No news is good news

After a couple days of rest it is time to get back on the trail. I am not sure when I will have reception again, so no news is good news from here on out. 

Though I started out by myself, I am now hiking in a large trail family that is sure to continue to grow. 

Sara joined me in Tuolumne Meadows. Danielle and Ryan joined us at Lyell Fork. And now we have Donny, Alyssa, Tiffany and Sarah, though the last 3 mentioned are only with us for a few days. 

I'm looking forward to hoping back on the trail and catching up with my other friends who are ahead of us now due to our extended stay in Mammoth. 

My summit date for Mt Whitney, and the end of the JMT, is August 3rd. I most likely will not be posting anything between now and then. 

Please continue to support and pray for us as our journey still consists of 170 miles over 17 days. The hard part of the trail is yet to come and we are supposed to get some weather next week. 

Thank you all! I will update when I can! 

A few pictures.

On my way! 

Beautiful views from the Panoramic Trail. 

More great views. Storms are rolling in. 

Found my Sara!!!

Waiting in line for our walk in permits. 

Beautiful Lyell Canyon

Our first sunset. View from our campsite at Lyell Fork. 

We hiked from all the way down by that river. 

Our little trail family on Donahue Pass. 

Thousand Island lake and Banner Peak. 

Sunset from our campsite at 1,000 Island Lake. 

Mammoth, CA

I'm exhausted right now, mostly because I have just stuffed my face with Mexican food after having hiked around 8 miles today. Therefore, this will be a short blog. 

Sara and I are in Mammoth. We have 3 friends with us whom we have met on the trail. 

We are supposed to be camping aside a beautiful lake tonight, but we decided to push into town for a few reasons. Sara has some pretty bad blisters on her feet. Danielle has an ingrown toenail that is now infected. Danielle and Ryan both need to dump at least 25% of their pack weight. I needed to call my dad. 

We have a room at a hotel. Unfortunately you can only have 2 adults in a room, but we snuck Danielle and Ryan in too. So much cheaper to split a room between four people! Sara and I went to Rite Aid to grab some shower supplies, then went to the laundromat. Ryan and Danielle met us there. Dan was there too, so we invited him along with us to dinner at Robertos. Everyone was in the mood for Mexican food. 

We are all full and happy. I would say we are all clean, but Sara and I still need to take showers. 

We will sleep good tonight!!! In a bed! 

On top of Donahue

Super quick...

I'm about 36 miles into the hike. The weather is BEAUTIFUL today, though I've had several days of bad weather, to include snow. 

My spirits are great! My knee isn't hurting at all. 

I picked up Sarah at mile 23 and we've found others to hike and camp with. We have 2 more nights until we get to Red's Meadow and the night after we'll meet up with Donny and more friends. 

Thanks for reading! Look back at the end of the week for another update! 

Powering Off

Today is the big day! 

YOSEMITE!!!

In about an hour we will be leaving for Yosemite. I will pick up my permit and camp overnight in Bridalveil Falls campsite with Rosemarie. Tomorrow morning I will finally step foot into the JMT starting at Glacier Point. I'm so glad to have Rosemarie's company for the first few miles. 

My phone will be on airplane mode soon to conserve battery life. I do not have a solar charger, but simply two Mophie Power Stations that will give me 4 charges total. I need to use those sparingly, as the only time I will be able to charge them is at Mammoth and possibly VVR. 

Do not expect many updates for this reason. 

If I'm not posting a blog, I'm still on the trail. Consider this a classic example of "No news is good news." 

I should be able to update on Friday or Saturday, next Thursday, and then who knows after that. Stay tuned. 

I just want to take this moment to thank all of those who have supported me along the way. I know I am a strong person, and I'd like to think I would have got this far on my own, but it would have been extremely difficult. I am grateful for those who tried to make it a little easier for me. Some of you gave me money to help with resupplies. Some of you opened your home to me as I journeyed across country and through CA. Many of you sent me words of encouragement and prayed for me. Whatever way you helped, please know that I am forever grateful for your role in supporting me. 

Much love to you all! 

Here I go! 

Trail Angels

Meet Sherri and Gary. My first Trail Angels. 

Many of you may be asking what a "trail angel" is. I searched for a definition, but couldn't find one. Simply put, a trail angel is someone who shares generosity to a hiker in one way or another. This can be something big, like opening their home to a hiker, providing a ride, feeding a hungry belly, or something small like leaving water or snacks along the trail. No matter the capacity in which a trail angel serves a hiker, much gratitude is felt by the hiker. These acts of kindness are often referred to by hikers as "Trail Magic". 

