Lover's Leap and onto The Backcountry

With so much time in between internet stops there's lots to update on.  I'll remember what I can and keep it brief by leaving out what I can't!

After all the friends left I was feeling a little rocked.  Maybe it was a weekend of drinking and shenanigans.  Maybe it was seeing my lady for such a short time and then having to say goodbye.  Maybe it was the over-stimulation of 20 some odd people showing from every corner after the three of us (Neil, Hugh, and myself) had been sitting around twiddling our thumbs.  Whatever it may have been, I was ready to taking a long hike and get away from the crowds so we could laugh our way up the West Ridge on Mt. Conness.  Once the peeps went their separate ways Neil and I scooted over to the permit office to make it happen and dahn dahn DAAH, thunderstorms in the forecast! Shit!  It was the wrong time to shoot for the tallest rock in town and now we were left with no plan, no friends, and rain on the way.  Definite low point of the week!

But as with all expeditions you gotta roll with the punches.  We decided to feel out the rain at Tuolumne, get on the few things, and move on if the weather went south.  Day 1: trying to climb Crescent Arch, at the top of my trad grade after a week off of climbing with thunderstorms brewing.  Conclusion: BAIL!  Luckily some old pitons and a nut we gave to the booty bin plus some single rope stretching shenanigans got us to the ground in two raps.  Sweet!  First bail success!  That afternoon we decided to climb On the Lamb - a 4 pitch traversing (climbing sideways) 5.9 before skipping town to lower (and hopefully dryer) ground.  That night my nerves kicked in big time!  When you climb sideways the leader and the follower both experience the same consequences if they fall, what we call a pendulum (like when your parents held you high on the swings and let go but with more rock around).  All night all I could think was "Shit, this is at the top of my grade here in Tuolumne and I'm going to being "leading" the whole time after a week off and a climb we bailed off (did not inspire confidence).  Ahh!"  The nerves kept me up and by the morning I was whimpering to Neil about how I couldn't do it.  He gave me two goods reasons why it'd be fine ("we'll sew it up."  "Let's just see it first.") and we were on our way.  My nerves kept with me through my first lead.  But by the time we were on our way across this rock I couldn't stop laughing.  Here are the stats: my first lead, 5.5 and some 5.8, 1 hour.  My second lead, 5.8 (with some thunder threatening), 10 minutes.  Sometimes you just have to shake the sillies out!

With the rain coming sooner and sooner in the day we decided to head to lovers leap in the Lake Tahoe area to seek dryer weather.  The dream came true and we found a gem of a spot in the process.  The climbing was stellar, the small campground community was tons of fun, and it wound up being a great place for Neil's B-day bash complete with smashing a flaming guitar (already busted).  We happened upon some friends we had already made in Tuolumne and then made it our business to make nice with everyone we met on the crags.  By the time the big day came we had a crowd of folks (and one awesome dog named Lumi) who were ready to hang.  Big shout out to Sunny, Tony and their gang and also Jay (Robcat) who joined us camping and climbing while we were there.  Unfortunately, the Lover's Leap story did not have a happy ending when on our last day of climbing we heard a climbing accident happen while we were approaching the crag.  A lady named Nor (Nur?) had pulled down some loose rock while climbing and taken a really bad fall in the process.  Neil, Robcat, and I assisted in the rescue and did what we could to get her safely down from where her rope caught her some 300 feet above the ground.  She sustained some serious head injuries but we've been informed that her doctors are expecting a full recovering within a month or two.  Phew!  A scary day that we'll both remember.

Feeling a little rattled after the incident we headed into South Lake to pick up our buddy Hugh who had been on a Vegas adventure for his B-day.  We all decided to head back to Tuolumne and give the backcountry another try.  When we showed to get our permit this time the skies looked clear and all systems were go!  Off we went on the most epic two days of backcountry adventure that I'd ever been on.  Hugh took a lot of stats which I don't remember now but the long and short is that we hiked 7 miles uphill to camp at Young Lakes and then the next day essentially hiked to the top of this mountain (Conness), dropped down a gully to the bottom of the cliff, climbed back up on the rock (1,500 ft.), hiked back down the way we came to camp, and finally put our packs on to hike back to the car.  All in all, it was a 14 hour day of making it happen! Amazing climbing though!  Another full on romp in the mountains!  Neil, Hugh, and I simul-climbed the whole ridge.  That's when we all tie into the rope and climbing at the same time while the leader puts gear in to protect the whole team in case of unforeseen disaster.  No such disaster came and we laughed our way to the summit.  First alpine climb complete!

