Range of Light

Our first night out of Kennedy Meadows we camped next to the South Fork of the Kern River. It was the most water we had seen in one place in a very long time. I was worried that with my pack as heavy as it was I wouldn't be able to go much more than 15-17 miles per day. Which would be okay, but I was hoping I could continue on my upward trend. However, my second day out I hiked a solid 20, despite the grueling climbs at high elevation. 

The next day I hiked with my friends Dingo and MudD and we made this grand plan to go 25 miles so that we could summit Mt. Whitney the next day, which was Dingo's birthday. Fifteen miles in, we came to our first lake on the trail: Chicken Spring Lake. We thought we would hang out there for a little bit and then continue on. Three hours later, we decided we were just going to stay twee for the night because it was so beautiful and we just couldn't pass it up. We had a wonderful, quiet afternoon and cooked our dinner around 5:30 pm. Soon after that, about 10 other hikers showed up for the night and all began cooking their dinner. At this point, MudD, Dingo, and I were already hungry again, but we had eaten all our food for the day, so it was torturous sitting around with everyone eating their delicious dinners while we sat starving! 

We had one more day to become acclimated before climbing Mt. Whitney. The past couple days had been hard and I'd had a constant headache and had gotten a bit loopy on some of the climbs. I was hoping one more day would be sufficient to get used to the altitude. From Chicken Spring Lake we hiked to Guitar Lake, which was about 5 miles away from the summit of Mt. Whitney. We decided that we wanted to be at the top for sunrise, so we all set our alarms for 2:00 am. As we hiked up the steep incline in the dark, I was thankful that I could not see the many more switchbacks that were ahead of me. I just kept on trudging. It took 3 1/2 hours to get to the summit, and I came over the crest just in time for the sunrise. It was spectacular! Here I was at 14,505 feet on the summit of the highest peak in the contiguous United States and I felt like I was on top of the world! 

It took us less than half the amount of time to hike down the mountain and when we got back to Guitar Lake at 9:30 am we decided we'd put in a few more miles for the day. 

The next day was, by far, my favorite day on the trail. We went over Forester Pass, which is the highest point on the pacific Crest Trail (13,200 ft) and it was much easier than I had expected. As we came over the pass into Kings Canyon National Park it was the most beautiful landscapes I had ever seen. I was just about in tears it was so amazing. The past few days all I could think about was the block of cheese that I was going to eat when I got into Bishop, but hiking through Kings Canyon the cheese didn't even cross my mind it was so insanely beautiful. 

We finally got into Bishop the next day. After 7 days on the trail, we were ready for a nice break. We went to see a movie, got yummy treats (and, yes, I did eat an entire block of cheese in one sitting), and relaxed for a day and a half. 

The few days coming out of Bishop were very hard. I was anxious to get to Vermilion Valley Resort to see my mom, aunt and uncle, and cousin, who were meeting me there. Each day I was going over a pass, and it was kicking my butt. I wanted to get to VVR so badly that I even hiked 27 miles one day just so I could get there sooner! I finally got there and it was such a relief. I was so happy to see everyone and to be able to relax. We drove to my aunt and uncle's nearby cabin and I had a hot shower, a good meal, and some nice family time. 

I'm almost done with the High Sierra, which will be a sad day. It has been so amazingly beautiful and fun. I'll be sure to savor every last moment of it...

