Day 19
May 7
mile 255.1-266
10.9 miles into Big Bear

At 5:30 in the morning, it was 32.7 degrees- too cold to get up. I fell asleep and woke up abruptly at 6:30, feeling I had really overslept! It was still only 33 degrees. I searched my food bag for my poptarts and couldn’t find them! They were missing! How could that be? I tried biting into a power bar, but it was frozen. I packed up, put on all of my clothes, and then tried to break down my tent. My hands were frozen and pulling the stakes out of the ground was incredibly difficult. I kept telling myself that this state of discomfort was only temporary. I had 11 miles to reach the highway to hitch into Big Bear, and then I could get warm. A couple of miles away, I found the Swedes and Corey and Mountain Man sitting around a campfire.

It would have been so nice to stay there last night, but it was a bit too far for me. I joined them for a couple of minutes while they ate their breakfast and Robin thawed out his frozen water. He was antsy to get going, but needed to pull Rasmus away from the fire.
During the climbs, my body heated up and I stopped to peel off some layers. The Swedes passed by, but I caught up to them again when they had to attend to their newly formed blisters from wearing their warm sleeping socks while walking. I had learned that lesson on the AT… I couldn’t seem to keep warm enough on the flats and descents and my nose kept running. Then, it started to hail again.
When the Swedes passed me again, I said that maybe if we were close enough, we could get a ride into town together. Their pace was much quicker than mine, however, and I found it too stressful to keep up. I sat down on a rock and gave up on the idea of hitching with them. (I had to remember I was absolutely fine on my own).

When the road finally came into sight, I saw a white truck sitting there. Then, I saw the Swedes pacing back and forth! Maybe they were waiting for me! I quickened my pace. When I was withing a couple of minutes of reaching the road, they jumped into the truck and it sped off! Nooo!
Oh, well… Maybe they didn’t see me after all. I walked across the road and dropped my pack on the gravel. It was sleeting. I stuck out my thumb and every car that passed by ignored me. Then, the sleet turned to hail. I wish I was better at hitching! Finally, a car turned around from the other direction and the driver told me that he usually doesn’t pick up hitchhikers, but something in his gut told him to pick me up. He told me that you have to listen to that feeling when it happens. I was so thankful!!
They dropped me off at the Nature’s Inn. The owner wasn’t around and the housekeeper wasn’t sure what room was available. I left my pack in the office and headed to Thelma’s, which turned out to be quite a distance away! That didn’t make me so happy. It was still extremely cold out and I was all bundled up. However, when I sat down and they said I could still order breakfast (at 1pm), everything was okay! Andrew and Ted came in and sat at the counter. They barely acknowledged me, which was a bit disappointing. A local started chatting with me instead, which was fine by me! I asked him if this cold weather was typical here in May. He said it was.
For the rest of the day, I couldn’t get my body temperature to regulate and my nose wouldn’t stop running! The freezing cold weather had made me sick! I wasn’t even three weeks into my hike! I took a shower, started rinsing the dirt out of my clothing, and started to sort through my resupply box. I also let my AT friend know that I was in Big Bear and tried to make some plans. He was not giving me much of a response, however!
I found a little place to eat near the laundromat and had a barbecue chicken sandwich and tea for dinner. I was still feeling very cold and sick. Again, I chatted with the locals and met the guy who invented mountain bikes! Then, I went over to the laundromat to wash my clothes. The news was on and I learned that they had found the missing men! They were where I suspected they would be- on a different side of the mountain they had climbed. They were all in very good health and spirits and I found it quite stunning that I was the only one to have a cold when I had a sleeping bag and warm clothes and they were out in T-shirts and shorts! I returned to my room, tried to let the irritation of getting no response from my upcoming visitor go, and filled up the bathtub with hot water and bubbles. I hoped a night of sleep would help my body recover.

Several hours later, I heard Muk Muk’s laugh on the porch! She and UB had made it in.

Day 18
May 6
mile 233.1-255.1
22 miles

I heard Half Slow walk by, talking to himself, while I was still in my tent. It was a cold morning, so I felt no rush to get up and get moving. I broke down my tent after eating breakfast and made my way out of the gully and back up onto the trail at 7:00. By 7:51, it was still only 43 degrees out!
Soon, I entered into the San Bernadino mountains as fog enveloped the atmosphere. A storm was coming through!



I walked by a campsite in the forest with an eerie blue tarp left behind and then up ahead, saw a yellow cone with a sign warning us to stay away from that particular plant- poodle dog bush! I would have to be careful in not allowing this highly poisonous plant to brush up against my skin or clothing.
Two guys were still in their campsite with their tent set up when I passed by at mid-morning. I assumed they must not be thru-hikers with such a late start. I asked them if the creek was nearby and they assured me it was up ahead. I needed to fill up on water. It was so cold that it was almost painful to sit there and squeeze the cold water through the filter and into my water bottles. I heard some male voices come down the hill and as they neared me, they asked if I had seen three guys in their 40’s wearing T-shirts and shorts. “Is someone missing?” I asked before realizing how obvious that question was. They said they were and were not prepared to be out here overnight. Unfortunately, I couldn’t offer them any leads. I climbed up the mountain and several miles later saw a search and rescue truck. Then, a man on a horse came towards me. He was very laid-back and after asking me if I was hiking the PCT and where I was from, seemed more interested in chatting with me than heading out to find the missing hikers!

