PCT Day 6

Dry ridge at mile 123 to Paradise Valley Cafe (Trail Miles 123 to 151.9)

Up at first light, packed and on the trail while it was still cool (by 5:40). Hiked with Sheriff Woody all day as we moved out for a known water tank a bit off the trail at mile 127.3. Good clean water and we each downed a liter each prior to leaving the tank. The owner keeps the tank full of clean water for PCT hikers this time of the year and has a very welcomed sign on the trail pointing towards it.

We set off again for Thule Springs at a pretty quick pace and passed 1/2 dozen other PCTers who had stayed near the tank for the night. We were motivated to make it all the way to the Paradise Valley Cafe for dinner, and we didn't know what time it closed for the night. When we got to Thule Spring we dropped out packs and walked down a pretty steep hill to get some water as the day was really heating up. A few had made it to the spring before us and were lounging in the shade of some cottonwood trees. The next water we could count on was at the cafe, a 1 mile walk from where the trail hit Highway 74. We both moved out as soon as we filled up our water and had a snack.

There was a water cache that we didn't expect in about 6 miles. I have seen this one in pictures from prior years hikers so it was nice to find it with the 2014 year on it. Not a lot of water there so I only took about 1/2 a liter as there were a lot of people behind us. I did stop and get a picture, and got myself another bigger snack. Hiker hunger was really setting in!

It was really getting hot when we left the water cache and we slowed down some. The trail was in great shape and there were a lot of good campsites if needed. To early in the day to stop, and I just knew there was a burger with my name on it waiting for me so on we went. Made it to the cafe at 5 PM and found out it stayed open till 8 PM during Hiker Season. I called Chris to come get me 3 days earlier than planned, and he headed my way. Not a bad days hike, just 11 1/2 hours to cover 31 miles when you count the off trail to water and back to the trail and the 1 mile to get to the cafe as well. The food was every bit as good as I had heard, the Jose Burger and fries filled me up along with about 2 quarts of sweet tea. Place was filled with smelly hiker trash yet it was the most hiker friendly establishment I have ever been in, and I think every PCT hiker eats there. Woody hitched in to Idyllwild with 4 others while I waited for me ride. I plan to be back again next year for Jose Burger round 2 and a push towards the Canadian border.

PCT Days 4 and 5

Day 4, Scissors Crossing to Barrel Spring (Trail Mile 77 to 101.1)

Started out of Scissors crossing alone, the air was cool, I had 4 liters of water to get me to Barrel Spring and really happy the trail was going uphill.  I like up much better than down. The rain from a few days ago had the cactus all in bloom and even the really prickly ones looked nice in the early morning light.

I enjoyed hiking alone but in the early afternoon I came up to the hiker gaggle sitting in the limited shade of a bush by the third gate crossing. Even Woody was sitting there, I didn't think I would see him at all till I got to the spring.

Good news was there was a water cache a 1/2 mile down a side trail. Bad news was that it was 1/2 mile down and back up a side trail. I wanted a quart so I made the trip. After a short break we all headed off kinda at the same time and in a few hours became the Barrel Springs campground group. With 1.1 miles to go to for the day we crossed the 100 trail mile spot (gotta love GPS). As it is a significant mile mark I had to get a picture. Today was as good as it gets. I felt good and the miles passed easily.

Day 5, Barrel Spring to Ridge at Mile 123 (Trail Miles 101.1 to 123)

Up before sunrise again but was the 3rd one out of the campground we turned Barrel Spring into. Woody was really moving this morning and left me behind after the first mile. Passed through a meadow where a herd of cows was grazing. They all came running up to say hello so they must have been used to being fed over the winter. I'm pretty sure that there are some hikers following behind that are going to be freaked out by the cows. I thought they were great company for the 1/2 mile or so they tagged along. 

Trail Groupies

Soon after leaving my cow friends behind I made it to the over photographed Eagle Rock where Sheriff Woody was catching lizards and taking a break. 

We stayed together from Eagle Rock to Warner Springs where he had his resupply drop and we enjoyed a second breakfast of pancakes and eggs at the very friendly community center with lots of other hikers. The packs lined up out front let everyone know this was a hiker friend place.

A reporter from the San Diego paper was there chatting with everyone and taking pictures. As we left to get back on the trail I took a picture of him and Woody. Found out later that a picture of Woody and I made the online version of the newspaper. Think it must have been the umbrella he was toting.

After the 3 hours we spent at Warner Springs it had heated up and we had slowed down so it was a slow grind till sunset when we found a break in the brush and stealth camped on a ridge. It got windy for a bit in the middle of the night but the stars were fantastic.

PCT Days 2 and 3

Day 2: Lake Morena to Noble Canyon Trail Water Source (Trail Miles 20 to 48.7)

Out of the Lake Morena campground and on the trail by 6 AM with light rain continuing after a night of steady rain. Within 2 miles my shoes and socks were soaked but my feet were still warm. In a few places there were a lot of trail markers, then I would go for miles without seeing one. The markers were all at good places though. Stopped briefly at the Boulder Oaks campground 6 miles into my day for a short rest and because there was a little cover from a rain squall that was passing through.

