Week 17

As most of you know, Darrell and I were exposed to COVID in Yosemite during a brief layover for Darrell about two weeks ago.  We did not know this until two days after he hit the trail, and he didn't develop symptoms until two days after that.  So, after 57 miles from where I dropped him off, he developed sinus issues, followed the next day by difficulty breathing, sore throat and diarrhea.  Our wonderful long-time  friends Steve and Shirley Davidson, who live in Clovis, were set to meet him and bring him a food box and moral support at Sonora Pass 45 miles further along the trail in three days.  As his symptoms progressed, he struggled forward with limited daily mileage.  I was in close contact with Steve and Shirley, and we decided that because of his possible COVID and their trip to their grandson's wedding in the next week or so, that it would be best for me to meet him rather than risk their exposure.  Darrell started feeling  a little better after another day, so his mileage picked up and he told me he would be at the trailhead at Sonora Pass a day earlier than expected.  I threw everything in my car and took off.  Steve and Shirley met me at Starbucks right off the highway in Fresno and gave me the package I had mailed to them a few days earlier, and I headed up to Sonora Pass to meet Darrell.  I parked at the trailhead and was told by some hikers that Waterboy was waiting on the side of the road up the trail a few hundred feet.  I walked over a small rise and saw Darrell sitting on the side of the road with his pack next to him. I  waved at him and signaled for him to walk back to the car with me.  He groaned and asked me to please walk back and pull the car up next to him because he did not want to carry the pack that far!  The other hikers laughed about that but understood completely how he was feeling.  I walked back to my car and drove around to where he was.  He hopped into the car and we drove down to a motel.  We tested him first thing, and yes, he was positive for COVID.  We ended up staying four days in town for him to completely recover before heading back out.  Once again, we are so grateful to our friends Steve and Shirley who were looking forward to providing support along the trail for Darrell's hike.  And, we are so glad about the decision for them  not to meet him.

There was still snow on the trail but nothing like when he first attempted to pass through this area six weeks ago.

Instead of post holing through the snow, the path had been trampled on and melted so that passage was easier.

This was Darrell's attire when walking through the cold and sleet and snow and rain.  Father, his fellow hiker, told Darrell he looked like an actor in the movie "Outbreak" with his anti-contamination suit with his waterproof backpack cover and rain gear. 

You can cross the rivers by rock....

...or by log.

But mostly you can walk beside and enjoy the sight and the sound.

Yosemite is more than just the beautiful valley, it is a whole national park, and this is the part that most people never see.

I get the feeling from these pictures that there is something new and breathtaking around every corner.

Meadows ...

... and marmots (you have to look carefully at the top of the pointed rock).

And flora

Colorful lichens

He reached this mile marker on the trail, which is momentous and victorious, but you need to add on the 300 miles he has already hiked up north to get the true picture. 1300 miles plus, which is halfway!

This is how Darrell loads up when he comes upon a grocery store.  I try not to cringe with his diabetes because I know he needs the calories.

Trail story, and I quote:  "I slipped on a rock at 6:30 this morning and got my jacket, pant, shirt, shoes, and bottom of pack wet.  Everything is dry now except socks...I did not get hurt this time."

Another trail story:  He decided to cowboy camp last night because he reached his camp so late.  Late in the night he was awakened by headlamps approaching and whistles blowing  intermittently.  From afar two men identify themselves as Search and Rescue.  Darrell calls out from his sleeping bag, "I'm not who you are looking for."  They then ask him if he's heard a woman screaming, to which his reply was no.  They walk on then, continuing to blow their whistles.  A little while later they come back by with the woman and escorted her safely away.  Sorry, I have no punchline, no explanation.  It just happened.

Dropping him off back at the trailhead at Sonora Pass.  Next stop Echo Lake, near Lake Tahoe., where he will camp for two nights, do laundry, shower, load up on burgers and all sorts of junk food, and be met by my roommate from college, Nancy Turner and her husband, Shawn, once again.  They will meet him with the box of backpacking food I mailed to their home.

I need to let you know about the SUMMER SPLASH FOR MATCHING FUNDS this Tuesday, July 19.  SUMMER SPLASH is  a World Vision matching funds event where every donation received, up to $250,000 is DOUBLED!  Darrell's "God-sized" goal for this journey is $100,000.  Darrell uses none of the funds to assist with personal expenses for this endeavor so every dollar donated goes directly to World Vision for clean water projects around the world.  The only difficult thing about the matching funds event is that the $250,000 available for matching goes quickly!  Times for different time zones in the U.S. are:  5:00 am PT/7:00 am CT/ 8:00 am ET.  PRO TIP:  Pray about what you would like to donate and log onto the site about five minutes early and get ready to push the button right at the opening bell!  

