Border Crossings

Well, Etna was fun but the trail was calling and we had to go. 

Our 6 am wake up call came way too early. We were sound asleep when Loverboy announced "Guys, it's 6 o'clock..." No one moved. 6:15 rolled around. "Guys, we really should get up..."  No one moved. 6:30 rolled around. Multiple alarms went off and finally there was movement! We dragged ourselves out of those cozy hiker hut beds and got ready to go. Our ride showed up at 7 am and we piled in and headed for the trailhead. For once we were getting out of a town at a decent hour! 

After being dropped off we quickly collected our packs and got on trail. Well, most of us did. The boys stayed behind for a bit while the girls got a head start. It wasn't until later in the day that some of them caught us at Shelly Lake Outlet.(Shelly has a lake named after her!). Loverboy, Matt, and Cityslicker all stopped with us at that water source. Oddly enough, Wright hadn't caught anyone yet. It was out of the ordinary but we didn't think too much of it. And so the day went on. 

Shelly and I walked for several more miles and stopped at another small stream for lunch. It was a pleasant spot even though shade was limited. We ate lunch quickly, filtered our water, and left before anyone else got there. 

The next couple miles were a bit tiresome. There was a very steep climb followed by a brief reprieve and then another steep climb. The uphill ended up being completely worth it because we crested a hill overlooking marble covered hillsides. Even with smoke in the air the views were incredible. 

The trail then dropped into the valley and meandered through thick trees and marble outcroppings. After rounding a corner I came upon an old cabin, which was quite a surprise in a wilderness area. I didn't want to stop at the cabin but was forced to because of some very ornery deer. After about ten minutes of leap frog with a very confrontational buck I left the cabin area.

 Soon I was at the last water source for the day where I was joined by Matt and Loverboy. Again, Wright wasn't there and this time I was concerned. But I grabbed waaaay too much water and slogged up the last .5 mile climb to our campsite. 

It was a beautiful spot. We were in between slabs of marble overlooking an open valley. Shelly had a fire going and her and Matt were sitting around it enjoying the evening. Dusk fell as we soaked up the warmth of the fire and each others company. Loverboy arrived as we started dinner and Vanish showed up shortly thereafter. It wasn't until after dark that Cityslicker got to camp. But still no Wright. 

At this point I was very worried. It's not usual for a wolf pack member to be extraordinarily late to camp. Especially Wright. We waited for quite a while after dark but he never showed. I went to bed feeling uneasy. 

The next morning we woke up hoping to find Wright cowboy camping somewhere close by. But no such luck. He hadn't showed. 

Other than our collective worrying about Wright the morning was awesome. We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise. It also happened to be my 22nd birthday! Shelly made me some coffee, which was delicious, and Cityslicker gave me some

yummy taffy. 

Birthdays on trail are hard because you can't really give gifts. You know, baseweight and all that. So I asked for something a little different. All I wanted for my birthday was to hike with the whole Wolfpack all day. I wanted everyone to be together all day because that never happens. Unfortunately Matt waited behind for Wright so I didn't get to hike with either of them. Loverboy and Shelly, however, hiked with me all morning! 

Hiking with the people who mean the most to you is an amazing experience. You get to share special moments with them as you pass through some amazing places. You struggle through miles together, you laugh together, and you just talk until you arrive at camp. I like hiking alone sometimes but getting to hike with my friends is my favorite part of the trail. So my birthday morning was great! Hiking with those two was super fun and I'm glad they slowed down to my pace to hang with me. 

At lunch we hung out under a super cool tree and Shelly sang me happy birthday and gave me an apple/pocky pie. After lunch we had 14 miles until Siead Valley and seeing my parents!! 

Ok, so bear with me here because I am about to sound completely insane. On the way into Seiad Valley we made a new friend. His name was Larry and he was a leaf. 

Larry stuck himself to my shoe about 10 miles out from Seiad. And from that moment on a glorious friendship was born. At first he was a full bodied maple leaf, clinging to my foot with the tenacity of a lion. I chatted him up for a bit but he was very unresponsive. That set the tone for a very onesided relationship. After about a mile, Larry (or Lar as I was calling him now) began to wear down. He lost half his body but still hung on. Really he was being smart because he dropped base weight. More miles drug on and Larry became more frail and battered. At this point I was cheering him on. We both wanted him to go the distance to Seiad. Before we got to the first creek crossing I bestowed upon Larry a trail name: Freeride. I'm sure he loved the name but as usual he was silent. The first creek crossing came and he survived. The second, however, was costly. Larry lost most of his body and was all stem at that point. But by god he still held on. The mileage ticked by and finally Larry was no more. He had held on for 5 glorious miles  with the determination that any leaf would envy. His stint on the PCT was short but worthy of remembrance. And now I dedicate this post to Larry the Leaf aka Lar aka Freeride. Thank you for the wonderful memories and may you rest in peace. 

