Magic

After a hot day and with the help of some trail angels, we decided to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Because.... Why not?! We were a 30 minute drive away from the park and the desert already proved it sucks, so why not enjoy our day off? 

We called up a trail angel, Mary, who had left her name at the desk. We asked for a ride to the train station for 9 of us. She kindly said yes. She actually said, "Might as well have some fun before you die in the desert." Encouraging :) 

As we were preparing to leave, Mary called and said why don't my husband and I just take you all the way there. No need for trains. It was so kind. They took us there and picked us up. To top it off she stopped by subway so we could get some fresh veggies and sandwiches. We were so stunned by her constant generosity that we still talk about her most days on trail. She is a trail angel for the ages. 

Getting back to our adventures...

We made it to Magic Mountain! 

It was Heather's first time on a roller coaster and Emily's first time since childhood. So we of course decided to do the most frightening ones first. 

We spent our day running from coaster to coaster, screaming our lungs out, and waiting in very long lines. Although the park was packed with people we never had a very hard time spotting members of our group. Pct hikers stick out in a very well dressed, nice-smelling crowd...

When we arrived back at the KOA we met two new hikers: Two Wars and Beans. They did 1000 miles on the AT and decided to hop over to the PCT. Because why not? 

The next day brought some amazing sights. We traveled through Vasquez Rocks State Park, a place where countless movie scenes had been filmed. It was stunning in the morning light. Nathan especially was loving the area because he is a geologist. He was geeking out and it was awesome. 

Later that day we went from Agua Dulce, a sweet little town, back to the desert. The next couple days brought tough climbs, killer heat, and some heat-induced puking. It was unpleasant but we still managed to have a good time. 

Our next stop was Casa de Luna! It was an oasis in the desert. Terry, the owner of la casa, was extremely generous. She opened up her home to us, fed us taco salad and pancakes, and gave us epic Hawaiian shirts to wear. The place was magical. We even stayed in a magical manzanita forest. Needless to say we had the best night of sleep thus far! We loved every minute at Casa de Luna. We left our names on the wall and departed well-rested and well-fed. 

Leaving la casa was hard but we eventually got back on trail. We pushed out the miles and hit our biggest milestone yet... 500 MILES!!! Man were we stoked! Officially thru-hikers! Woot woot! That was an amazing day. The trail family was so proud! 

After our epic milestone we headed to a beautiful campsite overlooking Hikertown. We watched the sunset over the desert and readied ourselves for the LA aqueducts. 

The desert is.....hot

So in case you don't know southern California is a desert...and we are still in it. It seems never ending at times. The desert consumes 700 miles of the trail. It is very different from what I thought of as "desert". It is hot and dry but not flat. We have gone through more mountain ranges than I would have imagined. We have had two rain storms and though they were cold and wet, at times I miss them very much. We start most days wondering where the next water source will be, and end figuring out the best way to find water. It is not life or death, it is just something to be constantly aware of. It is my main worry on the trail but the pct does a great job of providing resources for finding water. It also has an amazing group of trail angels that provide water at many dry areas. 

Anyway, the desert is not always what it seems but it is always hot. But back to our adventure.

We left Big Bear for a hot spring. There was free beer, free carrots, and some naked people. All in a days experience. 

After the hot spring, we found a beautiful lake, Silverwood Lake. It was a lovely place to hop in and cool off. 

We spent the day laying on the beach and taking in the sun. Improving our already beastly tan lines. 

The next day was a race for food: McDonalds. We did 14 miles before breakfast was done being served. After eating McEverything, we spent the afternoon digesting in the shade and added a couple more miles later in the day. 

With the energy from McDonalds, we climbed 6,000 feet the next day into Wrightwood. 

It was a tiring day, but we kicked butt and got there before 3pm.

Wrightwood was a very cute town that let us stay at their local coffee shop on the porch. The locals bought us a round of beer and the town was as kind as could be. They were so kind, in fact, that we stayed for one more day. This way we could heal up and be ready for the next stretch. 

Little did we know, that the next stretch included more mountains than we were ready for. We climbed Baden Powell, just a short 2,000 ft gain in 4 miles........

But we made it. 

Emily went on a couple hundred feet and finished off the mountain for us. We then had our first fire. It was glorious. 

We hit more days with more mountains, clouds and detours. It was beautiful. 

But most impressively, we passed 400. It seemed to take forever, but we finally made it. 

The views are new and beautiful with every mile but the temperature seems to be increasing with every mile as well. Some days we sleep through the heat of the day just to make it bearable. 