Tonight I was greeted at the bus station in Fresno, CA by Sherri and Gary. They picked me up, brought me to their house and will be taking me to Yosemite in the morning. I've never met them before, but Sherri and I have been in the same hiking group for over a year and have frequently chatted in the group. 

Not to be excluded from the Trail Angels I have met are Rosemarie and Jan. These ladies are also in the same group. 

When I found out I did not have a ride to Yosemite, Jan stepped up right away and tried to help me come up with a solution. We went through many many plans trying to figure out which was the best approach. 

She really got the ball rolling and somehow Sherri got involved as well. I woke to a message one night saying that everything was taken care of and the plan was set in place. 

Wow. I was so humbled by their concern for me, a stranger who they only knew from Facebook. 

The plan was set in motion and when I arrived at the station Sherri, Gary and Rosemarie were there waiting for me. 

We all went back to Sherri's house where Jan was waiting for us. Our visit was wonderful and I was so glad to finally meet these ladies! 

Tomorrow Sherri, Gary and I will be heard to Yosemite. Rosemarie will be joining us. Once we arrive, Sherri and Gary will go off hiking and Rosemarie and I will set up camp. She has asked to hike with me for my first few miles! Another act of kindness! 

I seriously am so grateful to have met these wonderful people. It's moments like these that give me a peace about my journey. I know that I am exact where I am meant to be and this will be an absolutely unforgettable experience! 

Greyhound

Public transportation fascinates me. I love taking it whenever I can. Trolleys, subways, city buses, ferries.. You name it, I've probably done it. Well, all except for riding a Greyhound bus. I never really had a reason to take a bus long distance, as I'm usually inclined to just drive myself. However, with hiking for a month, I wasn't wanting to leave my Jeep in Yosemite and then have to back track to get it after the hike. After searching many options, it was clear that taking a bus was the cheapest and easiest thing to do. 

Now, usually there are some good stories that come along with riding public transportation. Take for instance my ride on the San Diego Trolley last spring. I don't remember all of the particular details, but I remember the gist of it. I was riding along, alone, minding my own business when I noticed this man staring at me. I smiled and just carried on with my texting. Next thing I know, the guy comes and sits right in front of me and puts his arm on the back of the seat, almost as if to touch my legs. I continued to mind my own business, all the while texting a friend that a creepy dude was too close to me. Thankfully he got off a few stops before me, but I had a plan to ride it out and miss my stop if that meant waiting for him to get off before me. 

I've met some really nice people on public transportation as well. I've seen some absolutely adorable children. I've had some run ins with really shady people, and once thought I was going to be shot. It's all par for the course. 

Today I'm on a Greyhound bus and I've been waiting for some good stories to blog about. Unfortunately not much has happened... Yet. I still have about 5 hours of travel time, so it's still early in the game. 

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I'm sitting in the 2nd row on this bus. I'll have to switch buses once we get to LA, which we should have already arrived there. 

Anyway, I'm in the 2nd row and a guy in the first row just got up to go to the bathroom about 30 minutes ago. When he got back all I could smell was weed. Now, I've never smoked weed though I have been around it and offered it several times. It's just not my thing. However, I do know what it smells like thanks to dating a couple "potheads" in my college years. This smell was unmistakably weed.

I really wanted to start giggling. I wasn't sure if it was the old man who went to the bathroom that smoked it, or if someone else in the back was smoking and the stench followed him up. Either way, I know I'm not the only one who smelled it because the old man pipped up and told the bus driver that someone was smoking. It's been about 30 minutes now and the smell has dissipated. 

I was kind of disappointed that nothing really came of it. I could use a little more excitement on this trip. Hopefully we get some good characters in LA. 

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Riding a bus is very similar to riding a plane. Mostly in the scheduling of the rides. For example, your plane may be late arriving, meaning it could be late landing, meaning you could miss your connection. What does that mean? Oh, you have to get a ticket change. Sometimes there may not be any available seats on other flights. 

We've all been there in some capacity. The joys of travel right? 

Yep. Same thing happens on a bus. 

My bus was 15 minutes late picking us up. It was an hour late dropping us of. Meaning I missed my connection. Fantastic. So I went to get my ticket changed. What? No seats available on the next bus? Great. 