Anyways, back to what I was talking about earlier... We got into Seiad around 5ish where we met my parents! They took us to their campsite and fed us a delicious chicken dinner. We then went back and grabbed the rest of the Wolfpack for some dessert. All in all, a wonderful birthday. 

The next day my parents headed for home. It was awesome to see them on my birthday. I couldn't have asked for a better present. But the time came to say goodbye and they left us to grab milkshakes at the local cafe. And then....Wright appeared! It turned out that he had gotten very sick after leaving Etna. He got a couple miles out of town and then turned around and went back to the trailhead. After some rest and recoup he hitched to Seiad. So all was well and we got our missing pack member back! 

After we had lunch we went up 14 miles to a meet up spot with the boys and waited for them to arrive. This meant finding things to pass the time so naturally we watched tv in the woods. 

While we waited we met the Mob Squad! Stayin' Alive, Shake, Toast, Mr. Walker, and Twiggy. They are awesome guys. We did highs and lows with them around the campfire. It was a giant mess of hiker trash at that campsite! 

Eventually the boys showed up at dusk and we went to bed giddy with anticipation because the next day we would cross the OREGON/Cali border! Woohoo! Finally! 

The next morning we left early and marched toward the border. It was a beautiful day filled with great vistas and nice lunch spots but no one lagged. We were dead set on that border. We had been waiting for this day for soooooo long. 

And so, around 6 ish in the evening I crossed the Oregon/California border! I danced my way in and then flipped Cali the bird. It was glorious. To celebrate I took a nap while waiting for the others. 

After everyone arrived and soaked up the fact that we were in Oregon we all headed to a spring a couple miles away. We were finally in Oregon and that meant that the next day we would arrive in Ashland and get some much needed rest. I went to bed very proud of our accomplishment. We had walked from Mexico to OREGON. 

A beautiful sunrise greeted us when we opened the tent flap. Shelly and I got out of our sleeping bags quickly so we could get to town at a reasonable hour. On our way out, Shelly heckled Loverboy with some cow poop, much to the enjoyment of everyone who was awake. Loverboy, however, was not amused and proceeded to chase Shelly all over camp.  

We left chuckling and slowly made our way through some beautiful countryside towards Ashland. We were about 10 miles from town when we both heard drumming. It sounded like a concert. Off in the distance down the hill we could see what looked like a stage. 

So we left the PCT and went to investigate. What we found was a large painted schoolbus with couches, a drumset, and mostly naked people on its roof. Awesome. 

These people were super friendly and offered us watermelon. I rocked out on the bus roof drumset for a bit and then we headed back to the trail, happy and a little stunned at what just happened. Renewed with energy we raced into Ashland for some all you can eat spaghetti at Callahans Lodge. 

Hello Ashland. Show us what Oregon is all about. 

-Smokey 

Birthday Month

We made it to Burney Falls! We were hoping to hike out that evening after some ice cream, but we ran into some friends called Team Eagle! They had a car and a desire to bowl......sooooo we couldn't resist. We went into town for real food and bowled. After, we talked everyone into camping together at the park. It was a fun night of ice cream cake and buffalo wings. 

The next morning was not so productive, but after a few ice cream cones we eventually got on trail. We were about 9 miles out when we stopped for camp. So... Productive day. 

The next day we actually logged some miles. We got 30 miles under our belt as we hiked through the smoke. We could look back and see the vague outline of Mt Lassen but Shasta was completely obscured to the north. The smoke was frustrating for most of the day. We knew we were missing some amazing views. Nevertheless we pushed on and ended our day at an unpaved road, tired and ready for sleep. 

The next morning we logged some more miles. We had lunch together and then Nathan left us. He wanted to visit a friend and so he headed out. We hope to see him down the trail. The rest of us stopped at a swimming hole, Squaw Valley. There was not much camping, but we made it work.

