Saying Goodbye to the Desert

Monday, May 26th / Miles today: 20 / Total miles: 586

It feels like I am still in the desert. It's hot, dry, and windy and I'm camped near a wind energy farm again tonight. But from the precious reading I have done, most geologists consider the mountains north of Tehachapi and Hwy 58 as the beginning of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Mile 700, near Kennedy Meadows Store is considered the gateway into the High Sierra. This is where I will be getting my ice axe and micro spikes for snow and also a bear canister to protect my food from black bears which can be a problem in the Sierras.

Today I hiked twenty miles even though I got a bit of a late start. I returned to the trail today after seeing Eva for two full days. It was AMAZING! She dropped me off at the trail at Hwy 58 and we took a few pictures and said our goodbyes. I'll see her again in three weeks when we meet in Mammoth Lakes. Below is a picture of Eva at the trailhead. 

I also took a picture with one of the trail signs. These are very common on the trail. This one has an easement notice which means the trail is on private property. Usually that means no camping in the area and no straying from the trail. 

I took one more picture of a curious trail sign I saw today.

It says "caution" but there was no more information so I have no idea what the danger was. None of my maps or trail guides mentioned anything out of the ordinary so I just kept moving. Maybe there were pop tart bandits in the area. That would be something to be cautious about, ha ha!

I have been hiking the PCT for a month now and I have developed a routine for hiking, eating, camping, and hygiene that makes the day go smoothly and eliminates wasted energy. I'm looking forward to four more months on the trail. One interesting thing I have noticed is that time stopped for me when I started hiking. One example of this is whenever I meet someone who is not a PCT hiker I ask about the missing airplane. It was a big deal in the news right before I began hiking but apparently it's no longer news. But I just can't stop myself from asking. For me it is still news since I don't know anything else that has happened since then. Please, someone, anyone, let me know if they find the plane so I can stop worrying about it...

Butter Fingers

A Walk Down Memory Lane

While in Bakersfield, we drove by the hospital where I was born and found the house where my family lived until I was two and a half. We stopped and took a picture! We also visited an ice cream and candy store where my father would take me for ice cream. I had a hot fudge sundae that was amazing! 

I don't remember living in Bakersfield, but I do remember where we moved next: Fullerton, CA. I remember my dad taking me and my brother to get slurpees at 7 Eleven in his Datsun pickup and then going to a park to play and feed the ducks. (I remember falling in the duck pond once and skinning my knee.) My father had a motorcycle and I remember him taking me for short rides when I was still small enough to sit on the gas tank and hold on to the handle bars. I also remember him discussing with my mother that he would like to teach me and my brother to ride a motorcycle. She was against the idea, but he bought a small lawnmower engine powered minibike and convinced her to try riding it, thinking that if she saw how easy, slow, and safe it was, she would let us ride it too. We were in the parking lot of the library and I remember my father showing my mother the throttle and the brake. She sat down on the minibike, then like magic, she was riding! It was very exciting right up to the moment she hit a metal parking pole filled with cement and broke her collar bone. I thought for sure that I would never get a chance to ride the minibike, but it wasn't long before I got my turn to learn to ride and soon both my brother and I had our own motorcycles to ride with my father.

While I can't explain it, visiting the first house where I lived and being reminded of some of my childhood memories seems to fit will as part of this journey I am on. It was a fun relaxing day with Eva and she will be taking me back to the Pacific Crest Trail tomorrow (Monday) morning where I left off.

Thank You Readers!

That's right! Today we hit 10,000+ page views on the blog! Over 300 people have visited the website and people are also following along on Facebook and Twitter. I can't tell you how much it means to me that people are following along on my adventure and sharing their thoughts and comments! You are a blessing.

Eva met me in Tehachapi today and we drove to Bakersfield to enjoy two days together. I am trying to adjust to the speed of normal life. I drove the car for the first time in a few weeks and was amazed at how fast everything was moving...I had a hard time driving fast enough on the freeway, lol! Eva brought our laptop and I have balanced the check book, scanned some documents, voted absentee, updated the apps on my phone and tonight we have plans to meet some friends for dessert! For the next two days I plan to rest, eat, swim, and sleep in a real bed! It almost feels like cheating! :)  Some of the people I have been hiking with are leaving the trail for a week or more to allow time for more of the snow in the High Sierra to melt. I don't plan to wait that long to enter the promised land, so I am ordering an ice axe and having it shipped to me at Kennedy Meadows Store, my next resupply stop. Just like the postal service: neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will keep me from the swift completion of the PCT!

Desert Videos!

I shot some video while hiking through the desert. Here is a sampling of what I experienced! You can find all my YouTube videos here.

