Idyllwild, California...

Six days of hard hiking from Warner Springs, and we are finally safe in Idyllwild, but not without a challenge, probably the most dangerous and nerve wracking hiking i have ever experienced.

Ice chutes: very scary. like solid ice that is 40 feet above and below the trail at a 30 degree pitch. some brave soul before us had cut a path across where the trail should be with an ice axe, and then all the others in front of us had dug in 6 inch foot steps. The only way to pass is to put your feet right in those same footsteps and be very focused. I am not kidding, if you were to slip anywhere on that chute, you would die or wish you were dead at the bottom of the canyon. I almost vomited from the adrenaline rush from crossing the first one. Natalie thought she would shorten her poles and do it on her knees, and i refused to let her, that would have been sure death, her pants are slick. But we made it across about 7 of these 40 foot ice chute trail crossings. And i only got a little bloody that day when i had to retrieve my stick which had fallen at the first chute.

So later that day we made it to 8400 feet. Then the PCT disappeared under 2-4 feet of snow when we came around to the north face of that particular ridge. We found foot prints in the snow, and followed. Bad move. We went way down into the valley below, slipping and sliding, and using new muscles in our arms to hold our poles steady. I am sore in the shoulders right now. We were lost basically. Following others who were even more lost! But we have a good map, and my watch has an altimeter, which came in very handy when we went searching for "Saddle Junction" where many of the trails converge near the peak of the San Jacintos. We just stayed at the same altitude, and went sipping thru the snow around the ridge until it got way too dark to navigate. We broke camp in a non-snowy spot that was not so flat, ate the last of our food, and went to sleep. In the morning, with our bearings still fresh from the night before, we followed our shadows to keep going west, and we found the elusive PCT again, and followed it to Saddle Junction, took a left on the Devil's Slide Trail, and that goes 4.5 miles straight to Idyllwild, and we went straight to eat breakfast at the local diner!!

There is another bad snow area ahead on the PCT, and we are skipping it! We don't have crampons or ice axes, and don't want to buy them or cary them. We'll be doing the alternate road walk to meet up with the PCT 8 miles past the bad snow. If you are interested, the spot is called Fuller Ridge, and it is covered with snow and ice chutes, and is on the north face of San Jacinto, and we have just had enough of near death excitement! I am actually glad to be on the way back to the desert!

In the desert, there are a million lizards. Humming birds fly right up to you and check you out and then buzz away. Huge ants are busy building in the trail, and i try not to step on them for all the work they are doing. The flowers still amaze me sometimes, and the smells are sweet and strong now and then. There is a sort of ringing in my ears all day hiking in the hot sun with sweat running down my cheeks, like the drone strings of a sitar or something... very tripped out.

Nano and I are very strong now. We can do the miles a lot easier. Not quite machines yet, but 200 more miles will complete the training. By the way, we are at mile 179 now. Our next big stop is Big Bear City in 87 miles, which is mile 265 or so on the PCT. Looking more and more forward to our stop in Los Angeles at mile 450. That will be a nice break. We have also discussed slowing down some because we really don't want to go into the Sierras until most of the dangerous ice is gone... let the crazy fasty pants do that... we'll be chillin in the back of the pack!

Ok for now, other people want to use this coffee shop computer...
Hike your own Donut!