He told me they had climbed San Gorgonio Mountain (the highest mountain in Southern California) which was off of the PCT. The smoker in the group decided to turn around and go back and when the others didn’t turn up at the truck the next morning, he called for help.
Corey and Mountain Man passed by when I was chatting. I caught up to them when they took a break on the side of the trail and decided I needed a break, too! It had only warmed up to 55 degrees. We agreed that it was a good motivator to keep moving. Before long, it started to sleet, the temperature dropped even more, and then it started to hail! I put on all of my layers, including my hat, 2 hoods, and gloves. Still, I was cold!

I really liked being in the San Bernadino mountains, even though I missed out on most of the views because of the clouds.
One of the plants was particularly fragrant in this area, which I later realized was the poodle dog bush! As hard as I tried, I couldn’t avoid it touching me.

Before I even reached the sign for “Predators in Action”, I already was experiencing an eerie feeling in my body.

I stood in front of the cages with warning signs all over them, feeling so sorry for these large animals- bears and tigers, mostly- that were wasting their lives away, sitting and lying down in contained spaces. And what for? I didn’t know if someone was going to come out and yell out me to go away, but it was hard not to stand there and observe these animals. Finally, I pulled myself away and headed back to the trail and trees.

I allowed myself the treat of listening to Serena Ryder and Ray LaMontagne, knowing that it was too cold for the rattlesnakes to be out. I really enjoyed this music. And I thought a lot about my upcoming visit, wondering what it would be like.

I met back up with Corey and Mountain Man (also from Redding, CA!) at the water cache.
“Do they use the word ‘bubble’ to describe a mass of hikers in one area?”, I asked them.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that word used a couple of times before,” one of them said.
“What’s the opposite of a bubble?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, we’re in it because you 2 are the only ones I’ve seen all day!”
I cooked my pasta, ate, then packed up and moved on. I passed by some nice camping spots, but it was a bit too early to stop. Of course, when it was starting to get dark, I didn’t see anything! As the sun set, I reached a forest service dirt road with a flat spot next to it. Good enough! I figured no one would be driving on this road. I set up my tent (bending and breaking several of my stakes!), and dozed off to sleep after 8. The temperature had rapidly dropped and it was now in the low 40s. I needed to put my sleeping bag liner over my whole head to start to warm up. I wondered how the missing hikers in their t-shirts and shorts were getting through this.
A couple of hours of later in the pitch dark, a vehicle came up the road. It stopped across from my tent and a headlight started towards me! It was all happening so fast and I was just coming out of sleep. I didn’t have much time to feel scared, but my heart was beating fast as I tried to figure out what was happening.
“Hi there,” a man called out.
“Hi.”
“Have you seen…?”
“Three men in their 40′s? No.”
“Oh, they already asked you.”
I told him they probably got cold and took a different route off the mountain, which was quite a distance from where I was now!
“Oh, that’s over by…”
“Yes.”
He turned around and called back, “Thanks, guys!”
Thanks, girl, you mean… I’m a girl, all by myself, camping by a road…
It was freezing cold all night long. I heard helicopters flying overhead most of the night.

Day 17
May 5
mile 210.8-233.1
22.3 miles

I was one of the first people to get up at 5:15. We had another exposed climb today so it was important to get moving early. I had frosted cereal squares, a banana, and coffee for breakfast. Affter Marijke woke up, (she and Werewolf had come in late the night before) she called me over. “We were going to tease you in Idyllwild,” she said.
“Why?” I asked. She said that the guy in the outdoor store was so obviously hitting on me, but I kept deflecting it. At first I thought she meant the guy hanging out who wanted a date, but she was talking about the one who worked there! Marijke said he was trying so hard, but I just kept shooting it down. I was completely clueless! I told her that never happens to me so my natural reaction is to dismiss it. She also told me that B-Rad is now wearing my ragged western hat that I left in the hiker box. He couldn’t understand why anyone would want to give such a good hat away! One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! I was glad it was being put to good use.
I started to pack up and took a couple of photos with Caroline and ‘The Bear.’

Then, it was time to head for the hills! Lots of people had left in a short time frame and I yearned for my own space- if not for any other reason, so I could at least pee somewhere in this very open landscape!

Half-Slow returned, looking for his pole tip, and Anastasia and Archie caught up to me. Finally, I was able to find a space to myself in some bushes and threw my hiking poles down. Unfortunately, they landed in the tiny needles of a plant and were now covered in them! I was amused because I had heard about this happening to other hikers in previous years and I still did the same thing! I guess we all have to experience these things for ourselves!
Caroline and I ended up climbing the last part of the hill together. As we were nearing the top (which had come much sooner than I expected), Half Slow started shouting up to her. “Caroline!…Wait up!… I promise I’ll make it worth your while!” We were both annoyed and I told her I didn’t want to wait. I started the descent and eventually Half Slow passed by. Caroline caught up to me when I was having a snack break. She was not happy at all! She told me that he had asked her what kind of sleeping pad she had and that she exploded back at him saying that she had just climbed a big hill, was having PMS, and that she was not at all in the mood to talk gear! He then pulled out her inflatable sleeping pad that had fallen off of her pack, which he had picked up. We both wondered why he couldn’t have just told her he had something of hers to begin with. This wasn’t the first interaction of the sort that we had each had with him. She continued on ahead of me, blowing off some steam by flinging dried (cow )?) poop off the trail with her hiking poles. Another woman hiker was just slightly ahead of her. The wind was picking up and this time bringing cooler air with it, which felt wonderful! I felt like I could finally enjoy the views now that I wasn’t baking under the hot sun!
Archie and Anastasia caught up to me as I was taking a short break on top of a ridge and then later on, when I had lunch at a beautiful river. This was an incredible sight in the middle of the desert!

