Videos from the trail, glissading

Glissading is sliding down the mountain on your backside instead of hiking through the switchbacks.  The first video is one of the hikers with me and the second one is of me which was posted yesterday so you don't have to click on it.

coming down the mountain

Zach glissading

To show you how dangerous some of the paths were here is a video
Going across the side of the mountain



The scenery is unreal. No words necessary.   Here are a few pictures and videos for you to enjoy.

At the top of Forester Pass
Forester Pass

The Sierras - Glissading down 200 ft.

With almost 800 miles underneath our belts Liam, Alex (9 to 5), and I have entered into the Sierras and they are as epic as I thought they would be and more. Every pass, summit, lake and glissade is more awe inspiring than the last. To try and capture such an amazing place into words and images is not possible.

"The only way to know the pine is to go to the pine", one must pick up their pack and follow their call into such a magical place. Doing this trail has made me appreciate small accomplishments and feats to a much greater degree. The simple act of making a good choice, or pushing your comfort zone is exponentially more rewarding and manifests itself in so many ways out here. 

Most recently, the decisions to summit my first 14,000+ foot mountain- Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48, and to press through Forester Pass around dusk, the highest point and most beautiful place I have been on trail to this point, have ended up being two of my most favorite days on trail, not only for the views and feats we accomplished, but for the fact we made the decision to follow our gut which lead to unique experiences of some of the most beautiful sections of the trail. 

Alex & Liam 

At times I have lost my patience with gear and communication issues, but overall I can sense a change in my disposition to one of even more composure and resourcefulness to deal with everyday challenges we face on trail that we never deal with in our luxurious norms in our everyday life. 

Going through the desert gave me a whole new appreciation of water. The idea that you can have water any time you want it, just by going to your kitchen sink or to a water hose or fountain, is something that I will never look at the same.  How blessed we are to have an abundant supply of drinking water that is readily accessible is a fact that I won't lose sight of in the future.

Going on this hike has made me reflect on how the early settlers of our country must have felt when they saw the vast beauty and resources that we have in our country. I feel so connected to the land as I walk the same routes of the pioneers, settlers and naturalists that came before me.  I feel much more capable to deal with whatever comes my way than I initially felt on this journey. 

The PCT desert section taught me that this journey is much more than just a physical journey.  It is psychologically, physically and spiritually taxing. One does not have to go through the journey alone, however, through the desert I was able to build a bond with other north bound hikers who have toughed it out along with me and expect to hike the trail from terminus to terminus.  The trail angels I have encountered have enrichened the journey and I admire them for their support of the hikers.  Thanks for you do!

Receiving Trail Magic from the legendary Yogi.

The surreal majesty of the high Sierras was like someone meeting you with an ice pack and a cold drink when you were thirsty. I am trying to savor every sweet moment in this unbelievable place while still covering significant ground. Every day, my eyes are able to rest upon something beautiful and being able to experience it in a simplistic lifestyle is addictive. Each day brings a new challenge and the promise of something new to conquer. 

That sudden hailstorm that I experienced brought snow to the area I am in now making the journey over the passes difficult at times. Our plan is to try and conquer them in the early morning hours before the snow melts and we find ourselves postholing into the surface.

I hope you can tell by the pictures and video that I am sending this week that the John Muir Trail part of this journey is something that every human should experience.  Muir once said. "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike."  I am finding a bounty of blessings in this part of the trail. So extraordinary is what is around me that I am finding rest for my soul and peace in this environment.

The link to this video will show you what glissading is about.

Sliding down the mountain.

Packing for a resupply - thru hike food planning - from the family

Many of you have had questions on how we get supplies out for a resupply.  It sounds complicated at first and it does take some planning. We have to estimate when we think Zach will arrive at each resupply point and then figure out how many days of food we need to include in each package.  Of course we wanted to focus on the following:  good tasting food, things that don't spoil easily, making something nutritious that is LIGHTWEIGHT and make sure he doesn't have too MUCH or too LITTLE food.
Another thing to strongly consider is that we wanted him to have variety. He wanted to cool hydrate his lunch. It made sense. He wouldn't have to stop for lunch, get out his stove, his pot, and the dehydrated meal, soak it 5 minutes, bring it to a boil, eat it, let everything cool and then restore it back in his pack.  With the help of a cookbook by Linda Yaffe, I was able to come up with a LOT of varieties of hummus and bean salads that I thought were good to try.  