We were all pretty beat after our big day but Neil wanted to get a little 10c in on our rest day, "Bombs Over Tokyo."  Hugh and I belayed and took photos and called it a day.  The next day we did a little more cragging on Olmstead in Tuolumne before Neil and I took off to get a permit for our next backcountry adventure: Venusian Blind, 5.7 on Temple Crag.  Getting the permit was easy-peasy and before we knew it we were on our way.  Somehow this climb felt more intimidating than Conness.  The climbing was going to be harder and more continuous with some harder route finding and essentially the same elevation gain.  The hike up to second lake was beautiful: six miles of mellow uphill along the north fork of big pine creek complete with waterfalls, tall forest, and a view of the rock we were looking to climb.  When we got to second lake we found a great spot to camp with perfect views of the climb and the silty aqua first and second lakes.  We got an early start to approach the climb (5am hiking) and after some heming and hawing found the bottom of the route.  From there it was cruise control all the way to the top!  This backcountry, alpine style climbing is absolutely blowing me away.  Amazing hikes to idyllic camping at alpine lakes followed by cruzer climbing with beautiful views the whole way and always the big summit finish.  Can't wait to get more done!

We've been in bishop for a bit here while I wait my climbing shoes to get fixed up (I'm tough on equipment).  But tomorrow when they're ready we'll be on our way back to Tuolumne to meet back up with Hugh and finish our tick list in those parts (Fairview Dome, Crescent Arch, Third Pillar of Dana) and then Mt. Whitney, South Buttress and Charlotte Dome, South Face is all we have left.  Two weeks left now on the road to make all the dreams come true!  It's already been a ride and we're still going!

Thanks for sticking around for the long post!  More to come (hopefully in more concise formats!)  Check out the photos and stay posted.  See ya! 

The Next Adventure

So I finished the PCT.  Really!  Got the photos to prove it.  In true PCT fashion I'll refrain from writing anything about walking in Washington.  For whatever reason no one ever told me jack about the last three weeks even after giving me the step-by-step story of the Sierras and other sections.  I'll leave the mystery alive.

What followed was a lot of floundering around in Santa Barbara trying to figure out what to do next with my life.  I got an easy gig working at a local gear shop and set out to readjusting to life indoors with hopes to sort out the next big step.  By my birthday, almost a half year later, I was still at the shop with no big plans on board and burning out on uninspired wage-working.  Shit!  It was time to start making some moves.  Started looking into grad school (back to school, the moment I've been dreading!) and set my sights on getting into a  masters of social work program.  I also lined up some outdoor ed work with Adventure Treks and spent the summer kickin' it in Utah - hiking, biking, rafting, climbing, and canyoneering.  That felt better than the shop for sure!

Long story short, I'm heading to Boston University next fall to start a 2 year MSW program.  While I got that together, I cashed out on gear deals from the shop to put together my climbing rack.  It's finally time to get my climbing together for realsies. I spent the last winter learning the trad ropes (using removable protection - the stuff that catches you if you fall), training for the tall stuff, and trying to get my head together and control the fear factor.  Weekend laps to Joshua Tree were the name of the game with my first big wall in the mix!  A couple weeks before our big departure Neil and I climbed up the West Face of Leaning Tower in Yosemite Valley, spending two nights on the cliff and learning all the aid-climbing shenanigans (climbing using removable gear and rope ladders) as we went.  I'll get those photos up by the end of the summer.  Solid adventure and good hard work for the training!  Got to do a little craft with it too, making my own haul bag to drag all my stuff up behind us with.

Now, its on!  My buddy Neil (who I worked with in Utah) and I have set out for a 6 week sierra climbing saga.  The plan: to hang in Tuolumne Meadows getting our systems dialed before heading backcountry to tick off some of the classic peaks strewn about between Mt. Whitney and Yosemite Valley.  So far we've been in Tuolumne for almost two weeks.  The first eight days we set to work ticking off the classic moderates: Cathedral Peak, Eichorn's pinnacle, Matthes Crest, West Crack, Northwest Books, Dozier Dome, etc.  Getting it done!  Haven't jumped on Fairview Dome or On the Lamb yet - two classic 5.9s on my ticklist that are probably at my trad leading limit.  Wanted to feel nice and cozy before those.  Maybe we'll have to come back to get 'em.

