Mile ?- The Anderson's house in Green Valley, Ca

We headed out of Wrightwood the morning the Tour de California came through. This is the beginning of the massive roadwalk

We made it to the Sauffleys in Agua Dulce! This is what their yard looks like during hiker season

I finally found a pinecone as big as my head!

Emilee and Avo doing their best to get a hitch into the Andersons after a 24-mile day from Agua Dulce

Since Wrightwood, we've walked about 60 miles on road because of a fire detour, and about 25 miles on trail. I don't have many pictures because road walking is tiresome and monotonous aka freaking boring! The group I'm with is really great, and Dagney got a trail name- Princess! We've decided we're in no hurry to get to Kennedy Meadows(the last stop before the Sierras) because it's still really snowy through the Sierras- they got another 2 ft the other day! So we zeroed at the Sauffleys in Agua Dulce and are zeroing again here at the Andersons. Good times have been had by all!

Mile 363.6 ish- Wrightwood, Ca.

Hasty and I's clothes dryer in Idylwild One of the Rattlesnakes I almost stepped on along Mission Creek Finding the re-route after Hwy 15 Emily and Dots doing Yoga and a drying party Avo, Emily and Dagney hiking the road re-route
I've been doing good mileage since Big Bear Lake- I did my first 25 mile day, with an hour stop to enjoy a natural hot spring that was right next to the trail. Onto Agua Dulce!

Hasty and I crossing some of the first of much snow in the San Jocintos

Mile 165ish - Big Bear Lake from Hiway 18

So wow, snow already. After leaving Warner Springs, I hiked a few 20ish mile days through desert to palms-to-pines hiway. Everyone on trail had been talking about the San Jocinto Mountains being possibly snow-ridden from palms-to-pines hiway to Fuller Ridge Campground. I decided to try it anyway, and met up with Hasty, who was going to try to go through as well. We didn't hit snow until about 2 or 3 miles before Devil's Slide trail, which we were planning on taking into Idylwild. We couldn't find the trail for a while, but thankfully Hasty had a compass and we used our compass and map- reading skills to find our way across the valley to the saddle that the devil's slide trail is in.
The next day, after filling our bellies and food bags in Idylwild, Hasty and I went back up into the mountains to attempt Fuller Ridge. After walking for about 12 hours, most of which was not on-trail but sinking/traipsing/bushwhacking through snow, rocks, and bushes, we made it 14ish trail miles to Fuller Ridge campground. It was the first time on the trail thusfar that I'd truly been relieved to be in camp for the night. I was told after the Fuller Ridge section that going through that area has better prepared me for the Sierras though!
The next day, going from an elevation of about 8,500 ft down to I-10 in the Mojave Desert at around 2,000 ft was an adventure- switchbacking 15 miles down the mountain to the next water source (a water fountain) by about 2pm. We planned on going 23 miles to a windfarm, but got distracted by Jackalope and Eagle Eye's trail magic under I-10 - those grilled cheese sandwiches and watermelon really hit the spot!
We then proceeded to head back up the mountains(the San Gorgonios this time) to about 8,000ft. Thankfully, this part of the trail wasn't covered in snow in most parts, and had some beautiful views. I'm unable to post pictures here at Big Bear Lakes Hostel, so I'll have to post more next time I'm in town. There are a few fire closures coming up, so I'm sure the trail will look a lot differently than it has for the past week- I'm definitely looking forward to it though!

Mile 111-ish: Warner Springs, Ca

Before the Head-shaving: Bones, Low and I

After

Everyone I started with on Friday

An over view of ADZLMPCTKO(kick-off)






It's been great so far getting back into the swing of hiking everyday, though my feet are taking a bit longer to get used to it than my mind. The first few days my knees were hurting so much on the downhills, I wasn't sure I'd be able to go on. Thankfully, that cleared up though they still ache a bit- it's amazing what stretching and Glucosamine will do. The best part of the trip so far other than the people is most definitely the views- so amazing. Since it's been such a wet spring, everything's green and blooming- one of the streams along the trail that's been dry for 5 years is running this year!
I'll be heading into the San Josentos mountains this week, which was impassable last week because of snow. There's (according to a person who walked through it Thurs) 'still enough snow to make it interesting'
Highest Mileage Day: about 23 miles
Lowest Mileage Day(other than zero Miles): 10 miles into Warner Springs
New friends: Guthook, Kerry, Ishmael, Furniture, Wolf Taffy, Seamus, Paladine, Annika, Burny, Chance, Cloudbuster, Not a Chance, The Croatian Sensation
Thanks for the Trail Magic: Wayne and the Julian Outfitter, Doug and Marilyn Streed, Louie, & Wally and Ginny Winkler, Hamburger Helper

Planning- 1 day prior

my sister's freezer full of dehydrated meals
All my gear laid out on my bed
All my gear packed up!

I've planned, I've prepped, and soon the moment of truth is to be had.... We'll see how it goes! Also- for those of you who are curious- my base pack weight (without food and water) is around 15 lbs

Planning- About 1 month til starting the PCT

So right now, at 1 month and counting down until my start date, I have about a million things I'm trying to figure out. So far, I've gotten a new camera (Olympus Stylus Tough 8000), a new long-sleeve light weight shirt to protect me from the desert sun, a one-way plane ticket to San Diego, a place to stay in SD (with some friends), a new backpack, I'm getting loaned a bear canister for the Sierras (thanks again for doing that program, Jim!), my thru-hiker permit, my passage into Canada permit, about a months worth of dehydrated meals.
I haven't yet gotten new poles (mine come apart at the wrong place), shoes for the trek, a sleeping bag(though I think it's on the way), a more complete resupply plan, a way to get to the trailhead at the mexico border (though I do have some leads on that), a puffy jacket (they're lighter and more stuff-able than fleece), and you can never have enough dehydrated meals!

It may look as though I have a lot done, but I am trying to get everything ready before I head into Denver on April 4th to begin a 14-day sleep study that I've qualified for. This study keeps me in a room for 14 days, feeds me, and lets me have 5 or 8 hours of sleep. They are studying the relationship between sleep deprivation and obesity/diabetes. They are also paying me $2500- this is obviously the main reason for me to do this sleep study- money for the trail!

I've already put my two-weeks notice in at the place I'm working now, so I'll be done with that March 31st, just in time to celebrate my sister's birthday! Now all I have to do in these next couple of weeks is try to not forget the small stuff- first aid stuff, socks, water purification, guidebooks, camera card/extra battery/wire, figuring out resupply points,etc. Oh, yea- does anyone have book/movie suggestions for me to check out for my sleep study?

Planning- about 2 months until the PCT

Update- I got a pack! My friend who I hiked most of the AT with, CC, works at a gear shop in Ohio and got me a Osprey Talon 44. It's lighter than the Aura and has support, unlike ML designs packs. He's also going to send me a new sleeping bag, and I'm definitely looking forward to testing it out on my porch here.

A lot has been going on here in Colorado. I went snowshoeing for the first time- I highly recommend it! We did about 6 miles on Feb 14 near Bailey, what a way to spend a Sunday. Just remember to refuel along the way- I almost passed out because by the time I realized I was hungry, my clif bar was frozen. Ah, the early stages of hypothermia...
I've also been dehydrating a lot of food with my new dehydrator. It's been interesting- some items dehydrate so well (garbanzo beans), some not so well (larger chunks of foods) All will taste delicious on the trail, I'm sure.