I had a bit of trouble finding the trail after crossing a couple of the tributaries and ended up getting my feet wet. Knowing that this would be a common occurrence in the Sierras, I just thought of it as a preview. Again, the trail started to climb. Dark clouds rolled in and the wind picked up strongly. It was the strongest wind I had encountered on the trail and I wondered if it was a smart thing to be climbing to a higher elevation at that time. I had to dig my poles into the sand and bend my body towards the ground to avoid being blown over. I wondered how Anastasia and Archie were faring in it.

As I descended, the weather calmed. I reached another creek where I needed to collect water and looked around for a good place to do so. I found Jamie, her husband, and their two Alaskan Huskeys resting under a tree and found my own spot to snack.

The girls came along a bit later and talked about the possibility of doing their first 20 mile day today. They told me that I had given them good advice- that if they took several breaks, it became something possible to do! I felt proud and happy for them.
I moved on and as I became tired, I decided to listen to some music for the first time on the trail. It’s not advisable to have headphones on in the desert because you won’t be able to hear rattlesnakes, but I felt like it was now a safe time of day. A little Michael Jackson in the desert turned out to be quite fun! (Unfortunately, I realized that all of the music I had meant to transfer onto my iphone for my hike was still on my computer back home! So, I was stuck with a very limited selection out here). Half Slow was in the same area and wanted me to tell him what mile I was at with the App on my phone. I wondered why he couldn’t figure that out for himself! (It takes time for the GPS to work…) I got a bit lost again soon after, but finally started the last climb of the day. I found a nice spot to rest and contemplated stopping there for the night. I was hoping the girls would come by so I could give them a congratulatory treat for their first 20 mile day, but they weren’t coming. I decided to get a little more distance in with the remaining light.
After passing Half Slow’s tent, I saw a wide gully beneath the trail and decided I could set up my tent down in it. There was still plenty of light out so I was able to take my time and watch the sky change as dusk fell.

Today was a good day.

Day 16
May 4
mile 194.5-210.8
16.3 miles

I woke up to an amazing sunrise and thought about how lucky I was to find this spot to sleep!

As I sat in my sleeping bag, preparing for the morning, the group of three from Redding passed by. I guess they got tired, too! I got up to pee and pack my things and then heard voices below me! What?! I looked down to see three guys standing around with their tents still up! I wondered if they had seen me peeing…! Since I got in so late last night, I couldn’t see anything and they, of course, were already asleep!
I resumed the 23 mile descent (I had never heard of such a thing!), expecting to pass by their campsite, but never did. (I guess they had camped off trail). Prickly bushes had overgrown large portions of the trail, scratching and scraping me. Today would be a game of which would be the lesser of two evils- get scratched up or overheat from a more protective layer? The three guys passed me one by one, as I tried to step aside and make room for them on the very narrow trail. My mood was already sinking.

I noticed that the guys were bypassing the switchbacks and cutting down the hill. So that’s how people were doing bigger miles! I remained on the path and took my usual breaks as a couple more hikers caught up. This was going to be a slow day!

At some point, I came to a thin marker with a ‘200’ on it.

Reaching the 200 mile point took so much longer than the first 100 miles due to all the time I had spent off trail. It felt a bit disconcerting. Yard Sale, an 18 year old hiker, who I had seen in Idyllwild on the morning I had left, came down the mountain and let out a “whoop” as he brushed by this milestone. I thought we might be able to take pictures of each other, but I was left to my own. I guess it wasn’t that important. As I continued on, I kept looking for the “water fountain” down below that I heard Spoonman talking about. He said it taunted hikers as we descended the endless switchbacks in the sun. I struggled with my wish to take a nap under a rock that provided some bit of shade and wanting to get to my destination as soon as possible. I needed some rest, so I opted for a short nap. Since the rock was slanted and uncomfortable to lie on, it wasn’t hard to get up and continue on.

I finally found myself on the floor of the desert in front of the water fountain! There was a car parked nearby and my only concern was where I could pee without being seen! I collected and filtered water and headed across the road to find the trail. Once again, I got confused. I thought the trail crossed the road, but I couldn’t find where it reconnected. The car slowly pulled up and the man inside asked if I was confused. He told me that the trail followed the road for awhile and then cut across several more miles of dusty desert. He said the group of three was probably in the middle of that section now. He gave me a mini-geology lesson and told me to kick dirt into a sidewinder’s eyes if I saw one. “Sidewinder? What’s that?” I asked. He couldn’t believe I didn’t know! He was also very dismayed that I had filtered the water I had collected from the fountain, as he said it was some of the most pure water that could be found in the country!
I walked down the road and eventually reached the flat section. However, the wind had kicked up and the sand was now several inches deep, making it extremely hard to move forward! A helicopter flew overhead and I saw a sign that said to stop and wait to proceed until helicopter activity was over. How long was I going to have wait in this burning sun and high wind?! I decided it was okay to proceed. I said hello to a man taking a break under his umbrella and continued on. My mood was growing worse. This deep sand was awful! Why hadn’t I heard about this? I thought about some people back home and wished they could see the conditions I was in. I hoped they knew that I wasn’t having fun! Once I reached a big tree that provided some shade, I went over to it and took a break. Soon, ants were swarming all over me! What other challenges were going to confront me?
I reached the I-10 underpass and found two hikers who were going by the name “Wild Boys” and their dog hanging out underneath it.

