drewjones's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member drewjones on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/drewjones en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 01 Nov 2005 21:42:19 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com FINISHED!!!!!!!! — Government Camp, Oregon, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1130897880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1130897880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1130897880/tpod.html Tue, 01 Nov 2005 21:42:19 -0500 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Government Camp, Oregon, United States

We officially finished the thru-hike on Halloween Day just after noon! 2663 miles down, zero to go. We ended at Timberline Lodge in a bitterly cold rain and windstorm. A fitting finish that tested us to the last step.
I'll be heading up to Seattle tomorrow where I can finish uploading pictures and bring this thing to a proper close. I just wanted to let everyone know we both survived.
I'm keeping this entry short because I have a feeling my complete update will be quite lengthy.
Thanks to you all,
Tabasco (soon to be Drew again)

If anyone (yes, anyone) that's been receiving my updates wants to give me a call, please do so at 801-550-4436. I'll return your call ASAP!
]]> Finished with Washington — Timberline, Oregon, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1129159560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1129159560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1129159560/tpod.html Fri, 14 Oct 2005 13:46:18 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Timberline, Oregon, United States

As usual, it's been way too long since my last update, from Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. Rabbit and I had a great rest day there then hit the trail for more southbound adventure. The first 40 miles were not impressive at all. Ugly clearcuts followed by pointless ups and downs followed by pounding rain. The terrain over the next 60 miles was better but the rain didn't let up. With 36 miles to reach White Pass we decided to split it up into two days. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. As the day progressed we both became near-hypothermic, and at mile 26 we decided to hike the rest of the way in to White Pass and thaw out. That 36 mile day was the longest either of us had hiked on the trail. We coudn't even stop to cook a meal so I ended up eating eight Snickers bars throughout the day.
We spent two nights at the pass deliberating on what to do about the next portion of trail, Goat Rocks, which lies above 7000 feet and was definitely getting snow. We decided for safety resons to walk around this area. First we road-walked 20 miles to Packwood. There we ran into seven other thru-hikers, all northbound. One, a friend of ours, had come over Goat Rocks that day and greeted us with teary-eyed hugs. He had battled thigh-deep snow drifts and not been sure he was even on the PCT. A scary day for him! Another hiker had entered the Goat Rocks and turned around. When he reached Packwood he officially quit the trail. The weather was getting us all down and for the first time I had real doubts I'd finish the trail. Day after day of wet and cold makes anyone miserable. Rabbit and I made ourselves hike out the next day and push on. In all we road-walked 47 miles, mostly on forest service roads, to regain the PCT. A couple wet days later near Carson we ran into two nice hunters. One offered to feed us home-brewed beer and a place to stay for the night. It was one of the best nights on the trail. Our hike to the Washington border went through some of the best forest I've seen. I'd love to get back there sometime and backpack at a slower pace.
We stopped for lunch in Stevenson just before we walked across The Bridge of the Gods, which spans the Columbia River. This brought us into Oregon, finally. We were then picked up by Rabbit's girlfriend and dropped off at Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood. From there we spent two days hiking 50 miles north back to the Washington-Oregon border. Tomorrow we'll take a bus down to Ashland, Oregon and hike the remaining 380 miles back up to Timberline Lodge where this journey will end. I'm hoping to be done by Halloween.
I apologize if my writing has gotten even more boring than usual. I'm a little tired and worn down after 2283 miles, but I am excited to see Oregon.
Thanks to everyone. Please think sunny thoughts for us!

Tabasco - a.k.a. Drew
]]> Canada to Snoqualmie Pass — Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1127752320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1127752320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1127752320/tpod.html Thu, 13 Oct 2005 16:51:28 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, United States

