Miles 142-179 - the ascent into madness

67 miles in 3 days.

Well it goes like this...life out here is different. Your only priorities are water, and shelter. There is nothing else you need. That being said, they must be very important to the point of survival. 25.5 miles was tough so I took it easy the next day with only 17 miles. My blisters were bad so I had to take dental floss and a needle through the blister to allow it to drain and not fill up. I never thought I would have to stitch my own body, pretty fun. The blisters really made my feet feel 30 years older. That's when I met Dr. Sole, the foot healer. Dr. Sole is a trail angel that set up a booth to fix hiker feet. I waited 3 hours to see Dr. Sole and he cleaned my feet, cut blister skin, superglued patches to my feet, then fed me dinner and breakfast. He is wise and altruistic in his nature. I have never had such an encounter.

The next morning, we made the ascent into Idyllwyld (or however u spell it). We climbed 6,000 feet in one day. We left in dry desert and arrived into crisp alpine. I was able to beast the mountain for 20 miles straight until I needed a sugar break of dates, chocolate powder, Reese's and fruit and that gave me another few miles up. Then we reached a peak where the clouds were moving right through I could see the weather right then and there. It was unbelievable. I have never felt that in touch with the elements. However, I was about out of water and had to descend 500 feet to a dirty spring and then back up. My water filter barely got the water cleaned as I made a late lunch. The day was not yet over as I needed another 8 miles to a good water source and campsite. Kitten and I climbed another thousand feet as we ran low on energy. This was mind over matter. I could not believe I had it in me to walk the extra 8 miles. We took breaks as the sun went down and the temperature plummeted. We finally found Christian the lion and we begged to make camp but he said in his thick German accent "COME ON BOYS, WE GO!" We had 3 more miles to go and I could not figure this was reasonable. I told myself this could be dangerous for my knees but a the survival trigger was pulled. I led in front of or pack and moved and moved. It got colder and colder and a patch of snow moved stood at our feet. Cactus was in sight only 11 hours before. I began to whistle music from LOTR to keep me going, like Samwise Gamgee telling Frodo to keep going. I have never physically pushed myself like this, going 27 miles up a mountain into freezing temperatures with a weary body. I started to slow down but heard Christian the lion yell "COME ON KING STREET, YOUCAN DO IT"

We found our fresh water source and I was full of emotion, optimistic that I could walk another 2430 miles over the next five months.

As I set up my tent, I realized that I would never be the same after this day.

It rained that night as I lay in my tent shivering. I woke at dawn, listening to the rain beat at my tent. The challenge was not close to over. My fingers were numb as I took them momentarily out of my sleeping bag. Everything was wet and it was around 38f. I could not lay in my tent and wait the rain out. I had to get out and make it to town and that required another 6 miles. I forced myself out of the tent into the freezing rain and grabbed a bag of trail mix. My shoes were left out in the rain, and everything that left the tent got soaked. I was running on pure adrenaline, knowing that if I didn't get moving, hypothermia was a real threat due to my soaked clothes. I headed trough the alpine hills trying to generate enough heat to calm my breathing. My stomach was totally empty and I forced food as I walked with my numb fingers. I could barely operate my body. I remembered that the lessons I learned from yesterday and pushed myself through the last ascent. Then it was 5 miles down into town in the freezing rain with Kitten. Christian the lion would meet us in a few days in cabazon. Within a few hours, we made it into sleepy Idyllwyld and rented a cabin.

My heart ached for the comforts of modern living but I have made it clear with myself, I will finish this hike.

King Street