excitement  and curiosity to see what's over the next ridge, and around the next corner, kept me going.  I usually ended up doing about 25 miles a day just to try and see more.  The amazing scenery seemed to never end.
 

The beauty seemed endless in the high sierra.  This was somewhere in the John Muir Wilderness.

I had the awesome Banner Peak in my view for two full days.  It was a great feeling to see this dominating peak in the distance, then to hear, "Yeah, that's Banner Peak, we're walking to that," from a fellow hiker. This iconic peak was famously photographed by Ansel Adams, and lies in the Ansel Adams Wilderness area.  The runoff from Banner has created huge lakes on all of its sides, including the largest in the Sierra Nevada, named Thousand Island Lake.

Myself, Banner Peak, and Thousand Island Lake.

About seven miles after the above photo was taken I climbed over a pass that marked the border into Yosemite National Park.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the next day was going to be my longest hike of the whole trail. I thought I was setting myself up for a 28-30 mile day, but it ended up being about 33 miles. This was a spur off the PCT that was the final miles of the John Muir Trail (JMT).  Me and a friend named Rex decided to hike this in one day because we didn't have a permit to camp on the JMT. We also heard a rumor of an all you can eat buffet in Yosemite Valley, but we didn't know what time it closed so we walked as fast as we could.  We blew past day hikers and made it down averaging about 3mph for 11 hours straight.  Unfortunately there was no buffet, so instead we each got a large pizza loaded with toppings and a couple large beers. Rex polished his large pie off
with ease, and I only had a small slice leftover.

Cathedral Peak in Yosemite.

I have now officially thru-hiked the JMT. If you're interested in thru-hiking at all, I would start with the JMT. It is only 211 miles, so it can be done in two weeks, and it covers most of the High Sierra range. Starting from the northern end at Yosemite valley and heading south would be preferable, as the scenery gets better going South-bound.
 

From left to right: the back of Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Falls in Yosemite National Park.

This is not to say that Yosemite isn't amazing, it is, but it's also saturated with tourists which takes away from the experience for me. So much so in fact that the hike from the valley to the waterfall depicted above is paved.  What I didn't realize is that all of Yosemite National Park is covered in granite. Most of the mountains in the park are just gigantic pieces of granite. Many of which are so rocky that they barely have trees growing on them.

Enjoying Yosemite on my 25th Birthday.

The scenery for the days between Tuolumne Meadows and the Northern Border of Yosemite were all similar granite mountains, and all spectacular.  I've met so many amazing thru-hikers and section hikers at this point. But I was especially happy to meet Go-Go Gadget and Salty Snack the day before my 25th birthday.  We camped together and they woke me up by singing happy birthday to me.  It was a simple gesture from strangers that made me feel awesome, and a great start to the day. I ended up hiking with them on and off for the following week.
 

The last day out of Yosemite was by far the worst day of mosquitoes yet. I wore my bug pants, shirt, and head-net all day, yet still got eaten alive. I managed to swallow two gnats when I made the mistake of removing my head net briefly. I couldn't stop to pee without being ambushed. It was so brutal that I ended up walking 27 miles that day, just because they were more tolerable when I was moving.
 

One of the few pictures from the buggiest day, you can see the bug net on top of my head.

The next day I went over Sonoran Pass, which marked the end of the High Sierras. I was sad to be out of them, and also happy that I had walked across their entirety. I thought the scenery would turn to mediocrity after the pass, but 35 miles later and it hasn't disappointed yet. The jutting rocks of the mountains now look distinctly volcanic; beautiful against the bright green vegetation that surrounds them.
 

Appropriately named Blue Lake.

Of course just two days after leaving the required bear canister zone I saw my first bear! He was a four foot tall black bear, that jumped up a tree as soon as we rounded the corner. Luckily he seemed just as curious as he was scared. We locked eyes for a good 15 seconds, which was probably too long because I didn't know where mom was hiding.

South Lake Tahoe showed me once again how lucky I am. A fellow hiker and I hiked the nine miles to the Highway 50 road junction by 9:30 am.  This is what happens when hikers have the motivation of an all you can eat buffet.  We were seated by 10:30 am and didn't leave until about 2pm.  It was the best feast of the summer by far.