It looks like I actually have internet access. Unfortunately I won't have time to upload all my pictures to this point. I'll only be missing the last few days though. Here's what's been going on since my last update from Oregon: As I mentioned previously, Rabbit and I decided to start hiking south from Canada rather than continue north and risk a horrible frozen death in the North Cascades late into October. After taking a bus from Ashland, Oregon to Portland I eneded up on a train to Seattle. (As a sidenote; If you post a request on the internet for a ride to Seattle from Portland and a girl named Chloe emails you back and says she'll be glad to take you along since she's on her way to the Tori Amos concert near Seattle, DON'T BELIEVE HER! She won't show up, call, or email to let you know she's not coming. All the busses to Seattle will be full by the time you make it to the bus station and you'll end up taking the train, which costs more. Basically, an entire day of your life will be wasted. Not that I'm bitter or anything.)
Thanks for letting me vent there. After a couple days in Seattle seeing my parents, who fed Rabbit and I quite well, we got a ride from my good friend Allison to Manning Park, Canada. Although the Canadian section of the PCT is only about 8 miles long I am officially an international hiker. That will definitely go on my resume.
When we crossed over the border I was truly surprised that there was absolutely no one around. No border patrol or anything. It was strange to be at the Northern Terminus of the PCT not having finished yet.
Up until this point, over 1700 miles, I hadn't been rained on once. Our first full day out we hit both snow and rain. It was by far the coldest day on the trail. Rabbit, having never spent time in the Cascades, wondered if this pattern would continue through the entire state. Luckily not. Although it was mostly cloudy we only saw rain one other day. The mountains in the North Cascades were spectacular, even with our limited visibility. I believe I erroneously reported some time ago that the Sierra were more impressive than the Cascades. I apologize to the Cascades. I tried to get some good pictures but I could never quite capture the awesomeness we passes through.
Even the blueberries were unbelievable. I've never seen any so big. It was difficult to hike steadily because we kept stopping to eat them. Our fingers and faces were stained blue.
Our first resupply was in Stehekin, WA on the shore of Lake Chelan. A great little town with the best bakery on the trail. I carried several pounds of pastries out with me and would highly recommend anyone to do the same. I also received a pint of single-malt scotch, smoked salmon, and many other hiker-related food items from my friend Sophia. We met many wonderful peolple in Stehekin who were full of questions for us ragged-looking PCT'ers. I even met a nice girl named Brittany that I believe sent me a surprise package to Snoqualmie Pass. Possibly food? I'll find out tomorrow. Thanks ahead of time!
The next section from Stehekin to Stevens Pass lies partly in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. In 2003 there was major flooding there and 8 bridges on the PCT were completely washed out. The PCTA (Pacific Crest Trail Association) set up a 50 mile detour around the devastation. Although the detour signs report the original PCT as impassible, it was not impossible. The rivers and creeks proved to be easier than expected, with only one ford, although we later learned there was a log crossing we missed. There were a few places where entire sections of trail had been washed away by flooding or mudslides, but someone had marked the route with orange ribbons. Following these up hillsides and through forest saved lots of route finding. After two years of very little use the trail was overgrown in places but still there, with minimal blow-downs. We did get occasional close-up views of Glacier Peak, which I was lucky enough to climb in 2001 before the flooding, and before Kennedy Hot Springs was wiped away.
Next stop was Stevens Pass. Here we stayed with some wonderful trail angels named Jerry and Andrea Dinsmore who live in Skykomish right next to the Skykomish River. There were several other hikers there, all northbound, so we were able to give good information on their upcoming sections. I was also relieved of five dollars by a hiker named Tombstone. I definitely need to learn Texas Hold'em a little better.
Next year I plan to come back to the Stevens Pass area then hike out on the trail and give food and drinks to the thru-hikers. Trail Magic as we call it.
The short 75-mile hike from there to Snoqualmie Pass was some of the most scenic on the trail. We climbed lots of ups and downs throughout each day with some beautiful long traversing routes along high ridges. The last day gave us a perfect view of Mount Rainier and an easy mostly-downhill hike to the Pass. Here we were met by Allison, Carrie, and Tim, friends from Seattle. Much better friends as soon as I saw beer, fried chicken, and a huge assortment of trail food for the next section. We also ran into four very generous thru-hikers who left the trail early but came out to distribute Trail Magic, lots of trail food, which mostly ended up with me. I hope they realized how much that helped me.
I've said this in nearly every entry on this site, that I've met the most selfless, caring, friendly peolple of anywhere in my life. It held true again for this last 265 miles from Canada.
Right now I'm only 10 miles shy of 2000, and only 673 more to finish. Next stop is White Pass.
Hope you enjoy the pictures! I'll finish uploading them all as soon as possible.

