What a Day!

Ooops and I left early hoping to get to Forrester before the snow got too soft. Soft snow means a lot of post-holing (when you sink into the snow with each step - this is exhausting and slows your progress). Roberto chose to start later. Ooops and I forded some very cold creeks. I brought sandals to wear while fording so my shoes would not get wet but Ooops did not bring any. His shoes got wet and froze on his feet! So while I forded the next stream he walked upstream to find a shallow crossing with rocks to hop across. We got separated once again and I hiked the rest of the day alone. My phone was out of battery once again so better pics will be forthcoming. Until then here are a few pics of the pics taken with my other camera.



Forester pass is 13,200'. It is the highest pass on the PCT. You climb up the south side and descend down the north side. At the base there was snow to cross before starting the steepest part of the climb. No trail was visible but I could see another climber way up near the top so knew in-which direction to head.

Once I got through the snow I climbed straight up until I reached the switchbacks of the trail. There was little snow and a few patches of ice. I took a lot of pictures and video which Mark will post for you later.





The actual dangerous part at the top was easy compared to what it is usually like in a high snow year. I got to the top without difficulty and was relieved to be headed down-- that is until I got a look at the north side. I was blinded by the snow and where had the trail gone? It was nowhere to be found. I checked the time - 1230pm the snow would be soft. I spotted footprints but they were melting rapidly and disappearing into the snow cups. With micro-spikes on my feet, poles in hand, And s full pack on my back, I started the long descent post-holing down. I could not make out where the switchbacks were and the footprints had disappeared. I checked my map and GPS and realized I needed to go higher to reach the trail, I was now below it. I also needed to go west as far as I could see. As i attempted to make my way in that direction I slipped and glissaded down the hill at full speed being propelled by the weight of my pack. If this was planned it would have been fun but I was already too low and below was uncertainty. I finally was able to stop myself by crashing into a bolder feet first. Now I was close to the bottom with huge boulders in every direction. I spotted a hiker in the distance far to the west but low. I called out but my voice was list in space. What could another hiler do anyway. I felt silly for even making the attempt. All I needed to do was go west and I would run into the trail. Not a big deal. I could see where I needed to go. It looked so close, but looks are deceiving, and after an hour and many falls I was still far from my destination. By this time I was wet from the snow, tired from the struggle, and wondered if I would ever come to the end of this boulder field. I used every technique my son taught me at the climbing gym to scale the rocks. Even my yoga came in to play as I tried to keep my balance while taking off then putting back on the micro spikes. I made it from one monstrous boulder to the next. Then more snow fields, back on micro spikes- more post-holing and --is that water I hear under-foot? Quick get off the snow bridge! Whew that was close. Eventually I made it to the trail. Ripped pants, bruised and bloody knee but just superficial. It could have been much worse. I checked my watch- 3:45pm. I counted my blessings. Six miles later I passed Roberto's tent. He had just made it back to camp himself. His story was not nearly as spectacular as mine. Some of us have all the luck. He said he saw Ooops taking pictures with his tripod and estimated he was about an hour behind me. So I walked to the next campsite and set up my tent. I was organizing the food in my bear box when I heard footsteps. expecting to see Ooops I was startled at what I saw. A huge black bear, less than 50' away was looking me over. He did not break his pace and walked gracefully by. I sat motionless with my bear box open and food scattered about. What to do? Then I remembered - never run, stay calm, defend your food, make yourself big. So I did what seemed most important at the time and reached for my camera. Snap I got a picture as he proceeded to the woods preferring to forage more tasty options about 100' away. I quietly packed up my food and put my bear can in the camp bear box. He was still foraging! What if that was just an appetizer and he planned to come back for the main course? I got in my tent and zipped it up as if the thin tent wall was all the protection I needed. After 10 minutes the bear I heard him rustle through the trees. He moved on up the hill and disappeared from my site.
Later I learned from Roberto the bear made his way to his camp and knocked his bear canister over while Roberto, just 15 feet away backed up, speechless and shaking fought the urge to run.
What a day!
Weary Heart

