Wayward 30-Somethings

Food for Parker

2012-01-30T00:26:00.003-05:00

Problem #2 (#1 being rain) is what to feed her while in the woods. She's no longer taking boob. By June she won't be drinking formula anymore. So, what will she eat, that won't spoil in our backpacks? The answer: Peter Rabbit Organics... we sell it at REI, and it's pouched pureed food that does not need to be refrigerated until opened. Perfect!

Staying Dry

2012-01-11T22:38:00.005-05:00

Emily said to me the other day, "What do we do with Parker if it rains while hiking the Long Trail?" Well, buy her rain gear of course! She'll be sporting the REI Cascade rain jacket and rain pants, which I picked up yesterday (in 12 mo size):

Long Trail 2012?

2011-12-09T14:47:00.006-05:00

Well, Parker is 8 months old now. Time to rejuvenate the blog. You ask why? Because we have begun to think about finishing up the Long Trail!

Parker at Blue Hills Reservation in Canton, MA

You may remember that we hiked the northern 1/3 (~90 miles) back in 2008. Then the middle 1/3 (~80 miles) in 2010. Only seems obvious that we would finish it in 2012, right?

Parker will be 1 year old on March 30, and we'll probably try to do this hike in the early summer months (June or July), which means she should be at a good age... and not too heavy, so time to start planning!

-Chris

Parker Sierra Bauernfeind, born 3/30/11

2011-04-04T11:43:00.002-04:00

Car Seat Inspection

2011-03-07T16:46:00.009-05:00

This morning I spent 45 minutes with Officer Coriano in the garage of the Boston Police Department in Dudley Square. With less than 2 weeks until D-Day, it was definitely time to get the car seat inspected. It's a requirement (we were told) in MA, and let me tell you, Officer Coriano does not take his job lightly.

Ruby sharing a garage with a BPD cruiser

Although I'd already perused the SnugRide 35's handbook as well as Ruby's (our Subaru Outback) owner's manual for information, he took the time to show me all the ins and outs of our newest purchase, and all of our options for seat installation. As a Dad and Grandfather, he seemed genuinely concerned for the safety of our little one on the way, and made sure I knew what the heck I was doing. By the time I left, I did!

Officer Coriano and the SnugRide35

-Chris

Book Club

2011-02-27T14:27:00.002-05:00

This is what my night stand looks like these days.

Belly Pic

2011-02-07T08:59:00.005-05:00

Emily at 34 weeks.

A Sobering New Year's Eve

2011-01-10T16:57:00.001-05:00

Being pregnant definitely throws a wrench into partying. New Year's Eve was no exception. Forget the bars. Forget raucous house parties. Forget the copious amounts of toasting and tasting cocktails and champagne. While those celebrations of old have been fun, this year we celebrated a little differently.

Take a look.

We climbed the nearest lump of land around 11:30 pm—the Great Blue Hill. It took about 20 minutes to get to the top and we ushered in the new year, side by side in the dark, at the top of a stone observation tower. It was cold and breezy, and perfect. The fireworks over Boston Harbor were the size of my thumb nail, and we could hear other towns' attempts at being festive, too. I had my best friend at my side, and our little family was together. Perhaps a sign of New Year's celebrations to come!

-Emily

Wayward?

2011-01-07T21:54:00.005-05:00

Wayward 30-Somethings? I think not. First off, I turned 40 last summer. Secondly, it's hard to be wayward when you have a little one growing in your wife's belly. We're excited! Excited to be bringing another being into the world. Excited to hopefully be breeding a future hiker. Excited to start planning our CDT (Continental Divide Trail) hike. What?! Just kidding. But really, how cool would it be to finish off my Triple Crown hike with my wife AND my kid?

Anyway, we are 30 weeks pregnant, and are now getting the "guest room" converted over to the baby's room. Tonight I caulked. This weekend (if I can pry myself away from the NFL playoffs) I will paint the trim. Then, after painting the walls a color other than white (our entire apt), we will winterize the room, and then set up the crib, etc. etc.

This doesn't seem very wayward.

-Chris

Long Trail 2010!

2010-07-20T23:35:00.003-04:00

We were back on the Trail this past week. The Long Trail (fondly known as the LT) in Vermont that is. It runs the length of VT, from Canada to Massachusetts, for about 275 miles. Back in 2008, we tackled the northern 1/3, down to Jonesville. This year, we walked the middle 80 miles, south from Jonesville to Sherburne Pass, near Killington. Please enjoy the pictures of our 6-day hike.

-Chris

Our PCT Slideshow

2010-05-16T01:12:00.001-04:00

Presentation

2010-04-30T20:55:00.004-04:00

ONE year ago yesterday, we started the Trail! We definitely miss it.

Presenting at the local Boston REI (where I work part-time).

-Chris

Gear Lists

2010-04-05T10:11:00.008-04:00

Our long-awaited gear lists.

CHRIS:
Gregory Palisade 80L backpack
Outdoor Research pack cover
REI Titanal trekking poles
REI Halo 25-degree down sleeping bag (REI Zephyr 15-degree synthetic for WA)
Ridgerest sleeping pad
MSR Pocket Rocket stove + isobutane fuel + bic lighter
GSI hard anodized pot + spoon
Leatherman Micra multi-tool (lost)
Petzl Tikka XP headlamp
Highgear Axis altimeter watch
OR Seattle sombrero, Native Bolt sunglasses, bandana, fleece cap
TNF Wicking t-shirt, REI lightweight MTS long-sleeve zip-T
REI vest
Marmot soft shell & REI precip jackets
REI Sahara zip-off pants
REI rain pants (WA only)
Smartwool liners, REI light hiker socks
Gloves: Liners / fleece
OR low gaiters
Dunham hiking boots
Montrail Torre GTX hiking boots
Montrail trail runners (2 pairs)
Crocs (camp shoes)
Cocoon silk mummy liner, Bear Vault bear canister, long underwear, ice axe, Mountain Hardwear down jacket

EMILY:
Asolo TPS boots (resoled once)
One pair Montrail trail runners in OR
Crocs for camp & stream crossings
Smartwool PhD socks, REI liners
REI Sahara pants
Mtn. Hardware short-sleeved, North Face 1/4 zip long-sleeved shirt
REI silk long johns
Mtn. Hardwear down sweater
Fleece hat, gloves, cotton bandana
Fleece vest
REI rain jacket and Taku pants
Wallaroo sun hat, Native sunglasses
EMS 15-degree down bag, silk liner
3/4 length Ridge-rest
Gregory Deva 60
Atlas snowshoe poles
REI Ti pot, penny stove and denatured alcohol fuel
Tin coffee mug, MSR mugmate
2 1L Nalgene water bottles, 1L Platypus bladder, various soda bottles
Princeton Tech headlamp
Swiss Army knife
Bear canister & ice axe in High Sierra
REI pack cover
Stuff sacks (REI, Mtn. Hardware)
Trash bag (pack liners)

Necessities (In Chris’ backpack):
REI Quarter Dome T2 tent
SPOT GPS satellite messenger
MSR Sweetwater water filter (iodine in High Sierra; Aqua Mira in WA)
Olympus Stylus waterproof camera + 7 extra 2GB microSD cards

Luxuries:
iPods + Sony AM/FM walkman
Pleasure reading books
Journals
Olympus Stylus 1030 camera
Solio solar charger

Fun Mileage Graphs

2010-03-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

When we set out from the Mexican border on April 29th, I knew that we had to average 17 miles per day for the length of the trail. This was because of a wedding on October 3rd we wanted to attend on Staten Island, NY, and also I had to be back to work on October 6th. We had 156 days and not a day more to walk the entire length of the PCT.

Therefore, I had to stay very aware of the miles we were covering each day, keeping a running average in my head at all times. It was actually pretty fun for me, since well I love math, and it gave me something to think about when boredom would start to seep in. From the log that I kept, I made some fun nerdy graphs. Enjoy!

All those dips were zero days spent in towns... that wide gap near the end was our vacation on Cape Cod.

As you can see, we were quite a bit behind schedule after 2 months on the trail, but we pushed on, increased our daily mileage even as the days were getting shorter, and persevered by finishing in 155 days, 1 day ahead of schedule.

-Sunfish

Map of our Hike Part 5 - Washington

2010-02-11T18:59:00.001-05:00

View Sunfish & Beetle PCT Hike 2009 - Washington in a larger map

Map of our Hike Part 4 - Oregon

2010-02-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

View Sunfish & Beetle PCT Hike 2009 - Oregon in a larger map

Map of our Hike Part 3 - Northern California

2010-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

View Sunfish & Beetle PCT Hike 2009 - Northern California in a larger map

Map of our Hike Part 2 - Central California

2010-01-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

View Sunfish & Beetle PCT Hike 2009 - Central California in a larger map

Map of our Hike Part 1 - Southern California

2010-01-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

View Sunfish & Beetle PCT Hike 2009 - Southern California in a larger map

A cry far from the trail

2010-01-10T20:47:00.006-05:00

We finished the trail several months ago now, and it's taken me this long to grapple with the identity of this blog. When we started out, I thought we'd use this journal as a look at our lives "before, during and after the trail". I thought we might have emotions and anecdotes to share about our transition to real life. This also would be an appropriate forum to reflect on the trip.

But it turns out, life in the city is hectic. Experiences here seem so far removed, and so petty, compared to our journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. What could I possibly say about riding the subway with inconsiderate teenagers that would merit a post on this special collection of memories?

And then Chris and I went on an evening snowshoe through the Arnold Arboretum, just down the street from us. Boston has been blessed with a beautiful, brisk winter so far. After the most recent snow storm, we set out on a jaunt in this lovely local treasure. It's quiet at night, except for the white noise of traffic humming on nearby streets. The city light pollution reflecting off the snow was more than bright enough for us to navigate. We swished our way through the crusty snow, already blemished with footprints and cross-country ski tracks.

I thought I was hearing things when an owlish throaty hoot caught my ear over the squeak and crunch of the snow. "Shhhh." We stopped. Nothing. Continued on. "ShhhHH!" Stopped again. And there it was, clear as an elk whistle near Mt. Rainier or a coyote whine in the High Sierra. An owl in the middle of the city! It hooted some more, and then swooped off its branch and silently sailed over our heads and out of sight.

We miss the trail every day. Life flies by as we juggle jobs (new and old), geriatric pet care and making up for lost time with our beloved friends and families. Getting outside and moving through trees, breathing fresh air especially makes us pine for the singular purpose that a long-distance thru-hike provides. But our brush with the owl, whatever species it was, brings me some peace knowing that there are still moments of wonder in our natural world no matter where you're living.

The Skyline Trail

2009-12-29T18:01:00.002-05:00

Today I went for a hike. First hike in 3 months, so needless to say I was a bit soft. The Skyline Trail lies within the Blue Hills Reservation south of Boston, just a 20-minute drive from our house in Jamaica Plain.

Blue blazes mark the Skyline Trail.

Snow on the ground, but blue blue skies.

A nice vista of downtown Boston atop one of the hills.

The temperature was in the teens, with the wind chill it was below zero. Thankfully, we did NOT experience these temps on the PCT.

It was great getting back out into the woods today. Emily couldn't come with me unfortunately due to work. She is very happy to have found herself a new job - at the New England Aquarium where I am also employed! We work in different buildings, and have different schedules, and are in completely different departments (Me: Fishes, Em: Communications), but do see each other on campus infrequently. So... that's why I went for a solo hike.

I found it very refreshing. I remembered what I liked about the Trail. The peace and quiet, being able to get lost in your own thoughts, the exercise, having tired muscles, the wind in my face. And even better, I had a car at the trailhead with a beer waiting for me, and enjoyed a hot shower when I got home - those were things we dreamed about while hiking the PCT.

A great day.

-Chris

Hike Videos: 6 of 6

2009-12-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Washington/Canada border, September 30th.

Hike Videos: 5 of 6

2009-12-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington. September 22nd.

Hike Videos: 4 of 6

2009-12-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Crater Lake, Oregon on August 16th.

Hike Videos: 3 of 6

2009-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Reaching the Oregon border after 101 days walking across California. August 7th.

Hike Videos: 2 of 6

2009-12-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

Grider Creek (northern California near Seiad Valley) hailstorm on August 5th.

Hike Videos: 1 of 6

2009-12-14T11:56:00.004-05:00

Mount Whitney junction on June 16th.

Our Hike by the Numbers

2009-11-09T19:48:00.002-05:00

Well, 40 days ago today we finished the Trail. That's hard to believe. 40 days in the real world definitely goes by faster than 40 days in the woods. To put it into perspective, on the Trail for this long we had walked 648 miles, and were 3 days from Kennedy Meadows. Wow. So, a little over a month later here's our hike by the numbers:

Miles hiked: 2,655
Time elapsed: 5 months, 1 day
Actual hiking days: 138
Zero days: 17
Average miles per day (mpd): 17.1
Average mpd (not including zero days): 19.2
Days rained on: 5
Days snowed on: 3
Days hailed on: 1
Bears seen: 4
Rattlesnakes seen: 15
Thru-hikers met: 119
Shoes used: Emily-2 (boots resoled and worn again), Chris-4
States walked across: 3
National Parks walked through: 7
Detours due to wildfire: 1
On-trail birthdays: both
On-trail anniversaries: 1 (2nd)
Trail towns visited: 23
Nights spent in a motel/hotel: 14
Nights spent at a trail angel's home: 6
Nights spent in our 2-person tent: 128
Packages of Ramen eaten: 176
Candy bars consumed: 374
Buffets devoured: 3
Items lost on the trail: 3 (knife, spork, pair of socks)
Postcards sent: 178
Journals kept: 2
Books read: 9 (Chris-4, Emily-5)
Pictures taken: 1,558
Trips of a lifetime: 1

For this list, it's been fun for us to look back on the hike and reminisce. The more time that elapses, the more we gloss over the hardships and discomforts of the Trail and focus on all the amazing moments we shared. That's for sure.

-Sunfish & Beetle

The Women Behind the Curtain

2009-10-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

If you were wondering how we kept our blog updated during the hike, we didn't!

A huge thank you to Liz Parker (Emily's mom) and Sally Bauernfeind (Chris' mom) for their amazing behind-the-scenes blog work during our hike.

Liz chillin' on Newcomb Hollow beach in Wellfleet.

