A new adventure!

The young men are off the Pacific Crest Trail for 2010. They had a great adventure. They learned a lot about planning, hiking, people, timing, blistered feet...and about themselves. I am very proud of them. I do not know anyone else who hiked 300 miles this year with a 25-50 lb. pack on their back. However, I do know quite a few who got up and did the same thing they did yesterday. Myself included. Jack, Brad and Erik are off to other adventures and they are moving in different directions. I would like to brag about them and tell you what they are up to...but I will let them tell of their own future adventures.

Here are some highlights and interesting situations from the PCT adventure that I was told about:

- drinking frog water: During the hike through the desert where water was scarce, they ran across a trickling little stream that was mountain fed. By the time the water reached the desert, the water was green in color, hot, and full of frogs....but it was water. They purified it and when taking a sip Brad could only dream about drinking an ice-cold-berry-Gatorade as the hot-frog-tasting water slipped down his parched throat.

- the young men camped at a KOA campground for a few days while letting their blistered feet heal. They met other campers and were invited to evening meals. One group of campers in their fifth wheels adopted the young men. On their last day at the KOA the young men were planning to hike a few miles to the local supply station to replenish their back packs when an older new friend suggested they borrow his brand spankin' new F something ton pick up to get their supplies. What nice people you meet on the trail!?! Of course....they borrowed the truck and were extremely grateful.

- They had a great time with their cousins Doug and Megan in Southern CA.

- They met a ton of people who were on their 2nd to 5th time attempting the PCT.

- They met the nicest people all along the trail.

- They had time to reflect on their lives.

This will be the last entry in the 2010 Pacific Crest Trail Blog! Happy adventures to you all. Hope these young men were an inspiration to start your own adventures!

I've been away.....

I haven't been able to enter anything on this BLOG because we went on vacation...to Mexico. I'm back. Had a great time.

The young men are in Big Bear City, CA. The photo is one of them walking on a path in a beautiful green meadow.

The next photo is their sleeping quarters on the desert floor.

I can't imagine waking up at dawn, loading up a 30-50 lb. pack, putting it on my back and walking 20 miles. At dusk, the pack is unloaded and the sleeping quarters are rearranged for another night of no fire and cold food for an evening meal. It's quite an accomplishment to do this most days....and enjoy it.



This photo is of the bottom of Jack's feet. Not a pretty site. I think he mentioned that he lost most of the skin off the soles of his feet. The next photo is Brad's feet.

The young men have been laid up a bit while allowing their tender feet to heal. Their spirits have been good. They are still enjoying the good life.



They have found a fairly vacant youth hostel in the ski resort area of Big Bear City and are resting, enjoying the town, the people, and the tranquility.



This adventure has been more about the journey than it has been about the destination. I have received many warmly written comments and emails from complete strangers who have met these young men on the trail. I am very proud of them. This is only the beginning of their adventures in life. Sometimes it takes a catalyst like this Pacific Crest Trail hike to allow someone to reflect and really move toward a more desireable adventure.

As I continue to write more on this BLOG about these young men you will learn more about some of their new adventures. Please stay tuned.

A Snow Storm

The young men spent last night at a hotel (with casino) in Cabazon, CA. Jack was in the room talking to me and nursing his sore feet while Brad and Erik were in the casino searching for the opposite sex…..to talk to. I decided to change their status from boys to men after hearing of their harrowing experience climbing through Marion Mtn (elev 10,362) or San Jacinto Peak (elev. 10,804). I didn’t get the name of the peak or mountain, but I did hear the excitement in Jack’s voice as he told me of their experience. They left Idyllwild (elev. 5,303) on Sunday heading toward their next resupply site….Big Bear City, 114 miles away. That morning it started to snow. It kept snowing and soon became a blizzard with 8-12 inches on the ground and poor visibility. Ice and snow started to form on their bearded faces. It was about 2 p.m. and they had lost the trail markers that had become hidden by the falling snow. They had only five hours of daylight left and made the decision to head back. Another hiker, named Gary, was hiking with them. As they headed down the mountain they encountered six foot snow drifts and in some places ice under the fresh snow that caused each of them to slip and slide…some 5 to 30 feet at a time with only their hiking stick or a tree breaking their fall. Jack was wearing cloth gloves that easily soaked up the wet snow. He had to trade off wearing socks to keep his hands warm. As they walked out of the clouds they could see the desert below (near Palm Springs), but the path to the desert was now a rocky cliff. They scaled the rocks climbing down toward the desert knowing that they didn’t want to spend the night in the snow. They finally found a switch back trail and kept hiking until 9 p.m. with their headlights shining the way. Erik’s sleeping bag had become soaked by a leaking camel pack. He slept in Jack’s tent as he had a tarp tent and relied on his sleeping bag to keep himself warm. Now he was relying on clothing and anything he could find to cover himself. They were tired and cold but felt very fortunate. A boy scout troop had also started up the mountain earlier that day. They also retreated from the mountain when the blizzard hit, but one of the adults was not that fortunate. He had fallen on the icy snow and shattered his ankle. They heard they were going to try to get someone to help evacuate the injured hiker, but they all had the feeling that the hiker and the person who stayed with him would be spending the night in a freezing blizzard.

