the long and winding road

The first 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail are packed with adventure but also with some blood, sweat and tears. Granny Hat is thankful that Christopher has a sense of humor and some camaraderie on the trail. He planned to by-pass the town of Julian, ignoring the aroma of fresh baked pie on the wind. However, as he put it, “I mean I like pie, but my feet really want pie and they’ve been mad that I wasn’t going to take them to get pie, so now I’m gonna go get pie, I guess.” He camped up on a ridge above Scissors Crossing and then the next down, hitched down to Julian for pie, new shoes and some toe socks.

Here Granny just has to blow her own horn, like a mild “I told you so”. She tried to tell the family weeks ago that toe socks weren’t just for Christmas gag gifts or nerds to wear with their Berkenstocks. No one listened……..Those socks are game changers when hiking. Mission convinced Granny to try them and now she’s a believer. Hopefully the toe socks and new shoes will help those PCT trail blisters heal.

Other points of interest Christopher has passed include Eagle Rock, made famous in the movie Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon. Mt. Laguna is another place of interest on the trail; the hikers were met with fierce winds and very cold weather up on the ridge. Christopher made it to Warner Springs for his first re-supply and passed the 100 mile marker. Many hikers are opting to go a bit slow in these first few weeks to acclimate, get their “hiking legs” and wait for snow farther north to melt.

With 10 days under his belt and 115 miles done, Christopher is looking forward to hiking 15 miles down to Paradise Valley Cafe tomorrow. He plans to pick up some supplies in Idyllwild before donning spikes for the trek over Mt. San Jacinto. He says there were many hikers hanging out down at Caliente Creek, cooling their feet in the water.

Flora………. (profuse blooms this year thanks to the wet California winter)

and Fauna! Granny had to put her glasses on to see these camo creatures.

If my readers would enjoy watching some videos and hearing the hiker speak for himself, those are downloaded on his website now:

veteranhiking.com

Early morning cappuccino on the trail! Who says you can’t enjoy the comforts of home on the Pacific Crest Trail?

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
And under mountains in the moon.

J.R.R. Tolkien