 

After a cramped night of sleep, we got up and did the 15ish miles into Castella. In order to get into town there was a two mile road walk. We both were lucky enough to get rides into town. A sheriff picked me up, and a fellow hiker picked up Smokey and Vanish. We had a small break in town and got sandwiches, drinks, and shade. Once it cooled off we hiked out of town. It was a small side trail and it took us through a buggy area. We made camp next to a river after about 5 miles. It was a cozy camp. We hike with 8-10 people at this point so finding a campsite for all of us can be a challenge, but we made it work. 

The next day we headed out to climb up Castle Crags. It was a large climb and full of many bugs, but the views were amazing.

The smoke set in and though we had a beautiful ridge walk, we could only see a couple miles.

We ended the day after an easy 23 miles at a nice lake. We jumped in to cool down and enjoyed a fire. It was nice to have a campsite for all of us.

The next morning was equally as smoky, but I had a mission for the day. Nathan had lost his trekking pole somewhere and since we were behind him it was our duty to find it. I busted out early with a mission. I knocked out 16 miles and found the pole. I did two more miles and had lunch. Two more thru hikers joined me, Gummi Bear and Happy Little Trees. After lunch I finished out the 30 mile day and ended at a spring. We were hoping for camping, but there was none. We made our own for the night, some almost directly on trail. 

After a night of little sleep we hit the trail. We had one more full day to Etna and one more half day. We were tired and ready to be in town. After crossing one road that would have taken us in town, we were tempted. At the second road Emily and I decided to head in for a much needed shower, rest from the smoke, and sleep. At the last minute Wright decided to join us on a hitch with a beautiful sunset.

 At this point we haven't showered in almost two weeks. We were dirty and hungry. 

The guys who gave us a hitch dropped us off at the Hiker Hut, a wonderful place. It is this garage looking hut that was made into a bunk house. It had a shower, fridge, TV, and computer. It was beautiful. They also gave us bikes we could use around town. We immediately used these bikes to fly into town for a burger. It was so much fun to move so quickly. We looked like a local biker gang rolling around. 

After a delicious burger at Dotty's we biked home to clean up. First, a beautiful sunset.

When we got back to the hut our new hiker friend, trail name Dad, told us that the scrub brush that you may think to use on the floor, actually is the only way to get the dirt off of you. 

After finally being clean, Smokey and Wright brainstormed ways to do the miles we had missed. They decided they would slack pack the miles and be done around the same time as the other people in our group. They took all of the stuff out of their packs except water and a lunch, and arranged a ride. 

As they went off to slack pack the Trinity Alps, I hung back and wrote letters, rode around on the bike, and used the real computer to work on grad school applications. Here are some photos of their slack packing adventure: 

The rest of the group came in and we went to the local brewery, Etna Brewing, where I had one of the best sandwiches on trail. By then Smokey and Wright made it in and we had to pick up a package from Sugar Momma, the trail angel in Mammoth. It was our birthday surprise! She was kind enough to send us two cakes, frosting, decorations to make hats, candles, bubbles, and a kind note. It was a great surprise. We enjoyed the cake so much! Thank you!!!

Later on we heard about a concert in town. We got on the bikes and headed down for milkshakes and music. 

The next morning we grabbed coffee at the local shop, and groceries to have a grill out. We grilled brats, zucchini, squash, peppers, and onions. We had a feast. 

Then the town was having a community celebration, so of course we had to visit. It was a local street fair. Food, dancing, homemade pies, people on stilts, and dunk tanks. It reminded me of the local celebrations in Iowa. 

After almost two weeks without a zero, a shower, or much rest Etna was the perfect town to rest and enjoy. It gave us a break from the ever present smoke, and let us join the community for just a little while. There is not much more we could ask for. 

But the trail always calls us back.....

 

On the trail again!

After such a large break, we were excited to get back on the trail. A night of beers and dancing made it a little harder to get on the trail, but after a hot breakfast we got going. It was around a 12 mile climb out of Belden. It was not very fun, but we did it. It was our way of earning being back on the trail. Emily's ankle was strong and the miles went by. We hiked to a cold spring and stayed in a cow pasture. The water was cold and delicious. The next day we met back up with Vanish, a hiker we have been yo-yoing. We were planning on doing great miles, but we got held up by trail magic! It was the most wonderful thing to stumble upon a group of lovely people with a table and food. At first I thought I was interrupting their camp, but P came up and made sure I took off my back and sat down. He got a sandwich ready, fresh fruit, and drinks. Needless to say, we stayed there for hours. Then, another trail angel group showed up. They were serving BLTs with blackberry and cream. Nom. We called it a trail angel off, and everyone won..... mostly just us. We left the parking area with an extremely full stomach, a BLT for the road, and a beer for our soon to be midway point!

