Super Dad drove us to the trail head the next morning and we departed with happy hearts. Only a few more days and we would be in the legendary Kennedy Meadows. Kennedy Meadows is the last resupply stop before you hit the Sierras. This is where everyone gets their winter gear, resupplies and forms solid groups to go out into these "fierce mountains." The last few days walking in the desert were not merciful. The cold front had finally dissipated and we were left to experience the wrath of the sun in the Mojave sand. We had the chrome domes but it did nothing in the stagnate air except to keep our skin from cooking. The views of the rolling sand dunes and Joshua trees were beautiful but the heat and sandy terrain were too over bearing to truly enjoy. There was definitely silent rage developing when every step forward felt like we were taking one back. It was encouraging to know it was almost over.
  We finally got into Kennedy Meadows mid afternoon and dropped our packs off Toms before hitting up the General Store/PO. It's always surprising to see so many familiar faces in one place on this trip. We usually see a handful or two on the trail at a time. In cases like the Andersons or Toms we have seen up to 35+ at one time. When we got to the store we immediately took showers and gorged ourselves with a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Tom, Moose, Peru, Gourmet and Aqua Man showed up later from a fishing trip and greeted us with joyous hugs and news that they were going to stay one more day so we could finally hike together. YES! That night the boys cooked and we dined on pasta, salad and fish they had caught earlier. We sat around the fire, laughing as usual and soaking in the moment of being in Kennedy Meadows. When we finally went to bed, we had a surprise waiting in our cozy little trailer on ice. Tom had put a bottle of champagne and two real champagne glasses out for us. What a wonderful treat. Tom you are amazing! The next morning our friends were feeling the pressure of getting back on trail and decided to leave late that afternoon. This time we said goodbye with the possibility that we wouldn't be catching up again. We decided to zero that day and the next to drown our sorrows(only kidding). We always seem to nero in and out of town so a couple days off before we hit the Sierras were much needed. Tom's compound was the perfect place to retreat. His property is filled with cute little trailers, hammocks, and places to camp with fresh water and an outdoor kitchen. More familiar faces trickled in with more hugs to be given. We even saw a guy named Kirk we met at REI in Seattle. Wow is all that could be said when we saw him. When we first met, he looked tired and worn down and now he was effervescent. There was so much light pouring out of him he looked 10 years younger. The transformation was breath taking. The trail definitely does something very special to people. There is so much love and joy that is shared out here. If anyone has a problem or needs something, without thought, people try to help to relieve the burden. We all seem to be infected with this attitude of what’s mine is yours. There hasn't been a day that someone hasn't shared something with someone else, whether it be a snack, gear or a piece of mole skin. This group of strangers has felt more like real community then anything we have ever experienced.
  The night before we set out towards the great Sierras, we started seeking out people that wanted to leave early in the morning. We convinced Cruiser, a friend we had met after Warner Springs, that he should definitely be heading out with us regardless if he had to wait 6 days for his friend in a Lone Pine. Wink. Miss you Cruiser. Along with Cruiser, Ragin Cajun, One-Ton, House Party, and John Wayne all said they were in for a 6:00 am departure. 7:30 rolled around and we finally made it back on the trail. We were only planning on 15 miles that day and going fishing at Toms favorite hot spot. When we arrived at camp, we were surprised to see Cheetah, Lala, Estero and Malarky still there when they had left the afternoon before. Unfortunately Cheetah had fallen ill and the group stayed behind. Fortunately for us our group of 6 was now a group of 10. The more the merrier! Love it. The boys and Lala tried fishing with a pole at first and with no luck moved on to a much more fitting tool, the spear. It was John Wayne’s first time fishing and by the nights end he was on a fisherman's high. That night we had a hikers pot luck of instant mash potatoes, Knorrs rice sides and 6 fresh baked fish. 
