Boarder security

I boarded the bus for Seattle today at 5:30 this morning.  By about 7 I was at the US/Canadian boarder.  I've been through immigration check points plenty of times before.  Usually I pray to have an officer that's a minority, female, or chubby white guy with a moustache.  Clean shaved white guys always seem to have a chip on their shoulder. I lucked out this morning with a nice Hispanic boarder agent.

"Good morning" I said.

"Good morning.  How are you doing?" Said the officer.  

I was tired so I said "I'm doing alright."  I think even when I'm ecstatic, I'm never truly honest when it comes to that question.  I hand him my passport, he flips it open and sees this:

He starts laughing and manages to spit out between giggles "what happened?"

Keep in mind, I now look like this:

"Oh, I've been been hiking the PCT for the past few months. living out in nature and all."

He's got a grin across his face and prods a little more about the PCT.  There are a few more questions about work.  I tell him I'm unemployed at the moment but taught English in Japan.  He switches to Japanese for a bit and then back to English.

"Got any pills or drugs on you?"

"No, sir!"  

"Alrighty, have a good one and welcome back!"

Vancouver

I attempted to hitch with forty two and flash out of manning park on Saturday.  We had no luck.  I even held up a fifty but there weren't any takers.  My sign that I slaved over was worthless.  

The three of us took the bus instead.  It was late, an hour.  Unacceptable by any standards.  The driver also drove like he was on meth.  It was a hellish experience.

We arrived early, 6am.  Tim Hortons is a Canadian donut shop that also sells coffee.  No sweets for me.  I ordered a sausage muffin but got a wrap instead.  A small communication error in this multicultural city.  They use south Asians instead of Mexicans, weird.  

 

This was the first time to see Canadian geese in Canada.  Sometimes they looked fake. 

Vancouver occasionally smells like strong marijuana.  Easily the "dankest" city I've ever smelled.  It's not 'legal' here but no one seems to care.  

The harder drugs and their presence are seen somewhere between gas town and Chinatown.  These are the ones that ruin lives.  I've never seen so many junkies.  I thought Portland was bad...

Chinatown was the place to go.  At 11am, a foot massage place was supposed to open up.  Flash and I were ready for that moment.  Lies and misinformation online.  It didn't open until noon.  That was cutting it close for flash as his bus left a little after 1pm.

I still got the foot massage.  The sweat little Chinese ladies working there were interested in my adventure.  They also couldn't stop laughing at how sensitive my feet were.  The massage was good and like any addict, I went to another shop and got a shiatsu massage.  This time by a Japanese lady.  Her husband was hilarious.  I've never met such an outspoken Japanese guy who acts like a Chinese guy.

I felt like I was speaking Japanese way too much so I looked for a ramen shop.  I was disappointed with the ramen.  

I found a hostel then went for a walk around the city.  Last time I was here was when I was fifteen or so.  A lot has changed.

There is a steam powered clock in Gastown.  It billowed clouds right when I got there.  I wasn't expecting that. 

Canada is a lot like America in many ways but just about everything seems a little "off".  

Observations:

-7/11 doesn't sell beer

-ketchup flavored potato chips

-police sirens have a ton more sounds

-no Mexicans 

The night went on and I found my way back to a bed.  I'll leave for Seattle tomorrow morning.  Wish me luck!  I have to catch an early bus. 

Almost done

I'm less than 200 miles from Canada and I can't believe that this experience is coming to an end.  This morning I said to Flash, "isn't it going to be weird to not set up your tent every night?"  

A week.  That's all I've got left.  Then I'm back to America and within time back to the old grin, work.  I still have no clue where I'll be employed.  I haven't even begun looking for a job but I'm sure something will turn up.  For now, I have to focus on the remaining miles ahead. 

Washington is a burly section.  The trail is constantly going up or down.  Some days have more elevation gain or loss than days I had in The Sierras.  Thankfully there isn't any elevation sickness to deal with.  There is however, the weather.  