-Tabasco a.k.a. Drew
]]> Canada to Skykomish — Skykomish, Washington, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1127402820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1127402820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1127402820/tpod.html Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:53:25 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Skykomish, Washington, United States

Just a quick update on my status: I flipped up to Manning Park, Canada from Ashland, Oregon and began hiking south on September 11th. Had a great resupply day in Stehekin, on the shore of Lake Chelan. The PCT has a 50 mile detour between Stehekin and Skykomish due to flooding that occurred in 2003. Rabbit and I decided not to take the detour but hike the actual PCT. Eight bridges were washed away and some switchbacks had completely disappeared in mudslides, but we got through just fine and had lots of fun.
I'm now just west of Steven's Pass in Skykomish, WA. I don't have time to upload pictures here, and won't for some time, but when I do you'll see how absolutely amazing the Cascades are.
Weather has not been great to this point. We got snowed and rained on the first full day out of Canada. It's been mostly cloudy since but with enough sunbreaks to see Glacier Peak and countless others. It's been in the low 30's each morning but warming through the day.
I'll be at Snoqualmie Pass on September 25th where I'll see a few friends from Seattle. Sorry this update is so short. Washington is really a tough place to find an internet connection on the trail. Pretty crazy when I'm only a couple hours from Microsoft.
Overall I'm at about 1900 miles out of 2663 and should finish in Oregon early November.
Thanks again to everyone. I'll have a better update as soon as possible.

Drew - a.k.a. Tabasco
]]> No more California! — Ashland, Oregon, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1126131960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1126131960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1126131960/tpod.html Thu, 08 Sep 2005 02:11:05 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Ashland, Oregon, United States

I'm finally done hiking California! It was a long but beautiful 1700 miles. My last update was from Old Station, CA. Right now I'm actually in Portland, Oregon. Rabbit and I decided to skip up to the Canadian border from Ashland, OR then hike south through Washington and Oregon. This should keep us from running into bad weather in the North Cascades. Yeah, right. There are several other hikers still intent on continuing northward, but I just don't want to gamble on the weather too much.
Tomorrow I'm getting a ride up to Seattle, my hometown, where I'll spend two days, then with Rabbit, head up to Manning Park in Canada. Our southbound journey of almost 1000 miles will begin there.
The trail has been great since my last update. We hiked from Old Station, CA over Hat Creek Rim, a notoriously hot section of northern California. The views were wonderful as we watched Mount Shasta get closer and closer. One day we talked to a paraglider catching thermals right above us. I got a great picture of him.
Our next resupply stop was Dunsmuir, a great little town right on Interstate-5. We had no place to stay that night, as I'm still penniless, so Rabbit and I went to the local bar to find someone to take us in. I ended up entering a dart tournament where I somehow got second place and came away with a few dollars. We also met a very nice lady that let us stay at her house that night. One thing I've figured out on the PCT is not to plan things too much. Everything always works out.
It was weird crossing under I-5 as we left Dunsmuir, knowing that it lead right into Seattle. The country just seems so big when you're way out in the middle of nowhere with no roads or people for miles and miles. Then you see a major interstate. It kind of messes with your head.
A couple days later, with my head un-messed, we camped on a ridge where Rabbit found three scorpions next to his tent. That was the first time I'd seen one in person. Not too scary. We talked to another thru-hiker earlier that day that ran into a big mountain lion. It walked up to within a couple feet of him showing absolutely no fear, even as he threw rocks next to it. The hiker, Freebird, was really thinking he might die there. With a stick in his hand he began tapping the cat on the head just hard enough to scare it off. It didn't work. The cat looked like it actually wanted to rub up against his leg. Freebird somehow managed to back off and find an off-duty park ranger. They carried a big bear trap, the cage-type, down to the cat and lured it in with roast beef. Freebird ate a little first. He is a hungry thru-hiker. It was eventually discovered that the cat had no front claws or fangs. It was someone's house pet they had set free. Great story though.
The next day we camped high on an exposed ridge at 7700 feet with a 360 degree view that included Mount Shasta, Mount Lassen, the Trinity Alps, and Castle Crags. Probably the most impressive site I've had on the trail so far. The best part was there were no bugs. Even when we don't have mosquitoes we always have big black ants. Not one that night.
We stopped next in Etna, CA. and stayed that night with a couple that hosts PCT hikers. We got a great rest there which set us up for the 120 mile hike to Ashland, Oregon. This was my favorite section aside from the Sierra. With numerous views of Shasta we hiked through Castle Crags, the Trinity Alps, the Russian Wilderness, the Marble Mountains, and Klamath National Forest. I hope my pictures do them justice. We did some of our longest miles that week with a couple 28 mile days and a 31. Crossing the California-Oregon border was a little surreal. I really wasn't quite sure how to feel. A huge section of my hike was over. We took some pictures of the signs there showing mileage to Canada and Mexico. I thought back to May 15th when I stood at the southern terminus looking northward. I don't think I had any idea how long California was. I was both happy and sad to leave it, as I'd met some of the most amazing people there over the last few months.
My thoughts soon shifted to the Pacific Northwest, the best part of the United States, in my opinion. It was good to be in Oregon. Only two little states to go.
Rabbit and I left BadMoon, Happy, Phantom, and Whoop-Ass behind, as we felt a sense of urgency to reach Ashland.
From what we hear, a major percentage of thru-hikers have left the trail for one reason or another. One report was 70 percent of the hikers that flipped up north early are gone now. Apparently the heavy snow in California has taken its toll. I think it may be the highest dropout rate of any year.
We'll be back on the trail September 11th with a finishing date sometime in early November.
Thanks again to everyone that has helped me through this leg of the journey, including my hiking partner, Rabbit.

