Greetings good-lookin' blog readers!
I'm currently in Agua Dulce at Hiker Heaven (www.hikerheaven.com), which is the home of Donna and Jeff Saufley. Donna and Jeff are trail angels who let hikers stay with them - and by "hikers" I mean "all the hikers." There are about 30 people here right now, and pretty much every single PCT hiker stays here when they come through town.
There's another term I've learned: trail magic! Occasionally trail angels do something special for hikers to encourage them along the way. As you can imagine, this usually involves food. On Sunday morning I arrived at a highway crossing and met Flop and Connie who were there providing trail magic. They set up a camper and fed all the hikers who came through for two full days. On Saturday they ran out of burgers and french toast so on Saturday night they went a bought a bunch of pizzas for the Sunday hikers. Normally at 10:00 am on Sunday I'm at church, but instead I found myself eating pizza and drinking beer with a group of other hikers. Kind of strange, but fun!
I've had a few pretty tough days since then fighting mosquitos, biting ants, and orifice flies that swarm around your face and crawl into your eyes and nose. I do have a headnet but I discovered that when it's 95 degrees and you're breathing hard you just can't get enough air through it. My plan B for the headnet is to make my own out of bridal veil material that will keep out the mosquitos and flies but still let me breathe.
Lastly, a few people have asked about the Google map thingy on the blog and if I'm carrying a GPS. The gizmo I'm carrying is called a SPOT (www.findmespot.com), and was a gift from one of my long-term clients - Dan Harvey from PGC (www.precisiongasket.com). It doesn't tell me where I am, but I can push a button every night that transmits my location to my family to let them know I'm alright. It also has a 911 button that I can push which will summon a search and rescue team to my exact location of I get in a critical situation.
Thanks for all your support. I only have 250 more miles until the High Sierras!
Thanks,
Joel
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Nice work bro!! Glad to here that you're doing well. I was thinking that a good to get rid of the flies around your face might would be just to hit them. Of course, you run the risk of giving yourself a bloody nose but you'll just have to weight the pros with the cons on that one!! (a little jacob humor for the next time you read the comments!) Love ya!
ReplyDeleteIt was good to hear from you briefly last night! Reiland and I started a pool to determine how many pairs of boots you'll go through - do me proud!
ReplyDeleteHi Joel -- Hope you have rested well at Hiker Heaven. Are you feeling ready to start out again? How did it go to make a new head net? I'm sure it is a fashion statement! One day at a time. Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteHow did the new shoes feel today?
ReplyDeleteLove, Mom
Joel, Glad to hear that you are enjoying beer on a Sunday morning. That is quite strange for you but wonderfull all the same.
ReplyDeleteKeep Kickin Butt!