Here's an article about some Trail Angels we know from Skyomish.  Bob and I have driven a few hikers up to their place after a stop over in Seattle with us.

http://www.monroemonitor.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=27&ArticleID=4025

Bob was able to get a bus to Reno and had dinner with my niece Eileen and her husband Art, and baby Georgia.  Thanks Pinky and Artie for meeting Bob!  After that he got a greyhound bus for Seattle, which ended up being the bus trip from hell.  The bus broke down just outside of Sacramento and they had to wait for a replacement bus for hours in the heat.  Greyhound left them not knowing what the plan was for them.  Finally another bus came, took them to Sacramento but by then Bob had missed his connection.  He was able to get the next bus to Seattle, which got him here the next day at 5PM.  The driver on the second bus Bob ended up calling Captain Bligh (not to his face as he would have been left at the side of the road in the middle of no where!).  Captain Bligh did not allow talking, cell phone use or even texting.  He yelled at Bob for trying to text me because of the keyboard clicks!!  - which Bob did not know how to turn off. The driver stopped the bus and said he would start again when Bob stopped texting!  They were also not allowed to take off their shoes on the bus!  Bob was very happy to get off that bus! 

He arrived home in time for my birthday party on July 21st (just in time!), spent a couple of weeks resting and is now back to taking long hikes in Seattle. He was rested enough to do a 2 day backpack trip with his daugher Julie and her family last weekend and had a great time!

With the 850 miles Bob just completed of the Pacific Crest Trail, and the 2200 miles he and I had already done, he just has 160 miles left from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite to complete the entire trail.  Looks like we will be making a trip to California sometime soon to finish off the trail - maybe the end of this summer of next summer.
Mary

Bob called this morning to say he has had a great and long hike and is coming home.  He did 850 miles and feels really good about doing that much of the trail.  He has had lots of great experiences, which I am sure he will write about on the blog when he is back.  This last section has been beautiful and he is glad he got to do it.  He has a list of reasons to stop hiking: 850 miles is enough;  his backpack keeps breaking; he is having to carry so much food in this section that the pack is too heavy for him; his knee is hurting from the extra weight. 

His view from the shuttle during his ride to Bishop:

He got a ride into Bishop California where he will get a bus to Reno tomorrow morning.  We hope to make him a plane reservation home either tomorrow or Saturday.  If not, he will go greyhound. 

Best part for me is that he will be home for my birthday!!
Mary

To put Bob's hike in perspective, here are some facts about the Pacific Crest Trail:

Elevation Gain: 314,711 feet yes over the course of the PCT you climb 314,711 vertical feet! That’s a lot of up hill climbing.
Lowest Point: Cascade Locks, Oregon (140 feet)
Highest Point: Forester Pass, California (13,153 feet)
California Length: 1,698.8 Miles
Oregon Length: 456.8 Miles
Washington Length: 499.8 Miles
California Elevation Gain:192,339 feet
Oregon Elevation Gain: 49,647 feet
Washington Elevation Gain: 72,725 feet


Here are some pictures from Forester Pass:

Bob left Lone Pine yesterday afternoon and is hiking near Mt. Whitney in a section that is the highest elevation along the entire PCT. He should be at Forester Pass tomorrow which is at 13131 feet - highest point on the trail.

His next food box is at Vermillion Valley Resort which is at mile 891.  He hopes to arrive here on July 22nd and Toulumne Meadows, in Yosemite, on July 26th - mile 957.  At this point he will have actually done the entire trail since he and I have done the trail from Toulumne to Canada. 

The backpack he was going to borrow did not arrive at the post office in Lone Pine so he has gone on with his backpack (armed with needle and thread) which he has repaired.  He also picked up his bear can at Lone Pine, which is required for the next few hundred miles.  The bears in Yosemite have gotten very clever at climbing trees and getting into food that has been hung. We have seen adult bears send their cubs up trees to throw down food that hikers have hung using the balance method - which works everywhere else.
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm

Lone Pine and view of Mt. Whitney

The Post Office in Lone Pine is not open until Monday so Bob is staying in a hostel with other hikers tonight and tomorrow night.  He met some guys who just climbed Mt. Whitney.  They have all been sharing equipment ideas, which seems to be common practice among long distance hikers.  They were fasinated with Bob's ultra-light air mattress (an REI purchase thanks to a gift card from sister Peggy!).  Bob will pick up his food box on Monday and then get back on the trail.

