August 18th 2012,
If you google his name the only date that is suggested for is death is August 18th 1992. Twenty years ago sometime in this week, Chris McCandless died in an abandon bus on the Stampede Trail. James and I have been working for a company here in Healy Alaska called Denali ATV Adventures since May and they actually have a ATV tour on this infamous Stampeded Trail. James has been working as a guide, guiding up and down just 9 miles of this trail and finally this week we walked past the 9 mile marker "into the wild" as Chris put it. Its amazing how this story has brought travelers from all over the world to take their picture in front of the magic bus. I've been working in the Office for Denali ATV and have come across a number of people asking me how to get there and if we'll take them.

We hit the trail the evening of the 18th of August twenty years later.
Now I hate to say it, but when we came to the Teklanika River (the river Chris could not make it back across) it was extremely low, taking us less then 10 minutes for our party of 5 to cross. It was only knee high and the current wasn't that strong. Why do I hate to say it? I don't really know exactly. Could be because I wanted it to be harder for Chris's sake maybe it was because all the locals said it was. Any rate it was an easy crossing over the Taklanika the day we were there.

We walked on. We went through a beaver pond and splashed our way to camp. Over drinks we talked about the bus, Chris, work, the Teklanika and how lucky we were.

In the morning, our throats parched and with no water to drink we hiked on to a little stream we named Brian James Springs, in honor of the coworker who let us borrow his water filter.

By noon we had made it to the bus. No one was there. The Bus was all ours and it was amazing. Not only did the bus look in better shape then everyone had said it was, it was a living breathing shrine to this image and idea of being In the Wild. Yes, the windows have been shot out by the locals and there was a garbage area behind the bus, not to mention the obvious bathroom choices people had made. But despite all that it was THE BUS.

Now I know its just a bus, but to call it "just a bus" takes away from what it can really represent. I remember watching the film before heading up to Alaska in 2008. I remember recalling the story when I went backpacking by myself for a week. I remember crying on a plane while reading the book heading to Missouri. I'd love to say I like the story because I think I know what Chris was looking for, but I can't know that for sure. What I do know is that the story reminds me of the search for freedom and thus the bus represents that search.

Now I know this might be strange, but when we sat down on the bed in the back of the bus, it was extremely comfortable. James and I are used to sleeping on floors or dirt, but this bed was like a dream hammock. So yes, I know this sounds creepy, but we slept in Chris's bed.


Our hike back was filled with the feeling accomplishment. When we hit the Teklanika River it had risen quite a few inches. It was actually at one point at my crouch. The current was strong. It took full concentration. In a day and a half, the river had gone from simple to moderately hard, a few more inches and it would have been a true struggle to cross. Our minds were at ease.

So I finally got a video together that I think does a great job at explaining our experience of the trail. They are available on youtube, though I think you have to view them on an PC. It won't work on mobile devices. 

Part 1 PCT 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMRIv4hVJdU

Part 2 PCT 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wICzGzU9prA&feature=relmfu

Part 3 PCT 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tud3BTIA8tE&feature=relmfu

Super fun to make! Hope you enjoy!

We made it!!!!!

So we made it to the border the 26th of Oct.! I can't believe it. It was really hard going but we came out the other end alive and with all fingers and toes, so thats more than we could ask for.

A reflection entry is in order but for now I just have to get us to being back.

Just over 80 more miles

We made it!!! It was such a struggle through the snow and rain to make it to stehekin but we did. The postmaster said we we're his latest pct hikers he has seen. We wore it like a badge of honor. So what if we're the slowest, we hiked the longest hike! Something to be proud of. We have about 4 to 5 more days at the most and then we're heading home to be with family
And friends. I can't wait. What a long strange trip it's been. I can't wait tell I get to be nostalgic about this trip and write long reflective essays on the matter.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

250 miles from the border and it is pure hell. We had a melt down and wanted to get off trail. At 5000 ft the snow was sticking and a few more inches and we wouldn't be able to see the trail cut through the brush. Below 5000 ft it was pure rain. Shoes soaked, body tired and all of us had hit a breaking point.
We hit snolqulamie pass, cerveza called some friends in Seattle and we planned to go into town. We needed a zero(none mileage day). We revamped our gear, looked at the weather (snow, rain, snow, rain) fuck! But Canada can not be taken away from us. We have to try. We have too!
So right now we are just going to go for it. We know we're taking a risk but we got too. It's to close.
It's only 2 weeks at most. That's nothing.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Rainington

