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!

Day 10
April 28
Mile 110.5-129.2
18.7 miles

I was still extremely tired in the morning and all I wanted to do was sleep. But I was hiking in the desert and needed to get up early and get some miles in before it got too hot. So, I got up at 5:25. Three owls were singing to one another in a cycle. One would call out, a second would respond, and then a third. And then they would start again. It was cute. I ate two chocolate poptarts and broke down my tent, trying to be as quiet as possible (really an impossible task when shifting everything around and stuffing it back into a pack) since Muk Muk didn’t appear to be awake yet. I figured she would catch up to me later on. I was on the trail at 6:34 and it was cool enough that I wore both my wind and rain jacket. (It was 47 degrees when I woke up). After a few miles, I came across two very friendly guys still in their campsite. One seemed to be standing up in his sleeping bag, changing his pants. They told me that they had gotten dropped off at Warner Springs from kick-off around 4, sorted through their resupply, and then slept in. They said they would see me later and said “bye!” in unison in a singsongy voice. How sweet!
Up ahead, above the second creek, I came across more campers who were not as friendly. Then, I saw a guy meditating on rock by a river.
I continued on and after I crossed a river just after 8am, I decided it was time for a snack. I found a nice big rock to sit on that was out of the way. The guy who had been meditating approached the river with his journal and looked around. I told him that I was leaving and that he could take my rock. He was envious of me doing the whole trail and said he wished he had more time out here.
My pack was so heavy that I needed to take it off every 20 minutes! Every time I found a nice spot, however, it seemed like I had just taken a break…
And when I really needed a break, I couldn’t find a good place!
I was eating a lot during my breaks! On one them, I actually lied down for a couple of minutes which felt really good. Later on, I got a bloody nose and was forced to lie down until it was under control.Later in the day, I found some rocks to the side of the trail and went to sit down for a minute. I couldn’t believe how much cooler the air was within the rocks! I ended up unrolling my sleeping pad, curling up my knees, and napping for about 20 minutes. The wind started picking up and the air was getting even cooler, so I packed up and hit the trail around 2. I felt better after that bit of rest. At around 2:40, I came to trail magic sign! Already? A girl came down the path and told me she had just spent 2 and a half hours there. She said that Mike had just put hot dogs on the grill and that there were a lot of people there. I was excited!
Mike’s house was down a road off the trail. He had a huge water tank that he let hikers drink out of and if he was home, we could rest under the shade of his porch. Logan, who started the trail the same day as me, greeted me and said that it had been awhile. I didn’t know anyone else there. I got some water and ate a hot dog with potatoes on a tortilla. They even had pink lemonade! Then, I had my first foot bath on the trail! I left some extra food that I was carrying in the hiker box and was going to head out when Mike said
said he was going to have smoked chicken in 2 hours…
Hmmm… Dehydrated pasta or chicken? I decided that I could make use of the extra time by journaling a bit. I could journal a bit. Finally, the chicken became available. People were eating it with bare hands and no plate! I didn’t find that so appealing and managed to at least find a plate. I finally left at 6:30. Greg and some others had come in and had decided to camp on the property. I climbed up to a ridge where a man had set up camp and looked around for a spot for myself. Then, I saw Andrea Jane sitting up in her bug net, wondering what to do. Logan was set up a bit away. I found a spot in the middle and went about setting up my tent in the strong wind! It was not an easy feat! I staked it as best as I could. Then, the Swedish boys arrived (they were the friendly ones I had met earlier in the morning!).
They set up close to Logan. I heard them saying they were from western Sweden- on the coast. I went over and told them I had relatives in Falkenberg and they said they lived a half hour from there and that Robin’s mother was from there!
I returned to my tent to finish setting up my things. Then, Robin made rounds to see who wanted coffee. “Decaf?” How sweet!
