Wombat's Wootish Wonderings While Wandering

Quickie Update

2008-09-02T15:17:00.001-07:00

I'm Alive....sore feet as expected, made it to the OR/WA line on the Columbia River, Sorry for not putting more updates in---access to a computer has been an issue. Saw some amazing sights and met cool people in OR....like 2 miles or so of obsidian fields (volcanic glass). Whole boulders of it! Anyway, There isn't much time, so I probably won't be able to update or upload photos until post-trip. Love you all, and thanks for caring enough to call to see if I was still around :)
Didn't make the mileage schedule---topped out at 35 miles in a day. Been averaging 25-30 with the pack on. Ok, signing out for now---off into the Cascades of WA.
:)

7/30

2008-08-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

At Seavy Pass this morning--gorgeous hidden lakes East of the "windless, pristine" pond on the trail 0.5 miles from the Pass Summitt...Several beautiful small benches on the way up with a great amount of greenery. Incredible views. Smoke seems to have blown over, so no more haze for awhile?
Finally there seemed to be very few .mil aircraft flying over last night for the first time in a couple hundred miles of designated wilderness and Park backcountry. Saw 15 shooting stars-clear clear night. Woke up around 2am-couldn't sleep for some reason, and reveled in watching the night sky play out it's scenes with great pleasure. Several deep canyons to descend and climb today---each 1500 to 2000 ft of climbing/descending at around 7-9k ASL.

28 July

2008-08-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

Sitting on a 5'x5' square rocktop 75' straight above Miller Lake surveying its glassy surface currently undisturbed by even the slightest hint of a breeze. Reflected perfectly in its mere, is a ridgeline and trees-a lone duck flies by, pinwheels over the lake and cruises off to the North with only the whirring sound of its wings fading in the distance and failing light to belie its presence. Soon I am left once again in perfect silence--the kind where you only hear your own ears, which sounds deafening in a peaceful way, until you are made aware of the chirp of a night bird, and one lonesome, searching quack in the far distance by the previously observed duck.
At the same time I've been in wonderment of the silence and silhouetted ridge, I've been absorbed in watching a beautiful little blacktail doe (sometimes considered a sub-species of the mule deer, but I think it is distinct-could be wrong on this). She is grazing, browsing in the grasses and sedges in the meadow about the shoreline, the small swail up about the direction of my camp, to the borders of the lodgepole, and back again. She stops every so often perfectly still with her hindquarters to the water, looking & listening to the occasional sound which grabs her attention. I watch her in wonder--her grace, and poise.
A sole bat take wing above the lake as the sun sets and light fades--again, there is no breeze. I can see bugs aplenty on the water's surface, but again, no fish. As it darkens fully, the silhouette of the trees and ridgeline are magnificent. The sky is clear of smoke for the first time in days.
My doe has disapeared from my sight--retreating to the safety of the trees..but not too far in I imagine. Amazing how she just melts away into the night air.
It is with a head and belly full of wonder and amazement, I shimmy down from my perch to the luxurious comfort of my sleeping place and waiting bag to cocoon and envelope me in juxtaposition to the rapidly cooling night air. It has been a good day.

Tuolumne on North

2008-08-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Didn't get out of Tuolumne Meadows until around 3pm on the 27th of July...Traveled down the trail, and crossed the Tuolumne river at a series of glorious, cascading waterfalls. I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a quick swim in the paradise like pools as were a number of others--from hikers to stock users. Awesome...stayed in the water for what seemed like an eternity, until I tore myself away out of necessity to reach my destination well ahead of night fall-Would love to go back and hike the 'Grand Canyon' of the Tuolumne sometime along with a number of other High Sierra routes (Palisdes in part) . At Glen Aulin, sat around the fire some folks had going at the group fire pit (only the 2nd or 3rd fire I'd been around the whole trip), with some great folks from the Ventura area that were backpacking. I think I talked their ears off regaling them with various stories from the trail etc...They seemed interested--maybe it was just politeness :) Very nice people. Traded some black tea for a thermarest patch with a lady from the Bay area.
***RANT ON***
I hiked to Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp (Please avoid if possible--it's bear central, and I found out why, even though I personnally had no problems), which is a place the concessionaires seem to use to abuse the wilderness with excessive amounts of stock and people who appear as if they just stepped out of their Mercedes or Lexus and haven't so much as perspired a drop getting there. All with the sanction of the Park- though none of the park staff I spoke with (6) had a single good thing to say about the concessionaires, and readily admitted to the destructive nature of the camps. I observed the clients running around noisily dropping food on the ground regardless of the hour, while wafting their perfumes through the air, without an apparent clue or care as to any courtesy for other users. Never mind the bellowing horn the concessionaires blow several times a day as a sort of meal call bell. Anyway, Left later in the morning the next day disgusted, but soon left it behind to never hopefully return.
**Rant Off**
I stopped for lunch mid-afternoon and enjoyed some home made chicken tortilla soup a backpacking family had pawned off on me (gladly so) as they had waaaaay too much food to carry out, and dad wanted to lighten his load.....best meal I've had so far on the trail. :) So good. Camped up above Miller Lake...told there are no fish there.

Yosemite cont...

2008-07-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

the domes and el cap are amazing...

Yosemite...

2008-07-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

So this observation is one that struck me hard---Yosemite Valley is L.A. in the woods. Period. Soooooo many people. I was glad to see El Cap, Half Dome, etc...but what struck me most were the traffic jams, literal hordes of people dressed in clean flashy city clothes, the ice cream :), and the heat. It may sound as if I am not getting a favorable impression of the Park--not so! I understood taking the bus down here that though I had to see what I hadn't before, that Y in the summer is a crowed (understatement) place>>>it's a fascinating social phenomenon---just not one I am prepared to endure for more than an afternoon at this point in time. :) I haven't camped around so many other people in one place since the fam reunion in Newport OR. I had a group of (good) guys invade my campsite as the place was otherwise full to capacity....bachelor party...no sleep. I felt like I was part of the poker game that went on until two in the morning...missed out on campground bears though (bummer) I guess they are like dogs here.Well Northward again tomorrow from Tuolumne...

All who leave comments...

2008-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

If you leave a comment, and would like me to be able to return the favor, please leave your email or means of getting in touch, as I have no way to return your kind words--and they have been many....Thanks! :)

Photos of log books...

2008-07-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

I included some pics of the log book pages from VVR and the BP sheep so you could get a taste of some of the things folks write in these books businesses and agencies keep along the trail...it's pretty neet, and a way of communicating at times.