Hiker Town and the California Aqueduct

I walked into "hiker town" which is a trail angel's personal residence with some very small buildings made to look like an old western town. It's fun, strange, and a bit creepy. I only planned to get water and then decided using the bathroom wasn't a bad idea too. While |I was there two groups of people showed up in cars...hitch hiking from Casa de Luna to avoid the fire closure. It's strange, but I never even considered this as an option and I'm glad I didn't do that. The road walk wasn't dangerous and hiking the road gave me a first hand look at how the town was affected by the fire. Most hikers hike through the Mojave at night to avoid the heat, but the temperatures were so mild, I did it during the day to better appreciate the sights. I walked along the aqueduct for most of the day. Below are some pictures.

Open Aqueduct 

In 5-6 foot pipes

Covered with a concrete lid!

There are lots of these in the desert!

Tonight (Wednesday) I camped at Cottonwood Creek (dry) near the California Aqueduct in the Mojave Desert. Tomorrow (Thursday) I will hike over one last mountain range before reaching Hwy 58 on Friday. The desert has been very interesting, and what I thought would be a difficult section to hike turned out to be very interesting!

Butter Fingers

Huff and Puff and Blow Your Tent Down

Thursday, May 22nd. I started hiking on a cloudy and windy day in the Mojave desert and by noon it was raining hard. I used my pack cover and my rain jacket to keep my gear and upper body dry, but my pants got soaked, it was very cold, and the wind made it feel even colder. Around 2pm I reached a water cache and enjoyed meeting the older gentleman who stocks the cache with water for hikers. As I was leaving, it started raining again and this time there was lightning and thunder so I decided to get off the ridge and setup camp ASAP before I got soaked again. I found a sandy knoll to set up my tent and things were fine until about midnight when the winds picked up and all the stakes that held down my tent pulled out of the ground and the only thing holding my tent down was me! Everything was flapping and flailing in the wind so I got my wits about me, dressed, put on my headlamp (thank you Eva) and stepped into the darkness to fix the problem. The sandy ground was too soft to hold the tent stakes properly and there were no rocks to pile on top of them, so I decided to ditch my rain fly (the cover that goes over the tent to keep rain out) and just stake down the tent itself. It is mostly bug netting with a waterproof bathtub floor, but since I could see stars, I knew it wasn't going to rain any more. The stakes held, but it was very windy in my tent so I had to bury myself inside my sleeping bag to keep warm. Eventually I fell back to sleep and when I woke up around 6am on Friday, the sun was shining! I ate a quick breakfast of granola and packed up my tent and gear and began hiking to Highway 58. For most of the hike, I was in a wind farm again and the wind was gusting furiously. It's hard to describe or explain how much harder the wind makes hiking, but it's not an exaggeration that I felt beat up by the wind.

Keep Holding On! by Eva

Over 500 miles now. What an accomplishment!

Hike on! You're support team is cheering you on Butterfingers.

You're not alone

Together we stand

I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand

When it get cold

And it feels like the end

There's no place to go

You know I won't give in

No I won't give in

Keep holding on

'Cause you know you'll make it through, you'll make it through

Support team note: if you can't view the video above from your cell phone, try your computer. It's worth watching. :)

Hiking Alone

I left Hiker Heaven alone on Monday about 10am. I had been there 24 hours and I was anxious to get hiking again. The people I was hiking with wanted to stay another night and get up early on Tuesday and hike to another trail angel's house known as Casa de Luna or Hippy Daycare. This doesn't sound like my kind of place so I didn't plan a resupply there and wasn't going to visit. I hiked about 17 miles on Monday and got a good night's rest on the trail. I met a few people on the trail also going to Casa de Luna so when I arrived at San Francisquito Canyon Road, after hiking 6 miles Tuesday morning, they all went left and I took a right.

I began hiking along the road because the trail was closed for the next 33 miles due to a fire in 2013 called the Powerhouse Fire. There are three alternate routes for PCT hikers, and I chose the 20 mile road walk because: 1) It skipped the least amount of trail, 2) It seemed the easiest route to follow, which was important since I was alone, and 3) there was an opportunity to buy food at one location along the road.

On my road walk I passed through the small town of Lake Hughes. The sign says population 500, but I'm guessing that was before the fire. The recreation in the area has been devastated by the fire and there are many abandoned buildings and "for sale" signs. There is one restaurant/bar in town and it is popular with bikers. There were a few there today, even though it was raining. I had a burger and onion rings (yum yum) and the hostess allowed me to charge my phone while I ate...so I ate very very slowly, lol! 

After hiking 6 miles on the trail in the morning and 20 on the shoulder of a paved road until about 6pm, I finally returned to the trail again and hiked 2 more miles to get away from the road. I've hiked alone most of the day. I didn't see any other hikers on my road walk. Some, maybe even most, may be using one of the two other options to get around the burn area. (The California Aqueduct route looks interesting, but I wasn't going to do it alone.) I'm in my sleeping bag, in my tent, and for the first time since I started hiking the PCT I really feel alone.

