Day 72 - Mile 990 to 999 - Mel

June  25

Lots of mosquitoes this morning.  My back was really hurting, so it took me long time to get camp broken down. 

Greg sent a text with a change a plans.  He needs to pick me up on Sunday afternoon/evening either at Sonora or Ebbetts Pass.  This was a blessing since I wont be moving too fast.  I'll have him pick me up at Sonora and then I can do some short days, maybe even take a zero.

Luckily most of the hiking was flat.  Next to a stream for quite a while and also through a beautiful meadow.  Saw At Home while going through the meadow.

I was thinking of stopping at Dorothy Lake for the night, but met some ladies that suggested that I go to Harriet Lake instead.  It's not much further.  I did stop at Dorothy for lunch and also jumped in the lake.  Clothes and all.  Not out of modesty, but to get at least some dirt off of them.

Didn't see that campsites at Harriett and ended up close to the outlet from the lake.  I quit hiking around 3:30pm.  It was very nice to get my tent set up, rinse out some clothes, make a cup of coffee and write in my journal.

Day 71 - Mile 975.33 to 990 - Mel

June 24

The mosquitoes didn't go to bed last night.  I ended up having to put my head net on for half the night.  Other than that I slept as good as I do while camping.

Started out with a steep descent. Followed by more climbing.  Then down again.  It was tough terrain.  Very steep and rocky.  I lost track of how may ups and downs I did.  All I know is that it was at least 1000 feet at t time. I'm taking extra Ibuprofen today.  My back is not happy.  I'm supposed to be meeting Greg at Echo Lake next week for our anniversary, I'm just not sure when I'll get there.

Got passed by Skooter, Wallaby, Minty Fresh and Deep South.  It was great to see people I knew.  Skooter had heard a rumor that the trail was closed after Sonora Pass do to a fire.  I used the In Reach to get in touch with Greg to get details.  The trail was not closed, but smoky.

I quit hiking today next today at 6:30pm next to a stream.  Chose the spot because it was pretty.  Plus I didn't feel like I could go any further. 

Set the tent up tonight.  I also had the opportunity to rinse my socks out.  It's the little things that make me happy.

The mosquitoes are out in full force.

Day 70 - Mile 960.02 to 975.33 - Mel

June 23

I actually slept okay last night considering I was alone.  I figured I'd lay awake listening to every noise.

Had to climb Benson Pass today.  Only 10,140 feet.  Argh!  Both the uphill and downhill were hard on my back.  Ibuprofen is my friend.  As usual the views were lovely.

Did see some PCT'ers.  Of course they passed me.  I kept leap frogging a couple that are doing a section of the PCT with their daughter.  I enjoyed the company.

I did not stop at Benson Lake, but it looked beautiful.  Shortly after I passed the trail junction for the lake I had a stream to cross that was wide, and deep on the opposite side.  My only option to cross was a long log.  I really don't like crossing logs, especially alone.  Somehow I did it.  After that it was a 1000 foot plus climb.  Wasn't sure how far up I was going to make it, but I couldn't stop until I found a campsite.  Finally found one near a small lake at the top.  Cowboy camping again..

Day 69 - Mile 941.6 to 960.02 - Mel

June 22

I left Tuolumne Meadows this morning around 10:30am.  Hiking alone was different.  Don't know how many times I wanted to comment to Liz about something. I think because of my odd departure time I did not see any PCT hikers today. I passed some people going to Glen Aulin and some southbound hikers, so I had some people to talk to.  Fortunately I have enough Dodge blood in me to appreciate the solitude.

Hiking was pretty easy.  Most of the trail was level.  My back felt a little better after a day and a half off.  I stopped at Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp to eat my lunch.  Started climbing a little after that.

Finally found a place to camp around 7:30pm.  Decided to try cowboy camping my first night.  I don't think I could have gotten my tent stakes into the ground if I wanted to, plus I didn't have the energy.  

I actually got in 18 miles which I wasn't expecting.

6/30/15 Liz update

It's nice to be home but I'm anxious to get back on trail. I know I need to have a higher calorie, carb, fat diet and I'm working on that. Losing 19 lbs was not what I wanted, or needed. I've already got three young men willing to go, including my son. I know I'll be in good hands considering they're all Eagle Scouts. We'll start with weekends and see how many miles of the PCT we can do. 

I saw my podiatrist yesterday, I felt he should see what hiking 942 miles can do to feet. I'm still having constant nerve pain and my right foot has been painful for 3 weeks so he ordered a X-ray. Found out I have a stress fracture, go figure, so we can't hit the trail for at least a month. I can't believe how much my poor feet have suffered, and I thought it would be my knee that would be the problem. 

See you on the trail. 

Day 67 to 68 - Mile 932.01 to 941.6 - Mel

June 20 - 21

Liz and I woke up this morning thinking it was time to pull off the trails.  Our bodies were feeling the last 900 plus miles and our families would be there to take us home. 

It was a very pretty and level (my back appreciated this) walk through Lyle Valley to Tuolumne Meadows.  We made a short stop and who should come up behind us but Snow White and Wallstreet.  I was so excited to see them.  Of course they flew by us.

Greg and Bodie picked us up at the store and drove us down to Lee Vining where Liz's brother Billy had a spot at the RV park.  We ate very well that night.  Thanks Billy,

Billy had a spot at Tuolumne Meadows the next day, so after breakfast in town we headed back up the hill.

