Joe's Epic PCT Adventure

My partner Joe spent the summer of 2012 walking to Canada along one of the most famous national scenic trails in the world: the Pacific Crest Trail. 

Jealous? I know I am.

Just the necessities on your back. You and nature: wind, rock, water and the fire rim of the Pacific Crest.

Finding good conversation and cold beer along the trail. Yeah, he enjoyed every minute of it.

• 3 states
• 6 ecozones
• 7 National Parks
• 19 major canyons
• 60 major mountain passes
• 1000 lakes

Photo Albums on Facebook:

Mile 1-500  |  Mile 500-1000  |  Mile 1000 - 1500 | Mile 2000 - 2500 | The Final Leg

April 17, 2012

Trail angel "Frodo" picked us up at the San Diego airport along with fellow hiker Kevin from Kentucky. Frodo and her husband Scout organize transportation and lodging for PCT hikers who arrive in San Diego. That evening, we enjoyed an incredible meal at their home and met several other hikers who were enjoying their hospitality as well. Pepper and Chili - a father son team from Florida, LB - a full bearded red head who had just ridden his bicycle from St. Augustine Florida to San Diego, Hannah from New Zealand, and Kimberly from Oregon rounded out the crew. After dinner everyone swapped favorite backpacking and trail stories while Scout played the guitar.They had all completed either the AT or PCT in previous years.

April 18, 2012 - The Beginning!

7:00 a.m. We started off at the PCT monument along the Mexican border at Campo, California. The border police were out in full force, trolling the metal wall that looked like pieces of old scrap metal from boxcars that had been welded together. A prime example of "shackitecture"
There were several other people starting with us, we would learn later that a total of 24 people had started the trail that day.
The arid chaparral desert is dense with plant life - something was in bloom in every corner. Tall, full bodied yuccas, flowering pacific yews, white popcorn flowers, purple sage, indian paintbrush and many many more blossoms that I don't know the names of. Water was in short supply, so we carried several gallons between the two of us.
Over the next 16 miles that day we would find discarded gear - some clothing, food, a water bladder, tarp, sleeping pad...helicopters were a constant buzz - transporting large boxes back and forth.
Towards the end of the day, we neared a road that lead down to a pretty creek - Hauser creek. We came upon two uniformed men standing by a power company truck. They told us that a hiker was found earlier that day - in his underpants, ranting. He had no gear and was severly dehydrated - they had to helicopter him out. Luckily, they were there building a new transformer - otherwise, who knows how long that hiker would have been lost. That explained the tossed gear we found on the trail. In his dehydrated state, he became confused and tossed all his gear. The power guys told us a few more unbelievable stories about unprepared and dehydrated hikers that day then said, "You two are the most normal people we've seen yet!"
That night we shared camp with a few people we had met the previous day, and a few others we just met, including Bob - who taught at the same college Joe graduated from - University of Wisconsin, Madison.

April 19-22

More incredibly beautiful hiking! Lake Morena was a welcome site - a campground with showers. We spent a few hours there for lunch before continuing on to Mount Laguna - arriving Saturday morning. We took lunch and dinner at Pine Cafe - thick juicy cheese burgers piled high with fresh crisp veggies and giant baskets of fries.
Here a fellow hiker posted a photo of us in front of the Mount Laguna store:
http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=660292
On Sunday morning, another trail angel - Eckert - and his wife picked me up and drove me to the airport, while Joe continued on the trail towards Warner Springs.

April 22-28

Joe arrived in Warner Springs this week and spent a day at the community center catching up on email and taking a hot shower. He caught a ride back to Lake Morena for the Annual PCT kickoff - he said hundreds of people were there. They showed movies of the PCT, shared photos, awards, and vendors showed off new ultralight gear. And of course - there was tons of food.
Here are a few photos of him on a fellow hiker's blog:
http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=660959
http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=661102
Joe caught a ride back to Warner Springs and hit the trail again on Saturday. He will arrive at Mountain Center on Monday, and will be in Idyllwild the day after.

