Trail Magic, I can see for Miles - Week of May 23

 

Getting to the top of any mountain on the PCT gives you a spectacular view of our country.


 Exhausted after a hard day's climb, I marveled at the view of the mountain peaks the other hikers and I had already conquered and looked at the ones yet to summit before crossing part of the Mojave Desert.  I found some shade within the root system of the Wally Waldron tree.  It is estimated that the tree is 1500 years old and is named after some guy nicknamed Wally that was an avid Boy Scout.

The tree is a limber pine tree and is sitting on the peak of an area just below the summit of 9399 ft. Mt. Baden-Powell. In the pictures you can see how it sits atop the area, and is gnarled and offers shade to dirty, dusty hikers.

Shade of the Wally Waldon Tree

The next day was a magical day filled with unexpected surprises. A south bound section hiker named Goal Tech gave me a bag of chips as he does every northbound thru hiker that he encounters. Shortly after that I found a water cache and cupcakes off the trail. Trail MAGIC!

 As I may have mentioned earlier, Trail Magic is any kindness, act of generosity, food, drink or something that is left for thru hikers to discover.  This week I hit the trail magic jackpot. Finding a water cache, cupcakes and chips was just what I needed to lift my spirits as Alex, Liam and I were hiking a 6,000 ft elevation gain.  Hiking up Mount Baden Powell was no joke.  I still have another 5 miles to go to make it the 20 mile day that I had planned. The 3 of us may push past the next campground because we have heard there has been bear activity.  We plan on hitting 20s from here on out since we feel like we have gotten our trail legs under us.  We have 3.5 days to our next resupply in Agua Dulce and Hiker Heaven!  This picture is from the PCT website and shows the Mount Baden-Powell area.

What a few weeks on the trail does to you!

Hiker Southbound. 

Chillin on the Trail

"The Legend" that gave me a lift and his van "Gypsy"  with his canpakes.  

From PCT website - Mount Baden-Powell

Spectacular Views

Am I becoming hiker trash?

Kathy & Tracy Jackson

 I met some great new friends! The Jackson's were so nice and welcoming it felt like home. Not only did they pick me up, but they also picked up Liam and Alex that have been hiking with me. I need to also thank them for being patient on when we would be in the area. They picked us up at the Silverwood Lake area close to the Cajon Pass I-15 intersection.  

How can you say thank you to someone that agrees to pick up 3 complete strangers? We enjoyed a night of swapping stories with the family while they fed and took care of us the entire night.  We had a pulled pork dinner, cold drinks, laundry, great conversation, a trip to REI, a pool to enjoy and even stayed up past hiker bedtime playing a game of Catan. It was as though I was back at home in Mason Ohio with my good friends - the Matt's. 

The next morning, Kathy dropped us off at the Silverwood Lake picnic tables at 7am.  With a good night's rest, Liam, Alex and I were fresh for an amazing canyon hike. Along the hike that morning, the conversation turned to the talk of McFlurry's and we ended up at the Golden Arches at Cajon Pass. 

For those of you that don't know, the long distance hiking community affectionately calls a person  "hiker trash" if they have fully accepted the fact that they sink beneath their normal self to do something they would never do in real life while they are out on the trail. Your version of hiker trash could be picking up a dirty used hat out of the hiker box and wear it.  It could mean not bathing for a couple of weeks or washing your dirty socks in a gas station bathroom. The longer you are on the trail, the more you evolve into hiker trash.  Becoming hiker trash could mean getting a huge carton of ice cream and downing it in the parking lot. In my case, I made it into a roadside ditch with a McFlurry and large fries from McDonalds to take a nap underneath the shade of a telephone pole. Would you call that embracing my hiker trash?  


The scenery continues to be beautiful. We are finally getting our trail legs underneath us and feeling comfortable with the routine. Tomorrow we plan a 17 mile hike and from there we will start to increase our mileage to more 20 plus miles each day. 

At the top of the trail area.

As you read this, I will have hiked over 350 miles.  A lot of planning, research, map reading, emailing others, and so many things went into this trip. I had some hiking experience before but this is the first time I have LIVED it. You have to think of it from that perspective. You are non-stop living the trail, immersed in nature and doing it your way. I encourage you to consider hiking yourself. It doesn't have to be a thru hike.  Start small and work your way up. If I can, I might make a few videos on how to plan, pack, and live your own hike. 

