Thursday, December 3, 2009
Splinter finished the PCT!
On October 12th Splinter crossed the border into Manning Park, Canada. We are all so proud of him and love listening to his amazing stories. Thanks to everyone who followed our blog. Your support was felt and greatly appreciated. If you'd like to hear more stories or ask us any questions feel free to email anytime. Aloe - jhenslee05@gmail.com Splinter - lukehenslee@gmail.com. Thanks to all!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Splinter in Portland
So nice to be somewhere that is not in the woods!
I have really been missing Aloe on the trail and have been looking forward to seeing my friends from Newberg so this is going to be a great trail detour! So much has happened in the last few weeks, I need a break from hiking.
After a tearful goodbye with Aloe in Ashland I started off, determined to finish the trail as fast as possible and get back to real life. Unfortunately, my motivation was sapped, I was sad Aloe was gone, and everyone else I was hiking with was also feeling the 2,000 mile blues. I made it to Crater Lake in good time and was just about to get back on the trail when Das Boot and $5 convinced me to go to the dinner buffet with them. I ate so much I puked, it was awesome.
After Crater Lake (beautiful! by the way), I met up with Smokey and Blue and hiked with them for a while. We ended up yellow-blazing (hitchhiking ahead) with Boot and $5 to Shelter cove for pizza and beer. We had a great time, then hiked about 3 miles the next day to Willamette pass Ski area for more pizza. For the next few days everyone felt pretty lazy and it took us forever to get to Sisters.
Sisters was a lot of fun. I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen since Ashland and we squeezed 8 hikers into one tiny hotel room. We saw and movie and did a lot of general lazing around. Surprisingly, I got back on trail pretty early the next day with Smokey and Blue.
The next morning I was awakened by rain. We hiked 13 miles and then decided to hole up for a while, hoping the torrential downpour would pass. We huddled in Smokey's huge tent and played Uno for a few hours, waiting for the rain to stop. I finally decided to keep on and said goodbye and took off by myself. The rain didn't let up the next day, in fact it got worse, and it got cold. I finally decided I couldn't hike any more and set up my tent (which was already soaked) and got in my sleeping bag (also soaked) and tried to battle hypothermia. It was pretty awful.
After a few hours, the rain was still coming down and I didn't know what to do. Finally, Carhartt hiked by and informed me that there was a shelter about 4 miles from where I was! We booked it to the shelter, made a fire and I was very thankful that I didn't die in the Jefferson wilderness.
Took off the next day for Timberline. My feet were killing me, probably had something to do with the fact that my shoes have 1,400 miles on them and are basically worthless at this point. After a painful hike to Timberline (and an amazing lunch buffet) I decided I was done hiking in Oregon and hitchhiked to Portland.
I'm going to be here until Tuesday, visiting friends, watching football and generally being lazy. It is going to be great!
Love all of you,
Splinter
I have really been missing Aloe on the trail and have been looking forward to seeing my friends from Newberg so this is going to be a great trail detour! So much has happened in the last few weeks, I need a break from hiking.
After a tearful goodbye with Aloe in Ashland I started off, determined to finish the trail as fast as possible and get back to real life. Unfortunately, my motivation was sapped, I was sad Aloe was gone, and everyone else I was hiking with was also feeling the 2,000 mile blues. I made it to Crater Lake in good time and was just about to get back on the trail when Das Boot and $5 convinced me to go to the dinner buffet with them. I ate so much I puked, it was awesome.
After Crater Lake (beautiful! by the way), I met up with Smokey and Blue and hiked with them for a while. We ended up yellow-blazing (hitchhiking ahead) with Boot and $5 to Shelter cove for pizza and beer. We had a great time, then hiked about 3 miles the next day to Willamette pass Ski area for more pizza. For the next few days everyone felt pretty lazy and it took us forever to get to Sisters.
Sisters was a lot of fun. I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen since Ashland and we squeezed 8 hikers into one tiny hotel room. We saw and movie and did a lot of general lazing around. Surprisingly, I got back on trail pretty early the next day with Smokey and Blue.
The next morning I was awakened by rain. We hiked 13 miles and then decided to hole up for a while, hoping the torrential downpour would pass. We huddled in Smokey's huge tent and played Uno for a few hours, waiting for the rain to stop. I finally decided to keep on and said goodbye and took off by myself. The rain didn't let up the next day, in fact it got worse, and it got cold. I finally decided I couldn't hike any more and set up my tent (which was already soaked) and got in my sleeping bag (also soaked) and tried to battle hypothermia. It was pretty awful.
After a few hours, the rain was still coming down and I didn't know what to do. Finally, Carhartt hiked by and informed me that there was a shelter about 4 miles from where I was! We booked it to the shelter, made a fire and I was very thankful that I didn't die in the Jefferson wilderness.
Took off the next day for Timberline. My feet were killing me, probably had something to do with the fact that my shoes have 1,400 miles on them and are basically worthless at this point. After a painful hike to Timberline (and an amazing lunch buffet) I decided I was done hiking in Oregon and hitchhiked to Portland.
I'm going to be here until Tuesday, visiting friends, watching football and generally being lazy. It is going to be great!
Love all of you,
Splinter
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Etna, CA to Ashland, OR
Whaddup all?!
We are finally in OR! This is a huge milestone and we are super psyched to have come 1,700 miles already. This last section was a lot of fun and went by fast.