Mileage Strategies past T-Meadows

2008-07-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm in a crunch of sorts, and not sure if it will pan out, but I've come up with a mileage strategy to work up to once I make it to the Tahoe area...something to work up to if possible. I'm leaving the bulk of the high Sierra, and will be picking up mileage back to the 25 miles a day range, and hopefully beyond. Here's the strategy: 40, 40, 20, 30, 30, 20, zero. I don't know if my feet can take it, as I think they are the primary limfac in this plan...I'll weigh in with my progress in a few weeks to let you know how it's going...even a slightly less ambitious mileage program that I settle into would be great.

Lots O Mtn photos on Flickr---with captions

2008-07-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

Did it---finally got somewhere I could upload the rest of the Eastern High Sierra photos I had...apologies for not editing or rotating a few...it was, as I've previously lamented, an arduous task what with varying speeds and fees of coffee shop internet access. Please check them out, the titles are often silly, and meant to be that way...but I think they give a little peek into the majestic grandeur of the the E. Sierra.
Well, off to soak in another epsom salt bath and get more K+ in me before hitting the trail again tomorrow with a FULL load.

The JMT/PCT Wonders

2008-07-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

I love the Cascades, I love the Rockies. The High Eastern Sierra is something altogether even more special I think....wow. Can't get over being awed with every turn, pass, falls, and new peak in view. Big stuff, So many high routes to explore...I feel like I have just whetted my appetite with a sampler platter.
The Suffering of the thru-hiking is real, but is certainly mitigated, and one feels refreshed just being in these mountains.
Seeing a lot of JMT (John Muir Trail) travelers-what a great trail! It's a great thing to do...a manageable 211 miles, and you get all of the best stuff. I think I would still want to do it from South to North though--more dramatic approaches to the passes, although a lot of people (most?) seem to go N to S and end up with the Whitney climb. Resupply appears to be at one of two places--Muir Trail Ranch, or VVR (Vermillion Valley Ranch). I went to both to check them out. The VVR experience is definitely more of one, Though MTR had a better hiker box selection of goodies (food other hikers don't want, or have too much of). MTR was near the Blayney (sp?) Hot Springs which was a fun wide river crossing and a simple 200 meter walk to a meadow and then plop in the springs....with the best swimming lake ever---reminded me of little Cavanaugh or Winters lakes back home in WA growing up---warm on the top 3 feet, enough so, you could spend all day swimming around and jumping off the cliffs or log. Great day.

Selden Pass was intimate--lots of exploring to be done, lakes, lots of fish, and NOT the easiest---Muir Pass was in my opinion the easiest. Muir was the biggest, but not steep, and certainly less difficult than the climbing from the MTR area...steep steep steep!

Met a number of very cool people.

Other hikers and my self have had some real issues with the mule pack trains along the JMT through the National Forest/John Muir Wilderness sections--not so much in the National Parks, because I suppose they know "homey don't play that"---and the parks have actually allocated funding for trail maintenance. It's a health hazard, disgusting, and even without the growing body of scientific evidence pointing to stock as the primary fecal coliform contaminator of our streams and lakes, stock have gotten a free pass for far too long, and need to at minimum, rake their offal to the edges of the trail to give it a chance to "fix" to the soil bacteria and be less of an eye and nose sore....the issue of passing stock destroying upwards of 10,000 dollars of trail work in one day, is another one entirely....a difficult issue. I'm not anti-equine, just for equity-especially on the JMT/PCT. Long involved discussion.

With the photo posting, I am about computered out---a full day spent. So apologies for a lame posting. Check out the photos on my flickr site

Onward and upward to N. CA and beyond...hopefully the 100+mile fire closed section of the PCT in N cali is opened up to hiking by the time I mosey up there.

Mile 906

2008-07-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

New batch O photos uploaded to my flickr with descriptions....takes an enormous amount of time to do...hopefully I'll get more done tomorrow with some substantive posts...I have mustard all over my hiking shirt from the burger at Red's Meadow's because I was evidently VERY eager to eat real food along with my PCT friends.

Miles

2008-07-04T21:58:00.001-07:00

At mile 790 or so right now....there abouts

Epic

2008-07-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Traveled through the initial parts of the High Sierra with great wonder and relief to finally be in "real" mountains...familiar subalpine with frequent creeks and lakes. The refreshing scents of pine wafting on the warm breeze wafting up from lower, more sweltering elevations. The mountains are certainly home to me....though one cannot always stay there as the act of me writing this post attests---we have to live in the valley, but you have to climb the mountain to find your way back home-to express the simple Truth spoken and written by countless people before me for thousands of years.
Hiking beyond the Whitney Portal junction and merging the PCT with the JMT(John Muir Trail), I began to see more what appeared to be like terrain I was familiar with in Colorado. In fact, there is a 'notch' in a ridge at 13k ASL that is eerily way too similar to a 'notch' I've guided clients over on trips in CO (for those that know, I'm referring to the Waterloo Gulch crossing into the South Fork Clear Creek drainage). Bizarre. Anywho, I had run into a couple of cool dudes the night before that I ended up hiking with for a couple of days. We approached Forester Pass (13,200), hiking a typical alpine meander through and around various snowfields following a cairn or rock duck now and again. I kept looking up at this familiar notch, and knowing that the nearly vertical chute several hundred meters to the West of it was, according to the map, our pass....but there was just no way this positively nasty couloir and legitimate mountaineering route(as opposed to backpacking trail) could be the way for us to go...I was confused, but I pressed on scanning the vertical rock face ahead for any signs of human activity...there was none I could detect from my current position. Once at the base of this thing, we began ascending an endless series of switchbacks that are, in places, literally cut out of the face that appears nearly flawless from a less lofter perch. up, up, up we went, and I more in awe of the feat of human engineering and growing sense in my wonderful imagination that this scene could have easily come straight out of Tolkien's Sillmarillion--The Fall of Gondolin, or the Hidden Way....something fantastical and almost so incredible it was hard to believe it was actually real, though it definitely was VERY real. It was like a puzzle unfolding it's solutions to its problems with each successive series of steps and scrambles up some of the more occluded slopes(I could definitely see why, in a heavy snow year, or early season climb why one would wish to have an ice axe on this pass)...I'll post pics of the area in a couple of weeks when I am able to upload to the flickr page.
Once through the tiny cleft in this lofty and precipitous ridge of knife-like granite pinnacles and gendarmes, we descended on fairly significant snow fields softened by the afternoon sun---not ideal conditions to do so, but it went well, and saw, curiously enough, large cat tracks in the snow. There were a lot of sun cups, and in places small sections of Nieve Penitentes (grown up sun cups)....bathed briefly in Bubbs creek (Crazy COLD, but refreshing--one of my traveling companions is an experienced cold water swimmer, and lounged in the cascade of a falls like it was a hot springs for probably ten minutes with no sign that it might have been frigid--amazing). East Vidette Peak to the West rises on a vertical smooth granite slab for a sheer 1500 feet minimum with an almost impenetrable North ridge....I almost tripped several times gaping at it's sweeping East face.
Hiked 20 miles even that day to the East end of Bullfrog lake...was wiped out. Hiked out Kearsarge Pass the next morning to resupply in Independence.

