Snow, snow, snow! Wow, there is a lot of snow in the Sierras! Ha, hey guys I'm now in Bishop, CA. As usual, nothing has really gone as planned this last week, since I left Kennedy Meadows. Record snowfall this year has really made hiking through the highest elevations of the PCT very tough. I've spent countless hours sliding on hard snow, postholing through soft snow, walking over unstable ice bridges, fording through raging creeks, lost on snow covered trail, and many other terrifying situations. Unfortunately, due to treacherous conditions, I was unable to climb Mt Whitney. I did try, but had to turn back when I no longer felt safe. Bummer, but I did make it across Forester Pass (13,180 ft) yesterday, the highest point on the PCT. Very scary and exciting. Look forward to a full blog update tomorrow and maybe some new pics. Thanks guys!

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Snow, snow, snow! Wow, there is a lot of snow in the Sierras! Ha, hey guys I'm now in Bishop, CA. As usual, nothing has really gone as planned this last week, since I left Kennedy Meadows. Record snowfall this year has really made hiking through the highest elevations of the PCT very tough. I've spent countless hours sliding on hard snow, postholing through soft snow, walking over unstable ice bridges, fording through raging creeks, lost on snow covered trail, and many other terrifying situations. Unfortunately, due to treacherous conditions, I was unable to climb Mt Whitney. I did try, but had to turn back when I no longer felt safe. Bummer, but I did make it across Forester Pass (13,180 ft) yesterday, the highest point on the PCT. Very scary and exciting. Look forward to a full blog update tomorrow and maybe some new pics. Thanks guys!

Gateway to the Sierras!

Hey followers,
I'm sitting here at Tom's Internet Cafe, a trailer in Kennedy Meadows that trail angel tom has filled with computers for hikers. In fact, Tom not only hosts hikers by letting them camp at his place, he also provides food, water, and even movies in an outdoor theater at night. Really great place, loving this trail magic. We're just a couple hundred yards from the Kennedy Meadows General Store, which is basically all this town is. Lots of hikers here, groups have been taking off daily to begin the long High Sierras stretch.

Afer leaving Tehachapi, we continued our long slow climb in the very windy mountains. Had another morning of rain after leaving a water cache, which was empty and we had been counting on it. Busted some 13 more miles to get to the next source. The mountains have been changing very quickly and it's definitely starting to feel like the Sierras. There was trail magic via Mamma Moab and Tom at Walker Pass and killed a few hours there drinking soda and beer and eating great food. Leaving Walker Pass was when the mountains really started to change and I found myself stuck out on a ridge, alone after leaving the trail magic late in the day. I had passed the marked campsites without knowing it and by 8pm, I found a very small spot perched on the ridge only big enough for just my sleeping bag. Terribly exposed all night to the wind, I woke up in thick clouds and misting rain. Not fun, but I met up with some other hikers later in the day and kept pushing. Two days ago, Happy Whale and I tried a 4am start which actually became more of a 5:50am start haha, to do the last 21 miles into Kennedy Meadows.

I think I will leave Kennedy Meadows tomorrow morning and head for the high Sierras. The last 20 miles in KM were extremely beautiful as the mountains changed quickly and we could see jagged, rocky, snow covered peaks in the far distance. It was so amazing to see those mountains off in the distance and yet very scary and surreal knowing we will be up there in a week. Word is that from here to the Mt. Whitney portal is fairly clear and easy. After that is when we get really high up and hit the highest point on trail, Forester Pass. Of course I will also be summiting Mt. Whitney that first day, to stand on top of the lower 48 yay! It's about 11 days between here and VVR, by far the longest stretch of the trail, through the most dangerous conditions on the trail. I'm doing it!

A little about some more of the hikers I've been with. Unfortunately Holden, who I've been hiking with the last few weeks, took time off in tehachapi to fly home and see his girl for a week. Same with General Zod, who went to the coast for a week with his. I lost Seattle Seth at Walker Pass, when he hitched in to Lake Isabella. So I've done a bit of solo hiking and camping for the past week or two and also met some great new people I've been hiking with. Happy Whale, Chris and Nicole, Chili, Pounder, 12 ounce, Gangster Rap, Collin, Stag, and One Step have been leap-frogged with the last few weeks. Here at Tom's, many old faces like Picker, Ben, Sam, Slapshot, Josh, Wandering Dot, David, and Rambo. I think we've got a pretty solid group heading out tomorrow. People have been just amazing so far, it's very easy to meet friends when you all have a common goal ha.

Don't know when I'll get a chance to post pictures. My camera cord is in my bounce which I accidentally mailed to the wrong stop and am in a sort of pickle now trying to figure out how to get it. Phone charger is in the box too and just some other things I didn't need but wanted. The logistics of this trail like packages, food, gear, and trying to plan it all so it works out, are very stressful and expensive. I love it when I'm just out on the trail, walking from one destination to another. It's great to just think and watch the incredible views pass by. I'm starting to feel very comfortable being out on the trail and in camp. And even though I miss you all at home greatly, the homesickness has passed. I still worry about things like water, food, shelter, and now snow and bears, but life is more simple here.

