Day 16-Liz LA

Two weeks ago I had beautiful feet, now both feet are in a sorry state. This was my biggest fear and I tried so hard to prevent this by hiking, breaking in the shoes and socks, seeing my podiatrist, and checking my feet everyday. The weight of the pack and the contast pounding of the trail and downhill was my  ultimate nemesis. Yesterday at Ziggy and Bear I couldn't even put on my boots so we decided a trip to LA, where I have family, would be best so I could see a dr and we had a place to stay. I saw the dr this morning and she said "Yikes, that looks like it hurts" understatement of the year. She drained the big toe nails, I'll lose those nails soon, debrided the wounds, and taped me up. I have to go back on Monday and hopefully she'll give me the ok to return to the trail. She told me to stay off my feet in order for new skin to grow back, I'll go crazy just sitting after hiking everyday.

As Melinda has kindly said , this is part of the experience but

It's one I'd rather not have. 

Day 15 - Mile 210 to LA - Mel

April 28

Spending the day at Ziggy's to let the feet air out. Most of last nights crew left this morning. There are still a few of us still here and new hikers are straggling in. 

Bear went and picked up pizza for us around noon and then I took a little siesta. 

Cypress and Oak dropped in to pick up a hiker box. They had too much food and other items so they were passing stuff out. It was like Christmas in April. 

Right now it's about 98 in the shade. We are hoping to hit the trail much later today and just go as far as we can.

[But Liz simply couldn't fit her feet back into her boots, too swollen. - Greg]

So now we're off to LA to get Liz's feet looked at. We don't know how many zeros we'll need, but keep looking to see when we are back on the trail.

Day 15-Liz Ziggy and the bear

I woke up today and my feet are swollen, can't bend my toes, and I can nearly walk. I'm soaking them in Epsom salt now then I'll do some minor blister surgery and repair. I should be able to hit the trail later. Some hikers are waiting til late this afternoon to leave since the temp will be in the low 100's, ugh! Any miles today will be good. 

Day 14-Liz 193-210

We made it to trail angels Ziggy and Bear after an incredibly long day. We wanted to meet up with my brother Billy and his fiancé Kena at 1ish, they planned on bringing us lunch from my favorite chili dog place in LA, Pinks. We were on the trail by 7am and never stopped til we reached the bottom of the mountain, at 1pm. It was a grueling descent of 8000ft and I was thoroughly exhausted when we made it down. We changed the meeting place and all the hikers resting at the trailhead were very jealous when they heard what was waiting for us. We dined on chili dogs, cream soda, brownies, and veges. Kena and Billy can say they were on the PCT. Thank you for going so out of your way to visit us, much love to both of you. I haven't found my hiker hunger so I was only able to eat one dog and wouldn't you know it, the hiker I offered my second dog to is a vegetarian.  

Ziggy and the Bear are trail angels that open their home and backyard every year. Tonight I think there's about 25 hikers just relaxing and talking. It's only 8:35pm but almost everyone is already in their sleeping bag, including me. 

Just lost my first toenail getting into my sleeping bag, unfortunately it won't be the last. 

Day 14 - Mile 193 to 210 - Mel

April 27

Wow, what a day. It wasn't too windy during the night, but it picked up before we got up. It's a gift picking windy campsites!

Thought it would be an easy day since we were going downhill. We wanted to cover 15 miles by 1pm because Liz's brother and his fiancé were bringing us lunch. 

Well, it wasn't so easy. It seemed like we just kept walking and walking and walking. Lots of rocks to go over and shrubs growing into the trail. And it was very sunny and hot. 

We finally made it down to mile 205. Bill

and Kena ended up coming to where we were. They brought us chili dogs and cream soda from Pinks. They were delicious. Thank you trail angels. 

We're staying at Ziggy and the Bears tonight with at least 25 other hikers. The five mile walk from where we had lunch to here in the hot afternoon sun, through sand and no shade was also grueling. 

From my decription you might think I'm having miserable time. I'm not. It's hard work, but the views, the people the changes in landscape and weather, and the experience of walking through it all is amazing!