   After burying her half her gear, Cheetah and our consolidate bunch set off into the sunrise towards the wonder filled Sierras. Our original plan was to carry 4 days of food into Bishop, but because Cheetah needed to get a hold of a friend that she was meeting up with, we all decided to go into Lone Pine together. It took a couple of easy mile days due to our sick friend, which ended up being the perfect pace for us to enjoy the first glimpses of the granite peaks, endless green meadows and GLORIOUS crystal clear water EVERYWHERE! The first group that got into camp ran into Lone Pine to get beer and pizza of course, while the rest of meander in towards the late afternoon. We had been having foot trouble again with the achilles tendon so it made our excuse for heading into Lone Pine easier. The next morning we woke up to a frozen shoe and water filter. Oops. I guess it was time we changed our climate mindset. Cheetah had suggested to wet the shoe and stretch it out with a rock. Unfortunately we were not accustomed to freezing temperatures and didn't think ahead. We thawed out the foot apparel next to our first morning fire and realized that the achilles was hurting far to bad. We started breaking the news as our fellow hikers stirred from their tents, that we would not be hiking out with them. One-Ton and Cajun were the first, followed by Lala and Estero and the rest to say F**k it, and zeroed with us. That was how our team name was born. 
   The next several days to Bishop were unreal. It seamed like everyday the views were getting more and more beautiful. The first day out of Lone Pine we had lunch at our first big body of water in the Sierras, named Chicken Lake. The lake was surrounded by white peaks and sparse pines, almost creating a crater around the inland the pool. The water was clear blue and deceitfully inviting. That night we ended up topping our record, camping with 14 amazing people including, One-Ton, Cajun, Malarky, Lala, Estero, John Wayne, Karate Kid, The Other Gourmet, Yoga, Super Girl, Cheetah, Denim, Doc and Blue Jay. The next day we set ourselves up to hike Mt. Whitney and camped at guitar lake. The plan was to get up at 2:30 am to catch the sunrise at 5. We made the sunrise by minutes only and froze our elated faces watching the orange ball of fire rise over the mountains in the far distance. The 360 panoramic view from Mt. Whitney was incredible. It was like being on the ocean and seeing nothing but water except it was peak after peak in all directions with scattered lakes reflecting the bright blue sky. The hike back down was like a whole new trail. With the sun shining, you could see every contour and color of these majestic mountains. That night we set ourselves up perfectly for another infamous spot on the PCT, Forester Pass. It was definitely all it was cracked up to be except for the level of difficulty. It the words of John Wayne it was eeeeeeasy.  Fortunately for the PCT class of 2012 we had a low snow year and it was a piece of cake. We probably hiked no more then 40 feet across a patch of snow. That day we conquered Forester Pass, Bull Frog, and Kearsarge Pass in one day. We ended up booking it down Kearsarge once we heard there was trail magic. And sure enough at the orange tent awaited chips and salsa, nuts, candy and soda galore. Thank you! We ended up hitching a ride down to Independence and caught more trail magic from Sleeping Bear, who cooked us over medium eggs and bagels the next morning. Life doesn't get any better. We caught a bus into Bishop and spent a couple days resupplying and piddling around town. The plan was to hike up Kearsarge that night and camp at the bottom but some how Team F**k It was persuaded to stay at the Onion Valley campsite to enjoy the potable water and bathroom facilities. Malarky, the master of the most zeros spent in town, was the only one who headed up the mountain that night. We caught up to him later in Toulumne of course after he took 6 zeros in Mammoth. Silly rabbit. 
   The next few weeks throughout the Sierras were insane. It felt like we were on another planet exploring a new exotic world. Mather and Muir Pass were probably two of our favorites. We camped at the base of Mather Pass, a couple hundred feet up from Palisade lakes and the next mornings hike out was nothing short of magical. The sun was creeping into the cool valley, slowly illuminating the mountain crowns in gold. Everything was alive; the subtle gusts of wind, birds chirping, and streams all seamed to be harmonizing as one beautiful orchestra. To speak would have been abrasive to the ear. All you could do was stare with an empty mind and tear filled eyes. The sight of paradise in its purest and true form was overwhelming. The Mountains dwarfed the lakes that flowed into one another by river and falls, the trees hugged the banks and green meadows were plentiful. Large white boulders cascaded down the Mountains like smooth waterfalls stained a charcoal color from all the years of snow melt. One can only imagine what this place must feel like in full vibration when all the snow begins to melt from the top down. The only reason to hike on was because the mosquitoes had begun stir. Although normally a nuisance that morning they glowed in the morning sun like guardians of the Sierras, making sure we didn't over stay our welcome. 