Bob called this evening from Lone Pine, CA which is at mile 738 on the PCT.  He has been hiking with his friend and fellow hiker, Thomas.  Thomas has loaned Bob a backpack since Bob's pack has failed.  They have had some great conversations about religion.  Thomas is a devout Christian and lives his religion through kindness to others. Thomas' support has really helped Bob to be successful the last couple of weeks.  He was starting to get discouraged and that is gone now because of Thomas' support.  Bob is excited to pick up his food box tomorrow and start hiking on to Mt. Whitney.  Here are a few pictures he sent today.

The hostel where Bob stayed yesterday is being shut down. Tom’s Kennedy Meadows Cyber Cafe, near Pacific Crest Trail mile 702, is being shut down by Tulare County officials. According to a recent Facebook posting, to remain open the Cyber Cafe would be required to obtain a business license, parking, restrooms, and make other changes. The Cyber Cafe, which runs on occasional hiker donations, is not able to make these improvements.The Kennedy Meadows General Store and the Forest Service Campground [2.5 miles to the north] will remain open.
Tom is have a sale of his vintage trailers. If interested, his contact information is at www.hikethepct-km.com.

This will be a loss for those through hiking the trail, since Tom has been a great supporter of hikers coming through Kennedy Meadows.  He helped Bob by giving him a place to stay, use of a computer and phone, and loaning him a backpack, since Bob's backpack is failing.  Thanks Tom for all your help!!

Bob made it to Kennedy Meadows last night (Tuesday, July 10th), which is at mile 695.  He stayed at another trail hostel today operated by a guy named Tom who lives across from the Kennedy Meadows General Store, where Bob picked up his food box.  This time he has too much food, so he will forward part of his box to Lone Pine Post Office which is at mile 738.  Having reached Kennedy Meadows, he has completed the Southen Califonia portion of the PCT, and is now doing the Central California portion of the trail.

He has been hiking with Thomas, another hiker who started the day after Bob started at the Mexican Border.  Thomas has been very supportive.

Bob was resting most of today since he hiked 30 miles yesterday.  It is also pretty hot.

Mary

Walker Pass is at mile 645.  Wow! I can't imagine hiking that many miles on one trek.  The most Bob and I have done in our section hiking is 240 miles which took us 19 days. This was the section from Donner Pass to Yosemite Valley and the first section we did.

Bob is off to Kennedy Meadows, which is at mile 695.  After that he will head into the High Sierras. The trail goes to 12,000 feet at several points and then to 13,000 feet at Forester Pass.

http://www.pcta.org/pdf/2011-PCT-Map-Brochure.pdf

Bob made it to Walker Pass but needed more food so he got a ride into Ridgcrest CA and is there today.  He is resupplying and then will have to find a ride back to the trail at Walker Pass.  He did go 11 miles out of the way yesterday, which was discouraging. He took the wrong trail, which is easy to do sometimes, where the trail is not marked well.  Thanks goodness for GPS! 

We are checking the Ridgecrest transit schedule for him today so he can take the bus back to the trail. 

Wampus Cat Trails

Sorry, was unable to download Wampus Cat picture but will do it later.  When Bob texted me this afternoon he was napping under a Joshua Tree and waiting out the heat.  He has been taking a nap during the hottest part of the day and hiking starting early in the morning and going late in the evening.  Everything is going very well.  No blisters!!!!!

Bob just sent this picture of wampas cat trails. Believe it or not the tale is that they are made by an animal whose legs on one side are shorter than the other side

Bob is at tehachapi pass and just picked up his food Stash. He has been hiking with another hiker who wanted to take a break today so iron man has gone on hiking! He is at mile 566 just heading up out of the desert

Bob is back on the trail and has met another guy he is hiking with all the way to Kennedy Meadows. Got a text from him tonight with this news. I'll have more news when I talk to him.