Greg had questioned whether I was ready to leave the trail.  I have never backpacked or camped alone before and the thought of going off into the wilderness alone scared me.After much thought I decided to try to go on.  Couldn't have made that decision without the faith Greg and Bodie had in me. It was really hard to think about going on without Liz though.

Greg and Bodie had to head back to San Jose on Sunday and Liz's boys showed up.  I camped with them that night.  Dinner was tri-tip and homemade mac & cheese thanks to Billy.  He's trying to fatten us up!

Day 64 to 66 - Mile 877.8 to 932.07 - Mel

June 17-19

Up and packed by 7am so we could eat breakfast before leave.  I had the best biscuits and gravy.  Afterwards 7 of us loaded into a van that drove us down to the to the boats that would take us across what was left of the lake. The lake is down quite a bit.  We had about out a 1/4 mile walk on lake bed before getting to the trail to that took us up to the  PCT.

Today was Silver Pass, just under 11,000 feet.  We made it over the pass, but weren't prepared for the 800 foot climb about four miles before Purple Lake.  Especially since we didn't get to it until 5pm (ish).  We made it, set up camp. Rocket Man caught four fish which we cooked directly in the fire.  Crispy on the outside and delicious on the inside.

After an early climb our day was pretty level.  Early on we met a deer on the trail.  She seemed a little indignent that we were on her trail.  So she walked until she was about 20 feet from me and then went around us.

 

We stopped at Reds Meadow and Liz bought me a burger for a second lunch or early dinner.  I bought a Magnum ice cream bar for dessert and a bag of Doritos for a before bed snack.

On the 19th we had breakfast in bed.  Got to love the cowboy camping. Our plan was to climb Island Pass and Donahue Pass.  Two passes in one day.  Pretty aggressive for "mature " women.  Both passes were challenging in their own right, but we did it.  Yay!  Donahue was steep with lots of rock steps up one side and down the other,  I think I tweaked my back going down.

We camped by the Lyle River less than nine miles from Tuolumne Meadows.  Tomorrow we get to see our families.

Day 57-623 Mile 797.5 to 877.8 - Mel

June 10-15

"Pass" is a four letter word!

Between not having cell service and no sun to charge the phones I am combining posts from several days. 

We climbed five more passes: Glen, Pinchot, Mather, Muir and Seldon. All at least 12,000 feet except for Seldon which was just under 11,000 feet. 

The climbs were tough, the descents frightening and the views and scenery magnificent.

Glen was the hardest both up and down.  As usual I made Liz lead the way down. Just enough snow to make it treacherous (maybe that's just my inexperience talking:. Trying to find the packed footprints in the snow and then climbing down rocks while trying to figure out where the trail might be.

Muir I found the most interesting. We'd spent the night at the middle fork of the King River where we had three deer wander into our camp. After following a fork of the King River through some pretty forests it was back to climbing. Lunch at lake Helen with endangered frogs and then towards the pass. Snow on this side plus water running down the middle of the trail. The water was deep enough that you couldn't walk on the trail. Soon we had rain, then hail and thunder in the distance. 

Muir hut is at the top of the pass.  It looked like we were in the Hymalayas. 

Rested there a bit. The weather was looking nasty so we headed down the hill in the rain, hail and thunder. This time with some lightening thrown in for good measure. We finally found a place to camp, got the tents up in the rain and then it was one of the many nights of dinner in the tent.  Rocket Man and Snake Bait were camped with us.

After Seldon Pass it was down to VVR.  Greg and Bodie made a quick trip there to deliver supplies.  It was so good to see them.  Liz and I took a zero there.  Pretty much all we did was sit all day with Rocket Man and Snake Bait, eat, talk about food and plan our camping together  the next night at Purple Lake where RM would catch some fish, I would clean them, Liz would build the fire and SB would cook.

Closing in on 1000 and taking a break - Greg

Melinda continues to make good progress on the trail. We haven't talked since I saw her on Sunday, but we have exchanged some short text messages.

After a 15 mile day, she set up camp at mile 990 on Wednesday.

We decided yesterday to meet at Sonora pass on Sunday to take a few days off for our 30th wedding anniversary. I'm heading back to work on Thursday and if she's up for continuing, Melinda will return to the trail on Wednesday.

Knowing that she had 4 days to cover only 27 miles, she decided to slow down and enjoy the scenery. This should also help her back, which has continued to be a little sore. Yesterday, she did almost 9 miles before setting up camp near lake Harriet.

She also crossed the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park and is now in the Emigrant Wilderness. She took a celebratory dip in Dorothy Lake at the border. :-) It's been hot - 87 degrees in Dardanelle yesterday which feels like a million with a pack on your back and hiking across granite in the sun.

She may take a zero or nearo (near zero) today. (Friday)

She camped last night at mile 998.46. In less than 2 miles, she will cross the 1000 mile mark, a huge milestone.

Coming up is a big climb to 10,250 feet near Leavitt Lake before continuing out to highway 108 where I will pick her up.

Going solo, conflagrations and mile 975 - Greg

By now you've read that Liz has chosen to head home and conquer the rest of the trail in sections later. I think this absolutely the right choice for her and I salute her self awareness and all she accomplished in 2.5 months on the trail. Well done! It's more than I could ever dream of doing.

Initially Melinda had also decided it was time. I think there were a couple of elements to this. They had pushed really hard through the High Sierra and she was tired. She too has lost weight. And she tweaked her back a little on Friday or Saturday morning. I'm sure a large part of it was uncertainty about life on the trail without her hiking other half.