We headed out and hit the halfway point! The post was at 1305 or something around there, but it is marked for 1325. Either way, we made it half way. We had a celebratory beer, and just enjoyed the moment.

We hiked a couple more miles, for the evening and called it good. The next morning was......MY BIRTHDAY!!! My family had sent cards that I was to open on my birthday morning. It was a wonderful surprise. That day we hiked through Lassen National Park. The volcanic rocks were fascinating, and there were boiling lakes.

We hiked 30 miles, a first for me. We stayed at a lake and had freeze dried ice cream cake! A wonderful way to celebrate.

The next day we woke up and headed into town. We said goodbye to Lassen and headed to the valley. 

I stumbled into Old Station. It turns out it is mostly just a RV park, post office, and gas station. We found a cafe to eat at and a cave! Subway Cave was formed by a lava flow tube. It was pretty cool.

We camped by the cave, and got ready for the hyped up Hat Creek Rim section, a 30 mile exposed, hot,and dry section. 

What a beautiful view it was. In the morning we climbed up to the rim and caught our first view of Mt. Shasta!

The picture doesn't do it justice. Mostly because you can't really see Shasta, but I promise it is there. 

Anywho, we meandered our way across the rim full of beautiful views. The water less stretch was broken by Cache 22, a beautifully shady shelter with all the water. 

After a shady break, we continued on to a fish hatchery. It was a soft grassy area with a view of the stars for the meteor shower that night. 

The next morning we woke up and walked a couple miles to trail magic! The Wild Bird Cache. It was the perfect hiker trap. It had chargers for phones, food, solar shower, and soda. Amazing. Needless to say, we were there for awhile.

Eventually we dragged ourselves out, and made it to Burney Falls State Park! What a beautiful park, with soft serve ice cream. :)

Friends and Family

Shelly and I (temporarily) parted ways at Northern Kennedy meadows. She needed some time off trail so we decided to meet back up at South Lake Tahoe. It was about three days from Sonora to Tahoe which meant we would be without Shelly for only a couple days.

Nathan and I were given a ride from the people at Camp Awesome up to Sonora Pass. We got back on trail around 6pm and pounded out 5 miles. On the way to our campsite we were treated to a gorgeous sunset. A beam of golden light was cutting across the canyon and slowly drifting up the hillside as the evening darkened. Both Nathan and I were awestruck and elated at the same time. The rush to our campsite became a little less frantic as we laughed and sang our way down the trail. 

That evening we camped with Macgyver, a hiker we met in Yosemite. The three of us ate our dinner as the yellow alpenglow of the sunset faded into a deep red on the edge of the horizon. After dinner I sang the boys my favorite James Taylor song and we all went to our tents. Spirits were high. It felt good to be back on trail. 

The next morning Nathan and I left very early so we could catch Loverboy on the trail. The elevation for the day wasn't terrible so we decided to pull a long one- about 25 miles. We caught Loverboy and Riderdieh around 11 am and the laughs started flowing. Both Ride and Loverboy are hilarious guys with infectious energy. They are the kind of people who remind you why you are on the PCT. So naturally, Nathan and I were extremely excited to have caught up to those two. 

We hiked as a group for the rest of the day and set up our tents in a giant campsite on a sheltered ridge line. Nathan and I spent a while trying to convince the other two to stay with us there even though they had less miles under their belts for the day than us. Finally we got to them and they stayed! More hiker friends showed up and by the end of the night there was a big group of us sitting around the fire watching Loverboy trying to make biscuits and gravy. That was one of my favorite nights on trail. Everyone was happy and talkative. The jokes kept coming and the laughs didn't stop. We were with some amazing people. Those are the nights I live for on the PCT. 