The mountain we came down. 

The mountain we'll be climbing tomorrow. 

PS - Anne, Wallstreet says hello. 

Day 13-Sunday Liz deer springs trail-193

Idyllwild was a great time. A lot of hikers layover there and the town is incredibly hiker friendly. We were able to call a trail angel, Scott, and he drove us the deer springs trailhead so we could hook up with the PCT. This was Scott's first season as a trail angel and WE were his first riders. Thanks Scott!!  The weather was perfect when we left Idyllwild but it turned bad while we ascended the mountain. The rain that Idyllwild had dumped inches of snow and thick ice in trail. We had to dodge the numerous icicle missiles that fell from the trees and we each got hit in the head and back by large ice rocks more than once. It was a miserable morning to say the least. When we reached the summit everything changed. The sky opened up to bright sunshine and the snow dissipated as we traversed the back side of the mountain. We ended our night at nice campsite, not in the wind.  

Day 13 - Mile 183 to 193 - Mel

April 26

We were up and ready at 7am. Liz got us a ride with Scott's, another trail angel. 

He dropped us off at the Deer Spring Trailhead. It was 4 grueling miles uphill. 

We hooked up with the PCT at mile 183. We've missed part of trail but not a full 32 miles since there was a fire detour on that section. 

No rain today and plenty of sunshine. But we found out the yesterdays rain dumped snow in the mountains. It was probably only an inch or two, but it was enough to make hiking a challenge. It was melting as was the snow and ice in the trees. It was like it was raining all over again, but with ice chunks falling too. And then the fog rolled in. It was beautiful though. 

Finally made it out of the fog and after some more climbing we started going down. Found a small campsite around 7pm and cowboy camped. 

 

Day 12 - Zero/Idyllwild - Mel

Great day to take a zero. It's raining. Got our laundry done. Spending the rest of the day repacking and and just sitting around. 

I have to say that I wouldn't be able to do this without the love and support of Greg and Bodie. Thank you guys. 

Here are some pictures from earlier in the trip since I couldn't post them before. 

Mile 100

Day 12 Liz zero day in Idyllwild

Sometimes we have brilliant ideas and this unscheduled zero day is truly one of them. It's 1:30pm and its pouring outside.  We slept well and was able to go the the local laundromat early and ran into Wandering Big Horn and new friends Pillow Talk. The laundromat gave free soap to PCT folks but our clothes still smelled after the wash. Pillow Talk are a married couple alittle bit older then us from Grants Pass Oregon. The gentleman twisted his ankle the very first day but he's  pushed on, impressive. 

We enjoyed a coffee and danish at the local bakery, hence the picture. We're back in our room sorting thru our resupply boxes like kids opening Christmas presents. I'm giddy getting another role of tp paper, it's the little things that make us happy. I haven't tried the rock, stick, or leaf cleaning method yet and frankly I don't plan on it. My luck I'd use poison oak...ouch. I called trail angel Scott and he'll pick us up tomorrow at 7 and take us to the trailhead to began our next trail segment til Big Bear City and meeting up with my mom and Aunt. 

My feet are still sore and the blisters under my foot pads are still oozing but I plan on soldiering on. 

I'm asking all the guys we meet on the trail if they were Boy Scouts and the overwhelming majority were. Some are Eagles and they say their moms pushed them and theyre glad she did. If you're listening scouts, these guys know how to backpack and have the necessary outdoor skills. I'm proud to carry on this trip an Eagle Scout mentor pin. I plan on taking it all the way to Canada. 

Thank you all for your comments. If you have any questions feel free to ask. We're learning things everyday and passing on the info is fun for us. 

Day 11 - Mile 144 to 151.9 - Mel

Woke up in the fog this morning. Tried to get packed up and out as soon as possible. 

I don't know if it was a low, heavy fog or a light mist, but hiking was cool and damp. Lots a climbing so the weather was great. Couldn't see much. 

Got to mile 151.9 about 10:30am and someone from Paradise Valley Cafe came and picked several of us up. 