After sleeping on it Saturday night, her outlook had changed. Her back felt better and her energy level was good. She was considering going on to at least test the waters and see if she could have any fun without Liz. (That's hard to imagine - you gotta have Liz to have fun!)

So off she went on Monday morning. She has put in 2 full days since then and covered 17 and 15 miles respectively, including Benson pass yesterday. She started today at mile 975.32. Several folks are asking how long she will go and I honestly have no idea. Again, I think for now she's just testing the waters.

I think she had hoped to connect with some other thru hikers, but it hasn't happened yet. There have been a few "ships in the night" encounters but no ongoing connections while hiking or camping. So far it's been a pretty solitary endeavor. But it's still early in her solo effort.

It seems to me that there's an understanding among thru-hikers that everyone will be moving at their own pace. There's no expectation of either waiting up or hustling along for someone else unless you started the trail together with that understanding. (or developed that understanding over an extended period of hiking together.) This is as it needs to be - otherwise hard feelings can develop if people feel rushed or hindered. If Melinda chooses to continue, I hope she will connect with someone along the way but it may take some time.

I'm going to make that more difficult by taking her off the trail for a couple of days to celebrate our 30th anniversary (Actual date - June 29). But that's another post. :-)

The so-called "Washington fire" is burning 3.2 miles from the PCT around mile 1048 near the town of Markleeville and highway 4 and has consumed about 16,500 acres as of this writing. The trail is still open, but it's very smoky in the area and it's unclear if the trail will remain open.

This is part of the calculus for when I will pick up Melinda for our anniversary. At her current pace she will probably make highway 108 on Friday, Highway 4 on Sunday (close to the fire), highway 88 on Tuesday and Highway 50 on Wednesday.

I will pick her up at one of these junctions. For now we will wait a bit before deciding which one and when. 

Day 68 Liz 6/20/15 mile 940

Melinda decided to go alittle further and will leave tomorrow. 

I've had such an amazing 2 1/2 months. I've seen such beauty that God has given us. I've met so many interesting and fun people on the trail and I've been blessed with so much trail magic. I've learned to overcome fear and push through pain. 

2 1/2 months

940 miles

Two pairs of shoes

9 toenails lost

1 broken trekking pole

600 pictures. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported and cheered me on. 

The journey's not over, I plan to finish it in sections. Want to come?

As Forest Gump wisely said " I'm tired... I think I'll go home"

Liz Hasenberg aka Sugar High

Day 67-Liz mile 932

I didn't sleep well last night. I came to the realization that my journey is over when we get to Tuolomme Meadows today, mile 940. My body is breaking down and I don't have confidence it could carry me any further. My mental state is strong and I want to continue but I can't. Melinda and I discussed it and agreed the trip will end today. 

What a ride it's been. 

Day 66 Liz 6/18/15 mile -932

Our last Pass before heading into Yosemite to see our families is Donohue Pass and you'd really think we'd be acclimated to the elevation and ascents so the climbs would be quick, but not really. We have gotten in better shape so we don't need to stop as often but every climb is still a challenge. 

I'm not eating as much as I need to and I've lost over 15 lbs. My energy level is low and each day is a workout. As we were coming down the Pass I had to step onto a boulder and ouch myself over it. As it turned out I didn't have enough strength to do it and I ended up falling back onto a rock. It didn't hurt since my pack broke my fall but it was an eye opener for me. I hadn't fallen before, tripped over the trail and kicked rocks for sure but never a fall. I've been noticing in the last week I've gotten weaker, not a good thing, and I've been thinking about my safety. The last thing I want to do is put myself in a dangerous situation where I could get hurt in the wilderness. 

The summit of Donohue Pass is the boundary of Yosemite, it was nice to see the sign. 

Day 65-Liz 6/17/15 mile 893.0

We left VVR and took the "ferry" across the "lake" so we could pick up the trail. The ferry was just a small dingy and the lake was more like a big pond. We had to walk 1/4 mile on the lake bed floor. We made a deal with Amy and Chris, if Chris caught some fish for dinner Melinda would clean them, I would make the fire, and Amy would cook. Seemed simple enough until we noticed we had a lot of climbing to do before we set up camp. I don't think I ever walked so fast for a meal. Chris was awesome, he ended up catching 4 trout and we had a wonderful meal of trout and mashed potatoes. Delicious! The kids were going to hike to mammoth the next day for a few zero days so we knew we wouldn't see them again for a while. If you know Amy and Chris's parents let them know they're kids are terrific. 

Day 63-64 Liz 6/15-6/16 VVR

We finally made it to VVR after leaving Kennedy meadows on June 5th. We're awesome women. Most people took zeros in Lone Pine, Bishop, or independence, we probably should have but we didn't want to hitch that far. VVR was a nice place to stop and rest. Greg, Bodie, and Kenya came for a quick visit and to bring us our resupply boxes. The restaurant left a lot to be desired, you had three choices at each meal, but it was tasty. We did get to take a much needed shower and do laundry. It's amazing how good you feel when you're clean and wearing clothes that don't stink. We've been having a nice time camping with siblings Amy and Chris, aka Snake Bait and Rocketman. We've met so many nice young people it's been a pleasure to get to know them.