We mailed handwritten notes on napkins and scraps of paper to Boston where Liz painstakingly transcribed our entries. Sometimes our handwriting wasn't so great. In fact, Chris got straight C's in handwriting throughout elementary school, and his was easier to read than Emily's! Needless to say it was a tough job. Sometimes she had to call on others to help decipher our scribbling. She even called REI at one point to inquire about "spracks." They rightfully informed her about "sporks," an eating utensil that's a combination of a spoon and a fork.

Sally with her granddaughter Elsie, all decked out in pink.

Uploading pictures, slideshows, and general blog maintenance, that was Sally's thing. Numerous times, she took phone calls in Kentucky from Chris... "Can you take off that picture of my disgusting foot? We've been getting complaints." Or "I don't like the way the site is so busy with all the slideshows." And "The pictures need to be rotated," etc., etc. She never complained, but just kept uploading the pictures from the cards I was sending her, and kept everything in order. She even fixed the SPOT page without my asking.

Our blog was a great way to keep our friends and families informed. Their efforts also left us with an indelible memento of our trip that we can cherish forever in cyberspace. Thanks so much to Liz and Sally! Not only were they computer whizzes, they were tremendous cheerleaders and a groovy support team.

-Sunfish & Beetle

Border Celebration

2009-10-13T23:59:00.003-04:00

Stehekin to Canada

2009-10-02T12:32:00.010-04:00

We made it!

So we're back in Boston... but there's 1 more trail entry that I must write, for all you readers out there who have enjoyed the last 5 months.

Before I start though, I have to say that I just uploaded all of the Washington pictures (while watching Game 2 of the Sox-Angels ALDS), and am already starting to get emotional about the walk. It's so strange to be back in the real world.

That being said, here's a recap of the last section, between Stehekin and the border of Canada:

We caught the last bus out of Stehekin Saturday evening. As the only patrons on the bus, we got a personal tour of the area, and even got to ask questions along the way. Getting back on the Trail just before sunset, we didn't get very far, and camped a mile in, just up from the banks of Coon Lake.

In the morning, with 90 miles to go, we got up early and started the day as we had the last 4+ months... coffee, breaking down the tent, filling our packs with our stuff, and taking that first step of the day. It was cold. Cold enough that I wore hiking pants, rain pants, 4 layers on my torso, 2 sets of gloves, and a toque on my noggin. Eventually I warmed up, and after we put in over 12 miles, we had lunch at a creekside campsite, soaking in the sun.

Moving north, we left North Cascades National Park, and came to Hwy 20 / Rainy Pass. There, we found a 'magic' cooler with fruit in it, and had a pear each. After progressing to Porcupine Creek to fill up our water bottles, we decided that I'd push on by myself the next 3 1/2 miles to Cutthroat Pass and set up camp, making both of us happy... I get to up my heart rate while Emily gets to arrive with camp set up.

SPACE

Unfortunately though, due to my fault, she passed camp without me realizing it, and the next 2 hours were spent trying to find each other. Funny how, after almost 5 months, we lost each other for the very first time with only 3 days to go. While she was hollering my name on the north side of the ridge, I was screaming bloody murder on the south side. After I got no response numerous times, I couldn't help but have thoughts of very bad things happening to her. She was either 1-attacked by a bear, 2-off the trail after slipping, maybe with a broken ankle, or 3-a rape victim. It was a very difficult couple hours for me, and after almost panicking, coming close to hitting the 911 button on the SPOT, and muttering things to myself like "Oh my god what have I done?", I collected myself, took a deep breath, and broke down camp to go find her. While walking up to the pass, we found each other, and embraced in a sobbing hug. That night, we appreciated the tight confines of our tent, sleeping as close to each other as possible.

SPACE

The next day, we decided it best to stay together. We walked, walked some more, and walked some more after that. 25 miles down, up, down, up, and finally down under a moonlit sky to Harts Pass, where we were pleasantly surprised to find a campground with a pit toilet that was actually clean and pretty nice!

SPACE

In the morning we awoke to find it had snowed. Only a dusting, but a definite reality check for us that winter was right around the corner. It was another cold day, and I found it hard at first to get warm, even with all my layers on and walking. Emily started the day with her down jacket on, but quickly warmed up, and had to shed it. All day actually we were putting on and taking off layers, having a hard time thermoregulating with the varied terrain, clouds, and whether the trail was under a tree canopy or not. One minute we'd be cold, the next boiling lava hot and sweating. During lunch we ran into 3 fellow thru-hikers: Bubble Party, Hungry, and Hemlock. They were on their way back to Harts Pass, after having reached Canada the day before and deciding to stay in the States. After congratulating them on their accomplishment, we parted ways, vowing to stay in touch in cyber space. Snow began to fall off and on in the afternoon. We had wanted to camp before dark, but because of the gray skies, and that we were left with little flat ground when we started looking for a campsite, that didn't work out so well. We finally found a flat spot, up on a ridge at 7000 feet, and pitched our tent while it got dark and snowed on us. While staying in the tent, we cooked just outside the vestibule, and stayed warm inside our sleeping bags. Sleep came shortly after dinner.

SPACE

With only 8 1/2 miles to the border, we set the alarm for 6:00 and enjoyed a lazy morning, eating breakfast and drinking coffee while still inside our bags. We reminisced a bit, talked about what we were feeling, and what the hell we were about to do: finish this walk we started 5 months and 1 day ago. We emerged from the tent to find about an inch of fresh snow on the ground, which was just enough to make the surrounding scenery absolutely beautiful without hindering our progress. Needless to say we were on a high that morning as we walked north.

SPACE

We arrived at the northern terminus just before noon. It was in a small clearing in the middle of nowhere, and had the same style monument as the one at the Mexican border. What does one do when finishing a journey of this length? Well, we hugged, we congratulated each other, Emily cried, I smoked a cigar, we drank some champagne, we took pictures, we broke out the Canadian flag, we sighed. Now what? 8 more miles to the closest civilization: Manning Park, BC. It was there that my parents, George and Sally, met us, which was only fitting since they saw us off at the start. Time to celebrate!

SPACE

Wow, I can't believe it... we really did it. We hiked the entire length of the PCT.

SPACE

-Sunfish

Skykomish to Stehekin

2009-09-26T12:34:00.000-04:00

First, a word about the trail angels who kindly put us up in their home in Baring, WA. The Dinsmores have been taking in hikers for several years. During our stay, we showered, did laundry, got online for e-mail and banking, watched some movies, cooked hot dogs over a roaring campfire and crashed on inflatable mattresses along with 8 other hikers. The Dinsmores' quiet generosity is amazing, and much appreciated.

Clean and well-rested, we were eager to set out on the trail early the next morning thanks to a ride from a fellow thru-hiker turned trail angel named Scholar. (Unfortunately, she had to cut her hike short because of a foot injury.) Chris and I had 98 miles to cover and a deadline: we had to get to the Stehekin Post Office before it closed for the weekend. In addition to the distance, the guidebook also noted that this section is second only to the High Sierra in difficulty. That means this was not the section to expect to pull big miles. Chris did some number crunching, as he often does, and we realized it was absurd to try to get to the PO on Friday so our hopes of finishing a day early had to be revised. It was a relief to both of us once we made the decision to arrive in Stehekin on Saturday, meaning we did not have to hike 30 mile days over rough terrain.

In fact, it would have been impossible to do such long days during this stretch. As it was, we hiked from the dark predawn hours until after sunset most days and only covered between 21 and 24 miles. Colossal climbs were partly to blame. One day, we climbed a total of five thousand feet only to end up at roughly the same elevation as we started because of equally steep descents. Downed trees were another hindrance. The US Forest Service has yet to clear the trees after massive floods in 2003 from the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Since then, they have been re-routing thru-hikers and equestrians to another trail. We opted to continue along the unmaintained PCT, like most other hikers we spoke to, for a couple reasons. One: the re-route sounded just as overgrown and dangerous. An equestrian friend doing the trail this year lost both her beloved horses - Harmony and Jer - on a steep and shrubby section of the re-route. They died after one misstep in thick brush, falling 1500 feet. Fortunately, she is OK but for being broken hearted over the trauma and loss. Two: the re-route is about 10 miles longer!

Our decision turned out to be the right one. Yes, we had to wade through long sections of overgrown brush and scale fallen trees whose trunks were taller than I am. But the scenery was truly spectacular - Glacier Peak jacketed in thick, white glaciers; tasty blueberry bushes turning crimson with the changing season; clear streams aplenty and stunning blue skies. Indeed, the weather has been beautiful, well beyond our expectations of solid rain. Every sunny, warm day in Washington has been a gift and we've been relishing each cloudless day this stretch with the plentiful vistas undisturbed by fog.

So after a couple days of trudging up and over steep ridges, scrambling over masses of fallen trees and bushwhacking through overgrown brush, we find ourselves in Stehekin. We only have a half day to enjoy this vacation community nestled at the head of Lake Chelan. But we are taking full advantage of this last town stop by doing laundry, showering, picking up our last resupply box during the one hour that the PO is open on Saturdays and indulging in several pastries from the renowned Stehekin bakery.

It is hard to believe this is our last town stop and even harder to believe we will be finishing the trail in four days. Part of me is ready to just stop walking and get the trail over with. Another part of me realizes I am in the midst of a life-changing event and I need to soak in each vista, each gulp of fresh air, and each of these extraordinary moments with my husband.

Next stop - Canada!

Snoqualmie Pass to Skykomish

2009-09-21T17:00:00.000-04:00

Walking into Snoqualmie Pass on Friday, we hadn't seen another thru-hiker since getting back on the trail a week earlier. We were feeling like we were the last ones on the PCT, a lonely feeling. But as we entered the Pancake House, we saw familiar faces, as well as hikers we had not met before. We caught up with:

Fix-It -He's a carpenter in Portland, Oregon in the real world

Creamsicle- Named this by another hiker because he bought a giant box of these and passed them out somewhere in southern California

Scuba - He got this name for his diving to the Deep Creek bottom looking for lost sun glasses

Jessica - Never got a trail name

Dutch - He had a group of '08 hikers at the kick-off party believing that Euchre was a Dutch word meaning "to cheat" during a card game of the same name

Ancient Brit - Just an old British guy

Pickle Monster - He apparently really loves pickles

Wonka - Someone thought her laminated picture of Thoreau hanging off the back of her pack was Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in the movie

Good Spot - He constantly is looking for that "good spot" for lunch or camp

After having breakfast and lunch without leaving our booth, we decided it was time to get walking. However, the next 40 miles of the PCT was closed due to fire. The USFS rerouted us along roads and out of the way 20 miles, but thankfully, another hiker knew a better way. Via Snow Lake, Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, and Dutch Miller Gap, we made our way around the closed section to the PCT at mile 2438.0, where we continued north.

Not without getting rained on for most of Saturday though. It was our first real day of rain in Washington, and hopefully our last. Our alarm went off just after 5 am right about the time raindrops started hitting our rain fly. We had a decision to make. Do we enjoy being warm and dry and sleep longer or get packed up before it really starts coming down? We chose the latter and began our day in full rain gear. It rained steadily all morning, let up for a few hours around lunch time, then began drizzling again around 3 pm. As we were arriving at Deep Lake, it became stormy with gusty wind and heavier rain. We wasted no time with getting inside the tent and even cooked in the vestibule.

Sunday dawned cloudy, foggy, and overcast. Nothing to do but get hiking though, and after going up and over Cathedral Pass, and Deception Pass, the skies began to clear. The rest of the day was beautiful and I was even able to take advantage of being near Seattle, flipping between the Mariners (MLB) and Seahawks (NFL) games on my walkman.

With only 10 miles to go to Steven's Pass, we treated ourselves to breakfast in bed on Monday morning. To our oatmeal, we added the freshest blueberries one could get, picked from a bush outside our tent. Scrumptious! We got on the trail by 6:30 and enjoyed the gorgeous morning walking to Steven's Pass/Hwy 2. Hitching to Skykomish was a piece of cake and that's where we are right now. 179 miles to Canada!

Way back in Southern California, in the first few days or so, I equated the PCT to a marathon , breaking up the trail into 26.2 100-mile increments. If we stick to that, and pretend it's the Boston Marathon, at this point, we're running down Beacon Street, seeing for the first time the Citgo Sign and nearing Kenmore Square. We are so close we can taste it.

-Sunfish

White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass

2009-09-18T11:20:00.000-04:00

The guidebooks all said this was supposed to be an easy section. Well, maybe we're soft after a week off the trail, but it definitely was tougher than we expected. There was plenty of climbing, and stormy clouds threatened to dampen our spirits several times. Amazingly, we did not get rained on, though walked through thick fog a lot. The weather could change quickly from pea soup fog to a glorious sunny afternoon. Here in Washington, we'll take all the sun we can get!

One memorable morning we woke up in the dark to damp fog and slogged up a ridge for a couple hours. Just as we were getting frustrated with the terrain, we rounded a bend near the apex of the cliff and caught a glimpse of huge Mt. Rainier's flanks. As we walked on, more and more of her came into view until the entire mountain towered above us . The clouds had lifted during our climb and we could see the peak, the glaciers, and all the lush evergreens at the base. In the still morning, looking at this spectacular wall of rock and ice, we even heard elk calling.

The sounds of the forest pervade our every waking moment. Some calls, like the wheezy whale song of the elk are more noteworthy. But I'm sure I'll miss the simple trail noises when we're back to the city: crows gargling overhead as their wings whooshed with every flap, smaller birds' "eep-eep-eep" from the trees, pika with their alarm calls that sound like a dog's squeaky toy and chipmunks "cheeping" their warnings from the underbrush, all the while a chorus of bees and flies carry on a din of buzzing in the background. Of course, sometimes we listen to our iPods or spin the radio dial in hopes of getting some ballgame scores or NPR news. But those sounds of civilization don't compare to the magic of an owl hooting in the dark as you drift off to sleep in your tent.

We have two more weeks to soak in the sights and smells of the trail, and they will be tough.Some of the steepest climbs of the trail are ahead. Weather is also a factor this far north and we're fully expecting rain and snow at some point. No matter the terrain or weather, hopefully these next 250 miles will go smoothly. We are in the home stretch and I'm itchy to get back to the real world.

-Beetle

Trout Lake to White Pass

2009-09-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

28 hours after leaving the Provincetown dock, by boat, subway, bus, airplane and car, we stood at the Trout Lake trail head, amazed that we were back. When we landed the night before, at the Portland Airport, our friends, Jim and Heather picked us up and took us to their log cabin in Oregon City. It's over 100 years old and is listed on the Historical Registry, and it's where we had the pleasure of spending the night.

