At the Saufleys, Zero Day  :-) 

Wake up, have breakfast (Carsten joined a bunch of hikers for a ride to the local cafe), talk to hikers, take a shower, meet Donna who had done our and other hikers' laundry,  talk more to hikers, pick items to send home - to again lighten up the pack - look at the hiker boxES and then think about the resupply and then this incredible thing happened!!

Alice and Randall called the Saufleys, Donna seems to know Randall from TrailDays and from his lectures there or at the Sierra Club. They asked for us. So here we are talking when they asked if the package arrived! What package?! So it turns out that they sent us a package with FedEx and is was supposed to arrive yesterday!! But it didn't. Surprise!! WOW!

And then this happens. Carsten and I are waiting next to the car in front of the REI when this employee comes out and asks Carsten if he is Carsten because there's someone on the phone for him. It was Alice who tracked us down to let us know that the package was delivered after their inquieries with FedEx. Isn't that incredible?

So there we go, open up the package as we arrive back and you won't believe it! Alice and Randall left ME speachless (they had already told Carsten about the contents). There was my favourite REI cowboyhat (I had tried it on in San Diego than in Orange County with Alice-that's how she knew- but did not buy it because I still had my visor and intended to get it in Saettle), Snickers bars for Carsten but like 3 packages (!) and some sticks against mosquito bites and for itch relief. And I couldn't thank them right away because we can't find that card with the mobile phone number. What a bummer! I'll keep trying their home number.

Ever since the package arrived I proudly walk with my hat on  :-)  and I do love it. Too bad you can't see it.

Alice and Randall I don't know how to thank you enough! You have to visit with us in Germany and we'll treat you!! And I know you will actually come.

¶ 15:34 0 comments

Ridge to Agua Dulce/ The Saufleys, around 5 miles

Walking through the amazingly beautiful Vasques Rocks, which look as if they have been pushed out of the earth sideways, we ran into Quervo. Quervo travels with his donkeys, a dog and the cutest puppy around. He says it's a wolf-sledgedog mixture. Well, Dingo sure lookes like it. Quervo himself is a UNIKUM, has come over from Arizona and has lived outdoors basically for the last 5 years. Earns his living with tourists who let their childres sit on his donkey and probably end taking HIS picture! He might have stepped out of one of those Western Movies... He knows the Saufleys and he stays here every now and then. Their house and property is open to passersby, they don't judge. And Quervo for sure is special.

The Saufleys are special!! We met Jeff in front of the supermarket, I recognized him right away because I had remembered him from the DVDs "Walk" and "Still Walk". So he told us where the other hikers were having breakfast and that's were we went. Giddy-up, Heike and Walmart Joe were there and a lot of new hikers. We received a warm wellcome  :-) 

The Saufleys have two trailers in their garden of which one is really big with a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom. So that's where we went equipped with towels and exchange clothes (!) since everything a hiker arrives with is filthy and stinks.

That shower does transform you, believe me, but it does so every time.

After that all the hikers around and there were a couple (still are, there is a constant comming and going- and more staying than going!), we put up three more tents. So now there are 5 tents and probably around 30 hikers. Some have left today, as write this on May 21st and others have arrived.

After that we joined 8 others for a ride to the REI and the grocery store with the Saufley's truck. Someone said it felt like Spring Break. It sure was fun!

So time flew by again. At night around the fire stories were told so I stayed up a little and was surprised to find Carsten already in his sleeping bag. Oh, I asked Jeff how they started all this - I'm probably the 1000st person to ask this question...-but Donna was on her way back from No Way Ray's Memorial and they have to tell it togehter so I am looking forward to that.

¶ 15:34 0 comments

Wow...

We are pretty much getting used to big mile days. Something like 26 today and still a couple of miles short of Aqua Dulce.

Poor Sauerkraut's feet just wouldn't move anymore. So we camp up on the ridge overlooking the valley we came from and the freeway we are going to go under tomorrow on our way to pancakes and coffee...I mean Aqua Dulce.

Aqua Dulce is a must for every hiker as the Saufleys offer their home and multiple other services to hikers free of charge. Their hospitality is legendary and it is an important place for hikers to get a clue about resupply-strategies for the sierras.

We will stay there for 2 days and rest.

Back to the things that happened today. Looking at the Data-book it promised to be an easy hiking day but it wasn't. Even though the gradients for todays section looked harmless, all the little ups and downs just took a lot of fuel out of our tanks. Besides we were followed by gnats for a long time and had to wear headnets as they were just getting on our nerves.

But hey..we did a marathon with packs on our backs. Something to be happy about  :-) 

Sauerkraut and Alina

¶ 15:33 0 comments

Sowas!

Wir sind nur 5 Meilen von Aqua Dulce entfernt und kommen heute doch nicht mehr hin  :-( 

Nach ca. 26 Meilen wollen meine Fuesse nicht mehr und wir einigen uns darauf zur Entschaedigung gleich morgen nach den fehlenden 5 Meilen ordentlich was essen zu gehen...Was wir ohnehin gemacht haetten  :-) 

Was ist so besonders an Aqua Dulce?

AD liegt direkt vor dem gefuerchteten Mojave-Wuestenteil wo bis zu 50 km zwischen den Einzelnen Wasserstellen liegn. Es ist gut vor diesem Hammerpart nochmal auszuruhen.

