The Saufleys

Yesterday was only a 14 mile hike to a road that led to a KOA. I wasn't planning on staying there for the night but once I heard they had warm showers and and a pool there was no chance of hiking any further. That and the fact that the poison oak on my foot was so aggravated I couldn't imagine having it in my shoe any longer.

I ordered Chinese from a place 8 miles away that delivered right to the KOA and managed to camp for free in grass....grass....something the desert does not usually have!!

This morning I woke up and bandaged my foot up to hike the 11 miles to the Saufleys, which is the name of the couple who run a hostel out of their house, trailers, and back yard. I made it about a mile before my foot with the Poison oak on it was completely on fire. My foot was too swollen and blistered for me to have it contained in a shoe...so I took it off and hiked another 4 or so miles without a shoe on at all. The little prickly things of the desert started to dig themselves into the bottom of my foot and I managed to take my tyvek sheet and make a sole which I wrapped around my foot with the ace bandage I had around my leg for the fracture. I hiked the remaining 6 miles to the Saufleys wearing my Tyvek shoe.

Once I got here I was able to shower, do laundry, and go to the store for some cream for the oak. I've just been relaxing here all afternoon and plan on continuing to do just that all day tomorrow. There is no way I can put my foot in a shoe and walk 20 miles anytime in the next few days. The stress fracture seems to be starting it's slow healing process which makes me happy. I now just have to make it through this oak situation....and the poodle dog bush on my leg (which showed up the night before last but is much less severe).

I got oranges, apples, and a pineapple from the store today which is all I've been craving while hiking here in the desert. I'm getting in all the fresh foods as I can before I head back to the trail and packaged noodles.

I'm anxious to hike but I know my foot needs time. Somehow a stress fracture didn't prevent me from hiking but this silly poison oak has managed to be able to. It's just the location of the outbreak that is really causing the inconvenience.

I'm just going to kick back and let my body fight for a few days....then back to the trail!!

The past two days

Monday: After receiving my delicious orange from the random lady in the morning I hit the trail at about 8am or so. I had very little motivation to hike yesterday. There was a detour from the PCT that took you on a road for a little while in the morning to 'save the endangered frogs' that live on that particular section of trail. Road walks always goes by faster than trail, although it didn't last very long before I was back on trail. Total PCT miles for Monday = 23.
Tuesday (today): I woke up today feeling pretty shitty. My leg hurt and I was extreamly tired. The first hill took pretty much all my energy. I stopped for lunch at mile 11 but didn't stay very long. In order to hike the same amount of miles as the people around me I really have to spend more time hiking. My leg prevents me from hiking any faster than 2 miles an hour. Although, it wasn't my leg that was giving me the most trouble today. It was the poison oak I have all over the top of my foot; the same foot that belongs to my gimp leg. When I took off my sock last night I just about screamed when I saw all the puss blisters that had formed on the top of my foot. I have NO idea how I managed to expose the top of my foot to anything poison!! I don't have camp shoes so even while walking around camp I usually slip my shoes on. The only thing I can think of is that I came into contact with it at the hot springs when I was walking around to jump off the rope swing. I wrapped it up to protect it best I could from all the rubbing of my 22.6 mile day today but by the time I had taken off my ace bandage (that was holding my bone steady) I realized that it had spread all on that part of my leg as well. So this is my current situation: puss poison oak blister on my foot and leg, cracked bone on the same leg, and no real way to wrap said cracked bone without severely irratating the puss blisters. This is one of those moments that you just laugh...and press on as best as you can.
I'm only 24 miles away from a trail angels house so hopefully by tomorrow night or the following morning I will have some resources to better this situation. Until th en...press on!

Goodbye Wrightwood!

So, I finally left Wrightwood this morning (Sunday 27th) around 9:45am. The guy who let us stay at his guest house drove us to the Cinnamon Bakery in the morning for breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon buns, and of course, coffee

After breakfast I got a super quick hitch from two ladies that were passing the trailhead. I was staring down Mt. Baden Powell from the parking lot wondering how I was ever going to be able to climb it with my leg the way it is. I ate some Ibprophin and just started walking....slowly. Somehow I managed 16 or 17 miles today despite my turtle like pace.