So we are at mile 2303 white pass. We went over goat mountains while a storm was coming in. It was kind of scary but we're pushing northward. Next stop we're half way through Washington. Almost home free. I can't wait to get home but first I got to walk 350 more miles


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Timberline lodge

498 miles left!!! We went into Portland for a day, dropped of Shilo to my mom and now were heading to cascade locks!

Here comes the last leg of the trail!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Just some notes on trail

One of the coolest animal sightings happened the other day. We saw an owl. It silently flew from one branch to another and I saw it from the corner of my eye. We watched it for a few minutes and moved on.

On sept 7 we broke our record. We pulled a 32 mile day into crater lake. We consider Oregon the promised land because a lot of hikers say thAt compared to everything else we've climbed over it's flat and so far we haven't been disappointed.

Shilo (James' dog) joined us on the trail at highway 3 (right outside of etna, ca) when my sister came to see us. So far she is doing great! We are only planning on taking here through Oregon though so that if the weather holds and we have a chance of finishing we can book it to the border.

There are a bunch of fires so we might have to skip around some sections since road walking doesn't sound like fun.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:On the trail in Oregon

Oregon!

We made it to Oregon on the 31st of august! We're taking a day off and then will then we're going to push big miles to get to cascade locks. Right now were still hoping to finish the trail even if it takes till mid october. We are behind the pack but we have high hopes. James and I are really enjoying ourselves and we're a little sad that it may be coming to an end if the weather changes.

I just got this new app so that I can upload blogs on my iPod so I think I'll be able to up date this a little easier.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

1000 Miles!

The High Sierras

Well, we made it through the high sierras! Right now we're at a trail angel's house (Superman) in South Lake Tahoe, mile 1094! The High Sierra's were everything we had hoped and heard about. Yes, there was a lot of snow and I mean a lot of snow. The mountain passes did require all of our attention. Our gnarliest pass was Mather but it was also our favorite. We had rock scramble up to the top of the pass and then cross two snow shoots and then throw ourselves over a snow cornice at the top of the pass. Right before we made it to the snow cornice I post holed and hit my shin on a rock. Clinging to the snow, another person in our crew used his poles to help me pull myself up. The pain in my shin hurt like no other. I looked over at Cerveza and asked her if I could cry and she told me "You should wait tell you get to the top and then you can cry all you want." I put myself together and tried to forget about the throbbing pain in my shin and continued up to the cornice. I never did end up crying, but my shin did take over a week to heal.

Probably the scariest creek crossing was Wright Creek, a day after Mt. Whitney. The current was very strong and since it was one of the first creeks we had to cross it really got us mentally prepared. The last hundred miles we've been crossing deep creeks but the currents haven't been that strong.

Most of the way we've been lucky to even see the trail. Its been under so much snow we end up using our maps to find out where we need to go and then just cross country it to that spot. We've been lost many times, but have gotten comfortable with that feeling.

We've lost quite a bit of weight. I've lost about 15 lbs and James lost about 20 lbs. We're trying to eat everything we can, but we just can't seem to keep the weight on. In the desert I didn't lose anything, but right when we started climbing over all the mountain passes the weight started to fall off of us and to top it off we were short on food from the section between Kearsarge Pass to Mammoth Lakes.

Last week we were just in Yosemite. Both James and I had a problem with our trekking poles so we hitch hiked down into the valley to the Yosemite outfitters. The hitch was totally worth it. Next to the fact that Yosemite Valley was a mad house it was a beautiful place. James was kind of sickened by the amount of cars and people, but the geography is like nothing else. After filling our bellies and getting James trekking pole fixed (they didn't fix mine) we hitched back to the trail to start the next section.