   The deal was if we could see the tendons in the foot and the Frankenstein ankles then we would leave Wrightwood that night at 5. After ice and elevation the Foot God released us and we hitched a ride to Inspiration Pass. Our plan was to go about 2-4 miles and ease the foot back to work. Point 6 miles in, we saw Super Girl and a couple random trail runners down at the first campsite and knew we were not going any further. Ten minutes later the Israelis, Karate Kid and John Wayne showed up. They HAD planned to hike a couple miles too. The next day we hiked out with our new gang and ended up meeting the fastest old man with a knee injury named trail hacker on the way up to Baden Powel. Four miles straight up steep countless switchbacks later, we finally made it up to Wally; a 1500 yr old twisted tree perched at the very top. Wally welcomed us with open roots and we sat there for a while soaking in the mountain peaks and sunlit desert. The next couple days were spent going through the yellow frog and poodle dog bush(skin irritant plant) detours. The endangered species detour wasn't to bad but the poodle dog bush consisted of road walking 20 miles in the wide open heat. That night we camped with our biggest group yet with Super Girl, Karate Kid, John Wayne, Day Man, Day Walker, Stride, Castle, and Trail Hacker. John Wayne made his usual fire and we enjoyed our hot meals with wild onions Trail Hacker found around camp. The day after the burn area we were all looking forward the KOA campsite. We had been alerted by our friends days ahead, that a swimming pool and ice cream awaited us just 8 miles down. Our feet grew wings and we flew down the Mt. in a few hours. When we arrived we were surprised to see Day Walker leaving so soon. From the looks of the long dusty road and trailer park it didnt look very appealing, but if you looked beyond less then a quarter mile up a small hill, there was lushess green grass, picnic tables, shady trees, a crystal blue pool, hot tub and a small store with delicious goodies. We rolled in around 9:30, dropped our bags at the nearest pinic table and ran to the store like excited childern. Vanilla Hagan Dazz bars were to be inhaled immediately! We asked the lovely miss Chelsey at the front desk how much it would be to use the shower and jump in the pool, she just smiled and said go ahead. WOOHOO! At 10:00 in the morning we were doing cannon balls and pencil dives into the cool refreshing water. The hot tub was an added bonus and our sore muscles thanked us later. 12:00 rolled around and we figured the day was just gettting hotter. Lucky for us we had purchased the super CHROME DOMES(umbrellas). Yeah baby! These have been by far our favorite gear purchase. It keeps the head and shoulders cool and when the breeze passes by it feels like an air conditioner. That day we thanked ourselves for being so thoughtful and sending a pair to Big Bear. Shade was limited and it was F-ing HOT!!! We rolled into the small horse town, called Agua Dulce around 5:30. Everyone we hiked with was already showered and eating pizza when arrived at the restaurant. We are known for taking lots of siestas and "mini soaks" aka bringing our attention back to our surroundings. Many times we find ourselves in the zone, looking at the trail while passing some of the most beautiful scenery. So we try make sure we take a minute and drink it in. After we scarfed down our "town food," we did a 1 day resupply for the Andersons(another trail angels house only 24 miles away from the Saufleys) and headed a mile up the Rd to one of most impressively run trail angel homes; the Saufleys. The walk up this western style neighborhood was so cool. Most of the houses had acres of land with horses and horse paraphanilia scattered around their property. We weren't quite sure where their house was, but as we got closer we saw 5 out houses lined along a fence and knew that had to be it. We walked up to the back gate and were greeted by a couple of hikers and 2 beautiful horses. Aside from the long necked creatures in the back yard, our jaws dropped when we saw their beautiful desert garden, 3 large white tents with cots, a fire ring pit with haystack benches, trailers, 7 different hiker boxes, in town clothes station with shoes and clean towels and wash clothes(AMAZING), a post office area, bullentin boards with an REI sign up sheet(WOW), internet, bikes, and best of all LAUNDRY service that kept pumpin till 11:30 at night. Booyahkasha! Thank you so much L-ROD for everything that you do and provide for us filthy hiker trash. The woman touches our crusty dirt filled socks for heavens sakes. We immediately put our names on the REI list and grabbed some towels for our 2nd shower of the day. It was a miracle! That night we got to see Zippy and Mt. Dog, Thor and Penn-J; whom have been miles ahead. It was so great to see some of our first crew again. We always seem to be playing this catch up game with different hikers on the trail; especially the ones from the very start. We miss you Moose, Peru and Gourmet! Happy trails and hope to see you again. The next day we squeezed 7 deep into a large 4x4 truck and held on tight to REI. This wonderful lady was not messing around, weaving in and out of traffic. We had a hour window to get all our shopping done and in record time we managed to get everything done and still have time for lunch. Pretty good considering we spent days in REI prior to the trail. We consider ourselves experienced REI shoppers now. That night we headed out with the motivation of knowing the Moose and Peru were only a few days ahead and hoping they got caught in the vortex at the Andersons. It was late when we left the Saufleys but we wanted to knock out a few miles so we only had to do 20 the next day. At 5:30 the next morning while packing up the tent, P-Track took us by surprise and came trapsing down the trail. We thought he was miles ahead but he took some zeros with local family and landed on our collapsible doorstep. We offered him an egg sandwich we made at the Saufleys and he instantly became our "gerber graduate"(inside joke because he is eats gerber freeze dried fruit) till he fell ill past Tehachapi. The Israelis caught up to us around mid day while we were taking our lunch in the middle of the fly ridden trail. Little did we know that a mile down was the GREATEST CACHE of all, compliments of the Andersons. The plan was to grab some water and go, but when we saw this bushel shade cave and all its blow up beach and pirate glory decor, with lawn chairs, coolers of soda and beer; we knew we weren't going anywhere. Dang it! Shaun and Diana had been there for 5 hours when arrived. We couldn't show them up and just leave, it would have been rude. An hour and half later we set out to finish the longest 8 miles EVER. When we finally got the ranger station, Terri Anderson had just pulled up to check for hikers 5 minutes before we got there. Perfect timing. She greeted us with bear hugs and we packed our bags in the mini van