I took my jetboil over to their area and Rasmus started boiling water. They even had powdered milk and sugar. I told them they were the nicest thruhikers on the trail and Robin said, “You have to spread the happiness!”. They told crazy stories about their first few days on the PCT, carrying 75 pound packs with gallons of water and a laptop! They only made it 6 miles on the first day because Rasmus drank so much water that he depleted all of the minerals in his body and passed out! Then, they ended up running out of water before they reached Lake Morena. They were also wearing calf-high boots, as that is what they needed in cold and wet Sweden! They had no idea about Yogi’s guidebooks and didn’t know what to bring. And they also expected to be the only people on the trail! At 8:36, one of them said, “Well guys, we need to go to bed. We have to get up very early tomorrow!” And so, that was that.

I felt happy after the coffee and company. I ate a peppermint patty in my tent and then hunkered down in my sleeping bag.
Even though the pole remained upright and the stakes in the ground, the wind flapped the sides of my tent all night long and I couldn’t sleep at all! I hoped it wasn’t keeping everyone else awake, either!

Day 9
April 27
Kick-off plus one mile
109.5-110.5

Muk Muk and I met up for the bagels being handed out and then headed over to Dr. Sole’s, laughing the whole way there. While we ate breakfast, we discussed our options for getting a ride back to the trailhead. There was a ride board, but there were tons of people looking for rides to Warner Springs and only a couple of drivers headed there whose cars were already full. I suggested we ask Leanne when she was headed back and if she had room. We then headed out to start our day, as I had my second yoga session to teach, and she had to work at the Dirty Girl gaiter booth again. While I was at my tent, trying to change, I saw the trail angel in my campsite, asking for me. The girls pointed to my tent. He made a comment about not needing to take my clothes off and then asked when I would be ready to leave. He said that he had been sitting with Muk Muk at the registration area last night and that they had both told each other that they were “done” with this. (Actually, she was done with you!). I told him that I wasn’t sure what seminars I wanted to go to and he took his pocket schedule out and started going through the list. “You don’t need to go to this. There’s no snow.” (In fact, yes, I do need to go to that!). I told him that I needed to get ready for my yoga class and he made a comment about letting me wake up. He also said his back was hurting and that he probably wouldn’t attend my session today.
I headed down to the lake, and this time was joined by about 25 or 26 others. It was my biggest yoga class yet! I ended up leading them for close to an hour and a half and it was probably more physical than they needed at that point, but it seemed well-received. A couple more people came up to me afterwards. One lady wanted to know where I was trained and who my favorite teachers were. Another man lingered after everyone had left and said that he was in a different mental place after the session- in a good way! I was happy to hear that. My bandaids would not stick to my open blisters, so I had a painful walk back. I checked in with Muk Muk at her booth and she asked if I could be the one who asked Leanne for a ride. (I really don’t like doing these kinds of things, but I agreed). I also met Chris, who also desperately needed a ride back to Warner Springs. We all thought he could ride with the trail angel and he wanted me to ask about that, too (since the guy clearly favored women). He held his hands up in prayer and thanked me.
I headed over to listen to part 2 of Ned Tibbets talk, which was a lot of repetition from the day before. I wanted to stay until the end (the guy can talk for hours!), but I had to gather together everything that I did not want to carry in my pack, such as my yoga clothes, and ship them back home at the mobile post office before they left. I backed away slowly, trying to take in every last piece of information that I could.
