Mountains-Wednesday, June 4

Today there were breathtaking views of mountains in all directions. It was a wonderful day of hiking and was just a taste of even better views to come. I reached an altitude of about 10,400 ft., and there were still patches of snow, although none was blocking the trail. 

I am camped with a group of 11 hikers at Diaz Creek. Someone made a small campfire and it created a very social atmosphere. Six are thru hikers and five are family and friends of one of the thru hikers who joined her at Kennedy Meadows. They plan to hike with her to Tuolome Meadows in Yosemite. Of the 11 hikers only three are men.

Tomorrow I'll leave this large group behind (most are moving much slower than me) and continue towards Mt Whitney. My overall pace in this section is a little faster than I planned and I have a resupply scheduled in Independence, CA on Tuesday, June 10th so I may need to slow down so I don't arrive early. 

Mt Whitney-Saturday, June 7

"I'm king of the world!" Titanic. This is what it feels like to stand on the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the United States, outside of Alaska. 

I started hiking at 5:30am and reached the summit of Mt. Whitney mid morning and hiked back to my campsite at Crabtree Meadows (16 miles). I ate an early dinner packed up my gear and hiked another 9 miles until just before dark. I heard from a ranger on the trail that there was lots of snow on Forester Pass and I wanted to get as close possible to it so I could climb it tomorrow when the snow was still firm. It turned out to be a very good decision. 

Below is my campsite in Crabtree Meadows. It should look very familiar to a certain JMT hiker known as Pretty Boy since it is exactly the same site where we camped last year. Remember our 20+ mile day ending here? Soaking our feet in the river while we filtered water? Cooking dinner and sitting on the log behind my tent?

Forester Pass-Sunday, June 8

I camped 4 miles from Forester Pass and was on the summit before 10am. There was large sections of snow on the south side which made the climb challenging, but there was two miles of snow on the north side of the pass and by 11am it was getting hot, the snow was softening, and I was postholing (sinking up to your knees or waist) in the snow. By noon I reached the end of the snow and stopped for lunch. The picture above has a "duck" in the foreground. These are trail markers and the theory is you can can stand at one and see the next one off in the distance. 

I hiked a few more miles in the afternoon and exited the PCT at mile 789 on a lateral trail over Kersarge Pass for a resupply in Independence, CA. I will reach the Kersarge Pass trail head tomorrow morning and I have a ride arranged with one of the motels in town. They will also bring me back to the trail head in the morning. Below is a picture of the area where I am camped.

One more picture from the trail..,

Just Another Day Hiking-Sunday, June 1

Sunday, June 1st / Miles today: 25 / Total miles: 698 / Climbed 4,400 ft. / No cell service

Today I reached the Kern River. It was amazing to hear the river; a familiar sight and sound in the Sierras, but not in the desert. It nice to be done with the driest part of the PCT.

Tomorrow I will hike to Kennedy Meadows store and pick up my resupply box and an ice axe I ordered online and had shipped directly to KM. I am ready for a burger and soda, and I'm craving ice cream. 

It's hard to believe I have been hiking for 39 days and have completed 698 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. Some days have been harder than others, but overall it has been an amazing adventure. It's hard to describe what it is like to hike every day, live outdoors, sleep under the stars, and carry all your belongings on your back. Even though I am still using technology, my life on the trail seems very simple. I use my phone daily for photography, GPS tracking, and blogging and for communication and weather reports when I have a signal. 

The Art Of Adventure

I am borrowing the title of this post from a book by Galen Rowell, the photographer and adventurer who inspired me as a young person to try my hand at photography. My first 35mm SLR camera was an Pentex MX and I shot some very nice photos with that camera if I say so myself. His books also stirred up my passion for hiking, climbing, and adventure. I had the privilege of meeting him at his studio in the Bay Area where he signed a large format print that now hangs in my office. Later he moved to Bishop, California and opened a gallery there to showcase his work. He was killed in 2002 in a plane crash returning home from a trip to Alaska. His large format photography book, The Art Of Adventure, begins with a quote by Lewis Mumford:

"There comes a time - it is the beginning of manhood or womanhood - when one realizes that adventure is as humdrum as routine unless one assimilates it, unless one relates it to a central core which grows within and gives it contour and significance. It is not what one does, but what one realizes, that keeps existence from being vain and trivial. Mankind moves about in worlds not realized. It is the artist, the knower, the sayer, who realizes human experience, who takes the raw lump of ore we find in nature, smelts it, refines it, assays it, and stamps it into coins that can pass from hand to hand and make every man who touches them the richer."