April 28 -  May 5

According to Kent Svee's trail journal, Joe has suffered a minor setback...or jump forward...or sidecar adventure: "Methow meadow joe is reported to have been kidnapped by biker chicks in Idylwood recently. He was last seen being shoved into a sidecar saying: ' but I want to WALK home' "
Joe tells me he took a zero day in Idyllwild and found some trail magic - after losing his gloves he found a free set, rented a cabin with some friends for the night and enjoyed a lasagna dinner. Trail life must be rough. Hope those biker chicks are treating him well. Wonder if he got a tatoo?

May 6 - May 12

Joe arrived at mile 340 this week. 12% of the trail done! Trail magic continues to happen - Joe finds coolers full of beer and soda at various points along the trail - sometimes 'Trail Angels' are sitting next to the coolers offering rides into town or invites over to a backyard barbecue.
Wildlife on the trail...He has come across the hiker in a wedding dress - a man who has vowed to wear 26 different wedding dresses on the trail. And he has also come across Team Naked. No explanation needed from me, you can just picture it  yourself...

May 13-19

It's been pretty cold at night - so cold that Joe has pictures of hikers wrapping their hands around their lit stoves just to warm up their fingers.
It is easy to lose the trail in the desert because the ground erodes so easily that you could be following an old streambed or jeep track or game trail made by animals and think you are on the PCT, but you are in fact...lost. Joe has been hiking with someone who I think he calls himself "Two Heeler" for the last two weeks. They were passed by another hiker who goes by "Nightengale" while they were taking a mid-day break. After break they took off on what they thought was the trail. A little while later they come to junction and see Nightengale walking up the trail towards them. It turns out they went the wrong way after their break, but the "trail" they were on was in reality a shortcut back to the real PCT trail.
This section of the trail used to be shaded by large oaks, but unfortunately was ruined by a careless campfire. The trail has been rerouted through this area near Pacifico Mountain.
Joe ended the week at the famous house of the Saufley's in Aqua Dulce. Donna and her husband run a tight ship, opening up their home to through hikers and offering hot showers, laundry facilities, canvas tents, meals and post office drops. Donna offered to wash Joe's clothes and worked some sort of magic - they looked and smelled brand new when she was finished with them!

May 20 - 26

Joe is ahead of schedule and needs to take a few days off the trail so that he does not hit the Sierra's while they are still full of snow.
He opted to fly home for a few days, so Sunday-Wednesday he came home to the Methow Valley. The cloudy skies, cool weather and rain were a welcome break from the blistering heat of the desert. The dogs were ecstatic to see him and since he has left they keep vigilant watch from the porch for his return!He is in good health and in a great mood. He has not lost any weight and is in great shape.
Joe was back on the trail Wednesday night the 23rd, hiking in the evening is cooler. Here are links to two blogs of fellow hikers - you can see what Joe has been up to through their eyes :)
http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?sid=3401cc4f0bd01a12eb50fcba8fcb3750&entry_id=30313
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=378352
This is a great map for viewing where Joe is on the PCT:
http://postholer.com/gmap/#
Joe was not looking forward to crossing the 200+ miles of the Mojave Desert - but the weather is in his favor. I checked the weather report and with apprehension noticed the weather alert. I opened it to find..."Unseasonably cool weather" when I told Joe he said "Kick Ass!!" The high is 70 degrees, when it is normally above 100 degrees. He has been wearing gloves it's been that cold. He said there has been plenty of shade for breaks under fifteen foot Joshua trees.
Just 120 more miles of the desert and then he will be at Kennedy Meadow in Sequoia National Park - mountains and trees! He has been averaging 25 miles a day.
 

