Day 30 - Trail Angels - Part 2 (The Andersons)

May 26, 2012

Day 31
Miles: 25
Total Miles: 479

Terrie and Joe Anderson - What you can't see is that Terrie Anderson is feeling me up

The Andersons "Casa De Luna" is the polar opposite of the Saufley's "Hiker Haven".  The Saufley's is a well-oiled operation.  The Andersons is not an operation at all...but an all-out anything goes gathering of hikers on their front lawn with coolers of beer and bowls of weed being passed around a portable metal fireplace, with burgers and dogs being grilled to feed the masses.  I don't want to portray my hike as a party, or that hikers are just out to party and get high and drunk.  Most of my hike has been the opposite of that - one of physical challenge, reflection and enjoying the beauty of the wild outdoors - but at places like the Anderson's, it's nice to have a few beers with your friends and celebrate hiking 480 miles through some of the harshest desert in the country.  Some choose to avoid the Anderson's because of the party atmosphere while others come and relax and just watch the craziness.  If you come, you're bound to have an interesting experience - one that you won't have again anywhere on the trail.

After a ride from Little Steps two miles from the trail to the Anderson's I was shown the way to the Manzanita forest that is their back yard.  I then made my way back through the maze to their front yard and the 30 or so other hikers.  It was an unusually cold day so everybody was bundled in down jackets and blankets while others were cooking burgers and dogs on the grill.

At some point, Terrie Anderson brings out a plate of weed and starts passing it around.  I decided early on that my hike was not going to be about smoking, so I passed on this each time it was handed to me.  However, I have no problem with others enjoying a smoke.

The atmosphere was beginning to get "stupid" after about 11 so I headed back to find my tent to sleep - but not before I went several wrong directions and ripped a big hole in my down jacket on a jagged manzanita branch.

Hiker Party at the Andersons

The Anderson's Manzanita Forest

Day 29 - Trail Angels - Part 1 (The Saufleys)

May 24, 2012
Day 29
Miles: 10
Total Miles: 454

hikers invade the mexican restaurant in Agua Dulce

If you've never hiked a long-distance trail, you may not have heard of Trail Angels.  I had no idea how generous people could be in this hiker community before this trail.  The Saufley's at "Hiker Haven" in the town of Agua Dulce are the best example of the trail angel community.  They started hosting hikers in 1993 and since then have developed a system that allows them to host up to 50 hikers per day at the peak of hiking season - and they have it down!

They have an amazing setup with a dozen or so large tents on their property with cots.  There are bicycles available to hikers for rides into town.  There is a fire pit, a trailer with full kitchen and a selection of movies.  There is a shower and laundry and rides into town to the closest REI for resupplying gear.  They also receive and send packages.  In short - they have everything a hiker needs for a day off the trail!

I spent a couple of days here relaxing with several groups that I had been hiking with - as hikers seem to converge at these stops in what's often called a vortex.  It's sometimes hard to break free of the vortex after you've been sucked in, but at some point you decide that you need to move on and hesitantly begin the next section of your hike and leave behind the comforts of town and trail angels.

Pop Star, Gecko, Matt, Alisdair and Sarah all came in on my second day here and they kept us all up drinking wine by the fire pit.  I also met Oasis and Honey Bear here, two girls from either Portland or Seattle (seems like a disproportionate number of hikers come from one of these two places!).  Ron, another trail angel, took several of us in his van to REI and In-n-Out Burger and I was able to replace the insoles of my Cascadia 7's with new SOLE brand insoles from REI.

But the best part  - FOOD!  I ate at the mexican restaurant twice, the breakfast cafe once, and trips to the market for ice cream.  I typically share a large meal or have food left for a take-home box, but on these trips to the mexican restaurant I ate a full meal with a large bowl of fried ice cream, and I still did not fill this hole in my stomach.  I'll keep trying!

The Saufley's Fire Pit

Day 15 - Down, Down, Down!

Day 15
May 9, 2012
Miles:  27
Total Miles:  211

View of San Jacinto from the north side about half-way through my descent

From my camp site last night at about 9,600 feet near the summit, I descended toward the desert floor all day today to a low point of about 1,200 feet.  Yes, that's right, it was a jarring and hot 8,400 foot descent in one day!  No wonder my knee pain is back!  If you don't hike or run often, you may not realize that it's the downhill portions that are often the most painful and difficult on your joints and feet.  It was also VERY hot (I don't know how hot, but others who knew say 100+) with very little shade once I descnded down below the tree line.  This was also my longest mile day so far at 27 miles.  I really did not have too many options but to get to I-10 where I knew trail angels Ziggy and The Bear would take me in and provide shade and water.

They actually provided much more - a hot saline foot bath, ice-cream and brownies!  I cowboy camped in their back yard with other hikers.  I believe I was the 286th hiker they had taken in this season so far - with the big wave still a few days behind me.

In Ziggy's registration form they asked my name, email and another innocuous request that gave me pause:  "Purpose for Hike".  I wrote, "to find my purpose in life."  This is not truly accurate but I did not know of an easier way to express why I am doing this hike.  I could fill pages with a response - and maybe I will at some point but that will have to do for now.

Ziggy & The Bear