Anthology.

First of all I would like to say RIP to my girlfriends grandmother Flo. She died just a few days ago and she was so important to Lindsey, truly a second mother. Lindsey had to take a flight to LA from Santa Cruz to stay with family and was planning on moving back to LA this summer to work and live with her grand mom. I am sorry Lindsey that I am not more available to you when u need me most and my thoughts are with you.

I have climbed three mountains in3 days. I didn't stop in Wrightwood but instead continued on towards mile 400. Christian the Lion (CTL) now goes by "Viking" but I still call him CTL. It's just the two of us now, kitten decided to press on without us and that is fine. I will miss our hobo dance sessions.

After I ate those 3 dble cheeseburgers from McD, my stomach cramped up so hard. I was in unbelievable pain climbing up a slope and had to stop frequently. Meat, cheese, and bread form a stomach glue with plenty of calories but when it's of poor quality, DANGER DANGER.

The nights have been a little chilly. There is no point of setting up a tent when wrapping myself in the tent is actually warmer.

I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks and 390 miles. My pants however, have almost completely ripped to shreds and I'm walking in spandex underwear most of the time. It's about 4 days from the nearest REI and I will be getting some higher quality trousers. I am no longer plagued by blisters. It's almost a miracle. My calves and quads are bulking up and my waist is smaller than ever. I have not been this weight since the 10th grade...

I am smelly beyond belief. I have not had a real shower with warm water in 170 miles. I bathe in a river occasionally but I still smell no matter much I wash. The dirt under my nails never goes away and the salt stains on my shirt come back the minute I have hiked a few miles. Speaking of miles, I have just about achieved "hiker shape". A 20 mile day is now considered a blessing. 25-27 mile days are always confusing (how did it come to this?).

2 days ago we were about to summit Mtn. Baldwin-Powell, (I kept calling it Collin-Powell) and it meant ~3500 feet in 1.5 miles. This is very hard for those who need to gauge it. I had just hiked 9 miles and arrived at the Grassy Hollow Visitor Center and I was running LOW on energy. My battery felt so empty, and easy hiking was a burden. CTL was getting ready to go and I said "NO MORE TODAY". He smiled and said that it was a good choice. He got a ride from he super sweet warden and came back with snacks from hiker boxes, steaks, and bratwursts. Our evening was set. Oh and some tecate :)

This entry is being written over several days. That's just the way I'm going it. So this piece is written a few days after the first part. I have run out of snacks. This is not good. I have plenty of meals but they all require cooking and I am also low on fuel. The good news is that I have reached mile 400, 418 to be exact. I'm at a fire station somewhere in LA county...today was a 25.5 mile day and it was one of the hardest. Since I have run out of snacks, I can't get the calories I need without cooking. In order to make it to precious water sources, we need to hike so cooking is not an option. This has caused me to hike slower than usual but still achieve the long miles. This will change real soon as we are marching to the best trail angels on the pct; the Saufleys. They do your laundry, feed you, and let you shower. I can't wait. I haven't had a real shower in over ten days. I have washed in a few cold rivers but its no shower.

So after two major mountain climbing days, there was a 2 mile shortcut that we could have taken OR a mystery. 20.2 mile trail that is more "scenic". Of course like fools we did the EXTRA 20 miles. This really sucked. It ended up being 4,000 feet up and 4,000 feet down. It took us a day and a half to get out and we ended up a day behind the majority of our friends. No more scenic detours.

There are so many nice and interesting people here. I am lucky to be amongst this group, a lot of young people who are driven by positive thinking. How often does that happen. They share their food and supplies because we are all in this together. Generosity is everywhere, even abundance. I have so much to learn from all them.

My friend Sagitar said it best, "you need to find positives everywhere". That really helped me.

It's fun seeing people on the trail that you haven't seen in a few weeks. They reappear from around the bend and remember you. It's funny sometimes. A girl named Squeaks I met on the second day appeared again and told me she met my parents, how crazy is that?

So enough of this long entry. Hiker haven is in 2 days. See you then.