Until next time,
Drew

I almost forgot - Before BadMoon gave me my trailname "Wifeless" I was given the name "Tabasco" since I put it on nearly everything I eat. Due to popular demand I am again "Tabasco", although I am still wifeless. I think people thought I had a wife at one point and lost her. Way too sad for the trail.
]]> Preparing for my trip — Seattle, Washington, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1115937060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1115937060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1115937060/tpod.html Fri, 26 Aug 2005 15:24:37 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Seattle, Washington, United States

So I'm in Seattle getting ready to leave in 2 days for the Pacific Crest Trail. I wanted to make sure this site was working before I began. Things are a little hectic now, but I have a feeling that will all change next week. My first day on the trail will be Sunday May 15th, which will be a 20 mile hike. I guess it's not recommended to camp too close to the Mexican border. So much for starting off slow.
For my resupply I'll be shopping in towns close to the trail and buying enough food to reach the next store. If a store is too far I'll mail food ahead of me then pick it up at a post office (not every post office has a store nearby).
I hope to upload pictures to this site every so often, and send/receive emails. If anyone thinks he or she may want to send me anything, just shoot me an email and I'll let you know which post office I'll be using at that point.

Thanks for your support,

Drew (I have no trailname yet. I guess it's supposed to come to me in a dream)
]]> Tahoe to Old Station — Old Station, California, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1124497020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1124497020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1124497020/tpod.html Sat, 20 Aug 2005 04:02:07 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Old Station, California, United States