 

Day 53-63 Liz 6/6/15-6/16/15 716.7-877.2

Technology is great when it works but when they break down its hard. My solar charger died and I haven't been able to blog, and since I got rid of my journal, too much weight, I'm going to group my blogs together. Now that we're out of the desert I expected to have some rain come down but not every day for the first four days! You'd never know that California is in a drought with all the rain we had. The Sierra's are breathtaking and I can't find enough words to describe their beauty. After a tough climb or hike I'm rewarded with such natural beauty I get overwhelmed. 

The first pass we had to ascend was Forester Pass, at 13180 ft it's the highest point of the Sierras, and our lungs felt it. Going up the narrow switchbacks took awhile and when we finally made it to the summit we had to be pulled over the mountain of snow in front of us. Thank goodness Cobain was there to pull out sorry butts up. 

After a brief break to enjoy the views and have lunch we knew we had to leave and get down into the next valley. I wasn't prepared for the trail to be practically nonexistent due to snow coverage and other people switch backing and making new trails down the mountain. Melinda and I expierenced our first post-holing, rock climbing, and death defying balancing acts trying to get down. I was concentrating so much I wasn't breathing sometimes and I had to remind myself to do it. We lost the trail many times but we eventually made our way down, I was so grateful I didn't fall or get hurt. Who the heck decided it was a good idea to put a trail on such a steep mountain?!

Our next pass was Pinchot 12130 ft, and the hike led us through meadows and around numerous lakes. The youngsters still zoom past us and I swear we're not hiking slow, it only seems that way. 

The next pass was the most challenging, Glen Pass. The trail going up seemed to go on forever and get steeper as we went. The summit was narrow and we really couldn't even sit down to enjoy the view before we had to do our descent. Being a wiley veteran of a few passes my confidence was good we'd be able to get down quickly. I was sooooo wrong. There was snow everywhere on the mountain we had no idea where the trail was. The first 100 feet we post holed, that was the easy part, then we had to climb over loose rocks to more snow covered switchbacks. At one point we had to take our packs off and gently toss them about 10 ft down the mountain so we could climb down rocks like a ladder and not loose our balance. My pack tumbled onto the trail below that had melted snow rushing like a river over it. A lot of the trail now was a river and that made everything worse, just trying to find the correct way down. Climbing over loose rocks and snow was a nightmare that lasted about an hour. 

We had to do a Pass a day for the first four days of the Sierras and it was getting very old by now. Muir Pass was an exciting Pass for a few reasons.

Going up we had to walk over snow with rushing water under it, hoping we wouldn't punch through. We didn't. 

At the summit there's a stone hut, you'd swear you were in the Himalayas if you saw it, and we rested in it for about a half hour. As we headed down the weather turned really bad and we had hail and thunderstorms chasing us. When we finally stopped to set up our tents we were drenched and cold. We ended up cooking our dinners, yet again, in our vestibules. Dangerous but we've gotten quite good at it. 

The next day we had to ford through Evolution Creek, which is not a creek. The water was up to my thigh and the current was very strong and scared the heck out of me. We let three guys go first so we knew where to walk and not fall. The Sierras are testing our bravery and I'm getting darn tired of it. 

Next stop Vermillion Valley Resort.  

Tuolumne zero on Sunday- Greg

A boot with just a few miles of "breaking in" and one with 941 PCT miles. (Both are Melindas)

The ladies made Tuolumne Meadows mid-day Saturday. Bodie and I connected with them at the store there and met some of their friends including Snow White, Wall Street and Minty Fresh. All are really great folks.

The 4 of us piled into the car and we drove through the east side of Yosemite to meet up with Liz's brother Bill, who had driven up from LA and was at an RV park in Lee Vining. Bill fed us like kings - thanks so much! The Knepps cowboy camped next to Bill's trailer and after a breakfast in town the next morning we all moved on to the Tuolumne Meadows campground where Christian and Tom joined us late Sunday afternoon.

Unfortunately, Bodie and I had to head back to the Bay Area only a couple of hours after the whole group assembled.

It was a great visit.

Day 56 - Mile 770.4 to 786.13 - Mel

June 9

Didn't get as early if a start as we wanted because it was just too darned cold out. 

We started the day with a creek crossing. Not deep, but wide. We made it though without falling in. 

I had been worrying about the climb today, but it started out gently and the scenery was breathtaking. Barren hillsides with craggy mountains in the distance. Crystal clear lakes In the tundra. Marmots just off the trail. It took us a long time to get to the real climb because we had to keep stopping to enjoy it all. 

The last mile and 1000 feet was straight up the granite face. I'm sure the views were great, but my eyes never left the trail. Plus I was just huffing and puffing. There was a snow bank at the top and fortunately there were some hikers that pulled us over. 

Our next challenge was the snow on the north side. Just enough to cover the trail, so we weren't quite sure where it was. I made Liz go first and we crossed the snow where others had packed it down and climbed over a lot of rocks knowing that we weren't on the trail. It was frightening since I don't have experience hiking in snow. 

We finally found the trail and enjoyed the craggy mountain peaks and lakes. Lots of melting snow, so we had many stream crossings and water running down the trail. 

Planned on a campfire this evening, but it started raining. Dinner in the tents again. 

Day 55 - Mile 750.2 to 770.4 - Mel

June 8

It was very windy last night. Kept me awake from about 3am on. My tent stakes loosened up, but he tent didn't collapse. Yay!

More climbing today. We want to get as close to Forester Pass as we can. Forester is the highest pass on the Sierras at 13,180 feet. I'm dreading it. I don't think I have ever hiked at the high of an elevation and I'm not sure how I will do. 