Making red pepper hummus. 

 What does 400 meals look like in a refrigerator?  

We took out all the shelves in a refrigerator we had in our basement and it was stuffed from the top to the bottom.  The sheer volume of the number of meals we were making didn't actually allow me to TRY everything to see how it hydrated so Zach was going to have to figure it out on the run.

Refrigerator full of vacuumed meals

I used my own recipes and two trail cookbooks that were invaluable to make the meals.  Linda Yaffe's  Backpack Gourmet and Chef Glenn's  Recipes for Adventure.  I purchased other books, but these two are the best.  Chef Glenn offered invaluable tips on storage were spot on.  Linda's years of experience made sure that her recipes were tested and delicious. If you especially want to use less protein, her meals are wonderful. The only FAIL recipe was my own sweet potato bars that I made - they spoiled because I didn't dehydrate them.  Zach is tossing them out if he gets one in a resupply.

For the cool hyrdrate, I made bean salads, black bean salsa, fruit salads, oatmeal type of muesli, hummus and peanut butter powder that I put in small zip bags. These were great because you can add the water into the zip bag and massage the bag until the hummus and peanut butter are the right consistency.  When ready, just squeeze it out. We made all kinds of hummus - red pepper, lemon, white bean, etc. you get the idea.  He could add some Italian dressing or olive oil to them for extra calories.

Made in Nature donation.

Since we were running out of time on dehydrating things, we turned to already prepared freeze dried and dried fruit. I ordered a case of freeze dried fruit mixtures from http://Foodstorage.com/ and  purchased large quantities of nuts, and dried fruits. After Zach had left for the trail, one of the companies that I had purchased a lot of their products:  Made in Nature found about Zach's hike for the Colon Cancer Alliance and they sent a box of additional meals and dried fruits for us to add to his stash.  It was wonderful.  The Made in Nature snack packs they sent were light enough that I didn't have to repackage them.  The meal pouches were smaller than conventional dried food packages which made them easy to fit into the bear canister.

For the tropical salads, muesli, and berry salads, I added different fruits, raisins, shredded coconut, dehydrated milk, cranberries, nuts, other kinds of dehydrated berries we found and honey powder - what a wonderful thing I didn't even know existed! Check out your local Asian grocery store to find this - it is fantastic.

How to keep them from spoiling?

450 meals and bars WHEW!

First you have to make things with as little fat as possible. Oxygen and light are what make the foods that are dehydrated spoil so as I was preparing and dehydrating, I put everything into Foodsaver vacuum bags. Foodsaver makes a few things that were so handy.  Chef Glenn had recommended getting a Foodsaver Jar sealer- I ordered it directly from Foodsaver along with cases of their bags because I knew I needed a lot of them.  The person I spoke with on the phone suggested sending in a letter about Zach's adventure.  I did and they sent a donation of bags for us. Wonderful!  I want to thank FoodSaver for that. We used a huge quantity of their products. The portion packs were great for smaller things and they have these new gallon and quart bags that are reusable. Both Linda and Chef Glenn offer advice on making sure your food stays sealed.  Depending on how long you need to store the food you can also use a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber.  If you are going on a regular backpacking trip the foodsaver way is convenient and easy.  If you are doing a thru hike you may want to consider using a combination of the vacuum and mylar method.

How did you pack the meals?

Each meal or snack was in its own small 3mil zip bag.  I put each day's meals and snacks together with a couple of paper towels and either vacuum sealed that day's food or put it in a mylar bag with the oxygen absorber. Then we numbered the bag so we could keep up with it and make sure he had some variety. Now when it is time to send out a package, I go to the refrigerator and pull out the number of days he needs, add other things like wipes, maps, shoes, etc. and it is on its way to his resupply spot. Because of his homecooked meal stash, Zach's trail name is "Dr. Fresh" a take on the home delivery "Hello Fresh" and that he is also applying to medical school while he is on the trail.

Jerky completed. 

Bars completed

Making spicy jerky

A bean hummus before dehydrating

Enjoying the food on the trail:

Stove setup

Home cooked meals to go. 