In the morning, after playing with their dogs, Cassie and Dutch, Jim's parents, Sue and John, arrived to shuttle us to the trail head. Incredible that they were willing to do this, because it was a 2 1/2 hour road trip one way! We are so grateful to them. During a quick stop in the town of Trout Lake, we mailed our street clothes to Kentucky, and bought coffee at the country store. While paying, I asked the clerk how the weather had been this past week. She said, "It poured...absolutely poured."

Although now prepared for the worst, our 65 mile hike between Trout Lake and White Pass was nothing but beautiful. Abundant sunshine, blue skies, and in the 70's. While walking through Mt. Adams Wilderness, we were blessed with numerous vistas of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and eventually, Mt Rainier, the highest peak in Washington at 14,411 feet. Along with seeing more ferns, mosses and mushrooms, we also saw our first pika, mountain goat, possibly the rear end of an elk, and an unknown weaselly creature in a tree. The last 25 miles of this section was through Goat Rocks Wilderness, an amazingly beautiful area. complete with rocky trail, glacier traverse and even a knife's edge trail that offered 360 degree views. It was very reminiscent of Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

As I write, we are seated inside a small gas station cafe, drinking coffee and eating cereal while tending to our "town" errands here at White Pass on Hwy 12. Our resupply box arrived so we're all set to tackle the next 99 miles to Snoqualmie Pass, We're crossing our fingers on the weather.

-Sunfish

Cascade Locks, OR to Trout Lake, WA

2009-09-09T19:33:00.000-04:00

Oh, the restorative effects of a rest day, or two. After my family encouraged me to seek treatment for a persistent sore throat, my brother-in-law's father was nice enough to call in an antibiotics prescription. But since the only pharmacy near Cascade Locks was across the river in Stevenson, WA and was only open Monday through Friday, we were forced to stick around for an extra day to wait until the pharmacy opened for business. A fabulous excuse to laze around for another day, and to visit with Chris' Portland pals - Jim and Heather - who trekked out for dinner with us in Stevenson.

With our extra day off, we also mulled a decision about the next day's hike: do we take the historic PCT that entails a 12-mile road walk, or the new 36-mile trail with thousands of feet in elevation change? We opted for the shorter route. I was still feeling a bit under the weather and we were racing against the clock to get up to Trout Lake, WA in time for our "vacation from our vacation."

So, the next day we hit the road. The first part of our walk was a bit scary - tractor trailer trucks whizzing by and no sidewalk or even a shoulder. But we survived, and our detour was well worth it! We passed by a lemonade stand manned by a very business savvy tyke (she asked if we wanted change from our dollar bill for our 50-cent purchase - "Uh, I guess not.") and we saw a bustling lumber mill with trucks-full of trees. While our feet were tired after a long day walking on pavement, we got to see a snap-shot of small-town Washington. PCT purists might look down their noses at us for choosing to take the road, but seeing small towns and meeting their people is a major part of our reason for doing this trip!

12 miles later, we camped early near Panther Creek and were visited by an owl while cooking dinner. She was just hanging out in a nearby tree waiting for her own dinner to scurry by. The campsite was very much what I expected Washington to be like - lots of dense greenery with pine trees, ferns, and mosses. Our first couple days in Washington brought more of the same. The terrain was a bit steeper too, maybe a sign of things to come. We also got rained on one night and spent the next morning hiking through dense fog and drizzle. The giant slugs enjoyed the moist weather, humans less so.

We arrived at the highway crossing leading to Trout Lake in the early evening and Monte Pearson - our host - arrived right on time. We had met him, his wife, llamas and dog on the trail near Crater Lake. Here we were crossing paths with them again at their amazing dairy farm in Trout Lake, thanks to their breathtaking hospitality. They offered to put us up for the night and get us ride back to Cascade Locks the next day. Upon arrival, we got a tour of their farm that's been in operation since 1883. It's now an organic farm with about 180 cows, calves, chickens, goats, sled dogs and those two llamas that came in so handy for hiking the PCT. The Pearsons fed us, put us up in their charming farm house built in the 1890s and shared stories of their own hiking adventures.

Laura gave us a ride to Cascade Locks where my old pal - Kendra - met us and whisked us away to Portland. Errands, lunching, long-overdue catching up and even a minor league baseball game brought us back to real life. Bright and early, we were at the airport for our flight and a long awaited visit with family and friends. My sister and brother-in-law were waiting for us at the airport, and our nearest and dearest friends gave us a heartwarming welcome before we tucked away in the rental home with all the Parkers. Afternoons on the beach with sandy paperbacks, seafood dinners and lots of laughs.

Tonight, on the eve of our return to the trail, I can't imagine anything further from where I am right now - from glorious comfy beds, fresh bluefish and cold beers to dehydrated pasta, tents and sleeping bags. But we are heading into the home stretch and I'm excited to (hopefully) finish the trail. 420 miles to go in Washington, and we're armed with rain gear.

- Beetle

Sisters to Cascade Locks

2009-08-30T20:00:00.000-04:00

It was 11:30 am, we were all packed up, and it was time to check out of our Sisters Inn. As I was putting on my 2nd shoe, I hesitated. Em noticed and asked me what I was thinking. I looked up and said to her "Wanna take a zero?" A smile appeared on her face, and I knew at that instant we had just decided to take the day off.

Sisters is a faux-western touristy town, but a great layover for a thru-hiker. It has all the amenities we need and love: a motel with a hiker rate ($50), a huge grocery store complete with foods (trail mix) sold in bulk, a microbrewery, a movie house, and a little downtown with many restaurants and pizza places.

Along with fun things like window shopping, taking in a movie, and lazing at the motel, we did have some errands to run as well. We had to find denatured alcohol for our stove. Before the last section, we were almost out so we were forced to build fires to cook. How primitive! Also, Em had to get herself an eating utensil. She bought that spork back in Ashland but lost it somewhere on the trail, probably during lunch one day. She spent 3 days eating with a spoon (more like a spatula) that she whittled from a stick. My wife, she's pretty crafty. And lastly, we needed to figure out a way to treat our water, since I had broken our filter a few days prior. Broke the handle right off the thing. We ended up researching it online and found out that bleach would do the trick. Until we can get to an outfitters, that's how we're treating our water.

Tuesday morning, we caught a ride back up to the trailhead with a Bend trail angel named Lloyd. He's hiked the entire PCT, but in 45 years! During the 20 minute ride, he educated us on things like the forest fire that came through here last year, why Three Fingered Jack, a local mountain, was named that, and even some interesting stories of the Lewis & Clark expedition. I must say that one of the great things about hiking this trail is the people we've met.

It was 148 miles from Sisters to Cascade Locks... 6 days of hiking. Mt Jefferson (10,497 feet), named for President Jefferson by Lewis & Clark in 1806 as they were headed back east, and Mt Hood (11,249 feet), were the focal points of this section. Along with beautiful vistas of these, we walked again through dense Oregon forests, on a trail that got a bit harder as we moved north. We dubbed the miles between Mt Jefferson Wilderness and Mt Hood National Forest the Little Sierras, as the gradient steepened, and we even had a snow field to traverse... in August! Huckleberries lined the trail at times, so we noshed on these as we made our miles, again having our biggest day yet at 31.6 miles. We got lucky too, with our camping spots, setting up our tent 3 consecutive nights along the shores of a lake: Shale, Jude, and Timothy respectively.

On the 4th day, we came to Timberline Lodge (setting for "The Shining") and the start of the Hood to Coast relay. Instinctively migrating to the Clif Bar booth, Ty the Clif Bar rep unloaded dozens of these bars on us when he found out we were thru-hikers. Sweet! Dinner and pitchers of microbrews at the Rams Head bar in the Lodge that night, and an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet the next morning filled our bellies. Rooms were too expensive here so we stealth camped up the slope a little ways with our pals Willie and Hungry. 2 more days of walking, and we found ourselves in Cascade Locks, directly across the Columbia River from Washington. Holy cow, 2 states down.

So, here at 2155 trail miles, we have only 500 to go. As is obvious, we surpassed 2000 miles in the last section (Em forgot to mention this in the last entry), which makes us feel pretty good. Making it to Washington also gets us excited. Some mileage math I did in my head recently on the Trail:

It took us 66 days to walk the 1st 1000 miles. 51 days to walk the 2nd 1000.
To hike across California: 101 days. Oregon: 23 days.

Into Washington we go.

-Sunfish

Willamette Pass to Sisters

2009-08-23T14:53:00.000-04:00

Our friends Neil and Andrea dropped us off at the trail head well-fed and well-rested. Meeting these wonderful people has been one of the highlights of this trip, and I truly hope we're able to repay their kindness and hospitality someday in Boston. Needless to say, it was tough to say goodby.

We started out with expectations of low mileage for the day. Rosary Lake was the first distraction, we just had to stop for a skinny dip only a couple of miles into our hike! Delicious. Then, only 20 minutes later, we found a breezy spot between two more lakes that we just couldn't pass up as a lunch spot. Capping off our delightful day at a mere 16 miles, we camped well before sunset at yet another lake.But there is no rest for the thru-hiker. To make up for our lax day, we woke up at 5:30 the next morning to attempt our first 30 mile day. It was another nice day- we've been really lucky with the weather-and the trail took us past lots of water. However, these "lakes" were usually small and murky and much smaller than Farm Pond, where my Granny lived in Sherborn, MA. It took us all day to cover 30.4 miles despite favorable weather and gentle terrain and short breaks. You would have thought we had walked 40 miles with how tired we were at the end of the day! Still, it is a satisfying achievement to log so many miles in one day for the very first time on this trip!

The next day we churned out 29 miles through the lovely Three Sisters Wilderness named appropriately after a trio of mountains known as the Three Sisters. There's a whole "family"of peaks in this area of Oregon- Little Brother, Wife, Husband, and even Mt. Bachelor. We traipsed through fields of shiny, black obsidian rocks and miles of crumbly lava beds that twisted ankles and slowed our progress. Rumors of Trail Magic at McKenzie Pass proved false, leaving us a little lower on water than we would have wanted. But the trail head was still a nice place to camp for the evening, flat ground between piles of lava. We woke in the middle of the night to cute little sage rats scampering and climbing all over our tent - that's a first, at least they weren't inside the tent!

Another early morning start the next day but we had to fore go coffee because of our water situation. Coffee is one of the many luxuries we allow ourselves on the trail in addition to iPods, pleasure reading books, and peanut M&M's. We made it to Santiam Pass 17 miles later by early afternoon and we got a hitch right away from a cool Bend, OR resident named Luke. He was so cool, in fact, that our first stop wasn't a hotel in Sisters but a local Brewery! We all enjoyed a couple cold brews before he dropped us off at the Sister's Inn for a night of gluttony in front of the TV. After a couple of long days, town time is especially appreciated. We also are looking forward to our vacation from our vacation- a Parker family gathering in less than 2 weeks!

-Beetle

Crater Lake to Willamette Pass

2009-08-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

We left the Crater Lake Rim Village Lodge overcaffeinated and overweighted: 6 days worth of food and 4 l. of water each. The Trail took us along the rim for about a quarter of the lake's circumference, so with it being Sunday, there were lots of tourists to talk to at some of the overlooks we walked by. Also, the dozens and dozens of vistas occupied our time, snapping scenery pics and looking for that perfect setting for our upcoming Christmas card (oops, I spilled the beans). By midafternoon the Trail veered northwest and we said goodbye to this beautiful body of water, and vowed to come back another day. Some quick facts:

Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902. The lake rests inside a caldera formed over 7,000 years ago when Mt. Mazama collapsed after it erupted. It is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet and is considered to be the cleanest body of water in the world. Its water comes from rain and snow only (no rivers or streams), and because its rate of evaporation is almost equal to precipitation amounts annually, the lake's water level basically remains the same. Its intense blue color is a sight to be seen.

Shortly after leaving the park, we entered Mt. Thielsen Wilderness and continued to follow the apparent elk tracks we'd been seeing on the trail the last 100 miles or so. Why would an elk be walking the PCT? Dense pine forests and a well-graded undulating single track made for pleasant hiking. Mt. Thielsen, known as the "lightning rod" of the Cascades, tempted us but we stayed on the PCT and finally figured out the tracks. They were 2 llamas! They were being used as pack animals for two section hikers from Trout Lake, WA, one of the trail towns further north. After talking with them for a bit and taking some pictures, we moved on. We met 2 more southbounders (hiking from Canada to Mexico) which makes 7 now. One girl, trail named The Tortoise, was low on food, so I gave her some extra stuff I was carrying: 2 hiker staples - Snicker bars and Ramen. Later, although the mosquitoes became thicker, and the blowdowns more abundant, we were rewarded with a sun-soaked cove of Summit Lake, a perfect spot for a swim/bath. Shortly after, some unexpected trail magic in the form of food and drinks by a 2008 thru-hiker further brightened our day. The remaining 20 miles of this section were in Diamond Peak Wilderness, traversing the foothills of the massive Diamond Peak, and Mt. Yoran, and ending at Willamette Pass. There, our friends, Neil and Andrea, pulled us off the trail for a 1/2 day of pampering at their relatives' vacation home. Back on the trail tomorrow, but first some history of the PCT through Oregon.

The very first link in the PCT was actually here in Oregon. Before the idea for the PCT even came about, there existed a trail from MT. Hood to Crater Lake, named the Oregon Skyline Trail. It was built by the U.S. Forest Service and finished by 1920. In the early 1930's, it was extended at both ends, and in 1937 PCT trail markers were designed and posted from the Canadian border to the California border. ( In Washington, the Cascade Crest Trail was used). Since then, mainly beginning in the 1960's the trail through Oregon has gone through some changes. New trails were blazed to get it off roads, move it closer to the actual crest of the Cascade Mountains, and make it less steep by way of switchbacks. It now extends 457 miles across the state. -Sunfish

Ashland, OR to Crater Lake National Park

2009-08-15T14:37:00.000-04:00

Ashland treated us very well. Chris already mentioned how amazing our Bed & Breakfast was with our plush king sized bed, jacuzzi bath tub and a separate shower, even two elegant chairs that we lazed in while we sipped wine. We are deeply grateful to my sister, Adrienne, and brother-in-law, Jeff, for such a treat! The Winchester Inn was so nice that we decided to stay another night!