Got the Jose Burger that I have been thinking about for the past few days. It was so good. 

We have decided to take our first zero day in Idyllwild. Liz got us the last room at the third place she called and then found us a ride with Lou and Tom the 18 miles down the road. They dropped us off in town and I found someone to drive us the short distance to the Fireside Inn. Once again, thank you trail Angels. 

I wish I were better at describing the country we have been going through. It's constantly changing and always beautiful.   So far this is an amazing experience, the hiking and the people we have been meeting. 

I've just had nice hot shower (the second since we left) with real soap and shampoo this time. And now 

Day 11-Liz 144-151

Yet again we are the windy ladies of San Jose. Last night I don't think we got an hour of sleep due the wind whipping our tents. Everyday we learn something new, I learned I hate tents. We hit the trail at 7:30 knowing we were going to Paradise Valley Cafe to pick up our first resupply box and eat an enourmous meal. We ate with fellow hikers and had a great time. We had to hitch 17 miles to Idyllwild but I was lucky and asked a couple that was leaving the restaurant if they were going by Idyllwild. Tom, Lou, and their dog Kieko gave us ride in their mobile home all the way and we can't thank them enough. Trail Angels are every where. We're taking a zero say to do laundry, shower, and rest our weary feet. 

I took a shower and tried to get all the dirt off. Even after shampooing three times and scrubbing with soap my towel was still filthy. 

Day 10 - Mile 127 to 144

April 23

Went to bed feeling sorry for myself last night. I miss Greg (Bodie too), my feet hurt and I had popped my blisters and it was disgusting!

It's amazing what a good nights sleep on a comfy bed (we had the sofa/daybeds) will do for you. Plus Wallstreet gave us some TP (2 ply not newspaper) and Wandering Bighorn gave us a some extra snacks.  I left in high spirits.  

We had a 600 foot climb to start with but it was overcast so we were comfortable. After that the hiking was pretty easy. We made it to Tule Spring around noon. Heard some thunder in the distance when we arrived and there were some pretty nasty clouds to the east. After we left the spring there was some pretty loud thunder to the south and east of us. Could see it raining south of us also. 

Started climbing again. Finally made it to some campsites aroumd 5pm. The wind was blowing and the ground is hard as rock. We got clever with rocks setting up our tents. If our tents don't blow over tonight it will be a miracle. 

Day 9 - Mile 110.71 to 127 - Mel

April 22

No wind last night. Yay!  We took off 7:15ish. Overcast and cool for the first part of the day. There were also more trees and we followed a stream for awhile. 

A lot of climbing today. Of course the sun came out and the trees disappeared so we were back in the sunshine. Nothing to eventful. I'm building up my stamina but my feet are killing me. It was just a long hard day. 

Made it mile 127 where trail angel Mike has water and a place to hang out. We wanted to go to mile 131 but the weather was looking questionable and there was more climbing to do. 

There is a pretty big group of people here tonight. Liz and I are staying in shed with a three other hikers. 

Finally took the duct tape off my feet. They look pretty bad. Hated to put them in my sleeping bag with no socks but I want to air them out. 

Day - 8 Mile 94.84 to 110.71 Mel

April 21

Liz and I can pick the windiest places to camp. And last night was the worst. It howled all night and I thought it might blow my backpack away. There was also a heavy fog this morning, so the sleeping bags were nice and damp. 

We waited until 8am hoping that the wind would die or the fog would lift. Neither happened so we packed up as fast as we could and left. No breakfast this morning. 

It as nice hiking in the cooler temperature. Especially compared to the last couple of days. 

We started descending which as a nice change.  Hit mile 100 hundred today!

Had lunch at Barrel Springs. The fog started to lift as we left. Flatter terrain with just slight ups and downs.

We are just past  Warner Springs in a creek bed. Since we are a couple days behind schedule we spent dinner trying to figure out how to make our food last until Friday when we should arrive at Paradise Valley Cafe and our first resupply box.  And I'm out of coffee! Fortunately Liz will share. 

