Kennedy Meadows!

 

We hit both the 600 and 700 mile markers on the way to Kennedy Meadows. The miles are starting to fly by and my daily average has increased to around 25 miles a day. I also hit my first 30 mile day going into town. Feeling great! 

Kennedy Meadows town is a major milestone for the PCT thru-hiker. It marks the doorstep to the Sierras and is just over a quarter of the way into the entire trail. 

The trail angel named Tom who lives in Kennedy Meadows and puts hikers up for however long they like to stay is not given enough credit! His place was my favorite stop yet and I heard almost nothing about it before arriving.

I only meant to spend one full day at Kennedy Meadows and ended up spending three. The last day a hiker named Sea King came in and celebrated his birthday by buying everyone beer. Like 300 dollars in beer.

We left for the Sierras that night.

 
 

 

 

Better lands

5/24

The hiking today was only marginally windy until I jumped over a saddle and was in a wonderful pine and oak forest.

I started hiking just after 7 am which is substantially later than when I started the trip. I guess it is cooler, but I am going to try and be hiking by 6:30 tomorrow so I can be more relaxed about my mileage. I did get 24 miles in before sunset though with some substantial breaks so I am feeling pretty  fit. 

I have started pre-taping my feet where blisters may occur and that has been working wonders so that I feel little foot pain at all besides general soreness.

My water system is breaking down and I am having my mom send out Aqua Mira for me to try in the Sierras. The problem is pretty simple, just a broken o-ring on a valve seal of my filter, but the problem has made me lose faith in its reliability. Aqua Mira and a couple plastic water bottles is much lighter than my double platypus setup I have going now anyways.

A picture of my broken o-ring next to the male end of the valve.

I am having a really good time out here. The mountains never cease to amaze. I had three encounters with animals today and all were interesting. I snuck up on a young buck by pretending to feed on all fours and got very close to it before it headed down a side path. I also had two encounters with cattle. One where they stampeded away from me causing a big ruckus, and another where they stood their ground and looked like they were angry at me. I went around the second group. 

Camping couldn't be better either. Here's the view.

 

 

Rattler Alert

That there is a rattler in full coil. I got within six inches of stepping on it because I was distracted looking up at a ridge to see if my friends were catching up with me on the trail. 

These things really get your blood pumping. 

 

5/23

5/23

Some really beautiful country out here...

 Did my sarcasm get through?? The burn areas coupled with the ridiculous winds made today's miles a mental challenge. The physical aspect was all in place however and my body took me where I wanted to go. I am already in bed again and it's only 7:15 pm... I guess I could either put in more miles or take it slower during the days to get to bed closer to sunset, but I'm happy where I am at the moment...

Which is camped on the trail. It was the only flat spot out of the wind. I also don't think there will be any hikers coming up behind me tonight but it's definitely not polite (or allowed?) to give up hiking and just lay down on the trail. Oh well! Should make for an early morning. Can't wait to leave this wind behind. It's so loud and abrasive I can't even think properly.

-Luke 

 

Electronics bag!

I had a question about what electronics I was carrying so I thought I could go over it as I hide from the wind in my quilt and bivy. 

I thought a lot about my electronics as I am a pretty digital yet I still wanted a low pack weight.

So a list:

iPod 160 gb classic

Anker 5600 mah battery 

iPhone 5 in lifeproof waterproof case

Charging chords for each device

Apple charging block

Princeton tec Remix headlamp with red and white bulbs

Spot messenger

Extra lithium batteries 

No camera?? That's right, I am using my phone as my camera and so far it has worked out great. I shoot with a canon dslr at home but I am not so much looking to shoot pretty pictures as I am looking to trigger memories later on. Going this route took some time to convince myself though.

So did leaving my kindle behind to save 7 ounces, but I haven't missed it much except for one night. I do have some books on my phone as well though.

My weakness in electronics is definitely music. My taste is slightly eclectic and my collection is large. I couldn't stand the thought of suddenly wanting to listen to a particular album that I like and not having it due to the small ( and expensive) storage of my phone. So ya my 160 gb iPod classic is almost fully loaded with I'd say 70% music and 30%  audio books. The audio books are great after hiking for 8 hours straight when I need to get my mind off of some pain or discomfort I am feeling. Only ever put one earbud in!! gotta hear the rattlers. Currently listening to Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut and liking it just as much as when I first read it. I am using klipsch s4 ear buds (or in ear monitors) and reallllly like them. They are on sale for 40$ on amazon which may sound expense but they sound as good as some 200$ iem's... Again I really like to listen to music...

The Anker battery has been absolutely essential to recharge my gear. I haven't ever wanted more juice than I've had available. The 5600 was the right size for me. It easily lasts between resupplies and I am stretching it now as haven't charged anything from a wall outlet since I was at the Anderson's place over 5 days ago.

One reason why I use so much juice is that my phone is doubling as my water report and GPS at times when I have lost the trail. There are two apps, half miles app, and pcthyoh, that are absolutely awesome. Half miles app tells me where I am and pct hyoh (hyoh stands for hike your own hike) lets me cache the water reports so I can look at them without cell signal. It also does much more but haven't used it for much else yet.