and thanked her for the ride. When we pulled up to the house, we heard a roar of clapping, hootin and hollering. We heard Moose and Peru were still there and we immediately ran to give them hugs. It took a minute to soak in our surroundings after seeing our long lost friends. It had only been a few weeks since we last saw them, but on the trail it feels like months. It's true what they say about the Andersons and the Saufleys being night and day. At the Saufleys it's a 2 day maximum stay and everything is neat and their opperation runs like butter. AND at the Andersons it's a 2 day Minimum, feels like home and runs according to the wind. When you walk up to the Andersons house there are couches outlining the perimeter of the garage with coolers of soda and beer and vanity set up for computer access. Next to the vanity is an outdoor closest with your choice of Hawaiin shirts and luau accessories. It's no wonder that people people call it a vortex. That night we dined on Terri's famous taco salad and enjoyed the short company of our old trail family. Moose and Peru fled the next morning as fast as they could, leaving us once again.  Unfortunately we couldn't go with them due to a shoe emergency. The new shoes, bought only the day before, were to small and another REI run had to be made. Thank you Liz! You are a toe nail life saver! We left the Andersons that night unscathed and did 8 miles with Karate Kid, John Wayne, P-Track, Alcie and Steve, Castle and Nightingale. It took us a day and half to get to Hiker Town, an infamous oddity right before you hit the L.A. Aqueduct. The story told from the perspective of the husband, is that his wife turned away a couple PCT hikers years ago thinking they were filthy hobos. After she found out that they were filthy hobos walking from Mexico to Canada, she felt so bad she started taking in every hiker as her new pet project. The project finally grew into her buying miniature western town buildings, filling them with beds and providing all the wonderful hiker amenities. The move most people were planning from Hiker Town, including ourselves, was to take a long siesta and at dusk, hike 17 more miles along the aqueduct. Usually this time of year the weather is unbearable, however we were blessed and cursed with a cold front. Regardless, night hiking sounded like fun. After doing our town chores, eating a delicious homemade meal, and taking a small cat nap; we set out on our way. It was a beautiful evening to night hike. The sun was just about to set behind the mountain peaks, coloring the sky in shades of blue, green and yellow; reflecting perfectly off water from the aqueduct. There was enough light that night, we didn't need to use our head lamps. Most of that trail was road walking, so we were happy we hiked with our eyes gazing at the stars. We finally made it to the wind farm around 2 in the morning after being pelted with sand for the last two miles. We were so tired all we could do was laugh in the face of the wind as we walked side by side towards the farm. We ended the day with 27 miles under our belt and instantly fell asleep huddled behind a building. 5 hours later we woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, showing off these impressive giant wind turbines. It almost felt like they had a presence to them. Although we were the first up, we ended up being the last to leave(as always). We just can't help being social butterflies on the trail. From the wind farm all the way past Tehachapi, the cold front brought with it high force winds. That day we were subjected to the worst of the storm while walking up 4 miles of switchbacks, up the side of a mountain. Multiple people from town said this was the worst storm in 30 years, with 80-100 mile an hour winds. With no exaggeration, these winds were blowing us around like rag dolls up and down the mountain. Every switchback we had to brace ourselves because the wind would blow us back 5 ft or stop us in our tracks. The trail was only a foot wide and there were times where we were shoved off the edge making us self arrest on our poles for dear life. We were thrashed into each other and into rocks, poles were flying out of hands and we were forced into running/flying up the trail because the wind was so strong. It was definitely the most dangerous moment we have encountered on the trail. We finally made it to the top and huddled in the most wind resistant bushes we could find. The next day the wind had died down a bit and we neroed in Tehachapi 10 miles later. Papa Yamamoto came into town and trail angeled us around to resupply and treated us to one of the most amazing meals. Thank you Dad!  It was fun to be able to share our experiences with him and give him a little in insight as to what happens when we come into town. For instance, like the "bomb" that goes off inside the hotel room with our food and gear spread out on the bed and on any available counter surfaces. I think Papa Rich was more over whelmed then we were. Especially when we told him about the hurricane forces winds we encountered the day before. Note to self, don't tell the Pops about the fatal details on the trail. He worries to much. Love you Dad! From Tehachapi, we resupplied for 7 days to Kennedy Meadows. Kennedy Meadows is the last stop before we hit the Sierras and also where Trail Angel Tom resides. We reunited with the Israelis and P-track not even a mile down the trail. We had planned on cowboy camping that night, but from the sight of the dark clouds moving in we put up the tent. It rained all night and snowed in the high desert. The next morning we were greeted with 45 mile a hour winds and cold temperatures. Thought we were suppose to be hiking in the desert? That day we ended up loosing two members of the group. P-track had fallen ill with a stomach virus and Karate Kid sliced his hand the night before and he had to retreat back to town for medical assistance. The 3 of us continued on and met up other hikers along the way including Stride, Super Girl and Camshaft. Super Girl showed up out of nowhere one night and informed us his dad was picking him up 26 miles down the trail the next day. He invited us to go with him and enjoy a little bbq at a campsite 35 miles away. Free food and good company? Count us in! The next day we hauled ass and made it just minutes after Super Dad arrived. He scooped us up in his trailer and the 5 of us, including another hiker named Tock, bumped along a dirt road towards camp. This particular campsite was a stop along the PCT and we were informed that there were several PCT hikers camped around the area including Moose, Peru and Gourmet. Surprise! It was Memorial Day and they had managed to get a ride into town to get a glorious feast. We ended up eating like kings and laughing till the nights end. That evening we cowboy camped side by side like inseparable sardines and the next morning, said our goodbyes and departed with heart ache knowing they were a couple days ahead. Always a couple days ahead.