These last few days I've been commuting to town getting the apartment finding work done.  I think we found something in Union Square and now I'm just sorting out all the details of trying to convince them that a) I'm a real person, b) I have real money and am planning to pay rent with it, c) I'm actually coming to Boston and will want a place to live, and d)they can have my money now.  It's all a little hard with me in the coffee shop and Leigh busy working at home (not to mention some account number theft complications to make it more interesting) but we're getting in done.  I the meantime Neil's pushing his limits, climbing some 5.10s with our Australian buddy Hue that we met and have been sharing a site with.  Perfect!  He'll get the scary stuff out of his system and want to climb back at my level by the time I'm done here.

This weekend Leigh and the Goleta Gang are coming up to visit (yay!) and then next week our first backcountry adventure begins: the West Ridge of Mt. Conness.  Peter Croft (climber, author, legend) once described the climb as the best moderate alpine style line in and around Tuolumne.  It's gotta be good!  If you know where you're going (which we don't) and want to have an epic day (happens, but I never plan on it!) you can do it in a day.  We're gonna get some backpacking in the mix and do it in 2 or 3.  We'll hike in, give ourselves plenty of time to get lost on the approach, and keep our days comfy and cruiser (although the epic is always knockin').  I'll let ya'll know how it goes next time I hop online.

Until then, check out the pics I have from Tuolumne.  More to come!

Oregon Challenge Complete - mile 2150ish

Yes yes yes!  Completed the run through Oregon in 14 days flat.  I'm not such a competitive person, nor am I racing to Canada (first one who gets there is the loser) but setting a goal and hitting my mark felt good.  I had a great crew of folks coming into the OC who stuck it out with me all the way to Bend/Sisters, OR where they had to jump out to get food and then got sucked into good town times.  At the time it felt silly that I was pushing on with all my buddies right behind me to step into another hikerless void but within days I caught up to the first wave of my old peeps - Seahorse and Chilidog!  Yes!  I knew I'd been moving fast for a reason.

Had to change up the routine some to make miles.  More so than in any other section I've realized how much walking has become my lifestyle.  If I'm not eating, sleeping, or rearranging my stuff then I'm walking.  Sun up to sun down.  But it doesn't feel like a chore it's just the way it is.  I get up at 5:30 before first light, get my stuff jammed into my pack, wolf down a bear claw and get walking by 6 when the sun's just starting to hit.  And it doesn't feel like "Here we go again.  Another long day.  Gotta start walking." It's just what happens when all my stuff is packed and there's no more breakfast pastry.  Automatic pilot.  As thoughtless as turning on the coffee machine in the morning, or driving to work/school even though you're half asleep.  And the day just rolls by as I put more miles behind me.  Take a coffee break, walk some more.  Each lunch, walk some more.  Sit down for a snack, and walk some more... all the while seeing some amazing sites, having good conversation with other hikers, meeting new folks on the trail - ya know, living.  And Oregon had some amazing sites to see.  This section has been one of the most stunningly beautiful areas I've walked through on the whole trail.  First all the beautiful lakes with clear swimmin' water reflecting the tall forest around them, then the Three Sisters and all the lava flows and snow capped volcanoes chained together.  Then Jefferson... then Washington... then Hood... volcanoe hopping our way through the state.  I'd get by one and climb a ridge to look back and when I'd turn around BAM another giant would be staring me down off in the distance.  It's fun to see where you're headed, and where you've been.

Got to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood with Chilidog, Seahorse, Marmot, Roo, Goodness, and Zim and chowed down on an amazing breakfast buffet.  Yes!  It was a pre-border celebration anticipating dropping into the Columbia River Gorge in two short days until we heard... fire everywhere!  Ok not everywhere.  But the fires on the north side of Hood had just gone from manageable to humongous overnight and the PCT was in the danger zone (or atleast in the closure zone).  We were the first ones to hit the roadblock so we sat down with a rep from the forest service and brainstormed a detour around the other side of the mountain.  It would add about 15 miles, involve a fair amount of road walking, and put us up and down trails that laugh in the face of the PCT's mellow grades and cruiser conditions.  Most rangers urged us to just thumb a ride to the river and call it a state knowing full well just how inglorious this detour would be but at this point we've come to far through too much to start skipping sections.  The thruhiker compulsion got the best of us and off we went.  The first section on the timberline trail was a little grueling but beautiful.  Then we dropped down to a pretty major road for a 15 mile pavement section.  To make the best of the situation I hitched up to a store to grab some cold drinks and snacks and brought 'em back to help entertain us through the night-hike road walk.  It was pretty fun to cruise down the road at night.  Not a lot of traffic and a great opportunity to all hang out while we walked.  It's hard to get 10 people in a conversation when you walk in single file.  But taking over that road we might as well of been sitting around someones living room chattin' it up.  Lot's of good jokes and riddles got us through a long night.  In the morning we finished out the pavement, got up a forest road and back to trail to drop down into the gorge.