My leg was better today than any other day that I have hiked on it so far. I only had to take pain meds twice and even now while resting in my sleeping bag it isn't throbbing like it has been all week. Dare I say if it stays like it is now I'll almost stop complaining about it. Not that it wasn't painful; it just wasn't excruciating.

Tonights camp spot is pretty much next to a parking lot...hidden between some bushes and a picnic table. There was a sign this morning about bears. Apparently there is a sparse number of brown bears in the area and the sign was just urging us to use caution with our food. Brown bears are different than the black bears on the AT but I'm not anticipating any trouble.

A few ladies said that this cold streak we have been having should end after tonight and the temperature should be rising to the seasonal norm again by tomorrow. I don't know what I would rather have: barable days but freezing nights, or barable nights but blistering days. I don't suppose I get to choose so I'll just keep walking..

Beach car

This morning I finished up the 8 miles that I needed to catch up, got my coffee and got a ride to Wrightwood by a couple that knew both Leti and Loretta (the woman who owned the bread and breakfast next door to Leti's place). The man driving was from Buffalo as well so we had a lot to talk about.

The 8 miles today were harder on my leg than the 20 yesterday. Also, this morning I woke up not only to a little bit of ice on my sleeping bag but rather there was a thin sheet of ice covering the entirety of the bag. The only thing that got me out of the bag was prospect of coffee in 8 miles.

After I got back to Wrightwood I had yet another cup of coffee, a breakfast sandwich, Mexican, more coffee, and finally a glass of water.

I was drying out my sleeping bag outside the bar when a man stopped by to talk to us for a while. He chatted for a bit then went into the bar for a few minutes. He then came back out and said that he had an open guest house we could stay at if we wanted. It has a warm shower, kitchen, laundry and popcorn. He said that the crazy car (picture above) was his and if we see it pulling out of the lot we should make sure we're in it if we want to go. There was no convincing necessary.

So now I'm showered with fresh clothes on and a belly full of popcorn. My leg is resting and I'm actually really looking forward to climbing Mt. Baden Powell tomorrow morning (after my coffee).

You really never know where your going to end up while on the trail. It's a pretty beautiful thing!

I can see my breath again!

So i didn't slack pack 28 today but I did hike 20 with my full pack. Leti drove me to the trail head at about 9:30 this morning. My plan was to hike two 14s to make up the 28 miles I jumped ahead to go to the doctors but turns out I ended up doing 20 today. Its kinda nice because now all I have to do is 8 in the morning before hitching back into Wrightwood and setting out from there.

My leg held up surprisingly well today until the last 4 miles or so. The two zeros I took made a difference. I was pretty doped up on Ibprophin all day though.

The weather this morning was horrible. The first 13 miles of my day were walking in a giant black rain/snow cloud. Im SO glad I had my full pack and all my warm gear because I definitely needed it. The snow and wind was a tad impressive for the end of May. I got a little lost because the fog was covering the very few PCT signs that do exsist but turns out I was walking on a road parallel to the trail. I found the trail again shortly after I realized I was not on it anymore.

There was a detour for the PCT that took you on a mountain road to bypass the poodle dog brush that has completely invaded parts of the trail. Poodle dog brush is similar to poisen oak in its ability to make your life a living hell. If you touch it, its all over. I chose not to take the bypass trail and had fun jungle jim-ing around all the brush.

Tonights camp spot is just a little nook alongside the trail in the corner of a switchback. The temperture is expected to really drop tonight so I'm already bundled up in my thermals and hat. Its already pretty damn cold and its only 7:00pm!

I'm too lazy and my fingers are too cold to make dinner tonight so a few snacks will have to do. I'm just looking forward to morning coffee tomorrow when I get back in town.

Slow and steady.