Nathan and I decided to log even more miles the next day. We planned to go 27 miles, which was the longest mileage for me thus far. We got up and out early again and the miles started flying by. We crossed craggy hillsides and flower-filled meadows. It was clear that we were in a transition zone; the forest was slowly giving way to sagebrush steppe. Nathan and I saw each other off and on all day as we churned through our mileage. We had a great pace set but unfortunately that meant we didn't see Loverboy or Ride all day. By the time we reached camp it was clear that we had lost our hiker friends. It wasn't a complete loss, however, because we met a new hiker named Jellybean. 

After a night of good food (mountain house meals) and great company, Nathan and I awoke well rested and ready to be in South Lake Tahoe. It was just over 20 miles from our campsite to the state highway. Both of us were itching to get to town so we headed out early. The knowledge that my parents were waiting for me at the end of the day was what spurred me on. I was very excited to see my family and all I wanted was hugs from my folks. 

I practically ran those 20 miles.But along the way, we encountered some trail magic. Early in the morning we crossed a highway near a visitor center. The volunteers there maintain a cooler of food and drinks for hikers that includes watermelon, tomatoes, brownies, root beer, strawberries, and other delicious goodies. I was in a hurry to get to Tahoe but the food sucked me into a trail magic vortex (this happens a lot). After signing the logbook, eating my food, and buying a Smokey Bear tshirt, I set out for the final stretch. It was mostly downhill after the road so I started jogging. At this point my feet were aching and the sun was blazing overheard but it did not slow me down. I powered up steep ridgelines and flew down rocky staircases to the Echo Lake trailhead. As I rounded a corner about .25 miles before the parking area, I saw my mom and dad waiting with Shelly and Nathan.

I'll be honest, I teared up a bit. I was grinning ear to ear as a I walked down to give mom a hug. All of the aches and pains in my body just melted away. I was back with my favorite people in the world and nothing could spoil the moment. I can't convey how meaningful it is to see family when you have been on trail for a while. The trail breaks you down physically and mentally everyday until you are completely and utterly exhausted. The people who make you feel most at ease and relaxed are far away. You have no safe place to run to and no comfort zone to retreat back to. It is you and the trail. Oftentimes it feels like it is you versus the trail. So when the opportunity arises to see your family, its your golden ticket to complete self-renewal. The curative powers of a hug from your parents are endless.

After the reunion on trail, we hopped in the car and drove down to South Lake Tahoe. We settled into a hotel and then decided dinner was in order, which meant beer was in order. So we went to a German-style bier haus. The beer was awesome and the food was delicious (potatoes on potatoes on potatoes).

The next day was spent running errands and exploring Tahoe. We went to a swanky country club (because we are hiker class not hiker trash), jumped in Lake Tahoe, and visited the local outfitting shop. In the afternoon we moved our stuff into the house my parents rented. WE HAD A HOUSE! The level of excitement was through the roof when we saw the place. It was gorgeous on the inside. And the carpet was heavenly on our sore feet. It was awesome to have a space for ourselves that we didn't have to share with anyone else. In other words, my parents are AWESOME :)

We settled in quickly and invited some other hikers up to the house. Loverboy and Heather came up along with a French hiker named Damian. Mom treated us all to homemade lasagna and then surprised me with my favorite beer in the world: mountain man from the Front brewing company. My parents are amazing! It was the coolest surprise I have ever gotten on trail. (Thanks to Jeff for bringing it back from MT!) 

The next day was a fairly uneventful zero day. We lounged around, prepped our food, and ran some errands. That evening we got to host more hiker friends. Bean, Two Wars, Mike, and Fly Free/Sweet Tea showed up for a big stir fry dinner. Shelly and the rest of the gang made my parents a wonderful meal with different fried rice and other delicious things. It was heavenly. To top off the evening we watched a movie in the living room until everyone went to bed. It was an awesome night.

Our very early wake up call came too soon the next day. We cleaned up and left the house by around 7:30 in the morning. It was time to say goodbye to our hiker house and the city of South Lake Tahoe. It was also time to say goodbye to my parents. That was pretty tough for me but I knew I would see them again soon. Afterall, I am hiking home.

So, to get all sappy and sentimental, I would like to dedicate this post to all of the friends and family who are out there supporting our adventure. Whether it is boxes of food, letters, or just hugs and love over the phone, we love the support from the people back home. This adventure is not only for us but also for you all. So thank you. For the late night phone calls, the silly birthday cards, the food in the mail, the car rides, the oranges and soda, the hugs, the love.

Here's to you, friends and family! Thanks to all!

-Smokey