Some trail angels had left bottled water for PCT hikers, so I sat down and had one of those (much better than the boiling hot water in my bottles!). I then moved on at what felt like a snail’s pace. I had to stop to drink some of my hot water. Eventually, I started seeing signs to the trail angel’s house.

I made my way around to the back gate and opened the door. When I rounded the corner, I saw about 20 hikers lounging in a carpeted area under some raised tarps. I was so tired and grumpy! Caroline came up behind me and knocked off my hat. I was not yet in the mood to socialize! A guy that was working for the trail angels offered me a seat and said he would bring me a foot bath. I asked him if I could have a cold one and he knew I had read the website that he had written! Ziggy likes everyone to have warm foot baths so she was not happy about him putting ice in mine! After my feet soaked, I was shown the shower and when I got my turn to clean up, I felt so much better! When I had my picture taken by Ziggy, a hiker that I did not know flashed me a nice smile. I felt a bit self-conscious and turned away. Several of the hikers were headed back out to the trail, but I was too tired to go anywhere and decided to spend the night there. I found a spot to lay out my sleeping bag and sorted through my resupply box. Archie was teaching Leftover how to do a downward dog and she called it “Cowboy pose.” I asked her why she was calling it that and she said it was because the hiker Cowboy was always doing it. It was that moment that I put several things together and realized that the guy who I saw doing a little yoga at Mike H’s place and the person that Anastasia and Archie had asked me if I had seen several times was Cowboy!
We were offered salad and then had time to make our trail dinners before they served us ice cream! I chatted with Caroline and caught up on her many trail stories. As darkness settled, we prepared for sleep. I brushed my teeth at the outdoor sink and took out my contacts. The wind was so strong that the first one blew right off my hand! Great! I looked around and saw nothing. Hikers were walking by on their way to the outhouse. I gave up hope when Caroline walked by and saw it on the ground! Awesome! As I lied in my sleeping bag, hikers continued to stream in get their foot baths. The wind whipped through the tarps all night, not allowing us light sleepers much of a chance to sleep yet again.

The Lorax is excited to reach 100 miles!

Hello everyone!
I am now in the town of Idyllwild, officially at mile 179.4 on the PCT. Yesterday, I hiked a 2.5 mile side trail down to a parking lot and found a ride into town from a man who was running down the path. I was finally able to take my third shower in 13 days, spent a long time rinsing and rinsing as much of the dirt as I could from my clothes before they went into the washer, ate a giant cookie, followed by ice cream, an entire avocado, more ice cream, a bacon cheeseburger, and more ice cream after a little break. (I ended up eating nearly an entire quart and a half!!!). I didn’t think my hiker hunger had started yet! Half way through the night (the first time I have slept in a bed since the night before the trail), I woke up with my stomach rumbling!
Even though I woke up “late”, I got to the breakfast place 10 minutes too early!! I took a moment to start journaling about day 4, ordered a bacon, avocado, and Swiss omelette and then was joined by Sprinkles and Spoon Man! Breakfast companions!

Sprinkles and Spoon Man!

I love having instant friends!
They were taking a quick break in town and heading right back to the trail. I will spend the day in town and try to catch up a bit on journaling.

There are so many stories to tell already… I don’t even know where to begin! Mostly, I have hiked alone and I try to hike about 20 miles a day. Everything I have, including my body, is caked in dirt. I look rather disgusting. So much of the planning that I did in my living room went right out the window as soon as I set foot on the trail! My hat wouldn’t stay on my head in the wind, the razor I brought got clogged with dirt the first time I used it, my socks starting getting holes in the toes after only 5 days, one wet wipe was unable to clean even one leg (I had allocated one per day), I found out my tent is only good in fair weather, my headlamp is too dim to night hike (forcing me to walk in the burning sun), my hip belt pocket zipper broke, my tent stuff sack apparently blew away, my camera got a lot of sand in the gears, and my shirt is permanently stained brown! I removed the insoles from my shoes today to replace them and dumped a lot of sand out of my shoes that was hiding beneath them!!
After several sleepless nights due to high winds collapsing my pole, stakes being pulled out, and flapping my tent material all night long,

Cold, windy, sleepless night

I finally cowboy camped in strong winds on a ridge for the first time on this hike. It was a makeshift site, on a big slope, but I made it through the night just fine and even got some sleep!

Sunset on the ridge

I think I will be doing more of that now that no spiders crawled into my sleeping bag and bit me! (A guy on the trail has already been bitten by a black widow recluse, and the bite started decaying his skin into a black hole! Another hiker advised him to wrap the bite with duct tape and keep moving!)