Don't ask me to tell you where Old Station is. I have no real idea. I did, however, see Mount Shasta in the distance yesterday.
My last written update was from Tahoe, where I wasn't able to upload pictures to this site. You should now see pics way back from leaving Bishop up until today. I'm sure they're out of order and I'm misnaming people and mountains, but at least I tried.
My first stop was in historic Truckee. Just before I arrived there I ran into a nice couple on the trail. One of them thought I was jogging, so I guess my hiking pace has increased. Later, as I was walking through Truckee (that's historic Truckee, better for tourism) they spotted me from their SUV. I was then taken to a wonderful natural foods store where they bought me delicious plums. Then I was taken to an authentic Mexican restaurant where I had a perfect margarita and other Mexican delicacies. Then I was driven back to the trailhead at Donner Pass. Good thing I had just eaten, as you never know what the vending machines there may contain.
The next day I came across three cool girls section-hiking the PCT; Tracy, Linda, and Jeanne. We all camped together that night after some interesting conversation. Just a tip I learned from one of them: Learn what poison oak looks like before you go to the bathroom in the forest. Thanks to all three of you for the food.
My next resupply stop was Sierra City which has an overestimated population of 225. There were three bars nonetheless. I stayed with Bob Frost, the forest ranger not the poet, and his good friend Doug. Even made a few extra dollars. First I helped build a dam to raise the water level in a local river. This allowed water to flow through a 12-inch PVC pipe that feeds the fire hydrants for a portion of Sierra City. I then gave tours of my exciting project. "Welcome to the dam tour. I'm your dam guide."
My next project involved moving and stacking 4 chords of wood. I have nothing funny to say about that. I did have help from another thru-hiker named Chris, whose name I later learned is Bugaboo. I have a trail name too but we'll get to that later.
The day I left Sierra City I camped high on a ridge in position to view the Perseid Meteor shower, which reached its highest count at 4:00AM the following morning. This was definitely in my top ten best nights on the trail, although getting up at 3:30AM made the next day one of my more tiring.
I decided next to hitch into Quincy, as I was feeling a little down and unmotivated. After 4 hours waiting for someone to stop (my longest yet)I decided to start the 20-mile hike. Within 5 minutes a big black pickup stopped, the guy pointed to the truck bed and I jumped in. 20 miles later he stopped, pointed outside the truck bed and I jumped out. No words were ever exchanged but the bone-jarring drive at what must have been 60mph through tight curves made forget about my bad attitude.
Right away in Quincy I met a wonderful Dutch couple that lives in Bellingham, Washington, where I lived for two years. They bought me lunch and drove miles out of their way to get me where I needed to go. They were on their way to Lassen Volcanic National Park, which I just hiked through a couple days ago. I'd love to stop by and take them out for dinner when I'm in Bellingham again.
I'm now hiking with a crazy new group: BadMoon and Happy, Phantom and Whoop-Ass, and Rabbit. Rabbit and I have made plans to partner up for a good portion of the remaining trail. The six of us stopped for resupply in Chester, a nice little town that is sometimes home to Chuck Norris, the martial artist and actor. BadMoon and Happy ran into him at the local supermarket. No punches were thrown.
As I'm nearly broke, I looked for a free place to stay. I ended up at Bodfish Bicycles, a great bikeshop in old Chester (better than new Chester). Chuck, the owner (not Chuck Norris) let me camp in his yard. His son, Colby let me use his awesome cruiser bike for the whole day and night. It's nice to know there are still selfless people out there that can trust a complete stranger. Chuck's wife, Lisa even cooked me breakfast in the morning then gave me a Bodfish Bicycles T-shirt, which I've worn every day since. I was a little sad to leave them. If you're ever looking for a bike, call them.
As a short sidetrip, Rabbit and I hiked to Terminal Geyser which is really a fumarole. Steam shot out everywhere and water boiled all around us. Sounds scary doesn't it? It wasn't really. A few miles later we passed Boiling Lake. There were a few deer walking on a ridge above the lake but none fell in so we hiked on to DrakesBad Guest Ranch where we got to swim in a pool-sized hot spring. I highly recommend it.
That brings me to the present, at 1371 miles along the PCT. We're all staying at the house of Georgi and Dennis Heitman, wonderful trail angels.
The most important thing that's happened lately is I now have a trailname: "Wifeless". BadMoon came up with this and it seems to have stuck. My mother told me to find a nice girl on the trail. Maybe this will help. "Hi, I'm Wifeless." This should scare away the non-commital girls.

As usual, I'd like to thank all the great people I've met for being so helpful and kind. I literally would not be this far without you all. Oregon here I come!

- Drew a.k.a. "Wifeless"
]]> Bisop to Lake Tahoe — South Lake Tahoe, California, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1123178880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1123178880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1123178880/tpod.html Sat, 20 Aug 2005 03:34:09 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
South Lake Tahoe, California, United States