Coming into the gorge was a really exciting time for me.  I know this place.  I've hiked here and lived here and have felt at home here.  But I've never walked here!  Coming up over the ridge and getting a look at the Columbia River with Washington on the other side brought on a realization of how far I'd come like a slap in the face... one followed by an unstoppable grin.  I might actually finish this trail!  For the first time on the whole trip it feels like the end is just a ways away instead of being some far-off goal that's not even worth considering yet. 

Having great and long-time friends in Portland and hiking with folks that have lived in the area and have connections in Hood River was just icing on the cake.  The trail down to the gorge was another reminder of how spoiled we have gotten on the PCT - some of the steepest 3 miles of trail I'd ever been on in my life.  When we finally hit Cascade Locks, I tried thumbing a ride to Portland.  But by then it was already pretty dark and prospects were low.  So instead I went with Seahorse and Chilidog to Hood River with their friend Megan.  Sweet brewery, good mexican food, right on the water, cool town.  And... I finally ran into Bubbles!  Hell yes!  The time of chasing my friends down was finally over.  We hung out for a bit before everyone crashed.  The next day it was taking care of business time - puting together 5 packages of food to scatter down the trail in Washington.  A tedious process but we got it done.  Said goodbye for now to Chilidog and Seahorse and hitched a ride to Portland to meet up with friends and track down Boots.  It all came together at the Laurelthirst with some live bluegrass and good local suds to make the reunion of old friends on trail and off even more exciting.  Wound up closing the bar and headed back to my good friend Lisa's house to get some sleep.  Now I'm hanging out at a coffee shop in the usual Portland fashion and getting myself excited about getting back on trail.  I miss this town and would love to come back and do it even better than I did before.  Maybe sometime down the road.  I have other things to do for now.

So I've heard some clamoring for more photos and I'd love to get them out there because there's some really cool stuff to see from OR.  But unfortunately I didn't get the chance to make it happen yet.  If I have more time in town today I may give it a shot.  Otherwise it might have to wait until I'm done.

Cool!  One last piece of business.  So I've mailed my last five boxes out and will definitely be hitting those post offices/businesses/homes.  As usual, make sure you check out the how-to on mailing before hitting the PO.  If you wanna send anything out here's the skinny on where I'll be:

c/o Trout Lake Grocery
PO Box 132
Trout lake, WA 98650
ETA: 9/11

c/o White Pass Rural Branch PO
at the Kracker Barrel Store
48851 US Hwy 12
Naches, WA 98937
ETA: 9/14

General Delivery
c/o Chevron Station
Snoqualmie Pass, WA 98068
ETA: 9/18

Dinsmore's Hiker Haven
(my name)
PO Box 374
Skykomish, WA 98288
ETA: 9/21

General Delivery
Stehekin, WA 98852
ETA: 9/25

That's all folks!

Oregon -The Promise Land! Mile 1730

Yeeeeehaw!  We finally made it!  California, see ya later.  It's on to new terrain and adventure in the northwest. 

Did a quick in and out at Etna and we all hit the trail hard with wide eyes set on the Oregon border.  Before we got there though we had to hit the last official pit stop in California - Seiad Valley.  Home of the biggest challenge on the PCT - a five pound pancake eating contest.  If you get all five of these frisbees down the breakfast is on them and you enter a prestigious and small society of winners.  If 200 out of 400 get to the finish of the PCT this year I'd say less than 10 will complete the challenge.  Many may finish the trail, but few can eat 5 lbs of pancakes!  We didn't make it in time for breakfast, but after a long night and a 4:30 wakeup that morning we were able to get to the diner before it closed at 2 for some amazing milkshakes and patty melts.  Mmm.  Then a little chilltime by the river and a few thousand calories out of the convenience store and we were ready to keep on walking.  A big climb out of Seiad led up to some beautiful ridge walking with views of valley after valley leading all the way back to Shasta.  That mountain is beautiful but I'm ready to get a new valcanoe in view.