I'm running low on water. I ate a simple dinner and have enough water for oatmeal for breakfast and a half liter to get me to the next water source in the morning. I thought I would find more water while on the road walk, but it turned out to be very dry (while walking in the rain). 

I'm at mile 513 and will reach Highway 58 on Friday!

It's 9:30pm and it's time to turn off my phone and headlamp and go to sleep. Good night everyone. No cell service, so this will have to wait to post until tomorrow! 

Hiker Heaven AKA Dog Heaven

I forgot to mention that they love dogs almost as much as hikers. They have a few more, but this gives you some idea...

Hiker Heaven!

I am spending the day at Hiker Heaven in Agua Dulce. It's the personal residence of the Jeff and Donna Saufley. They host thru-hikers in amazing style. They provide a shower with soap, shampoo and a clean towel. While you are showering, they will wash your clothes. What will you wear while your clothes are being washed? They have tubs of loaner clothing to wear during your stay. What if you want to go to town about a mile away? They have bicycles you can borrow for trips to the grocery store or a restaurant. Above is a pic of me and the bike I used to get to the Mexican restaurant and buy some ICE CREAM at the store. They have the capacity for 50 hikers at a time, but there are only about 25 here now. There are shade awnings setup with cots inside for hikers who choose to spend the night. They have a few rooms they reserve for couples and they also provide shuttle rides to REI and a Walmart in a neighboring town for hikers who need gear or other supplies. They also receive resupply boxes and below is a shelving unit in their garage filled with hiker boxes.

Oh, and did I mention the solid wifi and internet cafe with five laptops? I'm typing this post on one right now! There are books to read, guitars to play, a full post office with a postal scale, postage, and priority boxes for shipping. There are lots of chairs for relaxing and interesting people to talk to. As I was riding the bike back to their house, Rock Ocean, the trail angel who gave me a ride in Big Bear showed up!

As much as I love this place, I plan on leaving tomorrow morning and getting back on the trail. The desert section from Agua Dulce to Highway 58 is often the hottest part of the trail, but the weather over the next few days is going to be cooler than normal, so I am blessed!

Most of the people I am hiking with went on the shuttle ride to REI. I didn't need any gear so I plan to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying a day of rest. How appropriate that it is Sunday!

Thanks again to everyone who is reading, commenting, and praying for me. It has been an amazing journey so far and it has only been 455 miles!

Butter Fingers has a new pair of shoes! I bet I can hike really fast now!

KOA Camping on the PCT

The tunnel under Hwy 14 near Agua Dulce. It's for water, but it beats running across the highway!

Saturday, May 17th / Miles today: 14 / Total miles: 444 / ZERO cell service

I'm at a KOA campground on Soledad Canyon Road near Acton, CA. It's like a mirage in the desert! I've showered, washed my clothes (in the sink) and taken a swim in the pool. Now it's time to relax and stay out of the sun and rest my feet. Tomorrow I'll hike into Agua Dulce and pick up my resupply box at Hiker Heaven. Almost every thru-hiker stops at the Saufleys House, aka, Hiker Heaven so it can be a very busy place. They host hikers overnight at their home and provide showers, laundry and shuttle rides into town. Eva mailed me a resupply box here and I'm excited to get it!

When I leave there, I am 112 miles and five days from reaching Hwy 58, halfway between Tehachapi and Mojave. This section of the trail will be true desert with lots of sun and wind and sand.

Station Fire Burn Area

Friday, May 16th / Miles today: 23 / Total miles: 430 / Poor cell service

Today I hiked through a burn section from the Station Fire in 2009. The trail was in pretty good shape considering the devastation of the fire. There was a monument and crosses for the two fire fighters killed in the fire. It was easy to imagine the area and how hot it must have been. Most of the trees, shrubs, and ground cover burned but there are new shrubs and small trees beginning to grow out of the ashes. It will be many years before the area looks like a forest again. 

I also took a pic of one of the burned structures near Mt. Gleason. It was completely destroyed. It doesn't appear that they plan to rebuild.

I hiked about 11 miles on an abandoned road in the burn area to avoid the poodle dog bush. Below is a picture. It smells very nice and it will eventually have pretty purple flowers. But it is not something to mess with. 

Poodle dog bush causes a serious rash and there were sections of the trail today, before the road walk, where I accidentally brushed up against it with my clothes. I'm hoping my clothing will protect me or I'm not allergic to it. My experience with poison oak in the past suggests I'm not very allergic to it, so I'm hoping the same is true for poodle dog bush. 

