HikingWithPurpose Pacific Crest Trail is a 2700 mile trail that runs from Campo CA to Manning B.C. Canada

Updated October 10^th 2008

Relief Stop 1: Campo CA to Warner Springs, CA

Moving right along on the Pacific Crest Trail
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Relief Stop 2: Warner Springs to Idyllwild

Leaving Warner Springs we received news that Kraig's brother Kevin and his wife Jeanette had their first child, a baby girl 7lbs.

The forest fire that was rumoured to have closed parts of the PCT between Pines to Palms Hwy and the Devil's Slide Trail leading to Idyllwild forced all PCT thru-hikers to be rerouted and hike 17 road miles into Idyllwild.

This was a bit of a disappointment, but part of the adventure. This section of the hike between Warner Springs and Idyllwild was tough but we made great time. On this leg of the trip we shared the trail with about seven other hikers, usually meeting up at watering holes or passing by each other as we took breaks throughout the day. As we got into Idyllwild proper early this morning we met about a dozen other hikers who had been waiting out the fire and were eager to press on and join the trail where it was re-opened. In Idyllwild, we took our first showers in 8 days, did our laundry, and ran errands at the post office, library and the local outfitter. We spent some time visiting other hikers at the campground and decided to go to bed early in order to pack for the next 6 day re-ration to Big Bear, CA.

Relief Stop 3: Idyllwild, CA to Big Bear City, CA

As we left Idyllwild we began a steep ascent up Mount San Jacinto. Approaching 9,000 feet we had the pleasure of hiking through snow which was quite a change in scenery compared to the high desert landscapes we had been experiencing prior to this point.

The following day we made a 7,500 foot descent into the San Gorgonia Pass, near interstate 10, next to the Mesa Wind Farms west of Palms Springs. The descent took 7.5 hours to complete and lead us to an elevation of 1,118 feet, the lowest point on the trail south of the Columbia Gorge at the Oregon/Washington border.

The following two days were a shadeless, brutal, steady ascent up to and out of the Misson Creek area. As we left Misson Creek White Firs and Pines soon shaded the PCT and we found ourselves camping at the top of peak 8588 chilled to the bone with what felt like 50-60mph winds. Just two days south of Big Bear we hiked mostly along a ridgeline which provided views of Baldwin Lake and Gold Mountain with its abandoned gold mines and tailings.

Later we gazed upon the vast Mojave Desert reminding us of what lies ahead. In Big Bear we took our first, true zero day (no trail miles) and ate a delicious breakfast at Grizzly Manor.

Tomorrow we leave Big Bear and plan to reach Wrightwood in five days to pick up another food ration.

Relief Stop 4: Big Bear City CA to Wrightwood, CA

Soon after we left Big Bear, we were re-routed due to last year's fire damage and spent nearly the entire day hiking through the mountains on a dirt road.

The following day was pleasant. Mid-day we came across a lovely Oasis called Deep Creek Hot Spring: Our first encounter with skinny dippers. This was a very popular spot and we regret not stopping to take a dip, but we still had miles to cover before day's end. That night, however, we camped near Mojave River Forks Reservoir Dam and took a dip before dinner.
On day three we came across a tarantula in the middle of the trail. We took a picture and realized it was dead because it wouldn't budge. This day was incredibly hot and torturous as we skirted the Silverwood Lake Recreation Area and gazed, from high above, at the happy locals cruising on their speedboats, splashing in the water and enjoying BBQ's on the beach. Finally, we descended to the water, stripped down to our underwear and took a quick swim in the crowded swimming hole. As we left the Recreation area we learned that a fellow hiker had come off the trail due to heat exhaustion. This is a real issue because water sources are few and far be tween and a lot of planning is required to make it through the day in the extreme heat. We finished the day with a climb up Cleghorn Ridge and down into Horsethief Canyon where we slept for the night.
The next morning a hiker, who was passing by our camp, told us she had been visited by a black bear at 2:00am. Yikes! We were surprised to hear of bear in the area, must be the proximity to the Silverwood Lake Recreation Area. That particular morning we hiked 10 miles to Interstate 15 and made our way to the McDonald's/Chevron at 10:30am. This was a water resupply point for us. There, we saw many other hikers a lot of whom spent most of the day inside waiting for the temperature to cool off. We stayed for nearly two hours then climbed ten more miles to a nice camp on a ridgeline with a spectacular view of the Apple Valley and Cajon Pass.
Our final day into Wrightwood was a half day, and as we reached the Hardware store to pick up our ration package we called a Host Family listed in the PCT register and were soon picked up by a lovely woman named MollyAnn who opened here home to us, and six other hikers. We slept in her RV and enjoyed laundry, showers, refreshments and food. Today, MollyAnn will drive us up to the trailhead we came down on and we will pick up where we left off. Our next stop is Agua Dulce. We expect to be there in 5 days.