Today is the day that Craig will drive Bob to Mojave to pick up his food package and then drive to hide it along the trail near Tehachapi Pass.  They are also going to make a couple of water drops along the trail.  Then back to Hikertown so Bob can start hiking at the point on the trail where he stopped before his visit with Craig and Paula.  After this 35 mile section he is out of the desert and in the Tehachapi Mountains, which will be a lot cooler.

Bob with his cousin Craig and his wife Paula in Littlerock, CA.  He had a big breakfast of five large pancakes at Dennys. 

Bob is very happy that his cousin Craig is going to help him out in a way that will allow him to do the last 30 miles of the Mojave Desert, which he was very worried about.  It is hot and has less water than any other section.  Craig is going to drive with Bob to do some water drops so that he will know that there will be water without having to carry gallons of water.  They will hide it just off the trail.  Also, Craig is going to take him to pick up his food box in Mojave so he won't have to leave the trail to get it.  Bob was going to have to find a ride to the post office in Mojave, which is only open several hours a day and only weekdays.  Craigs help will make this section much easier.  Thanks Craig!!

Bob made it to the trail hostel (Hikertown).  He called his cousin Craig, who lives close by, and he was planning to come get Bob and take him to his house over night.  He will then take him back to the trail.  Good food, a shower and a visit with Craig will be nice.

Bob called this morning and was almost to Hikertown, another trail hostel which is at mile 518: http://mysite.verizon.net/resplj4y/welcometohikertownhostel/

He will stay there the rest of the day and then head across the rest of the Mojave on Saturday and Sunday.   He will travel north for a hot and dry hike across the San Andreas Fault Zone and western arm of the Mojave Desert before climbing into the Tehachapi Mountains, where the trail enters the Sierra Nevada. Yeah!!  Out of the heat.
 


http://www.pcta.org/pdf/2011-PCT-Map-Brochure.pdf

Sawmill Campgrounds

Bob just called and he is at Sawmill Campgrounds which is located at mile 490 on the Pacific Crest Trail.  He also sent some pictures of some interesting caves he saw on the trail today.

Paint your Wagon

Bob called around noon today. He is at mile 480 near Elizabeth Lake. He has been hiking with a guy in his fifties who goes by the trail name Paint Your Wagon. Not much water in this section which means Bob has been carrying two gallons. Result- repairs to his pack, which he was able to do and still have good mileage. 

Bob called at noon today and is at Elizbeth Lake - mile 480. He has been hiking with a guy in his fifties who goes by the trail name Paint Your Wagon. There isn't much water in this section so bob is carrying two gallons. Result- three repairs to his pack from the weight. Inspite of this he is still making good mileage. Paint Your Wagon has left for town and bob is continuing his hike.

Bob made it all the way to mile 454 tonight.  His motivation was another hiker hostel - Hiker Heaven at Agua Dulce: http://www.hikerheaven.com/

After an couple of hours of trail talk with a few other hikers and some good soup they had already prepared, he was going to bed in a comfortable bed tonight. 

Because the hostel is so well stocked with food, he thinks he will be able to start hiking earlier Wednesday morning since he won't have to wait for the local grocery store to open. 

He said it has been hot, but there has been a good wind, which has made it tolerable.

http://www.pcta.org/pdf/2011-PCT-Map-Brochure.pdf

Mary

Correction: He was at Soledad Canyon Road, near Agua Dulce, CA - not Soledad, CA which is much farther north in California.

The sunrise Bob saw this morning when he started hiking at 4:45 AM.  He said he was at mile 426. 
He just called (12:30) and is at Soledad, which is mile 437.  He was going to sit in the shade for a while to wait out the heat of midday. 

Bob just called and is doing great!  He is at Mill Creek Summit Ranger Station, mile 412.3  Since we hiked that section in 2007 I know exactly where he is and what the trail looks like there.  When we did it in April 2007 we started in very hot weather and camped the first night at Messanger Flats Campgrounds.  We woke up to several inches of snow!  We then hiked through slush to Palmdale to a warm bed and then back to the trail the next day after the snow had melted.  Hopefully, he won't have to deal with snow this time of the year.

He was sitting on a ridge when he called and could see the Antelop Valley Freeway below about 20 miles away.  That is one of the unusual aspects of the PCT in Southern California.  It is closer to urban areas, than it is in the Sierras and Cascades.  This is a good thing since water scarce in this section.