So, after a heavenly breakfast at the Inn, and a leisurely morning in our room, we set out on the usual town errands. First stop, an outfitter. I replaced my spork (an implement that's a fork/spoon combination) since I'd been using a nub for a week or so after snapping mine. I also got socks to use with my sneakers that will carry me through Oregon, the newly resoled boots will be back for Washington. Chris got a pack cover for rain protection, some socks, water purification tablets and fuel for our stove. The awesome staff even gave Chris replacement nose pads for his sunglasses-free! Next stop: grocery store where we didn't need much thanks to the outstanding care packages from George and Susie and Carla. Lastly: Internet at the Library. Our productive day in town inspired us to treat ourselves to dinner (Indian food) and a movie (Julie and Julia) with Neil and Andrea. They joined us in our room for some wine afterwards, capping off a spectacular day.

We'd already decided to spend the next day in town and hop on the trail before dark. We wrote postcards, did some more Internet chores and even watched part of a Red Sox game over a couple of beers. At the bar, we met the author of "Soul, Sweat and Survival", a book Chris read about the author's experience running the PCT in the 8o's. Bob Holtel was charming, even if he is crazy. He's planning to run it again next year at 80 years old!

Neil and Andrea dropped us off back at the trail around 7 pm and we made it a whopping 1.9 miles before camping within earshot of I-5. The next couple of days blended into each other, a steady stream of eating, water filtering, walking and camping. We were feeling a little slow after own town stop so we haven't been putting in long days. Instead, we've been walking only 20-25 miles per day, enjoying longer meal breaks and camping early. One evening we camped by a small reservoir and actually had some daylight to watch some sort of aquatic mammal trolling the waters and splashing its tail. a family of Canada geese beach themselves for the evening, a long necked blue bird roost in a tree and a pair of osprey making their rounds looking for food. The next evening we found a cosy hut where Chris and I rolled our sleeping bags out on a wooden counter for a warm, dry night's sleep. Out trusty tent treated us well for the rest of this stretch, per usual, as we cruised into Crater Lake National Park in time for an AYCE (all you can eat) buffet lunch at the campground. Our bellies thoroughly stuffed, we loitered around the camp store for a couple of hours digesting and chatting with other hikers until it was too late to get back to the trail. We convinced the group to join us at a flat spot just a half-mile down the trail where we drank some beers and laughed around a campfire until late into the evening...that's only about 10:30pm on the trail.

While sitting around the fire lamenting on the miles we didn't walk, we all reminded ourselves that it's important to do fun things on the trail-not just churn out the miles. Such moments of reflection got Chris and I thinking about why we are out here. A lot of people must be wondering the same thing! -Beetle

So, in our own words, here's why we are hiking the PCT:

Emily

"On the suggestion of a fellow thru-hiker, I came up with the top three reasons I'm hiking the to remind myself during blue moments. 1) I want the physical and mental challenge-will I have the stamina and the mental grit to walk 2,650 miles, sleep outside for 5 months, and push through the down times? 2) I am excited to explore new aspects of my relationship with Chris, to hone our communication skills, practise patience and teamwork, and to experience this adventure together. 3) I want to see this beautiful and varied country up close and personal, from desert to the rugged High Sierra to the lush forests and all the interesting people in between. So far, this crazy adventure has been everything I've hoped for."

Chris

"First and foremost for me, it's the athletic challenge of walking the entire trail that inspires me to be out here. I like testing my body's limits, which is part of the reason why I run marathons, I suppose, (the other part is my addiction to running). Secondly, I love camping. In fact, we both agree that the best part of the day is arriving at camp every evening, even if it's only to pitch the tent, eat dinner and climb into our sleeping bags with our books. Thirdly, there is something very primitive about carrying all of your belongings right there on your back, and that can be quite appealing. Also, I am always eager to see new things and visit new places, and hiking across three large states feeds this wanderlust. I'm not just talking about the trail here either, but the towns along the way. Town time I enjoy a lot. And lastly, the best part is that I get to share all these things with my wife."

Etna to Ashland, OR

2009-08-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

Well, we did it. We made it into Oregon! It took us 101 days to walk the entire state of California, all 1700 miles of it on the PCT. Our original schedule had us crossing the border on the 100th day (17 miles per day), so we're only a day behind schedule. This is great for us, because less than a month ago, we were over a week behind, and a bit nervous about that. We made a goal to catch back up by Ashland, basically by taking no zero days and moving north at a steady pace, hiking longish days. It helps too that walking 25-30 miles per day is pretty easy for us now, not just because we're in better shape, but because the trail is easier too.

Ashland, Oregon. It's a pretty awesome little town, so we decided to treat ourselves to a zero tomorrow and a nero on Monday. My amazing sister-in-law Adrienne and her husband Jeff (he's also amazing I must admit) got us a room at a swanky Bed & Breakfast a block off of Main Street, a perfect place for some time off the trail. Thank you J&A!

So, a recap of the section between Etna and Ashland. It was 121 miles of pretty nice trail, and some welcome cooler weather. We left the Hiker's Hut mid-morning on Tuesday, and caught a ride from the owner Dave, along with Bo, their friendly dog who befriended Emily on the way up to the summit. Back on the trail at 10:45, we entered the Marble Mountain Wilderness and made it 20 miles before looking for a flat spot to camp. We found flat ground, along with a few piles of firefighting gear and water. We saw no firefighters, but we did see blue smoke in the near distance, apparently caused by a controlled burn. The next morning, we walked through it, and saw smoldering underbrush and stumps, curious how they are able to pull this off without burning the forest down. Moving on, we passed a peak named King's Castle, which well, really looked like a castle actually. Just after, a hawk flew over us, with prey in its talons. We imagined what it must be like to be plucked from the ground and flown high up while being pierced by sharp claws. Not a fun way to go I bet. Later in the day, we saw our 4th bear, a large dark black one that high-tailed it as soon as he heard us. Still no picture. As we descended to Grider Creek, the sky became dark and rumbly. Not 2 hours later, we were getting poured on, along with a brief hailstorm (hail the size of marbles) and plenty of thunder & lightning. Scary, but we could do nothing but keep walking. We made it to Grider Creek Campground just after darkness settled in, and were greeted by our friends Neil & Andrea! We weren't expecting to see them until the next morning, so we were pleasantly surprised! We caught up a bit, then disappeared into our tents, excited about breakfast in the morning.

Up early at 6 am, and we walked the 6 miles on a dirt road to the Seiad Store, where they have a pancake challenge famous to thru-hikers. 5 pounds of behemoth pancakes - no way we were going to make this attempt. We did have a hearty breakfast though, and enjoyed a few hours of conversation with Neil & Andrea, and got back on the trail just after noon. 4,500 feet up to Lower Devil's Peak, but it was overcast and cool, so it wasn't too bad. At the top, we pulled out all of our sopping wet gear from the storm the night before and laid it out to dry while we had a late lunch. The rest of the day was along rolling ridgeline, and we pitched camp early at 7:30 at a pass, where N&A, who had driven right up and over this pass to get back home, left us a couple gallons of water and a bottle of wine... thanks! They also got our mail in Ashland and left it at the B&B for us. Opening the door to our room and seeing a pile of boxes and mail was like Christmas morning. Again, thank you to everyone who's been sending us such wonderful care packages and correspondences. We really do appreciate it immensely.

Friday the 7th. It was cloudy all day, but luckily we were never rained on. At 5:30 pm, we crossed into Oregon! To savor the moment, we broke for dinner here, read the trail register and sipped on red wine we hiked in. It was a very surreal moment, finally reaching this border after over 3 months of walking. A milestone indeed. We pushed on a few more miles, and found a vacant open-aired shelter to spend the night. We were completely stoked to see 2 picnic tables to sleep on! After realizing that we actually got excited about being able to sleep on wooden planks, we decided that maybe we've been out here too long.

We were up early the next morning, with only 21 miles to Ashland. 9 miles in, we were very happy to find a cooler full of sodas left by a trail angel, since we were low on food. The trail was nice, and there were day hikers out, it being Saturday, so our moods were high. By 4 we were out of the woods and while contemplating our next move, a car pulled up and offered us a ride to Ashland, 9 miles north on Interstate 5. How lucky!

And here we are. Life is good!

-Sunfish

Castella to Etna

2009-08-03T16:18:00.000-04:00

Someone mentioned in one of the PCT Guidebooks that Castella marks the end of the overgrown section. For the most part, that statement is true. In fact, Chris and I very much enjoyed this section of the PCT. We started out in the Castle Crags State Park with their granite spires towering over the trail. In and out pine forest and meadows, we continued through the Trinity Alps and Russian Wilderness areas and all the while being treated to stunning vistas of Mt. Shasta and surrounding granite peaks and valleys bristling with trees.

One reason the hiking has been so pleasant may be our light packs. Water is fairly prevalent so we don't need to lug too much around with us. As Chris has mentioned before, we continue to unload gear and luxuries - like extra tent stakes, playing cards - in order to save weight. And, we also have lighter food bags because of the slim pickings from the gas station mini-mart. Chris made up for the junk food fare by filling his belly with fresh made burritos for three meals in a row- dinner, breakfast and lunch.

Another reason we've loved this section is that the weather finally cooled down some. After a sweltering climb our of Castella through the Castle Crags, we camped on a sandy ledge overlooking a valley. A welcomed, cooling breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay as we watched the sunset behind the ridge, silhouetting the pine trees keeping watch over the area. It was truly a magical spot - these moments are why we are out here.

That cool breeze continued for the next couple of days. For the most part, there wasn't a cloud in the sky except for one evening midway through this stretch. Clouds rolled in after dark covering the nearly full moon and heat lightening lit up the night sky. The light show did not phase Chris,

who was dead asleep, but I did manage to put the rain fly on before a light rain started to fall. By morning, everything was dry again.

We caught a hitch into Etna with one of the 20 residents of Sawyer's Bar and we are enjoying the warm hospitality of Dave and Vicki at their "Hiker's Hut". It's a dorm-style hostel with internet, showers, laundry and VCR. Now it's onward to Seiad Valley with it's restaurant known for one pound pancakes and then the Oregon border!

One last side note: I thought some folks might be curious to know what we do all day long while hiking. It can get boring putting one foot in front of the other for 10 or 12 hours a day. Sometimes we can waste a good hour or two talking about the cats or why the Toronto Blue Jays should be moved to North Carolina and be renamed the Durham Bull Sharks. Sometimes we listen to our iPods. Very often we daydream. I've already figured out what color we're painting the kitchen chairs and what we're going to name our dogs that we'll adopt someday down the road. And always, our dear family and friends are never far from out thoughts.

Thanks for your support and well-wishes, all! We miss you... -Beetle

Cassel to Castella

2009-07-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

Seeing my sister Maggie in Cassel was a treat. I have five siblings and because my parents instilled in us a mild form of wanderlust by moving us around a lot when we were youngin's, we have settled in 5 different cities, Boston, Chicago, Raleigh, Louisville and San Francisco, where Jonathan and Maggie live. They drove up for the weekend, and it was a grand time car camping with them. It was the first time from the start of the hike seeing a family member. I was sad to say goodbye on Sunday.

Because it was so hot and that we had full bellies of breakfast, we elected to wait a bit, go for a swim in the canal adjacent to the Cassel Campground, and not start hiking until 2 pm. Over the next 3 1/2 days, we walked the 90 miles between these 2 towns. The trail was dusty and hot, reaching into the 90's each day and even 100 degrees for part of it. It was also unmaintained in some sections, leaving the trail overgrown and me longing for a machete rather then my dull trekking poles. However, we were graced with dozens of vistas of Mt. Shasta throughout this section. So many that I had to resist taking its picture each time, leaving me feeling guilty after passing such an amazing sight. It sits a few hundred feet lower than Mt. Whitney, but because the surrounding landscape is so much lower, it dominates the skyline. The only other thing to mention is that we saw our first (and second) rattlesnake since south of Kennedy Meadows Tuesday night, during a night hike donning head lamps. Scary.

We've grown a little tired of our trail food, so we decided to try a few new things. We added fresh veggies to the grocery list, including cucumber, tomato, spinach and carrots. All but the spinach was a success, even with the hot weather, we greatly enjoyed our vegetable pitas with salsa (another new addition) during lunchtime. We also made sun tea between meals while hiking, and tried a non-cooked version of Ramen, where you simply add it to lukewarm water in a Nalgene a 1/2 hour before dinnertime. It made for a wonderful meal when the thought of cooking in the hot weather seemed like a terrible idea.

Lastly, I'd like to mention some of the trail magic we've received during the hike, most recently, from our campground neighbors. Trail magic sounds dorky, but it's simply an act of kindness or generosity by a stranger. It can come in the form of a free ride to town, or a bag of plums left on the trail, or a cold Coke. At the Cassel Campground, as we waited for Maggie and Jon to arrive, Rodney gave us 2 beers.... and then brought 2 more when he saw that we had finished them.And Dan, who so generously let us use his outdoor shower at his site - it was much needed! If they, by chance, are reading this: thank you, thank you, thank you.

Next stop Etna, 100 miles away.

-Sunfish

Belden to Cassel

2009-07-25T17:01:00.000-04:00

Because we had to wait until the Post Office opened at 9am, we were able to sleep in a bit in our tree house. The techno music abated as we made coffee and we were on the road- Highway 70- walking toward the PO soon after. We hit the jackpot with armsful of packages, so many , in fact, that the delightful postmaster called us the hikers from hell. The next hour was spent sorting through the lot, reading letters aloud and feeling a bit homesick for all our dear friends and family.

But the trail called. We started the ten mile climb out of Belden around 10am and we were still climbing at 5pm. The heat, heavy packs filled with food and the enormous climb all conspired to make for a very slow day - only 16 miles! Fortunately we made up for the short day with some big miles in the next 4 days that followed - 3 days of 25 miles and our first 30 mile day!

Chris and I had great incentive to make it to Cassel by Friday because his sister, Maggie, and her husband, Jonathan, were meeting us for some car camping. The terrain was gentle - rolling hills through Lassen Volcanic National Park as well as several lumber farms. We survived a 30 mile waterless stretch thanks to a water cache halfway through, and we rolled into Cassel Campground around 8pm. Jon and Maggie arrived from San Francisco soon after and the fun began. Lots of beer, lots of eating and we even squeezed in a 4 mile walk together on the PCT. An awesome weekend. It is a real treat to see familiar, beloved faces after so long on the trail.

So now it's onward to Castella, and Ashland, OR beyond. We have a goal to to make it to Ashland without taking any zero days in an attempt to get back to schedule. To make it to the border on time, we have to pull 40 days of 25 miles or more, 19 days of 17 miles and that allows us 12 zero days - 6 of which we'll use for a Parker Family vacation on Cape Cod in September.

