Tag: Falling

Leaving Hotel California

"Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!"

<start massive air guitar solo here>
                    Don Henley / Glenn Lewis Frey / Don Felder

The theme song for this blog has been running through my head for 400 miles. I was wondering whether I would ever leave. The California section of the PCT is overwhelming, 1692 miles and a gross elevation gain of 257K feet. And true to the song, the majority of PCT hikers never leave. An estimated 80% of hikers that start the PCT do not finish, and from my observations, most drop out before hitting the Oregon border. It took me 79 hiking days and 22 miles a day to leave. I was struck when standing here that almost two-thirds of the journey is behind me – even more reason to savor every day.

Only the northern terminus milestone on the US/Canadian border is more significant to me than completing California. It felt so good to hike the 20 miles through the Siskiyous and into Ashland through thick forests. I found the passage back to the place I was before.

My blog and photos have been a walking ad for the beauty of California, a great state, to be sure. As I leave, I also have some friendly feedback for the state that considers itself Oregon’s big brother. First, was it really necessary to wind all over the place to see every mountain range? The drive from the Oregon border to Mexico on I-5 is 807 miles. So why did you ask the PCT thru-hikers to hike over twice that many miles? I feel that you are trying a bit too hard to affirm your status. Oregon, home to the humble and efficient beavers, asks hikers to walk 460 miles compared to a 309 mile drive up I-5. We have other incredible sights to share, like the Alvord Desert and the Eagle Cap Wilderness. We could have used a zigzag course and pushed the miles up to a respectable 700 or so. The same is true for Washington. We are missing the Olympic National park, how about a thru-hiker ferry ride?

You get my point; I love you, California, but now I am excited to come home to the forests, bugs, and volcanos. We got this, and you are welcome to visit and leave whenever you want. Here are some funky photos to close this chapter of the journey.

Good intentions aside, this sign on Mt. Laguna from my third day wins the award for least helpful and most discouraging.

The Coulter Pine wins the award for best pine cone. The cones have half-inch knife-like hooks and can weigh up to 11 pounds. No wonder Coulter pines carry the nickname of “widowmakers,” but I believe most life insurance policies exclude this cause of death.

Near Deep Creek Canyon, I kept hearing revving engines. The trail crossed this “road,” which turns out to be a famous off-road challenge course. And people think hiking 12 hours a day is wacko.

The trail passed under I-15, and I just kept walking towards the light. Then I started wondering whether that is what I was supposed to do.

Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce brings trail weary PCT hikers through one of Hollywood’s favorite movie sets. Before clicking on this link, test your movie trivia skills and name at least two movies set in this location.

Hiker Town is the “gateway” to the 40-mile trek across the Mojave Desert. The owner gave me a 30′ description of how he bought the land when he learned that then-Governor Schwarzenegger planned to create a subdivision for 100K people in this area. After buying it, he was shocked that homeless people kept stopping by asking for water. It was then he learned about the PCT. The housing development never happened due to a lack of water, so he and his wife created an oasis that is free for the many thru-hikers that pass each year.

We stopped at a remote campground and were invited to join this group of men that had prepared cornish game hens and other goodies for thru-hikes. It turns out that we were being hosted by the current PCTA Board President and other board members.

My son Scott is featured in the best sunset photo, and it also captures how tough it is to choose one’s freeze-dried dinner after a long day. I think biscuits and gravy was the winner.

Scott and I were trying to figure out where Forester Pass was from the top of Mt. Whitney. Good thing there are trails and navigation apps or we would still be wandering around out there.

I loved this DIY Trail Angel stop in the middle of nowhere with all the things a hiker might need and even solar lights for late-night hikers.

*Limit Situation Trail Magic* was unbelievable. This group of friends set up four days a week to support PCT hikers. The food was amazing; custom-made pizza, homemade burgers, and salads. They even gave us their really cool bandana. If hikers want, you can stay for the evening, and they will cook breakfast. Really good people who feel that spending time in nature is a worthwhile and important experience.

My most dangerous fall came while trying to cross this snowfield before Carson Pass. With the rest of the hikers, I believed the snow was behind us and did not have microspikes. I fell while crossing above the snowfield with exposure to over a hundred-foot steep fall into the rocks. Somehow, I pushed off as I fell and landed on the trail. Every step matters and this one was a massive wake-up call.