Heard coyotes in the distance just before sunset. 

Day 7 - Mile 77 to 94.84 Mel

April 20

Got our earliest start so far. Misty picked us up at 6:30 and we hit the trail at 7:00.   Good thing. It was a hot, long climb in the San Felipe mountains. At least with the early start we had some shade.  Our  elevation change was about 1400 feet. The bright side was that it was gradual. I still do not like the drop off though.  

There is a lot more cactus and it grows too close to the trail for my comfort. Greg can attest to my ability to fall into it for no reason. 

I learned today that I can jump with 35 plus pounds on my back and back step quickly on a narrow trail when I heard a rattle and saw a snake start to coil. They do have a nice warning system. The bugger didn't want to move either. Even when Liz accidently hit him with a rock. We had to climb up the hill and go around. 

We eventually made it to mile 91 and a water cache. Thank you trail angels.  Hung out there with some other hikers for awhile before moving on. 

Finally found a spot to camp. On a ridge  in the wind. No tents again tonight. The sun is almost down and I think I will try to sleep. 

Day 10-Liz 127-144

I slept cozy and warm at trail angel mikes last night. We got on the trail by 7:30 and hit a lot of downhill, which my feet protested greatly. The weather was overcast and the dark clouds roared with thunder and lightening. Luckily no rain came our way but we got our rain gear out and ready to put on if needed. I looked at it as a chance to get a free shower, since we smell horrible and have dirt tans. Tomorrow we hike off the trail to pick up our first resupply box at Paradise Valley Cafe, mile 151. I can't wait to order the Jose Burger, it's the talk of the trail as the best burger. I'll get a big salad also, I miss fresh veges. There's a long detour in this section so we'll probably hike to Idylwild and have a zero day. A shower, laundry, and feet rest sounds perfect. Both of us have painful blisters that need attention and rest. You can only prepare for so much, breaking in our boots and hiking in them with packs only goes so far. The reality of hiking the PCT is that everyone suffers from blisters. We had a hard time setting up our tents tonight since we're in an area with lots of boulders and solid ground. We had to use rocks to hold down the tent lines, and with the wind that was no easy chore. It might rain so no cowboy camping tonight, darn. It's not even 8:30 and I'm exhausted. 

Day 9-Liz 110-127

We had our first windless night since day one, I'd almost forgotten how quiet it can be when there's nothing around you except nature. It was incredible listening to the coyotes howling back and forth across the creek bed. We put up our tents in case the weather turns bad soon. Luckily tonight we made it to trail angel mikes, he offers water, shelter, and a place to chill. No one was able to open the shack until yours truly came along. I opened it the first try and got to pick the best bed. Melinda and I are now sharing the shack with five men. The younger ones are down the hill at the main house sitting and smoking pot. I'm in another world here.  The weather looks like it might rain, good for California, not good for hikers. I'm grateful for trail angels. 

Day 8-Liz 94.84-110.71

We've become known on the trail as the ladies who find the windiest campsites, last night was no exception. I swear the winds could have blown a small child away. I've never been in winds that strong. It lasted all night and into the morning and the heavy fog didn't help. We thought we would wait for the wind and fog to calm down but by 8 we decided we had to pack up and leave. The only good thing about the fog staying all day was that for once we didn't have to worry about snakes or the heat. We rejoiced at the 100 mile marker, only 26 more of those to go. Our feet are swollen and in pain due to blisters, but we're pushing through. We seem to be in the middle of the pack of hikers, that's fine by me. 

We've stopped for the night and set up camp in a creek bed. Hopefully it's not windy, we're both using our tents, for practice when the rain comes. 

Progress on April 21 - Mile 110.93 - Greg

Per the tracker, Melinda and Liz made good progress yesterday, covering about 16.5 miles and settling for the night near Warner Springs.

They were off again at about 8:15 in the morning.

I think their phones are in "airplane mode" (cell, wifi, gps, bluetooth radios off) most of the time to conserve the battery. So out in the boonies it's probably pretty rare that they turn airplane mode off at a time when they have a decent signal.

