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.  

Day 13-17?

I Day 13 started off with a long walk from Idylwilld to the park of San Jacinto.  This is the second highest mountain I have climbed next to Mt. Fuji.

10,834 feet.  I think Fuji is just a few hundred feet taller.  The big difference between the two was Jacinto didn't have vending machines and crowds at the top.

Just some amazing views. 

I was happy to get rid of twelve once a of weight.

Since it was a struggle getting to the top, Squirrel and I camped at 9,000 feet. 

The next day (14) was a chore.  It meant descending to 1,300ft. 

This was such a mental mind game.  It's one of many I have experienced on the trail.  Imagine being able to see five miles but you know you have to go fourteen miles to get to that point but it's going to take maybe eight hours because it's about 100f outside.  That was my day. 

But hey, I got a nice view of San Jacinto.

I gave cowboy camping another try and it was amazing.  Everytime I woke up, I saw a million stars.  I did it the following two nights.  I was able to finally see the Milky Way Galaxy.  Amazing.  

Day 15 started out rough.  This was another 100 degree day and I had to stop at 11am or so.  But I found the most amazing place to beat the heat.  It was so great, I didn't even take a photo.  

Squirrel found some shade next to a shallow creek.  The shadow from the willow tree covered part of the creek.  I laid down in about three inches of water starring at the leaves move in the wind for about two hours.  I had my sun umbrella ready when the shadow moved to much.  I got a little sun burn but I think it was well worth it.  

I took little to no photos the rest of the day as my battery life for everything was super low.

Day 16 started the torture from Mission Creek to Yucca valley.  This was a detour, an in official one that wasn't endorsed by the PCTA. 

Squirrel and I started early at 4:45am.  We walked with G-String for about seven miles.  Walking up highway 62 was gross.  We walked on the side of the road in sand for about three miles uphill.  Finally we hit a circle K where I could get some nasty hot dogs.  Then began more mental torture, the last nine miles to Yucca Valley.

I could see the nine miles ahead of me.  It was all uphill.  Squirrel, G-String, and I beat the heat but from the Circle K to Yucca Valley, it was all in the sun.  Torture.  That was about three hours, looking at the same spot, dodging traffic, uphill, on pavement.  But I did it.  

We lost G-string at the circle K. I heard through the grapevine he was with two Mexican gals and an American gal so he was probably ok.  

Squirrel and I had lunch at a Mexican place where mostly who're people are.  That was weird, not enough food, and the manager who was Mexican wasn't that friendly which is weird.  

We met up with an Aussie.  We were planning to stay at a hotel but the prices were hiked because of a music festival at Joshua Tree.  No way we were paying that price.  

The Quartet of Four, a group we've kept pace with stayed at a hotel.  But unfortunately the ice cream duo couldn't flip the bill.

Dejected we sat at a chevron contemplating out next move.  We thought, "let's camel up, 8 liters of water, a day and a half of food, and head out.  We'll have to camp illegally but we can do it."  We got everything ready for this next phase but had to wait out the sun. We had hours.  After two hours of sitting, a park ranger pulled up and asked if we were thru hikers.  He told us we could camp eight miles up the road at pioneertown preserve.  There was fresh water and bathrooms.  This dude made out crappy situation turn into a great one.

The two of us poured out half our water and waited until 5pm to set out.  We got there a bit after 8.  The ranger bought fruit, pizza, and beer.  I should mention, the people in Yucca valley inherited PCT hikers but the kindness of everyone blew me away.  Cars were always pulling over asking if we needed a ride or help.  This has been true for most of the trail but in this area, it was over the top.

After another night of cowboy camping, it was onto day 17.

(I'm low on time so I'll finish up quick)

The first ten miles were awesome.  Nice people and Joshua trees everywhere.  The second fifteen or so, terrible.  The PCT is home and being on a road where you can't have your own thoughts or a place to rest are agonizing.  I got tired of moving over for Jeep Rubicons.  Plus, what a lazy and lame way to enjoy the outdoors.  I understand dirt bikes but an SUV seems boring.  

At 5pm we hit the PCT again after two days, home.

Today, we made it to big bear.  We got a hitch from Hiker One.  An old fellow on an oxygen tank.  He's sectioned hiked parts of the PCT and has done the JMT.  As I heard his stories about his love of the outdoors I could hear a reggae version of "Knocking on Heavens" door playing over the stereo.  The dude has cancer.  He wanted to hike the PCT when he retired but cancer got in the way.  That's some heavy stuff.

Well, I have many more things to say but I'm tired of typing.  Off on the trail tomorrow!