Aloe and I met back up in Etna after a long separation. It was a super cool town with a park where you can camp for a free and a brewery with free beer for hikers. We stayed in town a lot longer than we thought and hung out with all the other hikers. We took off for Seied Vally and made it there in 3 days. A friend of ours tried the pancake challenge there (5lbs of pancakes in 2 hrs) and failed. Aloe's knees were hurting so she decided to yellowblaze (hitchhike) to Ashland with Whiskey Jet. I hiked with Warren and Luna across the border (woohoo!) and into Ashland in about 2.5 days.
We have been chillin in Ashland for a few days, but will probably get back on trail today. It is a really fun town, we have seen a free play and a free movie at the library. The hostel is full of hikers and we all had a huge feast last night.
Things are looking up! We'll be in Portland around the first week of September and are looking forward to seeing friends.
Love all of you,
Splinter & Aloe
We are finally in OR! This is a huge milestone and we are super psyched to have come 1,700 miles already. This last section was a lot of fun and went by fast.
Aloe and I met back up in Etna after a long separation. It was a super cool town with a park where you can camp for a free and a brewery with free beer for hikers. We stayed in town a lot longer than we thought and hung out with all the other hikers. We took off for Seied Vally and made it there in 3 days. A friend of ours tried the pancake challenge there (5lbs of pancakes in 2 hrs) and failed. Aloe's knees were hurting so she decided to yellowblaze (hitchhike) to Ashland with Whiskey Jet. I hiked with Warren and Luna across the border (woohoo!) and into Ashland in about 2.5 days.
We have been chillin in Ashland for a few days, but will probably get back on trail today. It is a really fun town, we have seen a free play and a free movie at the library. The hostel is full of hikers and we all had a huge feast last night.
Things are looking up! We'll be in Portland around the first week of September and are looking forward to seeing friends.
Love all of you,
Splinter & Aloe
Monday, August 10, 2009
Portland, OR
Splinter can comment about this later with his thoughts.
This past two weeks that I've been in Portland, Splinter has had some adventures. When he reached Old Station, CA the trail was closed down. This was due to a huge wildfire in the area. He couldn't get the package of food I sent and had to find a ride to the next town. After detouring a hundred miles or so to Burney, he was ready to start back out. Unfortunetly the fire spread and they wouldn't allow hikers to continue. He is now with a huge amount of pcters who are stuck. They all drove to the next town, Castella. From there they got the green light and are now hiking to Etna. In Etna I will be meeting up with Luke and we'll continue. Continue at a very slow pace that is. Splinter told me the other day that he did a 36 miler.
I miss Splin like crazy and can't wait to get back to him
I hope everyone enjoys the pictures, sorry they took so long, but having internet is another nice thing about being in civilization. Until next time,
Aloe
This past two weeks that I've been in Portland, Splinter has had some adventures. When he reached Old Station, CA the trail was closed down. This was due to a huge wildfire in the area. He couldn't get the package of food I sent and had to find a ride to the next town. After detouring a hundred miles or so to Burney, he was ready to start back out. Unfortunetly the fire spread and they wouldn't allow hikers to continue. He is now with a huge amount of pcters who are stuck. They all drove to the next town, Castella. From there they got the green light and are now hiking to Etna. In Etna I will be meeting up with Luke and we'll continue. Continue at a very slow pace that is. Splinter told me the other day that he did a 36 miler.
I miss Splin like crazy and can't wait to get back to him
I hope everyone enjoys the pictures, sorry they took so long, but having internet is another nice thing about being in civilization. Until next time,
Aloe
Monday, August 3, 2009
Portland, OR
Hi -
Well, here I am, living it up in Portland for the last week. I've been hanging out with friends and getting chores done. I tried to send Splinter two food packages this week and every time he gets there before the box! He is doing crazy miles and is enjoying himself. He's hiked with Ben, a guy from Scotland and Gravitron. They did 32 miles the other day! I'm going to have to send any more packages WAY ahead. Which brings me to the next info: I'll be staying here another week. I've been able to work at the Coffee shop (my previous job) for quite a few hours and need to get in some more. The trip is a bit more expensive than we originally planned. It's okay though, I'll be back soon enough!
Some might get upset that I'll be skipping over 200 miles while I'm here. To them I scoff and ignore. I am hiking from one end of the country to other. I don't care about mileage and the end goal. This trip is about an adventure. It's about cool towns like Idylwild and Tehechapi. Amazing trail angels that renew my faith in human spirit. It's about finding out who I want to be and the confidence to live that way. I am having a wonderful time and a relaxing necessary break. So there!
Hope everyone is also wonderful, and that you enjoy our pictures!
love,
Aloe
Well, here I am, living it up in Portland for the last week. I've been hanging out with friends and getting chores done. I tried to send Splinter two food packages this week and every time he gets there before the box! He is doing crazy miles and is enjoying himself. He's hiked with Ben, a guy from Scotland and Gravitron. They did 32 miles the other day! I'm going to have to send any more packages WAY ahead. Which brings me to the next info: I'll be staying here another week. I've been able to work at the Coffee shop (my previous job) for quite a few hours and need to get in some more. The trip is a bit more expensive than we originally planned. It's okay though, I'll be back soon enough!
Some might get upset that I'll be skipping over 200 miles while I'm here. To them I scoff and ignore. I am hiking from one end of the country to other. I don't care about mileage and the end goal. This trip is about an adventure. It's about cool towns like Idylwild and Tehechapi. Amazing trail angels that renew my faith in human spirit. It's about finding out who I want to be and the confidence to live that way. I am having a wonderful time and a relaxing necessary break. So there!