I had planned to get an easy 18 miles in but the places were I wanted to stop were filled by a large group of boy Scouts out on a hike to get ready for a big trip this summer. So on I went towards Laguna where I ran into snow, not what I had planned for this far south.

As I was looking at the Burnt Ranch Campground at Laguna Sheriff Woody and Carrot caught up with me. We all hiked to the store in town for a soda and ran into another PCTer named Terry. After a sit down dinner together in the diner a group consensus was made to press on for a few more miles. A few turned into 7 of the most windy miles I have ever hiked. Stopping with only 20 or so minuets till dark we had covered 29 total miles hiked by the time we camped in a little sheltered spot in the trees.

Day 3 Noble Canyon Trail to Scissors Crossing (Trail Miles 48.7 to 77)

Up with the sun and on the trail together to the Pioneer Mail Picnic Area where we had second breakfast and filled up the water bottles again. My feet were letting me know that the wet socks yesterday were not a good idea so I took off down the trail while the others were still resting. Woody soon caught and passed me as Terry and Carrot fell behind. Views into the desert were wonderful and the trail was good but the air was brisk. That would change as the day went on.

The trail made a big decent to the Rodriguez Fire tank, the last sure water for the next 32 miles. I caught up with Sheriff Woody at the tank and met Ewok who was carrying a 25 pound steel drum along with his normal pack weight. Woody and Ewok started towards Scissors Crossing and I was about 30 minuets behind them. Terry caught up just as I was departing and said he was staying at the fire tank for the night. The day had gotten hot and he was really suffering from the heat.

Terry at the Rodriguez Fire Tank Water Source

The trail from the fire tank to Scissors Crossing was the rockiest trail I ever want to hike. I made poor time on the downhill portions but made it to Scissors Crossing just as the sun was going down and the desert wind was picking up. Stars were great to look at while Ewok played his steel drum as I drifted off to sleep after a tough 28.3 mile day.

ADZPCTKO

Lake Morena State Park, California

Up with the sun, along with about 750 others and after getting some breakfast I was off to see what there was to see. 15 or so vendors had lightweight camping gear for sale, and some were doing great business. Found the tent I want, just have to wait till the time is right to buy it. Went to some presentations on water availability on the southern portion of the trail (situation not all that good), trail conditions after the fires of last year, and one on bear safety in the sierras. The head bear ranger from Yosemite did the bear presentation and it was fantastic. Had burritos for dinner and then the weather turned very un-California like. By 10 PM it was raining and it rained all night long. Found out that my bivy does leak some by the zippers but I stayed warm all night. Only took one picture while at the kickoff and that was of my camp spot also known as my piece of dirt. I did enjoy talking with other hikers.

PCT Day 1

Southern Terminus to Lake Morena (Trail Miles 0 to 20)

Pack was ready to go as my sister Mary gave me a ride to mile 0. Thought there would be a few others starting out on the trail today but thought that by driving out at 0600 would get me there first. It did, kinda, but ahead of the horde by only by a few minutes. Mary was able to get a photo of me alone at the monument, something that would not have been possible 10 minutes later. Cool temp, clear sky and no wind to start this trip. Because of all the warnings I have read I carried extra water, 6 liters (12 lbs worth) to start my trip. Pack started right at 40 total pounds. It could only get lighter as the days passed.

Southern Terminus of the PCT

 I was only 1/4 mile down the trail as the hikers started getting dropped off en mass. Later in the afternoon I was told that well over 100 hikers started today. I passed an easy 25 people and was only passed myself by one. I think it took a bit for the herd to get pics and to get started.

Trail mile 1 has a highway marker, so just as every other PCT hiker does, I took a selfie when I got to it. 1 mile down, lots more to go.

Only 2,649 or so to go

As the day progressed it warmed right up. The first 15 miles flew by and I got my first rattlesnake sighting out of the way. Then the climb out of Hauser canyon started. No shade and it had warmed up. Sweat was a commodity that I had plenty of. Less Than 1 mile of flat to downhill to go after the climb when I passed a young hiker being attended to by fire rescue. Thought the heat might have gotten to him but they looked to have things well in hand.

Arrived at the lake by 2:30 and found where I was to set my camp spot. No tent for me so I was set up in a few moments. It was early enough that check in for ADZPCTKO wasn't open yet so I walked the mile round trip to a local camp store so that the refreshing taste of a Mountain Dew could find its way inside me. It tasted really good. I was able to watch hikers flow into the campground all afternoon and evening. More little tents popped up than I ever saw at any scout jamboree. I concluded we are an interesting, kinda scary segment of society. I like it.