Relief Stop 5: Wrightwood CA to Aqua Dulce CA

Since Big Bear we have been hiking with a new friend from Long Beach named Jesse. We all left the Wrightwood area together and piled into a 1982 Oldsmobile Station Wagon along with the Three Amigos (trail name) and drove along several fire roads to reach the trail head.

We hiked a half day out and slept in the blistering cold wind. In the morning we awoke to a light snowfall and finished our ascent up Mount Baden-Powell to its summit at 8:45am. At this time we were in near white out conditions. By the time we took pictures and made our way back to the trail our footprints had disappeared in the snow. Most of the day was a challenge to break trail at 8,000ft. It was cold, wet and cloudy with no sun to warm us up. As we dropped in elvation we were pleased that it had stopped snowing, although still overcast we ended our day at Cooper Canyon Trail Campground.
Once again, we awoke to snow, packed up our things and quickly started to move in order to stay warm. The scene was a snowy, desert wonderland. The cacti were covered in snow and the flowers were struggling to stand upright under the weight of the snow that countinued to grow on their blossoms. Luckly, 6 miles into the day we came across Camp Glenwood and were very surpised to find that the door was unlocked and there was a wood stove inside. We made ourselves at home, dried out our gear and waited out the rest of the storm. We enjoyed a warm nights sleep got up early and hiked 30 miles to make up for the miles we lost to the storm. Exhausted and amazed that we had completed a 30 mile day we set up a cold and chilly camp at Massager Flats Campground.
The next day we hiked 24 miles into Agua Dulce, picked up our ration box and stayed at a place called Hiker's Heaven which is run by The Saufley's. Hiker's Heaven is exactly that: there were six single portable carports set up for hikers to sleep in with cots. Also, an RV and a single-wide trailer with cable TV, two computers for the internet, a phone, a full kitchen and of course laundry and a shower.
While we were at Hiker's Heaven we heard of a place called Café dé Luna 24 miles up the Pacific Crest Trail where we could take another zero day if we would like. We Hiked a relatively easy two days to get there and found it a great place to hang out and meet fellow thru-hikers.
Tonight we plan to hit the trail and enter what the guidebook refers to as "a hot, waterless, dangerous, ugly and entirely un-Crest-like segment of trail". In 11 days we plan to reach Kennedy Meadows where we will begin our much awaited hike through the Sierras.

Relief Stop 6: Green Valley to Kennedy Meadows

At the beginning of this section we celebrated our first 500 miles on the trail with our friend Grizzly who drive up from Los Angles to spend the day with us at Bear Campground.
*NOTE* On the trail hikers develop trail names. Our trail names are Panama and Ratso.

From there this section was, indeed, "a hot, waterless, dangerous, ugly and entirely un-crest-like segment of trail". We spent a day and a half walking along the Los Angles Aqueduct (the world’s largest open air aqueduct) in the scorching heat. A novelty at first which quickly turned to a mind numbingly boring flat straight away toward the Tehachapi Mountains.
We finally left the aqueduct only to enter a section consisting of nothing but sheer cliff sand ravines were the wind had eroded the trail into steep non-existence. The winds were so strong we were bounced around and knocked to our knees more than occasionally while our exposed faces and legs were sandblasted. When we made it into Tehachapi we picked up our ration box, showered, spent the night, ate dinner and breakfast, checked emails at Mama Hillybeans coffee shop. We managed to get a ride back to the trail (9.5 miles) and were excited to enter the Southern Sierras known as a "Transitional Area" which divides the Mojave Desert from the High Sierras.
The strong winds stayed with us for the next few days rendering us exhausted. Finally, we reached Walker Pass "the Gateway to the Sierras" and decided on a whim to hitch-hike 17 miles into Lake Isabella to get fresh water and a hot meal on the condition that we would return back to the trail and finish our 20 miles day. We were picked up by a couple (Wendell and Beth) who took us the 35 miles into Lake Isabella and offered to bring us back to the trailhead giving us an hour and a half in town to eat, have ice cream, and relax in the shade. Back on trail we finished our 20 mile day in the dark with our headlamps on, we made camp around 11:30pm, but it was worth it.
Two days later we reached our destination at the Kennedy Meadows General Store. Making it to Kennedy Meadows is a huge accomplishment for all hikers. Kennedy Meadows marks the end of the desert with 700+ miles behind us and the stunning Sierras and the John Muir Trail ahead of us. We will stay here for a few days and pack for the snow, stuff as much food into our bear canisters as possible, visit with old and new hikers and leave Sunday the 15^th of June for the next 12 days of our journey. Green Valley to Kennedy