Dad before chemo started.

My dad is on my mind daily. Not only did he inspire me to go on a hike for Colon Cancer, the way he has faced cancer has been incredible. He just finished Treatment #5 and has 7 more to go in this treatment cycle. I was able to text him today and this week was a tough one. His faith is even stronger now than before he was diagnosed. The bible verse that I chose as the mission statement for PCT with Purpose has been my favorite for a long time and it is a good one for the trials we face in life.  We don't know the outcome, but we know that trials can make you a better person. My father has said to me that he is a much better person than he was before his diagnosis. He is closer to God than ever before. He is learning to depend on Him for everything. 

My mom is trying to keep the Colon Cancer alliance support group up to speed on my hike and some are following along on the blog. Glad to hear it!  Keep up your fight!  

If you would like to help support research for colon cancer please consider donating to PCT with Purpose.  I have partnered with the Colon Cancer Alliance and they are doing great things for families with cancer.  Here is the link:  gofund.me/PCTWithPurpose

  James 1 2:4  Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to  finish its work so that you may be complete and not lacking anything.  

Drop off point.

A new day, hot springs

After a rough patch of luck and motivation the views today got me invigorated about the PCT again. Overall it was the most beautiful day so far on the trail. 

Today's landscape was anchored by purple grass, desert canyons, lush oasis, and hot springs, and a killer sunset to cap off the day. I couldn't even describe how beautiful the oasis was.  

McDonald's and Cajon Pass is on the horizon and has consumed all of the hiker's minds. I'm looking forward to a light hike into Cajon tomorrow where the Jackson's will be hosting us for the night to get fresh for the tough patch between Cajon and my next resupply in Agua Dulce. I am excited to get to meet some people from McKenzie TN out here in beautiful California! 

I also feel a trip to REI coming on.  Thanks for reading about the hike. It has been a great experience.  

Tough Day! Broken phone, glasses, and water filtration.

Not every day on the trail is going to be a good one.  Today was one of those days.  It was a tough day for just about everything.  My gear, hiking and morale.  The day started off the day normal enough, about 5:30 am but things went downhill from the very start.

Me a few days ago before the SNAP with the glasses!

The first issue was my sunglasses which are very important on this part of the trail.  The right arm of the sunglasses snapped right off.  Luckily, I was still able to wear them.  The hike consisted of some beautiful views, but for the most part the beauty was dwarfed by the toll the rocky terrain took my body and my spirit. 

Need Rocks?  Plenty of them around here.

By lunch time, 10am for me and my first water stop, I had cracked the screen of my phone and clogged up the tube on my water filtration system.  I have been using a Geigerrig system with the virus filter attached and their nano-tube for getting the water. A busted system is a bad thing. On a PCT thru hike, you MUST have a water filtration system.  The water can contain giardia which can basically make your hike come to a complete halt if you are not careful.  It can take 2-6 weeks to recover from giardia. Many times you need to seek medical attention for it to improve. I tried to contact home to let them know of my problem, but phone service was an issue so I didn't know if they would be able to get a replacement tube to me very quickly.  In the meantime, I tried to fix the issue.

I have learned multiple times on this trip that the hikers take care of each other and often provide for those in need. One of the hikers I have been hiking with, Doug, sold me his spare Sawyer Mini. My bladder started working again and Liam taught me how to adjust my pack correctly to take more weight off of my shoulders. Hopefully today's mishaps will not transfer over into tomorrow. The group is attempting the first back to back 20+ mile hikes for the first time since the beginning of the trip. 

Beautiful scenery along the trail. 

The problems I had today have slowed me down.  Now, I need to get in touch with my family so they can let the Jackson's know I am running behind.  I used the Delorme explorer to send messages to the family today.

Windstorm, the Legend, Cocina de Mexico

 Last night I didn't get much sleep after a massive wind storm kept most of the hikers up well into the night.  We also just finished a HUGE descent where we started at almost 9,000 feet and made it to 1,400feet.  The biggest descent of the trip.  I am surprised we were able to do that in a day and half.  Downhill can be brutal.  