Through the heat, poodle dog bush, and lack of water, we finally made it to the KOA. It had a pool, showers, and cool drinks. We rested there for the evening with pizza, beer, and our ever growing trail family.

Until next time, 

Shelly

Hiking Is...

Hello everyone, 

This is my first on-trail blog post! Woohoo! 

 

We decided to take a zero day in Julian while we waited for our resupply box to arrive. We were forced to wait because the post office was closed. Memorial Day threw a wrench in our plans. Julian ended up being a great little town and we treated ourselves to ice cream and beer. 

We left Warner Springs after getting our package and found ourselves back in the oppressing heat of the desert. After several hours of elevation gain we reached the home of Trail Angel Mike. The Sky Ranch had a wonderful hiker area with plenty of amenities. After a night filled with fresh fruit, Madlibs, and a fire, our crew went to bed. 

The crew now no longer just includes Nathan Shelly and myself. We found some new (Okla)homies: Matt and Wright. They are awesome dudes with matching gear. We also met Kylen, who is also from Washington! West coast Best coast baby. And last but not least, Dr. FeelGood aka Adam. He's a super happy ultramarathoner and he's got his PhD! 

We all got on trail the next morning headed for the Paradise Valley Cafe. It was a long haul, 26 miles, but man was it worth it. We all met up at the restaurant with sore feet and empty bellies. I mowed through a burrito and Shelly munched a killer sandwich. We were soooo happy. The people at the cafe were very nice and gave us a warm welcome when we arrived. Thank god for small miracles. 

We zeroed in Idyllwild, a cute little mountain town, where I saw a doctor for my infected foot. Now I have antibiotics for dayyysss. 

After Idyllwild, we faced quite a climb.  It took us most of the morning but come lunchtime we were standing atop Mt. San Jacinto at 10,834 ft. No Big Deal. 

As a reward for our awesomeness and badassery, we got to lose 7000 ft of elevation the next day! Woohoo!... It was hell. It just sucked. It was hot, there was no shade, and I got kind of chased by a rattlesnake. Never again. That was not cool. Anyways, after slogging downhill all day and then struggling through 4 miles of sand and sun we got to Ziggy and the Bear. These two trail Angels welcomed us into their home, let us sleep on their carpeted backyard, and gave us icecream sandwiches and Gatorade. They were truly angels. 

The next few days found us braving soul-crushing climbs, intense heat, and long days. With the help of Hobbit Feet, a woman from South Africa and now a Canadian citizen, we made it to Big Bear through the mission creek canyon.

 

Along the way we found some EPIC trail magic: a couch in the woods and free soda. That was my favorite trail magic this far. I mean, a couch in the woods?? How awesome is that?! That's where we read our first Hike-ku. 

"Hiking is.... Sitting on a couch in the forest, taking candy and soda from strangers, and menu planning from a dumpster" 

 

Big Bear was awesome. We chilled at a hostel, had epic Thai food, and hitched to Subway. Sweet sweet subway... Matt took the burrito challenge at a local restaurant and ate an 18 inch burrito. Props to Matty Matt! 

Coming out of Big Bear got us to mile 300! And according to Kylen, we have  climbed up and down the equivalent of Mt.2 Everest....twice. Again with the awesomeness right?!

Anyways, we are loving life out here in SoCal. Happy trails everyone! 

-Smokey (aka Emily)

 

Wind, Rain, and Lion King

Waking up in the cloud was difficult. In fact, it was worse. The rain continued, the wind got worse, the sun had not broken through yet. We ate breakfast in our tent and  packed everything as quickly as possible. When we got on the trail we realized we happened to be on a very steep cliff with winds of 40-50mph. It was crazy. Our packs made us human sails. 

After the whole day of cold rain we finally switched sides of the mountain and the weather calmed down. We made it to our watering hole and our campsite. This would be our last known water for 30 miles.

The next day we deemed Lion King day. Unfortunately, the pictures do not do it justice. We even had some stormy clouds over a section. Needless to say, lion king quotes happened most of the morning. 

We rocked the next day pretty well. We encountered some beautiful trail magic. After hiking down the mountains and across a valley we found snacks and water under a bridge. 

This is a beautiful thing. Snacks are great and extra water is beautiful. The people who provide trail magic are beautiful.

We continued walking with a sugar rush. We went straight up and entered the San Felipe Mountains. This is a dry set of mountains. We weaved back and forth along the edge of the mountains. It becomes dizzying to go in and out of these contours but the views were beautiful.

We ended up camping in two separate sites because of the tiny camping sites these mountains provided.

Day 6:

We made 100 miles!!!!

This day we would head out to our first mail drop and our first 100 miles. It turned out to be a warm day. We passed Eagle Rock along the way. 

