The last 40 miles I have been contemplating a zero day in a motel room, and this morning an opportunity came up where I could justify the cost (by sharing it). Trying to get into town via hitching was not proving for me to be easy (baiting with my thumb for over an hour and no one even slowed to check out my sparkling blue eyes and forced smile). I can’t stand there, so began the long road walk until…
It was a short day coming in, all planned that way as we all want to laze about at Hiker Heaven(Trail Angel) and recharge our bodies. It was a pretty 10 mile hike coming from Acton KOA (should I mention the ‘hot tub’ last night). There has been Poodle Dog bush (which can cause rashes and blistering) that has covered long sections of the trail. Hard to avoid while only wearing running shorts, so I have been wrapping my legs…
I do not know if my tarp is going to stay up in this wind that has made an appearance tonight. I have already moved but it is not very shetlered here. I have about 6 miles to go before I drop into Big Bear Lake for a resupply. Not that I need very much given the amount of trail magic I have had today; cookie, cheese cracker, sodas and just when I needed it the most – beer. I…
Just had free salad and choc chip ice cream, staying here tonight with lots of other hikers. Passed the 200 mile mark today. I did panic like crazy for 40 minutes, as I lost my GPS while I was dowsing my neck with water, it must have dropped and landed in the soft sand. I back tracked in 105F heat and tried to find it, I gave up and then that is when I saw it. So happy as I…
I had to bail off the high elevation due to a storm, but fortunately met up with a couple of section hikers in the same situation. Hitched in town to find most of the hikers had taken over the coffee shop. I got to stay with my new friends at the Idylwild Inn and we had pizza and beer. I also had my first a hot shower in 10 day. They also gave me so much good resupply, I did…
Hanging out at a old church waiting for some messege from above, or alternatively some other hikers to arrive. I have to wait until the Post Office opens tommorrow morning, otherwise I`d be doing some evening hiking. Other than the church this place is a ghost town. Meeting lots of fellow hikers, so I am surprised I do not company at the moment. I am also surprised how well my feet and legs are doing, nothing major is a problem,…
Pack is packed, hiking clothing is on, the mini adventure is about to start. Not particularly happy with how the pack is configured, but it is carrying my trekking poles inside and 4 liters of water. That might be over-kill considering the storm we recently had, but at least I know it’s lovely filtered pure water that doesn’t need treating. I had a great final weekend, just chilling and trying to not think about bailing out before starting. It’s all…
They say that just getting started on a task is half the battle. No more true than getting to a trailhead. I have a combination of car, bus and trolley just to get to Campo and the start of stage one of the greatest adventure. I am writing this on my Kindle, a final test for using it to update the blog and report a location on a map. Now, if only I could relax and enjoy the final few…
There is no end to last minute changes. This time I’ve come up with a system for holding my pot/stove together as well as the dual function of an eating vessel and separate coffee mug. Though not completely self-contained. It is missing a twist lock lid and the coffee filter but I’ll store those in my sundries bag. I suspect the coffee filter may not always be cleaned out prior to breaking camp (it might require washing out away from…
One final week of electricity, flushing toilets, down pillows and hot morning showers. A few final things to do; like selling off my car and moving to a world without computers (albeit I’ll have my Kindle 3G). Crunch time, game time, party time, all systems are a go. It’s time to hike. I have been thinking about some ideas of challenges to do to prevent bordom: a 40 mile day a 200 mile week be a mute for a week…