I made it to the post office in time, got to see a bit of the gear contest in which a Swedish hiker was showing off his carved wooden spoon, and then headed over to the geology talk. I sat next to Abby, who had attended one of my yoga sessions, and we talked about why we were hiking the PCT. The talk wasn’t holding either of our attentions, so we made our way out. I was feeling extremely tired. I managed to find Leanne and she said that she and her husband were planning on leaving sometime after the burger dinner and that they did have room for me and Muk Muk! I went back to my campsite to break down my tent and pack everything up. Muk Muk and I met back up at Dr. Sole’s. She was so worried about the trail angel hunting her down. I kept telling her that she could stay in the RV and that Dr. Sole would protect her. He ended up giving her one of his hats to wear as a disguise. She wanted to take a shower before dinner and then we waited in line for the burgers, wanting to get ours as fast as possible and then run back to Dr. Sole’s RV. While we were in line, the trail angel started calling out for Muk Muk, scanning the lines of people for her! I kept my eye on him and would duck down and move to the right or to the left, hiding behind the people in front of us. The guy behind us wanted to know what was going on and when I mentioned the trail angel’s name, he understood right away! Everyone seemed to know about this guy, and yet, I had heard nothing before actually being there in person! I didn’t think that was cool. We managed to avoid being seen, grabbed our burgers and ran out of the area. Muk Muk didn’t even want to take the time to add the condiments she wanted to her burger. We ate inside the RV, our stomachs still filled with dread. We wanted to get out of there and back on the trail! I went back to find Leanne and ask when they were leaving. She said as soon as they finished their burgers. I told her where we would be and returned to the RV. We waited and waited, but no one was coming. Then, a truck stopped along the road and the driver waved. I waved back, not realizing who it was! It was the trail angel! Of course Leanne told him where we were! Our stomachs hit the ground. He told Dr. Sole that he had come for the free samples of soap he was giving away. Muk Muk and I knew better… As he stared at Muk Muk’s name tag that Dr. Sole was now wearing, Muk Muk told him that we were getting a ride back with Leanne, but that Chris was looking for a ride. She tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. The trail angel didn’t seem at all interested in helping Chris out. Muk Muk excused herself and headed to the bathroom and I was left to say goodbye to him. It was a rather pitiful sight to see him walk away with his head down.
Darkness was falling and still, there was no sign of Leanne. We had a long drive to even get back to the trailhead and then we had to hike a bit… I saw Cookie Monster and chatted with him for a bit, and he tried to calm me, telling me that if they didn’t show up, we would get a ride another way. Finally, our ride appeared and we stuffed our packs and ourselves inside an already stuffed car. Poor Muk Muk had to hold her heavy pack on her lap the entire time. As we drove out of the campground, everyone seemed to be staring at our car. I wondered why until I realized that Leanne’s husband had his arm out the car and was frantically waving to everyone he saw! He then started yelling, “Byyeeee!!!” to every person he saw in a loud and strange voice. Muk Muk and I couldn’t believe it…
Finally we were out of the campground and onto the road! We passed a small gas station and then, oddly, turned back and pulled in! Nooo…! The trail angel was filling up on gas there! We couldn’t escape him! He asked Leanne’s husband if we wanted to let our packs ride with him…”No. We’re fine.” Luckily, Muk Muk had decided at the last minute to bring all of her things with her to kick-off- everything but her tortillas that she had left in his freezer. Fortunately, Dr. Sole had some extra tortillas in his freezer, so that problem was resolved. We headed out again. I was so tired and my stomach was hurting, so I closed my eyes. Muk Muk wasn’t feeling so good, either. Then, we found ourselves taking a long side road… Where were we going? I asked and the driver said he needed gas. (Why didn’t he fill up back at the gas station we were at?? Everything was so strange!). It was a long side trip! Later, we were in a line waiting to be questioned by border control. Muk Muk and I looked at each other. Where were we and where were they taking us? I started to worry that they were taking us back to the border! Again, I asked and was reassured that we were headed to Warner Springs.
Once we got close, they asked us if we wanted to head to the trail angels house with them. No… We would like to start hiking, please! So, they let us off on the side of the road in complete darkness, said our goodbyes, loaded our packs on and then opened the gate leading to the trail. I saw a light ahead and assumed it was another hiker’s headlamp. Maybe we can camp with them! I was so tired that I just wanted to set up my tent and go to sleep. Muk Muk, however, really wanted to get as far away from the trail angel as possible so he couldn’t find her. The light did not belong to another hiker after all and we kept walking. My headlamp was not strong enough to see anything, so Muk Muk lead and I relied on her and her headlamp. The sky was purple and the stars were amazing! We saw a pair of shining eyes to our left and then discovered that they belonged to a horse! There were many of them! They seemed to be attracted to our headlights and would come toward us, but upon discovering what the headlamps were attached to, they quickly turned and ran away. I found the experience to be quite magical. Muk Muk kept being startled by scary bugs that she saw crawling on our path. There were spiders all over the place and then a centipede! I told her I was glad I couldn’t see anything! Then, a rat ran straight toward her! She screamed even louder, which made me scream. And then they both got scared and jumped into the grass on the right side of the trail. We broke down in fits of laughter. I told her at least she was wearing pants!