The next day the young men made their way toward Cabazon. Brad had ordered a USB computer cord from Amazon.com for his video camera while in Warner Springs and he had it shipped to the Cabazon Post Office. Their journey to Cabazon was one of hitchhiking and highway walking. They met a different breed of people from the townsfolk they had encountered in the mountain villages and resort vacation spots along the previous Pacific Crest Trail. They were now near the big cities. Their first ride was in the back of a canopy truck after the woman driver left her barefoot 14 year old daughter on the street to continue looking for money to give to the child’s dealer. All this known became known by overhearing the conversation between the woman and her daughter. At the end of the hitched hike, the woman driver was ecstatic to receive the gas money the young men gave to her and she happily let it be known it would be used to buy beer.

Their next ride was from a working group of Native Americans. The young men had continued their journey to Cabazon by hiking and hitchhiking on Highway 10, but abandoned the highway to move to a safer and less traveled side road. Along the side road was an Indian Reservation….clearly marked with no trespassing signs. A driver stopped and said he had room for one passenger. Brad was to go with the driver. The plan was to get to the post office before it closed and to eventually meet Jack and Erik at the Burger King in Cabazon. As they were talking to Brad’s ride, a flat bed truck operated by Native Americans pulled up from the other side of the fence to check on the activity. It was a group of guys fixing fences and providing general maintenance on the reservation. Erik, being the friendly sort that he is, started a conversation that eventually led him to ask the guys in the flat bed truck for a ride toward town 4 miles away….especially since they might be going that way. Brad took off in his ride with Erik and Jack getting a ride with the guys in the flatbed. Soon Jack and Erik were being driven to the front door of the Burger King where they later met Brad.

PCT

The Pacific Crest Trail follows the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range, which parallels the Pacific Ocean by 100 to 150 miles. The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,650 miles long and ranges in elevation from just above sea level at the Oregon-Washington border to 13,153 feet at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The route passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks.

Hazards: Severe weather, dehydration, wildlife. (Just want a Mom likes to know.)

Resupply points are towns or post offices where hikers replenish food and other supplies such as cooking fuel. Hikers can ship packages to themselves at the U.S. Post Offices along the trail, resupply at general and grocery stores along the trail, or any combination of the two.

Jack, Brad and Erik are mostly purchasing supplies along the way. Only a few items will be shipped to them at specific locations. As mentioned earlier these items will be shoes, boots, ice picks, and maps.

A pizza and a pitcher of beer!

In our conversation at 6 p.m. tonight Jack mentioned that they had been lost in the snow. They found the trail again and were low on food. They heard that Idyllwood had a place with pizza and a pitcher of beer. "Pizza and a pitcher of beer" became their mantra as they hiked late into the night toward Idyllwood. They arrived about 25 minutes before closing...just in time for that pitcher of beer and pizza. The last customers. They are spending the night in Idyllwood drying out their shoes, washing their clothes, and camping out at a campsite that charges $3 per camper. Tonight they are relaxing around a campfire. They have been walking until dusk, sleeping at dark, and getting up at at dawn. No time for campfires.

I thought back at what Jack said about the snow and looked at what another blogger wrote about the area. Here is what he said:

"It was a day of great views as I wound along a ridge heading north around several peaks over 7500 feet. Unfortunately I swung west about 11 AM on the north side of the ridge above 8000 feet. The combination of the shading and the altitude led to deeper and deeper snowdrifts. The trail would appear every 50 to 100 feet where the sun had melted the snow and there were footprints in the snow so the way was clear. My progress was slow, as I had to carefully place my feet in many locations lest I slide downhill to perhaps not a fatal but certainly an unpleasant landing.

After a couple of miles this I hit the trail junction I was looking for and looking over the diverging footprints headed in what I thought was the correct direction. About ten minutes later I was not so sure and was beginning to have visions of being lost I the snow, so decided to stop for a bite to eat and a map and compass check."
Wednesday, 4/26/00 http://www.startlivingthetruth.com/pctwarner.htm

What's the next stop?

I'm looking at maps and anticipating where the boys are camping tonight. When they left Warner Springs (supposedly on Sunday) they would be heading 41 miles toward Idyllwild, CA. The scene above is from Idyllwild and the temperature high today was 70 degrees. The next stop to purchase supplies after Idyllwild may be 114 miles at Big Bear City.

Today I received a small 10-12 lb. box of misc. hiking gear and other items mailed from Mt. Laguna, CA. I can only assume they were items they no longer needed or most importantly no longer wanted to carry on their backs.

Warner Springs, CA

Erik left the following message on Facebook today: PCT hike update 110 miles into it. only 2,540 miles to go! in Warner Springs California. life is good, my feet feel like they've been hit with a sledge hammer. never been more happy! Granquist out-

Jack left this message yesterday: Whoop, Whoop!! We've hiked 111 miles in the last week and made it to Warner Springs, CA. Decided to spend the money and stay at the hot springs/resort here to let our blisters/feet heal for a day or 2? Best way to sum up the trip so far... Amazing! we pumped out 64 miles in the last 3 days and have seen some awesome things. A whole lot of desert and mountains and everything in between. Later-

I just spoke to Brad and Jack. They were in the Cantina having a cold beer and listening to a guy playing a harmonica. Erik was out star gazing. They were told this would be the only resort that they would come across on the trail. And....it's a hot spring resort at that. Sounded like a great place to take a rest. According to Brad they are still living 'the' dream......even when they are walking 20 miles a day with a 50 lb. pack.