Here is a picture he took last night of a beautiful sunset.

 Trail at Mill Creek Ranger Station

 


http://www.pcta.org/pdf/2011-PCT-Map-Brochure.pdf

Bob left me a voicemail message tonight saying he is at mile 370.7.  That means he has hiked thirty miles since yesterday afternoon!!  He is at Vincent Gap at Highway 2, elevation 6579.  On the map he is near Mt. Baden in the Sheep Mt. Wilderness in the Angeles National Forest. He sounded great!


http://www.pcta.org/pdf/2011-PCT-Map-Brochure.pdf

Bob left the Best Western at Cajon Pass today and is on the trail again.  He said it was only 77 degrees today so he was able to hike through the afternoon instead of sitting out the heat in the shade. 

Bob made it to mile post 340 and the Best Western Motel at Cajon Pass. He called me from McDonalds where he bought himself a giant, refillable drink. He picked up his food box and then went to relax in his room. He is starting a section tomorrow that we did a few years ago. It crosses the good old Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. He sent pictures tonight from the section he just completed.  I also included two pictures of the railroad tracks from when we did the section.  He will cross them right after he starts in the morning and then go through a tunnel where the trail goes under the freeway.

Bob called tonight from where he is camping along the trail at mile 320.  He has had to carry a lot of water since some of the water sources in this section are low.  A ranger gave him a whole gallon today. The ranger had 18 gallons for his trail crew and said they wouldn't need it all.

Tomorrow Bob will hike the 20 miles to Cajon Pass and a comfortable bed at the Best Western Hotel!  He picks up his next food box there.

Mary

The first picture Bob took near Big Bear Lake.  The guy with the red Jeep operates a trail hostel in Big Bear. He picked Bob up at the trail, took him to the grocery store to shop, let him do some cooking in their kitchen and gave him a bed for the night - then a ride back to the trail in the morning!

If you click on this link you can follow Bob's journey along the trail.  He was at Big Bear Lake last night.

http://www.pcta.org/pdf/2011-PCT-Map-Brochure.pdf

Bob called tonight from Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest.  He is at mile 266 and is very excited that he is making very good time without the burden of blisters! 

Here is a link for information on Big Bear Lake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bear_Lake,_California
Big Bear Lake was one of the filming locations for Daniel Boone, Disney's Old Yeller, the 1969 musical film Paint Your Wagon, the 1983 movie War Games, the opening to NBC's children's program HR Pufnstuf and the ending scene in Better Off Dead.

Bob said it was really windy this afternoon, but not too hot so the hiking was great.  He is going to send me a picture later of the wind, which I will post.
Mary

Bob is off on the trail again and hopes to get to Cajon Pass, at mile 340, on Friday.  He will be hiking in the mountains most of the time so, hopefully, it won't be as hot as it has been.  He plans to camp at the Whitewater River tonight at what sounds like a really good campsite.  He is doing great!!

He really enjoyed a very large bowl of ice cream last night at the trail house he stayed at.  The trail angels there were wonderful to him.  Ice cream, breakfast, computer access to print out maps, and epsom salts to soak his feet.

Bob is staying at a Hiker Hostel tonight: http://whitewaterhikerhouse.blogspot.com/

Here he is with Paul who lives right off the trail and welcomes hikers to his home.  It is at milepost 210.

A trail angel who lives by the PCT had oranges and cold drinks for all the hikers.  Also Bob got to soak his feet for a while in a wading pool! The first picture is taken from the trail.

Here is a picture Bob sent this morning from NE Fuller Ridge on the PCT.  He is doing one of the very hot sections of the trail.  He took the picture right before he made it to a water source - a faucet at a Desert Water Agency.

Bob called at 11AM and had just picked up his food for the trail.  He has new socks and insoles for his shoes, and is hoping for a hike that is blister free! 

Bob is back on the trail today!  Blisters healed.

Blisters better today!

Bob has been busy making bread in the microwave today!  Very creative. 

Not a bad view from the Apple Blossom Inn in Idyllwild!