Soon, we came to a sandy area and I saw a spot under a big tree that looked like a good place to set up camp. Muk Muk agreed. I had quite the time trying to set up my tent, though! The stakes I had (meant for snow and sand) would not stay in the ground! My pole support fell over again and again. I was so tired, and so frustrated. Muk Muk had set her tent up in a matter of minutes with ease. By the time I got into my sleeping bag, it was after 11pm. A stake flew out of the ground and the walls became soft and floppy. At least the tent managed to stay upright.

Day 7
April 25

To my surprise, no one got up super early! We spent the morning packing up our things and loading them into the truck. Leann, the other woman who spent the night there, would head out later in the day. We got into the two seat pick-up with Muk Muk in the middle, straddling the gear shift. It was not a comfortable ride in any sense… We headed back to Lake Morena, which we had by now hiked 90 miles further north of.
As we approached the Mt. Laguna Store, we spotted Lion King walking down the road. The trail angel asked him if he wanted a ride, but he declined. (I’m not sure where he would have fit…) He stopped the car and went inside the store to scope out the hiker box. (He had containers full of food and hiker supplies that he had picked out of these boxes for himself back at home). The store owners were delighted to chat with Muk Muk and I patiently waited. Then, we headed back into the truck for the final leg of the trip. The trail angel asked Muk Muk her age and tried to teach her the lyrics to a song. He had her sing the opening lyrics over and over and over… It was driving me crazy. I just wanted to get to our destination and out of that truck! We pulled into the campground, waited for him to chat with people, and then he drove me to my assigned campsite. I was put in the single girls area (it was named “Girl Power!”) and picked a spot to set up my tent. Once I was settled, I headed back to the main part to try to find Muk Muk, who was going to sleep inside Dirty Girl’s RV. She hadn’t registered for kick-off and the trail angel said he would get her in by having her work at the Dirty Girl Gaiter booth. As I walked by the restrooms, a man asked me if I needed shampoo while someone was shouting my name across the way. My attention was torn. I told the man no thank you- that I had showered earlier in the day! I then saw that it was Muk Muk and the trail angel who were calling me from inside his huge tent set-up. They had just finished eating and were about to head out to their assigned jobs. I started to worry about not bringing extra food for the weekend. No food was being served this first night and no lunches were being served, either. I headed back to my campsite to do some catch-up journaling on the first section of the hike. I also had to finish planning my yoga classes! I got a text from Drama saying that he hoped I wasn’t too mad at him, but he and Lorax decided not to go to kick-off and just continue north instead.
After registration officially opened, I went over to check in and receive my PCT class of 2013 bandana! I felt so proud! I ran into a familiar face there, as well. Cookie Monster! I had met him outside of Pinkham Notch on one of my test hikes for the AT in September of 2008 and he played a big part in my decision to go ahead and hike the AT. I thought he had hiked the PCT years ago, but found out this year was his first attempt! When I triggered his memory about how we met, he said, “Welcome Home!”. What a small world!
Later, I found Muk Muk again and she said that she wanted to introduce me to a doctor who had fixed up her blisters, given her 2 pairs of hiking shoes to try out, and attached sheepskin padding to her shoulder straps. She thought he could help me with the sores on my shoulders from my pack straps. I went over to meet him and found out that he was actually a retired truck driver who, for the past four years, was helping PCT hikers fix their foot problems! He said that I didn’t need the padding that he had given Muk Muk and wanted to put some medicated Gold Bond powder on the affected area instead. Since he was busy and I wanted to go to the yoga session that evening that was being lead by another hiker, I agreed to come back later.
As I was warming up a bit on the lawn and going through what I planned to lead in my class tomorrow, Bones came skateboarding down the road! We chatted a bit and he told me that he would try to attend my Saturday session if he wasn’t too-hungover. He planned on walking the 20.6 miles from the border back to Lake Morena tomorrow for fun. The yoga session was quick and ended in the chilly air that came with dusk. I returned to my tent for my headlamp and warmer clothes and then headed back to Dr. Sole’s RV, where Muk Muk and I were invited in for cookies and coffee! We were so cozy and content!