The PCT maps missed the fact that we were crossing through the State of Jefferson. Apparently, Seiad Valley was the epicenter to get statehood back in the 1930s, and then WW2 got in the way. The general store has all the State of Jefferson items for sale that you might be looking for. Any aspiring graphic artists might want to help them out with their logo.

Pleasure-Way has been hiking out with me or meeting me at the end of sections. This picture is heading north out of Sonora pass.

Tags Bugs, California, Falling, Oregon, Sierra, Terminus, Trail Family, Trail Magic, Washington, Wildfire

Hiking the PCT

Home Alone

Part of our PCT plan is to use my wife’s incredible support, the ultimate trail angel, to leap forward and backward to optimize the chance of finishing the trail in one year. There are many reasons this helps from avoiding snow, fires, and dealing with injuries. The time window is short for finishing the desert section before the summer heat and the northern Cascades before the snowfalls. We successfully lept backward to complete the San Jacinto section earlier, so what could go wrong?

This week we lept 700 miles forward to start an 83 mile, three-day hike beginning at Burney Falls, north of Mt. Lassen, and ending at Castle Crags on I-5. It was time to test our approach to find terrain with less snow. I immediately felt at home, entering a deep, lush forest, and I did not see another person for 65 miles. I could make out one pair of shoe prints from this season, maybe two weeks earlier.

My camp on the first night after 25 miles – home alone

COVID deprived us of our holiday traditions, so we experimented with a few new ones. One was to watch the classic holiday movie Home Alone. That first day on the trail felt a bit like Macaulay Culkin’s first night celebrating after realizing that he had the house to himself. Similarly, it is the second day when the real story begins. My experience shifted from a stroll through the forest to a 13-hour orienteering drill through deep snow. The faint shoe prints vanished early on, replaced by deer and bear prints. I could not figure out why there were 12-foot drifts and miles of snowfields when the snow reports showed otherwise. I put those theoretical questions aside and got serious about using all my navigation tools (apps, maps, compass, and GPS) to find the most efficient route.

Black bear prints and scat were frequent, so I used my whistle to alert them of my presence.

I hiked four hours through deep snow – sometimes, the most accessible trail is straight up.

The views of Mt. Shasta continued to inspire me.

I finally broke free of the snowfields and discovered the answer to my question. I was hiking through a north-facing basin that funneled the weather from several mountains leading to deep snowdrifts. I did not see another section with this level of variation. I hiked hard once I cleared the snow basin and camped after covering 24 miles. I was exhausted but also felt good about how I worked through my unexpected challenges.

I solved the mystery once I reached the ridge.

The third day was like the triumphant coming home party that the wiser and more confident Macaulay Culkin experienced. I hiked 34 miles through beautiful old-growth forests and completely lost myself in the experience. My wonderful trail angel was there at I-5 with trays of food, including fried chicken, salad, potato wedges, fruit, cookies, and I ate it all. I am so fortunate to have a chance to immerse myself in this experience with such unconditional support.

My reward was an amazing 34-mile day through old-growth forests.

Tags California, Cascades, Falling, Flowers, Post-Holing, Wildlife

Hiking the PCT

Big Day

In an earlier blog, I shared that I had to pull out of the last 30 miles of the San Jacinto section of the PCT due to heavy snow. Within a few days, Alesia and I were scheming on how to get back to complete this section. I did, and it was a big day. In my hiking vocabulary, a big day is just beyond reach, possible, but it calls forth more of everything; more focus, more energy, more endurance with a large splash of attitude.

The goal was to hike back to Saddle Junction where I left the PCT. The Devil’s Slide trail was the shortest route at 2.5 miles but added 1,700 feet of climbing to the front end of my hike. The starting temperature was 37 degrees, and it was below freezing on San Jacinto.

The climb was beautiful as the morning light filtered in from the east. I quickly climbed from 6,400 feet to Saddle Junction at 8,100 feet.

Once on the PCT, the climb continued up to 9,000 feet. I felt that this challenge was going much easier than expected. The morning had a brisk and brilliant feel, and my legs and lungs were more than excited to push forward.