Tomorrow there is an excellent chance l'll get a shower, which I definitely need. I also need to wash my clothes! It is 14 miles to a KOA campground and 24 miles to Agua Dulce, where I plan to stay with a trail angel. Their home is called Hiker Heaven. It's 9:30 and definitely time for a good nights sleep! 

Butter Fingers

400 Miles!

Thursday, May 15th / Miles today: 23 / Total miles: 407 / No cell service

Today's hike included a six mile road walk along Hwy 2 in the Angeles National Forest. It is a narrow mountain highway but in the six miles, I only saw 9 cars and one was a highway patrol car and another was a sheriff vehicle. I counted over three dozen motorcycles in the same amount of time. 

The road walk was required because a section of the trail was closed to protect an endangered species of frog. The road was narrow and I kept switching sides based on which shoulder had more room, but overall I felt pretty safe. It was strange walking on pavement for an extended period of time. 

I had a good day hiking and enjoyed being alone most of the day. In the morning there was a crazy steep section of trail followed by an equally steep downhill section.  But overall, the trail was moderate and the only challenges were the lack of water, heat, and trying to avoid the poisonous poodle dog bush.

I am camped with the same three people as last night: Love Line, Slaughter House, and Chee Vee. We plan to hike 24+ miles tomorrow to get us within striking distance of our next resupply the following day. It will be great to get a shower and have a day to relax. 

We are camped in a sandy gully with only a few trees and shrubs. I expect it to be a cool evening with almost a full moon. I decided not to set up my tent and cowboy camp out in the open. At least one person is worried about scorpions, but I think we are too high. I guess we'll see what happens. There are also quite a few bugs, but I'm thinking they will disappear as the sun goes down and the temperature drops.

I plan to get up early tomorrow, hike like a wild man until the heat of the day, find some shade to nap in in the afternoon, and finish the days hike as the sun goes down. 

I think this is the biggest pine cone I have ever seen! I'd bring it home but I think it weighs 5 pounds! 

I listened to the gospel of Luke today and  thought a lot about chapter 19 where Jeses enters Jerusalem and the crowd of disciples proclaim him king. The Pharisees tell Jesus to rebuke the crowd, but Jeaus tells them that if the people keep quiet, the rocks will cry out. We often think about the idea of rocks crying out as if it is a negative thing; an indictment against us for not worshipping or praising God. Certainly it is our job as the crown jewel of God's creation to praise God and declare His greatness, but as I read the story, Jesus is simply stating a fact: all of creation is praising God with it's very being. The rocks cry out as do the trees of the fields, and the sun, moon, and stars. I think this is the same idea Isaiah expresses in chapter 55:12 "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." 

As I continue to spend both day and night immersed in the wilderness, I am amazed at the sense of God's presence, power, and grace in the beauty of creation. It is a privilege to enjoy His handiwork and know that everything around me declares His power and love.

Butter Fingers

Growing Support by Eva

It's been fun seeing the growing number of people following Loren's blog and Facebook posts over this past week. Loren's doctor weighed in on his twisted ankle and even Toney, the lady at the post office, is now following the adventure. Toney has been great about helping me get Loren's resupply packages to him. In fact, earlier this week Loren's blog recorded a record 300 page views for one day! You all have been awesome at cheering him on and backing him with your prayers and support including cards, food, and candy bars (Butterfingers of course).

I don't believe we will see a new blog in the morning as I don't think he has cell service right now. For those of you asking about the whereabouts of Lost and Found, last I heard, he was suffering from knee pain and having to slow down.  He never caught up with Loren and LoveLine following the lost trail poles incident. Loren has been keeping in contact with him through email and is hoping to meet up with him again. He really enjoys Lost and Found's company on the trail. Instead Loren is now enjoying the company of LoveLine and Slaughterhouse. I'll leave you hanging on the meaning of Slaughterhouse's trail name. Maybe you'd like to guess??

Last I heard the fires in San Diego are not affecting him. It does sound as though one of the fires is burning in El Cajon which is an area he just walked through 2 weeks ago. Pray with me that he won't have to deal with fire during this very dry year. 

Thank you all for the incredible support you have given Loren. I know that it's been a great encouragement to him. I may be Base Camp Manager but you are most certainly his Support Team. Cheer on team! 

The Honeymoon Is Over

Don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying hiking the PCT and everyday is a new adventure.  The romantic ideas of living on the trail are starting to fade, and the reality of hiking 20 plus miles every day, being sore, hungry, cold, hot, thirsty, dirty, and sunburned are starting to set in. I'm adjusting to the routine and trying to avoid getting overwhelmed by too many challenges at once. I'm doing well so far and expect to pass the 400 mile mark tomorrow.