Passed the Whitney Portal. Liz has already climbed Whitney and I have no desire to. Camped at Wallace Creek. 

Day 53 - Mile 716.7 to 733.32 - Mel

June 6

We're in the Sierras now!  Climbed to an elevation of 10,300 feet today. I had a very hard time. It was really hard to catch my breath. My chest was hurting some too, but I think that had to do with the weight of my pack pulling on it. 

I can't seem to get my pack adjusted properly. I think that has something to do with the fact that I have lost my hips somewhere in the last 700 miles. The bones are there, just no meat. I can't tighten the straps any more!

We stopped for lunch just over the top. Planned on a short stop since there were some nasty clouds. Got going quickly when we started to hear thunder. Fortunately the storm stayed to the south. It was nice to listen to. 

After getting water at a spring we hiked a couple more miles. The weather was looking nasty so we decided to stop for the night. As soon as Liz and I started setting up our tents it started hailing. Dinner in the tent tonight. While eating I noticed that Greg had sent me a 20 pack of tortillas. They weigh about the same as my tent. How did I miss that while I was packing them up? (The girl needs to eat - she was just complaining about losing all the meat on her bones! - Greg)

Day 54 - Mile 733.32 to 750.2 - Mel

June 7

More climbing today. We will be going up to an elevation 11,000 plus feet. Still having a hard time breathing. Slow and steady, that's my motto. 

Lots of granite this morning. It looks like the boulders have been placed together to be aesthetically pleasing. True works of art. Note the scenery is constantly changing. 

We stopped for lunch at a creek. Mainly to rinse out some clothes. It will be nice to have semi clean socks!  I was breathing easier after lunch. Maybe I am acclimating. 

Liz and I camped at Chicken Spring Lake   Minty Fresh was there too. 

Day 52 - Mile 702.8 to 716.7 - Mel

June 5

Spent the morning trying to fit everything into my back pack. Quite the challenge. I should have gotten rid of some of my food, but I've been so hungry the last several days that I kept most of the stuff that came into Kennedy Meadows with me. 

We hoped to get on the trail fairly early but I had to wait for the store to open at 9am to mail some stuff back home. So we had a second breakfast of pancakes and coffee at the store while we waited. 

We're heading into the Sierras and it is a welcome change of scenery. Trees, actual water in the Kern River and mountains ahead to climb.

Right now we are in our tents. It started to rain so we set them up and had lunch. Don't know if we will make it back on the trail today or not. 

The rain let up so we continued on. It was pleasant hiking. Passed a couple of large beautiful meadows. Such a welcome change. 

Ended up camping on the beach next to the Kern river. Minty Fresh was there too we invited him to join us in a campfire and he did everything.  Boy did we luck out. 

Day 51-6/4/15 Liz 651.4-702.8

What better way to start the day then with a wonderful breakfast made with love by trail angel Rita. 

We had a great time listening to Rita and her husband Richard tell stories of their family and history. They built their beautiful cabin in seven years themselves, and the woodwork is incredible. We just finished packing up and we're waiting for Richard to drive us to Kennedy Meadows, time for an after breakfast nap. 

We made it to Kennedy Meadows, mostly on dirt road with Richard driving like an expert. It's a whole new world here, a general store with PCT hikers everywhere unpacking their resupply boxes from home and talking and laughing about the trail. 

Every time a hiker comes off the trail we all clap and cheer him/her on. It was fun to open my box and try to remember just what the heck I put in the bear keg to eat for 9 days. I did take out some food since I had some left over from Tehachipi. I didn't take out any paydays or snickers, need the calories. Thanks Lynn and Chase for the goodies and the card. Every place has hiker boxers we can put stuff in we don't need or take if we need to. I repaired my hiking pole again since it cracked acouple of weeks ago.  If there's a animal hole or rocks to wedge a pole mine found it every time. The weather is much cooler and we're excited to leave tomorrow to make it to vermillion valley ranch in 8-9 days. We put up our tents already since we need the practice for rain that will eventually come, but it's still taking us to long. 

Day 50-6/3/15-Liz 628.89-651.4

Even with the wind blowing nothing stops us from making hot coffee in the morning and watching the sun rise while huddled in our sleeping bags. We had a wonderful heart pumping hike up switchbacks over 500 ft in less than a mile to begin our day. But at least the weather was cool and we were in the shade. We're seeing less and less people on trail now, maybe they're dropping out or were smart and are skipping this hellish section. The scenery was beautifully stark and we were on high alert for rattlers. We didn't incounter a rattler but we did step over a 12 inch skinny green snake with a red stripe by its head. I was just happy it wasn't a rattler, but I would like to know what type of snake it was. We ended the day dragging ourselves into Walker Pass Campground and right into the loving food of Ann and Carlos. They had hot dogs, chips, watermelon, pasta salad, oranges, and soda and beer. Truly Angels from heaven. Again this trip is about meeting people and sharing stories and not just the hike. Another trail angel, Rita, came by asking if any one wanted to stay at her house and take a hot shower and do wash. Being the smart people we are we said yes please take us home with you.

 Melinda and I have been talking about the Mojave and maybe we should have skipped it and in the end Rita's husband will take us tomorrow to Kennedy Meadows and we'll skip the last 50 miles. 