Melinda reported via text that their solar chargers (Suntactics S-charger 5) are working great.

Day 7-Liz 77-94.84

After a ride back to the trail this morning by Misty, our trail angel, we started hiking at 7. We met some others hikers yesterday at the rv park Lorraine was hiking and had her husband following in their rv, how cool is that? Of course the other people at the rv were from Washington State. Melinda and I are still climbing the San Felipe mountains in the scorching sun and watching every step we take so not to fall off. We found some shade under a large bush and had lunch and rested for about 45 minutes. Nap time good. We soldiered on until mile 91 and met up with hikers we've been leap frogging with and rested for about 15 minutes. New friends but feel like old friends. There was a water cache so we filled up one 2 liter bottle each and headed out to add a few more miles. We ended up at a ridge, yet again. But it was either stop here for the night or continue on to mile 101 to a campsite. Some hikers have no problem hiking at night but Melinda and I are not them.

We had another rattler encounter and this time it was Melinda who was in front. I was very proud of her, she hates snakes, but she didn't scream. She only retreated and did the snake dance. This snake didn't move so we hiked up the trail a few feet and went around. Fun times. 

Progress on April 20 - Mile 94.4 - Greg

I suspect the ladies are out of cell range again as we haven't heard from them since Sunday evening.

But the InReach tracker shows that they covered 18.56 PCT miles yesterday, a new high.

As I typed this, a text came in from the tracker that they are setting out now at 8:21 AM.

They will certainly cross the 100 mile mark today.

I doubt that I've backpacked that far in my lifetime; they have covered it in a week.

Day 6 - Mile 70.84 to 77 - Mel

April 19

Should have gotten an earlier start this morning but it was so nice being on the hillside while the sun was rising, drinking our coffee and listening to the Beatles.   Several hikers that stayed at Rodriguez Spur Road passed us by while we were breaking camp.   We didn't leave until 8am. It was hot, dry and no wind. And a lot of up and down. 

We were heading to Scissors Crossing where there was supposed to be a water cache. Almost there we saw a sign for Stagecoach Trails.  Besides having a primitive cabin for $20 they also have showers and laundry!  Looking at the hill we had to climb we decided to find a way there. When we got to the road Misty, a trail angel, was there and we got a ride   We are now clean and our clothes are in the laundry. It will be a "nero" day and life is good!

Pictures from Melinda

Melinda has been having a hard time sending pictures but she got some through in email. Here they are: Greg

Day 3

Day 5

Day 6

Morning has broken:

Our spacious home for tonight is in the center:

Day -5 Mile 52.7 to 70.84 - Mel

April 18

Glad we stopped last night where we did. 

We got our earliest start yet, 7:40.  The first part of the trail hugged a mountain. We were at about 6400 feet. At one point the trail was very narrow, lots of shale and dropped straight down. This was exactly like the recurring nightmare I had as a child where I always fell. My fear of heights kicked into overdrive. It was all I could do to look down at the trail, take small steps and not think about falling. 

The rest of the day was hot and dry with a lot of ups and downs. Scrub brush that was waist to shoulder high, dirt and an occasionally boulder. 

We got water at Sunrise Trailhead. Picking up my pack with 6 1/2 liters of water is not enjoyable. 

We had a very steep descent a couple miles after that and then a big climb out of the canyon we just went into. Have I mentioned it was hot?  I have smelled bad since day one but I think today I reached optimum stench!

As we got closer to our next water source we ended up hugging another mountainside. Narrow trail and steep drop off. I made the mistake of looking up once. After that I just kept my head down and watched my feet. I couldn't tell you what either side of the mountain looked like. 

Made it the next water source and once again loaded up. We have at least twenty miles before we might find water again.  

Decided to go a little farther down the trail.  It was another steep descent. The sun went down us and before we had to put on the headlamps we found a small patch of dirt to lay out our sleeping bags. And that's all we're doing. At least the wind has finally died down. 