Yesterday was a very long day with approximately 6,000 vertical ft. of altitude gain, made worse by having to carry enough water for a 22 mile dry stretch of trail. I was exhausted when I finally arrived at the location we were camping and couldn't stay awake long enough to write a blog. Before going to bed I watched the sun set and could see the lights of the Los Angeles area from a mountain plateau in the Angeles National Forest. 

Today there were very strong winds in the morning, a steep incline after lunch, and a long afternoon hike with some confusing trail junctions. Two people I was hiking with took a wrong trail and ended up getting into camp very late. I arrived around 6:30pm, set up camp, cooked dinner, and called Eva before crawling into my sleeping bag. It's only 8:30pm, but after hiking 20 miles, it's good to be off my feet and relaxing and resting my legs. By 9pm I'll probably be falling asleep so I can get up at 6am and do it all over again! 

Tomorrow we have a trail detour because of an endangered species closure and we may have to walk along a mountain highway for a few miles before joining the trail again. 

The picture above is a tunnel under a railroad track crossing on the PCT near Cajon Pass. Sometimes we walk over the tracks but other times, especially when the tracks are near a highway crossing, there is an overpass for us to walk under.

Thanks everyone for reading, commenting, and praying for me. You are a blessing to me and Eva! 

Butter Fingers

Cajon Pass-Mile 354

I have reached Cajon Pass, which means I have hiked 354 miles so far! I'm spending the day with Eva and will begin hiking tomorrow! There is a Subway, Del Taco, and McDonalds at the freeway exit where the trail crosses the I-15 but when I arrived the POWER was off everywhere! Maybe it had something to do with the wind: 60 mile per hour gusts! I was looking forward to a soda, burger and fries, but it was also fun sitting outside the McDonalds looking like a homeless person, watching people drive up and get out of their car, and telling them the restaurant was closed. Some people didn't believe me and had to rattle the door or look through the window. Others complained about how hungry they were and I would tell them, "I hiked 350 miles to get here, and I am hungry too!"

The night before I arrived at Cajon Pass I slept on a ridge and the wind tried to blow me and my tent away! There were a few times the next morning when I had to stand still and brace myself with my hiking poles to avoid getting blown over! When I leave Cajon Pass tomorrow, I continue hiking in the desert and by Thursday the temperatures my get above 100 degrees. Thanks to Eva, I have some new clothes, a new headlamp, and I'm all geared up to get back on the trail.

The picture above is from a burn section before Silverwood Lake. It was interesting walking though a burn area and seeing the small shrubs and trees beginning to grow again.

It was wonderful seeing Eva, showering, eating, and resting, but I'm getting restless...there are still over 2,000 miles of trail in front of me and I want to see it. 

Water...

Above is my water system. I'll use it to filter, store, carry, and drink an estimated 1,200 liters of water. Here is how it works. Please read carefully, there will be a test at the end. 

The blue bag is for dirty water. It holds two liters and I have two of them. On top is the filter which screws on the bag. When I squeeze the bag, the pressure pushes the water through the filter and I store the clean water in the clear bag. I also two liters, and the one liter Gatorade bottle, which I use for drinking. When everything is full, I have a capacity of carrying 7 liters, 4 dirty and three clean.

The mug is used to scoop water out of shallow creeks or pools of water as well as for drinking hot cocoa or tea.

Water is very heavy, so I only carry as much as I need based on how far it is to the next water source. I usually carry about one liter for every 5 miles, plus an extra liter if I'll be camping between water sources. The extra liter is for cooking, washing, and brushing my teeth. The most I have carried so far is six liters.

Water is a big challenge for the first 700 miles of the PCT. There are sections of the trail where the next water source is 30 plus miles down the trail. Creeks, rivers and springs dry up, spigots get turned off for various reasons, and water sources like horse and cattle troughs can get very polluted or run dry. To help hikers there is a web based, crowd sourced, water report for the PCT. Hikers call, text or email updates on hundreds of established water location along the trail noting flow, volume, general clarity and any other details that might be helpful. I have an app on my phone that downloads a copy for offline use, and grabs updates when I have cell service. The report is very helpful in deciding how much water to carry. 

Keep calm and filter on!

300 Miles!

Friday, May 9 / Miles Today: 26 / Total Miles: 311 (This post is rated PG...preview before reading to young children.)

Today I hiked 26 miles, twisted my right ankle, saw 6 snakes, hiked by a hot spring popular with the "clothing optional" crowd, and I am camped in a less than desirable location on the Mojave River. There is lots of trash, broken glass, alcohol containers, tagging, and a snake about 60 feet from my tent. Because I was hiking in a steep canyon most of the day there were very few good options for campsites. To complicate matters, I am hiking without a headlamp (I lost it), so when the sun starts setting I must find a place to stop. This last problem will be remedied when I see Eva in two days and she brings me a new headlamp. Three cheers for Eva! 