Do I have any regrets? No, because I'm not out here to hurt myself and we spent more than enough time in the Mojave. Tomorrow Rita's making blueberry pancakes and coffee, yummy. I've got clean clothes hanging on the clothes line outside that don't smell too bad anymore. We didn't plan on ending our day like this but sometimes God works in mysterious ways, I'm not complaining

. 

Reunion, resupply and return to the trail - Greg

Liz (Sugar High), Bodie, Melinda (Subway) and Kenya

The ladies made it to Vermillion Valley Resort and we met them with their resupply boxes. They were like kids in a candy store, tearing through food and gear and deciding what to take.

As you can see in the photo above, they could do with a little more food. Melinda says she has lost about 15 pounds and Liz has no excess fat either.

They took a zero yesterday (Tuesday) and will hit the trail again this morning.

Bodie, Kenya and I drove 12 hours out of 24 (we had to squeeze the trip in between water polo practices) to get there and back, including 40 miles on one lane, unmaintained road over Kaiser pass (9,175 feet) to get there. Not quite the adventure that L & M are having, but a long day. It was worth every minute - it was great to see them!

Liz has few more posts to be uploaded and Melinda has at least one. Hopefully they can get enough of a signal near the lake to get them out.

Day 52-6/5/15 Liz 702.58-716.7

The first day after a resupply my pack weighs the most due to the food. Today's was even heavier due to the added weight of the bear canister that's mandatory in Sequoia NP and Yosemite. Watching everyone stuff their food into them is highly entertaining. We had to wait for the store to open so Melinda could mail back items she and I didn't need anymore, therefore even though we were up by 6am we didn't leave until 9:15am. Now it's 1:30 and we had to put up our tents because of rain that's just starting to fall. We found an excellent meadow by a creek and we actually got the tents up quickly. Now we just wait it out. 

Last night we had a campfire with about 10 other people, all men and women in their 20's. One person had two bags of instant mashed potatoes and they decided to make latkes on the open grill. It was fun watching them figure out how to do it and then seeing everyone scatter to get the necessary oil, salt, pepper, foul. They turned out really good.

After the rain ended we hiked a few more miles and ended up camping at the South Kern River on a sand bar. Minty Fresh joined us and when I suggested a campfire he took control and did everything, evidently he really likes campfires. We had a great time just chatting and watching the stars while sipping our kahula and coffee, thank you Leanna and Ron. 

Since there weren't any trees to hang our bear bags we hung them from the bridge, how clever are we. 

6 of 8 Section H passes done, relief in sight - Greg

On Sunday L & M crossed Seldon pass, the sixth of eight high Sierra passes in Section H. Only Silver and Donohue passes remain.

Today (Monday) they will arrive at Vermillion Valley Resort near mile 879, their first resupply since Kennedy Meadows. This is the longest stretch between resupplies on their trip plan at 174 miles. Between the distance, the terrain and the weather, this must be one of the most challenging segments yet and may be one of the most challenging on the whole trail.

While many hike out to hitch rides to Lone Pine, Independence, Big Pine or Bishop for resupply and R & R, our intrepid pair stuck to their plan and powered through.

Rumor has it that AT&T coverage is available around VVR, but not in the resort itself or the nearby campground. If they get a decent signal, we might get a welcome onslaught of blog posts - or they might have been too busy surviving to write. :-)

Bodie and I will leave to resupply them after his water polo practice tonight. We probably won't see them until tomorrow morning as we will probably arrive about midnight. It will be a quick trip, as Bodie needs to be back for practice again tomorrow at 5:00.

Another 2 passes, more weather and a delivery - Greg

On Friday the ladies made it over Mather pass and settled in after 15.6 miles total.

Today, the tracker battery was low, so there was no tracking and Melinda's text came late as they were setting up their tent in the rain (again) at 7:30 PM. I must confess there was a little nail biting on my part.

They conquered Muir pass and did a total of 18.56 miles today, putting them at mile 846.00.

Melinda said:

Stopped at 7:30 and had to set up in the rain. Did Muir pass - rain hail snow thunder and lightning.

I know they have had weather to deal with for several days, but the forecast today had a slight chance of showers in the morning and afternoon clearing. She said it was beautiful this morning but obviously it was raining later. Forecasting in the mountains is a dicey business.

Once again, the forecast is for clear conditions for several days - let's hope it holds up this time.

I hope they have been keeping blog posts to upload later once they get service. I'm sure they have stories to tell.

I will be meeting them at Vermillion Valley Resort (around mile 879 plus 6 miles off trail) to deliver supplies  probably Monday or Tuesday. I can't wait - I haven't seen Melinda for 2 months and that's the longest we have been apart in 30 years.

If anybody local wants to send them a card, a letter, or a care package just drop it by the house on Sunday if possible.

2 more passes, some weather and a dead tracker - Greg

Yesterday (Wednesday 6/10) the ladies pushed up and over Glen pass. Even in a very short text to Bodie Melinda managed to fit in some faux swearing. (eg !$&*) Apparently Glen deserves it's reputation as a tough crossing. They spent the night at 797.35, just before the long climb to Pinchot pass.

No word on the weather from L & M, but reading some of the other trail blogs it sounds like there has been some, to say the least. (Hail storms, thunder and lightning) It must have been overcast because Melinda couldn't get enough sunlight on the solar panel to keep ahead of the battery usage on the tracker, so it went dead last night and wasn't working all day today. No blue dots to track! I didn't know how much I was relying on those blue dots for reassurance until they were gone. These other bloggers were posting from Lone Pine or Independence on zero days - glad to be out of the storm. But it sounds like our own Subway and Sugar High were right there in the heart of it.