High Sierra pics from today

2008-06-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Funky rocks at Cottonwood Pass, plus a few others....this makes the desert seem like a distant memory....gotta get back hiking...more updates in a week or so...mosquitos are out in full force, I'm trying to keep 'em off, but when filtering water I just can't help but collect a few red itchy bites.
Saw a huge smoke plume go up this morning back towards KM where I came from--hope the other hikers were able to get on the trail and not get stuck there longer. Glad I was able to beat feet and make a dash for it with a few others. Wind has kicked up significantly, walking through mainly alternating foxtail and lodgepole pine stands amongst the growing granite domes of the Sierra as I hike North. Gorgeous.

Blister improvement

2008-06-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

So, with the changes in insoles, sock liners, and more frequent shoes off rests, I was still having the recurring problem of the massive all encompassing blisters on my little toes. Well, I think I've found a solution that works for me with what I have. Desitin. Yep, plain old diaper rash type of stuff...just a little dab between the toes to decrease the friction. Seems to be working so far. I just posted a current pic for posterity

Pic from owens lake overlook

2008-06-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

High Sierra

2008-06-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well, right now I'm at 10,500 ft ASL overlooking a dry lakebed at least a mile below...and cell service is available on this ridge crest. Saw my first sequoia tree today up high--beautiful. It seems the predominant species up here are the lodgepole and foxtail in this spot-the lodgepole grow a lot bigger here than in CO. One nice thing the past two days has been the change in frequency of water crossings...creeks everywhere--yeehaa! Was passed today by the legendary PCT hiker Scott Williamson (done it 11 times) and a fella named Joe who is trying to break his own 'unsupported' record of somewhere around 80 days....the supported record holder is Dave Horton in 66 days (he had two teams of people meeting him and massaging his feet each night). Both incredible feets, but very different approaches to the trail.
So...the pack is heavier with the addition of the dreaded 'bear vault'...a necessary burden in CA I understand (big fines for not having it). Alright, I'd better get a move-on, daylight is burning fast

Mileage Summary

2008-06-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

So...at 700 miles up the trail now...heading out for the high Sierra tomorrow. Mileage summary is woefully in need of updating....excited to have water sources in more frequent intervals than 20 to 35 miles....The weather will be cooler as the altitude increases which is a welcome change. The trail is closed North of Kennedy Meadows still because of the Clover Fire. Hitching a ride up and around the fire so I can get moving again. For now, that is all. :)

Wind farm from a Sci Fi novel

2008-06-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Our little band, while back in the Tehachapi Mtns were fortunate to be 'slack packing' a good deal of distance. One of the sections was an 8 mile stretch between Willow Springs road and hwy 58---dripping in moonlight. Also there was a great bulk of wind generators (part of a 6,000 generator farm....6,000! (most are 250kw, but a growing number, and the bulk of those were in this short section, are the new, bigger 1 and even 2MW generators....the one's with the 60 foot blades). I joked that these actually generate the wind we feel across the country, not power.
So, it was a surreal experience---hiking directly beneath some of these gigantic windmills...the shadows of the blades in the moonwash would swish past every half second or so creating an effect of being on another planet or fantastical reality of a science fiction novel....so amazing, and weird. The wind was such, that we were constantly being buffetted about, and would have fallen if not for our trekking poles. Standing immediately beneath on of the big generators, I could see that the blades were flexing as much as 10 feet or more back---impressive in the force of the wind, and the strength of whatever composites these things are made of. Vestas is one large French owned company that manufactures much of these parts and has indeed just opened up a new plant near Ft. Collins, CO

Walked Mullhollands dream

2008-06-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

Don't know if anyone out there has read Mark Reisner's seminal work on water in the West 'Cadillac Desert' but it's a good read, and goes quite in depth on the history of the development of LA in particular and William Mullholland, architect of the LA aquaduct...which has allowed the formerly sleepy collection oforange groves, to grow into the festering boil of urban sickness many of us know and loathe today. Anyway, a good follow on read to Reisner's book is sadly, not his anticipated followup work cut short by his passing, but a reach further back into Wallace Stegner's 'Beyond The One Hundreth Meridian'-an excellent treatise on The West.
Well, to cut to the chase, I walked as far as humanly possible on Mullhollands Dream--the actual above ground pipe robbing life giving water from its rightful, natural home, to the asphalt jungle. I thought it was pretty cool to have been able to do that--a big piece of our collective development, and specifically Western history here on the Left Coast. Those rivets sure hurt the feet though...figure I got three miles on it before abandoning it for the newer, in ground, concrete aquaduct....did another 25 on it...My knees were hammered after that night of walking on the manmade surface (I seem to recall reading somewhere that prepared/manmade surface has 3 times the impact that natural surface does..aka an actual trail not on rock.
The floor of the Mojave is bleak and the desert folks in this area are, while not bleak....interesting. I had an small barely running hatchback pull up along side me with 3 youngish dudes in it on this loose, sandy, and difficult road to walk let alone drive in vehicle that has long outlived its useful lifespan. Anyway, they pace me and ask me if I've seen any aliens--and not the illegal kind, he says just to make sure he is clear as he asks me through substance of some sort altered eyes. I responded that I didn't know, because if I had, they sure hadn't let me know they were aliens. He thought that was an acceptable answer, then they stalled their vehicle for the first of what would be many times, and though I offered to help push them out of the sand they were getting stuck in from pacing a hiker, they refused. I didn't wish to stop and interact more closely with them, so I'm glad in a way. They asked me about the Mayan--doomsday--calendar and related topics, and I gladly engaged in an agreeable fashion. Eventually, they took off, tired of the game, and I continued trudging along in the evening heat radiating from the desert floor.

Can you say 44 hrs w/o sleep?