I'll know more about my ankle in the morning but I don't think it's too bad. It's not swollen or
throbbing, it just hurts when I walk...ha ha. 

6 snakes in one day! I hiked almost 300 miles before seeing one and then 6 in one afternoon. Wow!

I'm going to make a conscious effort to take some better photos. Looking at my photos so far, I know I can do better. I'm also thinking about a minimum of one short video each day. 

I have had sporadic cell service all day, and no service where I am camped. I'm guessing by noon tomorrow I'll be out of this canyon and have enough service to upload a few posts and call Eva.

It's 9:30pm and time to sign off. 

Keep calm and watch for snakes! 

A PCT Celebrity!

First things first: before I explain how Data Base became a PCT celebrity, it is important to note we are wearing the same shoes! His are size 15 and mine are size 11, but I'm still excited to find someone who has the same taste in hiking footwear. 

So now for the famous part. There is a small cafe in Big Bear called Grizzly Manor, and they have a pancake challenge: eat 6 of their huge pancakes in an hour and you win $50.  Yesterday morning, when Data Base came off the trail, he ate at the Grizzly Manor and polished off six pancakes with two minutes to spare. It is only the third time in the history if the challenge that someone has succeeded. 

Data Base is the talk of the town and the next day the cook at the cafe was still talking it up when I ate there for breakfast. It was fun to meet Data Base that same morning on the ride to the trailhead and hear the story first hand.

Just for the record. I saw one of the pancakes and there is no way I could eat 6. I ordered the 2 eggs, bacon, and waffle combo and finished my meal stuffed and ready to hike.

I try to eat enough calories when I am hiking, but any deficits are compensated for in town! 

Marching On!

Breakfast and a ride back to Hwy 18 at mile 266. Who knows where they are serving "all you can eat" pancakes in Big Bear?

Yesterday Rock Ocean (a trail name) gave me a ride into town. He's not hiking the trail, he's driving to all of the small towns near the Pacific Crest Trail and providing rides to hikers. It's his way of experiencing the trail, seeing the west (he is from Florida) and hanging out with hikers. He has a 1988 VW bus and it's his home for the next 5 months. I bought him breakfast today and he gave me a ride back to the trailhead; It saved me an 8 mile road walk. Chances are I'll see him again somewhere before reaching Canada! I have his phone number on speed dial! (Eva, have I mentioned how much I want a VW  van?)

The weather forecast is great for the next four days, and the trail looks rather easy considering all the uphill and downhill I have experienced in the past few days. I'm counting the miles until I get to see Eva...just 68 miles to go! When I see her, she will bring our laptop, and I'll try to update my website itinerary to reflect my current hiking pace. It seems I'm hiking a bit faster than I originally planned. 

Let the hiking begin!

Let's Call It A Day!

Today was a great day! I hiked 12 miles out of the mountains and through the snow to reach highway 18 by noon. Within five minutes I got a ride into Big Bear, picked up my resupply package, and found an inexpensive motel room with free use of the laundry room. After doing laundry, taking a hot shower, and reorganizing my pack, I met a trail buddy for pizza and ice cream. I spent some time updating my blog, answering emails, posting pictures and video, connecting with Eva and making plans to get back on the trail tomorrow morning! 

Go to your bosom; Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know. William Shakespeare

Every day I am so grateful to have a wife who loves me and friends who believe in me. God is so good and I've been thinking a lot about His grace lately. Here is just one verse, but the whole chapter is worth reading: "to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves" (Ephesians 1:6 NIV). To me, grace means freedom. I know that makes some people nervous because they worry about what people will do with their freedom, but when God saves us and transforms us, He sets us free to love Him, serve Him, and persue the desires of our hearts. To experience God's grace is to know a love that not only forgives our past but charts a new course for our future. And what a future it is!

I hope you are having as much fun reading about the adventure as I am living it. As always, forgive the typos...it's an iPhone thing.

Butter Fingers

Let It Snow

Tuesday, May 6th. Miles Today: 20  Total Miles 252. Today I officially hiked further than any previous backpacking trip. Previously my record was 220 miles on the John Muir Trail in the High Sierra! 

The day began calmly enough, but  the wind and the clouds rolled in after lunch and by the time I reached 8,000 feet it was snowing! After hiking a few miles in the snow, it started to snow harder and the temperature continued to drop so I decided to set up camp.

It was a cold windy night, but I was safe and warm and woke to clear skies and enjoyed the 13 mile hike to Hwy 18, where I hitch hiked into Big Bear to resupply. Here is my ride! (I'm the one on the left, just in case you can't tell...)

I'll write more after I get started on my chores: washing clothes, bathing, and going through my resupply box. My goal is to stay off my feet as much as I can while in town to give them a rest!  