One interesting thing that happens on the trail is that there is a lot of hype. It is scary sometimes but it all seems doable as long as your paying attention. I've gotten to the point were I'm extremely happy that we got a snow year. It's so much more of an adventure. Each day we face challenges and each day we solve them. I know it's not for everyone, but I sure do feel that all of this is doable and not as bad as everyone saying....then again we may just be hitting at the right time. But I recall before the sierras all the people scaring each other about the conditions and I've learned that the hype is not true. The only other explanation is I'm way more hardcore then I think I am, but I highly doubt it (I'm still scared of heights;)

Here is a little taste of the passes and crossings. If you'd like to see more I got more on facebook. www.facebook.com/djalowe8


Sonora Pass Video



Waterfall Crossing

Hiker Trash

Mile 600

Mojave Rainbow

8-Mile

Night Hike in Mojave

Kennedy Meadows, Mile 702

It has been hard to find Wifi the last few hundred miles. So there is a lot to catch up on in this blog. And excuss the typo's please.

After leaving Wrightwood, we headed up Baden Powell. Since I was hurt we were hoping to do an easy day so that I would re-injury myself, but that was a no go. Baden-Powell was a heavy hitter. The snow covered the trail to the point that we had to climb up the side of the mountain to reach the summit. I had just sent my Yak tracks home so I didn't have any extra traction. Funny how things work out that way. James and I had heard horror stories of Fuller Ridge and other passes which turned out to be quite easy so since we hadn't heard anything about Baden Powell we weren't to worried so I sent my traction home. Well, the joke was on us. We made it, but were extremely tired by the end of it. That day we only did 12 miles, but the good news was I didn't have any muscle pain so the next day we started back into making big miles.

The next town was Agua Dulce were we stayed at the Saufly's (a trail angels house). This is were we meet up with Cerveza and Spoon man. We really hit it off with this two hikers. We also meet Tickit there, another awesome hiker who can sign and play music like a badass. Tickets blog is www.powertohike.ca. We didn't stay long at the Saufly's because we knew that the next stop might suck us in for a while and we were right.

That stop was the Anderson, a vortex on the trail. It's only 24 miles away from the Saufly's but a hippie daycare spot that can suck you in for days. The moment we stopped in the town we were orginally planning on just stopping at the gas station and maybe just stopping into say "hi." But like many hikers before us we were sucked in. The Anderson's live in a town called Green Valley, the place were the show Justified is filmed. After I freaked out about that for an hour, Terri Anderson took me on a tour around the town showing me places they filmed! It was awesome! That night there was an epic jam session. Drinks were being passed and joyous laughter was heard blocks away. The next morning we packed up our things and headed to the front of the house to catch a ride to the trail head. Joe Anderson loaded us up into his car and we headed back but were stopped by Terri Anderson in a van who told us we had forgotten to get our picture taken and sign the registery. Joe told us that she was right and we couldn't leave so he then turned around to go back. Cerveza and Spoon Man were still there and they had decided to take another zero day so we just said screw it and stayed. Why fight it? Like everyone told us The Anderson's is like trail speedbum, you can pack up each day but that doesn't mean your leaving.

The full story of the Anderson I'm going to keep to myself, but if anyone wants to know the details just ask.

When we finally got out of there we headed into the desert, the real desert, The Mojave Desert. James had been talking about night hiking the desert to a bunch of hikers and so when we showed up to Hikertown (the last stop before the Mojave) 8-mile (another hiker buddy of ours) was waiting for us. We planned to hike the Mojave at night with glow sticks, red bulls and alocholic drinks. We conviced Ticket, SpoonMan, Cerveza, and Cuppa Joe to head out with us. We hiked and hiked that night on a flat road. That day we made it 28 miles and when we woke up the Mojave was pretty much done.

After that we got a taste of night hiking and we were hooked. 8-mile and us have continually hiked at night and have missed much of the heat. It's been very enjoyable.

When we made it to Mojave the Town, mile 552, we decided we didn't need to rest so we tried to hitch in and out. But that was little harder then we thought it would be. We made it in okay, but hitching out was a little hard. No one wanted to pick us up and the sun was setting. I didn't care what kind of car passed so when a cop pulled over I thought maybe we were going to be in trouble, but instead Officer Dotts wanted to give us a ride instead. My first time in the back of a police car!