Last night I stayed here in Wrightwood with a woman named Leti. Carol dropped me off at the post office after my xray appointment and Leti and her daughter Amanda picked me up. We went back to the apartment for a while before heading out to dinner for salad and pizza. I got a veggy calzone. This little town stay here in Wrightwood has been a pretty wonderful time for me.

I woke up this morning and went to the coffee shop where I hung out until a late lunch at Yodelers. I had a giant salad! Dinner will be my leftover calzone then Im going to bed as early as my body will allow.

I'm leaving in the morning to attempt to slack pack from Cajon pass to highway 2, a stretch of 28 miles. There are no roads to be picked up between those two point so if slack packing (which I don't like doing but kind of need to at the moment to keep weight off my leg) you have to do it in one straight shot. Slow and steady. I know it will take all day tomorrow.

Then after tomorrow I'll head out from Wrightwood with 5 days of food to get to get to Agua Dulce. Its an 85 mile resupply.

Ibprophine is my friend.

Stress fracture

I am in a town called Victoria waiting for an xray. My shin splint got progressively worse over the past few days to the point where I no longer could walk on it. After some research and talking with other hikers I determined that it might be more serious than a shin splint. There is one particular spot on my shin bone that is beyond tender and it hurts constantly even while not hiking. That same spot is swollen and bruised. It took me 4 1/2 hours to hike 7 miles yesterday down into Cajon pass and after those 7 miles I could not imagine hiking anymore that day. Baboon and I got a night at the Best Western there and I elevated it and had it on ice all night. I was hoping that having taken most of the day off would have made it slightly better but the injury seems to persist.

I called the hardware store in Wrightwood because I knew there was list of trail angels there that could potentially help me. The lady I talked to made some calls and within 30 minutes a wonderful lady named Carol came to pick me up. We went to the urgent care center closest by which is where the doctor told me I most likely have a stress fracture in my tibia and to get an xray. So now Carol and I are waiting for just that.

I was sitting outside the urgent care center with my pack and my obviously upset looking face when a man named Tony came and asked me if I was alright. He asked if I was trekking the PCT. When I told him about my situation he told me that his girlfriend is a big hiker and that she would be more than happy to help me in anyway she could. He gave me her number and told me to call her. I gave her a call and she said that she would put me up at her place tonight and I could stay as long as I needed for me to heal.

Now all I have to do is wait for the results of the xray. They said that most times stress fractures don't even show up on the xray so either way to treat it like I have one until we know for sure. Both the doc and the xray tech seem to agree on this information so far.

Hoping for the best.

Shin Splint

Today was one of those days....those super hard days to push yourself through. I felt wonderful when I woke up. I had energy, my body felt strong, I was ready to hike a 25 or more. Then I stood up. My whole left leg just about fell underneath me and I remembered that I had a shin splint. There was nothing I could do so I just started walking. My first break was after 8 miles. My second break was at 12 miles where I sat lake side in the shade and ate lunch and swam a little. The desert is not so bad when you turn a corner and there is a big lake for you to swim in.

It was after lunch that my leg really started to feel the worst. Miles 12-18 were horrible! I was probably moving at a pace of 1 1/2 mph. Then I took some pain meds and somehow made it another 3 or 4 miles up trail. Every step today was a decision to keep walking; to not stop no matter what. Today I remembered just how hard the trail can be. Now, laying in my sleeping bag after having done over 20 miles today with a gimp leg I also remember how rewarding the trail can be.

About 7 miles up trail there is a gas station, a Mcdonalds, and a Subway. My plan for tomorrow is to wake up, hike 7 miles, get coffee....then a Subway sub....then climb 6,000 feet in elevation with no water for 22 miles but what I can carry. Ahhh, the trail *sigh*

Hot Springs

This morning was another cold one. Not quite as cold as waking up with ice on your sleeping bag but cold enough to make me not want to get out of it.

I hiked 10 miles by 10:30 and spent the entire afternoon at a natural hot spring and small beach. There were many different hot spring pools of different temperatures then there was also just a cold water section. I laid at the beach area for hours before jumping off the rope swing into the water multiple times. It was a big water jungle jim. Definitely a good way to spend a day on the PCT. Also, it was clothing optional; many naked locals walking around us hikers all day.