Day 6-Liz

I'll take the nero, that's a half day of rest. We hiked the 8 miles to Scissors Crossing and we both agreed it was way to hot and our feet weren't up to the next section of 14 miles switchbacking up a mountain in 90+ temp with no water sources. We got a ride from trail angel Misty to Stagecoach Trails rv park. Bless her. She'll come back tomorrow morning at 6:30 to take us back to the trailhead. We've taken a shower, washed our clothes, and had a sandwich at the market...life is good. Our cabin is cozy to say the least. It has one blank bed and another that you pull down, bunk style, and small bench on each side, that's it. I'm ready for a nap then get up and eat again. 

Day 4 - Mile 37.74 to 52.7 - Mel

April 17

It was cold last night.  Liz's watch said 27 when we woke up around 6:30. The water in my 2 liter bottles was frozen.  I slept warm enough except for my feet. I should have used the liner. 

We climbed out of the canyon on our hike to Mt Laguna. Went  through a pine forest which was a nice change of scenery. 

Stopped at the Outfitters and General Store in Mt Laguna.   Every one was friendly and there were lots of hikers in town already. Saw some familiar faces and met some new people. 

The hike out of Mt Laguna took us back into a barren landscape. A lot of scrub brush, rocks, dirt and steep mountains. It's absolutely beautiful. Then in the middle of all this desolation you'll find a beautifulittle wild flower. My decription does not do the landscape justice. 

Stopped for the night with other hikers at a water source.

Almost forgot we passed mile 50. 

Day 3 - Mile 22.34 to 37.74 - Mel

April 16

It was very windy last night. Starting around 11pm it started blowing.  Got up to secure loose items and forgot my sleeping bag stuff sack no now don't have one. Already talked to Greg about sending another. It's so nice to have a support team!

The wind continued blowing this morning which was nice whe we were hiking in the sun. Hiked down from the ridge, followed Cottonwood Creek for a while and then went under highway 8.  After that we started climbing. Not as quickly as yesterday but climbing none the less. 

Still chaparral terrain. Still sunny and still hot. 

We finally made it to Long Canyon about 5:30. There is water in this creek so we could fill up our bottles. It's quite a climb out of here and we have decided to stay for the night. 

We haven't quite made our 20 mile a day goal, but we slowly increasing our distance. It's hard work. Sure a good way to clear the mind. I spend most of my day just thinking about putting one foot in front of the other, breathing and drinking water. 

Day 5-Liz mile 52.7-70.84

Did someone say rattler? We had one about 4 feet in front of us before I saw him. We tried stomping the ground and tossing stones near him but he won't budge. It took another five minutes before he got bored and went back into the bush. I think Melinda and I broke a record for the fifty yard dash.  I wish I could say that was the scariest moment of day but alas it wasn't. The start and end of our day was testing our bravery of hiking along the edge of mountains on very narrow trails. Would it have killed them to make the trail alittle bit wider!!??? We thought we would find a nice campsite but we ended up on the side of a mountain that had a jut out just big enough for us to cowboy camp, yet again. The wind is blowing hard so no hot dinner or coffee. I've never not used a tent before, not even in my backyard, and here I am on this trip and I haven't  used it yet. My feet are a wreck but after I get going its not to bad, meds help. Everyday we're carrying 6-7 liters of water since streams are dry and water is scarce. It may seem like we're not making good time but we are considering how much weight we have to carry. Tomorrow we have to go about 7 miles to a possible water cache, if not then it's mile 91. Damn drought!

April 18 - mile 70.84 - Greg

The tracker has Mel and Liz (Or should I say Subway and Sugar High) stopping after another really strong day - 18.31 miles today.

I hope my little notes here won't make it too confusing if they post retroactively later.

A quick post helps me keep track of where they are and how they are progressing each day.

Blowin' in the wind - April 17 - mile 52.53 - Greg

I knew I should have hooked Melinda up with Verizon or AT&T.

No posts since Tuesday from Melinda and I suspect it's because her smartphone hasn't had a signal. I sent a text message to both her and Liz explaining how she could "borrow" liz's signal by having Liz set up a peronal hotspot on her phone. But I suspect the texts disappeared into the ether - sometimes they do that.