Dried Mangos from Made in Nature.

The calm before the rain, hail, and sleet

The Calm before the storm. 

It was a tough and challenging day. I have learned through the hike so far that ANYTHING can happen in the desert. It is a wild and unpredictable place. We went from a 43 mile water carry to a crazy rain/freezing rain storm. We got caught in the worst spot possible!  When the storm blew in Pretty Boy and I were 8,000 feet up on top of a completely exposed pass.  

The first 33 days there hasn't been a single drop of rain and the forecast said there was a 0% chance of rain for the remaining days in the desert.  The weather looked so promising I had bounced my shelter and rain gear to Kennedy Meadows so that my pack would be as light as possible. The plan was to get through the desert as quickly as possible so it seemed like a logical thing to do. I never dreamed it would come a deluge in the desert so unexpectedly. Naturally, the storm came AFTER I send my equipment up the trail!  It was a crazy, crazy rain!  The only way to get out of the punishment was to move to lower ground.  We got pelted with hail and freezing rain. It was almost a 40 degree swing in the weather with that front!

Using our best Macgyver creativity, Pretty Boy and I made a poncho out of our Tyvek ground sheets and bolted toward the valley floor to set up shelter. After a couple of hours of rain and light jogging 4.5 mph hiking we descended into the valley and campground below. Needless to say, I found myself huddled into a 1 person tent with Pretty Boy for the night. 

Experience is a good teacher. Lesson #1 - The desert is wild and unpredictable. The second thing I learned was to always have a backup plan if slack packing.  Plan #1 keep on hiking if alone and caught in the rain or Plan #2 shelter with a friend if you are still together. We stopped 8 miles from Kennedy. 

The next morning was completely different than the storm we faced. A beautiful river greeted us and it looked so inviting it made us want to take a dip before we went through the valley toward Kennedy. We took our time getting to Kennedy. 

I had shut off the satellite tracker during the storm and didn't turn it back on.  That is where Lesson #3 comes in. When I made it to Kennedy Meadows, I picked up my resupply and was ready to get re-charged to go back on the trail.  I received some texts from home that had been sent a few hours earlier, "Are you still alive?" "Where are you?"  Trying to figure out what to say about the experience,  I went with the "conserving battery" option.  Lesson #3 Don't let the battery on your satellite go out or your mom will try to find you. I told her it would probably happen again, but next time don't freak out. 

Thank goodness the hikers and the support community on the PCT look after one another.  Each morning brings a new day and a new set of challenges and adventures. See you on the trail. 

June 9th. meeting Yogi, water sources

The last couple days have definitely had their ups and downs, but I have been feeling great and increasing my mileage regardless. Since my last post I have hit 28, 25, 25 and 24 miles are planned for the day. Today's trail magic was extra special because of who was bestowing it. PCT legends Coppertone, Yogi, Igor and his wife were the magic for the day.  Yogi is the trail name for Jackie McDonnell that wrote Yogi's Pacific Crest Trail handbook.  A must read for all PCT hikers. Yogi is the ultimate thru hiker. She has hiked everything from the PCT, CDT, Colorado Trail, and the AT. Pretty boy and I have been hiking together the last couple days because Liam and Alex started sleeping in a bit and fell behind on mileage. 

Pretty Boy

We have been feeling so great at the end of the days and want to work out some of our upper body we got the idea of starting "wild fit" workouts at night. Last night we already had 5 others, spoon train, sonic boom, chispa, nightrider, and ryan, along the way dedicated to starting the "wild fit" with us. 

I really enjoy hiking with Alex and Liam and hope they can catch back up after my Nero and zero I plan on taking at Kennedy to prepare for the Sierras. I have been blessed with great weather in the desert with overcast the last two days and only 1 day over 100. Keep your fingers crossed for two more days of great weather. 

I will be glad when I get out of the section that I don't have to worry about not finding water sources.

Finding water can be tough.

I sent home some of my gear and mailed my tent up to the next stop hoping that I could make it through the desert easier. My sleeping pad has a micro hole in it somewhere that I can't find. It is new just bought it so I will have to try and exchange it, get it repaired or try something different.