May 27 - June 2

Joe caught a ride from the trail into Tehachapi and stocked up at KMart - they had a fresh produce section with mangos and red peppers, among other fruits and veggies. He ate lunch, dinner and breakfast in the same restaurant because it's the only thing open. We don't know if the whole town normally shuts down on Sundays, or if it is because it is Memorial Day weekend and everyone leaves town for the weekend. Trail hazards aren't always on the trail!
Breakfast at the bakery - a boysenberry danish, a carrot bran muffin, a cinnamon roll with nuts and a bread bowl filled with soup. No wonder he has not lost any weight on the trail.
Joe has just 120 miles left to go in the Mojave desert and then he will reach Sequoia National Park and Kennedy Meadows. He is really looking forward to what he calls "normal backpacking" with trees and mountains as opposed to hot barren desert. He said he was worried about not finding shade during the day, but with fifteen foot Joshua trees, there is plenty of shade. Hot shade.
Joe camped in a wind farm - which may sound cool at first thought, but it's a wind farm for a reason...wind, copious amounts of wind. He said it was calm when he went to sleep but woke up in the middle of the night to strong gusty winds. Joe has walked by thousands of wind mills this week. The weather...there is an alert for high winds. The Mojave is a productive spot for a wind farm.
Joe says that he thinks he is carrying too much food because he walks into towns with several meals still in his bag. So he is going to cut back on the amount of food he is carrying and resupply with fresh produce at every town. The Fiber One granola bars are his favorite, but he just realized that they have half the calories of a Snickers Bar. He's more interested in saving weight and maximizing calories, so he's stocking up on more Snickers...I think it's just an excuse to eat more Snickers bars. No matter how much chocolate you drizzle on a Fiber One bar, it still tastes like straw.
His new sleeping pad is working well. The air mattress kept leaking air - a rude awakening when your hips are no longer cushioned. When Joe was back home we stopped off at REI in Seattle and returned the air mattress and got a foam accordion mattress. Joe was worried that his hips would hurt, but he found that if he folded one accordion section in the middle under his hip, that provided enough cushion for a restful sleep and he could not feel the fold. All good!
By the end of the week Joe was back in the forest of oak and pine - he actually skipped 8 miles of the trail to miss more of the dessert. There is bear poo filled with juniper berries everywhere. He had what he called, "the best dinner on the trail so far" last night. He cooked up his Kmart veggies: zucchini, peppers, onions and mixed it up with one of those seasoned rice packets from Knorr.
If you go to www.postholer.com/gmap and put Kennedy Meadows as the Mail Drop/Resupply place - then on the far right use the drop down next to Map and switch the view to Satellite, you can see what the trail looks like for him. He is following the ridges to Kennedy Meadows.
Joe went about a mile off trail to fill up his water bottles only to find a skanky mud puddle. The day looked rotten but then...a trail angel appeared, along with ice cold drinks. A fellow hiker was meeting their sister in Lake Isabella, 30 miles off trail, and offered a ride to Joe and some other hikers. They took up the offer and shared a hotel room in Lake Isabella for the night and spent the next day swimming in the lake. Joe took a zero day to rest his feet, which are beat up. On Saturday morning, the sister will drive them all back to the trail head. The Sierra Nevadas are within view and are a huge motivator - almost finished with the dessert! Joe expects to be in Kennedy Meadows on Monday night. He will be out of cell phone coverage the whole time.

June 3 – 9

Joe wrapped up this week at mile marker 770 and spent a day in Lone Pine, California. From Lone Pine, Joe can see Mt. Whitney. As we were talking this morning, he described the moon setting just above Mt. Whitney. To get back to the trailhead it’s a 30 mile hitch hike and then 8 miles uphill, climbing over 3000 feet in under 4 miles.
He still has not lost any weight, but is shocked by the amount of food that he eats. He will devour 3 Snickers bars for breakfast and still want more. He said that it will be a challenge to ration his food so that it will last him five days in between towns.
He stayed the night in a hostel room with other hikers. He said most of the hikers he meets now are from Israel and Germany.
Joe crosses many streams throughout the day now, a welcome relief after seven weeks in the dessert. Most of the injuries he has seen among hikers are from shin splints. He says he’s being proactive and soaking his feet during breaks along streams. Any excuse for a foot soak!
Joe crossed Mt. Forester this week, the highest point on the trail at 13,153 feet. He planned it so that he would be at the summit at 7:30 am, the safest time for crossing avalanche prone slopes. He descended on the north side and expected high snows – but there were none. He had packed along his ice axe for the occasion and surprisingly didn’t need it, there was hardly any snow. Hopefully this is an indicator for the rest of the passes.
Further along the trail a woman held a sign that said, “trail magic this way” – coolers full of beer and soda, apples and nuts welcomed hikers.
The carbide points on his walking poles fell off. A gear shop in Lone Pine was able to repair them. Another thing that is falling apart is Joe’s shoes. His feet ache and he found that the support is just about gone. He’ll pick a new pair shoes with the next few weeks.
Joe is almost two weeks ahead of schedule. The original plan was that I would spend the first weekend of July with him in Reno before he met up with his friend Jeremy. But since Joe is so far ahead of schedule, he will come home for a week or so at the end of June before meeting Jeremy in Reno. We’ll upload photos to the laptop then and send them out.
His favorite meal on the trail to date is Stove Top Stuffing mixed with instant mashed potatoes, gravy and craisens. I can attest - it's really tasty! Just add a packet of chicken and it's like Thanksgiving dinner!