But apparently all is well - Melinda got enough of a charge on the tracker to send a message that they pushed over Pinchot pass today and are bedding down at 811.75. She thinks they might have enough juice for tracking tomorrow.

Tomorrow it's about 5 miles to Mather pass at 12,100 feet followed by a 10 mile descent to the middle fork of Kings river before starting the biggest climb in section H, 3500 feet in 10 miles to the top of Muir Pass.

Oh - for those who have been asking, it's Subway (Melinda) on the left and Sugar High (Liz) on the right in the picture on the home page of the blog. And yes, I know that's backwards from the blog title. And I understand that they should just swap names to make it easy on everybody. But I doubt they will.

Over the top - Greg

Melinda and Liz covered over 19 miles on Monday and about 16 miles yesterday.

Yesterday, they crossed Forester pass, the highest spot on the PCT at 13,211 feet. A text from Melinda said travel was "worse on the downhill side due to snow". This makes sense - because they are traveling south to north, the north facing slopes will be the downhill side and that side gets less sun during the day to melt the snow.

She also said they got the tents set up last night before the rain started and that they need some sun today to charge the tracking device (40% battery as of last night) and their phones.

Looking at the radar animation from overnight, it appears that the storm has moved north, so hopefully they will get their sun today. I hope they didn't get too much precipitation over night or they might have fresh snow to deal with today.

They were camped last night at mile 786, about 95 miles from the next resupply at Vermillion Valley Resort.

Getting high - Greg

Liz and Melinda continue to make good progress. They left Kennedy Meadows a little later than usual on Friday and covered about 15 miles. Saturday and Sunday they covered about 17 and 18 miles respectively.

They have climbed to where the air is rare, spending nights at 8,261 feet, 10,496 feet, and 11,266 feet. (Check out the PCT elevation profile and click on "section G" at the bottom to see the terrain where they are right now.)

On Saturday, I got a brief text from Melinda that they set up their tents in hail, but it passed quickly. She also said that last night (Sunday) it was very windy. It's supposed to reach around 100 degrees over much of California this week, but all bets are off at high altitude as the Sierras tend to make their own weather.

About 17 miles ahead is the junction with the John Muir Trail. Going north from there, the JMT and PCT merge and are the same trail going all the way to Tuolumne Meadows where the JMT ends. If the girls were to head east on the JMT from that junction, they could summit Whitney as a "day trip" from the PCT. Before leaving they had no plans to do this, wanting to put all of their energy into PCT miles. Of course they could always change their minds.

Communication is difficult, due to Melinda texting with a device that has only 3 buttons and an unpredictable messaging delay. (The InReach tracker) That's the only option where there is no cell service. She could connect her phone to the InReach using bluetooth for a better user interface, but pairing them is a hassle, especially with cold fingers.

Even so, she did manage to confirm that the dog needs shots before we can renew his license. I try not to bug her with these mundane issues, but she usually runs our household and there are some things only she knows. :-)

Into the Sierras - Greg

L & M had an excellent 22 mile day on Wednesday, ending at Walker Pass on highway 178, a major east/west artery running from Bakersfield to highway 395. At Walker Pass campground yesterday a wonderful trail angel was offering hot showers and rides. After grinding it out across the Mojave, the ladies decided to treat themselves to both and found themselves at Kennedy Meadows.

Remember pay phones? They used to be everywhere. A dime would buy you a local call and you could talk to anyone all day for buck. With no cell or internet service in Kennedy Meadows, Melinda found one of the last pay phones in America and used it to call me collect. (Coins are almost as useless as they are quaint these days.) 20 minutes and $30.00 later we were cut off by the phone system in the middle of our first conversation in about a week.

They seem to be doing fine and the current plan is to head north from Kennedy Meadows this morning. (Friday). Next stop - Vermillion Valley Resort in about 174 miles. This is the longest stretch between resupply points on the trip. Water is more plentiful in the Sierras so they can drop some of that weight, but they have to carry bear cans that are as heavy as they sound (Bear-proof food containers are required in this stretch) and enough food for 10 days. I've read stories of other hikers arriving at VVR VERY hungry, so hopefully they have enough chow.

Cell service in the Sierras is pretty rare, so it may be a while before we get any new blog posts from them.

Day 49-6/2/15-Liz 611-628.89

After a couple of windless camp sites we didn't want to get spoiled so of course we choose a windy spot last night. It blew through the trees above us but when it rolled thru camp it felt like someone was shaking my sleeping bag. 

Since yesterday's hike was full of trees and forests we assumed we were out of the desert. Oh were we wrong. We headed down the mountain straight into the desert again. We finally found a bit of shade and stopped at 11:30am. Right now it's 12:47 and my barometer says its  110.0 on the desert floor! We're not going anywhere for a few hours. Have I said I don't like the heat? Now I know why a lot of people skip this section, heat and lack of water does not make for an enjoyable hike. Where's a taxi to take me to Kennedy Meadows?

We finally left our oasis at 4:30 since the weather was a more comfortable 88 degrees. And because we haven't seen a rattler in a while and we needed the adrenaline rush a nice rattler shook and hissed at us. I took a picture then calmly walked around him with Melinda right behind me. We didn't get as far today as we wanted to, the winds were pushing us around while we were skirting the mountain sides. So instead of plummeting to our death off the mountain were camping on a ridge with some mighty winds whipping us. Everything is packed away and we've got numerous rocks holding down our ground clothes. Melinda's only about ten feet away yet we have the shout to each other to be heard. 

