Week 4

 This week on the trail can be characterized by WIND, just like here on the Central Coast.  Except higher speed winds with colder temperatures.  Once again, his one night zero day was extended, this time to three nights due to dangerously high winds. He even rescued a hiker friend from the gusty trail, thanks to the Rivas' who welcomed her into their home after Darrell drove their car to the trailhead and brought her in.

Yup, three hundred miles hiked.  As the crow flies he's 85 miles from where he started.  The PCT is obviously not the most direct route north.  I like to tell the story about his first day hiking 20 miles for 8-10 hours to get to the camp which I drove to four miles up the road from the starting point in only five minutes.  On the other side of the sign which you cannot see it says 2350 in case you were coming from the other direction starting in Canada.  

Bridge Crossing

Then there was the one night camping near a lake where they were serenaded by frogs all night.  Way better than hearing your fellow hikers snoring.

Not sure which lake this is, but I'm sure it was a beautiful sight to behold 

after so much walking through dry desert.

Silverwood Lake

Critter--Lizard

Critter--I call this one Sneaky Snake

More critters--the two-legged variety.  This one is Larissa (from Austria).

One afternoon I got a call.  He was at a pizza shop about two miles off the trail.  It turns out that a group of ten hikers called and ordered pizza from the trail and the owner came and picked them up at the trailhead and gave them a ride to his restaurant and then brought them back when they were done.  I was thinking there would be more "roughing it" on this trail.

Ingrid from Montana

Equipment update:  He had to purchase new trekking poles while in Hesperia staying at the home of Mitch and Tracy Rivas.  The tips had worn off of his, which were a pair he had purchased at Costco about ten years ago.  They didn't have replaceable tips.  His new ones do, and they also have attachments for use in the snow like on ski poles (I call them baskets).  

He told me his pack now weighs around 45 pounds when full of food and water, and he's not sure what he has added to have increased the weight by that much besides one pair of pants to change into and his ice axe and spikes.

He has found that we have packed too much food in his resupply boxes, so he mailed the extra food up ahead for his cache in Agua Dulce where he will be met by Jim and Nina Bayles.  He'll let me know what I will need to send there also to add to his surplus for the next leg.  This weekend Daniel, our youngest son who lives in Glendale, will be picking him up, where the trail is somewhat near his home, for a night and then dropping him back on the trail the next day.

And we can't forget if you're wanting to donate for clean water through Team World Vision, please use this link:  https://www.teamworldvision.org/participant/pctwaterboy.  Thank you all for giving and praying.

I'll close with wildflower pictures.