So, it's back to the grindstone today and a sad farewell to Jon and Maggie, who treated us to delicious feasts all weekend and great company.

"No...zeros...'til....Ashland!" -Beetle

*Note: This late entry was among my neighbor's vacation mail on hold in the Canton, MA post office for three weeks. Sorry for the delay. LP

Sierra City to Belden

2009-07-20T09:02:00.000-04:00

Before leaving Sierra City, we had a few things to take care of. First off, since we were already in our swimsuits (what we wear while doing laundry ), we walked down a side street to a swimming hole and jumped in for a soap-free bath. Secondly, I figured it was finally time to learn what the customary second anniversary gifts are made of. Hitting the library, I found out, ironically, that it's cotton. Well, as all you hikers out there know...cotton kills! So, we decided to put off anniversary gift buying until October.This section, 92 miles from Sierra City to Belden, was a change. Lower elevations, hotter temperatures, scarcer water, less mosquitoes but more annoying flies, and nearing the end of the Sierra Nevada.

Finally getting out of Sierra City, we hit the trail at 4pm and began the 2800 ft. climb up to the Sierra Buttes, supposedly the smallest mountain range in CA. As we skirted the peaks on the west side, the trail turned rocky and hence, hard. After a much-needed dinner break, we pushed on until 9:30pm, needed our head lamps for the last mile, and found a flat spot in a previous clear-cut.

The next two days, we hiked 46 miles, including some detours to get or look for water. Twice, we had to backtrack a bit after becoming confused by our data book and notes left on the trail by hikers north of us. It's very strange, after spending a month carrying no more than 1 L. of water, to be faced with having to calculate water consumption and mileage between water supplies again. We caught our first glimpses of Lassen Peak during this time, too. Lassen, an inactive volcano which lies within Lassen Volcanic Nat'l. Park, is the southern most mountain of the Cascades, and is a sight for sore eyes after being in the Sierra for the last 800 miles ( the mountain range is actually 1/2 that distance ).

Saturday morning, we awoke knowing that we had a big climb right off the bat, since the evening before we had descended to 2900 ft. to cross the Middle Fork of the Feather River, the best swimming spot so far on the PCT. Shortly after gaining the high point, we were greeted by a sign welcoming thru-hikers to a trail angel's cabin near Buck's Lake. We couldn't resist, and hiked out after putting in 15 miles for the day. It was the right call! We had showers, did laundry, drank beers and had an amazing dinner complete with brownie sundaes and a post-meal bonfire.Thank you, Nancy and Terry.

Back on the trail at 8am after a breakfast of coffee, OJ, scrambled eggs, potatoes, nectarines and cantaloupe. Unbelievable. We hiked 19 miles today, the last 5 thigh-burning and knee-jarring as we descended 4600 ft. into the hot valley where the town of Belden is. We caught the tail end of a weekend party, and people-watched outside the general store for 2 1/2 hours before leaving to find a place to camp. As I write, we are on the top floor of a historic structure at the Hwy. 70 PCT trail head named Eby Stamp Mill, it's like our own personal tree house!

To the Belden post office for our mail drop and northland in the morning.

-Sunfish

Echo Lake to Sierra City

2009-07-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Somehow we avoided the post-town blues. Maybe it has something to do with having lighter packs, having mailed our bear vaults, ice axes and extra clothing home. Or maybe our high spirits have to do with the pleasant terrain, rolling hills, dry trail and great views of Lake Tahoe.

The huge body of water, is an unreal shade of blue juxtaposed against dark green and purple surrounding mountains. In any case, this has been an enjoyable stretch.

We rolled out of Echo Lake around 3:30pm and cruised 8 miles past rocky lakes in Desolation Wilderness. The area is actually not so desolate. We crossed paths with dozens of day hikers along the way. The next day we met up with one of Chris' former co-workers from Alaska. "Monologue", a fellow thru-hiker, still lives in Dutch Harbor, so it was fun for Chris to hear about his old haunts. (While they both knew the other was hiking the PCT this year, it took all of 2 1/2 months for them to connect!) A steady rain settled in during the afternoon, though we persevered and camped in a dense pine forest. As we were huddled in our tent, seemingly in the middle of no where, music started blaring from not too far off. We were definitely not alone - weekend car campers - were sharing the woods with us but we never saw them.

I also learned we were sharing the woods with bears. I spotted one in retreat early the next morning-our second sighting and still no pictures. Moving on, we soon found ourselves climbing past ski lifts for Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley resorts. Where several feet of snow had been a couple months ago, fields of wild flowers were now being batted around by the wind, as were we. We also passed a fellow thru-hiker who was quitting the trail for medical reasons. Several other hikers were helping her out to a nearby trailhead because she had major stomach pains. They must have been bad because this girl already proved herself to be tough having hiked through the Sierra with a broken wrist! It's a poignant moment to reflect on your own hike when you see someone quit. While we've definitely had our down moments, Chris and I are still planning to finish this hike!

However, we are having to modify our hiking schedule a bit so we can make up some time. In the past couple of days, we've hiked some long days. We've been able to do this because of the gentler terrain-no elevation above 9,000 feet, good footing and good weather-and because we've tweaked our eating schedules. Instead of slogging through miles with empty bellies, getting crankier by the minute, we are trying to eat dinner before getting to camp at night. That means that we pull over around 6, brew up some Ramen and then get back on the trail by 7 to bang out a couple more miles. So far, it's helped us pull some of our longest days yet - 25 and 26 miles! And, both days we scored cold Cokes from stangers: once from a nice guy in an RV at the Donner Pass rest area (yes, the infamous pass that hosted the Donner Party one winter) on I-80 and the next day from a lovely couple doing hiking on the PCT.

Now we're sipping coffee at a garden cafe in Sierra City. We'll do a quick resupply before getting back on the trail this afternoon for a long climb. Hard to leave this charming, historic mining town...

-Beetle

Bridgeport to Echo Lake

2009-07-10T01:00:00.000-04:00

Awaking July 5th in our tent on Bob's front lawn not 15 feet from Main Street, Bridgeport, we packed up, grabbed some coffee, and piled in Bob's little car with fellow thru-hiker, Man Down, for the nauseating 45 minute ride back up Sonora Pass. There, at the trail head parking lot, we enjoyed fresh fruit, Frosted Flakes and donuts to begin Emily's birthday celebration. Once on the trail, I handed over my iPod, on which I had made a 50-song birthday mix for her. As she listened throughout the day, we slowly made miles and camped early after only putting in 14. Birthday dinner was a freeze-dried Mexican chicken and rice, red wine,quesadillas grilled directly atop my canister stove, chocolate pudding and a few rounds of Phase 10, a card game I got for her. Although she said she had a great birthday, she also said she wants to be nowhere near a trail next July 5th!

The next day was absolutely beautiful with blue, blue cloudless skies the entire day. We had our biggest day to date, at 25.7 miles, with an enjoyable lunch break on a windy saddle, and surprise trail magic at Ebbett's Pass. Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fresh fruit, tostitos, cookies, cokes and Gatorade, all offered to us by a guy named Doug from a nearby town. Leaving there with full bellies we hiked on a little further than we had planned due to a lack of possible campsites, but found a spot on a spur ridge by headlamp and with the help of our friend,Willie, a thru-hiker Sox-fan from Walpole, Mass.

July 7th, our anniversary. Originally, we had hoped to celebrate in Lake Tahoe with a restaurant pasta dinner, but alas, we were still 36 miles away, so we spent it on the trail. It was another gorgeous day, and the miles were semi-easy, until after lunch, where 60 miles per hour winds pushed us around and treated us like rag dolls. We leaned into the wind though and made it almost 23 miles, camping in a secluded spot near the Truckee River. Dinner was the rest of the red wine, back country nachos (fritos, cheese, hot sauce), ramen, quesadillas again, and Peanut M&M's for dessert. Yum.

We awoke early the next morning, and walked the easy 13 miles to Echo Lake Resort, where we had mail awaiting our arrival. Thanks to everyone for the anniversary cards, birthday cards, and treats and goodies that we received. Of special note, I found out that I am going to be an uncle. Congratulations, Greg and Jenny!

We hitched into South Lake Tahoe and began a day and a half of the usual town ritual: eating, drinking, rest and resupply. Our first night was a Motel 6 and dinner at an awesome bar where the Red Sox - A's game was on. The next day we were treated by Ryan and Katie to massages and a night at a hotel casino across the border in Nevada. Thanks, Guys. We are now in our swanky room, enjoying some TV time after annihalating the buffet earlier. Back up to Echo Lake and on to the trail in the morning. Northbound again. - Sunfish

Mammoth to Bridgeport

2009-07-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

After a slog though the High Sierra, we were definitely in need of a break and Mammoth treated us well in that regard. Best of all we had a wonderful visit with my dear friend, Clare. She picked us up from the shuttle out of Red's Meadow and we took care of the usual "town" errands: laundry, shower and food! Clare confirmed that we were in need of the shower and laundry especially.

All clean, we picked up the next morning and headed to Yosemite Valley. It was a treat to car camp at the White Wolf Campground with a picnic table, flushing toilets, and a fire pit. But the real treat was a driving tour of the valley. The towering granite cliffs, wispy waterfalls, wild flowers and crystal clear river made for some overwhelming scenery. We were especially happy to see all these postcard worthy sights since the trail doesn't pass through this part of the park. The highlight of our non-hiking visit to Yosemite was a glorious float down the Merced River in an inflatable boat - PBR and snacks in hand! Some good fireside chats and good eating with Clare, she left us in Mammoth to take care of some errands before we luxuriated for one more night at the Mammoth Mountain Inn. This was a birthday/anniversary treat from Chris' parents.

The next day we were slow to get on the trail, bogged down with one last town meal, the shuttle back to Red's Meadow and catching up with other hiker's. We finally set out on the trail around 2:00pm with a heavy heart. I always have a hard time leaving town and this long rest and visit with Clare made it especially hard. We only made it a couple of miles before camping at a real campground after getting lost for about an hour. A delightful group of boy scouts let us pitch our tent on their site so we could save a couple bucks and they peppered us with questions about the hike all night, especially the dads. The next couple of days of hiking treated us to some rolling terrain. We had one high elevation pass- Donahue - that we crossed under threatening skies and finally drizzle. But as soon as we dropped down into Tuolumne Meadows back in Yosemite, the clouds lifted and we skipped through a lovely grassy stretch hugging an amazingly clear river. Our goal: get to the store before it closes at 5 for burgers and a quick grocery resupply. Mission accomplished, we ended up camping at the Tuolumne campground right behind the store.

Beyond Tuolomne, the trail through Yosemite was rocky steep and remote. And the mosquitos were unlike anyhing I've seen before. I actually donned a very dorky headnet and the mosquitos were clinging to the screen so thickly, I couldn't see the trail at times!

The bugs and terrain were a bit demoralizing, but our efforts paid off during our planned resupply at Bridgeport on July 4th. It was a tough 30 mile stretch, but a pickup finally pulled over at Sonora Pass and let 5 of us thru-hikers pile in back. We were let off in small town America- a rodeo was underway, American flags and swags everywhere, moon walks and live music on the court house lawn and open containers! So our intentions of a quick turn around after grocery shopping were foiled and we decided to stay. We pitched our tent in a local character's front yard, next to a bar with great burgers and celebrated the 4th barefooted in the sunshine watching a Johnny Cash tribute band while lounging on the lawn of the historic court house, beer in hand. We decided that this hike was as much about making miles as seeing and celebrating our country in towns along the way. I did think about the circus on the Esplanade in Boston, but we were happy to be where we were. Emily

June 23rd - Day 56

2009-06-28T12:34:00.000-04:00

"It's my birthday. This will go down as one of the more memorable ones, I am positive of that. I just read the poem Emily wrote for me - amazing. She also gave me a present - a tiny cairn made up of rocks she's been collecting, unbeknownst to me, since the desert. Every rock has a meaning. Also amazing. And she made dessert tonight! A cheesecake concoction that she bought pre-hike and had put in the VVR resupply box we picked up today. I'm actually full tonight! Ah, amazing wife I have.

So, my memorable 39th birthday. We awoke at 5, on Trail by 5:45, and high-tailed it to Mono Creek and the trail to VVR. We were early by 45 minutes but got lucky and caught a ferry (a dinghy) across Edison Lake earlier than scheduled. We arrived, after a 45-minute tour, at the resort just before 10. Breakfast! We were excited, and ordered up coffee and entrees. Our server came back 3 or 4 times though, notifying us that sorry, out of english muffins, out of cheese, no eggs other than scrambled, no pie (?!), out of pretty much everything we ordered or wanted to order. It broke Emily. We've been pushing ourselves so hard, hiking 6-9 almost everyday, and looking forward to a cooked breakfast, that she couldn't hold it in and cried.

That started the emotions for both of us, and while reading a letter from Adrienne out loud, I broke down too. We're fried. The Sierra has been very tough for us. We're making it, but we're tired, exhausted, a bit overwhelmed. It's bringing us closer though, and going through this together is bonding us even stronger. I love her so much.

Back to the day. After 3 hours of eating, drinking beer, and sorting through our resupply box, we had to get moving. The next ferry wasn't until 4:00, so we had to hike the 6-mile trail back to the PCT. We left with a bottle of wine in a nalgene, and 3 beers in my pack for my birthday. Over the next 12 miles, I drank them at breaks, listened to 2 albums on my ipod - The Beatles' White Album and Cracker's self-titled debut because of 2 songs: "Birthday" and "Happy Birthday to Me", and climbed 2,500 feet up to Silver Pass Lake, where we are camped.

We had some more hairy fords too, 2 of which were labeled in the guidebook as dangerous and potentially fatal if one should slip. Thankfully they weren't as bad as we were expecting. So, we're 24 miles from Reds Meadow, which leads us to Clare and Mammoth Lakes. We are greatly looking forward to 2-3 days of R&R. We need it."

-Sunfish

June 22nd - Day 55

2009-06-28T12:13:00.000-04:00

"Chris' birthday eve and we're 8.5 miles from VVR (Vermillion Valley Resort). Who would've thought we'd be in this position just a couple days ago?! We did 22.8 miles today, up and over another pass. Selden Pass was far less hairy than previous - less snow and lower elevation at only 10,900 feet. But that still didn't prevent us from losing the trail across snow patches and losing our tempers. Chris is massively uncomfortable with passes and the helpless feelings that come when you're wandering in the wilderness looking for the PCT.