June 10 - 23

Joe traversed a familiar portion of the trail these two weeks: the John Muir section which he had covered several years ago. The John Muir trail stretches 211 miles from Mt. Whitney to the Yosemite Valley and crosses through two national parks: Kings Canyon and Sequoia. The weather was fantastic - clear blue skies and moderate temperatures. The trail itself is mainly clear of snow, although sections of it was closed for blowdowns. Last November, a tremendous wind storm blew over acres of full grown sequoias - crushing outbuildings at campgrounds and closing down roads. The trail was still passable, as many people worked hard this spring to clear down trees.
Joe reached Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park and had to spend a few days in the mosquitoe net as the bugs were thick in the meadows. The bugs were so thick, that Joe lost his eating spoon, but a tent spike stood in for the job quit nicely.
His metabolism also kicked in and the weight started falling off. Joe spends most of his down time eating calories. Nutella has become a recent favorite, as it ounce for ounce, packed with calories!
On Friday, Joe reached South Lake Tahoe and we found a cheap flight home that night from Reno.

June 24-30

Joe spent this week at home, consuming food. His first day he devoured a loaf of banana bread, a pan of lasagne, an apple pie and a meat loaf. It was superb to have him home. I took the dogs with me to pick him up at the airport and they exploded out of the car in joy. Tails and bodies wagged vigorously and they covered him in doggie kisses. By the end of the week, he gained back the five pounds he had lost in the previous two weeks.
He had grown a bit of beard that was blondish in color - bleached by the sun.

July 1-7

Joe and his man-friend Jeremy hit the streets of Reno for a few days of fun. Much Patron and cheese were ingested, craps tables were taken by storm, and the sands of Lake Tahoe cradled their bums.
Joe was back on the trail for the 4th of July and watched the fireworks above Lake Tahoe from the trail ridge.

July 8-14

Joe is doing great. Stopped off in Belden Friday night and hit trail again around noon on Saturday - the town campground was the site of a pending 'rave' and the incoming people were weirder than Reno on Friday the 13th.
He is battling a touch of a cold, but is doing well. The hikers who mailed themselves boxes of food have mailed too much food - more than they need to carry between towns. So they are just giving it away. Joe scored a packet of millet with red currey and dried pineapple - said it was good because it was so spicy. He's sick of peanut butter. He crunched up some veggie chips and added them to the curry...said it was the best meal he's had in a while...hmmmm...still sounds gross.
It's warm. To cool down he dunks his shirt and bandana in the rivers. The towns are about 40 miles apart - perfect spacing because he can get fresh food and doesn't have to carry so much. He's averaging between 20 and 30 miles a day. He's a very consistent hiker, which you would think means he would be hiking with the same people every day, but most hikers have weird schedules he said. They'll opt to hike just 8 miles one day, and 38 the next.
He's got great views of Mt. Lassen. There are several wildfires in northern California, nowhere near the trail, but he said the sunsets are really pretty.
MP3 player suffered a setback. Joe bent down to dunk his bandana in the creek and snagged the earphone cord. The sound stopped and he thought the ear buds just fell out of his ears. Took off down the trail and went to adjust the earbuds to find they were still in his ears, the cord dangling with no MP3 player attached. Went back to the creek to see it laying at the bottom of the deepest part of the creek. It didn't work at first, but after giving it a few hours to dry out the little bugger perked right up and worked again. That would totally suck to lose the MP3 player. He listens to NPR shows and books on CD downloaded from the library. Let's hope the MP3 player is like a Timex, "takes a licking and keeps on ticking"