If you are led to join in this journey, donate by visiting Darrell's World Vision page at https://www.teamworldvision.org/participant/pctwaterboy or be a prayer warrior for continued strength and safety on the trail, OR DO BOTH! 

Disclosure:  I plagiarized the last two paragraphs from Darrell's sister, Robin Hopper.  She said it way better than I could!  Thank you, Robin, for getting the word out there so well!

UPDATE ON FATHER:  Almost two weeks off the trail getting healthy, he got back on the trail on Wednesday.

Week 15.5

 Thank you to those of you who check EVERYDAY to see if the blog has been updated!  And those who regularly read our updates.  This greatly encourages both Darrell and me.

Last week I was able to get reservations at Yosemite in the Housekeeping units for three days for perfect timing for meeting up with Darrell as he reached Mammoth Lakes.   Father (see below) also joined us.  We love sharing Yosemite.

In the most recent blog, I mentioned that I dropped Darrell off at Independence where he could hike the part of the trail that he had to jump due to adverse snow conditions that were sucking the energy and joy out of him.  It turned out to be a wise move.  Whereas before he could barely get eight miles a day and was doomed to run out of food before his next pit stop, this time the snow was melted off the trail mostly and he was able to make good mileage.  He had planned to hike to Vermilion Valley Ranch and ferry across Edison Lake to resupply before he made it to Mammoth. He was able to make such good mileage that he eliminated this time consuming stop and had enough food to make it to Mammoth where I picked him up for a side trip to Yosemite.

He was able to enjoy the majesty of this great mountain range and bask in the beauty of the peaks and rivers and hidden lakes and flowers and meadows, remote scenery that most people never see .

This part of the trail runs through the John Muir Wilderness and shares part of the John Muir Trail.  Darrell met up with a hiker here that walks his pace, and they traveled together for several days.  His trail name is Father (imagine being 66 years old and calling a fellow hiker who is 47 Father), and he is from Germany.  He also was going to stop at Vermilion Valley Ranch, but Darrell encouraged him to continue with him straight to Mammoth.  Father hadn't stocked up with enough food to go the extra days without stopping, but he and Darrell laid out their respective food supplies, and Darrell was able to share his bounty with Father, and they both had enough to eat without the extra stop.

This part of the trip was not without its challenges.  There were thunderstorms almost every afternoon, and they were mostly able to continue on through them and remain dry.  Check out these ominous skies and Darrell's garb to keep warm and dry while he was hiking.

These clouds not only brought rain, but also hail and snow.  It was great timing that when the hail started they came upon the John Muir cabin where they could duck in and wait it out.  He and Father and eleven others huddled into this small stone hut until the worst of it passed.  Great opportunity for storytelling and snacking.

Another advantage of returning after the snow had melted some was that the creek crossings were not perilous.   Darrell wore his water shoes through one creek and another one he crossed over on a fallen log.  Father didn't feel confident in walking across the log  and chose to walk through the water in his flip flops and somehow lost one of them and was not able to retrieve it.

The trail is not without perils.  This is a search and rescue helicopter.  Someone at home reported that they hadn't heard from their hiker for two days and he had indicated that he was getting low on food when they last spoke before his gps lost power.  The rangers questioned hikers as they passed to see if they had come across this person.  A few remembered him; he was found a little bit off trail and was reunited with his family. (I'm not sure of the gender so I just used he; I hope that doesn't offend).

Darrell, on the other hand, hasn't been in need of rescue in the wilderness, but he has had his injuries on public transportation getting to and from the trail.  Last post I told you about his bloody face from the train; this week he fell and bumped his head when alighting the steps from the trolley that  shuttled him from the trail to Mammoth.  This reminded us of a similar experience he had  on our family ski vacation in 2007 where he also fell when getting off a shuttle bus at Winter Park Ski resort and injured his back.

Peekaboo!

This is a grouse fanning its feathers.

I'll head off into the sunset.  

Please pray for Father.  After Yosemite I dropped Darrell off at the shuttle stop so he could get back on the trail, and Father planned to stay in town for a couple more days to take care of some business before heading back.  He ended up having to stay longer than he had planned because he fell ill.  He is very discouraged and wants to recover quickly so he can get back on the trail again.

If you haven't had a chance yet, please consider donating to World Vision for clean drinking water for children around the world.  That is why he is hiking.  You can use this link:  https://www.teamworldvision.org/participant/pctwaterboy

Thank you.