Week 7-8

 It's been a very full two weeks for Darrell and I both.  This is a long one...buckle up!

This happened right outside Tehachapi.

And then this happened!

Corey Costelloe, who lives in Tehachapi and is a Team World Vision runner whom Darrell had never met before, volunteered to pick Darrell up and host him overnight.  In their conversations getting to know each other, Corey's podcast for the city of Tehachapi came up and he asked Darrell if he would like to be interviewed about his PCT hike and fundraising.  Corey dropped Darrell off in the morning on the trail and then picked him up that afternoon eight miles later to bring him back to town for the podcast interview.  After the recording, he was dropped off at the spot where he was picked up to finish out the day on the trail.  We are so grateful for the hospitality and support and enthusiasm Corey provided for Darrell.  The link to the podcast is below.  It is very good.

http://tehachapod.libsyn.com/waterboy-stops-in-tehachapi-on-pct-fundraising-journey?tdest_id=1917599 

I love pictures of the trail, and I only wish that the path was this smooth the whole way.

And when the  trail that is adorned with beautiful wildflowers it seems like it couldn't get any better!

Travis Reynolds from Nipomo, who hiked the 211 mile John Muir Trail last year with his wife and three sons, met Darrell at Walker Pass and took him to Ridgecrest.  He treated Darrell like a king, providing meals and lodging and companionship and rest.  He also helped him with his technology, which should be easy, but it is not intuitive for us.

The landscape changes as you get closer to Kennedy Meadows, where the California desert meets up with the Sierras.  It will be a welcome change of scenery, and there will be plenty of water along the trail.

Along the trail  are people who provide "Trail Magic" for the hikers.  This is Chris who made a bountiful breakfast for the hikers who spent the night at Landers Meadow Campground.  These kindnesses provide not only nutrition for the body but encouraging food for the soul.

A garter snake that crossed his path, literally, stretching out over what looked like six feet or more.  I struggle with downloading videos so I wasn't able to show the video of him slithering across the path.

Darrell's next stop was Kennedy Meadows, where I would be picking him up and bringing him home for a few days before he begins his trek across the High Sierras.  He was so motivated that he hiked 30 miles in one day, arriving at his camp after 1:00 am where he cowboy camped before hiking the last three miles the next morning, reaching another milestone.  

I picked him up in Kennedy Meadows on Thursday.  There I met many of the hikers Darrell has encountered who were also stopping off.  Most of them were from out of the country.  It is amazing what we take for granted in our own backyard, when people from all over the world take four to six months away from home to travel across the globe to do this hike.  Darrell introduced me to a couple whose trail names were South and Africa.  Guess where they were from!  

A wind and snow storm was predicted in the Mount Whitney area, about a 2-3 days' hike away. He decided to come home to wait out the storm and spend Mothers' Day weekend in Nipomo and barbecue for his mom and head back on Monday.  He had originally allowed for an up to three week stay at home in his schedule if snow conditions were prohibitive, so only staying a few days at home has put him ahead of schedule for his hike, giving him a little wiggle room to finish up by October.

What a whirlwind this stay at home was!  He brought back with him a hiker from Germany whose trail name is Sweetheart.  It was hard to get used to calling a grown-a$$ed man Sweetheart.  I think I finally asked him his real name after three days!  He was a delight to have in our home.  He cooked us a delicious meal with salmon, gazpacho, eggplant, zucchini, and a tomato and cucumber salad with feta.  Our table overflowed.  Then the next night he used the leftovers and made a completely different meal!  He was such a pleasure to have him in our home.  

This is what your entry way looks like with two hikers resting their feet and preparing for the next leg of the hike.  Darrell exchanged the trail shoes he has been using with boots to help him in the snow and granite.  He also packed some water shoes for the stream crossings he will be doing so he can keep his boots dry.  Sweetheart updated his shoes also.  His parents had sent a new pair to him in a package he picked up at Kennedy Meadows along with more food.  He took the opportunity to get new inserts for his shoes.

While we were home, our super fans, Robert and Laura Horch, treated us to lunch at the Quarter Deck.  They have been following people on YouTube for  many years who have documented their hikes on the PCT.  They are so excited Darrell is doing this hike.  They actually hope to do an epic bike ride through Idaho some day.  They check Darrell's progress every day on his Garmin app and check for blog updates regularly.  They also are tracking some hikers this year  who left around the same time as Darrell, and they are always looking in the background of the videos to see if Darrell walks by!

Laura loaded both Darrell and Sweetheart up with brownies and Snickers to take on the trail.

The next section of the hike is 207 miles through the beautiful High Sierras.  There are a few places a hiker can opt to hike off trail 5-7 miles downhill one way, hitch a ride into town, buy supplies, hitch back to the trailhead, and hike the 5-7 miles back uphill to rejoin the trail.  Sweetheart, being a younger man (37 years old), encouraged Darrell to just make the hike straight through without resupplying, carrying 15 days of food to get him through to the other side at Reds Meadow near Mammoth Lakes.  Since they are out of the desert, water is abundant along the trail, so they wouldn't need to carry the full five liters of water they had been carrying up to this point.  They shed about 7 pounds of water, but their food ended up weighing 17 pounds!