July 15-21

Good news - the MP3 player is still working.
Bad news (depending on how you look at it) - the cell phone is long gone. Fell out of a pocket in a stranger's car when Joe hitched a ride into town to resupply.
The walking is flat and easy, Joe is averaging 30 miles a day or so. On Monday he hit the official middle mark of the trail at 1300 miles. On Thursday he landed in Burney Falls State park. Over the weekend he is hiking through Shasta National Forest, in the shadow of Mt. Shasta - the mountain we named our dog after.
Joe spent the night at a campground with a fellow hiker who asked him if the bear kept him awake, too. Joe heard nothing, but evidently a problem bear kept circling the other hiker's tent and kept the poor man up all night.
Joe spent another night along the shores of a reservoir and watched osprey and swans diving for fish.
The weather and trail has been very good so far. Only one day of light rain. Joe expects to be in Castella on Monday and in Ashland, OR by next week.

July 22-28

Over the weekend Joe stayed at Drakesbad Guest Ranch and soaked in the natural hot springs. The ranch feeds through-hikers after the main guests have eaten, everyone ate well, it was a good dinner. After Drakesbad Guest Ranch, Joe continued on towards the town of Old Station and onto the Hat Creek Rim. The Hat Creek Rim is a canyon around a valley with long distance views. The perfectly flat trail follows the rim of canyon and makes for a long day as there is no water source for 35 miles. Joe hiked thirty miles that day so he could camp along the shores of a small lake.
This volcanic region is playing havoc with the soles of everyone's shoes.
Burney Falls state park with it's double waterfall is shortly after the Hat Creek Rim. The weather has been very nice for hiking, cool breezes. Joe picked up a nice supply package full of dehydrated meals at Burney Falls State Park from a fellow hiker who decided to drop out.
Joe ran into his first bear this week. The fellow was in a meadow and stood staring at Joe for several minutes before Joe gave a holler. Then the bear slowly sauntered over to a tree and turned to watch Joe some more.
From Burney Falls, Joe hiked to Mt. Shasta state park and stopped off at a restaurant to eat a hot meal. He spent the day repairing gear: the frame of his pack had broken through the bottom and was stabbing him in the ass. The tent zipper had broken, letting in a profuse amount of mosquitoes that savagely attacked Joe while he tried to read at night. Little bastards.

July 29 - Aug 4

Zero week. We all wanted some family time with Joe.

Aug 5-11

Joe skipped a portion of the trail through southern Oregon so he could stay on schedule to complete the PCT this season. He caught up with the trail and some hiking mates in Sisters, Oregon. Their shoes are completely shredded from the lava rock. Most people have cut holes in the sides of their shoes along the pinky toe to provide more room - the littlest piggy tends to grow bigger after hiking 2,0000 miles! Joe's shoes are still in good shape. He's light on his feet :)
The first night back on the trail was spent at Big Lake Youth Camp, a kids camp that offers all PCT through hikers a hot shower and meals. Joe took up the offer on the hot shower, but passed on the kids dinner of pancakes and tater tots. From his campsite that night he heard their campground sing-alongs.
By the end of the week Joe reached Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge of The Shining fame. He and his hiking friends went out for dinner and drinks and then back to the trail to camp as the lodge was full for the evening.

August 12-18

When asked what surprises Joe most about the trail and the experience, Joe says that it's the excitement he wakes up with each morning, just looking forward to what new sights he will see that day along the trail. This week, the Pacific Crest Trail follows ridgelines and is flat and easy with astounding views.
About mid-week, Joe reached Cascade Locks, the border of Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River. To cross the river, hikers use the Bridge of the Gods. A full history of the bridge can be found on the Port of Cascades site.
Joe wrapped up the week hiking the western flank of Mt. Adams, the second highest peak in Washington state. From here, he can also see Mt. Rainier - the largest mountain in the state. Both Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier are active volcanos, topped with glaciers - fire and ice surrounded by peaceful meadows of wildflowers.