Hope everyone is also wonderful, and that you enjoy our pictures!
love,
Aloe
Friday, July 24, 2009
Mammoth Lakes to South Lake Tahoe, CA
WHEW!
We are here in South Lake Tahoe, which is a very nice place. The lake is really pretty and we got to stay in a hotel room for only $35 last night. It was wonderful to have a shower and a bed!
We had a very tough section this last bit, although I feel like we say that in every blog. Aloe is still getting over being sick and the terrain was much more difficult that we thought. In Yosemite We took a few extra days in the Valley to rest up, which was great. We saw all the famous stuff (El Cap, halfdome, Ansel Adams Gallery etc..) We even met an amazing family who comes to Yosemite every year. They feed us and we had a great time chatting. Thanks you guys!!
We ended up having to stop in Bridgeport, CA early to get more food b/c we went too slowly, and now are hanging out by the beautiful Tahoe lake. The slow walking will be over for a little while since Aloe is going back to Portland for a visit and Splinter will be continuing on by himself. We will miss each other, but excited for our own seperate adventures. Aloe will relax and get a lot done at home while Splinter is going to try and get in some 30 mile days. Until next time!
love,
Splinter and Aloe
We are here in South Lake Tahoe, which is a very nice place. The lake is really pretty and we got to stay in a hotel room for only $35 last night. It was wonderful to have a shower and a bed!
We had a very tough section this last bit, although I feel like we say that in every blog. Aloe is still getting over being sick and the terrain was much more difficult that we thought. In Yosemite We took a few extra days in the Valley to rest up, which was great. We saw all the famous stuff (El Cap, halfdome, Ansel Adams Gallery etc..) We even met an amazing family who comes to Yosemite every year. They feed us and we had a great time chatting. Thanks you guys!!
We ended up having to stop in Bridgeport, CA early to get more food b/c we went too slowly, and now are hanging out by the beautiful Tahoe lake. The slow walking will be over for a little while since Aloe is going back to Portland for a visit and Splinter will be continuing on by himself. We will miss each other, but excited for our own seperate adventures. Aloe will relax and get a lot done at home while Splinter is going to try and get in some 30 mile days. Until next time!
love,
Splinter and Aloe
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Independence to Mammoth Lakes, CA
Holy smokeys! This has been by far our craziest section, let me tell you all about it:
We started out from Ind feeling good. Got over Kearsarge with full packs and hooved it to Charlotte Lake to chill with some hiker buddies. The next day we were all lazy. Left camp late, stopped to jump in a 11,000 ft-high lake (cold!) and finally got up enough gumption to climb Glenn Pass (12,000 ft). I broke my walking stick sliding down the snow on the other side :( and we feasted on trout that Whiskey Jett caught us all for lunch. That night I started feeling lousy and we all stopped early.
Woke up the next day and I was sick. I guess climbing up to 12,000+ feet every day for the past five days caught up with me. We spent a day sleeping and puking and I didn't feel much better the next morning. We decided we would try to at least get over Pinchot Pass (12,300 ft) and I was in hell the whole time, stopping every half mile to lay on the ground and pant. The next day I felt a little better and we did Mather Pass (11,900 ft), probably the most technical pass on the trail. By that evening I was feeling a lot better.
I woke up the next day ready to take on Muir, the last pass over 11,000 ft, and also the longest. But of course, Jana was now sick.
We took another zero day, feeling discouraged while we watched our food dwindle. The next day we made 7 miles, barely, and didn't even get near the pass.
Jana was feeling no better the next day and we decided she needed to get into a town. I really didn't want to miss the rest of this section, which has some of the most beautiful scenery on the entire trail. She finally convinced me to let her go through Bishop pass (12,000 ft) into the town of Bishop while I went on to Mammoth Lakes.
Everything worked out pretty good, here's what happen to me:
Left Jana the morning of the 4th (my b-day, and nation's too, by the way) and hiked 23 miles over Muir Pass (beautiful), a great way to spend my birthday. I missed Jana of course, but I was consoled by Marmots and the most beautiful views I have ever seen. Busted out 23 miler-s for the next 2 days and got to Mammoth on the afternoon of the fourth day (11 total days since my last town). I was so happy to get to town and get some real food, a shower and a beer! Found Jana and heard her story over some much-needed greasy McD's burgers.
Jana's story:
Made it half way up Bishop Pass on her first day, still feeling lousy. Made it over the Pass on the second day and met up with a day-hiker who lived in Bishop. She got to talking to him, told him her story and he offered to let her come stay the night with him and his wife! They were super nice, gave her a guest room, fed her and drove her around town. She even had her own b-room! The next day they drove her to Mammoth where she met up with Mover, a PCT friend. They hung out in Mammoth, sampled local cuisine and camped at the campground. The next day she hung out in town until she met up with me.
Oh, the whole time my Spot Tracker wasn't working and she was super worried about me. Poor thing.
Well, now we are kicking it in Mammoth, a nice little ski town and are relaxing it up until we get back out to the mountains.
We have the best parents on earth, by the way. They are paying for us to stay in a motel while we get some much needed R&R! If you see any of our parents, give them huge hugs!
We love you all. We're glad to be alive and healthy and are having the time of our lives!