I should also note that by the time we reached Mojave, niether of us care much about weight anymore. I carried a cantolope and oranges and James carried out other heavy treats. The next town, Onyx mile 650, we carried out vegtables that I fried up two days out on the trail in butter and chili powder and made fajitas. We just don't care anymore.

So I think we're all up todate now. Yesterday we reached Kennedy Meadows, the gateway to the High Sierras mile 702. Now we are trying to mentally prepare. We're going in as a group with Ticket, Cuppa Joe, Cerveza, 8-Mile, and hopefully a few more. We just got our Bear box and in Lone Pine we're getting our ice axe and traction stuff. I'm a little scared but what can we do.
We rafted down the Kern River yesterday on swimming pool floaties, to mentally prepare for the river crossings coming up. It was probably the scariest thing I've done so far. The river was very strong and had some very narrow rapids. It was not quite the zero day I was looking for, but I'm sure that rafting trip is going down in PCT history. In a group of 15 we headed down the river. It seemed fine at first but then all hell broke lose when we hit the first crazy rapids. Growing up on the Siletz I knew I could do this, but I didn't know if I WANTED to do it. I stuck with it the whole way down but lost my sunglasses and have a lot of new brusies. I would not recommend rafting the Kern River especially on swimming pool devices. Mine popped in the first rapids and then I had to body surf it most of the way. The good news is I feel very ready for some high Sierras river crossings.

So as of now, I am having a blast. It's menatally and phyically challenging but it truely is my dream coming to frution.

Okay that's all for now I should get back to walking.

Wrightwood, Mile 265

We made it to Wrightwood, mile 365! The only crappy thing is that I have an injury. It feels like a strained muscle in my quad (hopefully nothing serious). James had to take most of my weight about 11 miles from Wrightwood. The days leading up to the injury we some awesome mileage days. We did 3 twenty mile days in a row! Everything seemed to be going fine. I felt a slight discomfort in my quad the last day but nothing that worried me to much. At mile 342, we came to a McDonald's and ended up staying half the morning and most of the afternoon eating. The McDonald's was packed with hikers, some had hiked as much as 35 miles to get there that day. It's amazing what a hiker will do for food. When we left we began a 20 mile stretch without water. With our packs filled with 5 liters (and a few cold burgers) we headed out and then the pain began. It was a little more than the previous days so we stopped short at 5 miles.

I woke up feeling great. We even got up at 4:30am so that we could make it into Wirghtwood in the afternoon (there was about 20 miles remaining), but then it happened. My first pain. We climbed the first couple thousand feet without an issue, but by mile 10 I had to stop. It was around 10am. Pain was shooting up my leg. It wasn't in my knee our anywhere to scary. It felt like it was just in the muscle itself. So we switched the wieght around and I walked with a limp, trying not to bend my leg that much. It was the muscle that lifted my foot up to avoid rocks, so instead I swung and dragged my foot around. By 5:30pm (7 hours later) we had made it an extra 6 or 7 miles. We grabbed our resupply package from the local Hardware store and they showed us a list of trail angels we could try calling. We wrote down 4 numbers. The first three numbers no one answered. James and I were pretty sure we were going to have to try and stealth camp somewhere, but then with the last number on the list we got an answer.

Thank God for Trail Angel Patty! She came and picked us up, took us to her home, told us to remove our shoes, showed us where we could shower, gathered our cloths to wash, and then feed us! She handed me some frozen veggies to put on my leg and a beer for my soul! Her home was beautiful. I couldn't believe that she welcomed dirty hiker trash like James and I into her home.

We keep on being blissed by this wonderful amount of hospitality, meeting wonderful people day after day. We're not just hiking to reconnect with nature anymore we're hiking to reconnect with our fellow species. The trail is just way more than I thought it was.

Well, I plan on resting for the rest of the day and we plan on going slower from here on out. I'll hopefully post if I leave tomorrow or not, but until then we'll be resting.....

Coming out of Idyllwild, we hiked 23 miles. It was our biggest day yet. That night we realized we hadn't bought enough food from Idyllwild to make it to Big Bear City. So we had to make a stop about five miles off the trail in Cabazon. The shitty thing was thinking about walking those ten miles extra. We got lucky and hitched a ride. The funny thing about Cabazon is that both of the two rides were from locals that lived only minutes away from the PCT yet neither of them knew about the trail! Literally, it was right in their back yard. After the Cabazon experience we got back on the trail about noon, which of course, is an unbearable time to hike in the desert, so we had to wait 2 more hours until some nearby clouds covered the sky.