My toughest day so far was the hottest one four days ago. It started getting really warm around 7am and just kept getting worse. I reached a water cache around 2 and found a bush to rest under. Still, the sun was burning down on me. I tried to cover my feet and legs so they wouldn’t get burned, but that just made them sweat. And flies buzzed around my face. I got up and looked at my water report, only to find that all water sources for the next 33 miles were either dry or far off the trail and difficult to get to! I looked at my thermometer. After 2 hours in the shade, it read 101.6 degrees.
I returned to the water cache to find a gathering of lounging hikers. Greg saw me and said, “Wendy! Where did you come from?”
“I came from a bush over there!”

Ha,ha

I’ve met some nice, friendly people

Me and Dr. Sole – one of the nicest people on the planet!

and some closed, not so friendly ones.
I haven’t hiked consistently with anyone. And when it was time for the kick off back at Lake Morena, where I taught yoga, many people just continued on.

Lake Morena where I taught two yoga sessions!

Kick-off was dampened for me and another girl because of a badly behaved man. That story will be told another time. But we found someone incredibly kind and caring who saved the weekend for us.
My yoga sessions went well. I was so worried about people not being able to hear me outside, but I stepped it up and felt like I taught one of my best classes ever. Twenty eight people took class the following morning.
I saw Bones briefly and to my great surprise, ran into Cookie Monster, who I met at Pinkham Notch in 2008 and who played a big part in my decision to hike the AT. He didn’t remember me, but I told him about what I remembered about him. “Remember you were getting your hiking pole tips fixed and that you had your Tupperware containers for your food and were heading out to hike the Wildcats after you ate?”
I thought he had hiked the PCT years ago, but it turns out that this year is his first attempt. He gave me a hug and said, “Welcome home!”
What a small, friendly world.

Muk Muk and I made an escape plan and ended up being dropped off at the trailhead at Warner Springs at 9:30 at night- way past our bedtime and in the complete dark. I wanted to just set up camp and sleep, but she wanted to hike an hour to get away from the bad guy. My headlamp was way too dim for me to be able to see anything, so I just followed her. We camped in sand (my tent stakes weren’t holding!) and I left before she did the next morning. For the next 70 miles, I hiked by myself. She just arrived in town today with the guy who got bitten by the recluse and they are staying with me. Chris found some shorts in the hiker box to wear while his clothes were being washed and just broke out in a poison oak rash which he believes came from the shorts!! One thing after another…
I ran around town all day buying things and doing chores. I spent way more money than I had anticipated! And of course, all of my journaling time disappeared… 😦

I now have to decide if I should get back on the trail tomorrow morning or wait for the late afternoon to hike with Muk Muk…

I’m sorry to disappoint anyone reading, but hiking all day long and taking care of my basic survival needs leaves me no time to write at all…
Writing is a full-time job and the stories that are happening will have to wait until I get home to be told.

In the meantime, I will try to give small updates to let people know that I am okay. Thanks so much for your support!

(And if anyone knows of any ideas on how I can support myself while I write all my stories when I get back home, please let know!)

Day 14
May 2
0 miles

It felt like I had slept in, but when I went over to the breakfast place, I was told that they weren’t yet serving food! (This was a first for me!) Luckily, I had brought my journal along. I received a message from someone that I had met on the AT asking me where I would be the following weekend. He said that his company was flying him to LA and that he wanted to come visit me and the trail (he hiked the PCT last year). I was surprised that he had written to me in the first place and even more surprised that he wanted to visit! I calculated where I would be and let him know and he said to tell him when I got to Big Bear. After I ordered my omelet, Greg (Sprinkles) and Spoonman walked in and joined me at my table. Breakfast companions! Yay! They were making a quick resupply stop in town and heading right back out to the trail while I spent the day in town. I headed over to the outfitter to see if they had any hats that would work for me. It was a very small place, but they had several options! I also asked about a headlamp that would be bright enough to night hike with. Muk Muk was going to be arriving shortly, so I decided to head back to the cabin while I thought about my options. She arrived with Chris (the hiker that I met at kick-off who needed a ride back to Warner Springs) and asked if he could stay with us, as well. Of course! (I was allowed to have two other people stay). Sierra Bum came by looking for a place to stay, but luckily found his friends who were staying next door. I took Chris (UB) and Muk Muk to the breakfast place before they stopped serving breakfast and then headed back to the cabin to make a phone call. Then, Muk Muk and I went to the outfitters. By now, it was getting crowded with hikers! I tried on several hats and asked the opinion of a guy who was hanging out there. He also gave me his choice of headlamps. I groaned at the size and weight of it! But I ended up buying it because I did need the ability to night hike and I hadn’t realized that my lightweight headlamp was made for emergency purposes only. (I never night hiked in CO, so it was fine there!). I also asked if there was any way to get my hip belt zipper repaired. The guy who was hanging out in the store said that there was a seamstress in town who I could call. She was located a couple of miles away. Luckily, after talking with her, she told me to ask the guy who knew her to give me a ride there! Muk Muk headed off to the post office and grocery store and I got a ride to the seamstress. She took a look at the broken zipper right away and did her best to repair it. Since it was badly broken, she put a stopper halfway into it so it won’t tear even further and told me to only open it to that point. It only cost me $10! I was so happy that I gave her a hug. Clark drove me back to the inn and I offered him some gas money. He declined but said that I could buy him a beer later. He asked me where I was having dinner. I told him that my friends and I were planning on eating at a restaurant that I had heard good things about. He told me where he would be and that I should stop by. Then, he got out of the car, looked at my legs, and asked me if I was a runner. After more talking, I told him I had to get back to my cabin. The sun was burning my skin and I had lots of things to do yet! I needed to get to the post office to mail my extra things home before they closed first and foremost, which meant I had to do a lot of sorting!
While I had been away, Muk Muk and Chris had brought their laundry over to the office to be done and Chris found an extra pair of shorts in the hiker box to wear in the meantime. After a couple of hours, a rash started developing on his legs under the shorts! He had broken out from poison oak! Another hiker who I had never met had also made himself at home on the couch in the living room. Muk Muk volunteered to buy Chris some calming lotion, so we set out to the drugstore and post office. Then, I had to return to the outfitters and actually buy a hat and headlamp! I asked the owner for his opinion and he said that he could see me sashaying along the trail in one of them. My eyes grew wide as I said, “That’s my trail name!”.
It was now time for dinner and the consensus was pizza. The four of us walked over, laughing along the way. Chris apologized for sequestering himself to work on the videos he was making from footage he had taken on the trail. He wanted to offer his hike to his viewers in as close to real-time as possible. I was amazed at his ability to do that! As we walked back to our cabin, we were invited to hang out with the hikers next door. They said they would have a fire. Muk Muk decided to stay and blog while Chris and I eventually went over there. I wanted to see his videos! It turned out to be not what I expected- just some zoned out hikers staring at the TV. I wished we had stayed back at our cabin. Finally, Chris showed a couple of his videos to Sierra Bum and I got to watch, as well. They brought tears to my eyes! I was impressed with his admission about the struggles he had faced earlier in his life and his wanting to hike the trail to make a positive change and set an example for his two children. And I found the music that he chose, the images that he had captured, and the way he presented them to be extremely artistic and moving. The guy who had been hanging out in our cabin came over and as it became dark outside, I asked him where he was staying. He said the couch in my cabin! (He had told Muk Muk who had invited him over that he was staying at the campground in town). I didn’t feel like I could tell him he couldn’t stay there now that it was dark outside, but none of us were happy about this… UB told him that he could share the cost and that he should give the money to me, but he refused to look at me and never offered to contribute.
As I tried to fall asleep, I heard Muk Muk and UB talking and giggling in their room. They were having a slumber party! (Cute!).