That night me and a fellow hiker tried our luck on the penny slots.  When I saw the Willy Wonka slot machine I remembered about how I won a golden ticket at summer camp as a kid.  I thought I'd try my luck again and I was right! I won $250!  My luck didn't stop there.  My group got upgraded to a $250/ night room, which we payed $100 between six people. Then a few of us got trapped in the room due to a faulty lock!  The staff had to come and drill through it to get us out.  As a result we all got a free buffet meal with Lobster tail, about $150 value. I feel pretty lucky!

I also got to meet up with a few old Bike and Build friends, one of which is going to join me for 66 miles of trail.  These will be my last miles on the PCT this summer.  I will be meeting up with Michelle on the 28th to start our ten day road trip, then I'll be handed off to by friend Noah (aka Baloo) for another ten day road trip.  The basic plan is to explore Northern California, Oregon and Washington!

I'm excited for a change of pace, but I will definitely miss the trail! I'll be back to finish it off in sections.  I think I'll start with the Cascades in Washington. I've heard that those are the only other part of the trail that rival the High Sierras.

Kennedy Meadows to Mono Hot Springs

201 miles
Just over 8 days

I was so excited to get into the Sierra that I didn't notice the intense weight on my back the first afternoon. I pretty much ran the 16 miles to camp by a river the first night, in 3.5 hours. I just wanted to leave the high desert behind me, to stop having to read a water report all day, and to get to Mt. Whitney.

That first night I camped around more people than ever before on this trip, probably about 15. This seems to be the norm on this section of trail, and strangely I'm now preferring the smaller groups. This is only strange because in my first three days from the Mexico border I was desperate to see any people at all.

The second and third day after Kennedy Meadows I walked two 26 mile days in a row, with the heaviest backpack I have had on trail. Nine days of food, in a lumpy bear canister, made me have to take a break every 45 minutes or just be uncomfortable. I don't think I'd recommend going for such a long stretch without resupply, unless you don't mind a bit of pain the first couple days.

After day four, the High Sierra is already well worth any discomfort. This is my second night camping in Crabtree Meadows; the junction of where the PCT splits off to summit Mt. Whitney on the John Muir Trail (JMT). The views from here, all the way to the summit are phenomenal. This is why I backpack. 

One of the massive peaks that surround Mt. Whitney.

Ten deer are grazing in a field in front of me, and a marmot is chirping on a rock nearby. We walked up past streams of fresh snow melt filled with Golden Trout. I love getting into the alpine, seeing the source of the snowmelt, and not needing to even treat the water. It doesn't get any fresher than that.

Guitar Lake is on the right.  It was the first and last alpine lake I swam in.

Looking North from the summit of Mt. Whitney I can see all the jagged mountains I will be walking through over the next few weeks. I'm so excited that I get to live in this wilderness. This is actually the largest continuous stretch of wilderness in the continental US.

Me on the summit of Mt. Whitney.

The morning after Whitney I got an early start in order to safely cross over Forester Pass, the highest point on the PCT at 13,200 ft. By going over the pass before noon I avoided the typical afternoon thunderstorms of the Sierra, and avoided post-holing through the remaining snow. The views are just as amazing as from Whitney, and luckily I got to do at least one pass a day for the rest of this section.

The view of the trail up to Forester Pass.

The routine was similar for each of the other passes, which are appropriately named Glen, Mather, Pinchot, Muir, and Seldon. Muir was definitely the hardest because of the several miles of snow surrounding the pass. We reached the top around 10:30 am, but the snow had already warmed enough to punch through. The decent was also very gradual, meaning longer time at higher elevation, and more snow to post-hole through. The epic scenery was a generous reward for the taxing slog over Muir. At points the trail was covered a foot deep with water mixed with snow.  I opted to walk straight through this icy mixture, instead of post-holing through the surrounding snow as many did in a futile attempt to cut corners.

A rare dry section of trail amid the snowy decent off of Muir Pass.