Three good days of walking and we were lined up for a morning arrival into OR.  Getting to that border was surreal.  Once I saw it in the distance I immediately started racing to the finish line.  Got to the sign, gave a big hoot and holler, and then took some time to try to figure out what just happened.  Judging from the sign I knew that I had walked the 1700 miles or so through all of California but it was real hard to FEEL like I did.  Out on the PCT it's like we're all in our own trail bubble that's somehow separate from points on the map although we do collide with towns you can point to from time to time.  Thinking back I could remember all the adventure and challenges and good times I'd had to get me here but conceptualising all of it as a continuous walk from Mexico to Oregon was too big to wrap my head around.  A funny feeling for sure that I'm sure will only get harder to sort through as we hit borders up north.

We did a little celebrating at the border and took the rest of the day easy - mosying to a spot not far from town.  I've been rolling around with Team Molasses - Flash, Rattler, Rocky, and (sometimes) Speedbump - a crew of good folks that pride themselves on capturing faster hikers who race up from behind them but then wind up hanging out for a while 'cause they enjoy the company.  I was definitely one of those hikers and fully appreciated the friendly faces and a few days of easier walking.  Just before I ran into this crowd I really started burning out on walking big miles for the sake of big miles - always focusing on the goal and not on the present.  Pushing hard when I was tired or hungry 'cause my watch said to, and not taking as much time to enjoy great things along the way.  Just before Etna I decided to pull the plug on that strategy for now and get back to walking for the sake of walking, as opposed to just getting places.  Team Molasses helped me stay true to that and now that we're all rejuvinated, we're all talking about getting back to big miles - the Oregon Challenge!

On the PCT Oregon is definitely the promise land.  Along the trail, the state is known as the section where all of a sudden the trail flattens out and all of the zeros and short mile days in the Sierras get made up for in a race to the Columbia river.  All of your trail sins will be pardoned and you will magically be transported to the other side, rejuvinated and ready for a hard and mysterious (cause no one one talks about it) slog through Washington.

It won't be all it's cracked up to be I'm sure.  Rumors about the trail are never as glorious or severe as they're made out to be.  But it is going to be cruiser terrain and a good chance to catch up on some time (and some people).  Starting tomorrow morning I'll get started on what's known as the Oregon Challenge - finishing the entire state in a quick 2 weeks.  It'll be quick work but hard as well.  But with not a lot in the way of big views and rewarding climbs a mile marker might be just the right motivation to get through the state.  Hard to believe CA took over 3 months and I'm talking about being in washington in a handful of days.  But if I can push 32 miles a day including restock stops throughout the whole thing Washinton will be in sight in early September.  I'm psyched to get there quick and breath more easily about finishing up before the snow starts coming down.

Time to give up the computer to some other folks at the Ashland Hostel (great spot).  Not much in the way of towns in OR but I'll catch you all at the next border.  Start your watches and wish me luck.  See ya on the other side!

Cruisin' through Nor-Cal Mile 1610

Holy Mole!  What to say.  It's been a long and lonesome stretch.  After the halfway I kept truckin solo.  Coming out of Chester I hit the Drakesbad resort in Lassen National Park - such generous people!  They set me up with a shower, a hot spring fed pool, a cooler of the good stuff and a humongous meal at half price.  I got seated with a pair of identical twins that had grown up coming to the spot with their family and a man from the bay area who was running a star watching program that night.  Good company.  And when I asked the owner if they might have any leftovers of an awesome prime rib family style diner he came out with a plate bigger than the first one I got.  Hell ya!