My only complaint about today is my shin splint. It got slightly worse today from yesterday and it slows me down considerably. I know theres not much I can do for it but wait it out and hope it gets better but in the meantime I'm just going to have to deal with the pain.

I left the hot springs around 3:30 and hiked until I ran into trail magic at highway 173. They had soda, poweraid, hot dogs, baked beans, patato salad, and many different kinds of snacks. I stayed and talked to them for a while before hiking on to my camp spot for tonight here at mile 315. The temperature is perfect, the birds are chirping, and I'm watching the sun set over the mountains. Life is good.

I LOVE chocolate Teddy Grahms.

So, hitch number five last night out of Big Bear and back to the trail was pretty special. Jim picked us up in his open air, search and rescue vehicle while on his way to drop off water at a cashe along the trail head. Moments like last night are what I love about this trail.  In the short time I interacted with this man I felt such a friendly connection. He gave me his information and told me to call him if anything happens; should I break or sprain an ankle or get hurt in anyway. He said he would come get me from the trail! Dare I say meeting him was the highlight of my day despite all the luxuries of town.

After I got to the trail head around 5 or so I busted out 10 miles and went to sleep almost immediately only to wake up this morning with ice on my sleeping bag!! ICE.

I started hiking as soon as I could to warm up and before I knew it I was no longer on the PCT.  6 day hikers came up a trail that evidently was not the PCT and began distracting me with ooos and ahhhs about the concept of walking from Mexico to Canada. After finishing my conversation with them I took off down the trail they came up assuming it must be the PCT. I only realized when another hiker came busting up the trail I was going down screaming, this is NOT the PCT! It added close to two miles to my day.

The rest of the hike went well except for the shin splint (second one in my life) and the chaffing in an area I'd rather not discuss.

All in all today was 23.4 PCT miles...25 something total miles for me. Camp spot tonight is on the floor of a gazebo...listening to the creek, eating chocolate Teddy Grahms. 

Big Bear town day

Last night I spent the night in a pretty exposed area two miles from town. I thought I was smart by camping there but in the morning I discovered a much nicer camp spot just a ways up trail that was not nearly as windy as the one I chose. It got down to about 30-40 last night with freezing high winds the entire night.  I stayed warm enough in my bag. Had I put on my thermals I would have been fine but I apparently wasn't cold enough to get up and get them from my pack.

This morning I hiked 2 miles to the road to town. Our first hitch took us right to the restaurant that we wanted to go to, Thelmas. I ordered a veggie omlette with home fries and toast and a warm jumbo cinnamon bun for desert. I almost ate it all.

Hitch two: was by this wonderful couple from Colorado. They took us from the diner to the grocery store.

Hitch three: from the grocery store to the hostel in the back of a pick up truck...ducked down. I cleaned the shower and in return got to shower for free without having to book a night at the hostel for 20 dollars.

Hitch four: from the hostel to the laundromat from a gold miner in a pick up with two beautiful dogs, Frodo and Sierra.

Now I'm clean...ish, with clean...ish clothes on. Getting ready to hike out and camp by the next water source tonight which is only 8.9 miles from where I am on trail at the moment.

Next stop is Wrightwood which is 103 miles from here. I have 5 days of food so I better make it there by then. I don't anticipate a problem. With any luck I'll get there a day earlier.

And off I go to the post office then hitch number five from Big Bear City back to the trail.

Palm Springs to Big Bear

So, I ended up making it out of Palm Springs and on trail around 4pm or so Monday night.

Tuesday was a HOT day. I spent most of the day sleeping in the shade next to the creek after having been lost for most of the morning on a sandy beach like section of terrain. Needless to say I didn't get very many miles done.

Wednesday (yesterday) was a decent hike and an awesome camp spot. I slept in my first shelter on the PCT so far. It was just off the trail and was a pretty big structure with three rooms and a fire place; no bunks or even raised floor though. There were also two separate little shacks behind it. I slept in one of the shacks.