It is a privilege to share my adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail with you and I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. My goal is to go beyond simply sharing a travel log of people, places and events, and assimilate the experience into something that reveals about what God is doing in me as I throw my arms wide open to hear His voice, seek His face, and experience His grace on this journey. God knows I have never been very good at sharing on a personal level, but maybe that is one of the things He wants to teach me as part of this journey. It is my desire and prayer that something I share may be of value to you and your life may be enriched as well.

Trail Humor

There is an online email based forum for people to ask questions or share information about the Pacific Crest Trail. There are some people who also like to share some humor. Here is just one example:

One day Grizzly and TrailDust decided to join the 21st century and buy cell phones.  They especially liked to send text messages.  Grizzly was a more no-nonsense PCT guy and TrailDust was more romantic in her text messages. One afternoon TrailDust went out to meet a friend for coffee. Afterwards, she decided to send Grizzly a romantic text message and she wrote:

"If you are sleeping, send me your dreams.
If you are laughing, send me your smile.
If you are eating, send me a bite.
If you are drinking, send me a sip.
If you are crying, send me your tears.  I love you."
Grizzly replied: "I'm on the toilet.  Please advise."

Keep calm and hike on.

Orland Bartholomew

Bart pulled his large pack from the back seat of the old sedan and set it to the side of the dusty road. From the pocket of his rough wool shirt he pulled out money and handed seven dollars to the young driver. He spoke a few words of thanks and stepped back as the driver backed the car around some large boulders and headed back down the road to the Owens Valley. It was Christmas day, 1928, and Bart knew that back home in Big Creek his friends and family were enjoying the blessing of the holiday. Nostalgia and loneliness swept over him; the desolation of the empty canyon and the starkness of the desert background below only accentuated the feeling. It was the cold wind blowing intermittently off the high mountains that brought him to the realization that after months of planning this was his day. From High Odyssey by Gene Rose

Orland was a true adventurer, explorer, and visionary. His solo winter ski trip from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite through the High Sierra was one of the stories that encouraged me to begin exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains myself. Over the past 20 years I have hiked thousands of miles of Sierra mountain trails and spent over 6 months enjoying what John Muir referred to as the "range of light." I am encouraged by Orland's story of overcoming a childhood of sickness and hardship and his determination in the face of so many obstacles to complete this journey.

I am about 160 miles from the High Sierra and I look forward to hiking through what I consider my back yard. I am vary familiar with the trails in this area, the best places to camp, and the lateral trails for resupply. Keep calm and hike on! Butter Fingers

Pop Tarts Make Me Happy!

Here is what I eat! This is about five days worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks! So far I am enjoying what Eva is sending to me. I am a creature of habit, and don't mind eating the same thing on a daily basis. Even at home I don't mind eating leftovers over and over. And I get my fix of my favorite foods when I resupply in town and I get to eat at restaurants! I am usually craving Mexican food, ice cream, Diet Pepsi, and carrot cake! Keep calm and hike on! Butter Fingers

Thank You Mrs. Butter Fingers!

Eva, have I told you lately how much I love you? My amazing wife is doing an awesome job supporting my Pacific Crest Trail hike. Taking care of things at home, helping with my blog, buying, and preparing food for the trail, mailing me resupply boxes, replacing gear that wears out or gets lost, meeting me along the trail, and encouraging me everyday with phone calls and texts...even if I can't read them because of limited cell service. I tell everyone on the trail about my wife and they agree I have the best wife a hiker could ever want! Readers who know Eva, please let her know how amazing she is and continue to encourage her too. She is the love of my of life and I can't wait to see her again...just a few more miles down the trail!