From Drakesbad I did a day's walk to Old Station - a sleepy town with an RV resort and a general store.  After a soda and some ice-cream I decided, "what the heck.  I'll hike the next stretch of hot waterless miles tonight and get into town a day earlier than I expected."  So I hit the Hat Creek Rim around 7 or 8 and hiked 'til about one in the morning, my biggest day yet - 43 miles!  It seemed well worth it too after reading the registers about all the heat and blisters etc.  I dropped in Burney, CA the next day, got my food, had a pizza to fill me up and was right back on the trail.  I kept up the 30 mile average coming into the Dunsmuir/Mount Shasta area.  Finally I ran into more hikers!  The weeks of hiking solo were finally over as I came across Hans Solo, Pfiesty, and Wandering Dot.  Also ran into Samurai and Frito-Ray, some section hikers working their way to Ashland.  When they get there, Samurai will be done with her PCT hike!  I can only imagine what that will feel like for her... and what that'll feel like for me when it's my time.  Spent a bunch of time in Dunsmuir at the cool not-for-profit laundermat and then some more time at the Dunsmuir Brewery Works.  Good home-made brew and awesome house-smoked ribs.  Life was good.  Ran back into the hikers there and wound up sticking around a little longer for some more food and beer. Samurai and Frito-Ray were super generous and picked up the tab on my second meal.  Thanks again guys!  Got a great ride back to the trail that night and was making miles again in the morning.  Another few days of 30s and I hit more of the crowd - running into Flash, Rattler, Rocky, Anthony, Crasher, Speedbump, Holden, Quake, Unload, Cherry Picker... Lots of people!  I'm definitely back in it.  We all dropped into Etna, CA around the same time and after getting chores done spent a good amount of time at the Etna Brewery... great suds and good company.  From here I'm looking at a hard hitch back to the trail and then just a few days to get out of this humongous state.  We're Oregon bound!

From the registers I figure that Boots and Bubbles are about 3 days ahead.  Bubs says she's going to be spending some time visiting friends in Oregon and I'm going take on the 2 week Oregon challenge (getting through all of OR in 14 days) so it's a recipe for running into one another.  For now I'm going to enjoy the company I'm in and the miles ahead.  Can't wait to hit that border and feel the first big accomplishment of the hike.  We worked for it that's for sure.  I'll catch you all on the other side!

Halfway and still lovin' life! Mile 1340

Been CRUISIN through northern California making miles and looking to catch up to my people (and have enough time to actually make it to California).  After leaving Katherine in King's Beach (a hard decision to make.  That place rocks!) I took a day and a half to blow into Sierra City, walking my first 30 mile day.  Cool SMALL town with one main street that's about 2 short blocks long with one general store and 3 restaurants (two of which are bars).  There are some trail angels there at Red Moose Cafe, Bill and Margaret who run the restaurant there and let hikers spend the night, use their computer, take showers, and basically help out any way they can.  Awesome awesome people who seem genuinely happy to help and serve up a mean breakfast with all you can eat breakfast (and I hear a tasty BBQ rib dinner).  Definitely like no greasy spoon I've been to before.  Great spot, I'd love to go back sometime and hang more and help out.

Left Sierra City and took a funky "short cut" to get back to the PCT right out of the backside of down.  An old forest road I guess that goes through a ton of old mines on the hill there and past a lot of private property owned by people who clearly want to be left alone (lots of signs like "beware of killer dogs" "we don't call the cops" "we have guns and know how to use them"...).  I judged the signs as more bark than bite... only saw one dog and didn't see a single person before I was back on public land.  Then it was cruisin' into Belden.  Did some leap froggin' with a hiker named Josh but he was the only other person I saw before running into 7-11 the day I arrived in Belden.  Had a hot meal, picked up my package, jumped in the river, and it was back to the trail to tackle the big climb back up to the ridge.  One more big day (31 miles this time!) and then a short walk into Chester.  Back in town again!  This time I'm going to stick around for a couple of hours and get a shower, a couple of meals, and my new shoes.  They just arrived from REI this morning right in time.  I have a photo of them side by side and you'll see it was definitely time for some new tires.

Yesterday I ran through the official halfway mark of the trail.  There were a lot of mixed emotions.  At the time I was starting to feel a little frustrated about not catching up with my crew as soon as I'd hoped.  And I've been feeling anxious about getting up to Washington quick before the snow sets in.  Plus outside of a few folks here and there I've pretty much been on my own.  The solitude was a welcome break but I'm back to wanting a little company to keep me motivated and to ramp up the fun out here.  Anyway, I was a little down and out when I hit it but looking at the register and all the names of folks I'd traveled with along the way so far reminding me of what an awesome adventure it's been so far.  To think that I have that many more good times, beautiful places, and fun adventure ahead (even if I have to do it in 2/3rds the time) was super uplifting.  Now I'm back on top of my game and ready for more.  I'm definitely still looking to catch up with Boots, Bubbs, and the rest of them up ahead but I'm not going to run past opportunities to have fun and meet cool people along the way.  We'll all be together again soon but in the mean time I'll definitely be enjoying myself.  As for Canada, if I keep cruising the way I have been it won't be a problem.  Plus the word on the trail is that it only get's faster from here through Oregon.  Onward and upward!