My mom's birthday is tomorrow and my sister's is the next day.  Hoping I get to wish them a Happy Birthday.  Here are some of the hikers with me enjoying the snacks I got in my resupply package.  

Over 500 miles and still going!

Tehachapi represents 558 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail! I am starting to look like a thru hiker now, a bit travel worn and needing a shave, but I haven't even reached the halfway mark yet. 

At mile 558, we got off into the small town of Tehachapi, CA.  I have to say it has been one of my favorite if not my favorite trail town thus far. 

We arrived late on June 5th and were picked up by an awesome trail angel named Ricky who got us cold sodas and into town without a problem making sure we got settled into the Best Western Mountain Inn. Not having to hike all the way into town was a big help. 

The first night Nightrider, Alex, Liam and I shared a space at the Best Western. Our arrival date changed many times due to the fire and other issues and they were able to make the changes for us multiple times.  For those out on the trail behind us, they accept hiker packages at no charge. 

I had packages coming from a couple of different places because of some gear changes and they had them waiting when I arrived. It couldn't have been easier. Another positive is that they have a business center with a computer. I definitely needed access to the computer to finish up my medical school application. I had worked on my application for almost a year, but had to wait for the online access to open to finalize and send it off. In the future, I will need to get off the trail to complete secondary application work. 

After getting the work on my application done, I took care of laundry and a few other things. Later on two

other hikers named Pretty Boy and Dirty Sink showed up.  

At the movie theater.

It was our chosen lazy day. We went to the $4 movie theater and got picked up by another Trail Angel named Lea. I found out that she had been communicating a lot with my mom when I came out of the post office. She snapped a picture and sent it to my mom.  It was great for her to see me in relatively good health. Taking a shower can do wonders for you.  

Lea is an amazing southern belle from Georgia that found her way out to Tehachapi. It was great for us to get to know each other.   Later that evening, Lea took our whole group back out to the trail. She looks like she should be joining with us.  Great time with Lea and thanks Tehachapi for adopting hiker trash.   

The hardest stretch of the desert lies ahead of us. My thoughts on why it will be the hardest is because of the amount of weight we must carry in our packs to make it through the last stretch of the desert.  The water supply is scarce and temperatures will soar to as much as 116 degrees.  Carrying almost 40 lbs in the heat will be extremely difficult. There aren't a lot of places to get off the trail for the next 150 miles so I am carrying almost 8 days of food and water. You get less mileage in the desert heat. To make matters worse there are two stretches of 40 miles without a good water supply. My plan was to have at least 6 liters of water with me because you can't count on finding a water cache. If the weather is good we will hike as many miles as we can before the heat of the day.  We'll take a nap and then get up about 4am to hike again. 

It feels like I have taken longer than a day off, so I feel the need now to get my hiking legs back to working so I will be in tip top shape by the time we reach the base of the Sierras in Kennedy Meadows.

By the way, if you lose your husband you may want to look for him at the husband drop off bench in Tehachapi. 

Sunset on the PCT.

New terrain ahead, Mojave then Sierras

After 23 days on the trail our biggest test yet has come, the Mojave. A rugged landscape with little vegetation taller than a bush and highs that have reached up to 116 degrees. The string of trail angels leading up to the Mojave have been outstanding and some of the best hospitality we have received yet. The Andersons, hiker town and the Saufleys all are important and embody the hospitality, the kindness, and wisdom that trail angels provide to thru hikers and makes a successful thru hike possible through some of the most difficult landscape to navigate in terms of heat and water scarcity along the trail. 

Giant cactus and a windmill

Yesterday evening we arrived to Hiker Town around 3 in the afternoon and met back up with Dirty Sink and Pretty Boy for the first time since we got split up in Big Bear. After a couple hours of waiting out the heat we headed out of Hiker Town to the LA aqueduct section, a flat mostly maze of dirt roads, concrete and metal pipe that winds through the heart of the mojave desert and supplies LA with its water supply. 

The night stars were amazing and allowed us to hike without headlamps late into the night, before we took a 2 hour nap at 2am to allow for a 430 am start and trek to find salvage under a tunnel before the heat kicked in around 10 in the morning. 

Liam Alex and I made ourselves at home inside of the shade of the tunnel when we experienced the best trail magic yet! Terry Anderson drove all the way out to the bridge and brought us soda, pizza and snow cones! 