Sorry for this tome, now you can get back to your lives :)
Splinter and Aloe
P.S. Still no pictures! There will be tons when we get a chance to update. You should be excited, they are good.
We started out from Ind feeling good. Got over Kearsarge with full packs and hooved it to Charlotte Lake to chill with some hiker buddies. The next day we were all lazy. Left camp late, stopped to jump in a 11,000 ft-high lake (cold!) and finally got up enough gumption to climb Glenn Pass (12,000 ft). I broke my walking stick sliding down the snow on the other side :( and we feasted on trout that Whiskey Jett caught us all for lunch. That night I started feeling lousy and we all stopped early.
Woke up the next day and I was sick. I guess climbing up to 12,000+ feet every day for the past five days caught up with me. We spent a day sleeping and puking and I didn't feel much better the next morning. We decided we would try to at least get over Pinchot Pass (12,300 ft) and I was in hell the whole time, stopping every half mile to lay on the ground and pant. The next day I felt a little better and we did Mather Pass (11,900 ft), probably the most technical pass on the trail. By that evening I was feeling a lot better.
I woke up the next day ready to take on Muir, the last pass over 11,000 ft, and also the longest. But of course, Jana was now sick.
We took another zero day, feeling discouraged while we watched our food dwindle. The next day we made 7 miles, barely, and didn't even get near the pass.
Jana was feeling no better the next day and we decided she needed to get into a town. I really didn't want to miss the rest of this section, which has some of the most beautiful scenery on the entire trail. She finally convinced me to let her go through Bishop pass (12,000 ft) into the town of Bishop while I went on to Mammoth Lakes.
Everything worked out pretty good, here's what happen to me:
Left Jana the morning of the 4th (my b-day, and nation's too, by the way) and hiked 23 miles over Muir Pass (beautiful), a great way to spend my birthday. I missed Jana of course, but I was consoled by Marmots and the most beautiful views I have ever seen. Busted out 23 miler-s for the next 2 days and got to Mammoth on the afternoon of the fourth day (11 total days since my last town). I was so happy to get to town and get some real food, a shower and a beer! Found Jana and heard her story over some much-needed greasy McD's burgers.
Jana's story:
Made it half way up Bishop Pass on her first day, still feeling lousy. Made it over the Pass on the second day and met up with a day-hiker who lived in Bishop. She got to talking to him, told him her story and he offered to let her come stay the night with him and his wife! They were super nice, gave her a guest room, fed her and drove her around town. She even had her own b-room! The next day they drove her to Mammoth where she met up with Mover, a PCT friend. They hung out in Mammoth, sampled local cuisine and camped at the campground. The next day she hung out in town until she met up with me.
Oh, the whole time my Spot Tracker wasn't working and she was super worried about me. Poor thing.
Well, now we are kicking it in Mammoth, a nice little ski town and are relaxing it up until we get back out to the mountains.
We have the best parents on earth, by the way. They are paying for us to stay in a motel while we get some much needed R&R! If you see any of our parents, give them huge hugs!
We love you all. We're glad to be alive and healthy and are having the time of our lives!
Sorry for this tome, now you can get back to your lives :)
Splinter and Aloe
P.S. Still no pictures! There will be tons when we get a chance to update. You should be excited, they are good.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Independence, CA
(so, I will write this blog as if it was a week ago and I am actually in Independence. Splinter will update you after that)
WE ROCK! In the last three days we've climbed Mt Whitney, (14,500 ft) (Oh yeah, the tallest mountain the contiguous U.S.) Forester Pass, (13,200 ft) and Kersarge Pass (11,700 ft). We are feeling young and strong! After finishing the desert, this is quite the way to start off the Sierras! Independence is a tiny tiny little town so we went into Lone Pine to resupply. We hung out with Buddy, Strider, Garbanzo and her dog Stink. We are feeling good so we're gonna rush out of here this morning thanks to an awesome trail angel couple who is giving 10 hikers a ride up to the trailhead.
Interesting fact: i just found out that the PCT is approx 14million feet long. chew on that!!
love,
Aloe
WE ROCK! In the last three days we've climbed Mt Whitney, (14,500 ft) (Oh yeah, the tallest mountain the contiguous U.S.) Forester Pass, (13,200 ft) and Kersarge Pass (11,700 ft). We are feeling young and strong! After finishing the desert, this is quite the way to start off the Sierras! Independence is a tiny tiny little town so we went into Lone Pine to resupply. We hung out with Buddy, Strider, Garbanzo and her dog Stink. We are feeling good so we're gonna rush out of here this morning thanks to an awesome trail angel couple who is giving 10 hikers a ride up to the trailhead.
Interesting fact: i just found out that the PCT is approx 14million feet long. chew on that!!
love,
Aloe
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tehachapi to Kennedy Meadows
Hey everybody!
We finally are out of the desert and officially hiking in the Sierra Nevadas! We are currently chilling in Kennedy Meadows, a town of 44 residents who all love hikers. This is our 700-mile mark and we have been looking forward to it for a long time.
The last stretch was pretty challenging. It took us 6 days to hike the 144 miles from Tehachapi to Kennedy and we are tired! We caught a little taste of the altitude changes we will be facing in the mountians, but we also got a glimse of the spectacular views. Aloe's knee started acting up again two days from town, so we are taking a much needed zero day at T0m's Cyber Cafe. The internet connection is sketchy so we are not going to be able to upload pictures. :(
Staying at Tom's has been amazing. There are about 10 other hikers here, some who have been here for days drinking beers and playing "Washers". We are trying to get out of here today before we get sucked in.