It could also be that she's enjoying the outdoors without being fixated on a tiny screen. Is that even possible any more?

Speaking of disappearing into the ether, Melinda's sleeping bag stuff sack turned into a self-guided sail on Tuesday night and was never seen again. I have a new one in the mail to Pacific Valley, their re-supply planned for Wednesday.

Anyway, they made great progress again yesterday with another 14+ mile day. I wonder how their feet are holding up?

Day 4-Liz

We thought we were so smart not camping on a ridge again but...a canyon isn't smart either. All our water froze overnight but I was still warm in my sleeping bag. We had a great time in Mt. Laguna at the general store talking to other thru-hikers. I got my trail name there after some trail angels had a cooler full of soda and I drank one and I was energized to the max. I'm now Sugar High!  We hiked thru beautiful desert and chaparral. No snakes but we see lizards and one deer. Everyone we've met has been so nice. Evidently you have to be from Washington State to do the hike. So far only one other person we've met is from California. I met a woman from my husbands state of Wisconsin, small world. I'm having an incredible journey, thank you to all of you that made it possible. If you have a chance please check on my son and husband. 

Day 3- Liz mile 23.34-37.74

Since we began our trip a day earlier then we planned we're making sure not to overdue it. Quite a few people have already complained of twisted knees and painful feet.  We're trying to add more miles each day without hurting ourselves.  We camped last night on a ridge and it felt like someone turned on a wind tunnel. The wind was howling and we had to get out of our warm sleeping bags to corral anything that wasn't in our packs. Melinda lost her sleeping bag compression bag. I'm glad we cowboy camped, I can't imagine what our night would have been with our tents blowing all night. The hike today offered great views of valleys and mountains. I'm not a fan of heights and didn't enjoy hiking along the edge on the mountains with the gusty wind. We had only one snake on the trail and I'm proud to say Melinda didn't scream or do the snake dance. We finally stopped at Long Canyon ford for the night. I had a wonderful hot meal. Tomorrow we should get to Mount Laguna and enjoy lunch before heading out for a few more miles. 

Melinda's trail name is Subway, the three amigos named her after seeing her subway bag on her pack. I'm still waiting for mine. We've met Rainbow Dash, Bat, Shriek, Aquanut, and Little Bear. 

Getting stronger - April 16 - mile 37.74 - Greg

No word from the ladies since yesterday mornining so I suspect they have no cell service.

According to the tracker, they stopped at mile 37.74 after a 14+ mile day yesterday their longest so far. That's great progress, especially given the conditions. It's early in the trip and I'm sure their bodies are still acclimating. They reported earlier it was hot (90+ degrees) and yesterday included a lot of climbing.

They were off again at 7:45 this morning. (April 17)

Day 2 - Mile 11-23.27 -Mel

 On a ridge and I have no service so this post will be retroactive. Along with the pictures I tried to post last night. 

Went to sleep last night watching the stars and listening to the border patrol helicopters flying overhead. The sky was beautiful and I enjoyed sleeping under the stars. 

Woke up early to the sound of coyotes. So nice. We got up around 6:30, had breakfast and hit the trail at 7:45. I'm glad we got and early start because we had a lot of climbing to do. Nothing like what we face ahead but it was still tough. 

We played leap frog with three guys that we now refer to as the three amigos (not their trail names). Glad they were ahead of us at one point. They scared off a rattle snake. We still haven't seen one and I'm ok with that. They also gave me my trail name, Subway. 

We made the 9 miles to Lake Moreno around 12:30. Got water and had a great hamburger and beer at the Lake Moreno store. Great place. Very welcoming to hikers. 

We decided we wanted to get a little further down the trail and are camping on a ridge with beautiful views of the valley below. Can even see a little bit of the lake. Going cowboy again tonight.  