The amount Terry does for the trail and hikers is mind boggling and I hope she continues to get the support she needs from the community to continue her generosity to many more PCT classes. We are planning to nap until 7 to push another 5 miles to the next campsite and get a much needed good night's sleep. There is about 100 miles between us and the Sierras ahead, which is mind boggling. Within the next couple week we will be going from 116 degree days and 70 degree nights, to snow passes, river crossings, 14k foot mountain climbs and glacier lake swimming. 

Lots of snakes on the trail. 

Getting lost, finding BOO! Hiking 400 MILES!

I have hiked 400 Miles!  I can't believe it.  Thank you for supporting PCT with Purpose! You can help win the fight against colon cancer by contributing with others as I hike.  Thanks to you, I have raised over $1,500! I am so humbled at those of you that have joined in to help.  You can donate here  PCTWithPurpose

400 miles in my PCT with Purpose shirt and it's still going strong!

So far, the desert section of California has been better than my expectations. We were blessed to not have 100 degree days which has enabled me to get more used to being a thru hiker without battling the weather as well. I know I have said the trail has been beautiful, but the people I have met have far exceeded my expectations. I wasn't sure how hikers would be received since most of us are dirty, smelly, and look homeless.  I have found that many residents, campers, and day hikers are intrigued by our story and welcome us into their campsite.

A perfect example, is a chance encounter I had with Boo. After taking a road walk detour I got turned around in a campground that was along the trail. Trail Angel Boo welcomed me to join him and his friend for dinner. After having a steak dinner, filling all my water containers, Boo turned me around and pointed me back into the right direction. I would have found my way back eventually, but Boo made it easier and the meal and stories were a welcome experience. Boo told me that last year, he ran into a hiker that severely needed a new pair of shoes so he took the shoes off his own feet and gave them to the hiker. What a trail angel! Boo, thanks for the food and fellowship!  I am sure that there are lots of stories that can be told by PCT hikers of how the community has welcomed and cared for those of us crazy enough to attempt this journey.

Today we entered the main poodle dog brush area and it was heavily concentrated on the trail. Poodle dog gives you a horrible rash that can last for weeks and it is more severe than poison ivy.  You want to avoid it at all costs.

The next day was my biggest hiking day so far on the trail.  I hiked 27 miles for the day!!  We wanted to get as close to the KOA at Acton as possible to maximize our timer there and to rest, shower, do laundry, and take advantage of the awesome shade they had under a gazebo.  The next couple of days we will be trail angel hopping across the desert before we enter the real desert - the Mojave.

 We will probably slow down our pace and to hike in the early morning and then in the evening because the temperatures there are supposed to be around 116 degrees.  Another reason to take a slower path is that beyond the desert there is SNOW!  That is right.  The hikers ahead of us have been having a lot of trouble with the snow and ice.  Some are waiting it out along the trail and have been doing that for the last two weeks.  Slowing our pace down, will allow some more of the snow to melt.  We will go from not very much water at all to having to be careful crossing the streams because of the amount of snow melt that is finding its way into the water system.

Camp setup on the side of a mountain. My tent is the red MSR one.

Some one got airlifted out of the area by helicopter yesterday.  It was 95 degree day and they should have been more careful about the timing on when they were hiking.  The heat can get to you very quickly.  Not having enough water or taking breaks will mean heat exhaustion.  We are trying to hike in the early morning hours, take a break during the heat of the day and then hike again in the evening.

Examples of notes or signs from trail angels.

View from on top of the clouds!

Along the trail Station Fire.

My final destination for Tuesday was a trail angel's house where we camped out and I picked up a resupply.  I have asked my mom to send me some Main Street Sweets treats from back home.  She promised to do that after we get through the desert section but I am craving those chocolates, candy and popcorn that Mrs. Vickie Larcomb creates.    Here is the camping setup at Hiker Heaven.  Thanks for reading the blog.  I encourage you to continue to give to my PCT with Purpose Fundraiser.  More and more younger people are getting colon cancer also, so please get your checkups! If you have a relative that has had colon cancer you need to get screened at the age of 40 instead of 50.

Hiker Heaven camping out.

Things you do on the trail to entertain yourself! Over the edge.