When we started walking again, both of us could really feel the 23 miles from the previous day (15.2 miles of them were down hill). We just put one foot in front of the other. We've gotten to the point of crawling on autopilot until something difficult comes up. Which was like, for me, losing my sunglasses and anything that climbed or descended a few hundred feet. For James it was the sore on the back of his heel that his shoe caused. (Yes, I know mine sounds pretty lame, but in my defense, blisters and foot pain are just an everyday occurrence). But we worked through it. One foot in front of the other. I mean it is ‘just walking’.... Right?

At our 16 miles waypoint, we saw the closest thing to a river we have seen this entire trip. But first, we had to drop the extra thousand feet we had just climbed so we could reach it. Sometimes I swear the designer of the trail was into S&M or something. We made it to the bottom and then we saw it…..A piece of paper with our new favorite two words; "Trail Magic". Off this remote trail was Brian or "Buck-Thirty". He shared with us delicious hamburgers! Yum Yum! Trail Magic can really heal your soul. The next day, totally refreshed, we we're ready to hike on to Big Bear City. Thank you, “Buck-Thirty”, for your gracious gift.

Big Bear City has been a real treat! When we stopped to do our laundry we met some locals, Jeff and Michelle. They had a PCT sticker on their car and when we started a conversation about the trail, they offered to take us out to dinner! We had pizza and talked gear! It was so enjoyable. They showed us around Big Bear City, which is a beautiful mountain town! We had a blast and felt so lucky to have met them. When they hike the trail in the future, we will be their ‘Trail Angels’ in Oregon!

Yesterday was my Birthday and we ended up staying an extra day to let the weather pass. It sure was a memorable birthday. When resupplying at the local market, we were offered a ride back to our motel! The hospitality of this town is almost overwhelming. The lady who gave us the ride rescues wolves. She invited us to her home to meet them. So on my 25^th, I “pranced” with wolves.

We loved Big Bear City! It felt like home. We are sure going to miss this place. But, its back to walking!

Idyllwild, 179 miles

So we made it into Idyllwild two days ago. We were on top of a mountain the night before we arrived and on top of that mountain we ran into ice, wind and rain. I thought to myself 'Is this really the desert? It sure doesn't feel like it.' It actually felt like home so we were easily able to make 20 miles that day. That night we found some trees that reminded us of beach shore pine and so we crawled under them and set up our tent. We were the only ones on the mountain that night that had a great night of sleep. Coming from the coast finally paid off because it sure has been working against me when it comes to the dry desert hikes.

When we finally arrived in town we thought we'd just stay a night, but the next morning we decided to take a zero day (no hiking involved). $3 a night to stay in the state park was just to good to pass up. Idyllwild is an adorable town in the mountains. It reminds me of the Bayfront but instead of ocean based art it has forest based art. But the one thing about taking a zero day is that you have to walk to every place you want to see. Man, this trip involves a lot of walking :)

Next stop is Big Bear which is 96 trail miles. We plan on getting there in about 5 to 6 days. First we have to go over Fosters Ridge which is supposed to have snow on it right now. We're a little worried about getting over it, it's really easy to lose the trail when you have to go over snow packs. My moto is we'll be fine. Even if we have to back track and go around we'll get down off this mountain and back into the hot hot desert in no time :(.... Man I never thought I'd say this but I like hiking in the rain better than the desert heat.

Well I guess we better get back to our adventure and start walking....

Root Beer Float
Yes indeed, a Hamburger with Bacon!!

Made it to Paradise cafe, an oasis for hikers 151 miles on the trail. When turning the corner to head down the road we ran into some awesome trail magic. At the kick off, we ran into a couple with a blue heeler that had mentioned they'd be on highway 79 on May 7th and 8th. And there they were!!!! With beer!!!! We threw off our packs and caught some shade.

Right now where waiting for our fill up, which entails a big burger. And then back on the trail for another 8 miles.