Finally found some internet access, although I´m not sure I´ll be able to upload pictures! I'm in South Lake Tahoe now at about 1100 miles. Not a bad place to be. I last updated this site in Bishop, CA quite a while ago. Here's what's been going on: Luke, the Toms, and I left Bishop on June 10th. I was contemplating staying to work and earn some much-needed money, but decided to push on. We hiked back over Kearsarge Pass into the Sierra, the views never disappointing. We climbed through one pass after another; Glenn Pass, Pinchot Pass, Mather Pass, Muir Pass, Seldon Pass, Silver Pass, Donohue Pass. I may have forgotten one or two in there but you get the picture. The most involved was Muir Pass, which had snow at least two miles on either side. We post-holed almost the entire time with a short rest at the Muir hut on top. This hut was constructed about 75 years ago and is made of stone, sort of igloo-style. After Muir we descended through Evolution Valley, one of the more impressive areas of the Sierra. Hopefully my pictures will do it justice. The day after Muir we knew we had a bad ford of Evolution Creek awaiting us. It turned out to be only waist deep. I did have to fight against the current but made it in one piece. I do believe one hiker died this year crossing Evolution, but that was earlier in the season.
Our next stop was Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR), located on Lake Edison. The day before reaching VVR I decided to hike about 30 miles to set me up for an early arrival. This brilliant idea took me up Bear Ridge, a long climb with a 53-switchback descent to VVR. I finished the day around 11:30PM stumbing down the switchbacks, a little delerious, with my nearly useless headlamp. I had left Luke ealier in the day on the last pass, as he had decided on a shorter day. I ended up staying at VVR for a few days to work and earn some extra money. When all was said and done I came out with only $60 and my VVR bill paid for. The real benefit was all the great John Muir Trail thru-hikers I met. Some have already sent me emails. I plan on coming back down and hiking the JMT again someday, probably with a partner (The PCT follows nearly the entire length of the JMT). Some of the JMT'ers packed way too much food and ended up giving me almost a month's worth that I mailed ahead to myself. My thanks goes out to you all.
The downside to staying longer at VVR was that Luke and the Toms left me there with hopes I would catch up at some point. That hasn't happened yet, as I missed them by less than a day here in South Tahoe. On my way from VVR I've had some of my best times on the trail and met many great people. My stop in Mammoth was fun. I ended up staying with some local guys, then taking a tour of Devil's Postpile, a basalt formation near Mammoth. After that I began my hike to Tuolumne Meadows. On the way I hiked with and was passed by 21 members of the Tullamore Dew Running Club. Tullamore Dew is an Irish whiskey so I knew these guys and girls would be fun. Larry, the club leader, invited me to their camp at Tuolumne that night with an offer of free beer and food if I made the 28 mile hike. Needless to say, the beer and food was great, the company even better. I then spent the next two nights in the Yosemite Valley hanging out with a great girl and her father. The three of us hiked up to the top of Nevada Falls, where I got some spectacular pictures.
Back at Tuolumne, ready to hit the trail again, I met Nick and Emily, a couple also thru-hiking the PCT. We stayed that night at Tuolumne where we ran into a very interesting guy named Basil. With beer and food Basil was out to help any PCT hikers he could find, and luckily he found us. Thanks again Basil.
Nick, Emily, and I hiked all week together to arrive here at South Tahoe. We'll leave tomorrow morning bright and early and will be hiking at least 20 mile days with some 25-35 milers here and there. I´m still racing the weather in the North Cascades and hope to finish the first half of October. Money is still my main issue, so there may be some stops to earn more where possible.
Thanks for reading this way too long entry. I´m still very appreciative of all the support I´ve gotten from my friends, old and new. If I don´t get any pictures uploaded here I´ll do it ASAP up the trail.

Drew
]]> Agua Dulce to Bishop — Bishop, California, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1120847160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1120847160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1120847160/tpod.html Fri, 08 Jul 2005 23:30:26 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Bishop, California, United States

Here I am in Bishop, California. After finally being able to read my emails, it sounds like some of you thought Luke and I were dead. Actually, it's just been this long since I've had internet access. I'll apologize in advance for how long this message will be.