May 27 & 28 Change of Plans Again

May 27 was my coldest night on the PCT to date. The temperature got down into the teens but with the storm now behind us there was no wind and the current forecast showed the worst was behind us. I wore the vapor barrier clothes I had made from plastic bags and managed to stay warm. I couldn't help wondering how Eagle Eye and Nick were doing. They got caught right in the worst part of the storm. Roberto and Ooops were headed to Mt Whitney and my plan was to continue on the PCT to make it to Independence by Tuesday by myself. Mt Whitney is not part of the PCT but a must-do side trip for most thru-hikers. I hiked Mt Whitney last August so was planning to skip it and with recent knee problems it would be the smart thing to do, besides I couldn't go as I only had enough food for 3 1/2 days. So of course I changed plans when Ooops offered me his extra day of food! May 27th we hiked above Guitar Lake to base camp in preparation for the Mt Whitney summit.



Guitar Lake

We would get a 5:30 am start to avoid afternoon storms. By only carrying our survival gear, warm clothes, rain gear, and some food, the lighter load would ease the burden of climbing to 14,500'. Mt Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous U.S. After our summit we'll return to base camp, pack out and head back to where we left the PCT.
As we hiked to Guitar Lake Roberto took the lead, I was behind him by an hour and Ooops behind me by an hour due to picture taking. With so much beauty surrounding us Ooops may never make it out of the Sierras this year. We settled into camp around 6pm, at an elevation of 11,450' and prepared for another cold night.
All went as planned the next day and we summited Mt Whitney by 9am. The weather was perfect and we got lots of great pics - see for yourself...



Almost there- looking down from a crack in the wall of the trail


The hut at the top of Mt Whitney



It was very cold up there!




Views from the top...










Heart

May 26 Fateful Moments

Last night I headed out of my room and spotted a familiar figure heading to the laundromat - Ooops! So I met up with him and discovered he came in to town to get a pair of crampons to fit his new bigger shoes and get out of the bad weather. Wind gusts and cold had replaced the previous mild weather, and he was glad he was here. I devoured a pint of raspberry sorbet and he chowed down on pizza we compared notes and got caught up on the trail news. He had gotten in to Horseshoe Meadows early in the day but walked 8 miles before getting a hitch. He was rooming at the hostel with Roberto, a hiker from Italy. He'd already purchased his crampons and was planning to head out in the morning. The next morning we had breakfast together and struck up a conversation with the only 2 people in the restaurant.



Mel and Dave graciously offered to take us back to the trailhead so by 830 we were both back on the trail. Thank you both for your kindness.
The weather was cold but the wind had died down and the forecast looked perfect for the next couple of days. Ooops came to Horseshoe Meadows on a different trail than me so we split up not knowing if we' d cross paths again. Seems I am destined to hike the Sierras alone.
Along the trail I stopped to snap a few pics and met Roberto- the hiker from Italy.



Picture of a picture of Roberto





He travels the world hiking 5-6 months of the year. We chatted as we hiked and I mentally made a list of all the other places I now decided I must hike based on Roberto's stories. He is middle aged, from Florence/Tuscany area of Italy but lives and works in Northern Italy, in the Dolomites, close to the Austria border. As we reached the top of Cottonwood Pass we stopped to admire the view and a hiker came up the trail toward us --

Double Zero!!

He was racing against time to get to his section hike destination and the recent bad weather made his goal seem impossible but his determination won out and he made it. We could never have coordinated such a farewell but as fate would have it I was glad to be here to celebrate his victory.



Speaking of fate, 30 minutes later as we merged with another trail Roberto and I spotted Ooops. So the 3 of us headed to Lower Rock Creek to camp for the night.


Lower Rock Creek
Heart

May 25 Zero in Lone Pine

Sorry to bombard you with so many posts at once but it is the first time I have had Internet service since Tehachapi. This will be the last posting until I reach Independence in 4 or 5 days.


Yesterday after we checked into the Lone Pine Whitney Portal Hostel, and got cleaned up, then, you guessed it--we went out for Pizza.