First 100 miles done!

So we arrived in San Deigo at 11am on the 25th and called our Trail Angel Girlscout (Girlscout got HIS name because thats what he was eatting the first day of the trail). In about 20 minutes GirlScout arrived to pick us up. We hopped in his awesome Honda Element and he took us to his house. From there we meet two other hikers Ben and Whitney (both from the Northwest) who were also hitting the trail the next day. Girlscout then drove us to the store for resupply and then to the trail head the next morning.

It didn't take long for me to get my trail name. I actually got it about 3 hours after we landed in a Wal*Mart. I misprounced Laguana as La-gana and everyone hear Iguana. Girlscout said "I sense a Trail Name...." and then 3 days later we ran into someone else who stayed with Girlscout and he had told them that story. So my name became Iguana.

James, on the other hand, got burnt on the back of the neck and while calling himself a redneck in the same instance got deemed Redneck.

I just don't really know how to describe the amazing hospitality of the PCT culture. It feels like James and I have meet some long lost family members or like we're meeting a soulmate time after time. At the kick off (which is a big party for thru hikers) we meet a lot of the people we'd watched on videos and youtube clips about the trail and have found a lot of confidences in ourselves by talking to them. People are just so positive.

And everyone is just so friendly on the trial. It's like an unspoken bond you form with anyone you see out there because their going through the same thing as you are.

We've spent a little over a week (with only 2 zero days at kick off) on the trail now and have done 110 miles. Not as fast as we'd like but our miles are getting up there. Yesterday we did our first 20 mile day and the day before that we did 18! So far our feet have been doing great! After buying some sock liners at the Kick off I haven't had a single blister and I've been able to get big miles without ibuprofen, which is a great sign.

Right now we're at Warner Springs, a hot springs resort in the desert. They provide a hiker discount and so our rooms we're only $16 each! Tomorrow we head back out on the trail at 5 am and try to make another 20 mile day.

Hopefully, I'll find another computer on the trail because it's been hard to post things on this blog. I'm hoping to set up a post holer account that we can upload from the phone and then just post the link on this blog. If that works then I'll post the link on this blog.
So far we have been able to update James facebook account on the trail but blogging has been nearly impossible. If you want to see videos just add James Fackler as your friend on facebook and you'll get some cool videos of us on the trail.

Well, I think thats it for now. So as for us.....we're just walking...

Thanks For All the Fish

So we are leaving to Portland today. Yep, it's really happening!

I think that I have to thank some very important people in this blog. If it wasn't for them, James and I wouldn't be going on this trip.

To Allison and Jared. James and I couldn't be more thankful that they agreed to watch our beautiful blue heeler, Shilo. Shilo couldn't be in better hands. In fact, she may enjoy her stay so much she'll forget us! Also for giving us a little room to put our guitars.

To Sabrina and Tim. They let us stay in their home for the last 4 months. We would be broke on the trail if we would have had to find a place to rent. Without them I would have to sell my classic 1974 bug. One of by favorite and most prized processions. James would also only have trail cloths by the end of our trip but with their graciousness they have given him a spot to store some personal items along with a few of my own. And furthermore, to making sure that we are safe out there and don't stumble into to may medical emergencies.

To Carol Lowe. We wouldn't be eating as good on the trail if Carol hadn't agreed to help us by sending our resupply boxes to us from the Logsden Stores Post Office. Thank you Carol, without your help my stress level would be at toxic levels.

To Deidre and Luke. They have also provided some space to store some things, but on top of that they have been great friends who have listened to my worried rambles and put up with our non-stop gear talk for many a nights. James and I have treasured our time with them these last few months in Newport. They are truly great friends.

To Kenny. Thanks for your company the last week we were here. Also for being our counselor and mediator. Thanks for getting James to work! Oh and I almost forgot, for making sure the Virgo is in good hands!

Last and not least Nick Glass. Thank you for driving down from Portland to pick us up, giving us a place to stay and then driving us to the airport the next day! I mean who could ask for a better friend. That is above and beyond the friend requirements. So yep, you're on our "We Love You ForEver!" List.

I know I'm forgetting someone but for now this is going to have to do. Updates coming soon!