It's bipolar and doesn't care about your feelings.  It's also weather I've missed experiencing for the past six years. Since beginning in Washington, I've had about five days of sun and eleven days of rain/clouds.  This weekend looks like I'll be seeing some more rain!  

Well, I've lost my train of thought once again.  I thought I'd write more!  Anyhow, this might be the last update until I get to Canada!

See ya! 

The Home Stretch... Literally.

All my boxes are packed and I'm ready to go!  Sometime tomorrow morning, I'll be off on that dusty old trail, once again.  I'm now in the final leg, Washington.  There are big changes ahead.  The biggest of them all...  THE WEATHER!

It's likely that by Wednesday, I'll see my first drops of precipitation since sometime in May.  California was dry and surprisingly, Oregon too!  But Washington is looking to be wet.

The forecast for Skamania county on Thursday says a 40% chance.  What that actually means, is that 40% of the time it will rain.  I'm mentally preparing for the entire state.  But I'm sure it will rain less than half the time.  I know it could rain almost the entire way too!  

Trail rumors are abound once again with regards to the difficulty of Washington.  I've heard that from the Columbia to Trout Lake is easy.  I've also heard that it's easy all the way to Snoqualmie.  Maybe I should look at some maps?  Nah.  I enjoy the surprise!  

In other news, I found my other Backwoods hat in my closet this afternoon.  I'm stoked about that since my last hat was lost in Sierra City.  I'm keeping the Grateful Dead hat given to me by another hiker, Rusty; despite not knowing any of their songs or dances.  

Anyhow, it's time to cut up this pizza and stuff it in my food bag.  I can't wait to eat it on trail.  

Happy Trailz,

Jerry

Oregon, almost complete

It's crazy to think that I spent over three months in California trudging up and down mountains, dealing with the heat, having a long water or food carry, OR coping with all three at once.  Oregon has been a vacation compared to what I had to deal with in California (well, I also have some rock solid legs, I didn't have those in California).  Now I have less than fifty miles separating myself from the motherland and it's all downhill from here.  

This morning was a race up Mt. Hood to grab their breakfast buffet (10 miles and 2,600ft).  It was easily the healthiest and most delicious meal I've had on trail.  I probably stuffed down 4,000 calories worth of food.   I felt like I was about to vomit and had to rest outside, to get some fresh air.  But you know what?  The pain was worth it.  I feel like all that nutritional goodness is repairing my body.  I don't feel like a zombie anymore!

By Sunday I'll be in Washington taking a day off and prepping for the doom and gloom that is to come.  I'm expecting the worst but am hoping for the best.  The Evergreen State can get some nasty weather and a few days ago, I decided to get a stove.  

I've been without a warm meal most days on trail.  "Stove-less" is what it's called and I wouldn't recommend it.  It's only benefit is that you save some time prepping a meal but that's it.  The weight of a stove is definitely worth it.  I got it mainly for COFFEE since that drug is the ultimate game changer.

Happy trails,

Jerry

Half done with Oregon

I'm flying through Oregon and it has to be one of the most under rated sections so far.  If youve ever seen a documentary on the PCT you know it goes; desert, Sierras, ?????, ????, and then Washington (but only the last bits).  NorCal and Oregon have been awesome.  The grade isn't too intense and doing a high mile day is sort of easy...

I say "sort of" because the sun is rising much later.  Last night I told the fellow hikers I was camping with "ok guys, I'll get up at 5am".  If you've been hiking with me, you'll know that I've been saying this since the Sierras.  I never get up at 5am.  I haven't since the desert but last night was special.  We had setup camp about nine miles from a youth camp run by Seventh Day Adventists.  Breakfast was on my mind.  Although they are vegetarians, I could probably still get an omlet or cereal.

I stressed all night about getting sleep and thinking about eggs that I hardly slept.  Much like a child waiting for Christmas morning.  For thirty minutes, I watched the walls of my tent breath before my alarm went off.

