warner springs

i'm 109 miles in, here at the warner springs lodge enjoying all their amenities: air conditioning, shower, pool, delicious food, hiker box (discarded, free stuff left by other hikers), internet, etc...

i thought i'd brought a cable for my camera on this hike, but apparently i didn't. maybe i'll pick one up along the way. but for now you'll just have to imagine the sweet pictures of cactus blossoms and games of pass the pig i've taken.

the beginning of this hike has been much gentler on my body and i'm feeling great. the water supply has been better than i'd expected and the miles are coming fairly easy - i haven't even really gotten a sunburn. i've made some friends and have been hiking regularly with mattress, tomato, and the primaries - i spy, booty, and pockets. mattress finished his section here at warner and will be headed back up to victoria tomorrow, but i hope to continue seeing the others for a while. there are a lot of hikers around me on the trail and i regularly see over twenty a day. ironically, this hike is shaping up to be a much more social one than the AT.

yesterday morning i rounded a corner and found a box of lead weights in the middle of nowhere, all labeled "pct '09" with an admonishment to "take only what you need." so now i'm carrying an 8oz weight to canada. apparently there weren't many other takers. the class of '09 must be a bunch of wusses.

i've also picked up a new name for the pct. it's "freebie". i'm working hard to earn it and my yogiing skills (getting free stuff without actually asking) are sharp as a tack.

idyllwild is about 70 trail miles away. supposed to warm up a little between now and then.

that's all for now.

the kickoff party was fun and informative. i'm about 43 miles into the hike, staying in a free cabin, drinkin free beer, watchin the blazer game. enjoying life
.

17.5 hour drive = 4 month walk (plus an extra month for good measure)

all packed. sitting at the folding table in the converted garage one last time (well, at least for a while), waiting for my ride to pick me up.

i'm reflecting on the differences between my feelings of preparedness for the hike last summer and this summer. i really felt ready last year. felt like i'd done my homework, and put myself in a great position to have a successful trip. but now, having a thru-hike under my belt, i feel more than prepared. i feel calm right now, just moments away from departure.

maybe it's because my planning last year allowed me to reuse 95% of my gear. maybe it's because i had even fewer loose ends to tie up than before (hard to believe, but true). maybe it's because i'm not questioning whether i'll enjoy walking for five months - i've done it now and know i like it. maybe it's because somehow this trail feels like my home turf - even though i've only seen about 5% of it before. maybe it's simply because i'm listening to clair de lune.

whatever the reason is, i like the feeling.

warning: softcore hiker porn

for the gear list, click here.

This means my mobile blogger is set up...

limits

[originally posted on set course]

i've been hiking more lately. three out of the last four days i've managed to get out on a real trail and let my body begin to feel it's way into preparedness. in the process, i've alternated between being excited for the whole crazy thing to start over again, and then wondering if i'm ready for another 5-6 months of walking.

i am. if for no other reason than to put my body and mind to constant use again - to find my limits. i think that's what i like the most about thru-hiking: tomorrow is taken care of. it's a foregone conclusion really. i will hike, drink, eat, feel the sun/rain/snow/wind and move forward towards a goal. a difficult goal that requires all i have to offer. and that's probably why i pushed myself on the AT. i don't often feel what i'm doing needs, or even can handle, all of what i can put into it. it was exhilarating in some way to know that no matter how hard i worked or stretched or struggled, this thing, this trail, was bigger than me and could take it.

no, it was more than that, it was realizing all my extra effort - those times when i pushed myself to what i thought was my physical limit - actually made a difference. i was able to directly affect the outcome, something i believe in theory but don't always get to experience as a tangible process. of course, even in those moments of extreme physical stress, when i thought i was close to my limit, i never actually reached it. i'm certain it exists, but i'm also becoming more certain that my physical limit will come sooner than my mental limit.

i got a glimpse of this some time ago during one of my first hikes. it was the summer of 2002, i think, and i was doing a training hike up dog mountain with a couple of friends. bursting with swagger and confidence, i was pressing hard up the side of the mountain (there are two routes in this well-known loop hike - encouragingly labeled "more difficult" and "most difficult" on the trail sign. i kid you not.) in the blazing sun. i had a pack full of heavy gear and three gallons of water - it was a training hike after all and i wanted the extra weight. turning to one of my friends, in full stride i began to expound on my theory of hiking: "see, i figure i'll just hike the same speed no matter if it's up, down, or flat, and the work will even itself out." such simple logic.

five minutes later i passed out on the trail.

notice i didn't say i got "light-headed", or "weak." i straight-up passed out. as in cartoon-style, flat-on-my-back, lights out. my body said "i don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but i'm shuttin' 'er down." fortunately i had three gallons of water behind me to break my fall. now, understandably, my hiking companions were a little disconcerted by this turn of events, but i quickly revived and sat down in a shady spot for a rest. they wanted to head back down to the car, but i "dog"gedly [insert groan here] insisted on completing the hike. upon gaining the summit, i smiled sheepishly at my friends and said "well at least now i know why they call it dog mountain - it can be a real bitch!"











looking west off dog mountain 4/5/09. i reached the top in much better shape this time.

shifting gears

[originally posted on set course]

as my PCT thru-hike approaches, i've been getting back into that mode of thinking. packing up the familiar gear, putting it in the familiar places, feeling the familiar thoughts come back to me. and it's a nice feeling; thru-hiking was a way of life i greatly enjoyed, and i'm happy i'll be experiencing it again. being around other hikers last weekend was a lot of fun and i look forward to meeting more people once i actually start hiking. unlike on the appalachian trail, i'm planning my start date to purposefully be around other hikers (at a party, no less!), not avoid them. since there are so many fewer people who attempt this one, i'm not as concerned with the big crowds and demands placed on resources along the trail.



got out and enjoyed the sunny day with mom, john, jeff, and brian as we hiked the cape horn trail. everyone seemed to have a good time, which was easy since it's a nice trail packed full of awesome views, varied terrain, a waterfall to walk under/through (depending on the time of year), and great exercise. i used it a lot in my preparations for last summer's trip and hope i get the chance to hike it a few more times before i leave in 19 days. especially since it's likely the last year this trail will exist in its current form. there is a board evaluating potential reroutes or seasonal closures for the trail before it will be officially recognized and incorporated into the columbia river gorge national scenic area (CRGNSA). i attended their public meeting with my friend john, and it's apparent they will be altering the trail's access and/or use in the near future.

walking with a loaded pack felt great, but it also reminded me that i haven't really been doing much of it lately. walking around town and riding a bicycle a little is all fine and dandy, but there's nothing that'll get you ready to hike up and down steep trails like hiking up and down steep trails. on the plus side, i have cautious optimism that the shoes i want to hike in will be up to the challenge. it's still too early to tell, but they felt comfortable all day and don't seem any worse for the wear. if they can do that for 400-500 miles a pop i'll be ecstatic.

good things.