Day 13
May 1
169-179.4 (plus 2.5 miles on Devil’s Slide)
12.9 miles

The sun slowly rose and as I awoke, I realized that everything was just fine! I had survived my first night of cowboy camping! I ate some breakfast, packed up my things, and headed back to the trail- first climbing back up to a place that I had originally scouted out for camping and then moving on to new territory. Clouds rested in the distant blue-hued mountains and green hills rolled beneath me. Soon, the terrain would become more rocky and I felt like I was getting a preview of the Sierras with the granite cliffs towering above me. The trail narrowed and steeply dropped off to the right.
After awhile, I found a nice rock to take a break on and have a snack. As I continued on, a hissing sound snapped me out of my thoughts. A rattlesnake coiled in the rocks to my right and I tried to calm it by telling him it was okay. It slithered in front of me along the trail and I finally got my first picture of the entire body of one of these creatures.
Not long afterwards, I encountered my first snow patch on the trail. I realized this was the infamous Apache Peak, which in a higher snow year, could be quite dangerous. Luckily, for us, it was only a fun diversion. Two people had made hand prints in a snowbank along the trail and I added mine to them. A little later on, Kim caught up to me. She didn’t want to hike with me, however, so we found our own space again. Finally, I reached Tahquitz creek. Water! Two couples whom I had never met yet were relaxing by the creek- a couple from Germany and a couple who were hiking with two Alaskan Huskeys. It was strange to see dogs in the desert! I filtered some water as Kim came along. We had less than five miles to get to Idyllwild! My energy seemed strong as I headed out again, but started to fade as time went on. Kim was just ahead of me when we reached the intersection to the Devil’s Slide trail and was on a mission to get into town. I however, was running out of steam and needed a snack break. Part of me started worrying that maybe I wouldn’t get a ride if I didn’t keep up with her, but I knew that I needed to stop and was not going to push myself to hike at someone else’s pace. As I was packing up, a very poised young man came up the side trail. His name was Tumbleweed and he struck me with his confidence and friendliness. He told me that he had given Kim a card with a man’s name and telephone on it who gives rides into Idyllwild. Again, I started to worry a little… He didn’t have a second card to give me. How was I going to get a ride if Kim was already being driven by him? I started to calm myself out loud, as Tumbleweed assured me things would work out. I asked him if he was planning on climbing the San Jacinto alternate and he said no. Then, we continued on in different directions.
I met a nice young couple on their way up the path who were out for a day hike. The woman was interested in what I was doing and said she wanted to hike this trail, too. She wanted to know if I felt safe alone. I assured her that I felt very safe out here and encouraged her to do the trail when she could.
As I got closer to the bottom of the hill, a man running behind me asked if I was a PCT hiker and if I needed a ride! Yes! He said he would meet me in the parking lot and that by the time I arrived, he would be finishing up with his stretches. I arrived a few minutes later and found Kim at his truck! It turned out that she didn’t have a phone to call the number on the card to get a ride, so she had to wait for my ride! My first lesson in keeping to my own path…
He dropped us off at the Idyllwild Inn, where we we had to wait for our rooms. I looked through the boxes to find my resupply box as well as the one that contained my second hat that I would be swapping out. I only found one differently sized box than the one I had packed and discovered that my new hat had been jammed in with my food and was now mangled and crushed! The note inside said that I could duct tape it back together! Oh, boy… While I was contemplating the situation, a hiker came in and started chatting with me. I asked him where I had met him and he said at the Warner Springs Community Center. He then asked me if I wanted some ice cream. Sure! I thought we were going to go out and get a cone or something, but it turns out that he was on his way out of town and had an extra half gallon that needed to be eaten, as well as an avocado, a package of tortillas, and some cans of beer. My cabin opened up so we went back to eat the ice cream there. His name was Karma because he is always doing nice things for others along the trail. We swapped stories, looked up the San Jacinto alternate route on a map, and then he headed back to the trail while I started the cleaning process. After taking my first shower since the first morning of kick-off, I rinsed as much dirt as I could out of each article of clothing that I had (as a pre-wash). Then, I washed out my jetboil container and spoon. Then it was time to get something to eat! I headed to the restaurant across the street for dinner. It was still early and I was only one of a few people in the restaurant. No other hikers were around, so I ate alone. As I looked out the window, I saw a pick-up truck drive down the road with the two Swedes in the back! The sight made me laugh. And then, a few minutes later, it drove back up the hill with them still in the back, which made me laugh even more! I wonder where they were going! I knew Muk Muk would be coming into town tomorrow, so I texted her to let her know she had a place to stay. I then checked in with the owner to see when I could have my laundry done. She said she could do it as the last load that evening. While I waited for my laundry, I contacted a few people from home and then struggled to stay awake. When the sun goes down, it’s time for me to sleep! After it was finally time to retrieve my laundry and return to my cabin, I was able to lie down in my first bed since before I began the trail!