Five O'clock finally rolled around and I was on trail forty five minutes later.  The sun wasn't up until about 630.  Sunrise is probably six but with the mountains in the way, it took a bit longer for the sunshine to hit me.  I forgot how late the sun rises in this part of America.  In Japan, it was always super early in the summer.  The sun was up by five or even earlier.  I remember walking around at 430 one morning with enough light to see.  

Geez, long tangent.  The staff were absent at the youth camp and no omelets were available.

Anyhow, here I am with about ten miles until I hit 2,000.  I'll be passing that mark in a few hours.  

Until next time!

-Jerry

O-R-E-G-O-N

I've been here just a little over a week but it's nice to be back in the Pacific Northwest!  The trees scrap the sky and are so tall that I have trouble getting a descent GPS signal. 

The PNW definitely wins for the best smelling section of the trail.  My allergies are gone!  Plus, there are a ton of berries!  It becomes a choice between hiking or eatting berries.  I think I lost two hours of hiking yesterday thanks to some small Oregon wild huckleberries I found. 

I hit crater lake a few days ago.  What a beautiful area.  The thing I couldn't get over was all the cars.  Wayyyyyyy to many murder machines.  Backpacking changes your perspective on things.  Going by foot enhances the experience. Roads and cars are a huge distraction. When I get the chance, I'll talk more about it. 

I'm in Shelter Cove right now.  Somewhere close to halfway in Oregon.  A few more miles and I'm almost home!  

I made it to Oregon

For whatever reason, Blogger crashed and I lost my post.  Bummer.  

I made it to Oregon and now I'm relaxing in Ashland.  These town stops are getting  tough.  I get pulled in by the vortex of fresh food and a soft bed.  I'll eventually make it out to the trail today.  

Oregon as a whole, is supposedly the easiest section of the trail.  Forty mile days are not uncommon for hikers.  I will probably be able to make up for "lost" time before getting to Washington.  But once there, I'll need another day off to get all my chores done. 

Anyhow, that's all I've got.  I had more but dat crash.

Now Entering Cascadia

I'm about 100 miles from Oregon but I have made it to Cascadia.  A place where trees are as dense as a Q-Tips. 

You know you're in Cascadia when things start getting weird.  

Some people living around Mt. Shasta believe in Lamarians.  A race of people or aliens that are invisible and harvest magical crystals.  Once upon hearing this, I knew I was home.  There are strange things that happen in these woods...

But I've never felt more at home!  There is an odd sense of comfort I have out here.  The fragrance of the forest brings me back.  It's a smell I have missed for six years.

For the past 1500 miles, I've had a horrible cough and stuffy nose.  I must have breathed in too much dirt or allergic to something.  Since going passed Mt. Lassen and entering into the Cascades, my respiratory issues have been starting to vanish.  Horray!

Well, that's about all I can think of.  I'll be hitting the trail again this afternoon.  See ya!

-Jerry

44 Miles a dumb Idea

It's hot here in California.  Too hot for me.  After ten easy miles in the morning and a hot seven hour siesta in the afternoon, I decided to walk all the way to Burney Falls State Park where I know my friends would show up.

I saw a lot of things and I realized that I'm too tired to write a blog.  Another time folks! Bye! 

 My arm.  Top dirt, bottom cleaner.

Halfway Done

Yesterday I finally passed the halfway mark.  It took me eighty five days!  Don't worry and freak out and say "Oh no Jerry, you're only halfway and still have 1,300 miles to go and it snows in Washington and you'll die because you'll get there late and run on sentence!"

I'm up to a twenty five mile minimum day (except today and yesterday) which means 100 miles goes by fast.  As I approach Oregon, I'm hoping I'm doing thirties!  

Lost my hat!

I wish I had some more insight on what's going on but my brain and body are on over drive. 

Day 79 - Here in Sierra City

The daily grind has begun.  Since South Lake Tahoe, I've been aiming to complete twenty five miles, everyday.  It's  exhausting and recently, mind numbingly boring.  The scenery has changed.  I was spoiled in the high sierras.  Now I'm walking through the forest without any views.  I'm sure I'll be fine after a few days.  It'll just take some time to adjust.