Day 2-Liz

We survived cowboy camping and headed out on the trail at 7:45 feeling good. It was already warm by 8 so we hiked slow and steady. The chaparral and manzanita is beautiful. We learned to take acouple of longer breaks and rest. The 3 amigos, we have them their trail name we in front of us which we greatly appreciated when the rattlesnakes and other snakes crossed the trail. We got to lake Moreno at about 1 and got to sit at the store and have lunch and drink. We bought the guys beer for their chivalry. We felt like we hadn't done enough miles, only 9, so we headed out again. We're now at a ridge at mile 23.37 and are stopping for the day. We smell horrible, our feet hurt, and the flies are are around us, but all I can think about is the wonderful sunset I get to enjoy tonight. Oh yea, I didn't throw up today. 

Mile 0 to 11 - Mel

April 14, 2015

We're off. Hit the trail at 10:45am after pictures at the monument and signing the register. 

The trail is well marked and the hiking started out easy. It was hot though and not a lot of shade. The landscape reminds me of the Thunder Mountain Railway at Disneyland (especially where we crossed the train tracks) and the old westerns I watched as a kid. 

Stopped for a recharge (phones and U.S.) about mile 4.

We did do a little climbing and my thighs and hips are aware of it. We're camped off a jeep road and are going to try cowboy camping tonight. 

First Day-Liz

What an incredible day we've had. Started by going on the wrong dirt road in my Aunts new Lexus, I'm so sorry AJ. If you know us you're not surprised we were on the wrong road. We were bythe border wall only 1/2 mile away. Of course a border patrol agent told us we set off the sensors. Again, I'm sorry. Once we got hiking everything was fine. The weather was hot and only a slight breeze. We stopped at mile 9 to make dinner but I felt alittle queasy and just rested. Before we started I had a bite of a payday bar, in case I needed the energy. Unfortunately I threw up immediately. Sorry Melinda.  I felt fine afterwards and we hiked til mile 11ish to camp for the night. I think the sun is not my friend no matter how much water I drink. I'll have to be careful. We're both cowboy camping tonight (no tent) for the first time. Day one eventful and fun. 

Farewell nice feet-Liz

A look at our pretty feet before they lead us on our epic journey tomorrow. 

Thank you feet. 

Hitting the trail (almost)-Mel 4/13

I'm sitting at the airport with my plastic bag of gear waiting for my flight to LA. Liz already has the rest.

I hope I remembered everything!

It still hasn't sunk in that I'm going for a 2600 plus mile "walk". Probably a good thing or I might have burst into tears when Greg dropped me off at be airport. 

Got a cortisone shot in my right foot this morning so hopefully my neuroma won't bother me. I'm leaving the house in a complete mess. Greg is happy with that. He figures I won't notice if he and Bodie don't clean while I'm gone. 

I fly into LAX where Liz, her mom and aunt will pick me up. We then head to the San Diego area for the night.  They will take us to the trailhead tomorrow morning(ish). We hope to start hiking around 11am. 

My splurge item for this trip weight wise is the "prayer" necklace our church youth group made me. 

Countdown-Liz

I spent hours packing up my resupply boxes that my family will ship to me along the trail. My cat Tux wanted to come along

Now I'm in Los Angeles visiting family for a few days before we depart. I'm excited and nervous. After so many months of preparation and training there's nothing left to do but wait and try to relax, for me that's taking long walks. Go figure. 

Almost here -Melinda (continued)

Hit send by mistake. I have a feeling that won't be the last time.

I'm remembering things I forgot to pack too. Oh, my PCT permit and fire permit to start with.

It seems so silly to be driving back up to San Jose tomorrow. Especially since we are in San Diego right now. But I want to spend as much time with Greg and Bodie as I can. Four months is going to be a long time away from them.

I'm excited, scared and still can't believe that I'm really doing this!!!


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Almost here - Melinda

I can't believe we leave in just a few days!!

This past week has been spring break for Bodie so we have been touring colleges in So Cal. I had my backpack packed, food and all, last weekend. Liz will be taking my pack, boots and poles down to her moms this weekend so that I don't have to fly with it. I don't want the ending up as lost luggage!

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