Relief Stop 7: Kennedy Meadows to Tuolumne Meadows

At Kennedy Meadows we took 4.5 days off so that our friends Grizz and TK could come up from LA and bring us some gear and hang out for the weekend.
We left Kennedy Meadows on June 15th and hiked only a half day due to a forest fire...hiking through the burn area at night was not recommended. We made camp about a mile from the hot spots and watched the flames (from a safe distance) as they climbed a nearby hill.
Getting back on schedule the following day we made our normal mileage and awoke to an earthquake at 12:30am. What a way to start this leg of the trip a forest fire and an earthquake. This section was difficult due to the elevations of the High Sierras. We averaged about 17 to 18 miles a day instead of the 20 to 25 miles we were hiking during our time in Southern California. The highlights of the Sierras were Mt. Whitney (the highest summit in the lower 48 states at over 14,000 feet) climbing up and over several snow covered passes, many with difficulty, including Forester pass which required a mountaineering axe. Another highlight was merging with the John Muir Trail (arguably the most beautiful part of the entire Pacific Crest Trail), and while preparing to ford the South King River in Kings Canyon National Park we saw two Black bears who were preparing to cross the river right before us. We got within 15 ft of them and they were huge.
As of Mammoth Lakes we have been on trail for 59 days and have hiked 906.6 trail miles (about half of California). Jesse, our current hiking partner, met his parents here in Mammoth and they brought our dog Max...a little earlier than planned, but now we are 100% together. It is appropriate of us to give Gail and David praise for their assistance, they are very kind.
Today we are taking a day off to fix gear and eat! We plan to hit the trail on Monday the 30th. Our next stop is in 3 days at Tuolumne Meadows National Park in Yosemite. We will start off slow to get Max up to speed and hopefully we will make it there without any issues.

Relief Stop 8: Beldon, CA to Old Station, CA.

*We are 18 miles from the halfway point on the PCT (mile 1,353).
*Max is no longer hiking with us. We sent him home from South Lake Tahoe. We had a memorable two weeks together through Yosemite but his paws weren't holding up as well as they have on past trips. We will miss his trail antics.
*We are 10 days behind schedule.
*Jesse is about 4 days ahead of us due to the dog delays.
*No more snow. No more bear canister. No more heavy snow equipment.
*Mosquitos suck. We hate them!
*We have narrowly missed several thunder storms.
*Oatmeal sucks worse than mosquitos!
*We are both on our 3rd pair of shoes.
*Ratso/Gina has lost 3 toenails.
*Longest period without a shower was 17 days.
*We have only slept in a bed 3 times since the U.S./Mexico border.
*Ratso's/Gina's cravings include fried egg sandwiches, rootbeer floats and orange juice.
*Panama's/Kraig's cravings include pancakes and the roasted nuts that are sold by the street vendors in New York City.
*The following is a list of trail names for some of the people we have met on the trail:
Tigger, Chuck Norris, Photon, Gnargles, Yak, Daily Special, Germinator, The Three Amigos, T-N-T, Miss Potato Head, Weeble, Yardsale, Old Drum, Wanna Sherpa, S.O.L., Coyote, Ratatouille, Jester, H.R. Huff-n-Puff, Breezeway, Squatch, Roller Girl, Wild Child, Bobcat, Uncle Lorenzo, High Octane, Gazelle, Vanity Fair, Windbreaker, Turbo, Hardcore, Latecomer, Missing Link, Kombuddah, Too Obtuse, Jelly Bean, Boondock, Data, Mr. Clean, Beautiful, Gorgeous, Trooper, Wing It, Sly, Smooth Criminal, Spider Woman, Jammer, The Dude, Shake-n-Bake, Slow Ride, Tree Beard, Esoteric Ninja, Snow Kittens, Lil' Wrangler, Deuce, Zephyr, Drive-By, I-pod, Ice Bag, Stretch, Yeti, Old School, Circle, Moonshine, Rosemary.
*Our next stop is Old Station, CA.

Relief Stop 9: Old Station, CA. to Ashland, OR.

We are finally in Oregon. It took us 103 days to get here.
So far, Oregon doesn't look much different than California. We are still bush-wacking through manzanitas. In California we have seen 6 black bear, 6 marmots, about three dozen deer, several rattlesnakes and tons of cattle. Three other hikers have spotted Mountain Lion, but we haven't seen any yet. California has been incredibly diverse from border to border. We will miss it for the time being but are happy to explore a new state. While in California it rained on us three times, we were threatened by four different wildfires, and we traveled through a record-breaking snowstorm (which, luckily, only lasted for one day). We are catching up to other hikers who we haven't seen for a while. We all have many stories to tell and look forward to seeing each other in Washington as we get closer to journey's end.