2008-06-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

So, this post should have been a few days ago. We were in the middle of the Mojave hiking at night and went 44 of 48 hours without sleep...just hiking, and hunkering down under a bush in the day. The third night of this business, we hiked past some hug Rave party in the woods complete with generators for the giant amplifiers we could hear a couple of miles away on the wings of the night wind when we'd come around a bend in the trail just so. I turned off my headlamp as I hiked by not wishing to attract some trippers attention at 2am in the mtns of So Cal

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Done with the desert!!!

2008-06-22T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it's been awhile. The Mojave is done! I hiked with a group of 4 other thru hikers (mostly at night) and we got thru the nasty stretch (with some great trail angel support) the last four days saw 25+ mile sections without water, and was true deep desert-only with mountains. I saw literally dozens ans dozens of scorpions, a few snakes (plus a Mojave Green Rattler that we almost stepped on as it was 11pm, and it was hidden perfectly by a bush. Poised to strike (it was kind of cool as I could see the tension in its musculature as it readied to strike (I'm sometimes referred to as 'eagle eyes' by my current hiking partners since I seem to have a knack for spotting all manner of critters on or near the trail in the dark-I find this amusing since I'm usually wearing my glasses at night).
>So, it will prob be two weeks before I can update again...hitting the high Sierra in two days if the Clover Fire doesn't hold us up more. Seems like we are all going back onto our own hiking schedules and splitting up for now.
Oh, hiked one night in the moonlit shadows of giant wind turbines...very surreal, as if I was in a sci-fi novel.

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The Night Shift in the Mojave

2008-06-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Striking out in a few minutes with my hiker friends across the mojave....hiking at night and resting in the day...excitement, anticipation, people coordinating, etc...off we go. :)

Angels of the Trail, and Lost photos in digi land

2008-06-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

Had a great time with the Moore's--Bobcat hiked with me the first 4.5 miles to Vincent Gap fun time just chatting and looking for sugar pine cones. Can't say enough nice things about these established trail angels (I was their 25th thru-hiker guest this year). Hiked Baden-Powell, and pounded my knee and feet to dust on the rest of the way to Islip Saddle.
Wonderful place found in Agua Dulce--aka Hiker Heaven (and it is) at the Saufley's. These folks are un...real in terms of their hospitality. The breadth and depth of their state of welcomeness :) is past linguistic description. I received a very serendipitous and unplanned magic carpet ride to Agua Dulce in the form of the best car ever, from Jay and Katie, the best new trail angels ever. I originally just wanted to seek a ride down to this restaurant/bar to try to use a phone to call my cousin Will and see if we could hang together in LA for a couple of days (and allow my swollen knee and painful body recoup a little). I was trying to come off as non-scary as possible since I'm a bit scruffy looking these days...when I brought it up, Katie and Jay told me I was completely non-scary, which, I must admit, made me a little disapointed. My secret hope was that I looked really tough and burly....I guess, it's just not so :) After packing up my tent from its perch on the berm of the closed hwy but off of the steep slope, and a few windy miles later on a desolate, rock strewn mountain highway; we arrived at the biker bar (granted, it was about 15 bmw bikes outside, so I wasn't too concerned the SoS were going to walk out. I was still in a bit of disbelief that I actually was given a ride by these wonderful folks. Inside, no chance of a ride, no cell service...I was about to use their phone when Jay and Katie conferenced briefly in private (during which time, I was thinking, could it be they are considering?....naw). Jay told me they'd just take me the whole way to Agua Dulce. I was floored, and grateful, yet still ignorant of just how large a task this was too be. Hwy 2 in the dark is not only littered with the granitic detritus of the San Gabriels it clings to, it appears to wind itself in an endless circle of dead end side roads that may or may not go through--yet, appear to and are unsigned as to their status of patency. Jay did a marvelous job of navigating this road version of a rubic's cube puzzle, and we a fun chatting--well, more me probably--I was just so happy to see people again and got a bout of verbal diarrhea tangential babbling-though it hadn't been all that long since I had been around people. Great folks, and wouldn't even let me give them gas money.
Was Exhausted, and we arrived around 10:30 pm or so....and it was totally OUT of their way. Such a blessing. This put me at the right place so I won't have to skip the Mojave section.
Hiker Heaven is simply the most warm and welcoming place I have experienced thus far.
Hung out with other hikers I hadn't seen in several days, figured out resupply and strategies for the Sierra.
Uploaded photos....for some reason, and I've not had this problem prior to this--all my photos from Big Bear to here went bye-bye...I tried and tried, got help, and they are gone. Bummer. So, my apologies for that. Ok, waaaaay too tired g'nite. Mailing out resupply tomorrow and hiking out tomorrow evening with some fellow PCT hikers as it's become too hot in the daytime for full-on day hiking.
***Note: I've posted a secret picture of the actual CALTRANS map of hwy 2 from Islip saddle to hwy 14. You will not find this published in commercial print anywhere. :)

Answers to the Pinon/Pinyon Pine mystery

2008-06-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well, Bobcat and Wiseowl (trail angels I stayed with in Wrightwood) have helped me not only be fed, showered, and housed for a night; but, they have solved my pinyon pine single needle vs two needle mystery. According to the research documented in the book "Conifers of California," the taxonomy of the single needle pinyon pine in CA has been, "highly controversial." It states that the Colorado Pinyon that I'm used to seeing down through the Grand Canyon region and most of the rest of the West where it is found, approaches the New York Mtns on the Nevada/CA border, but is distinctly different from the CA pinyon, and that the two to five needle varietys are merely mutations which suppress the single needle manifestation (the book excludes the Colorado Pinyon from the discussion on the basis that the CO pinyon does not occur in CA, and is biochemically distinct from the CA single needle pinyon. (other than the state line regions of the NY mtns). They seem to refer to it as a 'natural hybridization' Anywho, genetic testing as of the printing of this book (1999) was preliminary....interestingly, what appeared to be limber or bristlecone--but at far too low of elevations to me in the Laguna mtns was evidently a 4 and 5 needle hybrid of the CA pinyon. Alright, mystery solved to my satisfaction. :)

Trail Angels

2008-06-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

So, pick up my food drop at Mtn Hardware here in Wrightwood, and am handed this big binder of PCT hiker info to peruse. I am informed that there are a number of host families here in town and that I should call them--someone told me to give Bob and Maria a call, which I did, and to my great surprise, they offered me a place to stay. I walked up toward their house, and almost made it, but Bob was already driving down to pick me up. I was to be their 25th PCT hiker guest this season. Wonderful people who refused anysort of donation, and fed me like I was one of their own kids. They are a relatively recently retired couple who are avid hikers and involved with all sorts of community volunteer activities ranging from their church to the Forest Service performing archeological functions for the lone USFS Arch. there. On my way out, I hiked six miles with Bob on part of the PCT. I felt greatly blessed by this wonderful couple who go by 'bobcat' and 'wiseowl' in trail speak.