On the way we saw Nick talking to a family of hikers. Mom, dad, and 2 children are section hiking the PCT. The youngest is 9 and he hiked 17 miles recently! They jumped ahead as the desert was getting too hot.
Nick decided to break up his hike too and come in to Lone Pine. A few other hikers were here already. It was unseasonably hot and everyone was itching to get back into the mountains. Lone Pine is a great town as everything is very close- perfect if you have no wheels. Everyone knows hikers love to hike but hate to walk on roads and in towns.
After dinner I did my laundry, checked out the sporting goods store and purchased my ice axe and snow baskets for my trekking poles.



My New Ice Axe

My resupply box had not arrived to the Hostel and they said it was probably still at the post office since they only pick up the mail once a week. The plan was to leave in the morning. We had already arranged our ride. Before going to sleep I called home and Mark read me the forecast for Forester Pass for the next 72 hours. A 70% chance of snow, wind gusts to 70 mph and temperatures in the teens. By Monday the cold front will be through, temperatures will be warm and winds will die down. By morning I had changed my mind and decided to stay behind and head out myself on Saturday. It will take me 2 days to reach Forester Pass. This pass is the highest on the PCT, over 13,000'. Then I will go through Kearsarge Pass, hike into Onion Valley then try to hitch the 13 miles into Independence. Eagle Eye is anxious to get the first pass behind him and left this morning with the others. I have arranged a ride for tomorrow morning. I am so glad I chose to stay behind as the temperature dropped this afternoon and the wind has been blowing very strong all day. Temperature here is in the 40's now which means it will be in the 20's at Horseshoe Meadow. Better to be here than trying to pitch a tent in this wind and cold. Also I got a lot done here today. I ate flapjacks at the famous Alabama Cafe, shopped for food for the next 4 days, ate, had my hair cut, ate, bought some foam to add to my pack hip belt and rigged it up to add padding around my hip bones. Since I lost weight the hip belt is too big and the pack slides down putting added weight on my shoulders and my hips are bruised. I mailed a box of unnecessary items forward, ate, went back to the sporting goods store and they put my trekking pole baskets on and showed me how to use my ice axe, ate, did my laundry, reviewed my maps and my strategy, packed and did I mention I ate?







Practicing in the mirror with my ice axe while trying to take a picture for you and keep from injuring myself.







Nice Haircut! My best side of course.

Heart

May 23, 24 Lone Pine and More Trail Magic

May 24
Got a 4:45am start with Eagle Eye and watched the sun rise over the Sierra mountains as we left Kennedy Meadows. Donkey Legs left shorty after and we leap-frogged with him during the next 2 days. He plans to go straight through the Sierras without going into town so we parted company today. Our plan was to hike 20 miles a day and get in to Horseshoe Meadow Campground on Friday then try to get a hitch down the 22 miles and 6000' into the town of Lone Pine. It would be a hard hitch this time of year as the hiking season doesn't really begin here until mid-June and that is the only reason to travel the road leading to the campground. But I was optimistic and by going in to town I could get my ice axe, snow baskets for my poles, and resupply my food for the next leg, there-by only requiring me to carry 3 days worth of food instead of 7. That saves me from carrying so much unwanted weight. We walked 25 miles, including over 5000' elevation on Wednesday. Much further than planned but we were low on water so pressed on to the next water resource to eat our dinner then hiked a little farther to a great campsite. Now that we are in bear country we will not eat at our campsite so we can avoid attracting unwanted guests. Our food and all items with a scent will go in our bear canisters and just before we go to sleep we will hide the canister 50-100' from our tent in a crack of rock or inconspicuous place.



Barricade Bear Canister



Fresh bear tracks across the trail

At 10,400' altitude the temperature was quite a bit colder at night but I slept like a rock after Wednesday's long hard day.



Kern river



South Fork Kern Bridge

We stopped here to take a much needed break and watched a colony of swallows in their nests under the bridge

On Thursday we were in position to get to Horseshoe Meadow by late afternoon and Eagle Eye had his heart set on pizza for dinner. Once again we planned an early start. The evening temperature dropped with the sun and by morning we were eager to get moving. Eagle Eye is tall and very thin and hiked briskly ahead to warm up. I hiked alone all day enjoying the scenery and taking a lot of photos.