Blessed With Good Health

Hiking an average of 20+ miles a day is not easy, but I am surprised how well my body is adjusting to it. I have no blisters, minimal aches and pains, and no significant sunburns, bug bites, or other injuries. Except for falling down once and skinning my knee, I have no cuts or bruises. I twisted my ankle once, but it healed quickly.

I have met people with huge blisters, black or missing toe nails, terrible shin splints, rashes (don't ask where...you don't want to know), infected sores, foot pain, knee pain, sunburns, sprains, strains and ailments of all kinds. I have met people who have actually left the trail to take extended time to recover.

I am sure that the training I did before the hike, and my experience on previous hikes has been beneficial, but I am just as sure that the prayer, support and encouragement of my family and friends has been a huge blessing! My shoes fit like gloves, my pack feels very comfortable, I have adjusted to sleeping on the ground, and all my gear is working well. I love my hiking poles but I noticed I hike faster without them.

Keep calm and keep praying! Butter Fingers

Which Way Did He Go? by Eva

The Butter Finger Support Team continues to grow in numbers and influence around the world as this week we added Lithuania and the Ukraine as new friends. This adventure has become more than just my husband's adventure, but many of you have made it your own, following faithfully by reading the daily blogs, tweets and responding to his Facebook posts. It's your prayers, comments and emails that are encouraging him and he is excited about every contact he has with friends and family. 

Now that Loren will be coming through our neck of the woods soon, there are many of you who have expressed an interest in meeting him on the trail and possibly even hiking with him a few miles or even days. Here's the schedule...

June 18-22--- Relaxing in Mammoth Lakes, CA 
June 24--- Hiking through Tuolomne Meadows, Yosemite
June 28--- Arriving at Sonora Pass at Hwy 108
July 3---Arriving at Echo Lake in South Lake Tahoe

If you are interested in meeting Loren at Sonora Pass, Meshell Cruz is putting a group together. She is the person you will want to talk to. You can email Meshell at Hope2give@sbcglobal.net.
Or give her a call at (209)480-5228.

If anyone is thinking about meeting Loren in Tuolomne Meadows, please let me know so that I can pass that info on to him. I would hate for him to miss you because he doesn't know to be looking for you. 

And I'm Not Afraid To Use It!

"You call that a knife? That’s not a knife. This is a knife.” -Crocodile Dundee (1986)

When people ask me if I carry a weapon, I smile and tell them I carry a knife. Above is a picture with my weapon of choice!

Earth To Butter Fingers

"Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." -The Wizard Of Oz

While I am hiking in the High Sierra, I will have very limited cell service and this will also be some of the longer stretches between resupply locations. I will do my best to take pictures, write, and be ready to upload it all when I have a signal. Sometimes it is hard to write when I know it will be days before anyone can read it, and sometimes when I go back and read it later, I want to change everything! Such is the life of a perfectionist. Hopefully Eva will write a few blog posts during the next few weeks and I have scheduled in advance some posts to keep things flowing! This is also the time when I will be closest to home! I am looking forward to meeting friends in Yosemite and Tuolumne Meadows and/or Sonora Pass. When I reach Red's Meadows, I will be be able to give exact dates and times I will arrive at both locations.

My phone is working well as a camera, phone, and GPS device, and my battery charger does a good job giving me enough power. The only thing I am not happy with is that I am trying to read (Bible and e-books) from my phone and the experience is less than satisfying. It's definitely not as enjoyable as curling up in my sleeping bag with a good book and my headlamp.

A New Day-651 Miles

Thursday, May 29th / Miles today: 20 / Total miles: 651 / Smiling again / No cell service

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. 

The hard is what makes it great." -A League of their Own

It's 9:30am, the majority of the uphill climbing for the day is over, the wind calmed down as the sun rose, and I can see the High Sierra off in the distance! I had a good night's rest, I am well hydrated, and I am ready for the hike to Walker Pass and Hwy 178. I'll arrive there tonight and tomorrow at 10am someone is picking me up for a night off trail in Ridgecrest. I'll shower, wash my clothes, buy trail food, and eat as much as I can while in town. My trail angel is a family member of someone who is friends with my parents. We have only communicated by email, but I really appreciate his hospitality and look forward to meeting him. 