Then, it was time to bid each other goodnight and head to sleep. On the way back to my tent, I stopped in at the Pavilion to watch the end of a movie about the AT. It brought out a lot of emotion in me. I felt thankful to have discovered this lifestyle and community and pride for what I had already completed and what I was about to embark on. Tomorrow, I would lead my first yoga session down by the lake!

Day 6
April 24
13.5+ miles to Warner Springs
Mile 109.5

While I was getting ready for the day inside my tent, a friendly hiker passed by and said hello! I didn’t know who it was, but I returned the greeting. It was a pretty morning and I made slow progress due to wanting to photograph the changing colors of the sky. I made my way along the ridge and then started a descent. After a few miles, I took a small break where Luke caught up to me. He said Drama was up ahead. We soon passed by some stones set in the shape of a ‘100’ along a slope! We had hiked 100 miles! Just up ahead was a second ‘100’ marker on the ground just off the trail and we stopped to take photos there. Luke was very excited about this milestone. Maybe it was because I had already hiked a long trail and knew how long we still had to go, but this milestone didn’t have the same impact or excitement for me. I was happy for Luke, though. Soon, two German hikers came along silently. Luke couldn’t believe they didn’t let out any hollers after passing this milestone. He and I walked together and he told me about a strange dream he had had about a teacher from the Philippines and the trail. The Lorax then made an appearance in the dream at a sad point and told Luke he could grant him one wish. I suggested that maybe that could be his trail name. I think he was hoping I would say that because right after that, he started to introduce himself as ‘The Lorax’. We reached a pretty meadow area with big oak trees (another surprise for me in the desert) and then found Drama and a couple of other hikers by a water trough. Drama was also demonstratively excited about reaching the 100 mile point. When Smooth Operator approached (Mike had acquired a new trail name as well as shoes, socks, and poles after his town stop in Julian!), Drama asked him to do his 100 mile pose. He simply held out his first two fingers. After filling up and filtering water, the four of us headed out. Drama talked about how his first few miles in the morning were slow and meditative (calling them his library hours) and then his energy built as the day continued and he would test his limits of how fast he could walk. He also talked about how he sometimes would think of moving from his solar plexus chakra, which I found interesting. He and I reached some nice flat lands where we spotted a herd of cows. I really wanted to get close to them and debated whether or not to take the time to do so. Drama was not interested in this diversion, but humored me anyway. The cows were a bit skittish!
I was excited about getting to the first famous landmark on the PCT- the big stone eagle! I had been seeing lots of rocks that looked like eagles on day 1 and a couple today. But I couldn’t wait to get to the real one! Drama thought it was the Eagle Creek trail with the waterfall when I mentioned it and I had to tell him that was all the way in Oregon! I got to the landmark first, followed by the three guys. Two hikers- Dan and Hillary were already there. I climbed up to the eagle’s head and tried to straddle it because I wanted to ride it, but the rock was so wide! I guess it wasn’t the best choice for a picture, as Drama kept saying, “Look alive! Look alive!”.
Smooth Operator had no need to be photographed on it- he hadn’t even known about this landmark and took off first, followed by Drama and the Lorax. I needed a snack so I stayed there longer and then headed out on my own. We had only a few miles to get to Warner Springs! We were all tired. I had felt a lot of pressure since I had started the trail to get to Warner Springs by today, as the trail angel who had played a big part in organizing the yoga sessions at kick-off told me he wouldn’t be able to give me a ride down there if I arrived on Thursday. I probably wouldn’t have pushed so hard in the beginning otherwise. It’s not good for your body. I caught up to Lorax and then Drama, who was sitting on the side of the trail, not sure which path to take. None of us knew, actually. We decided based on what we read in our guidebooks and took the path to our right. It was a much longer walk than I expected. At one point, I thought I saw some hikers near a building that looked like a school below us, but The Lorax thought I was wrong. We kept walking and came to a garbage can oddly placed along the trail. We then saw a hiker carrying his resupply box back up this path! How strange! Why wouldn’t he have repacked his pack at the post office and thrown away the box? Finally, we reached a road, but again, had no idea which way to go! I tried calling the trail angel who said he could pick me up, but there was no answer. We stood there for awhile, not knowing what to do. Then, Mike came walking down the road and told us the post office was a mile that way and that the Community Center was in the other direction. I wasn’t going to walk a couple of miles carrying my pack and resupply box and said I was going to the Community Center first. The Lorax agreed to do the same while Drama chose to walk to the post office. Finally, we found the community center, which had been set up by some elder local volunteers to help out the PCT hikers after the resort shut down last year. They offered showers for $8, laundry for $6, and burgers for $5. Many hikers had gathered inside to escape the sun, use the computers to write home, and take an extended break. I walked in dirty and disgusting-looking! The desert and I don’t agree so well… I was quickly greeted by Ben and Jaime who rushed over to me, surprised that I had already caught up to them! Jaime looked so different in her glasses and dress that I almost didn’t recognize her! Unfortunately, they weren’t going to kick-off, so they would be three and a half days ahead of me leaving Warner Springs. It would be a tough feat to catch back up to them!