“Houston, We Have A Problem”

This post was delayed do to lack of cell signal. Believe me when I say I tried everything; standing on a tall rock, holding the phone in the air, touching my nose with my finger and saying the magic words: "I Love AT&T" but still no signal.

Monday, May 5th. Total Miles: 233.

Today began like any other day...I checked my day planner and it said: hike 20 miles (I actually hiked 22.) It was a hot day with lots of uphill, and I was moving slower than normal, but since we started at 4:30am I had plenty of time. I only started with a liter of water because I knew I could get more in 3 miles at the office for the Mesa Wind Farm. When I arrived at the office, I took off my headlamp and backpack and chatted with the employees about windmills just in case they needed some help before grabbing the water. When I arrived in camp tonight I realized I left my headlamp in the wind farm office. Total bummer :(

I am alone for the first time tonight. Hiking separately is normal, but Love Line and I have been camping together quite a few days. I'm not sure where he is. I have a nice campsite and just finished a nice dinner of Top Ramen and peanuts. 

I've heard from three people on the trail that a storm is coming in tonight: strong winds and rain lasting through tomorrow. 

So... When I have cell signal again, I'll work on getting a new headlamp. I don't like camping alone, but that's life on the trail. Maybe Lost And Found will catch up by the time I resupply in Big Bear or God will send me someone else to hike with. 

Without a headlamp, I'm going to go to bed early tonight. There is no sign of a storm right now, but I set up my tent with the rain fly just in case. I just shot this photo of a deer right outside my tent. It's dark, but you can see see it! 

I better finish now and save my battery...just in case I need to use my phone as a flashlight. Thanks again to everyone who is reading and following along!

Keep calm and hike on!

Keep Calm and Blog On by Eva

It’s been a quiet few days as we all wait word on the latest from Butterfingers. Fortunately around 8:30 tonight I finally got a call that all is well and he is hunkered down in his tent waiting out a snow storm at about 9000 feet near Big Bear City. He continues to write posts, but can’t download them to Blogger until he reaches a spot where he can access internet. Once he does, we will all have some catching up to do.So as we all wait, I thought it would be a good time to write a post about the blog because it truly is fascinating.  

Here are a few statistics you might enjoy knowing…

• There have been 6,511 page views since the first blog with a tremendous spike in views occurring during the last two weeks with 110 to 150 people reading on a daily basis. Even as I write this post, 8 people are looking to see what’s new.
• Butterfinger’s post titled, “The Desert” has received the most page views. And his post, “Butterfinger’s Hikes 140 Miles” received the most comments.
• And here’s the truly fascinating part…people from all over the world are reading Butterfinger’s blogs including the United States, Spain, China , Canada , the United Kingdom , Germany , Russia, the Czech Republic, Belgium and France. If you are from outside the United States, we would love to get a comment from you and find out who you are.  :  )

Keep sharing Loren’s blog site with your friends and family and let’s see if we can get the readership up to 200 daily and across even more countries.

Keep calm and blog on!

Full Disclosure

For those of you trying to keep track of my mileage, you might have noticed a gap while I was in Idyllwild. Last summer there was a wild fire in the area and there is a section of trail that is closed because the burn area is still closed. I was hoping the forest service or the PCTA would come up with an alternate way to hike around the burn area, but the only viable option to a dangerous road walk on a windy narrow mountain highway was to hitch hike into Idyllwild from Hwy 74 at mile 153 and reconnect with the PCT at mile 179 using the devil's slide trail in Humber Park. It's unfortunate, but it gives me an excuse to visit the area in the future and day hike that section.

There are three other small sections of the PCT that are closed for various reasons but there are published maps with alternate hiking routes so unless there is a forest fire this summer that effects access to the trail, I should be able to complete the rest of the adventure on foot. 

I have to say, however that hitch hiking into Idyllwild was an adventure in itself. My ride was a 1980s Toyota Van with 7 people, two dogs, and a driver with dreadlocks. After strapping our backpacks to the roof, we had a crazy ride into town. Here is a picture to give you some idea. I would have gladly hiked...

Trail Magic!

Today I hiked from the San Jacinto mountains with pine trees and snow on the ground to 1,500 ft. where I walked under Highway 10 in the desert. It was a long descent and it's hot in the desert, but I'm doing well now. I'm sleeping in a trail angel's back yard with about a dozen hikers. I was able to clean up, wash my socks, and had some ICE CREAM! Tomorrow we'll be up at 4:30am to hike another 20 mile day...mostly uphill! We hike through a windmill farm, past a trout farm and back into the mountains!

I've not heard from Lost And Found today. I hope he catches up before we reach Big Bear. 

Keep calm and hike on!