The rest at Ziggy and the Bear's was much needed.  They are highly regarded among the thru hikers and they offer a place to rest your feet, get your mail and get prepared for the next journey.  A lot of organizing, planning and help from the community have enabled the thru hikers to continue around this year's fire closure area without harming the trail or getting injured in the process.

Ziggy and The Bear were able to get  Liam, Alex, Doug, Nightcrawler and I hooked up with The Legend, to get to a shuttle to Big Bear.    The Legend has been one of the coolest trail angles I have met thus far. He describes himself as a drifter who has traveled all over Central America and much of the trail. He plans on traveling with Gypsy, his van, along the PCT trail passing out his canpakes and other trail magic.  

Trail Magic is any kind of unexpected act of kindness shown to long distance hikers. If you haven't experienced Trail Magic, imagine being hot and tired from hiking 20+ miles to come across an Angel or their Magic on the trail. It could be a water cache where you didn't expect it, a home cooked or prepared snack or a lift to the nearest town.  ANY kind of trail magic is a much needed and satisfying experience.  Legend got his name after the lyrics from Jimmy Buffett's Last Mango in Paris song "Our lives change like the weather but a legend never dies".   Rumor has it,  The Legend has been pronounced dead three separate times since the age of six.  The ride to Big Bear City with Legend lived up to the billing.

After doing laundry, eating an awesome burrito at Cocina De Mexico, and getting my resupply in Big Bear City we were able to make it 4 miles up the trail. The next stretch will take us to the famous McDonald's at Cajon Pass.  From the looks of the Facebook post, they expect plenty of smelly hikers this time of year.

I am pretty excited about the Cajon Pass stop. I will be meeting two of my mom's HS friends from McKenzie TN. Kathy Woods Jackson, her husband Tracy, and their family have offered a hot shower, a place to do laundry and an overnight stay before hitting one of the hardest patches along the trail. It sounds like I will have a lot in common with their son Taylor.  He hiked the AT a couple of years ago. My mom followed his journey online. Taylor is also an avid rock climber. Two of my best friends are very serious about rock climbing: Tate Honaker, now living and climbing in Colorado; and Matt Kahl, who currently is working at the famous Miguel's Pizza in Red River Gorge and currently leading trips to the Gorge. I never was able to get into rock climbing but I appreciate the skill that it takes from watching Tate and Matt. 

My stops since the border have included the following:

• Mount Laguna (resupply)
• Warner Springs (resting up with help from Edward Manning)
• Paradise Valley Cafe (resupply)
• Idyllwild (hitch to find a hat)




• Ziggy and the Bear 
• Big Bear City (shuttle ride from The Legend)

Mile 151 #PacificCrestTrail, new gear ahead

Today will make mile #151!  To put it in perspective I will have hiked greater than the driving distance between San Diego and Los Angeles!  During my recovery time at Warner Springs, I decided to change from a hammock setup to a tent.  I ordered a tent from REI to be delivered to the Paradise Valley Cafe in Mountain Center, CA.  I sent the hammock back home while I was resting up.  I may want to use it once I get to the Sierras, but for now I am thinking the tent will be easier and quicker for me at this point.  Going to miss my hammock, but it will work out.

My view for the evening.

I cowboy camped for the next couple of days until I got to the Paradise Valley Cafe in Mountain Center, CA.  For those of you that don't know what cowboy camping is, you basically throw your sleeping pad and bag on the ground.  I kept the tarp in case of bad weather but it turned out perfect.  Once I get the tent, I will be sending the tarp back home.

After reaching 151 miles, the hikers in our group dubbed us ourselves sophomores because we were moving out of California Section A and have completed about half of the desert section.

When we arrived at Mountain Center CA to get some food, I had package #1with the new tent in hand soon thereafter.  I was waiting on another package so most of my group hitched a ride to Idyllwild while I waited for the noon delivery.  As mentioned on the last post, I was late so my food package was AWOL and I assume it was devoured by hungry hikers that found its contents in the Hiker Box.  Because I had rested up in town, I still had 1 1/2 days of food so I was fine, but might pick something up in Idyllwild if I need it.