To be continued......

   A day into the kick off and we were already jonesing to get our asses beaten by the trail. What kind of sick hiking masochists have we become? The KO was long, but good. We got to rest our ailments and help trail angel Tom with his famous taco operation. He even catered to the vegetarians with delicious boca and soy chorizo sausage. YUM! Tom, you are truly OUTSTANDING!!! We got back into Idyllwild in the early afternoon on Sunday. We grabbed some last minute goodies and prepared the feet with Vitamin I(Ibuprofen), ace bandages and duct tape. Never thought bandaging up the feet would feel so right. Once again we were on the trail with Peru and Moose postholing through the snow on Fuller Ridge. We took it nice and easy due to persisting ankle troubles and ended up camping right before strawberry junction. That night was incredible, cowboy camping(sleeping without a tent) under the stars in between big white boulders, overlooking the twinkling lights of the small town below. It took us a couple days to get to Ziggy and Bears in Cabazon. The last day trekking down the switchbacks through the mountainous desert was treacherous due to the high winds. There were a few close calls on the ridge where the wind almost blew us off. Thank the gods for our "front legs"(trekking poles) that helped to catch our fall. Meeting up with our hiker family at the watering hole was well worth it(Moose, Peru, Thor, and Penn-J we miss you!). One mile before Ziggy and Bears(trail angels) there was a beautiful hiker stash under an old wooden bridge with coolers filled with beer, soda and water. This hiker magic always seems to be in the right place at the right time. After battling sand and wind pelting us in the face for 4 miles, we were extremely happy to stumble upon these Amen coolers. Thank you! Ziggy and Bears was right around the corner screaming our names. These 80 year old trail angel veterans were given a house to live in, specifically to provide assistance to PCT hikers by Ron the Rock( a former thru-hiker). Upon arrival we were greeted with warm Epsom salt baths and told we could wash our clothes in the outdoor sink and take a hose bath. These are wonderful hiker luxuries! That night we dined on pizza, homemade salad and ice cream. We slept on extra carpet donated by a local business under a Costo tent in strong winds. Had to break out the ear plugs that night. The next day we said a sad goodbye to our new friends, Moose and Peru, and stayed to visit the doctor. Luckily there were no foot fractures and the doc said we could continue on with the understanding that it would take much longer for the ankle to heal. Great news, moving on! After another unexpected zero, we set out on the trail through the Mesa wind farms. It was a hot day winding up and down through the grassy hills of the San Gorgonio Wilderness towards Whitewater Preserve, an old trout hatchery bought by a nonprofit organization. We ended up meeting "Jesus" aka Gary the holy man at the trail junction a mile away from the preserve. It didn't take long for Jesus to start preaching about the Love of God. Had it been someone else, our eyes would have started to roll, but his kind and gentle spirit was welcomed company. Gary joined our decent down to the 1/2 mile detour to the hatchery where his truck was parked. The trail towards the trout preserve was so beautiful and well manicured compared to the dirt trail prior. The soft grey sand, tall grass and white river rocks bordering the trail were kind to the eyes and mind. As we approached the park, two massive palm trees TOWERED the entrance as if we were entering the golden gate of heaven.... with Jesus by our side ha ha. This was the epitome of a hiker oasis. There was grass, shady trees and picnic benches to eat at, a cold river and wading pool to cool off in, huge rocks with inspiring quotes, a beautifully built ranger station that took PCT hiker garbage(another luxury), and peaceful rainbow trout to observe along your walk around the park. We spent a couple hours soaking in the scene and bathing in the cool river before we headed our way. Luckily most of terrain after the preserve was up in the cool pine mountains. We made pretty good mileage after the first day out of Cabazon(Ziggy and Bears). We took a couple nero days(low mileage days) in Big Bear. We didn't want waste our 2nd day in town with no miles under foot, so we decided to slack pack and bang out 10 miles. Our borrowed pack(compliments of Big Bear Hostel. Thank you Greyson! You ROCK!!!) weighed less then 10lbs. OoEE! After Big Bear we continued on towards Cajon, a rest stop in the middle of NOWHERE California. On the way, we opted to avoid the "recommended detour" so we didn't miss Deep Hot Springs, a must do! Arriving at the springs was a moment of utter relief. We were so hot by the time we got there from hiking in the heat all morning; we immediately stripped down to take a dip in the deep creek, next to the hot springs. It was Awh-mazing! Apparently the hot springs were clothing optional, which took us by surprise. WHOA, naked guy popping out of the bushes! It didn't take long for our minds to adjust and it seem... mostly normal. The next day we had another "Awh-mazing" siesta at Silverwood Lake. Like the day before, the heat was breathing down our backs and just when we couldn't take in any longer, we approached the top of the hill and set our eyes on the most beautiful sight.... WATER!!!!!! The bright blue lake pierced our eyes with pure happiness. Not too far off the trail was a small inviting beach, where we joined Hono and Cocoa(our new hiker companions) to cool and wash off the much needed salt off our bodies. We made it into Cajon the next morning in great time. We have been feeling a lot better about our hiking capabilities now that we have been completing around 20 miles a day. The endurance and appetite have really kicked in; it’s our foot disabilities that are a pain in the mind. Come on and HEAL ALREADY! We spent a little more time then we should have at Mc Donald’s. YES, Mc Donald’s! Apparently it’s the thing(only thing) to do before you trek towards Wrightwood. We stocked up on snacks at the mini mart and indulged in the sinful egg McMuffins and deluxe breakfast at the golden arches before we strapped on our loaded water filled packs, heading out on our 22 mile waterless stretch. To our surprise there was an incredible cache 5 miles in, with a free standing pantry filled with sparkling lemon water, granola bars, coconut water, first aid kit and lawn chairs in the shade. These wonderful trail angels continue to blow our minds. Thank you! We finally made it into Wrightwood yesterday with the intent of going food shopping and heading back out to do a couple more miles. BUT!...we got caught up with some friends and had lunch, took a shower at a trail angels 1920's farm house, shopping ended later than expected and before we knew it we were sleeping on a mattress in our own room! When we awoke this morning, to our surprise, we found that the other ankle had blown up like a balloon. AWHHHH.... why does this keep happening?!!! When one problem gets somewhat better, another one arises. Can we get a break yet? Sigh... so we are icing and elevating, updating the blog, pictures and seeing if we can't make it out today and complete a couple slow and easy miles before our hike up to 9,000 feet... in a 4 miles stretch. YEAH! Wish us luck!