On The Trail Again

Love Line and I left Idyllwild, and picked up the PCT near Humber Park. It's a few miles from town so we hitch hiked again. Lost and Found has caught up with us and is in Idyllwild, but when he hitchhiked into town, he left his hiking poles in the car, so they are lost AGAIN! I'm not sure how he'll find them this time since he has no idea who gave him a ride. There is a sports shop in town, so maybe he'll buy another pair. He also needs to buy groceries so we will be meeting him somewhere on the trail. Probably in a day or two.

While in Idyllwild, I was reminded of the times my dad took me tent camping at the state park here and the time we hiked the same trail in Humber Park to climb San Jacinto Peak. Thank you dad for introducing me to camping, hiking, and the great outdoors!

Today we started hiking at almost 7,000 ft., climbed to over 9,000 ft., and have started descending again. We are camped at mile 190 at about 7,800 ft., and it's cold and windy. It's only 7:45 and I'm already in my sleeping bag trying to get warm. Tomorrow we'll drop down to 1,700 ft., and then start climbing back to 9,000 feet again!

Today was hard. It's the first time hiking above 6,000 ft., and the effects of altitude were noticeable. I felt tired and should have spent more time resting the previous day while in town.
The mental challenge of the extreme altitude changes in this section was difficult. Since I'm going to bed early tonight I'm thinking of getting up early tomorrow so I'll have plenty of time to complete 20 miles. I need to take my time going down because it's hard on my feet and knees and has caused shin splints before. The uphill section will also take some time and may happen in the heat of the day. 

Thank you to everyone who is following along on my adventure. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I have no cell service so this post will be a day behind. Hopefully I'll also have a new hiking joke! 

Butter Fingers

Butter Fingers Hikes 140 Miles!

Today is the 7th day of hiking on the PCT and I have completed 140 miles. That's exactly 20 miles per day and my feet and legs are feeling pretty good. No blister or overuse injuries so far. My first hiking partner, Lost and Found, is probably a day behind me. He had to spend the night in Warner Springs to retrieve his hiking poles. I'm hiking with Love Line (named after a late night radio talk show) and he is a little faster than me, but we meet up for lunch, dinner, and to camp so it's all good. Tomorrow we will hike 12 miles to Paradise Cafe on Hwy 74. The talk on the trail is they serve amazing burgers and some real food sounds great! 

I was given a trail name today. Here's the story; we knew there was no water where we planned to camp, so we stopped at the water source at mile 137 to have an early dinner and enjoy some shade. I was rinsing out my bowl and trying to fling the wash water out. Instead I flung the entire bowl down into a steep brushy river bed. There were some other people there getting water and resting, and by the time I climbed back up the steep embankment, I was Butter Fingers. It could be worse...

Below is a picture, taken from my tent, of the dry creek bed I am camped in tonight. The desert is dry and hot as expected, but far more diverse than I imagined. 

Warner Springs

I arrived in Warner Springs today, had a pancake breakfast, and had an outdoor shower at the community center. Next was a trip to the post office to pick up my resupply box. I am feeling refreshed and excited to get back on the trail. Getting to the next resupply location in Idyllwild will require a detour around an area that burned last year in a wild fire. There is no official detour so we will be using some suggestions by other hikers, GPS, and some divine guidance to get to town. It may require hiking an extra 10 miles...more if we get lost.

After hiking 9 miles to get to Warner Springs, and another 9 to get to today's destination at about 6:30 pm, I'm tired and ready for a break. Most of the afternoon was uphill, in the desert, in the heat of the day. Lost and Found lost his hiking poles and went back to Warner Springs to look for them. I hiked on with Love Line from Colorado. Hopefully L&F finds his poles and can catch me in a few days!

The picture is of Eagle Rock at mile 106. I  feel like I am soaring with eagles now! :)

It's late and I need my rest. Trying to do another 23 mile day tomorrow! Thanks again for reading! 

Where is P-LO?

Where on the trail is P-LO? Well, I'm glad you asked! There is a new, really cool, high tech (I love it already) feature on the web based PCT planning site called Craigs PCT Planner. It's still in beta so if it doesn't work, don't worry, I'm not lost, dead, or sitting in a hotel room in Los Vegas hiding. It shows you a text based map of the Pacific Crest Trail using major landmarks and resupply locations to give you some idea of where I am on the trail on any given month, day, hour, second...you get the idea. You should be able to find my name: P-LO on the map. You might even be able to click my name and end up back at my website. Here is the link. Go ahead press it. I promise your computer won't blow up. Craig's PCT Planner

Any opinions expressed are my own, and generally unpopular with others. Actual mileage may vary. Price does not include tax, handling and shipping. Some assembly required. Each sold separately. Batteries not included. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. If conditions persist, contact a physician. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Keep in a cool dark place. Subject to change without notice.