Rae Lakes was one of my favorite spots on the whole trail. I would have loved to spend more time here to relax, take in the sights, and fish, but everyday I had to position myself to make it over the next days pass before noon.  This often doesn't leave ample down time.  In this area I met many weekend backpackers who were doing a 46 mile loop in Kings Canyon National Park, of which Rae Lakes and Glen Pass were the climax.  This sounds like a great option if you crave a shorter adventure!



Me standing next to Rae Lakes.  The huge pointed mountain is Painted Lady, and Glen Pass lies about a half a mile to the right of it.

One day I went over two passes; Pinchot and Mather. I slept in the alpine about a mile from the top of the first pass (Pinchot) in order to cross over both passes before noon. It was blue skies so I figured I'd give it a try, despite the high altitude (over 11,000 feet) and exposure.  Not surprisingly, it was probably my coldest night on trail. As evidence, the pond I slept next to froze.

Early morning light from the top of Pinchot Pass. My bivy site is in the center of this shot, slightly above the shadowed area.

I highly recommend Kings Canyon National Park. Every day in it was filled with the best views so far on trail, and honestly some of the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen.
 

______

I am now under my tarp as it's storming. I can feel the vibration of the lightning just as I hear it's thunder. The rain seems persistent, so I wonder how well my shelter will hold. I'm using a poncho-tarp and a bivy sack, which will hopefully keep me and my down sleeping bag dry. I am feeling some rain splatter on my face, probably ricocheting off the ground. Time to bundle up and hunker down. I'll update in the morning.

Under my Poncho-Tarp in a storm.

--------

I didn't get wet! The poncho-tarp worked, the only issue would have been if I had to set it up when it was already pouring. Luckily that wasn't the case, but I should carry a separate tarp for that scenario. I ordered one in April from a small company that makes them to order, but it still hasn't arrived.  Solely using a poncho-tarp as rain protection is truly minimalist, and I would only recommend doing so in places that rarely rain. 

It is an amazing feeling to walk for hundreds of miles with only the bare minimum on your back.  For me, it just reinforces the fact that we (as Americans) don't need 95% of the crap that we purchase. I hope to never get caught up in such consumerism again.  It seems to be ingrained in our society; the economy is defined by our consumption, and we are in a depression if we aren't spending.  The news, television, radio, and advertising doesn't let us forget that we should be consuming all we can every day.  If only we had a different way to measure wealth, we could be happier with less, and lower our

monstrous environmental footprint.
________
 

I've made it to Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), where many hikers come for a zero day. Despite the free beer hikers get on arrival, I'm still ansy. I have another 15 miles to go down a quite dirt road to get to Mono Hot Springs where my package is waiting. I shipped it there instead because it's a free pick up, when here it's 20$, and I also wanted to soak in their free hot springs. I probably also wouldn't be so ansy if there was cellphone service here. There is only a satellite phone which costs 2$ a minute.

The hitch down to Mono Hot Springs only took five minutes, which was a relief. If I didn't get picked up I would have had to walk about 15 miles each direction, not something I want to do on my zero day, especially after walking 200 miles straight.

The pools were a mixture of natural and cement construction, and free to the public.  It was a great relaxing way to spend the day.  An employee of the general store there gave me a ride back up, I just gave him some gas money.  It was worth it because most people I talked to were coming in and out from the other direction, and had no idea about VVR.

My backpack and a gifted beer in front of the hottest
pool in Mono Hot Springs, named Old Pedro.

My next resupply is in Tuolumne Meadows.  I will be there in about four days, and at that time I will have officially thru-hiked the John Muir Trail!

Hitchhiking

Day 1

It is very common for PCT hikers to hitch hike to and from trail towns along the PCT corridor. I have done so about half a dozen times on this trip. 

During today and tomorrow I'm attempting a much longer distance hitch across about 75 miles of mountain roads. My last post was written while waiting for the first car to pick me up.

The lonly road where I started my long hitch to Kennedy Meadows.

It took about an hour and a half to get picked up at first, but I couldn't have asked for a better ride. I was picked up by Jason and Fran, a super nice couple on their way back from a Ben Harper concert. They invited me into their home and offered me a shower, which I happily accepted. I was overjoyed at a ride, let alone the hospitality they showed me. Jason shared with me some 18 year old Glenlivet and some great conversation. Then he gave me a ride another 30 minutes up the road to the Trail of 100 Giants

One of the Sequoias at the Trail of 100 Giants.