Well, I think I may have sucked up half the band-width in this place just writing this blog so I better sign off. Hopefully Independence will have better internet connection so we can get some new pictures up here.
Love all of you,
Aloe and Splinter
P.S. The towns we will be going to are small and remote for most of our Sierra hike so we may not be able to keep in contact very well, but we will try our best!
We finally are out of the desert and officially hiking in the Sierra Nevadas! We are currently chilling in Kennedy Meadows, a town of 44 residents who all love hikers. This is our 700-mile mark and we have been looking forward to it for a long time.
The last stretch was pretty challenging. It took us 6 days to hike the 144 miles from Tehachapi to Kennedy and we are tired! We caught a little taste of the altitude changes we will be facing in the mountians, but we also got a glimse of the spectacular views. Aloe's knee started acting up again two days from town, so we are taking a much needed zero day at T0m's Cyber Cafe. The internet connection is sketchy so we are not going to be able to upload pictures. :(
Staying at Tom's has been amazing. There are about 10 other hikers here, some who have been here for days drinking beers and playing "Washers". We are trying to get out of here today before we get sucked in.
Well, I think I may have sucked up half the band-width in this place just writing this blog so I better sign off. Hopefully Independence will have better internet connection so we can get some new pictures up here.
Love all of you,
Aloe and Splinter
P.S. The towns we will be going to are small and remote for most of our Sierra hike so we may not be able to keep in contact very well, but we will try our best!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tehachipi, CA
Whew, this has been one crazy section.
Aloe and I have been hiking hard since our rest in Hiker Heaven. There has been a lot of elevation gain and loss and we are pretty exhausted after the last 100 miles.
A trail angel gave us a ride to Sam's Club from Hiker Heaven where we resupplied for cheap. L-rod, who runs HH, let us borrow bear canisters for free, which are required for the next section. That was nice, saves us about $170. We got a ride out to the trail and did 11 miles the first evening to a water cache. Next day we hiked to another cache, "Hiker Oasis," which consisted of lawn chairs and a cooler full of water, soda and beer! We stayed probably longer than we should but ended up doing about 22 miles that day anyways to the "Red Carpet" water cache.
We were determined to catch up with Miles, Hatman and Happyfeet who left HH about half a day before we did, so we busted out the next few days with a 23 and 22 miler. The weather has been nice, locals told us it is not uncommon for 100+ degree weather, but we have been blessed with clouds, and even a little rain!
We caught up with M, H and H at Hikertown, a hostel near Lancaster, but they took off when we got there while we rested up for a bit. Then we walked along the LA Aqueduct for 16 miles (the most boring section of trail so far) for a total 26 mile day. We camped at a water tank where MHH were staying at too.
We slept in the next day and busted out a 24 miler to get to the road where we were hitching to Tehachipi. We got there late and decided to camp out and hitch the next day.
The next morning we slept in again (6am) and walked to the road for a hitch. We were a little worried since it was a very quiet road, but Aloe stuck out her thumb and a truck pulled over right away. He drove us all the way to Mama Hillybeans coffee shop (super hiker-friendly) and we are chillin here, drinking coffee and trying to plan out our day.
Jana twisted her bad knee (ACL surgery 5 years ago) a few days ago and so we are going to take an unscheduled zero in town here. We are trying to figure out where we are going to stay here so she can take it easy.
Only 140 miles to Kennedy Meadows! This is our last desert section which includes the Mojave. Hopefully this cool weather will persist. We can't wait to get out of the desert and into the mountians.
We'll post more pictures in Kennedy.
Love,
Aloe and Splinter
Aloe and I have been hiking hard since our rest in Hiker Heaven. There has been a lot of elevation gain and loss and we are pretty exhausted after the last 100 miles.
A trail angel gave us a ride to Sam's Club from Hiker Heaven where we resupplied for cheap. L-rod, who runs HH, let us borrow bear canisters for free, which are required for the next section. That was nice, saves us about $170. We got a ride out to the trail and did 11 miles the first evening to a water cache. Next day we hiked to another cache, "Hiker Oasis," which consisted of lawn chairs and a cooler full of water, soda and beer! We stayed probably longer than we should but ended up doing about 22 miles that day anyways to the "Red Carpet" water cache.
We were determined to catch up with Miles, Hatman and Happyfeet who left HH about half a day before we did, so we busted out the next few days with a 23 and 22 miler. The weather has been nice, locals told us it is not uncommon for 100+ degree weather, but we have been blessed with clouds, and even a little rain!
We caught up with M, H and H at Hikertown, a hostel near Lancaster, but they took off when we got there while we rested up for a bit. Then we walked along the LA Aqueduct for 16 miles (the most boring section of trail so far) for a total 26 mile day. We camped at a water tank where MHH were staying at too.
We slept in the next day and busted out a 24 miler to get to the road where we were hitching to Tehachipi. We got there late and decided to camp out and hitch the next day.
The next morning we slept in again (6am) and walked to the road for a hitch. We were a little worried since it was a very quiet road, but Aloe stuck out her thumb and a truck pulled over right away. He drove us all the way to Mama Hillybeans coffee shop (super hiker-friendly) and we are chillin here, drinking coffee and trying to plan out our day.