Day 47-5/31/15-Liz 573.4-592

We had a beautiful view of the stars and moon last night, we know because we didn't sleep very well. Night hikers kept walking by talking and shining their lights on us. Oh well. We were on the trail by 6am and got to the water cache by 10:30am, 10 miles of hot dusty trail with 4 dirt bikes racing by at one point. One snake crossed our path and we were startled to see one lone black cow off the trail. 

We managed to find a shady area, along with five other hikers, to wait out hot afternoon. I really hate hot weather. My feet aren't swollen, good.  But there's a lot of pain in the right foot that the Tylenol isn't helping at all, bad. 

We met yet another hiker from Wisconsin, Green Bay to be exact. He liked my packer shirt and took a picture. I can't believe how many hikers are from Wisconsin and Michigan. All nice kids.  We enjoyed our afternoon with the kids and headed back on the trail at 5 and finally found a campsite at 8:30.  My right foot was causing me a lot of pain and I truly thought if it keeps up like that I'm done. I'm out here to enjoy myself and have an expierence of a lifetime, not to have pain everyday. I was even tempted to take a Vicodin, I brought some just for emergencies, but that wouldn't solve my problem. At camp I ate dinner, washed my feet, and talked to them. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. 

Day 48-6/1/15-Liz 592-611.02

I had a good nights sleep and woke up and made coffee and drank it in my sleeping bag, decadent. My feet felt wonderful and the pain was minimal. It was a great day of easy hiking and enjoying the wonders of nature around us until we filled up with 7 liters of water each since the next water isn't for another 50 miles. Bummer to say the least. The best time of the day for me is when we stop for lunch and I can take a nap. Naps are highly underrated in my opinion. My body gets recharged and my feet enjoy the down time. 

Tonight's dinner of pasta Alfredo and hot chocolate hit the spot and warmed my belly. Life is Good. 

Day 46 - Liz

I found 2 "drafts" that hadn't been published, one each by Mel and Liz. I suspect they just lost their connection before they could do it. Here they are. - Greg

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May 30

It's been a tough few days thru the Mojave and I've been too tired to write at the end of the day. The last two days we've been in Tehachapi resupplying and resting our weary feet. I think I finally figured out why my feet swell so much. I've been taking ibuprofen daily for the pain and swelling but I just read that ibuprofen can instead cause swelling in some people. I stopped it yesterday and today there isn't any swelling,just pain, yippie. I'm switching to Tylenol and we'll see how that does for the pain.

 Prior to reaching Tehachapi we night hiked and rested during the heat of the day. Luckily we didn't have any encounters with the dreaded Mojave green rattlesnake, they're aggressive and don't always rattle to warn you. I did have a scorpion that got too close to my sleeping bag that I had to dispatch before it got to close. I shouldn't have told Melinda, I forgot she was once bitten by a scorpion, she didn't get much sleep that night.

We got a ride to Hikertown from trail angel Linda, who happens to read our blog. Thanks Linda, I appreciate your interest.

We got to have a great lunch with another blog reader, Mary, in Agua Dulca. She had lots of great questions and it was fun to chat with her. 

We spent a night at Casa de Luna, the Andersons home. It truly is a hippie daycare. What an experience sitting in their front yard with 15-20 other hikers just relaxing drinking water, soda, beer, wine, and the younger kids enjoying other forms of substance abuse. The dinner of taco salad was amazing and we had pancakes and coffee in the morning before being driven back to the trail head. 

It's not always about the hiking but also about the people we meet and the new encounters we're having.

Day 46 - Chow - Mel

I found 2 "drafts" that hadn't been published, one each by Mel and Liz. I suspect they just lost their connection before they could do it. Here they are. - Greg

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May 30

One of the hardest things I think I will face when I get home will be not eating as much. This morning for breakfast I had scrambled eggs, several pieces of bacon, two English muffins, four packs of butter, jam and OJ. I'm sure I will be hungry at lunch too!  I'm also anxiously anticipating the Little Debbie Honey Buns that are in my pack. And to think I thought they looked disgusting before I left. I do miss my fresh fruits and veggies though. 

Hot and dry - Mile 612 - Greg

June 2

Subway and Sugar High are likely to be off-line for a while as they are really in the boonies now, so I'll take a guess at what's up based on their track log, previous conversations and very terse texts.

They got a late start on Saturday as they had to catch a bus from Tehachapi to the trail and arrived in the heat of the afternoon at 2:30. They still managed about 7 miles before calling it a day.

Sunday was hot - 95 degrees but they still cranked out over 19 miles as they did yesterday in cooler conditions.They started the day today at mile 612, exactly 90 miles south of Kennedy Meadows where the Sierras begin. I'm sure they will be glad to leave the desert behind when they get there.

They are now about 30 miles into 80 miles of particularly dry trail conditions. Miles 583 to 663 (Tehachapi to Joshua Tree Spring) are probably the driest stretch on the PCT.

Bob Nolan wrote it; many (including Marty Robbins, my dad's hero) sang it:

"All day I face the barren waste without the taste of water,
Cool water.

Old Dan and I with throats burned dry and souls that cry for water,
Cool water."


Good thing L & M have a lot of water storage capacity, strong backs and the PCT water report.