Everyone else is picking up their pace as well.  There are also a lot of quitters or it at least appears that way.  The herd has seemed to thin out.  When I was hiking in the desert, I could see fifty other PCT hikers in a day.  Now, at most I see ten.  

Anyhow, I thought there was more to write but my brain is fried.  Hunger and exhaustion is a real thing folks!  Well, I have about five hundred miles until Oregon!  See you soon! 

An interaction on a bus in SLT

The bus pulls up to the stop. A tall, slender older fellow with a blue jacket and green baseball cap walks up to the front door.

"Hey, do you like it when people walk in your side door?" The man says with slurred speech.

"It doesn't bother me" said the bus driver

"I'm going to go in on your side door, ok?"  Says old guy. He starts to make his way to the side door.  

The bus driver exclaims "You can do whatever you want. You're drunk as hell and this is America, Freedom!"

And then I laughed.  

---

I have plenty of stories just like this.  The trail is a gift that keeps on giving.

Day 73 - 1000 Done

Cheers!  I have surpassed 1,000 miles!  Myself and a few friends walked 17.76 miles on this special day since it was Independence Day! 

Currently I'm at South Lake Tahoe which is about mile 1,090 or so.  It's a few mile hitch off trail.

The High Sierras are over!  Which is sad because some of the best days on the trail were chilling at 9,000 feet.  

The best day easily, was when myself and some other hiker trash relaxed at a lake.  There were some nice cliffs to jump off, into a warm lake below.  I think we were there for three or four hours.  We also did nine miles that day.

The High Sierras took tons of energy out of me.  My daily average was around fifteen miles.  In the desert, I could do twenty five easy.  It's the elevation man!

I also saw plent of JMT hikers. All their packs looked wayyyyyyy too heavy.  They also smelled fresh.  I'd like to have given them a shakedown but there isn't enough time!  Onwards to Canada! 

Since I'm through with the High Sierras, I'll have to put on higher mile days.  I've done back to back marathons and I'll need to keep this pace to finish on time.  It's all a mental game now! 

Mammoth Lakes!

I'm still here at the hostel.  I managed to get a good nights despite it being a bit loud.  Everyone went to bed at midnight and my dilemma on where to sleep was solved by an extra long "L" shaped couch.  Earplugs are supplied to all guests and I knocked right out.  Apparently, another guest showed up drunk at 2am and nearly drowned in patio furniture until he was saved by a fellow Washingtonian.  

Speaking of that, Washington seems to be the most well represented state on the trail.  More so than California which was a surprise for me.  The difference in American culture is apparent on the trail with all regions living up to their stereotypes. 

As far as foreigners go on the trail, the Germans lead the pack by a huge margin (every single one is also weird).  I thought Canada would be number one since that is where the trail ends.  Europeans account for maybe 20-30% of the people on trail.  I asked a Swiss couple how the Sierras compare to the Alps.  "The sierras are more wild and dangerous".  

I've been playing a game of leap frog with two Japanese guys.  There is a lot of code switching when we speak which leaves other people in the general vicinity a little confused when we converse. 

I'm thinking of staying one more night in Mammoth.  This is a super chill city.  It's the kind of place I wish I could live, then a while later wish I didn't because of tourists.  But I still like it here.  It's also one of the lasts stops outside of South Lake Tahoe where there is a hostel to meet other hikers.  The next will probably be Ashland, OR but I could be wrong.

  

Yesterday was a wild ride of mishaps.  After sending some gear home to reduce weight, I went to McDonalds.  I ended up eatting two double cheeseburgers, two  hot n spicy Mcchickens, twenty McNuggets, and a large strawberry shake.  Thats right at 3,000 calories.  I gobbled it up in twenty minutes and felt fine.  Then I went to Von's which is a carbon copy of Safeway, to buy my resupply.  While there, I saw some chocolate milk.  YES!  I bought half a gallon.  I then went out front with the other hiker trash and proceeded to drink half of it.  Houdini/Panini, a soft spoken Australian hiker covered in Japanese style tattoos witnessed me slip into a food coma.  I felt disgusting.  The milk was a poor idea.  The lack of dairy in my diet probably contributed.  I had to fight off vomiting for an hour and spent probably another hour trying to get back to baseline.  Two hours nearly wasted when Legend showed up.