It just so happened to be the Sunday of Memorial Day. So... 'Mericia

We also went through a prairie with cattle. It felt like home. 

We made it. 100 miles, Warner Springs. For that we deserved a day off. And sometimes days off include hitch hiking, but that story is for another day. Tonight I rest. 

Until next time :) 

Shelly

It begins!

We started! Finally.

Before learning about our trip, I should probably introduce a character of our trip. Nathan. 

He is one of my friends from middle school. He decided to join the trip about a month before the start date. He will hang around, until he can't put up with our pace :) 

Back to the trail! 

After enjoying an evening at a trail angel's home in San Diego we got up early and drove to Campo with a full van of hikers. We busted out the gates with 15 miles in a flash. I think we felt we had something to prove. Luckily we did most of the hiking before the heat. Suddenly I was stuck going up a hill in the heat of the day with little shade and 15 miles on my feet. After hugging a couple rocks for shade and going slower than a snail we finally made it to camp. 

For me, the first day was a struggle. It was realizing how different this life is. It becomes so overwhelming to think of the trail as a whole. It is a ton to think about waking up and walking for so long but as my companions pointed out you just have to enjoy the beauty along the way. Everyday you get to see something beautiful. This hike allows the opportunity to enjoy each mile for its beauty. It forces you to take the time to appreciate it all. 

Also, the community on this trail is beautiful. From the trail angels, trail magic, to people on or around the trail, they form a real community. This 18" wide trail has become a home with a community reaching around the global. It is quite beautiful. 

Back to the trail. 

We survived Day 1 and trucked on to Day 2 

This day was similar. Heat, elevation, beautiful sights, and general pain. But this is the day we learned Emily had a blister issue. A fellow thru hiker Perry aka PerBear treated her blisters in hope of helping them callus over. Unfortunately the blisters haven't gone away yet, but Emily is becoming callous to the pain.... Sorta...

Part of being on the trail is understanding how far to push yourself and how far your body is willing to go. We have been learning this balance the first few days. Sometimes you can harness the pain to become better at hiking and sometimes the pain is debilitating and it is the best to just rest. The balance is a challenge to find.

Day 3

We made it 50 miles!!!! 

This day we found out what it was like to be in the clouds: cold, wet, and windy. The views reminded me of Ireland. It was hilly but beautiful. We also made it into town. We found fellow hikers, food, cell service, and trail magic (free beer).

Needless to say, towns are nice.

The day ended trying to find a windless campsite in a picnic area. We partially succeeded. It led to eating in tents and music by Emily all crammed into one tent. 

That has been the beginning of the trip. Challenging but filled with so much fun and so much beauty. The terrain is always changing and stunning. We are always learning.

Until next time!

Shelly

 

The Breath Before The Plunge

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks" -John Muir

Throughout my travels, I have found this statement to be true time and time again. All adventures in the woods bring more experiences, adventures, and memories than are first expected. There is a sense of self-renewal and growth in the wild places we explore. They are places for self-actualization. Re-creation. 

Shelly and I have decided to publish one final post before we begin our journey. Here we are going to write down our expectations for our walk. Our goals, our fears, our hopes-everything and anything that comes to mind before we set off. This will be a way for us to look back on our journey and see what we have learned and how we have changed. This post will be a marker showing what we have sought in our journey and what we have received. 

Bye Missoula! Until next time

Emily's expectations:

Where do I begin? I have so much excitement and anxiety its hard to sum it all up. I am anxious about a lot of things, mainly my old injuries that like to flair up when its inconvenient. I am also worried about the lack of water in California. We will see how that goes.

I am hoping for many things on this trip. I want to become a better backpacker. I am by no means an expert and I hope to be an expert by the time I reach the end. I also hope to improve my health, both in body and mind. I want to be in top physical condition when we reach Canada! My most sincere hope, however, is that this hike helps me heal. This year has been awful for me. I have experienced the most profound heartbreak and loneliness and I am still struggling with this pain. My wish is to heal these wounds. I want to grow as a person and really come into my own. If I come out better on the other side, the journey will be worth all the work.

There are a lot of things I expect to happen. I expect to be sore as hell. I expect to be constantly hungry. I expect to be angry, happy, exhausted, anxious, and confused-all at the same time! I also expect an epic trail name. Most of all, I am expecting and looking forward to a ton of laughs and jokes with Shelly. We have enough sarcasm to last every single mile and a million more after that. I'm sure we will have a lot of memorable times.