Well thanks for following friends, I love you all. This is a long stretch so you may not hear from me for awhile, I'll be okay. The high Sierras basically define what the PCT is all about and it will be amazing. Thanks guys
-Banger

Kennedy Meadows

That's right, made it to Kennedy Meadows, gateway to the awesome Sierras! Last week from Tehachapi was very dry and rugged, but oh so beautiful. Gonna take a few days here before leaving for the High Sierras, the toughest part of the whole trip. Stay tuned for a full update! Thanks guys

Journal

Got a few journal entries posted today. Please be patient, it'll will take me awhile to get them all typed up! Just click on the journal tab above and follow the link to my postholer account.

Tehachapi, CA

Hey guys,
let me start this post off with a question: How many times a year do you think it rains in the Mojave Desert? Well my guess is not many. I can honestly say that I was there when it did though! Not only did it rain, but frigid cold winds whipped across the valley. It was miserable and not the desert experience I was expecting.

It started when we left Hiker Town on Sunday night. Hiker Town is a great little stop right at the beginning of the Mojave Desert stretch, where hikers can relax, get water, and even stay the night. We got there in mid-afternoon and just stayed a few hours to relax before we took off to night hike the 20 mile stretch through the Mojave that follows the LA aqueduct. We hiked until about midnight and decided we too tired to go any further, so we found a great spot to lay out our bags and space camp (formally known as cowboy camping, but we renamed it because we are not cowboys and as you lay in your bag you look up at space, lol). I woke up at 2:30am to a slight sprinkle of rain on my face, which was strange because there were no clouds in the sky for miles. The wind was just howling so much, it was pushing it over. I fell asleep and awoke once again about 3:00am to full on rain, soaking my goose-down sleeping bag. So I got up and somehow managed to pitch my tent in record time, in the strong winds. Morning rolled around and the rain nor the wind had stopped yet, but we got up anyway and began hiking again. It was terribly cold and there was fresh snow from the night in the mountains, no more than 1,000ft above us. It rained on and off all day, making for a long, miserable, cold Mojave adventure. Honestly, an adventure I'd like to never experience again!

Don't fear though, I did survive and made it to Tehachapi CA. A full service desert town, where I will resupply for the next 6 days or so that it will take for me to hike to Kennedy Meadows: The gateway to the Sierras! My mind is a mess at the moment, trying to figure out how my resupplies will work up in the high Sierras. Many of the supply points are still closed due to record snow fall this year. It's crazy thinking about mass amounts of snow, when I am still here in the desert. There are so many things that can and will go wrong, but I know everything will eventually work out in the end. I'm nervous and excited, just another leg of my adventure...

In my last big post, I mentioned how I think about food constantly. And believe me, that hasn't changed. It is amazing the amount of food a small guy like me can put down with a big hiker appetite. So I wanted to touch on the subject of what I've been eating on the trail. Variety is key when you eat fairly simple food constantly, so I try and mix it up whenever I can. Meals usually consist of one or more of the following items:

Breakfasts:

• Pop tarts
• Hostess Pastries (Honeybuns, Streusel Cakes, etc)
• Granola w/ dried milk
• Oatmeal w/ dried fruits
• Carnation Instant Breakfast Shakes

Snacks:

• Candy Bars (Snickers, Payday, Baby Ruth)
• Fruit Snacks
• Granola Bars
• Clif Bars
• Drink Mixes (Gatorade, Kool-aid, Iced tea)
• Candy (Skittles, Gummies)
• Crackers
• Cookies
• Trail Mix
  

Lunch:

• Bread (Tortillas, flatbread, bagels)
• Cheese (Sticks, blocks, pre-sliced)
• Meat (Summer sausage, Salami, Jerky)
• Crackers
• Candy

Dinner:

• Knorr Instant Sides (formally lipton, come in varieties of rice, pasta, and noodles.)
• Mac and Cheese
  
• Meat (Tuna, Salmon, Spam, Bacon bits)
• Hot Chocolate
  
• Candy

The nice thing about burning so many calories, is that I eat whatever I want, as much as I want. The junkier the food, the better, because it usually has more calories. I crave sugars, salts and fats to keep my mood and energy up. Now I'm hungry again just talking about all this great food haha!

Well that is about it for now. Time to do some shopping for my next weeks worth of food and of course get some more grub to eat while I'm here. Can't wait to get back on the trail and begin my last stretch towards the Sierras. Kennedy Meadows will be my last stop in Southern California, and then it's on to Central California. I'm at about mile 560 right now, which puts us just over the 1/5 mark of the entire trip. Time is starting to fly. Thanks for following everyone, I love you and miss you all a lot. Keep up the comments!
-Banger

Another trail update! I'm cowboy camping in a meadow overlooking the great Mojave Desert. We're at mile 499.6, which means breakfast tomorrow at mile 500!!! Spent two night's at the Saufley's Hiker Heaven, did a 24 mile night hike and spent the last two nights at the Anderson's Casa de Luna. Had an amazing time partying with all the other hikers and just relaxing. It's probably a good thing there aren't a whole lot more stops like those two because they made me weak! But, I still managed to drag my ass back out to the trail and am now hiking with Zod and Seth. In just a couple days I'll be down in the Mojave doing the long, flat, waterless stretch. Another great opportunity to night hike, which I really enjoy through the hot desert sections. Will probably be to either Tehachapi or Mojave by Monday night. Love you all, thanks for following!