He's an old hiker whose done the PCT at least three times.  I think at the moment, he lives off of donations he makes from serving pancakes or giving rides.  He has two vehicles he drives on trail.  How does he do that?  He parks one at point A, drives to point B, hikes back to point A, and drives back to point B with with the other vehicle.  If someone needs a ride, he'll toss them the keys to his car and let them take it, so long as they park it at point B.  He makes enough money on donations and living out of a van to get by.  He was quite the character.

Some hiker "Legend, do you drink?"

L "no, I don't drink.  My vices are caffeine, sugar, and women.  But I'm interested in fast cars and drinking...  They're cheaper and less hassle than women!"

The cadence at which he said it is hard to convey in text but it made me chuckle.  

Eventually my stomach settled and I was on my way back to the hostel.  I caught one of the free buses around town and was on my way.  Shortly after getting off the bus, I realized I forgot my dry sack "full" of clothes (just two things really).  I ran back to the stop, caught the next bus, and managed to get the current driver to radio the other about my sack.  Luckily no one took or stole it on the first bus.  I was able to retrieve it but that's some more time wasted.  

Now here I am.  I'm getting hungry but if I can think of anything else to write, I will.  If you have a question, now is the time to ask.  I'll be in mammoth for at leastfew more hours, if not another night.  

-Jerry

Day 61?

My journal is downstairs in this noisy hostel and I don't want the hassle of trying to look for it.  So the correct date might be off by a day or so.  Get this though, the fastest unsupported time is sixty two days.  I'm not even halfway done and someone a few years back would be crossing into Canada tomorrow!  I'll make it, eventually. 

The Sierras are tough!  Going through the desert, on good days I could get upwards of thirty miles.  Now, fifteen miles seems to be what I average.  I managed a few twenty plus mile days.  Another hiker named "momento" did fifty miles in twenty two hours.  The kid is crazy.  But he'll be a triple crowner at the end of this.

I managed to make it to Mammoth Lakes today.  This area rings a bell for me back to my youth.  Its famous for snowboarding and so many of the photos taken in magazines I read were from this area. I'll have to come back when it's winter.  

Summertime, this place is a mountain bikers dream.  It also looks like a place I can't afford to live in.  But it's a cool nonetheless.  The hostel, not so much.  

Hostels are cool because you can meet cool people from all over.  They are not cool because people are noisy.  Independence Day is on tv and it's a cool movie and all but the volume is way too loud.  

I'll type more details tomorrow, if I can.  I can't think straight now because I'm so tired.

Here in Independence, CA

It's hard to put together updates either on or off trail.  I keep a journal but uploading photos, writing blogs, or piecing a video together becomes a chore.  It's either because I lack battery life or poor wifi.  But I try!

I've made it through the desert.  It's more or less 700 miles of suffering.  Well over forty days for me.  Just like Jesus!

Making it into the Sierras feels like I'm finally taking the steps home.  It's so incredibly beautiful out here.  I don't have enough fingers to count on for the times I've became misty eyed in the presence of such majesty.  I have a few hundred more miles of these mountains and I'll enjoy every moment.  

I've summited Mt. Whitney and gone over Forester pass.  I have one last dangerous pass to go over.  At least that's what everyone says.  Trail rumors run rampant and one coward can ruin it for the rest. 

I've been drinking unfiltered mountain water for a week now.  Still no Giardia!  But I've been doing this since I was a kid.  

I love this trail and the life that surrounds it.  I have plenty to say but not enough time to put it all down.  I guess y'all will have to wait until I'm done for all the super fine details.  