Interesting Article...Hmmm, I even have too much stuff on this trip

2008-06-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

Always thinking about slimming down the quantity of goods---I mean, I have enough gear at home to outfit three or four other people in a variety of outdoor activities. I mean, NO ONE should have over 10-20 pairs of underpants....I do. In fact, I have over 75. What the crap is up with that?
Here is an article on living with only a hundred things I saw while at this coffee shop in this little town I'm picking up a food drop in (classic RO). Interesting enough to chew on---I've tried to live simply, but obviously, I have some areas that need more work. Even on this trip I'm carrying too much extraneous stuff.

Refreshing...

2008-06-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

It is such a simple joy to, after a long, hot climb from the desert floor up into the chapparal, to finally reach the cooler climes of the Montane in the higher reaches of these fault mtns (7000-8000+ ft ASL).

SMOG!

2008-06-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

Amazing, way up here in the San Gabriel Mtns, there is smog wreathed around the range from the poison of the LA metro area...the disease of the city isn't confined to the gigaplex. Sad to see it----so disgusting actually. Makes me think of when Grandma and Mom were in LA for an RT conference back in the day (mid 70's) and Grandma had a bad reaction to the smog...supposedly it's not as bad these days, but I'll say, it looks like smoke down in there---can't even see the city. Evidently, there are pines and white fir in the Western part of the range that are dying from the acid rain produced by the smog.

The San Andreas Rift Zone

2008-06-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, ran into a wonderful "early" retired couple who were geologists from out East. I asked them a billion questions about rocks before moving on...they were very nice, and seemed to be just enjoying taking their own good time along the trail (more so than me :) ). Entered this area at Cajon Pass that has the San Andreas Rift Zone passing through it and right up into this cool little town (Wrightwood), that sits right on it....the geologic formations in the 20+ miles leading up to the town are truly, as noted in the guide book "bizarre"---Mormon Rocks, lots of sedimentary rock crumbling away--friable seems to be the proper term, though I think of tissue not holding together well when I think of friable--many uses for a word.
Came across a sizable adult rattler on the trail yesterday--I told to get out of the way as he was already rattling, and backing off the trail under the cover of a bush(it was mid-day anyway, so it was too hot for his own good). I've been using the new "birdie Pal" sun/hiking umbrella rigged to my pack---hopefully get a good picture of it soon to post. It looks very ridiculous, but it WORKS! Portable shade.
There wasn't much agua to find on the trail this section, though I started with quite a bit, I was down to a half liter when I came across a big snow bank and after scraping off the top few inches, when to town filling up a couple of bottles...probably gained a liter's worth. I didn't need much as I was hitting a road to hitch into town for my resupply pickup. Fortunately, I got to the road as my new trail buddy's Gregg and Chris (guitar guys) were getting out of a buddy's car dropping them off after being in town (they are a day or so ahead of me), so I scored a serendipitous ride into town, and just finished a 3 hour conversation with "Earl" at this coffee shop---a very existential, metaphor filled, positively interesting 60ish fellow. Good chat.
Had a smallish critter attempting to gain entry into my netting tent last night around midnight...I had considered just crashing on the ground in my bag, but decided against it due to the bugs about. If I had done so, I'd probably have woke up with a couple of holes in my pack and food bits and such strewn about.

What's in a Name

2008-06-07T21:36:00.001-07:00

Some people have asked why the name or title of my blog? Wombat has been an on and off nickname since '94 (explanation in person). And I thought of Woot the Wanderer from the Oz books some of us read as a kid...and it had a 'w' in it. The Wandering part has another off reference to a Tolkien poem from the Fellowship Of The Ring: Not all who wander are lost...

Just whimsy.

links

2008-06-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

I've finally started making use of the user friendly functions Blogger.com provides--like embedding links. So, for example, in my post about the Perseids meteor shower, click on the word Perseids and you'll go to a star link about this years showers coming up. There are a bunch of them in the past few posts...like the last time I use the word 'doxology' in case you were curious about what I was getting at--in a general sense. The link doesn't say it all, but it's the gist of the reference that I've personalized between a buddy and I dating back to some days guiding starting in '97 or so---Hedges, you're the one I'm referring to if you're reading.

The only blister/bandage pics I'll post-promise...unless something truly spectacular and gross presents itself--like gas-gangrene(hope not!)

2008-06-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

Blister-bandage pics for the full vicarious experience. Notice the 'pinky' toe with the folded skin-that's a few days after the last draining, I spared you the gory looking ones. Enjoy!!! Wish you were here.
Imagine yourself in a place between space...and time...now imagine yourself with lots of blisters, now imagine yourself taking between (approximately) 35,200 and 52,800 steps 5-6 days a week for 10-14 hours a day (roughly 20 to 30 miles/day). It's dusty, sometimes snowy and rainy, you get sand, plant matter, pebbles in your shoes--rubbing against those feet. Your feet are sweating and hot from the hot ground, sun, and constant pounding. Now add a 40 pound pack on your back. This is part of a picture of the daily life of a thru-hiker.
____________________________________________________________

An Ode (of sorts) Ode to Deep Creek

2008-06-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

O' Deep Creek, you are so...deep, :)
I long to plumb the refreshing depths of your clear cool waters.
Your hot springs are rejuvenating, bringing new vigor to tired, sore muscles,
The shade of your oaks give reprieve from the unrelenting sun burning down in your Canyon gorge.
But, you are not without your thorns.
You have hidden dangers for the unwary guest to your treasures.
The crumbling slopes after the Willow Creek fires make traveling your paths Treacherous.
You have the slithering guardians of your waters grassy edge, basking when the Shadows are long in all their viperish glory.
But these are not the most occult or even sharpest of your thorns; for you have rare, Lovely, lonely neisseria meningitidis plying your bubbling waters patiently waiting For a bather's nasal mucous membranes to make home.
In spite of your few thorns, I will miss your sweet relief, O' Deep Creek.
I leave your windy winding watery wonders with sorrow that I may never again visit Your treasures.

Cheesy...but fun

O' Starry Night

2008-06-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

There have been a few nights where I've been sleeping out and the stars were bright and clear--perhaps not quite like an evening in the Sawatch above 11,000 ft ASL, but impressive nonetheless. The quiet solitude of the trail, and wherever I happened to be pitched for the night has been rejuvenating. I've seen a few good satellite flares, one "shooting star" (can't wait for the Perseids in August).