It's 2:00pm and I'm sitting in the shade resting after a long hot walk on an ORV (off road vehicle) road/trail. Most of the PCT avoids shared trails, especially with motorized vehicles, but this is one of those exceptions. It's 7 miles to my destination with 2,000 ft. of descent so I'll tighten my shoe laces to help keep my toes from pounding the front of my shoes. I've seen lots of toes missing nails and it's not a pretty sight. I have a little sunburn so I'm taking advantage of shade whenever I can and wearing my long sleeve shirt and pants today to limit my sun exposure. 

It's 5:00pm, and I arrived at the campground at Walker Pass to a hero's welcome. Everyone was clapping and cheering as hikers arrived. Six trail angels are making trail magic and there are fifteen hikers here! Below is my dinner: A big burrito and salad with a root beer float for dessert!

The only thing that would make this day perfect is if I had cell service so I could call Eva and post to my blog. I briefly had service in the morning on a mountain ridge, but since then...nothing. I really expected service when I reached the hwy and I'm bummed I can't call. 

Brutal Day

Wednesday, May 28th / Miles today: 22 / Total miles: 631 / Weather: Windy!

The last two days have been hard: hot, dry, and significant amounts of altitude change. I think I started today a little dehydrated, and with a 16 mile stretch without water, things went from bad to worse. It was hot, windy (like blow you over windy), there was zero shade, and lots of altitude change (3,000+ ft. up & 4,000+ ft. down). On top of all that the trail was very sandy which made every step that much harder. I hiked 22 miles but it felt like 30 and took almost as long! Suck it up buttercup! :) 

I briefly had cell service around 3pm and posted to my blog (yah) and tried to make a call, which was unsuccessful (bummer). That's probably a good thing because I might have started crying...suck it up Buttercup.

I am camped at Bird Spring Pass where there is a water cache maintained by a trail angel using a nearby dirt road. There are approximately 50 one gallon water bottles looped through the handle with rope and tied to a tree so they won't blow away when empty. There is only about 10 gallons of water and I'm guessing in a day or two that will be gone. I am forcing myself to drink lots of water to help me rehydrate and get ready for tomorrow. I have to carry enough water for 20 miles to the next water source. The drought is definitely making the desert section more challenging. Suck it up...

When I arrived here there were 6 other hikers that I have seen at rest/water stops since Monday. They are young, friendly, and hike very fast! They decided to move on soon after I arrived to tackle the 6-8 miles of solid uphill in the next section in the cool of the evening. I was in no shape to follow tonight so I'll try to get an early start tomorrow to beat the heat. It's crazy windy tonight, but I anchored my tent well and hope to get a good night's sleep. I don't have earplugs, but I have used my ear buds to drown out some of the wind once before. I'm pretty tired so maybe that won't be necessary tonight. All alone again...I thought Buttercup might make it here, but I guess I'll have to tell myself...suck it up!

It's about 8:30pm and I'm fading quickly. Thanks for reading my post. Tomorrow is going to be a better day!

Butter Fingers

More Burned Forest

Tuesday, May 27th / Miles today: 23 / Total miles: 609 / Weather: Hot!

Today I passed the 600 mile mark! It happened with little fanfare. I didn't even stop to take a picture. It was a very hot, and overall a challenging day with very little water or shade and way too much uphill hiking. I didn't have cell service in the morning and I don't have it now in my campsite. I had a signal once, sometime in the early afternoon, but I was too consumed with getting to the next water source to take advantage of it. Since water is so important, but so scarce in the desert, hikers tend to congregate at water sources. Below is a picture of hikers resting at water source: a spring with a very slow trickle of water.

It might be hard to see, but there are 10 people in the picture and at least 4 more, including me, that were outside the shot. I've seen even bigger groups! 

I met a hiker named "Buttercup" today and we chatted a few times throughout the day and then for about an hour in the evening over dinner. He is retired military and he got his trail name by repeating something he used to say to soldiers, to a complaining hiker: "suck it up Buttercup." I had no idea how many times I would tell myself that very phrase the very next day.

Butter Fingers

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