California Favorites: Favorite town stops:

1. Etna
2. Sierra City
3. Idyllwild

Favorite on-trail stops:

1. Drakesbad Guest Ranch
2. The Saufley's

Favorite sections:

1. The John Muir Trail
2. The Marble Wilderness
3. The Trinity Alps

Poison Oak was everywhere in Northern California. We ate handfulls of wild blackberries and thimbleberries as we approached the border and the evenings grew colder the farther north we went. Our next stop is Crater Lake National Park.

Relief Stop 10: Ashland, OR to Cascade Locks, OR

Oregon is huckleberry heaven and so much more. It took us 21 days to hike the state of Oregon and out of those 21 days it rained on us for 8 days. Believe it or not, it snowed on us the morning of August 31st. We take back anything we ever said about Oregon being similar to California. Oregon is rich with volcanic activity and is scattered with zillions of lakes. Our best day on trail so far was standing high in the mountains and within the course of the day gazing upon the majesty of Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams.
Since the Oregon border, and as we travel further northward, we are receiving word of other hikers getting off trail due to either injury, illness, schedules, or foul weather. Some are even skipping large sections of the trail just to dodge the rain.
What our schedule has been like lately... We now hike an average of 28 miles per day. We eat oatmeal every morning, and every two hours we have a snack break. Each snack may consist of one of the following depending on what we have packed for the ration: pop tarts, clif bars, power bars, corn nuts, snickers, trail mix, snack mix, homemade fruit roll-ups, keebler sandwich crackers, dried fruit, triscuits, cold cereal or cheez-its (not the healthiest selection but they are all high calorie and lightweight). For dinner we re-hydrate one of the following home cooked meals: lasagna, new Mexican stew, rice & beans, chili and tortilla soup (both recipes from Abbot's Habit in Venice, Ca), tuna casserole and rotini with marinara sauce. Usually we are ready and hiking by 6:30am, and by 7:00pm we are usually setting up camp and preparing for dinner.
Tomorrow morning we will cross the Columbia River and enter Washington State. We have 508 miles between us and the Canadian border!

Relief Stop 11: Cascade Locks, OR to Skykomish, WA

187.2 miles to go.

This trip has been one of the greatest experiences of our lives.
Every day has been a lesson in perseverance, and both a mental and physical challenge. We are not sure if we should be happy or sad to be this close to the end. We have hiked nearly 2,650 miles through mountains and deserts and have spent almost five months together doing it.
Soon we will have the state of Washington behind us and so far this northern state has been happiness and sunshine, huckleberries and fresh mountain air, black bears, glacial peaks, awe-inspiring lakes, bow hunting and elk season. By far, we both agree, Washington has been the prettiest state on trail. The Pacific Crest Trail has certainly saved the best for last and we hear the best is yet to come...the Glacier Peak Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park.
We have one more town stop (Stehekin) and we hope the weather stays nice for the remainder of our trip.

Last Stop 12: Skykomish, WA to Manning, B.C. Canada

WE MADE IT TO CANADA!!!(2600+ miles).
We finished on September 29, 2008 one day shy of five months.

The final two sections of Washington state were the most difficult as well as the most beautiful. Through the Glacier Peak Wilderness we encountered four days of blistering cold rain and snow at high elevations. We were wet and miserable but kept our pace and stayed on schedule (the only option to stay warm). There were only a few moments when the sun peaked out of the clouds giving us a chance to take some spectacular photos of Glacier Peak and its alpine surroundings. Our last town stop was Stehekin, WA. where Ratso’s father flew his Cessna airplane to a nearby landing strip bringing us our final food ration along with two large pizzas (what do you tip for that?). From Stehekin to Canada the North Cascades National Park relieved us with four days of clear skies and sunshine.

Although the weather was nice this section was bitter-sweet. After reaching the monument at the US/Canada border we hiked nine more miles to Manning Park, B.C. where we boarded a Greyhound bus to Vancouver, B.C. Canada. On the bus we talked about the friends we met along the way and wondered who had finished and who had not. We are still in awe that we finished in the time that we did...three months ago we weren't even halfway through California. We want to thank all of you who followed along and also those of you who helped support Hiking With Purpose on this expedition. In 2010 we plan on hiking the Continental Divide Trail. Stay tuned for more information.

Special Thanks