Red Tail Hawks and Blue Bellied Lizards

2008-06-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Saw a gorgeous Red Tail Hawk yesterday while winding through the mountains in and out of uncountable small canyons, while traversing to the North. I have seen all sorts of hawks through the years, but unless somewhere like the Sonoran Desert Museum , I haven't seen one this close up. As close as the bear in Mission Creek--about 15 feet away, at eye level, perched on a manzanita bush offering it a sweeping view of what I can only guess would be prey on the steep slopes below the trail. What was remarkable about it to me, was how detailed I could see the eye, the feathering around it, and as it silently, gracefully, and without any perceptible effort lifted off of its perch into the warm, upward drafting breeze; it fanned it's tail feathers wide to facilitate liftoff, displaying a detail of the ruddy red color that though not a "striking red," was striking in and of itself to me. Wings stretched out wide...within 10 seconds it seemed he/she was hundreds of yards away, and a hundred or more feet above in altitude. All with absolute economy of motion, and imperceptible expenditure of energy stores. I watched all this in silent wonder, motionless for half a minute until he lit upon a new watch post a quarter mile or more away, scanning the slopes below for a late morning meal perhaps.
Ok, there are sooooo many lizards...blue bellied lizards apparently. Some of these are quite large, reaching a foot or more with tail. They look like miniature monitor lizards. I've seen a few eating grubs, but mostly these and a couple other kinds just litter the trail and scurry with startling quickness for cover when I come tromping along. Though I'm glad they far outnumber the snakes, it seems these little reptiles are growing in abundance, a never ending food source for rattlers (if they like 'em). I've seen a couple of gopher/rat snakes dart across the trail at my coming with ridiculous speed. If in a race, I think a person would be hard pressed to keep pace. So fast.
Oh, this is funny--ran across 4 high school kids on my way down one of the creeks. They had been up swimming for the day, and one looked as if he was wearing his shirt as a pair of shorts. I asked, and he replied in the affirmative with pride in his ingenuity. He stated that his swim trunks were wet from swimming, and he didn't wish to hike in wet shorts. I couldn't help thinking that had he done so, his trunks would have been dry long ago, but replied to him that he looked like he was attired in some sort of traditional Eastern garb (a baggy wrap of sorts)---he said COOL! The rest of the time until I paused for dinner was their fascination with the concept that I would even consider hiking from the Mexican border to Canada, and some bizarre teenage fascination with whether or not I was carrying weapons (I told them some people do, and that it was not a polite question (not that I really think this)-but just to facilitate the dropping of the topic). I thought the half hour or so we were hiking in proximity conversing was interesting and amusing, as they seemed to be very interested in what I was doing.

Trail Legs...but the feet don't want to follow yet

2008-06-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm excited that I seem to have my trail legs now---32 miles in 10.5 hours (ok, so it was mostly downhill or flat...a little uphill at times), then about 27 miles the next day. Only trouble is as I've changed insoles and mucked about with how my shoes fit on my feet to alleviate the forefoot pain which is a huge relief(felt like I was without any padding in my forefoot-bone on the ground...not fun). To continue, I seemed to mitigate one problem only to create another, dampening my excitement of being able to tick off some good mileage. Blisters. A whole new family to accompany the new fit of my shoes---One on my Left 5th digit is almost like a degloving around the little toe--kind of reminded me of some partial thickness burn blistering I've seen...it's getting better. Then there are the two deep blisters on the soles of my feet behind the arches. I'm taking another full day off to allow these to heal a bit. Last time I had sole blisters, was running the '98 Imogene Pass Run when I sheered off the soles of both feet from mid-arch back...don't want a repeat.
Gruesome as all that sounds, it's really not that bad, just temporarily debilitating in a slight way.
Finished the San Bernardinos, and heading up into the San Gabriels. :)

New Pics!

2008-06-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm 10 percent of the way there. My ride back to the trail is in the morning. Big Bear is a great area, and I wish I could stick around more....took several hours to edit and upload the photos I did...think I'll be taking fewer pics for the next several stretches, and focusing on mileage...hopefully the feet will be squared away for the next go. Fortunately, the weather shouldn't be too hot yet, and the going not that difficult.
I'm so excited to be taking on this challenge--it has thus far, proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. The beauty of the natural world, people, and physical challenge have all been welcome aspects.
Alright, thanks for your encouragement and interest...I need to get some rest. Enjoy the pics!
-Dave :)

Doxology

2008-06-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Painful Feet in the Dust--Doxology
Large Wildlife on the trail--Doxology
Wildflowers of every color and shape--Doxology
Snow on the trail--Doxology
Painful feet in the rain--Doxology
Heat upon heat upon heat--Doxology
Shade under a juniper midday in the desert--Doxology
Blisters--Doxology
Kindness unlooked for--Doxology
Homeless under trees near towns EVERY day--Doxology
Blue sky--Doxology
Cooling breeze--Doxology
New friends and good conversation--Doxology
Old friends and good conversation--Doxology
Family-Doxology
Painful feet smashing in the rocks step after step--Doxology
Freedom of the trail--Doxology
Sound of water in meandering mountain creeks--Doxology
Random smiles from random people--Doxology
Cicadas and blue bellied lizards--Doxology

People

2008-05-29T23:14:00.001-07:00

I have been known get impatient and suspicious of people from time to time-question their authenticity when at times I see them acting out in manner that violates the trust or honesty I felt was mutual just by being a human being. This I realize is largely my fault, and credit my naivity with pride to my genes. Wouldn't change it for a thing--even knowing it brings me a goodly amount of disapoinment. I get over it, dust off and continue on.
This trip has been remarkable to me in not just the natural beauty, and personal physical challenge so far, but also in the beauty of the human spirit that I have encountered. As I've mentioned before, the magnanimous(sp?) gestures shown by so many in just my narrow exposure to this PCT experience, blows me away. Maybe folks see how hard it is, and pity those of us foolhardy enough to undertake this journey at whatever level of preparedness we may be at. Or they join in as kindred spirits, becoming part of the experience having 'been there' or unable to be on the trails for various reasons and want to assist others in succeeding at what, I for one, have underestimated as an extraordinarily difficult task? I'm sure there are other reasons more complex, or as simple as just having a noble, and simple desire to help others regardless. People can be as beautiful and refreshing as the fragrance of the subalpine forest, or the riverine scents of the Grand Canyon after a good rain as yo
u float by unimpeded by the persistent current taking you ever downstream toward new sites and adventures.