Aug 19-25

Mt. Rainier to Snoqualmie Pass
Joe arrived at Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 on Saturday. He called from The Pancake House, he was eating a meatloaf dinner and a BLT sandwich and had ordered pie. Said he would go back to that restaurant for a stack of pancakes and bacon in the morning. He was attacked by blue jays the other day. Sat down to eat his lunch on the trail and one landed on his knee and another landed on his shoulder. I asked if he screamed and ran away. He said there was no way he would have gotten up after sitting down to lunch, he just hollered at them and they flew off. Cheeky little birds.
There are a lot more day hikers and weekend backpackers now - the trail is very beautiful.
His sneakers are falling apart, we'll have to get him another pair to finish the trail. I think that makes three pairs of shoes this summer? There was no campground up at Snoqualmie pass, and all the hotel rooms were taken. Some fellow hikers invited him to share a hotel room with them, but there were already 5 sharing a room. Awkward. So he slept under the Easy Rider chairlift on Snoqualmie pass.
The weather is still really good. There were quite a few clouds and thick dew drops off the trees around Mt. Rainier, but no rain. The weather is significantly cooler now. He slept with his bag zipped up for the first time in months the other night.

Aug 26- Sept 1

Joe hiked just 75 miles from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass this week. The scenery is not as pretty as the area around Mt. Rainier as most of it is older clear cuts.

Sept 2-8

Joe says the stretch from Stevens Pass to Stehekin is the prettiest part of the trail.
I drove up to Rainy Pass and found Joe sitting alongside the road with Moonshine. Not the booze, the girl. That’s right, a girl named Moonshine. Earlier that morning she mistook Joe for a bear and screamed for a solid thirty seconds. You may not think 30 seconds is a long time, but it is. Holler while counting, “One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi…” all the way up to thirty Mississippis and you’ll see what I mean.
This last week Joe hiked from Stevens Pass to Stehekin. He says this is the prettiest section of the PCT, defined by glacier capped peaks and steep fractured walls rising thousands of feet above a valley floor entangled with huckleberry vines and black bears. Ice cold creeks splash down from crystal blue lakes hidden high in the cirques. It was on the stretch from Stehekin to Rainy Pass that Moonshine encountered three overly friendly bears sniffing her tent while she tried to sleep. The next morning she unleashed her thirty second bear holler on the first hiker she met, Joe.
I found the two of them sitting on Highway 20 next to the Rainy Pass sign and offered Moonshine a ride into Mazama because she was craving butter. She stepped out of the Mazama store with a block of butter, a slab of cheese and a loaf of warm dark bread. She covered the butter with kisses before unwrapping it and slicing neat squares onto the bread. As she ate she conveyed her sadness that the trail would soon come to an end, she would arrive at the Canadian border in just three short days.
Besides black bears and a lack of butter, a real worry for thru-hikers on the PCT is stormy weather. Joe must have appeased all the rain-gods because he managed to avoid getting drenched, so far. The first downpour was a rare night that Joe shared a hotel room with two other hikers. The other storm raged on Saturday night while Joe took a zero day at home. Lightening tore the sky, releasing thunder and rain while we laughed on a dry couch watching Soup reruns.
If he were to do the PCT again, Joe says he would carry less food and hitchhike into smaller towns more often, where every two to three days he could purchase fresh food (and butter). The hitches were generally enjoyable with friendly people. He’d also carry a business card that listed answers to common questions. Joe’s card would read:

• Started April 18
• Walk 20-30 miles every day
• Pack weight = 30 pounds

Sept 9-15

Joe officially completed the PCT on Wednesday, Sept 12th, then backtrekked to Hart's Pass where he found a ride to the Mazama store - there I met him and brought him to a hotel, as we have been evacuated from our home on Gold Creek in the Methow Valley since Monday - a lightening storm ignited a forest fire close to our home.
The section from Rainy Pass to the Canadian border was a cold one: it rained and snowed. The temps at Harts Pass were 27 degrees fahrenheit.
A fellow hiker, Gourmet, fell and broke his ankle just six miles from the Canadian border and had to be airlifted out. It was his third attempt at thru-hiking the trail. Next year, he should just hike it from Hart's Pass and call it good.