Jana twisted her bad knee (ACL surgery 5 years ago) a few days ago and so we are going to take an unscheduled zero in town here. We are trying to figure out where we are going to stay here so she can take it easy.
Only 140 miles to Kennedy Meadows! This is our last desert section which includes the Mojave. Hopefully this cool weather will persist. We can't wait to get out of the desert and into the mountians.
We'll post more pictures in Kennedy.
Love,
Aloe and Splinter
Friday, June 5, 2009
Hiker Heaven Agua Dulce, CA
We made it to hiker heaven! Trip over.
In Agua Dulce, CA a wonderful couple has opened up their home to PCT hikers. We have everything we could ever need here. It is wonderful! There are a bunch of other hikers here and we're all hanging out watching a movie and about to have smores! What a wonderful day for Aloe to have a birthday! We also found out that today, June 5th, is the PCT's birthday! It was completed in 1993. (we put a picture of the monument on here) We are tempted to stay another night here, but a week behind schedule will push us onward.
Our trip to Vegas was fantastic and quite the shock to be back on the trail. We are slowly readjusting to trail life. There is a saying among us that 9pm is considered "hikers midnight" because around 9pm everyone gets very very tired. Then we all get up around 5am. Ah the trail.
Luke got a trailname this section! Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions, we love reading them! At the beginning of our trip Luke smacked (or as he says, "punched") a cactus and got tons of splinters. His trail name is Splinter. Also a tribute to the turtles...turtle power!
We only have one more resupply then Kenendy Meadows then its NO MORE DESERT!!!
Thanks everyone we love you
Love Aloe and Splinter
In Agua Dulce, CA a wonderful couple has opened up their home to PCT hikers. We have everything we could ever need here. It is wonderful! There are a bunch of other hikers here and we're all hanging out watching a movie and about to have smores! What a wonderful day for Aloe to have a birthday! We also found out that today, June 5th, is the PCT's birthday! It was completed in 1993. (we put a picture of the monument on here) We are tempted to stay another night here, but a week behind schedule will push us onward.
Our trip to Vegas was fantastic and quite the shock to be back on the trail. We are slowly readjusting to trail life. There is a saying among us that 9pm is considered "hikers midnight" because around 9pm everyone gets very very tired. Then we all get up around 5am. Ah the trail.
Luke got a trailname this section! Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions, we love reading them! At the beginning of our trip Luke smacked (or as he says, "punched") a cactus and got tons of splinters. His trail name is Splinter. Also a tribute to the turtles...turtle power!
We only have one more resupply then Kenendy Meadows then its NO MORE DESERT!!!
Thanks everyone we love you
Love Aloe and Splinter
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Las Vegas, NV
I know, right? Vegas? As part of our wilderness adventure, we are tackling the crazy glitzy urban jungle. My dad picked us up at Wrightwood and we've been living in the lap of luxury in his new house here for a couple days. We've seen the strip and even did a little gambling. For my birthday my parents bought Luke and I seats at Phantom of the Opera. It was so beautiful and all glammed up Vegas style. Ah, the PCT takes us to some awesome places.
When we left Big Bear City last week we were very excited to be back on the trail and met up with Heaps (from Australia) and Shad (from Georgia). It was fun cowboy camping with them after some long 21-23 mile days. As we near the Mojave the weather is warming up, but nights and early mornings are still chilly. We passed the 1/2 way point of the desert this week, 350 miles. Only 350 to go!
ugh.
Love,
Luke and Aloe
When we left Big Bear City last week we were very excited to be back on the trail and met up with Heaps (from Australia) and Shad (from Georgia). It was fun cowboy camping with them after some long 21-23 mile days. As we near the Mojave the weather is warming up, but nights and early mornings are still chilly. We passed the 1/2 way point of the desert this week, 350 miles. Only 350 to go!
ugh.
Love,
Luke and Aloe
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Big Bear City, CA
Hey everybody,
Whew! This has been our longest stretch without resupply so far and it was a tough one! We went from 9,000 ft, to 1,200 feet and back up to 8,700 ft before we arrived at Big Bear City. All the elevation change was worth it though because this last section was BEAUTIFUL! Mountains, canyons and even some forested areas, a nice change from sandy ole' desert.
We left Idyllwild with Matt and Denali, two guys we met about a week ago who are from Tennessee. The first day was pretty grueling but we got some amazing views. The next day, frankly, sucked. We had to descend the north face of the mountain and it was very steep! Going downhill all day really tires you out. The day after made up for it when we hiked through Fish Hatchery Canyon next to Whitewater River. We caught beautiful views of mountians, including our new favorite: "Mt. Sugarlump" (no kidding). Matt and Denali caught back up with us under a shady tree we were napping at to escape the heat (we had hiked ahead a few days before), but we left them behind again as we took off for our last few days to Big Bear. We realized that we were scheduled to arrive in town on Sunday, but we had a mail drop being sent to us there so we had to up our milage to make it there on Saturday. It was tough, but we are super hard-core, so we made it.
We're staying at a super nice hostel for campers and had relaxing night sleeping in a bed. We went kayaking this morning and are now off to the grocery store to buy food for our next leg of the trip. We are meeting Aloe's dad in Wrightwood and are going to hang out with him for a few days and we are sooooo excited to see him!
The best part of all is that we got to upload some pictures! This is about 1% of all the pics we have taken so far, but they are the best ones.