Apologies for the rushed post

2008-05-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

I know I left out a good number of details-like the 5 ft snow drifts on San Jacinto, just how fantastic an entire pitcher of lemonade tastes, and the incredible peace found in the quiet solitude of the mountains and desert with only the warbling chirps and songs of the birds in the cool evening air, coupled with the alpenglow of the sun off the sheer, white granitic faces of rock jutting out from the forested mountain side. Filtering water alongside the lullaby like gurgling stream before it plunges off the edge of the high valley gathering with its kindred into a cascading torrent...which becomes only a distant memory once you've descended back to the endless desert terrain traversing every maddening nook and cranny without name or stature enough to be deemed a 'canyon' let alone a gully. The physical sense of the wind blustering about your body now, and again with full brute force as if it had a mind to knock you off balance or from whatever lofty perch you find yourself trodding
in an attempt to find shelter behind some large rock or undulation in the terrain to set up camp and relieve the painful throbbing ing your feet that has begun to interrupt your conscious thoughts, telling you itals past due time for a break, or that the day is DONE! :-) The frequent scents of the forest pine and fir, or white sage of the desert bless your olfactory senses and transport you (me at least) to another place in time that staves off and indeed, perhaps transcends the petty trials of your (mine) current circumstances leaving one with a feeling of bliss and blessedness that sends one's thoughts drifting heavenward on wafting breeze and fading ray of sun.

The Second Hundred Miles

2008-05-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

So, I'm writing this from the area known as the San Gorgonio Pass--Whole lotta wind farms here at the base of San Jacinto and San Bernadino Mtns. Whole lotta wind too...go figure. I left Warner Springs in the cool afternoon, and made it about 10 miles--ran into a few of my fellow hikers, pumped a load of water from a hillside spring, and slept fitfully. I don't think I'm stretching enough, which causes me to be cramped up during the night--about 3 hours on average before I'm able to fall asleep tossing from side to side in my bag (the silk sleeping sheet is a Godsend). The Weather had predicted rain after 2am which it was humid and cool, but no rain. Hiked in the clouds with a couple of other fellas from WA who brought their banjo and guitar along for entertainment. About noon this 2nd day out from Warner Springs, I was headed up toward the upper shoulders of Combs Peak (slightly over 6,000ft ASL) when the sleet started hitting hard...then rain...then sleet again...then SNOW! Big fat flakes of it for about half an hour. After this, there were a few thunderclaps that indicated by the timing from the flash I was within a mile of the excited electrons. This served to set my adrenal glands pumping out go-juice, as I was hiking through a burned out area (from the 2004 Cedar fire I'm told-might have the date wrong), I felt as if I was above treeline, and way too exposed. This inspite of the fact I love the thunder and lightening-I just don't like the prospect of being struck by it. I really didn't mind the rain by this point, since I was soaked to the point of squishing out muddy water from my shoes with each step...I couldn't get any wetter, and I would have clean shoes by the end of it, so nothing to do but hike it out. By the time night came, I was dry, and just under the threat of precipitation after about 21 or 22 miles.
The scenery was more of the chapparal, and high desert---Jeffrey/Coulter pines, Manzanita bush/trees, holly, poison oak. In the morning, I hiked out to hwy 74, and walked to the Paradise Cafe, ate some great food, and hitched a ride into Idyllwild to pick up and remail my bounce box and fill up on food for the next stretch. Ran into a bunch of friends from at Warner Springs who were chased off Mt. San Jacinto due to the substantial snowstorm that started the day before. Good times hanging out eating food, and listening to my sometime trail companions recount the horrors of hiking in the storm and with the lightweight gear we carry--or decided to forward ahead to lighten the load. Sang a bit of Karoke-One of my theme songs since a mountaineering trip I guided in 1993 at 13,660ft ASL for some folks from South Carolina. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones. ---You can't always get what you want...but if you try sometimes...you just might find...you get what you need. So true, and seemed applicable this evening--anyway, it was fun to sing it with some fellow thru-hikers on a cold night. Idyllwild is soooo supportive of the PCT---lots of trail angels, which amazes me the things folks do for PCT hikers from ensuring water caches in the middle of nowhere (like Jerrie and Mo--elderly couple who stock the Pioneer mail cache) to the nameless folks who obviously expend a lot of time, energy, and resources to help folks through this undertaking, that I am realizing every day, is much more difficult than I first thought.
Hitched back to the trail on hwy 74 on the next day, and traversed the San Jacinto over the next couple of days--Beautiful rejuvinating sub-alpine forest once above the chapparal and montaine. I would love to come back and just explore. Glorious--I could have been in Colorado or WA on some trail...similar to the High Sierra I'm told with the granite--but the High Sierra remains yet a distant dream. I slept fitfully, on top of the peak and shivered my self to slumber at 10,800ft ASL in my "20 degree" bag---I'm the human furnace, and I froze. Tuesday (27 May), I pounded down San Jacinto with views of the desert 9,000 feet below...long day of descending, and I was searching for the knee and ankle replacement shop at the base--there wasn't one at the end of 24 painful miles for my knees and feet...there was a spigot though, and that was gold! Tromped through some desert winds and thought I'd blow away---winds were at or above 60mph (40--foot is occ. blown into the other, 50--knocks you a step or so off, 60+ you're being buffetted around and fighting to walk straight and not be knocked over. Well, public libraries in small towns being what they are, I must sign off for now---perhaps more in another hundred miles. I'm getting new insoles here in the hope my feet will find some relief. Still constantly amazed at all the wonder there is in the natural world...and in people. Folks can surprise you at the most unexpected moments with acts of great generosity that may seem small, but are HUGE. unbelievable how good people can be.
More later---hopefully I'll be picking up the pace.
:)

Quote I like

2008-05-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

"As nighfall does not come at once, neither does oppresion. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such a twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air-however slight-lest we become un-witting victims of the darkness."
-Justice William O Douglas
(longest serving Supreme Court Justice (1937-1976 I believe), and native of Washington State)

I thought of this quote when speaking with a Kiowa man named Red Bird the other night at the hot springs---interesting fella. The application of the quote was woven in the discussions essence-though not specifically. Justice Douglas wrote a number of books, of which, I've read one--"Of Men And Mountains" Very Good book, a bit detailed at times(down to biscuit recipes, and all manner of plant descriptions), but thoughtful, entertaining, engrossing (for me) and certainly lends one to understand why he has a wilderness area named after him not far from the Goat Rocks.