At this point I am sitting in Los Angeles bus terminal hoping that a seat opens up on the next bus and hoping that i am lucky enough to get that seat, seeing how there are about 20 of us waiting, hoping, for a seat. 

If I cannot get onto that bus, I will be trying for one of the two later busses. Unfortunately that means an arrival in Fresno at either 1:30 or 3:10am. 

Either way... 

I WILL BE IN YOSEMITE TOMORROW! 

*pause* 

I am on a bus! Headed to Sacramento. Ha. With a stop in Fresno along the way. 

I'm sitting beside a guy with a Spanish accent. Conversation should interesting. 

Arrival time in Fresno: 9:50pm

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So the guy I am sitting beside is asleep. Good. I can blog about him now. Ha. 

He is running from trouble. Like, bad boy trouble. How did I end up picking HIM to sit beside? Aside from his overall bad boy feel (which, by the way I didn't get right away from the 5 seconds I had to choose a seat partner), I can't understand hardly anything the guy mutters because of his accent. I just nod my head or laugh when he is laughing. What?!? Goodness.

We did share snacks though. I gave him some cheese and he gave me some sort of Mexican cookie/cracker hybrid. 

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Oh no. 

I have to pee... But I don't want to use the bathroom on the bus. 3.5 more hours. Probably can't hold it that long. *le sigh*

Ok... I've been holding it for an hour and a half. I'm going to have to buckle and just go. Here's to hoping it's clean! 

Verdict: It was bearable. I've been in much worse conditions. Though, if I would have remembered that we had a layover in Bakersfield, I could have just gone then! 

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The thing about Mexican music is that IT ALL SOUNDS THE SAME! No, seriously. Even Mexican friends of mine have jokes around about how it all has the same beat. 

Someone on the bus within close proximity to me has their music turned up way too loud. And I'm pretty sure they only have 2 songs on a playlist that is on repeat. 

I have been listening to the same freakinf Mexican song for the last 4.5 hours. I'm pretty sure it will be stuck in my head for days at this point. 

Now would be the perfect time to use my headphones... If they weren't left behind in PA! 

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20 minutes to go. 

I need off this bus! 

I cannot listen to this Mexican music any longer. I seriously want to find their dumb phone and throw it off the bus! 

I also need to stretch out. My body hasn't recovered from my San Jac hike this weekend and I'm stiff and sore. 

I cannot wait to meet Sherri, Jan and Roaemarie tonight! I've been blessed with their friendship online for the past year and am so grateful for their support along the way! 

I also cannot wait to get one last good night of sleep in a bed before sleeping in a tent for the next 26 days. 

10 minutes left. 

Just outside of Fresno now. 

I'm so grateful to finally have made it this far! 

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Final thought:

Riding the bus was definitely an experience. I want to say I'll never do it again because I just don't feel like it is my thing, however, there might be a day where it makes more sense to take a bus, so I am going to stay open minded about the option. 

Packed and Ready!

I am officially packed and ready to go! 

Tomorrow I will leave San Diego on a Greyhound bus bound for Fresno, CA where some lovely ladies from the Ladies of the JMT Facebook group will be awaiting my arrival. One will be putting me up for the night and taking me to Yosemite the next morning, and the other is simply coming to meet me and give me a hug of encouragement. 

I have been a part of the Ladies of the JMT Facebook group for over a year. I can honestly say it is, without a doubt, a major influence in my life as a hiker. The women in that group are so strong and supportive. 

Up until a few days ago I had transportation all figured out on how I was getting up to Yosemite from San Diego. Well, all of that changed last minute and I was left scrambling to find a way up there. I reached out to these incredible Ladies and within a day a plan was set into action and I had reliable transportation to the park. 

I am left humbled and grateful for their generosity and friendship. I cannot wait to meet some of the ladies in person whom I have been friends with on Facebook for the past year! 

I spent the majority of this morning finishing up packing my resupplies and packing up Monkey (my pack). There is something freeing about knowing that I am officially packed up and ready. I've been spending nearly every day since arriving in San Diego worrying about my resupplies and gear. 

I have one more trip to Walmart and a trip to REI to take care of tonight or first thing tomorrow and then I'm set! 

Mt. San Jacinto

I HATE WHEN I TYPE A BLOG AND FORGET TO SAVE IT!!!! 

Ok. 

Mt San Jacinto. - Take 2

Ugh. I don't feel like typing it all out now. So, you get some pictures and some quick details of the hike. 