This morning I hiked 10 miles by 9am, 17 miles by noon. I was feeling a little guilty about my shorter mile days. I think its safe to say I'm beginning to get some trail strength back.

Now I'm relaxing in the shade to let some of the heat die off before putting in some more miles tonight, then into Big Bear City tomorrow! The plan is to go in, eat at Thelmas, shower, laundry, resupply,  and get out with some day light left to do 5-10 miles.

The new sleeping bag is worth every cent! The past three nights I have not been cold at all. I don't suppose thats saying much because it didn't get overly cold any of those nights but I actually had to unzip my bag ...for the first time ever. Its like sleeping in big poofy clouds of heaven.

I'm very much looking forward to a big, tasty breakfast tomorrow... and COFFEE! Pretty much nothing can top breakfast and coffee after having come straight off the trail.

Getting ready to hike out

Today is my last day here in Palm Springs. I've enjoyed my time here but can't help being excited to hit the trail again, even if it does mean climbing something like 4 or 6 thousand feet tomorrow.

After 200 miles I feel like I have a much better handle on what I need out here. I had a pretty good idea before setting out but this whole desert things is new to me.

I bought a dress that I'm hoping to be able to hike in. The skirt I have is wonderful yet my legs seem to get sun poisoning when I leave them exposed. My hope is that I can begin to hike in the dress and be able to cover my legs while still getting some ventilation. In addition to the new sleeping bag and the sun dress I've decided that my full sun hat placed on top of my hair is simple too warm. I'm going to pick up a visor and see if that works better for me.

I heard a little rumor (weather channel) that it is suppose to be between 108-110 here in the Coachella Valley all this week. It will be nice to hike up in elevation and hopefully escape some of the heat but there is no escaping the sun! I just have to learn how to deal with it, especially for when passing through the Mojave desert.

Next stop is Big Bear City. Its not far. I believe its something like 80 miles. So it will be a short three - three 1/2 day resupply.

Very much excited for the trail ahead!

First 210 miles

Day one: 20.6 miles. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to pull off a 20 on my first day of hiking after having done nothing for 6 months after the AT yet somehow I did. The PCT in general (actual trail wise) has been significantly easier than the AT. Although, the whole desert- no water thing is a bit more challenging. After the first day I seemed to average around 17-22 miles a day, which I'm not complaining about. The miles go by much more quickly than I'm used to. I stopped in Juillian to resupply around mile 70-80 then again in Idyllwild, mile 151. Now I'm at mile 209.5 and relaxing in Palm Springs. The day before the descent to Interstate 1 the crew I was hiking with and I decided that we would like to do a 6.7 mile side trail to the summit of Mt. Jacinto (10,834ft). I'm glad I did. It was a hell of a view! After we got back down to the valley I was so anxious to get to Palm Springs that I decided to hike the 4 miles to the highway in the high noon sun. I call those 4 little miles the Valley Death March. The sun was SO hot. It was 103 degrees and I had been suffering from dehydration for days already do to the lack of abundant water. Eventually I ended up taking off my shoes because my feet were rubbing so badly trying to walk through the sand and I finished the miles just in my socks, although it may not have been smart because the hot sand ended up burning my feet a little. I've been here in Palm Springs since Tuesday night and will be heading back to the trail sometime on Monday. Despite the pool and the available food and water I'm actually very anxious to get back to the mountains. I ended up buying a new sleeping bag because the one I took on the AT wasn't warm enough for out here, especially the night it snowed 8,500 feet high. I'm hoping that my new zero degree bag will be worth the money. As long as I can get a solid night sleep without shivering all night I'll be happy. So far this trail has not let me down. The views are almost constant. The trail itself is graded...mostly. The real challenging factors seem to be the climate. In this desert section there are extreme highs and lows and it shifts the moment the sun goes down. I'm hoping that in the trail to come there is a bit more water. The first few days of trail I was treating water that was in dirty tanks meant for horses. I affectionately dubed it horse water but appreciated it nonetheless. I'm going to try and keep an updated blog depending on my cell phone service but there are no guarantees.