I wasn’t sure if I should order a burger or take a shower, or just try to hold out until the trail angel came. He called back and told me to just wait and asked if the Brooks Cascadias were still in the hiker box. He asked me to set them aside for him. I went outside to use the hose to rinse off some of the dirt off my legs and feet. The “fun” group was there, as well as the two girls, several hikers who had been ahead of me, and now Lorax and Drama. The trail angel showed up with a female who I did not know and after chatting with other hikers for a bit, the three of us got into his pick up. We picked up my resupply box at the post office while the trail angel rummaged through the hiker box, looking for things he could use for his own future hike. As he and the girl were getting into his truck, he asked me if I would turn around. I thought he wanted to kiss the girl without me seeing, as he definitely seemed interested in her. I thought this was strange, but agreed. He then said, “See? Doesn’t she have big calf muscles?” to which the girl agreed. He said (again) that he could always spot an AT hiker from the size of their calf muscles. I had already told him on the phone that those muscles had disappeared a long time ago and that any muscles I had now were from yoga. I still couldn’t figure out who the girl was on our way to his home… She was clean, pretty, nice-smelling, and had a foreign accent, and the guy said she would be working at the Dirty Girl Gaitor booth at kick-off. I assumed he must have found a new girlfriend already (he had talked about his ‘ex-girlfriend’ on the phone with me before I had left for the trail when we were discussing the yoga session).
It wasn’t until I saw her pack and we started chatting together that I realized that she was also a thru-hiker who had started on the 15th and was suffering from a lot of blisters. This trail angel saw her at the community center and invited her back to his home. They seemed very chummy together and I felt like wallpaper during my stay there (which was just fine by me!). Another woman was staying there as well, and again, I could not figure out who she was. I took a shower and was given a homemade vegetable pizza. I updated my journal on the PC (which was difficult for me to figure out how to use), and helped the Australian girl go through her huge pack and get rid of a lot of things, including a bear bell! She was carrying paper maps for the first 700 miles of the trail (!), as well as an extensive array of medical supplies. The trail angel kept saying things like, “Do you want to see my first aid kit?” and then opened a drawer and held up some duct tape. He definitely wanted to be the center of attention, but wasn’t interested in actually helping the poor girl get rid of some serious weight that was hurting her body. He didn’t plan on leaving until 9 in the morning (kick-off didn’t start until the next night) and I wondered why I had to push so hard to get there so early.
In the evening, Roz, who had been considering taking the trail name “Dunno”, was telling the trail angel about a note she received from her friend Sarah (her inspiration to do the trail) at the start of the trip. Sarah had given her the name “Muk Muk” – a British Columbia species of marmot- because this was Roz’s favorite mascot of the Vancouver Olympics where the two met. Sarah had previously hiked the PCT and had put the idea into Roz’s head. I thought the name was perfect! I loved the story and it was also a cute name! So, she decided to take it.
I slept in the living room/kitchen area while Muk Muk slept in a second bedroom. Before we went to sleep, the trail angel went into her room and started massaging her feet! He turned out the lights in the middle of it! What was happening? I didn’t like what was going on at all…