Here's what we've been up to: After we left Agua Dulce we ended up staying with Joe and Terri Anderson in Green Valley. This couple has been hosting hikers for years and made us feel so welcome we didn't want to leave. If I'm ever down that way again I would love to just stop by and say hello and thanks for everything. Hard to find more generous and altruistic people. After hiking through a small portion of the Mojave Desert we stopped at the town of Mojave. That place was ready to blow away. A new freeway bypass around the town had a devastating impact on the businesses. Luke and I will make it a point to never go there again.
Luke began having real problems with one of his shins. So bad that he decided to hitchhike 140 miles ahead to Kennedy Meadows and wait for me to hike that section alone. The Mojave (we began pronouncing it with a hard "j" and long "E") was actually more beautiful than I expected. Along the way I met another geat couple, Stacy and Keenan. They were also thru-hiking so we hiked and camped a little together. We all arrived in Kennedy Meadows in about 6 days and found Luke lounging comfortably. I don't think he'd walked more than 50 feet since I saw him last, which was great for his leg. He basicall had a 6-day party with all the thru-hikers that came through the campground. We both had fun in different ways.
As I've mentioned in previous updates, Kennedy meadows is the entry point to the high Sierras. We only hiked about 10 to 15 miles a day to slowly get Luke back into hiking mode without re-injuring his leg. We reached Mt. Whitney in a few days, the highest Mountain in the lower 48 states. The hike up to the sumit at 14,491 feet was actually very easy for us after all the miles we'd put in. We were so acclimatized that even on the summit we felt absolutely no different than any other elevation we'd been. On our way down we passed a guy that looked like he was about ready to keel over and die, but he was only 10 minutes from the top, so we said good luck and continued down to camp. Later that night the rescue helicopter landed about 200 feet from our camp at Crabtree Meadows. It was stopping off for first aid supplies on it's way to rescue that poor guy we passed. He had made it to the simmit but had bad Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Some of us helped the chopper crew load supplies, including a Gamov bag. This is a cylindrical bag maybe 7 or 8 feet long. Once the sick person is placed inside, it's pressurized to simulate a lower altitude. I had previously only seen them used on mountains of Everest proportions. Luckily, there happened to be two rangers on the summit, Rob and Major, who were able to radio for help. They spent the night on the summit with the victim. Had they not happened to be there he would likely have died.

The views from the top were amazing. My pictures just don't capture how massive the Sierras are. We were blown away (not litterally).
The highilight of the next few days was climbing up and over Forrester Pass, the highest point on the entire Pacific Crest Trail at 13,180 feet. Whitney is not technically on the trail. We encountered deep snow about two miles before and after the pass and mostly post-holed our way through. Again, the views were breathtaking. We had crampons and ice axes with us. One snow-filled chute on the way up was steep enough to die on if we fell, but was still doable without crampons. I decided to use mine since we carried them all that way and hadn't yet put them to use. We ended up only hiking about 9 or 10 miles that day due to the slow progress, but our camp that night was the best of the trip. Being from Seattle, I've always thought of the Cascades as the most beatiful mountains in the country, but I have to say the high Sierras may top them. Luke commented that it was so beautiful that we should have to pay by the hour to even be there. I probably shouldn't write that down, as the forest service may implement that as policy. Don't get me started.
The town we're in now, Bishop, is great for resupply and has some of the best bouldering in the country. I drove down here a few years ago for just that.
We'll head back into the mountains in a couple days, assuming I find enough money to keep going. Right now I'm looking for very short-term work here. Luke will continue either way, as he should.
As usual, thanks for all the emails. They mean a lot. And a special thanks to Carrie and Sophia in Seattle for sending me a birthday present here in Bishop. I turned 34 on June 28th. One more year and I can run for President.

Drew
]]> Wrightwood to Agua Dulce — Agua Dulce, California, United States http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1118797740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1118797740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/drewjones/pct_2005/1118797740/tpod.html Wed, 15 Jun 2005 22:57:38 -0400 Follow Drew as he hikes and whines along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Agua Dulce, California, United States

Hi,

We arrived in Agua Dulce yesterday, a nice little town east of Los Angeles and out of the smog. Nealy every PCT hiker makes a stop here to stay at the house of Donna and Jeff Saufley, an extremely generous couple that has been hosting hikers for several years. A couple weeks ago they had around 50 people staying here. We get hot showers, a free place to sleep, cars to use whenever we want, and laundry done for us. Luke and I will head out toward Mojave early tomorrow morning and plan to bust out a 25 mile day.

The hike here from Wrightwood, our last town, was rather difficult for me for the last 50 miles or so. I picked up some food or water-born sickness that still hasn't completely gone away. Hopefully I can hike it away through the desert.
We did cover some beautiful terrain though. Mt. Baden-Powell was the highlight, a 9299-foot peak named for the founder of the Boy Scouts of America. Lots of snow and route-finding made it interesting, and our camp just below the summit was the best of the trip so far.
Here next to Agua Dulce is Vasquez Rocks, a formation frequently seen in many older western movies.
Our next resupply stop will be at Kennedy Meadows, a true milestone on our PCT journey. This is our gateway into the Sierras. Recent snow updates from hikers ahead of us are sounding good. By the time we get there I believe we'll be able to push through the entire range, with the aid of crampons and glacier axes, a real change from the Mojave Desert waiting to cook us this week.
Hopefully you enjoy some of my newest pics.

Until next time,
Drew
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