Day 12
April 30
mile 149-169
20 miles

I surprised myself by getting up early and getting on the trail before the others and was greeted by another beautiful rising sun! How lucky was I? Looking out over the mountain folds in the distance, I made my way down towards the road that lead to Paradise Valley Cafe, a mile off the trail. I texted Muk Muk to let her know that it was indeed open today, and that I was headed there now. She was several miles behind. I arrived before it had opened and waited on the porch with Kim. I think I was more excited about using the restroom to wash up then I was about having breakfast! When I finally got in there and washed my hands, I realized that one washing was not going to be enough! So I washed them two more times and then tried to remove some of the dirt from my face! Wow… What a difference this trail was from the AT! As we waited for the servers to open the restaurant, Anastasia, Archie, and Joey arrived, followed by Roadrunner and Will. The group from Redding invited me to join them at their table and Kim came over, as well. I was amused when Joey came back from the restroom and told everyone that he washed his hands three times! (I love it when other people have the same exact experiences as me!). I learned they had been referring to me as “Olive Oil” because of my floppy hat- which after thinking about, I didn’t actually mind. I wanted to be that girl after seeing the movie! But I told them I already had a trail name. I enjoyed my first real meal-an omelet and toast and coffee- since starting the trail, but didn’t feel I had a real need for it. The others were talking about sticking around for lunch. As I reached into my hipbelt pocket of my pack to take out my camera, my zipper completely broke! Great… It was damaged within a few days of my Colorado Trail hike but I was told by another hiker out there that ULA doesn’t fix the zippers on the hipbelts. Now, I had a completely open pocket that would fill with water when it rained!
We filled up our water bottles from a hose outside and then the owner came by and asked if any of us wanted a ride back to the trail. Yes, please!! We loaded up our packs and hopped into the back of his truck, holding tightly onto our hats. Kim, Will, Roadrunner, and I were now resuming our hike at the same time and place. It took us a couple of false starts to find the actual trail and then a bit more time to fall into our own rhythms. And then, once again, I found my own space where my only companions were the lizards and horny toads and pretty flowers and bushes. That was where I was most comfortable. As the afternoon wore on, the trail began climbing steeply. It was quite a change from the gradual ascents we had early on! My body clearly wasn’t used to this type of work! Luckily, with the climbs came more shade, as we entered an environment that supported tree growth!
I planned on getting water off Fobes Saddle (a half mile off the PCT), as my guidebook advised not going to Apache Spring, but I couldn’t figure out where the side path was! I saw an old sign at what I thought was the saddle and looked everywhere for a path. As I continued on the PCT, I checked my GPS app and it said that I was now past this side trail. I was not about to climb back up the hill, and decided that I would ration my water instead. When I reached the bottom of the hill, I came across two wooden chairs and a sign reading “Fobes Saddle”. Hmmm… something was not right! I took a short break and moved on. As I started the next climb, I looked down into the valley and saw a water tank. My app did not match the location of the water. That is why I couldn’t find the side trail! And now, I realized that I was further behind than I thought. I continued to climb, determined to get to the Apache Spring intersection, where I thought there would at least be a camping spot. The wind had picked up dramatically, and I knew that I would have to cowboy camp or my flapping tent walls would keep me up all night again. The sun began to set and my heart began to beat faster as I was running out of time to find a camp spot. I looked off the trail here and there, but found nothing suitable. Then, I came upon a group of hikers who were sitting around having dinner to my left. I recognized a few of them from kick-off. I said hello, but they didn’t hear me, so I said, “Hi, guys” again. (It would have been creepy of me to pass by without acknowledging them). Finally, one of them saw me and the leader of the group invited me to camp with them. The area was already crowded with tents and I was intent on making it as far as Apache Spring, so I thanked them and said I wanted to hike a bit more. It turned out that there were no camping spots around the Apache Spring area, so I kept going as the sky grew darker. I was now on an exposed ridge with nothing but small shrubs along the trail. I needed to find something quickly! After a little scouting, I decided on a pebbly area next to some shrubs. The earth was quite sloped, but I couldn’t find a better flat spot. I set up my groundcloth, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag and fastened all of my things together so they wouldn’t blow off with the wind. The view of the folding ridges and setting sun helped keep me calm, as this was my first night of real cowboy camping, and I was not feeling comfortable at all! Since it was now dark, I didn’t feel like getting out my stove and cooking my disgusting pasta (why I bought the same kind of dinner for every night on the trail, I don’t know…). Instead, I just snacked a bit, set my pack to the downward sloping side to act as a barrier if I rolled off that way, and tried to relax. I felt a tingling sensation in my foot and felt that it was likely the presence of my brother coming to reassure me that I would be okay. The temperature dropped and the wind howled, and I dug myself further into my sleeping bag.