My weakness and fear is of stream fording. We had a couple of those today including two formiddable crossings: Evolution Creek and Bear Creek. We crossed Evolution during the morning after a nice declining trail. It was wide but shallow - and freezing when you're wearing only Crocs! We treated ourselves to tea in the sunshine afterwards.

Fast forward to this afternoon. After a long steady climb to the pass and a rocky snowy descent, we crossed Bear Creek. It lived up to its name and Chris decided to cross in his boots, since they were soaked anyway and the current was pretty strong. After trying in one spot and nearly getting washed away, he found a shallower section, crossed to drop his pack, and then came back for me. This trip is really showing off what a kind, gentlemanly, respectful partner I have as a husband.

Anyway, we're camped along Bear Creek and it's raging as I write. Chris is doing some research and we're realizing we won't be able to laze around VVR because we have more tough stream crossings and a pass in the afternoon tomorrow. No rest for the weary - or the birthday boy. Mammoth will be some incredibly welcome zero time."

-Beetle

June 21st - Day 54

2009-06-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

"June 21st. Summer Solstice, longest day of the year! And Happy Father's Day to George P. and George B. We celebrated the solstice by hiking from sun-up to sun-down, 6:20am to 8:20pm, minus a 45-minute coffee break and an hour for lunch. Almost 23 miles, even with a 4,000 foot elevation gain, and Muir Pass with its 5 miles of snow. It was a good day.

It started out early as mentioned, and it was tough to get out of bed due to a late night the night before. Within a mile after starting, we saw our first black bear of the hike. Quite exciting, but we scared him away before being able to snap a pic. He was beautiful though. Lots of deer too, during the first 3 miles down to 8,000 feet, to Middle Fork Kings River. We then made a right and headed north up Le Conte Canyon. We stopped for a coffee break, something we've enjoyed doing not while breaking down camp the last 2 days, around 8:15 on top of a gigantic rock with an amazing view of the river and a cascade.

Then it was time to get the boots moving, and climb 4,000 feet to Muir Pass, obviously named after Mr. John Muir. We didn't hit snow until just under 11,000 feet, but it was a long long long gradual climb up to 12K. It took us over 2 hours, to cover probably 2 1/2 miles. We made it though, and broke for lunch at 2:30 at the stone hut atop the Pass. There was a resident marmot inside the hut. By 3:40 we were headed west from the Pass, across a couple more miles of snow, still under blue blue skies that we had all day again. Amazing, the difference in weather since we left Whitney. We pushed on late, and found a great spot to camp, build a fire, and dry out our boots. 30 miles to VVR."

-Sunfish

June 20th - Day 53

2009-06-27T18:20:00.000-04:00

"Today was so long that this morning feels like yesterday, and maybe that's a good thing because the day didn't start out so well. Rain and hail overnight meant a freezing start at 5am, and a wet tent. Sometimes it's hard to remember it's June, and some of the longest days of the year.

Our first goal of the day was Pinchot Pass. It was only 3 miles from our campsite but there was snow everywhere and the trail was obscured. Chris and I wandered, following others' footprints, finding the trail, losing it. We were both on the verge of meltdown - Chris in a frustrated rage and me in disconsolate tears. But we made it and even enjoyed coffee at the Pass. Coffee is magical because coming off the ridge, we both were in better moods. Of course, the fact that the trail was easier to find also lightened our moods.

After Pinchot, we descended a bit into pine forest. There were 9 stream fords which is a chilly time-suck because I usually have to take off my boots and put on the Crocs. Most people with sneakers just plow right through - I couldn't stand the wet feet. With upbeat moods and blazing sun, we broke for a quick lunch and layed all our gear out to dry. But it was a short lunch - 1 hour - because we had another pass ahead: Mather Pass. Again we climbed into a moonscape with snow everywhere. This time though, there were almost 10 people not too far ahead of us so we could easily follow the path. That meant some switchbacks, some post-holing with ice axe in hand, and one vertical climb up a snow 'ladder'. Up and over, we slip-slided our way down, and even enjoyed some glissading on our butts.

With the long day, we trekked on through Kings Canyon on some annoyingly rocky tread. I totally face-planted and skinned my knee. Fortunately, no cuts on my forehead, just gravel. Man, with a pack on your back, you can really get some good momentum during a fall! The scenery was gorgeous and we hiked until almost dark.

Two slight regrets: 1-With such crappy tread and trail maintenance (tons of snowmelt and mud on the trail, plus fallen trees) you have to look at your feet all the time and can't enjoy the amazing sights as much as one might want to. 2-We're putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to make good time and make miles so we can meet Clare on time, and so Chris can get a beer on his birthday at VVR (Vermillion Valley Resort). Crossing our fingers that the next couple days can be speedy!"

-Beetle

June 19th - Day 52

2009-06-26T18:00:00.000-04:00

"Inside our tent here at sub-11,000 feet, 2 1/2 miles from Pinchot Pass, I feel safe. However, for most of the last 2 days, I haven't. This John Muir Trail is no joke. The crazy ascents and descents, the passes, the fords. It's all very hard and scary at times. After our 3rd and last ford after Woods Creek, Emily was shaking and on the verge of tears. The fords don't scare me as much, but the snow on the passes does. We have our ice axes, and carry them properly, but still the thought of slipping is always on my mind. And then of course, post-holing is always a possibility, which I hate, and since I gouged my leg on the rock, I'm super nervous about doing it again. All in all, I just don't feel like I belong in this wilderness, that mother nature is a stronger force than I realized. I suppose my fear of death is pretty strong.

Now, in realizing that afternoons are tougher - softer snow, more snowmelt, raging rivers and creeks, more dangerous fords - we have decided to have a go at starting earlier, say hike 6 to 6 instead of 8 to 8 maybe. The alarm is set for 5am tomorrow. I should also mention that this year we've heard is tough. Although it was a dry year, the Sierra apparently received much late snow. June storms that dumped a lot of snow. And that makes for very hard hiking through here.

So, to recap the day, we began at 8, reached Glen Pass by 10:30, and started the descent shortly thereafter with Good Spot and Wonka, a thru-hiking couple we met this morning. Once we got down and out of the snow, it was smooth sailing down to 8,500 feet at Woods Creek. We passed numerous lakes, known as Rae Lakes, and broke for lunch next to Dollar Lake. We did have a hairy ford though, after lunch, where we had to don the Crocs. The mosquitoes here were relentless too, so as we were putting our boots back on, we killed dozens that were landing on our legs, eager for our blood. A lot of hikers were out today, being Friday I suppose, which made it not so lonely-feeling. Yes the Sierra is beautiful, but it makes me a bit homesick. Great weather today though, so that was good. 15.0 miles hiked today."

-Sunfish

June 18th - Day 51

2009-06-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

"Today was a rollercoaster of emotions. First thing off the bat, surprise and elation at actual sunshine! Chris woke my sleepy butt up at 7:30am - late for the trail - and we decided to let our neighbors head out first so they could break trail on Forester Pass. It was a long steady climb up into a basin with three walls of mountains all around us. Turns out, the Sierra are actually gorgeous when not choked with cloud cover! I also heard coyotes yip at each other, a magical sound. Anyway, we traipsed over snow fields following tracks of previous hikers towards one of these mountain walls. The switchbacks could barely be discerned amid all the snow. Slowly, steadily, with ice axes in hand, we climbed the highest point on the PCT - 13,200 feet. A real high in all senses of the word.

Then the descent began with more snow, following tracks and slip-sliding our way along a ridge. The sound of rock and snow slides were a little disconcerting and we were eager to get out of the snow. But it was endless and a frustrating slog. As the day warmed, we started post-holing up to our knees and thighs. Chris post-holed onto a rock and gouged his shin. He left sprinkles of blood for any hikers behind us. The stark and formidable mountains, the snow that just wouldn't let up or allow for an easy descent, and the constant threat of bad weather made Chris very uneasy. He said he had a real awakening to his mortality, feeling so vulnerable to the elements in a place where humans weren't meant to go.

But we did go! We made it to a sunny spot for lunch under some trees with some other hikers. I bandaged Chris' leg and we wrung out our socks that were thoroughly soaked from being knee-deep in sloppy snow. This was around 3pm and we'd only done 7 or 8 miles for the day - an indicator of how difficult the pass had been. But after lunch, we dipped into some of the most beautiful forest I've seen. Pine trees with grassy, flat spots amid scattered gray boulders, a roaring river on one side and towering granite walls all around. The sunlight finally showcased the craggy, snow-covered mountains in a way that I'd pictured the Sierra to be. We're camped on a sandy flat about two miles from Glen Pass. Only 16 miles for the day which means we have our work cut out for us to meet Clare on time. Fortunately, we have daylight on our side."

-Beetle

Mt. Whitney to Mammoth Lakes

2009-06-25T11:31:00.000-04:00

I know the suspense has been killing you. Did we summit Mt. Whitney? Well, we got in our sleeping bags after agreeing that we'd only make the attempt if it was crystal clear the next morning. I didn't have high hopes, but sure enough, when popping our heads out from under the rainfly at 5am, there it was in all its glory, calling us to its peak. We packed up in a hurry, and began the ascent. Over 3 hours later, we had a tough decision to make. We were at 13,750 feet, and about a mile from the peak, but the trail had become tough, and even a bit dangerous since we were making the morning's first tracks in the fresh snow that had fallen. We decided to turn around, and vowed to come back another day.

Back down at Trail Crest, Sean & Carla went east to their car at the Whitney Portal while Em & I went west to make our way back to the PCT after bidding our goodbyes. It was a bit emotional for us, since heading back to Boston sounded pretty good after spending a month and a half in the woods. But hiking is what we do now, so west we went, back to Guitar Lake to retrieve our food (in bear canisters), then past the Crabtree Ranger Station, and finally to the PCT by early afternoon.

Since then, we have had amazing weather (blue skies, a few puffy clouds, sunshine, scenery to die for) but a tough time. The Trail through the Sierra is no joke. Miles of snow on the passes, dozens and dozens of fords, and insane ascents and descents. I can honestly say it's the hardest hiking I've ever done. I don't think I can do it justice by writing a few paragraphs, so I've decided to transcribe some of our journal entries from this past week. Hope you enjoy it.

-Sunfish

PS Yes I changed my trail name from Sundog to Sunfish. Back in 2003 I was a SunDOG. Now, in 2009, not so much. SunFISH fits me better now. My job as a marine biologist. My ocean sunfish tattoo on my leg. I'm more a fish than a dog.

Tehachapi to Mt. Whitney

2009-06-16T17:54:00.000-04:00

As I write this blog entry, hail is pelting our REI Quarter Dome Tent as we are camped on the side of Mt. Whitney. Hopefully, the weather will improve by tomorrow morning so we can hike to the summit with our friends from Boston, Sean and Carla. Mt. Whitney, while not on the PCT, is a worthwhile detour because it's the highest peak in the lower 48 states at 14,491 feet. But I'm getting ahead of myself !

Tehachapi marks the start of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We've been hearing about the breathtaking vistas and rushing mountain streams for about 558 miles. However, these rugged mountains scenes were still a long way off. We left this train-crazy town 2 weeks ago under purple-gray skies. The rain almost made us spend another night in the hotel, but we persevered and were rewarded with clearer skies by evening after only 5 miles.

With 7 days of food, our packs were heavy but we're definitely getting our "trail legs" and were able to hike 20 - 25 miles each day subsequently. Some of the highlights - or low lights - along the 145 miles between Tehachapi Pass and Kennedy Meadows include:

The tormented skies coming out of Tehachapi made for some spectacular vistas over the desert. The contrast between the rain clouds and white wind turbines was very dramatic.

Hiking through another dry section with Joshua trees we saw lots of evidence of off road vehicles. One night while camped in a stand of these spiky trees, a truck rolled up after dark. We were nervous that the locals might harass the hippy hikers after one guy said, "Look, there's a tent!" But they left us alone...phew!

Chris forgot a pair of socks and liners drying in a tree one night. We didn't notice until we did laundry at Kennedy Meadows.

With food stores running low, we had amazing good fortune to get some hand outs from some high school group. One of the counselors asked us if we needed food -yes, always! -and proceeded to give us a bag of sliced salami and another of cheese. Delish!

Hiking into Kennedy Meadows was quite surreal. This "town" is the unofficial gateway to the High Sierra 703 miles into the PCT. We were excited for a couple of days off and the arrival of our dear friends from home, Sean and Carla.

Kennedy Meadows is indeed a unique place. The hub of this community is the general store that had been picked over by hikers already. We picked up our bear canisters and resupply box with our ice axes and food (after a slight scare, the box arrived the afternoon we hiked in). Beers and hamburgers on the porch, cards with our friends, Neil and Andrew, a bizarre breakfast at a local restaurant where it took 3 hours to get a plate of French Toast, and camping in an old amphitheater that played movies on Saturday night.

Sean and Carla arrived after a marathon travel day and we dragged them to a so-so restaurant 1 hour away. Chris and I were excited about town food. We borrowed their rental car and went to Ridgecrest to hit up an outfitter's because our water filter was failing - no luck. The store was vacant. To make matters worse, Chris got pulled over, but he got off. We salvaged the trip by a successful run to the Post Office and a yummy diner breakfast.

Back on the trail, this time with Sean and Carla, we are definitely getting into some serious mountains. Sean and Carla are amazing with their ability to hit the ground running despite the elevation - over 11,000 feet at some points - and rough terrain reminiscent of New England. We all covered 67 miles in 5 days under gray skies and some of the coldest temperatures we've seen so far. Some mornings there was frost on our gear!

Now we find ourselves above the tree line amid clouds at 11,600 feet waiting to see what happens with the weather. Chris and I have decided that if the mountains are still socked in with clouds in the morning, we'll forgo the summit. That means we'll have say good-bye to our friends who are heading back to Jamaica Plain. We have much to look forward to: birthdays, anniversaries, visits with Clare in Mammoth, CA and hopefully, better weather. But we both still want to climb. We are definitely at the mercy of Mother Nature, and isn't that all part of this crazy adventure?

Greetings from Kennedy Meadows!

2009-06-10T13:57:00.000-04:00

Kennedy Meadows is a definite milestone, as it marks the end of southern California and the beginning of the High Sierra. The next 400 miles of the PCT will take us through some of the most remote and beautiful wilderness in the country. We will walk through 3 National Parks (Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite), and summit via the John Muir Trail the highest mountain in the contiguous United States: Mount Whitney.