We miss all of you and will write again this weekend when we meet up with Bob.
Peace,
Luke and Aloe
Whew! This has been our longest stretch without resupply so far and it was a tough one! We went from 9,000 ft, to 1,200 feet and back up to 8,700 ft before we arrived at Big Bear City. All the elevation change was worth it though because this last section was BEAUTIFUL! Mountains, canyons and even some forested areas, a nice change from sandy ole' desert.
We left Idyllwild with Matt and Denali, two guys we met about a week ago who are from Tennessee. The first day was pretty grueling but we got some amazing views. The next day, frankly, sucked. We had to descend the north face of the mountain and it was very steep! Going downhill all day really tires you out. The day after made up for it when we hiked through Fish Hatchery Canyon next to Whitewater River. We caught beautiful views of mountians, including our new favorite: "Mt. Sugarlump" (no kidding). Matt and Denali caught back up with us under a shady tree we were napping at to escape the heat (we had hiked ahead a few days before), but we left them behind again as we took off for our last few days to Big Bear. We realized that we were scheduled to arrive in town on Sunday, but we had a mail drop being sent to us there so we had to up our milage to make it there on Saturday. It was tough, but we are super hard-core, so we made it.
We're staying at a super nice hostel for campers and had relaxing night sleeping in a bed. We went kayaking this morning and are now off to the grocery store to buy food for our next leg of the trip. We are meeting Aloe's dad in Wrightwood and are going to hang out with him for a few days and we are sooooo excited to see him!
The best part of all is that we got to upload some pictures! This is about 1% of all the pics we have taken so far, but they are the best ones.
We miss all of you and will write again this weekend when we meet up with Bob.
Peace,
Luke and Aloe
Monday, May 18, 2009
Idyllwild
Hi All!
We are currently in the cutest little town in southern CA called Idyllwild. There is a little internet cafe here and we splurged and got ourselves some coffee. We are planning on leaving here tonight around 3pm when it gets cooler.
We had a very hard hike yesterday from camp to the Paradise Corner Cafe. We did 15 miles in the direct heat and it was scorching! Fortunately a nice musician gave us a ride into Idyllwild where we are resting muscles and healing blisters. We are getting pretty sick of the desert and are looking forward to the Sierras.
We've had two rattlesnake incidents so far...scary! The first one we just heard in the bushes, but the second one was actually on the trail. It heard us and immediately coiled up and started rattling. We scared it off and continued on, but it definitely has made us more aware.
Last night Luke scared off a raccoon at our campsite that was trying to steal some of our food. It wasn't very afraid so Luke had to bop it on the head and it scampered off. There is quite a bit of wildlife around here that is very different than we've ever experienced. Not a lot of big animals, but thousands of lizards and squirrels and mice running around.
We have more desert to go, so wish us luck and water! Thanks for all the support
Love,
Luke and Aloe
We are currently in the cutest little town in southern CA called Idyllwild. There is a little internet cafe here and we splurged and got ourselves some coffee. We are planning on leaving here tonight around 3pm when it gets cooler.
We had a very hard hike yesterday from camp to the Paradise Corner Cafe. We did 15 miles in the direct heat and it was scorching! Fortunately a nice musician gave us a ride into Idyllwild where we are resting muscles and healing blisters. We are getting pretty sick of the desert and are looking forward to the Sierras.
We've had two rattlesnake incidents so far...scary! The first one we just heard in the bushes, but the second one was actually on the trail. It heard us and immediately coiled up and started rattling. We scared it off and continued on, but it definitely has made us more aware.
Last night Luke scared off a raccoon at our campsite that was trying to steal some of our food. It wasn't very afraid so Luke had to bop it on the head and it scampered off. There is quite a bit of wildlife around here that is very different than we've ever experienced. Not a lot of big animals, but thousands of lizards and squirrels and mice running around.
We have more desert to go, so wish us luck and water! Thanks for all the support
Love,
Luke and Aloe
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Warner Springs, CA
Hi Everyone!
We've been hiking for a week now (over 100 miles!) in sweltering hot temps with limited water. Way out of our zone. We landed in Warner Springs today and found a huge glorious ranch/resort that is great to hikers. We are staying here a night to rest up and relax away the many blisters on our feet. This place is gorgeous and we are so excited to spend a night here before we go back to the trail.
We just took our first showers and I couldn't believe the amount of dirt that had built up everywhere! It was so wonderful. We're going to eat at a real restaurant tonight for the first time this trip. No camp food tonight!
Our hike has been really good so far, we've been accelerating our mileage each day. Yesterday we hiked over 18 miles. We can feel our bodies adjusting and mentally we are getting used to this. Thanks for all your support, only 4 months 3 weeks to go!!
Love,
Luke and Jana
Oh yeah, Jana has a new trail name: Aloe. Pretty sweet. We are still waiting to give Luke a trail name, but that will be coming.
We've been hiking for a week now (over 100 miles!) in sweltering hot temps with limited water. Way out of our zone. We landed in Warner Springs today and found a huge glorious ranch/resort that is great to hikers. We are staying here a night to rest up and relax away the many blisters on our feet. This place is gorgeous and we are so excited to spend a night here before we go back to the trail.
We just took our first showers and I couldn't believe the amount of dirt that had built up everywhere! It was so wonderful. We're going to eat at a real restaurant tonight for the first time this trip. No camp food tonight!