The remix headlamp is great with 2 red settings and 2 super bright white settings, but check out black diamonds headlamps too as they can dim to any brightness you like.

The spot messenger has been good and I am really just carrying it for the mapping feature on my website. There was a multiple day period where my signal said it went through when it didn't . From what I've heard this is typical.

That's almost it, I am using the apple wall charger that I'd say 80% of hikers are also using, however, I bought a charger on amazon with two USB ports which I didn't carry because it may have been a half ounce heavier than the apple one. It would really speed charging times up for multiple devices, so look into it if you are planning a hike.

Any questions are welcome.

-Luke

 

Tehachapi!!

Today we hiked through the wind farm in tehachapi and I experienced 8 miles of the strongest winds I have ever felt. When it was to my back the wind pushed me up the hills and when it was in my face it made leaning in to downhills possible. 

After coming down through the wind farm to highway 58 I resupplied in the town of Mojave only to come back into the ridiculous winds of the Tehachapi valley. I am camped out in a juniper tree that blocks the wind nicely... Well not quite as nicely as I would like, but nicely enough.
 

It was just too windy to safely cook so I had to be creative. My dinner was an amalgamation of flaming hot Cheetos, an avocado, some Idahoan potato flakes, a tuna packet, olive oil and hot sauce. It wasn't as good as I expected it to be.

Kennedy Meadows and the Sierras are on everyone's minds. We've almost beat the desert!! 

-Luke

 

500 miles!

Made it to 500 miles on the PCT. it was a great day of hiking with really gentle slopes and some beautiful mixed oak.

It was probably the best day of hiking of the whole trip and made me feel really grateful to be on the trip. Put in an easy 24 miles and woke up this morning to put in 7 to get to hiker town. It's a pretty interesting place.... Might have more on that later.

-Luke

http://hike4hope.org

 

 

Casa de Luna

 

5/17/13

Two of the best trail angel experiences are located 24 miles from each other. I left the Saufley's late afternoon yesterday and put in 17 miles before camping and heading on into the Anderson's today on a short 7 mile day.

Truck bed hitch into Casa de Luna with Sexy Legs. 

 

Wildcat in the required Hawain attire.

The 2013 pct hikers have been sponsored by Starbucks via so we get A LOT OF IT for free.

It's sexy legs birthday at midnight tonight! Looking forward to celebrating.

 
 

 

The past 4 days

I ended up zeroing in wrightwood which was a really good decision. We figured it'd take 5 days to hike the 86 miles to the next stop (Agua dulce) but it ended up only taking 4 and I am sitting in front of a beer waiting for a burger at the moment.

Day 1 leaving wrightwood Drama got iced at 7:30 in the morning before summiting mt. Baden Powell.

3 hours and 3000 feet later we were at the summit and Casey and Colin were getting shots for the documentary they are filming.

I hiked out some really good food too. Well worth being called chef Emerald for the fresh veggies.

 I hiked 26.5 miles yesterday which is my first marathon day. It felt great because I started the day with no real goal mileage wise and just ended up hiking that far. 

Team Lone Pine is hiking separately now as drama is meeting his girl friend and Colin and Casey have been preferring a night schedule. Lots of hikers here at "hiker heaven", or the Saufley's.
 

 
 
-Luke 

http://hike4hope.org
 

 

Happy Mothers Day!!

 

Random photos

Unexpected angels at McDonalds

5/9

Yesterday saw one of the most concerted efforts to achieve miles yet. We had 24 miles to get to the McDonalds at highway 15 and nothing was going to stop us.

It was a hard day but well worth the effort. The hiking speed was at 3 mph all day with some breaks and my feet really felt it when I was done. I wasn't that tired though and oddly enough I wasn't even that hungry but I was sure the hiker hunger would kick in after the first course of Micky dees. 

But I only ate one course.

Weeds had told us of potential trail angels but we really had no idea what we were getting into when Rebecca showed up and we eight hikers piled into the back of her hatchback Kia packs and all.

Luckily I was in the front seat (with weeds on my lap), and the only one in a seatbelt! Mind you this was by far the most dangerous thing I've done while hiking the pct. 

The trail angel's house was absurd. Hot tub, pool, showers, ping pong, tv, beer and other goodies, and so much food!! Veggies and fruits galore And garlic bread too. 

The next morning we drove back (same seats) and hiked on. 

We did 14 tough miles and gained about 5000 feet. Tomorrow we climb to 9000 and then it is a short hitch into wrightwood to spend the night and get some food. It's only about 13 miles so it shouldn't be too tough.

 

 

Chevron resupply

 

5/8

This is the shock that comes with a clean bathroom.

 

300!

5/7

We reached 300 miles today and are all feeling good. My plantar pain has been pretty much non-existent since leaving big bear. Yesterday but not today Casey and Ryan were having ankle and plantar pain, respectively. Here they are checking the map just 100 yards shy of where we decided to camp tonight at mile 318.