Bear canisters are required on this part of the hike, so the trick was getting all 15 days worth of food in the container. They all are carrying a container like this.  There seemed to be no way to get that much food in there and seal it tight.  

After unsuccessfully packing and unpacking more than once, a fool-proof scheme was hatched. You simply grind up your dried food in the blender and put it in a zip-lock bag so that air pockets are eliminated.  Yes, these are bbq potato chips in the blender.  Every meal was blended and placed in a bag.  Just measure out what you need and add water to cook it.  (But not the potato chips--these you just sprinkle over your meal to add extra flavor--I kid you not).  I figured they could leave their dentures at home since they wouldn't be chewing anything for two weeks.  They actually would need their teeth after all, because of all the candy bars they were able to fit in (folded and smashed) after all that compaction.   Thank you, Laura!  They figured they could carry the brownies outside the canister and scarf them down the first day.  

I dropped Darrell and Sweetheart off in Kennedy Meadows on Monday where they started off with Larissa from Austria (trail name Heidi!).  They all walk at different paces, with Darrell being the slowest.  Heidi will be stopping off to resupply at Kearsage Pass and Sweetheart will eventually be pulling away from Darrell.  His Visa expires in September, so he has to cover ground more quickly.  Please pray for Darrell.  This is a beautiful but long and tough part of the hike.  It is also forecast to be near freezing in the higher elevations.  Please pray for stamina, good health, safety, and the companionship of fellow hikers.

I would encourage you to follow Darrell on his Garmin.  He updates it every evening.   https://share.garmin.com/pctwaterboy

Also, if you would like to donate to World Vision for clean drinking water, please use this address:

https://www.teamworldvision.org/participant/pctwaterboy

So far, $45,803 has been donated!  Thank you, everyone!

Week 6

 

Darrell logged in his longest hike this week...23 miles in one day.  It was supposed to be 21, but he inadvertently hiked a mile off trail and had to turn around and trek back to the trail.  He wasn't a happy camper that night, both figuratively and literally.  But, he did hit another landmark early in the week.

A fellow hiker took this picture.

A behind-the-scenes glimpse taken by the same fellow hiker as Darrell attempts a selfie with the landmark!

 

This is Hiker Town, an oasis between Agua Dulce and Tehachapi.  It has rooms to rent, laundry facilities, and offers the use of outdoor showers.  They provide a shuttle into town so that the hikers can resupply their food.  Darrell arrived here around 11:00 am.  He took a shower outdoors and rested up in a room before he hit the trail once again around dusk.  

Since the daytime temperatures are getting high and there is a long distance between water sources, Darrell set off in the evening to hike in the cooler night temperatures.  The trail led him along the LA aqueduct for 7 1/2 hours that night starting at dusk  He then stopped and cowboy camped (sleeping in the open without a tent) for a few hours in the wee morning hours.   He got up early and proceeded to hike 9 more hours in the daylight.  The aqueduct part of the hike made for a smoother trail and safer hiking at night.  So I guess you could say this was actually his longest hike in one 24-hour period--my estimate is 40 miles.  Fortunately, it wasn't mountainous terrain, and he didn't step on any rattlesnakes cooling off at night, which was his fear.

Hiking through the wind farms outside of Tehachapi.  He experienced about 40 mph winds that pushed him sideways and hit him head on while he was  hiking up the hills.  He had to lean sideways  and crab along like a plane lands in windy conditions to avoid being blown off the trail.

There were warnings to be aware of what is known as poodle dog bush, which is on the trail in the area he has been hiking this week (this picture came from google images).   It is an opportunistic bush that can appear in burn areas.  It secretes an irritant that can cause anything from a mild rash to severe respiratory problems.  And then there are rattlesnakes...and poison oak.

The wildflower color along parts of the trail is spectacular.

Darrell was picked up in Tehachapi by Corey Costelloe, someone he had never met before.  He is a fellow Team World Vision member who heard about his adventure and offered him a good night's sleep and a shower in his home and taxied him to the post office  to pick up the meds and olive oil (his request) that I sent to him via general delivery.  He also took him to the grocery store to stock up on food and dropped him back on the trail the next day.  Corey interviewed him for a podcast that he does.  We will update you on this as we find out more about when this will be available.  We are so thankful for his support.  Darrell is meeting so many wonderful people along the way.

Donations to World Vision for clean drinking water for children around the world can be made on Darrell's Team World Vision page:   https://www.teamworldvision.org/participant/pctwaterboy

My visual of pennies donated per mile since April 22:  75!  I had to go to the bank and get more pennies, and I'm hoping soon I'll have to get a bigger jar to hold them all!

Since our blog post last week where we estimated we would need 2000 pennies donated per mile to come close to reaching Darrell's goal of $100,000, World Vision has received $1,875 for clean drinking water on Darrell's Team World Vision web page.  That is approximately 75 pennies per mile toward reaching his goal.  We are still praying for 1,925 more pennies per mile as he hikes.

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

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.