At noon, the package that had a patella tendon strap in it still had not arrived.  I had found someone willing to give me a ride to Idyllwild which would allow me to catch up with some of the hikers that had left before me and also look for a better hat.

It will be several days before I update again.  Thanks for reading the posts and also for supporting the Colon Cancer Alliance with me.  I have been wearing my shirt while hiking.  My dad is back home going through his chemo treatments every other week while I am moving forward and enjoying every minute of this adventure.  Thanks to my parents for helping me to realize the journey.  I know it is a lot of work to send me things along the trail. Here is a link to my GoFundMe page if you would like to help support families like ours that are going through a tough battle with colon cancer.
Zach's GoFundMe

Trail names, Walking "100 miles" and crazy meet ups!

I'm a hundred miler!!!

They say the first 100 miles are the toughest and I am thankful I made past mile 100.  Somewhere around Warner Springs was the 100 mile mark.  Since I didn't do the typical rock formation picture, how about great scenery to celebrate 100 miles of hiking?

Trail names are something that goes along with a thru hike. Normally the trail name indicates something about your personality, occupation, or something crazy you did to be dubbed the name in the first place.  I have already met several hikers with trail names - Doc the Marine physician, Bucky - carpet cleaner and skateboarder extraordinaire, Aviator, Tex and many more.  No too long after hiking, I started to be known as Dr. Fresh! because of the fresh home cooked meals my mom and dad graciously made for me.  Having fresh meals out on the trail has been great so I fully embrace the Dr. Fresh moniker.

The marker to Mike's Place

After the knee issues, I rested in Warner Springs to recuperate.  The rest definitely did the trick and I felt great on Sunday. I was able to get in a solid 17 miles before 3pm with the other hikers I joined. Along the hike the day turned into a scorcher and we dreamed of making it to Mike's place to rest up, get some fresh food and water.  Mike has been serving hikers pizza, hot dogs, and supplying water for the last 10 years.  It was great to relax and meet new hikers and develop friendships with ones I had already met along the way.  After that we got stranded at a water cache between Mike's and Paradise Valley Cafe for several hours.   I can't wait till the water is no longer an issue.

I had 2 days to get to my next resupply Paradise Valley Cafe so I was able to take it easier with only 14 miles per day to hike.  After that, I will need a series of hitches to get around two major fire closures on the trail.  I am hoping once I get to the Sierras the path is clear to Canada!  The weather has been gorgeous the last few days with highs in the low 70s.  Perfect weather for hiking.

How ironic is it that you can travel over 2,500 miles from home only to meet up with someone that is from your area or someone you know.  I met Liam from Wyoming, OH also a suburb of Cincinnati. I live about 20 minutes from Wyoming.  And now for the crazy part, I actually came across a hiker that is friends with my cousin Merrie Emmons from Seattle WA! Shout out to Merrie!   I did a lot of hiking with Liam, Puma, Zach Alex, Doug and Brian. We seem to be in the same pattern and pace so it made the hike easier to have someone else hike it with you.

I am still getting my trail legs under me and figuring out the best way to do things. One thing I learned is it takes longer to get places than you expect. I was ambitious on the number of miles I thought I could hike the first week. My family sent the first resupply packages before I hit the trail and I was wrong on the ETA. That coupled with my injury, put me behind by at least 4 days already. This is important because you put an ETA on all your resupply packages.  Once the date passes, the maildrop place may think you have abandoned the trail and may open your resupply to put in the hiker box for other hikers.  When I finally made it to my 2nd resupply stop, they couldn't find my food box.  The only explanation is they thought I wasn't showing up. That box had 3 days of homemade food, snacks, etc so whoever got 3 days of Dr Fresh meals - you are welcome!  Lesson learned.  Be more accurate on your ETA.  Don't send them out too early.

Paradise Valley Cafe.  One of my resupply stops and a great place for a good meal.

Next up, I will be hitching to Idyllwild try and find a hat after the hiking umbrella I purchased broke. I am hoping Anti-gravity gear will be able to send me a replacement.  It lasted a total of 2 days on the trail.  I was able to get a temporary hat to use but as you can see in the picture below, it won't be my permanent solution. 

Somewhere along the first 100 miles of the PCT.