Mexican in Agua Dulce

Iceman charging ahead.

Automatic Pilot aka Wade Berger gaining altitude

Sunrise on a small canyon

One of the many burns the trail encounters

Just Retired aka Col. Mike Tarman

Breakfast in Wrightwood

Waiting for a hitch

The sprinklers came on

Wrightwood's first little league game under the lights

Sent from my iPhone

Journal entires

5/3/12
First day on trail started 5 PM quit around 8 saw many hikers.  Took a bus from El Cajon there were 7 passangers aboard all of them wanted to know about me and my hike.  Apperent;y they all take the same route every thursday and know eachother a little too well.  The driver dropped me off at Barrrel Springs wear there was some 20 hikeres there to greet me.  Said hello and hit the trail.  Having taken maybe 100 of my first steps I met two guys from Indiana, Matt and Phil.  Matt had been over served at the trail head by some generous folks serving up beers and corn dogs. I ended up hiking away from them, set up camp and slept the night alone on a river bank listening to bull frogs.  I'm pumped about the days weeks and months to come.

5/4/12 Hiked 20 miles today 10 of which took me through a 5 year old fire burn.  Hot hot hot.  First time I hiked 20 on this trip and its only the second day!  My feet and legs are cooked. Tomorrow is going to be a water management day.  Met 4 hikers after 3PM saw no hikers before then.

5/5/12
Happy birthday Dad!  Started the day early.  Another day with very little water on trail.  A water cache was set up after a 12 mile dry stretch.  When I got there it was empty.  There must have been 50 dry 3 gallon water tanks.  A hiker named Wade walked up while I was sitting in the shade eating lunch still upset at this spectacle before me.  As I broke the news to hime I could sense he was just as upset as I was.  This cache after all was named the oasis cache.  A better name should have been the mirage cache.  Made the last 8-10 miles with 2 liters. Finished the day at highway 74.  Here, there was trail magic courtesy of Tarzan, Little Steps and Dr. Sole.  Dr Sole popped blisters and bandaged tired feet.  While the other trail angels served up food and drink. Stuffed my face with greasy hamburgers at the Paradise Cafe.

5/6/12
Spent the night next to highway 74 woke up to more trail magic, breakfast.  Watermelon, mexican sausage and omlets.  Headed off around 8:30  Lots of climbing and descending, water was well off the trail.  Atleast there was water.  I hiked above Palm Springs all Afternoon and camped at about 6,800 feet.  Thats taller than anything on the Appalachian Trail.

5/7- 5/8/12
Wlaked down towards Idyllwild and got a 2.5 mile hitch into town.  Ate tacos and slept in the state park right in town.  Stayed up untill well after midnight drinking beer with the Austin brothers, Joel, Robin and a few other hikers.  Took a zero mile day to rest my tired dogs.  Shopped for grocerys and wandered the wonderful town of  Idyllwild.  Scheduled a hitch for the next morning back to the trail head.  The final night I split a cabin with Wampus Cat, Zen, Toenail, and Wade (Auto Pilot).  Tired.  Watched TV for 2 hrs then slept well in a twin bed.

5/9/12
Wade and I woke up around 6:30 to meet our ride up to the trail head we planned to climb up San Jacinto.  I figured we would summit by noon.  We reached the top around 12:30.  Took photos with Magellan, David Laura, and another hiker named Spencer.  They had found a Frisbee golf disc along the trail up and were excited to chunk it off the top of this lonesome peak.  It flew a long way.  On the way down from the summit we met up with Wampus, Zen, Yankee Son, and Hallmark.  Camped out at the Black Mountain Campground.\

5/10/12
The decent down san Jacinoto was horrible.  A 9,000 foot drop.  16 miles of downhill my knees stared shaking, pulsing around the 8 mile mark.  We could see our destination all morning but the trail wouldn't drop fast enough.  There is a gondalla that drops down into Palm Springs from the Summit.  Everyone regretted not taking it.  Upon reaching the desert floor we walked 4 miles across an arroyo then slipped underneath I-10.  Awaiting this tiresd group of hikers was a nice cold soda cache.  Smiles abound.  I got my trail name under that ridge.  They call me Fairway.  After our cokes we headed up hill towards Ziggy and the Bear's place. An elderly couple who have been hosting hikers for years.  You walk into their backyard past the porta-potties dedicated to hikers.  Sign the register take off your shoes. then a nice hot salt bath is brought in to soak your feet.  Dinner was hot dogs salad and ice cream.  I slpet in their backyard, woke up to breakfast cereal fruit coffee and orange juice. I left the $20 in the donation and will send them a post card soon.

The library is about to close more entries to come.

Looking West from the top of Cajon Pass

Horny Toad

Silverwood

Morning above Grass Valley

Big Bear Lake and Ski Resort

More trail magic just 5 miles north of the last one

Trail magic 15 miles south of Big Bear.

Windmills

Dodging the heat 9,000 feet below San Jacinto

The summit of San Jacinto

San Jacinto Mtn is 10,000 feet

Look out from Tahquitz Peak

A view of San Jacinto MTN

Trail magic at highway 74. Little Steps and Tarzan served fried chicken and beer. The next morning they made omelets.

Idyllwild

I'm in Idyllwild CA. Spending a zero day in this incredible mountain town. I've done all my laundry, showered, and collected enough supplies to last me another 5 days. I stayed at a campground outside of town last night and tonight I'm splitting a cabin with 4 others. Big Bear hostel is my next stop. I'll be checking the post office so send me something. The town library is closed today so I'll upload my journal entries next week. Big climb tomorrow. San Jacinto looms.

Preperations. Nerves? No. Frustrations? Yes.

I've known all along that I was never much of a technologically hip guy, however that notion was confirmed yesterday when I bought this iphone doo dad.  The salesman at AT and T whizzed right through his presentation of phone's features.  He was pointing and clicking faster than the pages cood load. I was amazed, probably stepped back in awe 7 times. He would look up, say "do you understand" my reply "oh yes that makes perfect sense."  After the purchase I got in the car and couldn't even turn it on/off I had to go back in the store.  One more step back "Oh I see now"

Right now I'm on my laptop but eventually all my blog posts will be coming from the phone we will see how that turns out.

My Flight to San Diego leaves at 7:50 am tomorrow I arrive at 11:35 and I'm taking a bus to El Cajon where I will buy some fuel for my stove and get a hotel for the night.  Friday will be my first steps on the PCT. Well not really.  Having hiked a small portion of it in 2002 following along the John Muir Trail. I remember being slack jaw at the shear beauty of the Sierra's.  I really can't wait to get out there.