Week 5

We've heard it takes about six weeks to get your hiking legs on the PCT.  Darrell hasn't gotten them yet, but he should soon. He is finding the ups and downs of the trail hard.  He says he is passed by more people on the trail than he passes.  This is a new development for him; he has always been the iron man keeping up with and passing people younger than he is.  But, he's Darrell, so he will soldier on, knowing he will grow stronger as he perseveres.  Please pray for his stamina, his spirits, and his health and safety.

400!  Ta Da!

You never know what you'll encounter on a hike like this.  Some unexpected excitement along the way.

If you look carefully, you can see a glider that crashed into the side of the mountain

Sheriff search and rescue checking out the crashed glider plane. 

Snow pics

Darrell learned the hard way that you must take your micro spikes off as soon as you get off the snow.  His spikes got stuck in the ground, and he timbered over face first before he could get his feet free.  He was a little shaken up and scraped his arm, but he was off hiking again soon without the spikes.  I think it helped that there was no one there to see it happen.

A train crossing the trail, or the trail crossing the train route.  So far he hasn't been too far from civilization.

Crossing under the interstate.  Perhaps generations in the distant future will call these hieroglyphics and earn their doctorates deciphering their meanings.

Vasquez Rocks right outside Agua Dulce

More of Vasquez Rocks, a beautiful change of scenery.

Burn area along the trail

A five mile detour from the path along a paved road due to unstable burn areas.

A beautiful sunrise

A beautiful sunset

So grateful to Jim and Nina Bayles from Lancaster who picked Darrell up at Agua Dulce and opened their home to him for a couple good nights' sleep, laundry, food resupply, and encouragement.

Darrell was also able to have lunch with Ryan and Cassie and the grandkids in Lancaster while he was there.

WILDFLOWERS!

Meet Grizzly Gramps

As you know, Darrell is hiking this 2,658 mile trail to raise money for clean drinking water through World Vision.  He set a goal of $100,000.  So far, unbelievably, $43,928 (almost halfway to his goal) has been donated by so many incredibly generous people.  Thank you.  I (Tami) am not too good at trying to raise funds, but I had this idea today.  We have had some people donate $.01 per mile, and some donate $.10 per mile.  If he could raise $20 per mile from here on out, he would be so close to meeting his goal.  I'm not asking that any one person do that, but if we could get 2,000 people to donate $.01 per mile he would reach his goal.  If people could donate $.05 per mile, $.10 per mile, or even $1.00 per mile, or anything they feel led to give, it would take fewer than 2,000 people.  Since $50 is the cost to provide clean drinking water for life for one person, a donation of $.02 per mile ($53.16) would cover that with some extra change--that is an incredible giving option also. Please share Darrell's journey with your friends and let's see if we can actually reach that goal of 2,000 pennies per mile. I'm so excited about this that I'm going to start putting a penny in a jar for every penny donated per mile starting now so that I have a visual of reaching that 2,000 penny goal. 

You can donate at https://www.teamworldvision.org/participant/pctwaterboy