The trail went through another Sequoia grove, which I don't think can ever get old. I can stare at them for hours. I walked around the trail near a guy named Greg, and we traded taking photos for each other. I asked where he was heading as we left the trail and he described the road I needed to go down. I asked him for a ride, and he agreed to take me to the next main intersection of roads.

Strangely enough, it turns out that Greg is going to apply to Colorado State University and wants to do my same degree program! What a small world! He also ended up driving out of his way to get me closer to Kennedy Meadows. 

Now I am preparing to sleep next to a stream by the side of the road. I cowboy camp (sleep without a tent) almost every night I'm out here. I'm almost always comfortable with it, but Jason told me the mountain lions out here are really active right now, so paranoia is setting in. I think my knife fell out of my bag in transit somehow, so even my false sense of security is gone. Oh well, time for sleep. I have a bit more hitch hiking to do tomorrow, but I'm confident that I'll make it to Kennedy Meadows.

The pull out that I slept in after my first day of hitchhiking.

Day 2

After 45 minutes of not seeing a single car, I began to prepare for the roughly 50 mile walk to Kennedy Meadows. Then just as I was about to start walking I was picked up by a father and son who were going to ride some motorcycle trails. They dropped me off at about 15 miles to the trail, which is fine even if I don't get another ride. I should still be able to make it to the general store to pick up my packages before they close at 5.

The final road to Kennedy Meadows. It was a great walk before I got a ride.

I walked about four miles towards Kennedy Meadows, then got picked up by the first truck that passed.  It was a group of fishermen coming up to fish the endemic Golden Trout.

All in all, it took me about 22 hours and four rides to make it across the web of dirt roads, back to the PCT.  I was so ready to get into the Sierras I left shortly after resupplying, even though it looked like most hikers were staying at Kennedy Meadows for some recovery time.  This general store had the most PCT hikers hanging around it that I have seen for the entire trail.

I have about 60 miles of high desert until the start of the High Sierra! Time to get moving!

Big Bear to Wrightwood: A Change of Mind

I've completely changed my mind about this trip, in a good way. I no longer feel the need to be a thru-hiker. I don't feel the need to walk every bit of this trail. I've walked about 350 miles through the desert, and have learned a lot about myself from that experience. 

There are many reasons why I have decided to skip the next 350 miles of desert. I feel better about being out here for 3.5 months, rather than 4.5 months. This eases my homesickness somehow, and allows me to graduate in December. I'm still going to hike probably about 1,000 miles this summer, but I'm not pushing for Canada. I'm going to take every side trail that looks interesting, and design my own adventure.  I'm also now planning on hiking the John Muir Trail, including the parts that don't overlap with the PCT. That interests me more now than restricting myself to hittin  'X' miles a day every day to make it to Canada.

I know I can do the whole trail physically, and probably mentally. I may still finish the rest of the trail, but just not the remaining desert portion. I have no desire to walk through a non-scenic desert, with 110℉ heat, and water spread 30 miles apart. I don't see this as quitting, or failure, but rather an adjustment of my goals.

Some cool rocks in the desert shortly before Wrightwood, CA.

This has already been an amazing experience, I can only image what's to come! This means that I'm pretty much throwing out my schedule. If I don't make it through Washington, I'm not too bothered because I can come back, and I will. I've met many retired folks who don't let their age stop them, the oldest of whom was 76. I plan on going on journeys like this until I'm dead, so why rush?

Some friends on a beautiful ridgeline walk.

If you ever want to take a deep look inside yourself, go walk 350 miles through the desert. It's amazing were your mind will take you.

Idyllwild to Big Bear

Miles 180-266

These have been the most beautiful miles yet. It was so relaxing to be in Idlyllwild, mainly due to the abundance of trees and cool air, but also just to be in the care of a fellow thru-hikers grandparents. I got to sleep in a bed for two nights, treated to a meal out, and got a delicious to-go bag of cheese and fresh veggies. That was some amazing trail magic. The support from non-hikers in some passing areas/towns has been tremendous. If you have ever run a race, it's similar to the strangers cheering you on the side lines. Here they are just more spread out, but they give you the same energy.