The doctor said that if Bob rests for three more days and stays off his feet that he will should be ready to go on with the hike.  He told him to rent a room and air out his feet and change the bandages in a clean environment.  I found him a nice hotel called the Apple Blossom Inn in Idyllwild.  He says he has a suite with kitchen, cable tv and more - very comfortable!  The doctor also told him exactly what kind of socks are best for hiking in the heat.  He plans to get them before he hits the trail again.  Since he is in a town in the middle of no where, the luxury hotel is only costing him $50 a night.  Imagine that!!  It helps that he is a PCT hiker as they give a discount to hikers.

Bob is at the doctor this morning to get his feet checked and get the doctor's opinion on whether he should hike on them or not.  Will let you know the outcome.....

One more thing - He talked with Eric, who suggested he get a horse.  Not a bad idea - if only it weren't so complicated!

Bob is still in Idyllwild camping at the State Park.  His blisters are better today.  He may rest until Monday and then stop by the clinic again to have the doctor check his feet. If he is good enough to hike, on Monday he will go on to Whitewater (about 25-30 miles on PCT).  He has a food package at Whitewater Trail House waiting for him. 

He had a weird experience last night at the campground.  He was talking to me at 8:30PM and some guy confronted him for talking on the phone.  We think he was under the influence of something since it was unusual behavior.  He has moved to another campground so I don't worry!
Later

Bob is in Idyllwild tonight relaxing in an A-Frame he rented at a resort.  He has bad blisters and is resting them for a couple of days.  Idyllwild is at the 180 milepost on the PCT.  He talked to someone on the trail who said that the heat and sandy trail are a bad combination for making blisters.  It is usually me that gets the bad blisters, not Bob.  Hope they are better soon.

When Bob called this afternoon he was at the 155 mile post.  It has not been too hot - some wind and drizzle today made it a lot cooler for him while hiking.  There was a mix up on his food box that we mailed to the Pink Hotel in Whitewater.  He found out from someone on the trail that it recently closed.  I was able to call a trail angel in Whitewater who went to the post office and got his box for him.  He is holding it until Bob gets there in a couple of days.  Thanks to Paul Miller in Whitewater, CA!!  Paul and his wife have a place where hikers can stay over night, take a shower, do laundry, etc. 

Bob called today with good phone reception so we were able to talk for a while.  He is at the 100 mile mark on the trail and doing well.  He had an interesting experience near the border a few days ago the night he started.  He kept seeing a light up ahead on the trail that was moving up and down. About an hour later he stopped for a break and was approached by a border patrol agent.  I guess there were four of them with a dog that had been following him for over an hour.  The agent asked him to stick around for a few minutes so they could show the dog he had done a good job.  They also checked the tread on his shoes to make sure he was indeed the person they had been following.  Bet they were a bit disappointed that he was an old white guy, instead of who they thought he was!! 

He met a couple on the trail that are hiking to Northern California.  They are going about the same speed, so they decided to hike together and watch out for each other.  Three is always better than one!  That is good news to all of us, I am sure! 

Bob has been doing well. He called this morning from his first food drop at Mt. Laguna, which is 42.5 miles in from the border.  So far he has way too much food, but he may need it during the next section. The hiking is going well -  no rattlesnake sightings so far; weather is not too hot; and, his sleeping bag and pad are working out really well.  He has been having to pay close attention to maps, GPS, and guidebook as the trail is sometimes not marked well in this section, especially where the PCT intersects other trails.
Later,

Mary

Bob sent a text tonight with a couple of pictures of him at the Mexican Border.  He called a few minutes later, after he had begun hiking, to tell me about his trip from the airport to Campo (border and PCT trailhead).  He had to take a couple of buses to get from San Diego airport to Campo, which worked well, other than the second bus driver taking a long break halfway through the route.  Oh well, he finally got to the border at 6:30 PM and was excited to start his long adventure.

Mary

Well, he was off this morning very early. Part of his preparation was to remove all facial hair and shave his head.  I have never seen him without a beard, but I am sure it will be very long when he finishes! He walked to the lightrail downtown to get to the airport.  I offered a ride, but he wants to do it all on public transportation and, of course, walking.  He will begin his hike from the Mexican Border later this afternoon.  More to come later.....  Mary