The Painted Turtle

Theresa and I just spent a long weekend (Friday through Monday) volunteering at The Painted Turtle for Inhibitor Family Weekend. We learned so much, and had an amazing time!  In my lay terms Inhibitor is Hemophylia, but with added complications because some clotting treatments don't work. The smiles of the boys, the families, the workers and volunteers at the camp are nothing less than awe inspiring. 

So many have to deal with so much, and many times when they're so young.  I loved having the chance to be part of this. One if my goals on this hike is to make it back to the camp, while hiking along the trail, by May 17th. On May 17th The Painted Turtle is celebrating it's Tenth  Birthday/anniversary!  The camp is at about mile 500 of the hike. 

   

After leaving The Painted Turtle late Monday morning, April 14, I was able to get back on the trail for a quick 7 miles. In that short stretch I met up with Acorn. Acorn is an friend of my daughter Staci who I met briefly in Maine last fall when she was hiking the Appalacian Trail. She reminded me that the night we all spent in the shelter near Monson, Maine was her coldest night in the entire AT. I do remember it being very, very cold. I had never really thought about how cold it can get New England in the fall. I will remember that lesson in to the future.

Later I met Laura, above, who had a problem that her food resupply hadn't shown up in Warner Springs, and she was going to be on short rations for a while.  She hiked with me to the truck and Theresa and I were able to get her back on the trail, with plenty of food for her next stretch. 

Three "zero" days, and a Sherpa

April 6, 7, and 8 I took time off the trail to spend time with family and friends at Bullhead City on the Colorado River. Jerry and Kay Aria, Scott and Judy Avery, Mike and Sharleen Rainville, and my daughter Staci came for a few days of eating, cards, and playing in the river. Since Staci had hiked the PCT in 2012 she had lots of helpful advice. Then, when I got back to the trail where I left off at Scissors Crossing, Staci really helped by carrying my pack the first four miles of what turned out to be a twenty mile day. She then went back to Scissors Crossing so Theresa could take her off to the airport in San Diego. I continued on for a long, hot, twenty mile day. The hike went mostly through a burned area and one hiker with a thermometer had it at 103 degrees. 

This water source about 16 miles in was very welcome. I drank 7 liters of water on the 9th. Because much of the day's hike was through a recent burn it was really difficult to even find a shady spot to get out of the midday sun. I finally found a little rocky ledge under which I took a siesta. 

Hiking in the late afternoon/early evening was much more comfortable. I hiked until it was too dark to see. I was so exhausted I slept well. 

I considered sleeping in this little cave. 

I passed the 100 mile mark on the trail the morning of April 10. 

There is so little water along the trail that little San Ysidro  Creek was a welcome respite. 

Eagle Rock along the trail at about mile 106 is an amazing natural formation!  The afternoon of the 10th I made it into Warner Springs where many thru hikers were being treated by the locals. Food, laundry, and showers were provided. While eating two funny things happened. A guy asked where I was from, I said Ennis, MT and Etna, CA. He responded surprised "I'm from Weed."  He left, then came back and asked if I've ever been involved in football. I said yes, and I probably threw yellow flags at him when he played at Weed High School. He (Swig, Andrew Tavalero) said no, but he officiated football in the Siskiyou Association too. After a little more discussion a light went off and he said "I've eaten at your house in Happy Camp!"  When I could I would feed the football officials after Happy Camp games because there's nothing available in town. He was on one if the crews who had come over. 

Then, a woman about my age mentioned she was from Seattle and I told her my daughter lived in Snoqualmie. She got a funny look and said, "where does your daughter work?"  When I told her a coffee shop, and North Face she responded with "I met your daughter and she sold me these pants. When the lady, Lucy, had mentioned she planned to hike the PCT, Staci told her she had hiked the trail in 2012 and that I was also planning to thru hike this year. It is truly a small world.                                 

 I will now take four more days off from the trail to volunteer at The Painted Turtle!!  The last time I volunteered there was an absolutely incredible experience, and I'm looking forward to having more chances to go there in the future. I'll check back in after my Painted Turtle days. 

For now I've completed 111 miles of the hike and until I get in better shape the plan of slowly breaking myself in seems reasonable. Happy Trails. 

April 5 - Runners, Snakes, and Flowers

The morning started with a bunch of runners racing on the trail. 

A cactus flowering. It's a little early in the season for the spectacular desert flowering show. 

I did a fancy dance step when I almost stepped on this guy. This was the second snake of the day, no rattlesnakes. 

It's a long trail, and all is well. I've made it 78 miles (17 miles today) and still no problems other than the typical aches of not being in good enough shape to start this adventure. I did training hikes, but I certainly needed more :). Now it's time for me to take three "zero" days. I won't be hiking (or blogging) the next three days as I'll be spending a few days with family off the trail. The plan is to be back on the trail for a couple of days starting Wednesday. 

Friday, April 4, Desert Cold

Patches, a new friend Dan (by chance a fellow 1980 Humboldt State grad) and I discussing what re-route to take around the closed portion of the trail near Idyllwild coming up in the next hundred miles or so. My wife,Theresa, met us at this point where the trail meets the road with hot chocolate and coffee...she was very popular

Once upon a time I was skeptical about the beauty of the desert.  It is beautiful. The long views toward Salten Sea, and toward the San Bernardino Mountains are awe inspiring, as is the flowering vegetation.  It is also amazingly cold!  Even during the day it didn't warm up much. 13 mile day today, at the 61 mile mark on the trail. 

April 2 and 3, Laguna Mountain area

The trail runs through the area of the Chariot Fire. Nice repair work done in the fire area!

 I met up with three mountain bikers on the PCT. Mountain biking is not allowed anywhere on the PCT. I used my "Teacher Voice". In the same area two years ago mountain bikers came flying by me. The bikes this time were tearing up the trail in the melting snow. They will hurt someone on this trail, and continue to damage the resource, if this continues. 

Some nice snow this morning along the PCT near Laguna Mountain. 

Overlooking the desert to the east. I hiked 10 miles yesterday and 18 today. I'm up to around 48 miles so far. 

The first step 

The Hike Begins

On Monday, March 31st the hike begins. Just 2 miles the first day, getting stuff situated

April 1st, the first real day if hiking, and the first day of rain in Southern California in a long time.  

Interesting sign along the trail. Something to the effect of "don't expose your life to the elements". 

I was hiking along at about mile 10 and a text message clinked in. I was pretty sure I had headed north from the border. This made me chuckle. 

Entering the Hauser Wilderness in the Cleveland National Forest.