Our hike has been really good so far, we've been accelerating our mileage each day. Yesterday we hiked over 18 miles. We can feel our bodies adjusting and mentally we are getting used to this. Thanks for all your support, only 4 months 3 weeks to go!!
Love,
Luke and Jana
Oh yeah, Jana has a new trail name: Aloe. Pretty sweet. We are still waiting to give Luke a trail name, but that will be coming.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
San Diego!
Hey everybody,
We just made it into San Diego and it is beautiful! Aqualino picked us up right on schedule, we picked up some food and some fuel and we are headed out to Campo!
Thanks to Aqualino for skipping surfing to come pick us up!
Luke and Jana
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
LEAVING SOON!
Hey everybody,
We are T-minus 1 more day before we leave and we are in a whirlwind of activity! We are hammering out the final details and are getting super excited to leave Thursday morning. We have been testing out the Spot Tracker GPS unit that Bob got us and are adding people to our update list. If there is anyone you know who wants to be updated just let us know and we will add them to our account.
Bob set us up with a friend of Eric Purser's who lives in San Diego and is going to drive us to the trail head in Campo, CA. His name is Aquilino Soliano and he sounds awesome, a perfect way to start our adventure!
We are going to miss everybody, and we will try to call and update the blog as much as possible, which probably won't be very often :(
We'll send lots of pictures afterwards!
Luke and Jana
We are T-minus 1 more day before we leave and we are in a whirlwind of activity! We are hammering out the final details and are getting super excited to leave Thursday morning. We have been testing out the Spot Tracker GPS unit that Bob got us and are adding people to our update list. If there is anyone you know who wants to be updated just let us know and we will add them to our account.
Bob set us up with a friend of Eric Purser's who lives in San Diego and is going to drive us to the trail head in Campo, CA. His name is Aquilino Soliano and he sounds awesome, a perfect way to start our adventure!
We are going to miss everybody, and we will try to call and update the blog as much as possible, which probably won't be very often :(
We'll send lots of pictures afterwards!
Luke and Jana
Monday, April 27, 2009
Under 2 weeks to go!
Well, it is the 27th of April. We leave so extremely soon. Luke has finals this week and I am working on the night of short plays in the coffee shop. Parents are coming and graduation, it will be a crazy time. There is a weird mix that we've felt of excited to leave and nervous that we haven't done enough planning. I know that people do the PCT with 1/2 the amount of planning we've done, but I'm still anxious. I am glad that we doing this when we're young and able to adapt well. I think that even if we mess up the planning we'll learn to go without food, or conserve water or hike further. What an awesome experience that we get to start on in the next 2 weeks! And hey, maybe we'll miss the swine flu and have to repopulate the earth. An entire earth with just Luke and I...weird.
Until next time!
~jana
Until next time!
~jana
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Luke's First Blog Post
Wow! We are nearly T-minus three weeks until we set off on our journey into the wilderness! Although I feel a little overwhelmed with the stuff that still needs doing, I can't help but be super excited to get on the trail!
Jana has been really busy with her plays, I'm trying to survive until graduation, we're preparing to move out of the apartment and on top of that we still need to finish planning our resupplies, gear, and itinerary for the hike! Whew!
As the day looms nearer I think "What are my reasons for taking this trip?" A few obvious ones come to mind:
Be in the wilderness, get healthy, take pictures of the beautiful West Coast and have a story to share for the rest of my life.
I think more about what 4 1/2 months outside of civilization will do to me:
I will probably learn some things about myself, I will see the fruits of my training and planning and know that I can accomplish what I put my mind to, I will get to strengthen my relationship with my beautiful wife, I will have tons of time to think and write and reflect. I'm going to come back a different person than I was when I started.
I can't wait to see how Jana and I benefit from this much-needed break from reality. I'm looking forward to sharing these experiences with you (well documented with my camera) and I hope you enjoy the journey as much as we certainly will!
Luke
Monday, April 13, 2009
3 weeks to go!
Our flight to Campo, CA leaves on May 7th. We have a little over 3 weeks until takeoff! As we look at our list and get completely overwhelmed, we are also excited!
Luke is getting very tired of school and we are both excited to get away from civilization. I've been thinking a lot about how wonderful it will be to not worry about the everyday things that are stressful. Driving, shopping, highway, corporate robots etc...
I've also been thinking a lot about how the experience will change us. What kind of people will we be like when we're done? I feel like I will be more confident and appreciative of what we've got. We'll be more easygoing, learning how to take things as they come. At least I hope, maybe we'll be exactly the same?
We are working on resupply towns right now. That just means we are deciding where to stop and what kinds of food to send to ourselves. We are taking stock of our gear and figuring out what we still need. As May 7th gets closer, the check marks get more frequent. I can't believe it is so soon!!
~jana
Luke is getting very tired of school and we are both excited to get away from civilization. I've been thinking a lot about how wonderful it will be to not worry about the everyday things that are stressful. Driving, shopping, highway, corporate robots etc...
I've also been thinking a lot about how the experience will change us. What kind of people will we be like when we're done? I feel like I will be more confident and appreciative of what we've got. We'll be more easygoing, learning how to take things as they come. At least I hope, maybe we'll be exactly the same?
We are working on resupply towns right now. That just means we are deciding where to stop and what kinds of food to send to ourselves. We are taking stock of our gear and figuring out what we still need. As May 7th gets closer, the check marks get more frequent. I can't believe it is so soon!!
~jana
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