5 of us went up to Idyllwild to hike San Jacinto this weekend. Our packs were heavy, as we each had to carry 2 gallons (16lbs) of water because we were told there was no water source. That was a lie, as we found out 7 miles into the hike. 

We hiked in about 8 miles and set up camp at Little Round Valley. We were thankful to get our packs off! Once we were settled, 4 of the 5 of us set off for the summit. It was brutal, but totally worth it! Absolutely gorgeous!!! 

The hike itself was beautiful as well. There were a lot of flowers along the way and a beautiful creek to stop for water at. 

 

Overall we did 12 miles yesterday and 8 miles today. It was difficult both up as well as down. Going up we had heavy packs and had to contend with elevation. Going down we had to deal with sore knees. 

This was definitely a great training hike for the JMT. I was told that nothing on the JMT is quite as hard as that mountain, so that makes me pretty confident in my ability to finish the JMT this year! 

** Grr. I am still irked that my original blog didn't get saved. It was good. But I am just too tired at this point to rewrite the whole thing. *le sigh*

Utah

I've been through the state of Utah several times on my drives across the country. It has always been one of my favorite parts of my cross country trip. It is so beautiful. Though I've been through it many times, I've never actually had the opportunity to stop and enjoy what it has to offer. I decided this was the trip I was going to finally see some of the things I have been waiting to see. 

We crossed over the Utah/Colorado state line on Interstate 70 West. I'm familiar with this road. Familiar enough actually that once I get on it in MO after seeing Gretchen, I could, in fact, make it all the way to San Diego without needing GPS at all. We only stayed on 70 for about an hour before we pulled off onto scenic Byway 128 south towards Moab. What a beautiful drive! I was recommended this route by fellow hikers from a hiking group I am in. I'm so glad I took the advice and ventured on this road. It followed the Colorado River through canyons and valleys. It was beautiful. 

We came to the town of Moab, which is a huge vacation destination for many. Jeeps come here to play, sightseers come to enjoy national parks, some come for the river. There is much to do in Moab. 

First thing, we ran to a grocery store to pick up groceries for the next few days. We would be camping at Arches National Park for the next two nights. 

With groceries in tow, and a new rewards card for a grocery store we would never shop at again (hey, we saved over $10!), we headed towards Arches. 

Many of you have never heard of Arches National Park, but I am sure that most of you have seen pictures of the iconic Delicate Arch. You'll recognize it on the pictures below. I've always wanted to go to Arches and see Delicate Arch. Last year I thought of stopping by on my way home, but a thunderstorm with cloud to ground lighting encouraged me to keep driving. Not this time! The weather was perfect and we were bound to have an amazing time! 

We got to our camp, which was really awesome. 

We were both pretty hungry, so we started up a fire and I introduced Donny to mountain pies. Pizza Mountain pies to be exact! With a little bit of trial and error, we ended up with some pretty amazing pizzas for dinner! 

The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and headed straight for Delicate Arch trailhead. There are two reasons why you want to get to this trailhead early in the day: 1) it gets hot the later in the day it gets and 2) it gets ridiculously crowded! Thankfully we went at a perfect time! It was comfortable out and there weren't many people yet. The hike wasn't difficult at all. It was very enjoyable. The best part of the hike was taking the last step and rounding the bend to see Delicate Arch standing in all of it's glory. 

I squealed like a little girl! 

That was the main highlight of Arches. Everything else was just icing on the cake! 

Park Avenue

Balanced Rock

Firey Furnace. Permits are required to hike here. I'd love to do this sometime! 

Sand Dune Arch - One of my favorite ones we saw! 

Mid-Afternoon break

While we were at Arches, in the middle of the day it was extremely hot, so we took a drive to Canyonlands National Park. We stopped for a picnic in the shade on the way and only stayed in Canyonlands for about 2 hours. It was pretty interesting, though I can't say I am excited to ever go back. 

Lunch time!

Mesa Arch

Super huge puffs!!! The boys would be so excited! 

Our last National Park stop was Zion. We had been waiting for this one. However, we had a bit of a snag getting there (I'll save that for another blog) and I also got sick our first night of camping. So instead of staying 2 nights, we only ended up staying one. And instead of doing Angels Landing, we just did the Narrows and Emerald Pools. It was nice, but I definity wished I could have done Angels Landing. Some day we plan on returning and doing all of the Narrows (Permit required), and Angels Landing. 

Relaxing in the river after a super stressful day. 

Virgin River. On our way back to The Narrows. 

View from Emerald Pools trail. 

Utah. Loved it. Definitely going back!