We also passed a natural hot springs this morning about 10 miles into our 20 mile day. We stopped for a few hours there and enjoyed switching from the really hot water to the frigid creek water. 

It was a beautiful day and tomorrow we are trying to put in 24 miles so we can make it to a McDonalds near the trail. 

Tarp is pitched again because of weather in the area but today was dry and clouds partially blocked the sun all day on a stretch that weeds called one of the hottest of the trail.

Feeling good.

-Luke

http://hike4hope.org

 

 

First rain, Team Lone Pine

5/6

Team Lone Pine was born yesterday when matching visors were found in a hiker box. 

We've hiked together for 32 miles now and it really helps keep things moving when we are constantly joking around.

Last night a cold front moved in to the area and we got the first real rain of the trip with a lot of wind. I made the mistake of pitching my tarp too high and it caught a lot of wind. Had to adjust the pitch 3 times in the middle of the night, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to learn more about pitching the A frame in windy conditions before I got to more demanding circumstances. Next time I'll pitch it super low to the ground.

The next day, today, it rained almost nonstop but somehow we managed to put 22 miles in before coming to an amazing shelter that none of us were expecting. 

 

There we met Weeds a hiker who attempted the trail last year but had to be evacuated from the Sierras when she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke at high altitude. Needless to say it was awesome to see her back out here.

Weeds, Colin, and Casey in Splinter's cabin shelter left to right. 

It's supposed to keep raining. My rain jacket is working great and hopefully it will be less relentless tomorrow. If I wasn't hiking in a group it would be really easy to let the morale fall in this weather.

Matt is at Big Bear now so he is quickly catching up and we might expect to be hiking with him again come wrightwood where all of us are planning on taking the first full zero of the trip. Actually. I think I'm going to zero this time.

On the donation front, Hike for Hope has reached the preliminary goal of $2,650 due to a lot of generous contributions. The goal will be increased soon, but in the mean time donations will still go through just fine.

-Luke

http://hike4hope.org

P.s. A big congratulations goes out to my sister who has decided to study at Chapman University next year. You rock, Ellie!!

 

 

 

 

Big bear

Well I changed my mind and spent the night in Big Bear. A couple friends were all going in at the same time and it felt right to rest my feet a little bit before pushing on. 

Me, Colin and Casey sitting by the freeway waiting for a ride.

 

Casey's friend picked us up with beer and pizza on board and drove us into town where we stayed at a trail angels house who served us Chinese food for dinner and French toast for breakfast. Time to hit the trail again now.

 

San Bernadino National Forest

I forget to mention I got some new shoes while staying with ziggy and bear. There were some issues with my shoes that would only have become obvious by walking in desert sand. 

My new shoes are so comfy but are a little too big around the ankle and I am getting a frustrated plantar fascia which is something that I am now focusing on as far as injury prevention goes. (My IT band tightness has largely been resolved due to stretching).

I am in a pine forest! That's so refreshing... But it should be back to desert tomorrow afternoon. 

The past few days has been an 8000 foot climb or something like that. I don't have my elevation profile to remind me of the exact footage of my prior misery. It was all good though. Pretty enjoyable really. My highlight of the past 55 miles was definitely yesterday because after gaining elevation in hot desert scrub, all day, while crossing whitewater creek a total of 23 times I came to an oak grove where monk was starting a camp fire and playing his didgeridoo. It was 5 miles before I was going to stop to camp but couldn't pass it up.

 

The 15 miles I walked that day was countered by the 23 I did today. If my heal pain cools down I think this section would be an amazing place to get my first 30 in.

Most hikers go out to a town named Big Bear tomorrow but once again I am skipping a resupply spot to stay on the trail more. I have about 120 miles til I get out to my resupply spot, so this is the longest planned resupply of the trip. That climb was hard!! Wouldn't skip Big Bear again!

Also I passed a place called Predators in Action around mile 250 (oh yeah! 250 miles!). They train predators of the wild to act in motion pictures. Woah!

Obviously horrible pictures but it was like being at a private zoo.

 

 

Ziggy and the Bear

5/1

Yesterday morning, camped 15 miles into a 20 mile waterless stretch, I awoke to find that my final liter of water had drained out of my hydration bladder and out under my sleeping pad because I was laying on the bite valve. This was about 5:30 am and by 7:00 it was already 90 degrees. Those were the longest 5 miles of the trip yet, but I did make it to water just fine. I then crossed a flat section of desert with winds practically blowing me over while singing yellow submarine as loud as I could. Clearly on the edge of my sanity. Underneath highway 10, however, there was some trail magic and a couple of ice cold beers did me right to walk the final mile to Ziggy and the Bears hiker house.

I helped The Bear of the Ziggy and the Bear's hiker house just north of Mt. San Jacinto pick up hiker packages.

Monk playing his collapsible didgeridoo out back of Ziggy and the Bear's place.

The view from my spot on the carpet.

 
And finally an extra care package from a friend from college, Matt.