To Hell and Back

The day we left from Tehachapi we had to walk 8 miles through a wind farm with 50+ mph winds and heavy fog. Everyone else who I was hiking with claimed that they preferred the weather we had to the normal 100 degree blazing sun, but I'm not so sure. It was pretty hairy. The next 4 miles after getting out of the wind farm was a big climb, and by that time I was already in a foul mood. We got nearly to the top of the hill and I decided to stop for the day while everyone else kept hiking. I realized that, after spending over a week with my friends, I needed some time alone. I was also getting extremely sick of the desert and the ups and downs of the weather; I felt like I wouldn't be able to stay on the trail if I had to deal with the desert for much longer.
I fell asleep before the sun went down and woke up feeling much better. I was happy to be able to hike by myself and to go my own pace and stop for a break whenever I wanted to. By 3:30 in the afternoon I had hiked 22 miles and my feet were calling it quits. That night was the first time that I had ever "cowboy-camped" by myself. Up to that point I had been very nervous to sleep out in the open without my tent, but it felt like that fear had suddenly disappeared, and it turns out it was totally fine! The next day I was trying to get as close to Onyx as I could so that I would be able to pick up my package from the post office before it closed for the weekend. That would mean hiking at least 25 miles, so I saddled up for an early morning start. I ended up making it about 26 miles and camped somewhere on the side of the road I was walking on because it was getting dark and no cars had driven by to give me a ride. The next morning I woke up and as I was just packing away my tent at 5:45 AM, a truck drove by and agreed to give me a ride to the post office (which I was very happy about since it was still 17 miles of road-walking to the highway). Once at the post office, I waited for 4 1/2 hours for it to open so that I could get my resupply box. I then took an hour-long bus ride into Lake Isabella where I had reserved a room for the night in a small motel. I awoke the next morning with feelings of dread flooding my thoughts; I had absolutely no desire to walk even one more day in the desert. After much humming and hawing (and some tears too), I decided that I would get a ride to Kennedy Meadows, the last resupply before the High Sierra. I have been feeling terrible about skipping little sections here and there, but I finally put some deep thought into it and realized that its okay. This is my hike and my trip and I can do whatever I want to. I don't have to be a trail nazi or a "purist" (someone who doesn't consider it a true thru-hike if you don't hike every single mile) if I don't feel like it. The desert was making me unhappy, and it just isn't worth it to be miserable because that would defeat the entire purpose of the trail.
Since it was about a two and a half hour drive, I knew it was going to be tough to hitch there, so I shelled out some big bucks for a cab to take me. It was so worth it though. Kennedy Meadows was like a combination of the Saufley's and the Anderson's all over again except that everyone was even happier because they were finally done with Southern California. The Kennedy Meadows General Store knew what they were doing: they would let hikers open a tab instead of having to pay each time they buy something, which is extremely dangerous for hikers when you're ravenous and there's all the chips and Ben and Jerry's you can eat. I stayed in a trailer at Tom's Place, the local Trail Angel house, where there was a movie on a large projector every night. Two days later, my hiking buddies rolled in and I decided to stay another couple of nights and hike out with them. The night before we were going to leave, I went to the store to close my tab. After 3 1/2 days of lounging around and pigging out I was nervous to see how much my bill had racked up to, but was pleasantly surprised when it only came out to $85. In the morning, we all took our time packing up and getting ready to leave. Tom had a scale that we could use to weigh our packs, and since everyone had to carry a bear can from this point on, we were all anxious to see how much more weight we were going to have to carry. Even though I had never weighed my pack before, I knew it was on the heavier side even without the bear can, so I wasn't too shocked when the scale read 47 pounds. However, as we began walking back to the trail, I could already feel the extra pressure in my feet and my back starting to ache. Hopefully it will get lighter quickly as I eat food and don't have to carry as much water as I did in the desert. But I would so much rather carry a little extra weight than have to hike one more day in the heat. I can't tell you how excited I am to finally be in the mountains! I feel exponentially happier than I did a week ago and can't wait to see what this next leg of the journey brings.

Onward and Upward

Finally out of Wrightwood, it felt great to be back on the trail in good condition. We climbed Mt. Baden-Powell our first day out, which was difficult, but very rewarding. At the top, we took off our packs and scurried up to the summit where we had a beautiful 360 degree view. It was amazing how light it felt to hike without a pack on; I actually felt like I was floating/a drunken sailor. After a long, steep descent from the mountain, we were almost to our stopping point for the day when I spotted a bear cub! I was excited to see my first ever bear in the wild, but also kept a wary eye open for mama bear, who was nowhere to be seen. 