Toadstools, Horseshoe Bend and the Grand Canyon

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah and Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The road east and south from Zion was calling so off I went. First stop was at the Grand-Staircase Escalante and the Toadstool Route. Once I got back to the first rock formation I tried to duplicate the photo on the sign at the trailhead. Then I wandered around looking at the weird formations and spent about an hour exploring up a side canyon I found.

I headed towards the Arizona border with plans to hike around Page and maybe go to the lower Antelope Canyon. It was stormy when I got to page so I went a little further south to the Horseshoe Bend trailhead. While only a short mile or so hike to the overlook it is a sandy tough little hike. Lots of tourists making the trek, mostly German. Saw some inappropriate footwear on some of them. The view was fantastic, as was watching people with a real fear of heights near the edge of the cliffs. After enjoying the view it was back to the truck and off again with plans to go hike and find cool looking desert plants.

As I was going south I came up to a turn with a sign "Grand Canyon 28 miles" so I made the turn and headed for the east entrance of the Canyon. Rain was pouring down from a storm when I got to the entrance but it was a fast moving storm. I found a place to park and hiked along the Rim Trail. In places the crowds were pretty full, but once it started raining again the tourists all scampered for cover leaving me on the rim with almost no company. I liked watching the rain showers work around the canyon. Some elk were feeding on the rim in one section, and I overheard a foreign visitor call it a big deer. Kinda is I suppose. As evening came I headed out the main south entrance to the park and found a place to stealth camp in the Kaibab National Forest. A good end to a great day of exploring the southwest.

Angels Landing Summit

Zion National Park, Utah

Arrived at Zion at 10:00 in the morning to find both campgrounds full already. Seems it was spring break for Southern California schools and lots of folks were camped at Zion. Parked in the lot and hopped the shuttle up to the Grotto where I picked up the trail to Angels Landing. A steady climb helped me pass lots of people on the way to Scouts Landing, and from there it was up the route to the top. Only a few bottlenecks in some places as a few decided to turn back rather that to face the exposure of the route. Some 20 or so people were at the top when I got there. I had my lunch on top then went down and turned towards the Emerald Pools for a bit longer hike. Quite a few families were at the pools so after visiting all 3 of the pools I hiked back to the grotto and caught the shuttle bus back to the visitor center and my truck. Trail views from up high are always amazing to me, it puts them in perspective.

Found a place to camp for the night just outside the East Entrance of Zion at a primitive campground, and the $16 price included a hot shower. While my clothes could have used some washing at least I was clean! Cooked dinner and turned in for the night with the nearest tent at least 100 yards away. I had planned to spend another day at Zion but the crowds were a bit much for me so in the morning I was headed south.

Bryce Canyon Days 1 and 2

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Up with the first light and out of Logan Canyon and headed for Bryce Canyon National park. By 10:30 was in the parks open campground and had my tent set up only 100 yards from the edge of the canyon. The picture above is from the canyon rim closest to my tent. After yesterdays clouds and light rain the blue sky peeking through was nice. Still a bit cold though as my camp site was at 7,900 feet. Still a good base camp for the hiking about to take place.



Looking at all the trails I wanted to cover I started out from my camp on the Fairyland Loop with a side trip to Tower Bridge. Still early enough in the year that the trail was not crowded at all. Saw only about 1 person per mile. No way to describe all the weird formations throughout the park. Every bend in the trail was another formation that was better than the last. In the evening I walked down to Sunrise Point. Had been told it was a great spot for sunsets and would be less crowded than Sunset point. I saw this tree clinging tenaciously on a narrowing piece of ground. Thought it was pretty cool.

Started Day 2 with the sun, a bit cold but not too bad. My sleeping bag made for a warm night. Went to both Sunset and Sunrise points then headed for the Queens Garden. Like all the trails I hiked, it was mostly smooth, wide and well maintained.

Drove to the end of the main park road to hike the Bristlecone Trail and to get to the Hat Shop Trail. Even fewer people in this part, but the scenery was better up at the main canyon. The Hat Shop trail provided some steep up and downs so the hiking was fun. Found showers ($2 for 8 mins of water) by the camp store and figured it would be good to clean up. In the evening I hiked the rim trail again to get some pictures. The views were better because the sunlight was lighting up the hoodoos.

Logan Canyon Wind Cave Trail

Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah

Road Trip adventure day 1. After a drive to Logan Utah and the home of ULA backpacks I got a phenomenal fitting custom made pack on the spot. Then it was out to Logan Canyon for a hike to get the 7 hour drive out of my legs. With lots of cloud cover and intermittent rain I went up trail 32 to the wind caves. There were some small ones and then one big cavern with holes in the roof that I climbed all over. The wind must really howl down the canyon to create these. Only 2 others on the trail and they were headed down as I was climbing up.

After the hike I found the campsite that was recommended by the forest service I met as I first entered the canyon. Set up my tent and cooked dinner in what was a great spot next to the Logan river for the night. It was easy to fall asleep with the gurgling of the river close by. Nice to get the North Face tent in use as it has been ignored for several years as I used my other tents on my adventures.