So you folks know, I'm moving faster than I planned on last time around.  If you're still planning on sending something out, here are some updated dates: 

Burney, CA 96013 ETA: 8/8
Mount Shasta, CA 96067 ETA: 8/12

As usual check out the mailing how-to if you want to send anything. 

Back on the TRAIL - mile 1158

The tides of snow have finally turned back here in Nor-Cal (I'm getting hip to the lingo).  Just finished two short sections to get me to Truckee where I got in touch with my college friend Katherine who lives in King's Beach on the north shore of Lake Tahoe.  I've been here for a couple nights taking care of business for the next few hundred miles and getting good R&R in - live bluegrass show, swimming in the lake, BBQ on the beach, good greasy spoon breakfast... life is good.

Coming back from NYC was harder than I thought.  It was a stark difference from being surrounded by people I love and having awesome fun reunion times plus the wedding celebration extravaganza to being dropped in the middle of the mountains at Sonora Pass knowing that the folks I've been traveling with were a week ahead and expecting to be doing a lot of walking on my own.  As luck turned out I ran into some friendly familiar faces right at the trail head and did some traveling with Queso, Nacho, Cerveza, and Caveman coming into South Lake Tahoe.  The trail has been mellowing out for us.  It's still a bit hard to follow in some spots but in general is getting back to a solid path.  The tradeoff for less snow has been more bugs - the 'skitters are out!  Every challenge has a silver lining I suppose though.  With the snow, even though it made everything slower and harder I could never genuinely wish it away because it also made everything so damn beautiful.  The bugs have a clever way of staying uncondemned as well - their deal is as long as you are walking, they'll stay off your back (and your face, and hands, and whatever other skin you're showing).  But once you stop it's a feeding frenzy.  Obvious solution - keeping walking!  It's a good thing too that they keep us motivated seeing as how we're 3 months into a 5 month trip and just approaching the halfway point.  Time to make miles my friends!

At South Lake Tahoe we got in touch with an AT-super-enthusiast, Superman, who rolls with the Riff Raff crew back east helping out hikers and keeping the good times rolling both on and off the trail.  He brought the tradition out west and has been puting up hikers and showing all a good time.  A bunch of us stayed in his place - the set and setting for a good time with good people and a gripping 5 dollar poker tourney that Superman came on top of (now I know why he puts up so many hikers!).  Most folks decided to stay another night but in the morning I was antsy to get back to the trail after taking a week off.  So I said my goodbyes to Team Fiesta and the Car Camp crew and headed back to make some miles.

So I hopped back on and had a blast walking through a beautiful section of trail in the desolation wilderness.  Beautiful glacial lakes everywhere!  My favorite, hands down, was Aloha lake - a humongous pile of bold blue water spotted with rock islands and surrounded by still-snow-covered peaks.  The area was a little more crowded than most of the spots we've been to (and I actually got "carded" by a ranger who checked my permit.  First time!  It's official, I'm walking the PCT!).  But that's how it works in beautiful places.  If anyone has the time and is in the area I would definitely recommend checking this spot out.

I've really enjoyed walking and camping by myself this week.  It was nice to have some quiet time after the hustle and bustle of my last two weeks.  And now the trail is back to mind-wandering walking as opposed to the highly-focussed "where am I?" "don't slip now" "holy crap this river is huge!" stuff we've just been through.  I'm headed back out today and am not sure what hikers will be out there but if I'm on my own for a few more days I won't be disappointed.

Cool!  So I've been slacking in the whole "here's where I'm going to be if you want to send me stuff" department.  Here's a list of the next few places I'm definitely stopping into.  I should be in all of them on weekdays so no problems there.  Definitely give me a call AND write me an email if you plan on sending anything out and I'll try to stay on top of that stuff.  Also, make sure to check out the how-to before dropping something in the mail.

Chester, CA 96020 ETA: 8/7
Burney, CA 96013 ETA: 8/11
Mount Shasta, CA 96067 ETA: 8/16

Awesome!  Thanks in advanced for anything that might come my way.  Next time I'm in touch I'll be past the halfway marker, whoop whoop!  Then it's Oregon on the horizon and the race to Canada is on.  Catch you all later!