Making it the 703 miles to Kennedy Meadows also means we've walked over 25% of the Trail! And that we have less than 2000 miles to go, which, depending on how you look at it, is either a milestone or daunting. Maybe both.

We arrived here with zero ailments, which we are extremely happy about, and have been in great spirits except for a few blue days. Although we're living the dream out here, we can't help but miss our friends and families, and the city summertime.

We're taking a few rest days here, and await the arrival of our Boston friends Sean & Carla, who are hiking with us from here to Mount Whitney. We can't wait.

We'll be northbound again Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

-Sundog

PS A blog post for the miles between Tehachapi and Kennedy Meadows will be coming soon.

Agua Dulce to Tehachapi

2009-06-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

Tehachapi, CA. 558 miles north of the border by Trail, more than 20% of our entire trek. Our pace has quickened, and 20+ mile days are the norm now, so we're feeling pretty good. We left Agua Dulce (Spanish for Sweetwater) last Thursday the 28th, and walked the 104 miles between there and here in less than 5 days. Since our next section will be our longest so far, at 144 miles from Tehachapi to Kennedy Meadows (we're going to skip Onyx), we decided a hotel room here was in order. Eating, drinking, resting, swimming, soaking, and TV watching has made up our day today, and we've enjoyed every minute of it.

This last section was different than all the others. Originally, the PCT was supposed to follow a mountain-crest route around the Mojave Desert. However, the Forest Service was not able to obtain the land due to some stubborn ranch owners. Therefore, rather than the trail connecting the southern California PCT with its Sierran continuation known as the Tehachapi Mtns, we were forced to follow a hot waterless stretch across the Antelope Valley, the western arm of the immense Mojave Desert, along dirt roads and the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which was constructed in 1913. Pre 9/11, this aqueduct proved useful as a water source, but no longer, apparently to prevent terrorists from poisoning LA's water.

Leaving Agua Dulce and the Saufley's backyard paradise on Thursday (28th) was hard, but the Trail was calling us. We elected to not partake in the case race (drinking 24 beers during the next 24 miles) and proceeded north after lunch with full packs. We put in a half day and camped on a grassy ridge that night. The following day, we made it almost 15 miles before lunch as we pushed on due to dark grey skies and an approaching ranger station. When we arrived at the road, we were greeted by Terry Anderson, of Casa de Luna fame, and caught a ride down along with Joey and Creamsicle down to her house. We wanted to make more miles that evening, so we only stopped for an hour to talk with other hikers (20+ probably), sign our names on the 2009 hiker sign, and down a couple chili & cheese dogs. The next day brought a lot of vertical miles, as well as our first encounter with a "guzzler". It was a sloped concrete patio with a reservoir on the down end to collect rainwater, poured right there in the middle of the woods. Pretty cool. Later that day, we had our first rain! Of course, it only lasted for 10 minutes, and it was only a drizzle, but it was enough to send us into a frenzy, making sure all of our gear was waterproofed (in dry bags, ziplocs, or garbage bags). Beetle got to don her Red Sox poncho for the first time. Sunday was our biggest mileage day yet on the trail, at 25.5 miles. As I wrote above, we had to cross the Mojave. Like a large number of thru-hikers, we rested up at Hikertown (a house/yard where the owner lets hikers stay for free, complete with an outdoor shower, shade trees, campers, running water, and refrigerators) after an 11-mile morning, and left a few hours before dusk to try and get in and out of the desert during the cooler hours. We couldn't quite make the 27 miles we had planned, but only fell short by 2 miles, and camped just after 11pm. Since we were parallelling the aqueduct on flat dirt roads, and I didn't need to use my trekking poles, I took advantage and had a few beers along the way. Em thinks I'm crazy. The next morning we entered the Tehachapi Mtns and climbed back up to 6,000 feet, and spent most of Monday crossing numerous dirtbike tracks that have scarred and destroyed a lot of the land. It's quite sad. We camped at an awesome flat sandy spot that reminded me of Frisco campground in the Outer Banks, which I love. An easy 9 miles this morning to the road, and here we are, at our 7th resupply stop.

Life and the Trail are great!

-Sundog

Wrightwood to Agua Dulce

2009-05-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Wrightwood treated us very well. We're incredibly grateful for the kindness of the Hadaways who "invited us" into their home for showers and laundry, and they drove us back to the market and the trail! They were very curious about our quest and we're always happy to answer questions, especially over a beer on a sunny front porch.

Once back on the trail, we started a steep climb up Mt. Baden Powell named for the founder of the boy scouts. Since it was Memorial Day Weekend, there were plenty of day hikers on the trail with us. We camped on one of the few flatish spots about a mile from the summit, making for a pleasant morning climb and some dramatic views. There's a tree on the summit that's about 1,500 years old!

The day was full of ups and downs, and at some point I tweaked one of the muscles in my left quad. I still made it through the day with some stiffness. We had another visit with Dave and all the edible goodies that he shares and also had a detour along the road to avoid an area where an endangered toad mates. The next morning, however, my leg revolted and we had to stop after 5 miles. It was a hard decision and a frustrating day. Chris got lost during a solo day hike he took while burning off some steam. He finds it especially hard to sit still all day.

But the rest did me well! With some help from Vitamin I (ibuprofen) we were able to churn out some long, subsequent days. One day we did 23.6 miles, camping at a nice shady spot under the pine trees. The other day we did 22.6 and camped at an ATV road along a ridge. It feels good to put in some long miles and I'm relieved that my leg issue resolved. A little rest goes a long way!

So, we cruised into Agua Dulce yesterday morning and, of course, our first stop was the local breakfast joint. Chris had a beer with his eggs. I had pancakes, surprise, surprise. The amazing part of this spot are the trail angels who host dozens of hikers at a time, the Saufley's. They wash all the hikers' laundry and give loaner clothes and flip flops in the process. They have a tent city in their back yard complete with cots that sleep 50. As a couple, Chris and I got to sleep

in a horse trailer separated from the masses who stayed up into the wee hours around the campfire. Free phones, internet and music blaring from 7am through 10pm. Amazing!

The other fabulous part of our "nearo" day -near zero miles walked- was sorting through all our mail. Sunny and Jen & Jon sent welcome updates and greetings from back east. Ryan sent a celebratory package of cigars and White Russian fixings in honor of our progress and making it to L.A. Wahoo! The treats made for a very fun afternoon. Sean and Carla sent a plethora of useful items: a Camelback (awesome!), candy and plenty of nips. Hmmmm.....all that alcohol....what do our friends think of us? Wish you guys were here to party with us. We also got an amazing re-supply box from my parents with our expected ramen, couscous, vitamins and such plus some edibles surprises.

We are so lucky! Thanks for the thoughtful notes and goodies. It means so much to have contact with our loved ones at home. Sometimes the crusty trail feels very far away, we miss you.

Now, onward to the desert.......

Emily ( and Chris)

Big Bear City to Wrightwood

2009-05-22T12:00:00.001-04:00

Within five miles after re-entering the San Bernardino Mountains, we came across our sixth rattlesnake of the trip. It was very big, and the darkest we've seen, but calm and motionless, so we moved on after I snapped a picture. Two more rattlesnake encounters before finishing this section, so I hope we have filled our quota. I read that the average thru-hiker sees three or four during the first 700 miles to the Kennedy Meadows. Still, I've adopted a no-music policy before 10 am. and after 4pm., as morning and evening are when we usually see them.

The rest of the morning was spent around 6,000 feet as I listened to a Dodgers vs. Marlins game on my new Sony radio I picked up in Big Bear. After lunch, we meandered our way through scorched land, a result of the forest fires in 2008, until we reached a creek side trail camp with a picnic table.

This continued the following morning, until we reached Holcomb Creek and some crossings. As we ate our tuna fish and hot sauce in tortillas, dark grey clouds came rolling toward us. We surely expected this would be our first rainfall, but we got lucky and stayed dry. A mid-afternoon dip in Deep Creek was the highlight of the day and shortly thereafter we climbed a hundred feet and began a long traverse next to but above the creek for the remainder of the day.

In the morning we skipped coffee and pushed three miles to Deep Creek Hot Spring, an amazing place with terraced pools of 100-degree-plus water. We soaked for over an hour, jumped into the creek to cool off, and packed up. As we walked west, it was apparent that we were getting closer to civilization, due to the plastic bottles at the side of the trail, the graffiti on the rocks, day hikers in bermuda shorts, and the gigantic dam built to hold back Deep Creek's waters. A half mile later, our first official ford, but Deep Creek was only thigh deep. We camped this night at Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area on a small peninsula only accessible by boat or foot, with picnic tables and garbage cans.

Up early at 5am. the next morning because we had a date with Mickey D. We hiked 16 miles before 2pm., and we rewarded ourselves when we reached I-15 with french fries, orange Hi-C's, Chicken McNuggets, Coca Cola, cheese burgers, chocolate milkshakes and iced coffee. Needless to say we left McDonalds with full bellies as well as full capacity of water, as we had 22 dry miles

of trail to look forward to. We camped about 5 miles from I-15/ Cajon Pass to avoid the noise.

Leaving Cajon Canyon we thankfully entered the San Gabriel Mountains. John Muir called them, "more rigidly inaccessible than any other I ever attempted to penetrate." We didn't have a problem, but we did have over 5000 feet to climb in one day! Wow! We spent the night at Guffy's Campground, just inside the Angeles National Forest. In the AM, two short hours and five miles brought us to mile 369, the Angeles Crest Highway, and we hitchhiked into Wrightwood for resupply.

Things are well on the trail for us. Our feet are doing much much better, and we are halfway to Kennedy Meadows, which is exciting. More often than not, our conversation turns to food. I asked Em today what she missed the most. She responded,"Pasta and my Dad's tomato sauce, red wine and salad." For me, it's simply Coke...although beer is a very close 2nd.

Chris (and Emily)

Idyllwild to Big Bear City

2009-05-16T14:38:00.001-04:00

I'm writing from a well air-conditioned public library in Big Bear with a belly full of blueberry pancakes. Chris and I treated ourselves to a night in a Motel 6 with laundry, showers and Sports Center after officially completing 10% of the trail. It finally feels like we're making some progress here!

The past couple days have been a mixed bag of terrain, and very pleasant. Coming out of Idyllwild we had a steep climb back up to the PCT - 2.5 miles and 2,000 feet up. The elevation does provide cooler temperatures, and even big patches of snow that we had to slip and slide over. While we were well rested and well-fed on our first day back after a delightful stay with Kath's friend, Shambo, we only covered about 15 miles (plus the 2.5 to get back to the PCT) because of the steep climbs, slippery snow, 5.5 days worth of food and lots of water on our backs. We camped in a sandy wash somewhere around the border of a wilderness zone and a state park. Sometimes it's tough to know exactly where you are but Chris can make a good estimate of our mileage based on how long we've been going. It's great hiking with a mathlete!

The next day started out with endless switchbacks back and forth over the little village of Snow Creek. The destination was a water fountain provided by the Desert Water Agency. After a couple hours of toe-mashing downhill under an increasingly hot sun and seemingly no closer to this fountain, we broke for lunch under the shade of a rock. With our spirits restored, we skipped down to the fountain in a matter of minutes and loaded up on this precious resource in the company of lots of fellow thru-hikers - Joey, Andrea, Neil, John, Square Peg, Meaghan, and Gourmet.

But the day was only getting started... we continued on, loaded up with water, and met a trail angel on our way to cross the Coachella Valley. Bill welcomed us to the armpit of the PCT and treated us to Pringles and Gatorade before we set out on the discombobulating trek through this windy flat stretch. The trail was a little hard to follow, very sandy and the wind was something out of a movie. I had a bandanna over my nose and mouth, my hat clamped onto my head as I staggered to keep up with Chris against a gale-force head wind. No wonder there are so many wind turbines flapping in this stretch, the wind is no joke. We finally took refuge from the wind under the seedy I-10 highway overpass, collected ourselves and continued on to the Mesa Wind Farm and beyond to camp with Joey in a delightfully remote wash in Teutag Canyon. 22 miles later, we were happy to have that ugly stretch behind us.

For our slog through the wind tunnel, we were treated to a couple days of all the water we could ask for. We skipped over Mission Creek throughout one day of hiking, taking several breaks to soak our feet in the chilly snow melt. We also paused plenty to enjoy the scenery - fragrant pine trees and lupines along the trail. Chris saw a baby rattlesnake trying to ingest a large lizard. A trail angel - Dave - who is following his sons met us with popsicles one day. All the while, Big Bear City was calling our name with the promise of Sizzler buffet and Thelma's cinnamon rolls. In our haste to get to town, we almost succeeded in the 10x10 challenge - 10 miles by 10am!

Having gorged, got our TV fix, rested our feet and doctored Chris' heel blister, we're hoping to hit the trail again this afternoon and get in a couple miles this afternoon. We have 99 miles to go until Wrightwood and our next resupply.

- Emily (kinda Beetle, but I'm having a hard time adopting this other identity) and Sundog

Barrel Spring to Idyllwild

2009-05-10T21:43:00.000-04:00

We are in Idyllwild, CA, 179 miles into the trail. Taking a zero day here, to rest our feet, resupply our food stores, catch up on emails, and eat. Although we've been carrying plenty of food, nothing compares to hot breakfasts, fresh sandwiches, meaty pizza, and cold cold drinks.

Backtrack to May 5th. Awaking in Barrel Spring, we knew that Warner Springs, our first maildrop site, was reachable by lunchtime. Off we went with soda on ice in my mind. When we arrived, we went straight to the post office to pick up our resupply box, a package from Sean containing much needed water purification drops (which I forgot in Boston), and a couple unexpected letters, a huge surprise! With a 44 oz Dr Pepper in hand, we sorted through our stuff, made some phone calls, and then made our way to the golf course restaurant next door, where we stuffed ourselves with hamburgers, grilled cheeses, salads, and Mexican beer (in honor of Cinco de Mayo of course). Our server mentioned free showers in the clubhouse, which we promptly accepted, and then after a quick visit to the mini-mart, we were off to continue the 5/5 celebration with our section-hiker friends Yancy and Tarc a few miles up the trail next to a babbling brook.

The next couple days were hot hot hot. My watch read over 100 at one point, and drinking the water out of our Nalgenes was like drinking hot tea without the flavor. Awful. On May 7th, to avoid over-heating, we took a 2 1/2 hour lunch break under a live oak, along with most if not all of the thru-hiker friends we've met this past 11 days. We were sprawled out like lions in the Kalahari, moving to stay with our little spots of shade. That evening we hiked into the night, under a very-near full moon, into a wash where it was sandy and cool.