Yesterday me and Magic Mullet climbed San Jacinto Peak, the second tallest in Southern California. The views from the top were truly incredible. To the North is the San Gorgonio Wilderness and Big Bear, my destination. To the East is Palm Springs, Indio, and their suburbs 9,000ft below. To the West there was a haze of smoke from the San Diego wildfires.

On top of San Jacinto Peak.

The decent off this peak took about a full 24 hours, and the vegetation and weather changed dramatically with the drastic change in elevation.

The sunrise above the clouds.

At the bottom of the massive decent the wind was howling, turning the sand into little needles as they hit my skin. So I pushed on even faster, because there was refuge nearby thanks to some amazing trail angels named Ziggy and the Bear.  These people have opened up their home to any thru hiker passing by.  There whole backyard has been converted into a hiker paradise.  The ground is completely carpeted to protect hikers often tender feet, there are foot baths, coffee, fresh fruit,  ice cream, apple pie, and even half a dozen porta-pottys for hikers.  All they want in return is a small donation, and a photo of each hiker which they number and catalog. I am number 1012 for this year. This makes me think that there are probably 1100 thru hikers this year.  Without the generosity of people like this, such a hike wouldn't be possible for most.


I left the hiker haven that afternoon and headed to Whitewater Wildlife Refuge. The views kept coming.

The sunset over whitewater wash.

Unfortunatley, despite the flush toilets and picnic benches, the campsite turned terrible really quick. This was actually the first time I set up my tarp, but it didn't help. I woke up to a torrential down pour, which was somehow getting under my tarp despite its very low pitch. I even used my umbrella to cover up one main entrance, but my down bag, jacket and pants all got soaked. Then all of a sudden most of the rain stopped, and I heard a voice with a German accent say, "my foot is on the sprinkler!" A slew of curses streamed out of my mouth. I gave the savior my water bladder to cover one sprinkler, then I ran out of the tarp to cover two other sprinkler heads with my upside down shoes. I moved my wet sleeping bag to under the stone patio, were I attempted to sleep the rest of the night. No more front-country camping for me!

My campsite from hell. You can see the water marks and where I covered the sprinklers.

(~Mile 230)

Right now I'm taking a short break in the shade, during my hike up Mission Creek. This is another one of the many moments when this feels impossible. Just as implausible as learning to fly, it seems like I can't do this. I miss Michelle so much, that spending the next four months doing this, alone, without her, sounds terrible.

But then again I'm not alone, well at least not always, and there is so much to look forward to. This is day ten, and I've seen several thru hikers a day since day four. The camaraderie is great, but it's not quite filling the gap.

However, I can't quit. No matter how tempting. I've presented myself with this amazing opportunity, that will never happen again. There is no coming back if I leave, why would I? There are so many things I want to do in my life, so I generally don't like to repeat experiences. I have until October. This isn't much time in the grand sceme of things, so why should I not take advantage of this trail?

This makes me feel better. I find that I'm walking myself through the same rational somewhat regularly out here, like a CD on repeat whenever I'm feeling low.

Less than 40 miles to Big Bear. Time to take a break from this damned desert.

In Big Bear:

The past two days Have been neros ( near zero mile days) in my opinion, at 14 miles each day. This is my second and last night in the Big Bear Hostel. It has been rejuvenating despite not getting great sleep. I think I'm getting too used to camping now so beds aren't as comfortable. So strange as it's only been12 days.

Getting snowed on by Onyx Summit, near mile 251.

Yesterday me and Magic Mullet hitched off of the top of a mountain pass because it was snowing and lightning was getting too close for comfort. Its amazing that the day before I was hot, sweating through the desert. Today we got a ride back up to the same pass and hiked back into town without all of our backpacking gear. With barely anything in our packs we made 14 miles in only four hours. The lack of weight felt really freeing.

We also passed these Grizzly Bears that were caged in the woods. Apparently these animals were used in movies, and now they're in what looks like prison. It sucks to see such a big animal in such a small cage, especially when they are native to California, yet don't exist here anymore.

A caged Grizzly Bear.

Time to hit the trail again. 40 more miles until I get to soak in Deep Creek Hot Springs!