Day 11
April 29
129.2-149
19.8 miles

Since I got no sleep, it wasn’t hard to get up to see the gorgeous sunrise! I packed up my things before everyone else and went over to Andrea Jane to apologize about my tent noise. She said she didn’t hear anything except the wind itself! The morning started out along a beautiful ridge with soft green mountains below. On my first break, the two Swedes passed by and asked me what I was eating. I told them it was my second breakfast. They said, “Second? What was your first?” and when I answered Poptarts, Robin answered, “That’s why!”. I guess he was right. Later on, I played leap-frog with two guys I had never seen before- Ted and Andrew. I asked them if they had seen Muk-Muk and they said they saw her taking a break at a creek yesterday and that she seemed to be taking her time.
I continued along and as I thought about the trail angels who put water out for us and all the people who help us in making our dream of walking from Mexico to Canada come true, tears gathered in my eyes. Sometimes I think that all we are doing is walking and not doing any good for anyone else… Why do we deserve this?

The scenery became more brown and dusty as I walked and the temperature rose. The only decent water source in this area was a quarter mile off the trail. I set my pack down behind a rock and took my water bags and filter down the dirt road. As I walked, a saw a patch of brilliant green trees where the water was. Amazing! Ted and Andrew had walked down as I was taking off my pack and we each found a bit of grass to sit on and filter our water. One of them asked about Muk Muk… “So, she’s your friend? She seems pretty cool…” I just said yes, she is. (Apparently every single guy on the trail immediately fell in love with her!) The Swedes came down as I headed back up the hill and I showed them where the water was and asked them if they wanted to borrow my filter since they had a slow-pumping one. They said they were fine. The heat bore down on us and a little ways ahead, the Swedes decided to seek refuge under a tree. I kept going and bypassed a perfect spot to take a break at- under a huge willow tree near a small stream filled with green algae. I felt that I didn’t need a break at that point.
By the time I reached the Oasis cache, I was sweltering. I took a peak at the registry, filled up on water, and then looked around for a bush to rest under across the dirt road. I laid out my sleeping pad, set up my umbrella in the branches above me, and tried to close my eyes. Flies landed on my legs and I had to keep brushing them away, and my body was still sweating even though it was still! I was so uncomfortable that I started to wonder what I was doing out there and that maybe I didn’t want to be hiking in the desert after all. However, after I envisioned myself lying on my couch back at home, I said “no way! I’m going to keep going!”. My thermometer read 102 after being in the shade for 40 minutes. I packed up my things and heard chatter at the water cache. I wanted to get a bit more water before I headed out so I went back to it. I told the older couple what my thermometer said and the man immediately dismissed it, saying it couldn’t be right or they couldn’t be hiking right now. Ummm… actually it is right and that is why I needed to seek shelter under the bush!! Then Greg appeared and said, “Wendy! Where did you come from?”
I said that I came from a bush over there!
I then started the next climb. I saw many beautiful desert flowers- yellow ones, pink ones, red ones, and purple ones. Even though I don’t know anything about the plant life out there, at times, a word such as “lupine” would come into my head when I saw a particular flower. I don’t really know where that was coming from.
As dusk approached, I started to look for a campsite. Nothing obvious was appearing and I went off the trail a bit to look around in the woods. I decided to keep going. Then, I came upon some tents. Anastasia, Archie, and Joey were set up and called out to me. “How far are you going tonight?’ one of them asked. I said, “Right here!”. I went over to say hi for a minute and thought it was so cute that they had set their tents up in a triangle formation with the doors facing each other. I had first seen this group at Mike’s place. They were friends from Redding, CA. I looked for my own spot and after the first place ended up not working, I moved closer to them, behind a small tree. It was already getting dark and I was tired. Once inside my tent, I noticed a tick on my rain pants! I had forgotten all about checking for them and this sighting caused me some concern.
All of us were excited to get to the Paradise Cafe the next morning for breakfast. It is normally closed on Tuesdays, which tomorrow was, but we had heard a rumor that the owner was opening it up for us hikers for the next couple of weeks! Hooray!