Shelly's expectations:

Well I expect everything to be perfect and happy. Pretty much a musical. :)

I am worried about many things for this trail, my physical shape, the lack of water, my mental abilities, my distance from my friends and family, California falling off while we are hiking, and many more reasonable things. :)

As far as things I expect. I am expecting pain and lots of it. I also expect joy and laughs. I expect to be cold at night and hot in the day. Annoyed by bugs, but astonished by the beauty of the trail. I expect to be changed by this journey. I hope to let the trail shape me and discipline me into becoming a better person.

I am most excited to embark on a trip that is all about the journey. Most trips end up being about the journey, but this one is planned for the journey. That is what I am most excited for. To put myself through each mile and see how it was different from the last. I hope that I can become a better hiker, better person, and really discern where I should go after the trail.

Well, now that we have our thoughts on paper (digital paper) its time to leave the computers behind! This is it, the breath before the plunge. Wish us luck and keep us in your thoughts! This is the beginning of a bright and daring adventure. 

Bye for now! We're going on an adventure! 

-Emily and Shelly

Preparation

How do you prepare for something that is completely different than life as of now?

I was discussing my future plans with a friend, and I realized preparation is hard. I don't know how I can possibly fully prepare myself for 5 months of a life that is completely different than the life I know.

My bed, no longer a mattress, but air and a sleeping bag

My kitchen, no longer a room, but a compact container

My bathroom, no longer private, but a hole 6 inches deep with no walls

You can say, "duh Shelly, that is what you signed up for" and that is true, but the closer the trail gets the more I realize how different it is. I have moved from place to place before, my beds have changed, my kitchen has shrunk, and it has been unfamiliar, but I always had something to lean back on. 

 I could call my family to speak about their lives, television to learn about life in a different place, and food, ice cream is universal. 

I have used these crutches in many ways. I have eaten more ice cream in Duluth than I care to admit. I call my family and friends to catch up on life all the time. Facebook is always there. 

For this trip, most of my crutches will be gone. Granted, I can still call or write my friends. I will be walking with Emily, who is a great friend. I am excited for this, but I will be disconnecting from the world as I know it. Or at least distancing myself from it. How do I prepare for that?

So far my preparation could be broken down into three categories of preparation: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Physically:

How do you train for mountains and elevation changes in the midwest? The highest point in Minnesota is around 2,000 ft. That is the beginning elevation of the trail. #midwestproblems

Luckily Duluth has trails that go on for days. The Superior Hiking Trail is right near my home. I have found this to be great practice. I can walk on these and just get used to having a pack on my back and the feel of the trail on my feet. If I don't have time to go on a longer hike, I found that running up and down the hills of Duluth has been helpful.

Emily has a couple more mountains to climb near her in Montana, but she also has school. She has been running and hiking as well. Getting used to the gear and the idea of trail life.

Food is also a physical requirement. Emily did a great post about the food prep we have been doing!

Mentally:

I feel like I have been eating and breathing PCT knowledge for the longest time now. I have spent countless nights up late reading gear reviews and permit forms. In an effort to prepare to the best of my ability, I have tried to answer every question I can think of. Yogi's Guide book was a great help in helping me understand the basics of the PCT. It is a crash course in PCT knowledge. After that, blogs on blogs on blogs. Hearing from people that have experienced it is very helpful. Everyone has a different experience, so taking the pieces of information from all their experiences and trying to make it my own has been a journey. One review will say I live by this way of hiking, and another will discount it. The biggest lesson I learned is that you have to hike your own hike. Gain the basic knowledge, and then just listen to your body after that.

Emotionally:

Part of me thinks there is no real way to completely prepare for the range of emotions I will have. I have compared it to becoming a teenager again. Having this whole range of emotions that I have never really felt. From completely desolate to euphoric.

That being said, I have done my best. I have tried to prepare my family and friends as well. Letting them know of the plans, and help them gain the information necessary to understand this adventure. I have tried to prepare mentally and physically which helps emotionally.

I feel like emotionally just being open to what happens is what I find the most important. Understanding I am not in complete control, but I have to react to situations as they come.

This is where it has been so helpful to have someone to walk with. Emily has been a baller in helping me feel comfortable. By planning and just talking it all through together makes the journey of preparation a little less overwhelming.

"The best preparation for tomorrow, is to do your best today." -H. Jackson Brown

I find this quote comforting. Preparation has been going on for more than a half of a year now, and even though the gear is all in (or mostly) I still feel unprepared at times. I have hiked many miles to prepare. I have all my permits. What more could I need?

The answer is, there is always more. There always will be. I can't possibly completely prepare myself for everything, but that is part of the journey. It is a journey I am more than excited to begin. I think of preparation as I do of the actual PCT.

All I can do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and see where it takes me.