P.S. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOMS AND GRANDMUMMIES!!!!!! WE HEART YOU!!!!!!

     Mile 179, Idyllwild!!! We just settled into another log cabin with some fellow hiker trash, in the great town of Idyllwild. What a great place for a zero! Tom(Rock Star trail angel), met us half way to town in his truck. He usually peruses the devils slide trail head for hikers who need a ride into town. That day he had pizza in his front seat for the hungry hikers. What a treat! Thank you so much TOM!!! He only had a couple seats available and since we were hiking 6 deep, he took our load off and strapped our bags to the back of his truck and met the rest of the group at the inn a mile down. Luckily another car stopped to give the rest of us a ride. These acts of kindness from town locals, trail angels and even other hikers; whether it be a bottle water on a hot day in the middle of nowhere, to rides, showers, food etc., makes every moment worth it. This community on the trail is truly magical. We are so happy to be apart of it.

     It's been quite a few miles with many more lessons and good people to ease the struggles. Laughter has been the best therapy. We left for Pioneer mail after a zero in Mt. Laguna and got a lift from the innkeepers wife. We were lucky to leave a good amount of the snow behind us due to our 10 mile jump start. Slopping through the reminiscence of snow, we made our way along the trail screaming with excitement every time we would hit dry ground. We had our sight on a 15 miles that day. The hike was great without any down moments. We took our time, taking pictures; capturing the valleys, snow banks and spring blossoms. We also included one of a snow etched message from a previous hiker expressing that it was an "AWESOME DAY!" We hiked on with that sentiment exactly. By mid day we passed sunrise hwy and stumbled upon a small camp site next to Canyon Rd. with a small stream flowing due to the snow melt. We looked at the time and decided to take a shorter day at 12 miles to catch up on our overdue journal log. That idea was short lived as ASTRO(Andie from Laguna Beach) strolled down the trail to greet us. He had past us earlier so we were a bit dumbfounded to see he fell behind. He wisely stashed some water not to far from the hwy. He took notice to the "choice spot" and decided to call it a day too. After a ravenous display of food shoveling and chit chat, Astro retired to his tent while we scratched our heads trying to produce a journal entry. Usually by the time the sun goes down, we are so exhausted its hard to the find words to communicate to each other, let alone on paper. Once again the journal log was short lived. Gourmet, Snow Blind and Oak Dale came stompin down the trail with Gourmets rap rhyme echoing through the hills. Hiking through the fresh snow from Mt. Laguna, they were stoked to find a camp site with a decent flowing stream and a nice fire set up. We sat up a for awhile getting know each other, which incorporated how Gourmet got his name as he offered "hor dourves" involving a cracker, pesto spread, topped with a shaved Parmesan. As usual we had a good nights sleep and set out early towards the next water source. At Rodriguez Rd we met up with Thor, Penn-J, Platypus, and Habanero and joined them heading towards scissors crossing. Gourmet stayed behind to meet up with his friend Nate, who came out to hike for the week. After several long hours of going down hill through the desert, we hit our first water cache! Water, glorious WATER!!! We ended up meeting Larry(the 70yr old trail angel maintaining scissors crossing water cache) who turned out to be an absolute hoot. Thank you Larry! Thor and the clan hitched a ride into Julian, while we searched for a place to camp with Astro. Eventually we found our selves under a bridge, eating dinner, contemplating on where to sleep. We were debating on hiking a few more miles up the next mountain, but there were several unexpected blisters that had arrived on each of the pinkys, big toes and heels, which made moving unbearable. Shortly after 1st dinner, Gourmet and Nate stumbled upon our hobo bridge dwelling right before the sun called it a day. Since our options were slim we decided to camp where we stood. After we set up our tents, we had second dinner, compliments to Nate; who's bag was filled with various food goodies. That night we dined on Salmon and cous cous with a coconut curry sauce and a hint of sesame oil. YES!!!! Nate, many thanks for the meal and the drop off in Warner Springs.

     For the next two days we ended up hiking with our new companions, Astro and Gourmet through the desert shrubs and cactus's to the beautiful rolling hills, covered in wild dandelions and California poppies. The last day walking to Warner Springs was incredible, drinking in the flowers and oak tress. We ended up taking nice a break, soaking our feet in a cold spring under the shade of the trees. The community center in Warner Springs greeted us with open arms. Nancy was immediately on top of the blister turmoil and brought out a tub of hot water and Epsom salt.We are so lucky some of the folks in Warner Springs got together this year to help the PCT hikers. In past years most hikers stop in this small town to stay at the resort and celebrate their first 100 miles. Since the resort closed, a lot of hikers including ourselves were been disappointed because we were looking forward to spending the day there and resupplying at the stop and shop which also shut down. The people in Warner Springs who got together to create a mini "hiker stop and shop store" at the community center and fed us veggie burgers and breakfast in the morning are true trail angels. Thank you! We ended up taking a zero here to air out the feet while Gourmet, Astro, Thor and the rest of the gang headed out ahead. It was a sad day to see them leave but a new group of friends was right behind them.
     