Beautiful Mountain Views



Incredible Rock Formations

As I approached a trail junction I saw none-other than PCT icon Billy Goat cresting the trail headed southbound toward me. Billy Goat, well into his 70's has more PCT trail miles than anyone and is considered a PCT Legend. He stopped to chat and we discussed trail conditions ahead, he gave me some pointers and of course- I had to get a picture!



Me and Legend Billy Goat

I asked Billy Goat if he saw Eagle Eye but he said he hadn't so I assumed he had already made it to the trail that goes into Horseshoe Meadow. I quickened my pace and as I approached my destination I met 2 day hikers, search and rescue volunteers, John and Mark. They were hiking surrounding peaks to improve their fitness. They offered me a ride to Lone Pine, trailshic strikes again!
When we got to Horseshoe Meadow I expected to see Eagle Eye waiting for me but he was nowhere to be found so I assumed he got a hitch already. We were on our way to town when we spotted a hiker coming off the trail-



Me and Eagle Eye at Kennedy Meadows

This time it was my eagle eye that made a pizza dinner possible for Eagle Eye. John did a U-turn and we made room for Eagle Eye.
He had gotten off trail to get water and that's when I must have passed him. He saw my signature on the trail so he knew I was ahead of him.


My Trail Signature

Ever since Snake Charmer and I got separated I started leaving my signature on the trail. This time it really paid off.
Heart

May 22 Sierra Plans

After talking to the more experienced hikers and emailing my husband several times, discussing strategy, looking at the weather and trail conditions we have come up with a plan. Eagle Eye and I will leave at 5am. We will hike to Horse Shoe Meadow and try to get a hitch into Lone Pine where we will each purchase our ice axes. We should be there by Friday so we will only have to carry 3 days worth of food. If the predicted snow does not interfere we will head out the next morning back where we left the trail and continue to Forrester Pass and on to Independence by way of Kersarge Pass. Temperatures in the Sierras now are a low of 17 and high of 46 and windy. It will be quite a change from what we are presently dealing with. After finalizing our plans Donkey Legs may decide to join us as he does not have an ice ax. I was regretting sending back my snow gaiters as Mark pointed out they could be useful for climbing blow does as well as post-holing. So I headed back to the store to see if by chance the boxes were still there. I also packed up another box to send to Lone Pine to decrease my weight. I lucked-out., my boxes were there, I got my gaiters and sent my boxes out. When I walked out to the porch there was Nick and Ooops! After catching up a bit on what the have experienced the last few days we shared our plans. Nick will leave late this afternoon and head to Independence, Ooops will leave in the morning to scale Whitney and plan on picking up a box and taking a zero in Independence, and Donkey Legs is still undecided.



Heart and Ooops




Nick relaxing before he heads out

I hope to post this from Lone Pine in a few days!
Happy Trails
Heart

May 21 Zero at Toms

Nice and clean and refreshed I felt like a new person. The store opened at 11:00 and I took my first "outdoor shower".



The outdoor shower at the General Store

The shower and cost to wash your clothes was $3. What a bargain. Then I got my resupply boxes, hung my clothes out to dry and cleaned my gear.
The rest of the day was spent catching up on correspondence. There is no phone device here but they do have Internet.


Tom's Cyber Cafe

Eagle Eye went into town with Tom who had errands to do. He had hopes of finding a good pair lof shoes. They were gone all day but Eagle Eye did get new shoes. In the meantime another hiker arrived by the name of Donkey Legs. He plans to zero here tomorrow and hike Mt Whitney the next day. Donkey Legs is from New Zealand. O




Donkey Legs

Eagle Eye and I decided to take another zero here tomorrow so he could do his laundry and shower. Tom made smoked chicken with corn on the cob for us for dinner. 3 new hikers got in around 9pm: JackAss, Climber and Slim. I had met Slim at Big Bear Lake and JackAss at the Kick-off. All have a lot of PCT experience. Tomorrow I will finalize my Sierra strategy.
Heart