On Day 29, I hiked most of the day on my own and it was so great. I felt so happy to be where I was exactly at that moment and to be doing what I was doing. It's so interesting the rollercoaster of emotions that I can feel in even just one day or from one day to the next; at one moment I'll be happy and feeling great, the next I'll be cursing the trail and wishing I could just go home, and the moment after that I'll be content with just about anything. I can definitely tell that I'm beginning to hike faster too. At this point, if I get an early start around 6:00 am or so, I can hike between 17-20 miles by 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. Anyways, that afternoon I moseyed into the Acton KOA around 2:00 (17 miles woo!) and, since it was so painfully hot, decided to stay there for the night with hot showers, a pool, and a convenience store with ice cream. Slowly more hikers started to trickle in and by 6:00 there was a semi-large group of us camping there. My hiking buddy, Horny Toad, and I decided we should make everyone pancakes for dinner, and they were so delicious! It was the first night that I really felt like I bonded with other hikers. It was so much fun, and really only the beginning.

The next morning, Horny Toad and I took off at 5:30 am with only 10 miles to go to the Saufley's, one of the most looked-forward-to Trail Angel houses on the PCT. We got there just in time for the daily REI shuttle, so I hopped in the car and went to get some new shoes! Being in LA, even just in one store, was very overwhelming - I can't imagine what it will be like getting off the trail and going back home when all this is over...but back at the Saufley's, everything was just peachy. It was actually amazing how much they did for all us hikers. They knew exactly what we needed physically and how to accommodate our crazy requests. That night all 30+ hikers that were there sat around the campfire drinking beer and smoking pot and having such a great time. During our relaxing time at the Saufley's, we met up with another group of hikers who we really clicked with and decided to leave with them. So the next night we headed out around 7:00 pm for some night hiking with about 8 other people. The next part of the trail was a 24-mile section to another Trail Angel's house called Casa de Luna, home of the Anderson's. In this particular section, there is, what is known as, "The 24 Challenge." The challenge is to drink 24 beers, in 24 miles, in 24 hours. While I was absolutely sure I would never ever make it there if I tried the challenge, a couple in our group took a different spin on it: they decided it would be fun to do 24 shots of tequila instead. About 10 miles in, we had to tell them to stop and camp for the night because they were likely to break an ankle if they continued on. The rest of us continued on a little farther and a few of us stopped around midnight to camp. We were too tired to set up tents so we all cowboy camped in a big cuddle puddle. I think it was the most fun I've had hiking up to that point. The next morning was an easy 10 miles to the Anderson's house, where we were required to wear an Hawaiian shirt and have a beer in our hands. Casa de Luna is also a very popular stop more known as the party place, and where as the Saufley's had a two-night maximum, the Anderson's had a two-night minimum. The Anderson's are known for their taco salad dinners and pancake breakfasts, both plates piled at least 6 inches high (sooo delicious!). I'm pretty sure I gained back any weight I may have lost just from the few days I spent there. After 2 1/2 days, we finally escaped the vortex with the same group: me, Horny Toad, Sierra Bum, B-rad, Marijke, Werewolf, and Huck Finn. (I actually don't know their real names!) The next day we went 20 more miles to a little place called Hikertown (kinda creepy) and decided that we really didn't want to spend the night there so we planned on leaving later that night. We hung around for about 4 hours and at 9:30 pm we headed out. We got 5 miles and I couldn't go on anymore, so we all stopped and slept among some Joshua Trees. We didn't actually get much sleep, but we wanted to get an early start to beat the heat while walking along the Aqueduct. After about 10 miles of hot, flat pavement, my feet were not feeling so great. As we were walking up to a small water cache, the people who stocked the cache were also just arriving. They told us they had a camp close by and they ended up giving me a ride to the nearest road, where Mom picked me up a few hours later since she was planning on meeting me in Tehachapi the next day anyway. We got a hotel room for the evening and hung out and talked all night, and it was so fun. After she left the next morning, I realized how much I really missed home and my family and friends. 

The Sierras get closer and closer every day....I hope to see some of you on the trail soon! My love to you all.