Anza-Borrego Desert...hotta hotta

2008-05-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

Wrote this over a couple of Days: Just healing up at Warner Springs Ranch--wow, what a treasure/paradise in the desert! Spending time getting hydrated and fed (finally got my appetite back this morning at 2:47 am--woke up ravenous! So, knowing that would happen, I pulled out the burger and fries I had ordered last night as extra and wolfed it down. Had a spinach salad last night for dinner even though I wasn't feeling very hungry (still slightly nauseated from the exposure/sun). Food is an ever present thought.
This morning I had a couple of eggs, water, a cup of coffee, and a big bowl of various fresh fruit.....mmmmm. I'm taking two full days off the trail here in the hope to not be limping along wearing out accessory muscles that weren't designed to be the primary! Can you say Sore/cramps? :-) I feel so blessed to have met so many super cool people doing the trail along with me....each one/couple doing their own hike, yet experiencing so much of the same stuff, and struggling with similiar issues on the trail. Folks ranging from retired medical professionals, adventure racers, hard core mountaineers, other professionals, to college kids, and people carrying guitars and banjoes. Couples and solo hikers alike. The word comaraderie applies when "in town." Being alone for so much time at a stretch really makes you value and appreciate the company of people soooo much more when you do have it-that common bond of shared activity certainly helps--like anything.
It was a shock to hear the tv in the restaurant and see a newspaper...we get so attuned to having all of that around us. I've always enjoyed that feeling of being out of touch during the summer--especially being something of a news hound.
It's great being around a group of primarily positive, genuinely happy people after such a dearth of it the past few months and years. Laughter and whimsy is good for the soul. I wish I could just strap a video camera to my head and film the whole thing so folks could experience it with me--it's not an easy undertaking.
The Anza-Borrego Desert the past few days was hellacious--locals said it was record heat and up to 118 degrees on the desert floor. Did 57 miles in two and a half days. Paying for it with dehydration, exposure--nauseated, loss of appetite(which I got back this morning), and BLISTERS---doubled my daily mileage to 25 miles two days ago to see if I could catch up to this one dude who I knew was ahead of me...I did, and am paying for it now, but at the same time, I'm glad I'm done with that stretch...gorgeous country if I wasn't so pre-occupied with surviving it at the time. About 15 of us (all at different spots) met up at a "zero day" spot in Warner Springs, which is a little oasis---real bed, food, shower, laundry, small store to top off supplies...get off of the feet. My blisters have blisters...and they have small grandchildren (living just above a nice hematoma). One is beginning to get infected, so I'm cleaning and soaking it and airing it out a lot while I'm here. Seen a lot of lizards (wondered how they'd taste---soooo fast, have to snare one to get it-no energy or inclination to try). Saw and heard a few rattlers at night after getting smart and hiking when it's cool. Other than that just lots of wildflowers and wonderfully fragrant plants (to off set my stench). Next stretch is higher up, and should have cooler weather---though going into a spot where fire just went through (idiot with a cigarette), so don't know about water availability---still have to pack the extra volume just to be sure. Electrolytes!! These citrus electr. tablets have saved my bacon. Seems like almost everyone was tapped out that came in here Sun/Mon from the Anza---couldn't keep up with the hydration or the electrolytes.
It's amazing not more people get into serious trouble out there with the exposure(PCT hikers that is), and I totally see why so many illegals/smugglers do....I holed up under a juniper one day for about 6 hours just to conserve resources until it got cooler which was the right idea. I think if I were to even sniff a beer right now, I'd pass out...hmm maybe not a bad idea.
Jettisoned more gear into the foward mail route---ditched probably another 4 pounds of stuff, plus cut off excess straps and other unecessary accoutrements off of the pack.

Heading out this afternoon, hopefully blisters are healed enough to hold up, can't spend anymore time here though..getting behind schedule even though I don't have one...NoBO (North Bound).
Interesting article in the San Diego Union-Tribune on a ranger that flies the Anza-Borrego...I posted the link for the video article.
-Dave

Mt. Laguna

2008-05-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

I must say the journey so far has been a feast of natural beauty...from sage to chapparal, to the montaine like groves of Jeffrey pine and all of the associated fragrance. The wildflowers have been non stop wonder. Now, I'm up against a heat wave coming in for the next several days, and some long stretches without water sources (25,17,30,& 20 miles). Should be an adventure.
Although, things have so far been what I've expected from a physical and effort standpoint, it's always different being in the midst of a thing than thinking about it. I'm sore, blistered, and feeling the pain of the trail to be sure.
I've sussed out the pack weight issues today as much as I can for the time being at Laguna mtn. I jettisoned the bear vault, microfleece, chacos, and paper journal (I mailed it all to a place called 'hiker heaven'). This saved about six pounds.
The lemonade from the store here never tasted sooooooo gooood! It's an old school joint run by two brothers (Tom and John). The postoffice and store are all run from the same old structure--character.
ok, time to attend to draining some blisters and getting some sleep. Ten more days to get my trail legs swinging...more later.
-Dave/Wombat

First day aches and pains

2008-05-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

So, in my typical fashion, I didn't get hiking on the trail until noon-it starts about 65 miles SE of San Diego just south of the town of Campo where the Border Patrol and a sheriff's youth ranch are the biggests entity's.
Hiked up through the middle of the Hauser Wilderness--but only got 14 miles before I was toast...I thought I was further along when I called a few people--good cell reception(it's a small wilderness area). Still, I can't really hear sounds of civilization...the occasional semi faintly in the distance using it's exhaust brakes to retard the engine going down one of the passes. Lots of birds here up in the chapparal. Gorgeous views.
I am definitely paying the price for a heavy (by thru hiker standards) pack. 37-40# before water....yep it's a fifty pounder--gotta do something about that...maybe ditch the 'Backpacker', 'Economist', and 'Outside' for starters :-) lol. Ate the lasagna with meat tonight. Tasty! Night is setting in, so I'd better go get some rest--oh, the fragrant scents of Spring here are wonderful. Lots of wildflowers. Ok, more later when I can get to a real keyboard.
Here are a few pics I took with just my camera phone--other pics will have to wait.
It's another new day tomorrow! Woo Hoo! (we'll see if I'm as excited when I'm sore as all get out).
Saw three hummingbirds, two hawks, and a bunch of buzzards today.
Alright--good night.
:-)

Not enough Time! :)

2008-05-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Boy, I sure underestimated the amount of time it would take to finalize my preparations for this undertaking...a day and a half wasn't quite enough. So here I am, the night before leaving to make a 'run for the border' and (then promptly about face and head North), and I'm still making up my resupply boxes.
Woo Hoo! Finally on my way to being on my way (in Tucson).