5 days

April 25, 2015, 7:20pm

Today’s hike was a rough one. I knew it was going to be a 20 mile day and wanted to return to the ADZPCTKO by day’s end. I started at the terminus after getting a ride from a trail angel couple with another hiker named Scott who had plans on hiking for two weeks only. He was in a hurry and sped off after a photo. I hiked my own pace past the Border Patrol and others showing up to hike the trail. I was passed by a few hikers at the 1st mile marker. How ever met two very nice young kids who hiked with me for the entire day. Ingrid who slack packed and Lightning Lowell who like me packed his entire pack. The views were amazing and the conversations were even better. As a group we suffered soar joints, muscles and tendons but carried on to finish at 5:15pm (as Lightning Lowell predicted) after starting around 6:40am. There was a cold burrito meal provided the day before and we thought for sure there was another meal waiting for us, there wasn’t. I walked to the near by store and had a double bacon cheeseburger with Lightning Lowell who had a patty melt. While we ate it rained. I returned to my tarp tent and crawled inside and shed all my wet clothes, layered dry smart wool PJ’s and crawled inside of my sleeping bag. The winds picked up around hiker midnight (9pm) and blew the rain sideways pretty much all night. I did not sleep very well at all.

April 26, 2015, 8:10pm

Today’s hike wasn’t nearly as steep. Pack was heavier or my body was more soar, I can’t tell which. This morning I regrouped with Ingrid and lightning Lowell, said goodbye to Florida who is also a sober hiker (I think 4 years), Jim (who snores incredibly loud) and a few others. Most everyone has wet dirty gear because of last nights rains and this mornings overcast. They tell me it’s never this bad in Lake Morena. So off we went Northbound, all three of us from completely different walks of life, all three of us with 20 miles of the PCT under our belts. We took turns leading the way, not in a rotating or organized fashion but rather when someone stops to pee the next person becomes the leader. When ever the last person stops we kinda slow down….until they catch up and then like a machine we snake ourselves up and down crazy switchbacks, down rolling hills into dry river beds tucked into canyons and then changing gears for our slow accents back up and over here dry rolling hills only to do it again…..and again. Along the way we found Sarah and Clay from back East somewhere. Newly formed as a couple they seem to be so perfect for each other. She is NOT a morning person while he is the most patient man alive and together they compliment one another nicely. Anyway we hiked with them for most of the day and all crashed out for a nap in the shade and tall grasses near by a creek with flowing water.

4/29 6:00pm

Started at Pioneer picnic area this morning 12 hours ago and resting almost twenty miles away via trail miles and far less as the crow flies. Ingrid has began to establish her own pace and unexpectedly showed hidden strength and courage. I’m very proud of her and now she hikes her own hike. I left early this morning and Lightning Lowell left at 7:00am and caught up while I was napping at fire water. I met some interesting characters today. Sheak is maybe early thirties with curly hair worn just below his ears and a beard that’s been farmed forward to protrude out from his chin a solid 2 inches. His friend Critter is a large man, opposite his name, and Critter can hike at a super quick pace! That boy has the salt sweat marks to prove it in his collared quick dry button up dressy looking Columbia. Fair skinned and light hair the team hikes together and compliments their vast differences. Also I met Windscreen who pushed on another 7 miles tonight in an effort to get to Julian via Scissors Crossing. A few of us secretly hope to crash his hotel room tomorrow morning! Canyon and Rabbit are a father daughter team, Rabbit is about 11. At 11 she can out hike most anyone but her Father keeps a loving close eye and slows her pace a bit. There is a Father son team as well as Canyon and Rabbit with far less interesting names as of yet but I imagine Wallace and Jack will get trail names eventually. Oh! Wait! I almost forgot Nude Dude! So Leo is this Asian kid in his twenties with legs like a moose! He is loaded up with full camera equipment and sound recording system with those foam microphone like in the movies. He makes these trippy DMT styled videos and usually they are videos of him nude in a variety of poses. I’ll see if he wants to share his work on this blog. Did I mention he edits these little 10 min. acid flashbacks on a laptop he charges with a ginormous roll out solar panel. His pack is heavy! As a walked away astonished, shocked, bewildered and slightly amazed, he mentioned he isn’t carrying a stove to save weight.

Advertisement