     After a day off, the mind was restless and ready to hit the trail again. We bandage up the little piggies with mole skin and duck tape and started walking. It was another gorgeous morning strolling through the flower covered fields and scattered oak trees. That day we crossed a lot of springs and managed to keep our feet dry the whole time! Big plus. Unfortunately we ended up picking the wrong the water source to fill up at. The water was extremely oily on the surface with nasty floaties and bugs galore. Mmm... We tried our hardest to ration out our "good water" before we drank the over treated bleach water. We may have dehydrated ourselves just a little that day. That night we had trail mix for dinner and went to bed early so we could make it to Mikes water tank before the sun creeped up on us the next morning. We were parched by the time we got to there and praised the water tank God for saving us! We strolled down to Mikes(trail angel owner) compound to take a break and stumbled upon ASTRO and Kushy chilling out on the long back porch. I was amazed that Mike was no where to be found and his property open to passing thru-hikers regardless of his presence. AMAZING! There was an RV and a cabin with cots in the back along with soda and other hiker goodies. Originally we were only going to stay an hour, but we were convinced to treat and rest the blisters by a new crew that rolled in. Moose, Peru, Cruiser, Zippy and Mt. Dog came shortly after we did and we decided to wait out the heat and let the feet air out under the cool shade. Since Mikes tank we have been hiking on and off with our new friends all the way to Idyllwild. We've traveled through the extreme heat of the high desert to beautiful pine covered mountains and snow. It has been an unbelievable ride so far. Last night we got to hang out with our friend Gourmet! We love you Gourmet!!! He ended up hanging out in Idyllwild long enough for us to catch up. If we hadn't gotten a ride down to the kick off(the blog has been written over a couple days now) we would be hiking north with him tomorrow. We hadn't planned on going to the PCT Kick Off down in Lake Morena, but the more people talked about how informative it would be, the more we leaned towards the idea of going. Plus we had a minor ankle injury so it also gives us the opportunity to rest up. Alright we are being summoned to help cook dinner. We will be at  the kick off till Sunday and hope to hit the trail to Cabazon and Big Bear on Monday morning. Miss you all so much. Much love.

    Also wanted to say a big thank you to Beverly. She scooped a handful of us up and took us to Paradise Cafe to grub out and then proceeded to take us to a camp site for a shower; a TRUE luxury! She is an amazingly gentle spirit and we were blessed to have met this wonderful woman. Thank you Beverly!

   And ALSO ALSO to Richard who gave a ride down to kick off. You are already on your way to being a FUNtastic trail angel!!! Thank you so much for the ride and being such a wonderful human being. Big hugs!

Hellllo EVERYONE!!!
       
       We finally made it into Warner Springs(mile 109) yesterday. Wahoo! The beginning of the hike so far has been quite the roller coaster of weather, unbelievable scenery, fellowship, aches, pains and emotion. After visiting an old high school friend in San Diego, we set out to stay with our first trail angels Scout and Frodo. WOW! These two amazing people are incredibly generous with their time and money. Their whole operation, housing and catering to hiker needs is like that of a well oiled machine. After the introductions, Frodo got down business and showed us the hiker boxes(where people get rid of extra items also known as "weight"), water reports, computer, kitchen(with every cabinet labeled so we can help ourselves), and the laundry/postal station in the garage. As she toured us around the house, it finally hit us that what we had been planning to do was actually going to happen. 5:30 the next morning Frodo had a nice spread of scrambled eggs, pancakes and fresh cut fruit ready for our soon to be hiker bodies. Their friend(unfortunately whose name we forgot) drove us to the trail head that morning. She was another big heart whom we are grateful to have met. She took some pictures for us and sent us on our way.

       At the trail head we met our first hiker named Hot Wing. He got his trail name from doing the Appalachian Trail couple years back. He ended up hiking ahead while we took a couple more photos and stuck our finger in the hole at the gate between between Mexico and the US. Our first day was exhilarating AND extremely painful. There was so much to take in between our feelings of finally being on the trail and the gorgeous landscape of southern Cal. Our goal for the first day was to make it to Lake Morena which was 20 miles away from the border. That was a silly goal, BUT we rolled into Lake Morena with our head lamps on, in the rain, around 8:30 pm. It was unnecessary to push our bodies to the point where our feet felt like they were on FIRE, though it was nice to taste the satisfaction of completing our first goal. Plus we got to meet some more hikers that we might not have met later on. Our first experience sleeping in our new home(tent) was quite the adventure. We found out that our tent leaks from the sides, trickles down the mesh, and into our tub where we sleep. In the middle of the night we had to create some make shift lines to tie the sides of the tent down, to minimize the leakage. Welcome to camping!  The next morning we woke up to more rain. YEAH! Nothing like putting on a wet cold shoe on in the morning. We got a late start but we made it out eventually. That day we completed around 9 miles and based camped for the first time. It was a little scary being in the middle of  nowhere, in the mountains, by ourselves. We swore we heard some sniffing around the tent that night, which we counter acted with our own growling, followed by laughter. The next day we got up early to head to towards Mt. Laguna at mile marker 43. That day we ran into a few more hikers named Running Wolf and Cabbie. It's always uplifting to meet other hikers on the trail. It's kinda like meeting new friends on the first day of school. We ended up rolling into Mt. Laguna in the afternoon and went straight to the Supply and Sports store where we met Super Dave. He is our hero and we love him!!! Miss you Dave! He greeted us with a warm smile and hot chocolate. Between his wood burning stove and the hot drink in our hands, we were in hiker heaven. He ended up giving the us the news that there was a snow storm blowing in and they were expecting more than a foots worth of snow the next day. We decided to camp it out that night and save money before we stayed at the lodge. It was definitely one the coldest nights so far. The next morning we woke up to frost on the in and outside of our tent. We scrapped that sucker down like it was our car and we were heading to work. We were expecting to wake up to gray skies but the sun was shining and the sky blue. What to do? We packed up and met Dave at the store to figure things out. We didn't want to waste a day of hiking but we also didn't want to get caught in the storm. We decided we would slack pack(day hike with a light pack) 10 miles to Pioneer Mail and hitch back to the Store. The hike was absolutely beautiful til about 6 miles in. The trail around the mountain ridge over looked the desert and as the clouds rolled in, it turned the landscape into a shade of dark green, leaving the desert floor highlighted from the sun. It was incredible. AND THEN the sleet hit. It was a relentless 4 miles of pelting icy rain. We were completely drenched and freezing cold from the waist down because we didn't put our rain pants on. Lesson learned! We finally made it to Pioneer Mail around 3 in the afternoon and got reception about a quarter mile up the road where we called SUPER Dave to rescue! For the next half hour we waited, hunkered down in an out house, jumping up and down to keep hypothermia at bay. Super Dave came just in time to save us. We thawed out our bodies by his wood burning stove with a cup of his famous hot chocolate. It was the best feeling in the world! For the next two days we were stuck in a cute little lodge with the most most amazing cafe down the street. The inside of this log cabin diner resembled what it would have looked like over 60-70 years ago. And the food was an amazing mixture of gourmet and home cooking. It was the perfect antidote to an exhausting start of the PCT.

