I didn't plan as well as I had thought. The nights were much colder than I realized and I was freezing my tail off in the evenings. The thin short sleeved wool undershirt just a wasn't cutting it, and I had no "Camp Shoes".   Every book on ultra light backpacking poo-poos them. But I … Continue reading Equipment update

Today's hike was the hardest on me so far.  Truly a brutal day.  I started at 5am in the coolness of the morning. It was still dark, so I used my headlamp until light enough to see. I started descending and the trail wasn't too bad. My first goal was the water fountain in 12 … Continue reading Ziggy’s

The night in the cabin was OK. There were six hikers total: four in bunks and two on the stone floor.  We all slept warmer than the couple of Hardy souls who wanted to greet the dawn outside. Six bodies warmed the inside to above freezing. Very comfortable. But, the bunks were old and creaked … Continue reading Down the mountain, to Ziggy’s I will go…

Got a late start from the tram and it was slower hiking the summit than I planned. By the time I was ready to decend it was almost 4pm, so I chose the hut for tonight. It has four bunks.  And I won't be alone!  Eight other PCT hikers have arrived and will either use … Continue reading San Jacinto Summit 

I was offered a ride by a great guy, Shay Blackley who was a vender at the KO.  He was driving back to Utah anyway so a detour to Palm Desert wasn't out of his way.  I had an old work friend who lives there: Greg Rose. I'm really appreciating the showers and laundry when … Continue reading Mount San Jacinto

Another grey morning, but still nice being here.  Today is the last day of the KO. More seminars today: Hiker Yoga: I tried... 😒 PCTA update, Trail Conditions Water Report PCT Flora/Fauna Avoiding Injuries Gear Contest (???) Geology of the PCT Group Photo (Immortalized!) Video Tips Raffle We had a few hours of no rain, … Continue reading Lake Morena Day-3

A couple of things I left out of previous posts... The recent IOS update for my iPhone was timely. We can finally use the GPS while in Airplane Mode!!!  This has been a Godsend for me as I can check my position (with PCT Apps) and conserve as much battery as possible. Android has had … Continue reading Odd stuff I haven’t covered

It rain lightly all night and continued through the morning. Not wanting to cook, I walked the 0.75 mile to the Market/Restaurant down the road and had breakfast. Yogi and her husband, Don were there and I shared a booth.  Yogi is a minor hiker celebrity, author and owns her own business Yogi's Books. She … Continue reading Lake Morena Day-2

We had a full car for the 3 hour drive to Lake Morena. In addition to Mark and myself, we had:  Suds, who like myself had hiked from Campo to Idyllwild. She was a speedy hiker.  Guino, who had hiked the PCT before and was picked up in Mammoth Lakes. His plan is to just … Continue reading Lake Morena, day 1

Forgot to mention: I passed the 150 mile point yesterday!  Woot! After a wonderful night in a cabin I'm waiting on Mark, who is driving down from Northern California to attend the Kick-Off. He is picking up four people, like myself who want to attend. So I'm waiting in the lobby of a lodge where … Continue reading One night in Idyllwild