The wheels started to come off as quickly as turning a bend on the trail. The deep snow returned and was not at all what I had heard from other hikers. I spent the next eight miles navigating snow on the ascent and descent. Fortunately, the cold temperatures over the previous days kept me from sinking deep into the snow (post-holing). I put micro-spikes onto my hiking shoes to gain some traction. Nonetheless, it was exhausting and my pace slowed to the point that I assumed I would need to shelter overnight.

After descending several thousand feet, I finally left the snow behind. I had only covered 13 miles in seven hours. Looking north, I could see my destination 7,500 feet below and 20 miles away. It seemed out of reach, but thinking about what is possible is much less effective than seeing what is possible – one step at a time.

Looking back at San Jacinto from the north

The descent took me down over 15 miles of switchbacks from the lush forest to a barren desert. San Jacinto’s presence was apparent around every corner. My feet and legs begged for a break from the pounding, but the remaining miles started to look doable.

I covered 33 miles, climbed 6,700 feet, and descended 12,700 feet in under 14 hours. San Jacinto is a small wilderness by western standards, but it is wild and dangerous. I had read reports and watched videos of this hike, and it was hard for me to grasp why this area has taken the lives of PCT hikers and locals. I am so glad to have seen it first hand, and I admire it as a precious wild place.

Tags California, Falling, Post-Holing

PCT Reflections

Body Scan

I just covered some beautiful and diverse terrain from I10 near Palm Springs at 2K feet to 8K feet above Big Bear Lake. I have completed 10% of the miles (250) and 20% of the climbing (71K) in 12 days. No wonder I am feeling it.

I have identified a valuable practice from my journey so far. By practice, I mean a way of engaging with my experience that makes it more vibrant, focused, and brings me joy. When I have become agitated, it tends to spiral producing increasing levels of negative energy. My hiking days last 11 hours on average, so that is a lot of time to spiral into a dark place.

A star’s ‘Death Spiral’ into a Black Hole | NASA.

So far, the area that most often needs attention is my mind. I will call my practice a walking body scan. I start by paying close attention to my left foot, observing how it lands and pushes off for at least 5 minutes. I acknowledge any discomfort and appreciate how amazing it is (already having stepped 130K times). Then I move to the right foot, the ankles, knees, leg muscles, glutes, abs, lungs, shoulders carrying the weight, and then my neck, face, and mind. After the scan, I return to the areas with tension. I can feel the stress pressing my temples as my mind tries to figure out or avoid this experience. I spend another 30 minutes focusing on releasing my mind’s pressure and, with it, the need to do anything but connect with my body and stay out of the way.

Tags Falling, Flowers, Joy, Meditation

Hiking the PCT

Well, now

For the first few days on the trail, I felt like I was setting the agenda. That bubble burst this week. After ten days and 200+ miles, it is clear that the trail and everything surrounding it provide the experience, and I am here to learn (one way or another). My lesson so far is to connect with what is, don’t add my delusional views, whether blissful, angry, or needy. Then I must decide what I will make of it. I will be relearning this lesson every day, and I sense there are many chapters to come.

Crossing a welcoming meadow north of Warner springs.

Segment 2 started with two hot days, little water, and questionable sources. With 10K feet of climbing, I began to get angry, thirsty, and hungry. All these growing obsessions were neither accurate nor helpful. The bliss-meter took a nosedive. I found refuge at Mike’s Place, a renowned oasis in the Lost Valley of all places. Never has a tortilla filled with a hot dog slathered in refried beans tasted so good.

This was one of the better water sources.

Good strumming and conversation at Mike’s Place.

I climbed the San Jacinto mountains for the next three days, known as one of the PCT’s most challenging and dangerous sections due to the exposure and volatile weather. On the first day, I faced 60-mile hour winds and on the second deep snow. It is beautiful, but every few steps, I post-holed waist-deep, risking injury. I decided to detour around the final 30 miles as an even stronger wind storm approached. My learning was put to the test as my ego argued against all evidence to fight through the conditions and my fatigue. I chose to learn and hike another day. Well, now, my trail angel just arrived.

I started to post-hole on every step and quickly lost the trail. Following other tracks only made it worse as they also wandered through the basin.

Tags California, Desert, Falling, Post-Holing, Trail Family, Trail Magic, Water