Time is running out for the computer so we will have to continue this later. To sum this up we will be continuing onto to Idyllwild tomorrow, feet permitting. We have some serious blister situations going on right now. Yikes! Fortunately the people at the community center in Warner Springs have been taking good care of us. Hope you all are doing great. Keep us in your thoughts. Miss you guys.
     Signing out, Cool Ranch and Cap-i-tan.

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves." –Amelia Earhart

   We have heard about the generosity from “trail angels”(people who live along the trail that volunteer to assist PCT hikers), but it has been amazing to witness the response we have gotten from our friends, family and complete strangers who want to provide us with their help too. We are so grateful to have such wonderful people in our lives that desire to give their support. Last night Papa Rich handed us a paper clipped wad of money from a co worker of his; a complete stranger to us. It’s hard to find the words to express how we feel. These acts of kindness are inspirational and heartwarming. It feeds ours spirit with much love to know that people whom we've never met, along with our loved ones, are showing this much interest and concern for our overall well being. Thank you all for the loving energy. Namaste.

    The time is almost here. Yahoo! Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has been a huge undertaking that takes a considerable amount of planning. Mapping out your resupply points and where to send food drops(includes calibrating your calorie intake per day), learning how to read maps, getting familiar with the terrain, and deciphering what gear to use; are some of the first key cornerstones you need to figure out. Not to mention the nitty gritty details like knowing your water sources, where to pitch your tent, the tricks to keep warm at night, how to deal with blisters, where to avoid walking in the snow, how much water to drink a day(depending on the climate), the proper way to extinguish a camp fire, how to self arrest, leaving no trace on the trail, where to hang your food, how to glissade(slide) down a glacier, what time to hike in the desert and the snow covered passes, knowing what kind of weather you’re going to run into and where, how to dispose of your own waste(fun), where and when to ford a river, or what to do about bugs, snakes and BEARS OH  MY!

      

    For us, we are accustomed to pushing procrastination to the limits. Although we planned a little here and there through the holiday season, it wasn’t until we got to California that we dove head first into our project. Ouch, is one word to describe how we are feeling from the amount of work and information we have been enduring. Our brains feel like mush as the day’s progress. The gear alone was a job in its self. There are so many different types of packs, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes, “light weight” this and that; it was completely over whelming. Most of our gear has been purchased and has gradually taken over our bedroom. Every day for the last month has felt like Christmas. By 4 or 5 O’clock our ears have been tuned to listen for the screeching brakes of the delivery truck. One person usually runs to the window to peek through the blinds as the other searches for the keys to open the door. What is it today? Huh? Tell me! With overjoyed sadness our days waiting by the door are numbering down.

     

Our coco-nutty attempt:)

    The biggest feat we have left to conquer are fixing our mail drops. Originally the plan was to dehydrate our own meals. Our first dehydrated entre consisted of a coconut curry lentil stew. Between the chopping, cooking and dehydrating the food, we decided to focus our attention on more pressing areas. We didn’t have the time to mess around with trying different recipes and figuring out the calorie count.  Instead we have made several trips to the outlet grocer WINCO, to purchase and test sample their dry bulk goods along with their prepackaged food. We have narrowed downed our meals to rice and dehydrated refried beans, mashed potatoes and lentils, mushroom and garlic rice noodle soup, roasted garlic cous cous and split pea soup, Knorrs broccoli cheddar rice, Annie’s Mac and Cheese, tuna wraps, homemade trail mix(almonds, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, granola, crancherries, strawberries, banana and coconut chips), oat meal, fruit leathers, and TOPPING it off with our beautiful sponsored additions from Amazing Grass and Clif Bar. Those days waiting by the door were the best!  Can’t wait to fuel our hike with your amazing products! Thank you again for your generosity.

    

    There are only a couple weeks left to crunch until we hit the ground walking. The two of us are anxious to be finally living the trail rather than planning it. The thought of being on the PCT is a mixed cocktail of exhilaration and intimidation. This is an expedition we have never tried before. Everything about it is new, which insures that it’s going to be an all around learning experience. Not only are we going to acquire the skills dealing with life on the trail but we will be testing the limits of our physical and mental stamina. One thing we are looking forward to is leaving behind the ways of modern living and connecting to the simplicity of having only what you need. All in all it’s going to be one hell of ride.

“I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets. It has given me blessed release from care and worry and the troubled thinking of our modern day. It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful. Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and benumbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me-I am happy.” 
– Hamlin Garland, McClures, Feburary 1899