May 19,20 Getting to Kennedy Meadows

On the 19th I hiked 25 miles to mile 681 with Francis. My knee has given up thinking it could stop me and hurts less every day. So I was able to keep up with Francis and pressed on to put myself in position to get to Kennedy Meadows (KM) before 5 pm the next day, (the general store closes at 5). This is 2 days ahead of schedule but I figured it would be good training for what faces me in the Sierras.
I met a few day hikers, Chuck and his family. He recognized me as he has been following my blog. Sorry I could not take a pic to post but it is always a pleasant surprise to meet hikers who have been reading about my hike. Thanks for your kind words Chuck. It was a long hard day of walking.
A lot of climbing, hot and dry and tread was deep sand in most places. Seeing the Sierras and Mt Whitney in the distance motivated me to keep up my pace. Francis and I leaped-frogged and I got there 15 minutes before the store closed. Francis showed up an hour later. He is still struggling with a toe infection and many blisters. He needs new trail shoes. Hopefully this will solve his foot problems. He made the mistake of purchasing Gortex Hiking Boots. They don't breath well and your feet cook in them in the desert. In the Sierras they don't dry out so your feet are always wet due to the snow and abundant stream crossings. Unfortunately most people don't know this and suffer the consequences so if you are planning to do any long distance hiking don't buy Gortex.
Much of the last day was through more burned acreage leaving dead downed trees and no shade. The wild flowers were abundant though and provided some eye candy to the landscape. I took many pics with my Nikon which Mark will post in a couple of weeks. The last miles are always the longest and as I approached the road that I could see in the distance I realized I may not reach my deadline. I quickened my pace, jogging along the trail and finally got to the road at 430, but still had .7 mile of road walk to reach the store. I saw a couple of hikers coming towards me. It was Grasshopper and husband Break Man they were planning to stay at the campground below and head out in the morning for Lone Pine. They up dated me on trail conditions and then I hastened my pace. Seemed like forever to reach the store and I saw no sign of it ahead. A truck passed then stopped and backed up to me. "Need a ride?"
"Well I am just heading to the General Store but it closes at 5 - is it much further?"
"at least a half mile, hop in or you on't make it".
The seat of the car was full of stuff he pushed it onto the floor and leaving my pack on I squeezed in. Holding the door we sped up the half mile and I managed to get there just before they closed. Whew that was close.



Approaching the Kennedy Meadows General Store

The shower and laundry facilities were closed when I got to the General Store as they are working on short hours until Memorial Day so I would have to wait until they opened at 11am the next day to get clean. I have never been so dirty or smelled so bad in my life! You can only do so much with a HandyWipe and when water is scarce you save it for drinking. So the best you can do is a bandana wash with ice cold water when you cross a stream.
I purchased some fuel, a cold drink and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (my reward). I was hot, tired and weak. I walked around to the outdoor tables to take a seat in the shade. There were 3 hikers sitting at a table in the back and we immediately recognized each other. It was Go Fish and Fidget! They were sitting with Alex Zinda a hiker I had not met but knew of. He started his hike on St Patrick's Day and took some time off due to the bad weather do ended up running in to my group and has been hiking with them. Mile a Minute (Jeremy) is just one day ahead and Snake Charmer is leading the pack. She is about a week ahead. Go fish had a stomach virus so had to get off the trail for a week. She and Fidget went home to check on their dog and now she is better so they set the next morning for Mt Whitney. I will skip Whitney since I hiked it last year and save my knee from the added strain. I will probably see them in Lone Pine in a week or so. Word is there is snow and blow downs but others are getting through so I plan to head out soon.
I stayed with them at Tom's in a vintage trailer. When I got there Burning Daylight was there. He is still hiking with Go Fish and Fidget. Orange Ranger is a day ahead and the others are about 2 days ahead.