Happy trails,

Jerry

Update

https://youtu.be/-sLmRrSbgh8

Day 31

Hawaiian shirts are on everyone.  I'm at Casa De Luna.  

Super hippy vibe.  I painted a rock. I wanted to add a yin yang.  No black or white. 

Day 18 - 28

Ten days is a whole lot to cover.  Thankfully I have a physical journal to keep track of all that's happened. Life on the trail is a blur.  Everyday is similar to the last but completely different.   Time starts to get weird and it's difficult to put into words how strange it becomes.  If I was able to recall from memory the last ten days, it would feel like I'm recalling ten weeks.  I'll try my best to write about this time warp.  

Day 19, I left Big Bear with Flash.  I have written about him before where I called him Squirrel.  But now he has an official trail name which I'll be using.  He gets it from an aweful looking old lady silk shirt he wears. Trail names are given but the person who revives the name can decide to keep it or not.  

The previous names he had was meat tosser or squirrel.  It refers to an incident at Warner Springs.  He found a decaying squirrel in the campground.  This prompted him to grab a trekking pole, stab the squirrel, and chuck it over the fence.  Everyone at hobo town cheered in approval.  He also got names which he didn't like.  Flash was the one that stuck.

Sorry, I got off topic!  

We left Big Bear....

            The trail was super easy this day. It was extremely gradual and mostly down hill.  We put in around seventeen miles that day.  There were three quarters of a dozen people at the campsite and I decided to cowboy camp.

I awoke the next day to a nearly black but green bird walking a top me.  Flash said this bird had an odd chirp.  No one seemed to care about his observation.  I was the last to leave camp when I glanced down and saw the bird.  It opened its lips and the sound of 8-bit swords clashing together came out of its mouth.  That was the one and only time I heard the sword bird. 

Flash did the best job he could do and thinks the bird is called a Shiny Cow Bird.  If anyone is a bird person, research into this bird would greatly be appreciated.

Day 20 saw us leaving a forested area and now back to the desert. The climb was moderate.  We came to an area with a hot springs.  I didn't feel like going in as there we a ton of people and sunset was in a few hours.  We heard rumors of a storm so staying long wasn't an option.  There were also nudists in the area. Sweet!

There was a trail angel around mile 317 that was handing out root beer floats.  That made my day.  His name is Coopertone and he's a retired guy having fun.  He also moved his location a few days ago to mile 444 or so and did the same thing.  Having a snack surprise like that is fantastic.  Trail angels enhance the experience.

Anyhow, that day I made it to Silverwood lake. 

I had a nice dip and camped a few miles from this location.

After the lake, it was time to make it to everyones' favorite restaurant, McDonalds.  This was in El Cajon.  There were about thirty hikers already there when I arrived.  The restaurant was humid and stinky.  Since its along the interstate, most customers are just passing through.  The looks of confusion and disgust on some peoples' faces was amusing.  I ended up eatting roughly 3000 calories. I felt disgusting immediately after but the next day, it put a spring in my step.

It was time to get back into the mountains and forest.  The beginning of the day it was cold, foggy, and windy.  I was somewhere around in the 7,000ft range.  These was the beginning of the San Gabriel mountains.  

I had a quick resupply in Writewood then back on the trail in less than three hours. I camped with a bunch of folks at a place called goose hallow.  Being that it's higher elevation, there were clouds aka fog throughout the night.  It was also below or near freezing with wind chill.  For whatever reason, I decided to cowboy camp.  Despite those conditions, I was kept awake by a snoring camper.  I forgot to put in my earplugs.

The next day began summiting Baden-Powell; a wonderful 9k+ mountain that overlooks LA, in the fog.  The entire day was foggy. I didn't bother taking pictures.

Here are some photos from then until now.

There are far too many details I'm missing.  I hope I will have the time later to write about them.  Tapping this out on a smartphone isn't fun.  But no worries everyone, I'm doing fine.  I'm at hiker heaven and will leave for the trail again tomorrow.