Friday morning the 8th, we were on a mission. The next road crossing was 3 1/2 miles away, and down that road 1 mile was the Paradise Cafe. We got there by 8:15 am, and ate huge breakfasts, washing it down with gallons of coke (me) and coffee (Em). This put us behind a bit, so we tried to make up time by pushing through lunch and to a spring for water 11 miles away. After taking a side trail 1 mile down a few hundred feet and filling up our bottles, on our way back up we spotted a helicopter overhead. It stopped above us, but moved on after I gave it a one-handed wave, meaning we're OK. Turns out there was a lost hiker, that made his way out on his own a day after making the distress call. We pushed on another mile, and found a great spot on a ridge, with the full moon glowing above us, and the twinkling lights of Palm Springs in the valley below. This got us excited for civilization.

The next morning, to get to Idyllwild we still had 15 miles of trail to walk, plus 2 1/2 down a side trail. Tough tough day. Lots and lots of climbing, up over 8,000 feet for the first time, and we even saw snow on the ground, which we used to turn our warm water into ice water! We rolled into town around 6, and here we are still. Back on the Trail early tomorrow morning. Next stop Big Bear City.

-Sundog (and Beetle)

P.S. My trail name comes from my days on the AT (Appalachian Trail) back in 2003.

Mt. Laguna to Barrel Spring

2009-05-05T13:04:00.000-04:00

Day seven is dawning cool and sunny in Barrel Spring. Last night we went to sleep to the sounds of small vermin rustling in the brush around our site, and frogs croaking around the first steady bit of running water we've seen in the desert so far. We slept under live oak trees with several other hikers, all of whom we met along the way - Joey, "Day Late" from Tucson, Ryan, Yancy and Tarc, and Neil and Andrea. We ambled into camp about 6:45 pm after our first 20 mile day, the last to arrive. My feet hurt more than if I'd run a marathon, though my blisters seem to be healing. I'd just never walked so far with 7 liters of water on my back.

Yesterday took us all along the San Felipe Hills, following the contour of every canyon and gully. While long, the trail was very gradually descending which was nice on the knees.

The previous night found us camping in a cozy, sandy wash on the same San Felipe Hills we had hiked through.This site provided a nice respite from the relentless gales that have been pushing us around the past couple days. I do, however, appreciate the wind's cooling properties during the heat of the day.

Before that, we camped in Chariot's Canyon, a grassy stretch that was pretty windy but flat. Earlier, we stayed at Shiner's RV Park, free showers!! We came across that site quite randomly. We were wandering Al Baker's RV Camp looking for a different campground and the manager saw us and offered a grassy patch for Chris, Joey and me. What luck!

Normally, we're up about 6 -6:30, pretty early for some night owls. We have to pack up our sleeping bags, pads and all the clothes we used as pillows overnight. Chris usually makes coffee, a luxury item on the trail. We try to get in 10 miles before lunch and then break for at least an hour to rest our feet. Our routine usually has us cooking dinner after rolling into camp between 6 and 7pm. We've been eating freeze dried meals, ramen, couscous, maybe some tortillas and cheese. Then it's dark and time for reading and writing in the tent. Nights have been somewhat fitful, trying to get comfortable. I'm hoping in time, this tent will be as cozy as my bed in J.P.........yeah right!

Some interesting sightings: teddy bear cholla, prickly pear cacti, barrel cacti, horny toads, one rattlesnake ( I ran. Chris got a picture.), a fighter jet that roared over our heads during lunch and a crazy hiker named "No Pain", who gave us a beer at 4pm one day at a well stocked water cache.

All in all, things are going well. Off to Warner Springs to pick up our first mail drop.

Emily (and Chris)

Mexican Border to Mt. Laguna

2009-05-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Writing from the small town of Mt. Laguna, this is our first resupply stop, although we don't need to buy much. We, like many thru-hikers starting out, began with too much food. Better to have too much than too little, I suppose. The Trail has been great so far, maybe not what we expected due to the abundant flora and semi-mountainous terrain. I guess we were expecting more desert-like conditions, but after today's 2,000 foot climb, obviously we were wrong. I'm sure the desert awaits our arrival.

We spent the first 2 nights in canyons, Hauser and Fred, respectively, at very nice campsites. Both creeks were dried up, but water has not been a problem at all, as we have been filling up our bottles from campground spigots. We have seen less than 10 people since starting 2 1/2 days ago. A few section hikers, a trail runner, an equestrian and 3-4 thru-hikers, including Joey, a girl from Vancouver, B.C., who has shared our site with us for the last few nights and hiked with us part of the time, too.

Regarding animals, no scary sightings as of yet, (0 rattlesnakes) but numerous reptiles like skinks, horny toads and other lizards. Emily has taken to announcing "beetle" every time we pass over one on the trail, and I second it, making it a game. Beetle might just stick as her trail name, as I've been calling her that. We'll see, it's only been 3 days.

Other than a few blisters and mild muscle fatigue, all is well for us on the Trail. It finally set in, probably during our lunch break on the first day, that we are walking to Canada! And, we're happy as hell for it. So, it's time to finish my coke and chips and head north.

Chris (and Emily)

2009-04-27T11:49:00.000-04:00

This is it. I buzzed Emily's head today! We fly to San Diego this evening, then catch a ride to the southern terminus 40 miles east on Wednesday morning. Holy cow... we are super excited, a little bit nervous, and eager to take the first step. PCT here we come!

Resupply Towns

2009-04-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

A common question we get is "What will you do for food?" Contrary to what some people may think, like that we'll be carrying a gun and hunting the local fauna, we will actually be resupplying our food via town grocery stores or, when necessary, post office maildrops (see picture above). Here is our tentative plan for resupplying, with hopeful arrival dates.

MEXICO-CALIFORNIA BORDER 4/29
Mt. Laguna 5/1
Warner Springs 5/5
Idyllwild 5/9
Big Bear City 5/15
Wrightwood 5/20
Agua Dulce 5/25
Tehachapi 5/31
Onyx 6/5
Kennedy Meadows 6/8
Independence 6/13
Vermillion Valley Resort 6/18
Tuolumne Meadows 6/22
Sonora Pass 6/27
Echo Lake Resort 7/1
Sierra City 7/7
Belden 7/13
Old Station 7/18
Castella 7/25
Etna 7/31
Ashland, OR 8/7
Crater Lake 8/13
Sisters 8/22
Timberline Lodge 8/29
Cascade Locks 8/31
Trout Lake, WA 9/5
White Pass 9/9
Snoqualmie Pass 9/15
Skykomish 9/19
Stehekin 9/25
WASHINGTON-CANADA BORDER 10/1

No Baseball on the trail

2009-04-19T08:48:00.000-04:00

We have 1 and only 1 regret: We're going to miss the entire baseball season while hiking! My Orioles are in town playing Em's Sox, so we went to a game at Fenway Park to feed the fix. By the time we get back, it will be postseason. Who will win the AL East and be playing in October?

A memorable send-off

2009-04-14T20:30:00.000-04:00

Liz and George, my folks, are exemplary party hosts. In due form, they threw us an amazing party in honor of our imminent departure. The Theme: "Take a Hike".

April 5th dawned sunny and warmer than any day the previous week. The bar was set in the greenhouse, the "Happy Trails" soundtrack (with appropriate songs like 'South of the Border', 'California Dreamin', 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin', and 'O Canada') was spinning in the CD player, and 60 of our nearest and dearest friends and family came to Canton for the event. A blast was had!

From the LEFT: Amy, Katie, Efrat, Cy, Leif and John

Bob, Ridge and the Hostess Supreme Liz

Four JP'ers: Emily, Jon, Chris and Jen

Carla and Sean, with Doyle's road race sunburns, and my sister Adrienne

Winning the distance prize: Chris' brother Greg, and his wife, Jenny
who made the trek from Chicago

Thanks to all who came!

Emotional mad dash to the finish... er, starting line

2009-04-11T18:19:00.000-04:00

I've been a bit lax about writing. There are so many emotions wrapped up in this experience that it's hard to sum them all up in a blog post. Excitement, disbelieve, stress, doubt. We've been keeping ourselves busy arranging pet- and house-sitters, last minute purchases at REI (while the discount still applies!!), giving notice at work and coordinating insurances - lots of to-do lists.

Sometimes we lose sight of the big picture and bicker under the stress of leaving our home, leaving our jobs, leaving our family and real lives. I just try to remind myself that all these "things" and beloved people will be here when we get back. We have set our sights on an amazing experience. Yeah, it's scary, but it's now or never. And like my mother says, just take each task as it comes. Today it's pet food and resupply boxes, tomorrow it's rattlesnakes and desert climbs.

Amid the whirlwind of preparations, we're also finding time for some fun. There are lots of people that we'll miss over the coming months so we're spending as much time as possible with friends and family. A couple weeks ago we went to visit my Aunt Patrice and Uncle Jim. They were in good spirits and consummate hosts, per usual.

We also squeezed in a little adventure while in western Mass. Since quitting your job in a sour economy isn't exciting enough, we went SKYDIVING!!! This was a surprise outing I'd planned for Chris's birthday last summer. Bad weather foiled those plans but we happened to find ourselves nearby on a perfectly clear early spring day so we used our rain check. Peter and Keith at Jumptown in Orange, MA took good care of us on our first ever tandem jumps from a plane.

Talk about surreal. It doesn't feel like you're plummeting towards certain death after you take that first step out of the plane at 13K feet. Rather, I was mostly concerned with keeping my back arched and catching my breath. Chris, meanwhile, was trying to keep his breakfast down. When we landed next to the airstrip my tandem guide said, "Whoa, looks like Chris isn't feeling so well." Indeed, he was ashen. But we're both excited to jump again for Adrienne's 30th birthday next year!! And during that jump, we'll be wiser and have 2,650 miles under our belts!

Pack Weight Check!

2009-03-27T22:54:00.000-04:00

How does one decide what to carry during a thru-hike? As little as possible! We're 5 weeks away, and have the majority of our gear decided and set. I borrowed a scale, and did our first weight check. We both weighed in at just over 20 lbs, however this does not include ANY food nor water at 8 lbs per gallon (also the digital camera that Emily used to take this picture).

Other items not included are ice axes, bear canisters, mummyliners, and down jackets/sweaters, all of which we'll need for the ~400 miles of the High Sierra in California. This will add about 4 lbs, but because water will be so much more abundant than in southern CA, our backs probably won't notice much of a difference.

A full gear list to come soon.

Trail Map

2009-03-23T22:49:00.000-04:00

Here is a very small map of the trail. This 6" is actually 2,650 miles, from the southern terminus at the Mexico/USA border near Campo, CA to the USA/Canada border in the middle of nowhere, WA. We will actually enter Canada and need a special permit to get back into the States.

We will walk through only 3 states, but 6 National Parks: Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite, and Lassen Volcanic in California; Crater Lake in Oregon; and Mount Rainier and North Cascades in Washington. The highest point on the trail is 13,150 feet at Forester's Pass. The lowest point, 150 feet in the Columbia River Gorge between OR and WA.

Hike Planning

2009-02-15T16:54:00.000-05:00

It's been 2 months since our last post, and a lot has happened. I made an announcement to my family at Christmas, which was very nerve-racking, since well, they were expecting a different sort of announcement. One that a married couple of a year and a half might usually make. They were all very receptive and curious and it went very well I think.

Now, Emily's parents, they're a bit more skeptical, for obvious reasons.

They don't have the luxury that my parents have: I've already done something like this. Emily hasn't. Also, they aren't quite sure this is a smart thing to do, especially in these tough economic times, but they are being very supportive, and also very curious.

So, the planning. What goes into this? Well, for the last year+, we've been reading stories of past thru-hikers, from one of a couple who successfully completed it, to one of a man who hiked it in record time (this guy averaged something like 32 miles per day -wow). Here are some examples:

A to-do list, very important, for me at least. It's got everything from setting up supply boxes to cancelling cable and internet to finding homes for the pets. There's a lot to do!

Here are some other books we bought, but these will actually be carried on the trail (not all at once). The databook covers the whole trail, listing everything from water supplies to road crossings. The larger guidebooks, broken down into 3 sections (southern CA, northern CA, and OR&WA), have detailed maps and trail descriptions.

Although we've both been hiking for years, we still have stuff to buy for this long distance hike. Here's our newest possession. Not the cat. That's Tigger, she's 13, and she's happy that we bought this GPS satellite messenger, so she (and our families) can follow our progress on the internet, and know that we're safe.

And here are 2 websites we've been using as resources:

http://www.pcta.org

http://www.trailforums.com/trail.cfm

-Chris

From Chris

2008-12-09T19:01:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of us at the northern terminus of the Long Trail in July, a few days before our 1st year anniversary. We decided to celebrate by spending 8 days in the Vermont wilderness. One could say it was also some sort of a test, to see if an epic hike was even possible. Well, I guess we passed.

I met Emily at an Arizona campground on May 1st of 2003, exactly 17 days before I began my solo hike of the Appalachian Trail. Almost 5 1/2 years later, we are married and in the initial phases of planning this hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. I can't believe it. How lucky am I? That she WANTS to do this. I feel like I hit the jackpot.

Now, that being said, I am nervous, maybe even scared like she wrote in the first entry. The PCT isn't the AT. It's much different... much further away... more miles (almost 500 more)... higher elevations... we'll need an ice axe for part of it. What, an ice axe? Yep, and we've already talked to our friend Sean about teaching us the art of self-arrest.

Most on my mind though, is the trail coexistence. Certainly, we won't be happy newlyweds for the entire hike, let's be realistic here. There might be some tiffs, an argument or 2, some silence. How will we deal? And I hike faster than her. She might resent me for walking too fast, I might feel the same way towards her because she doesn't. Well, I honestly can say that I know that we can and will work through it, and it will make us a stronger couple. For that I am excited. And for this 6-month long hike with my wife I am excited!

The first of many

2008-11-10T20:41:00.000-05:00

I guess it's official.

Chris and I have been talking for months, years, about the possibility of dropping our grown-up lives and setting out on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). And now it's indelibly documented in cyberspace. We are actively planning this great adventure. As I write this on my desktop computer, cozy in my JP apartment, it's hard to imagine that this time next year we could be closing in on mile 2,650 with six months of hiking behind us, blistered feet and our lives on backs.

We're scared. And we can't wait. - Emily