The outdoor kichen at Tom's



Me and owner Tom


We all sat by the campfire at night and exchanged hiking tales. I expect we will cross paths after they scale Whitney.
Heart

May 18 Long Hot Desert Walk

The wind was horrendous last night but using the tips I got from Henry at the kick off, I reinforced my tent with my trekking poles and my tent stayed taught all night and all my stakes were still in place! The wind kept me awake though and I knew it would be a long day on little sleep. I was on the trail by 730. It was a challenge packing up in the high winds and took longer than expected. My goal was to get to the Walker Pass Campground 20 miles away. That would be my next water source. It was a long day and I felt weak and tired from lack of sleep. I also was rationing my water so was a bit dehydrated when I reached the campground. I had trouble finding the cisterns for water so I took a break, had dinner and got my second wind. When I found the cisterns the water did not look very inviting. I still had a liter left so decided to push on and get water tomorrow at Joshua Tree Spring at mile 663. As I approached the road crossing I saw a familiar figure in the distance. It was Francis! I thought he was a day ahead. He had hitched into a nearby town for some food and water. He looked as bedraggled as me and not surprisingly had its even more weight. He is still having problems with blisters but is managing regardless. He tolde of another cache that I missed, in the bushes just before the campground. Too far for me to consider turning back. And that is how Francis got his trail name, "Eagle Eye". Well deserved. We crossed HWY 178 and started the climb in the cooler early evening temperatures. We hiked until 730, a 25 mile day for me. It was worth it though, I had a great campsite just below the ridge with and watched the sunset as I put up my tent. I knew I would sleep good tonight.
Heart

May 16 & 17

Passed the 60 mile marker. Not many pictures today. Still having problems with my phone battery.

Started out at 6am, cool temps, great tread but over 3,000 feet to scale each day.
Did not see anyone. Ooops was still asleep when I left and I never saw him after that.
The first part of the day was spent among pine trees and boulders and looked more like the Sierras.
But the topography soon changed to reflect the desert as if Mother Nature was saying "not so fast, the dessert is not finished with you yet."
The terrain was monotonous, hot, exposed and dry. Water sources were poor and thankfully trail angel water caches helped tremendously at mile 616 and 631. The wind was kicking up and the sun setting so I decided to camp by the cache to be on the safe side. The next 4 miles would be uphill and I figured campsites would be difficult to come by and the wind would probably be worse. Pitching the tent in the wind was a challenge and a bit of a comedy act but I eventually got it anchored in place with rocks while I replaced the stakes that kept getting blown out. Here are a few pics for you.








Heart

May 15 Headed for Kennedy Meadows and the Sierras

May15
Andy, Ooops and I left Tehachapi and are headed for Kennedy Meadows and the Sierras.
Thanks to the kindness of Rockin and Dan we left well fed and rested.
The temperatures were very cool, in the 50's most of the day. What a contrast from yesterday. The wind was blowing so hard the first half of the day I could barely move forward. We were climbing up a steep mountain and I thought I would get blown off. I would take a step forward with all my weight leaning into the wind. Ooops took a picture of me and it looked like a cartoon. I was leaning so far forward I was almost parallel to the trail. The first 8 miles were uphill and by 1130 we had climbed 2600 feet. By afternoon the wind died down, was pleasant, the trail tread wound through a nice forested area.
Andy sprinted forward and I did not see him the rest of the day. Ooops stayed behind to take pictures with the intention of taking it a bit slower. My plan is to walk 20 miles a day and get there in 6 or 7 days. I have 136 miles to go. I never saw anyone today until after I put up my tent. Ooops came by an hour later, just as it was getting dark and camped close by.




Heart

May 13 & 14

I hiked through the wind farms during these two days. Here they are from a distance at sunrise.












It was hot but there was always a breeze.




Wild flowers dotted the landscape.
Ooops and I reached Tehachapi at noon on the 14th and my friend and trail angel Rockin picked us up. We spent the evening with Rockin, husband Dan, and another hiker Andy. They have a lovely home in the mountains with a gorgeous view. We are got busy cleaning ourselves, our clothes and our equipment. It is incredible how dirty everything gets in the desert. Great food and conversation followed by a FaceTime chat with mutual friend Erin Saver (Wired). She offered encouragement, kudos and advice regarding the next part of the PCT. Thanks Wired! Then I was up until 2am preparing for the next day. Tomorrow we leave at 730am headed for Kennedy Meadows and out of the desert.



Rockin preparing our meal




Rockin', Ooops and Andy




New shoes to replace my worn out ones!



Words of encouragement from Marisa, Travis, Jennifer and Jason. I loved this card!
A special thanks to Rockin' and Dan for sharing your home, your food, and your time.



Heart and Rockin