Viel wichtiger als das sind allerdings Donna und Jeff Saufley, die hier eine kostenlose Hiker-Herberge, den Hiker-Heaven, betreiben. Jeder Thru-Hiker geht zu den Saufleys und bleibt 2-3 Tage da, weil es einfach saucool ist.

Waesche waschen, duschen, Kuechenbenutzung...alles ist kostenlos und die Saufleys verleihen sehr gerne Ihr Auto, damit Hiker schnell mal in L.A. fehlende Ausruestung nachkaufen koennen.

Es ist einfach unglaublich, was dieses Paar hier fuer Hiker moeglich macht.

Waehrend wir hier schon muede halb im Zelt liegen, kommt Dr.Tart vorbei. Ihn hatten wir gestern abgehaengt, dafuer will er heute noch nach AD rein. Fuer Ihn sind das dann heute 36 Meilen...Aua!

Unsere Foodsaecke sind ziemlich ziemlich leer und ich werde sicher gleich von Pancakes trauemen  ;-) 

Carsten und Alina

¶ 15:31 0 comments

Cloudburt Summit to Road 4N24, 26,8 miles

Nothing really eventful happened today.

On a campground we ran into Dr. Tart and again Giddy-up who had left our campsite earlier. And we kept meeting them again so we chatted and laughed, discussed water tactics (we are a couple of miles into a 14 miles long waterless stretch so we loaded double than usual), etc.

The trail had been rather easy for the first 20 miles although the sun didn't give us a break. The last few miles generally uphill and the unnerving little flies made it more work. They stubbornly aimed for the eyes, the nose or the mouth. My tactic was to clapp my hands in front of my face (Carsten once said Ole), then I would have a break for a few seconds. Carsten would walk without poles and he would wave. My headnet was burried deep down in my bag...

We have just pitched the tent and stay inside because of all the bugs. And this is not yet the Sierra...

Otherwise we wonder about some error in the map but we know where we are.

¶ 15:30 0 comments

Jackson's Flat Group Campground to Cloudburst Sumit, 26,5 miles

Today we summited Mt. Baden-Powell. The PCT goes just below the summit so we went up. We met Giddy-up again and were happy to see him nd chat with him.

He had some very sad and terrible news for us. He told us about a deadly accident of a fellow hiker we knew. No Way Ray seems to have slipped and fallen off the trail on the stretch between the Steel Bridge and the hot springs along the Deep Creek. His wife Alice called the sheriff but there was nothing to be done. We are very shocked and feel very sorry. He had section hiked the PCT before and wanted to thruhike it with his wife.

After the summit we still had patches of snow then gravel and scree trail all along, tiring for the feet soles.

On one stretch we again had to deal with a rattler, this time an almost black one (# 7 already and I don't get accustomed!!) which was right on the trail at high altitude and which didn't rattle before I got to see it. Hhhm.

One piece of trail called Rattlesnake Trail (where Carsten said oh, it's probably named so because there's plenty of them and not because the trail bends so much-so very relieving for me...) was indeed closed due to some frog migration and I was not unhappy about it, as you might imagine. (It also makes sense, where there are frogs there might be more rattlers who feed on them and therefor the trail name.)

So we had to walk long on the closed highway 2. On a close campground they charged 12 $ for the campsite and didn't even have hot showers so we decided to keep walking although we were ready to call it quitts for the day. On the road Giddy-up joined us and finally we found a flat space to camp together. Oh, inbetween we had rain, we were lucky though the really black clouds spared us.

Giddy-up is an interesting person, born in Ohio, moved to Alaska, has a college degree in horsemanship (just imagine, this would't be possible in Germany unfortunately), moves really fast and takes three Vit. I every night to keep the level up.

Good night everybody, it is already dark.

¶ 15:30 0 comments

Wrightwood/ Acorn Trail to Jackson Flat Campground, 2 miles off trail and 8 miles on the PCT

We were treated again to a delicious pancake organic style breakfast because we had confessed to love pancakes. Yummy.

And then we had to say good bye to the convenient life and Alice drove us back to Wrightwood.

We are looking forward to meeting them again probably on the trail in about 10 or so days because Randall plans to ascend a mountain nearby.

Our packs full with all the delicious resupply-maybe a little bit more than we actually need- we dragged ourselves up the trail. I had the feeling to be so super tired. Although after the ascent the trail was rather easy I felt like a sleepwalker. Two bars later we resumed the hike. After lunch I took a nap while Carsten wrote emails so afterwards I felt a little better but we decided to camp earlier than usual and get some sleep (Carsten is in dreamland right now and it is 6 p.m.).

Oh this morning I finished Carsten's haircut. I am thankful for his trust in me, especially since it is the fist time I did it with a pair of scissors. The greatest part I worked with the pocket knife's scissors. He doesn't have to hide by the way.

Mt. Baden-Powell has to wait until tomorrow.  

¶ 15:29 0 comments

In der letzten Zeit waren wir ja ziemlich fleissig, was das Wandern angeht. Jeden Tag 30km gehen aber nicht spurlos an einem vorbei (jedenfalls noch nicht jetzt) und wir brauchten mal einen richtigen Tag Ruhe. Mit richtig meine ich, dass wir auch an unserem freien Tag mal nicht 1000 Sachen erledigen wollten.

Und diesmal ging das super. Bei der Kick-Off Party hatten wir vor zwei Wochen die Dantas, ein Ehepaar aus Tustin Orange County (O.C.California) kennengelernt, die unbedingt wollten, dass wir einen Zero-Day bei Ihnen verbringen.

Wir hatten eigentlich keinen blassen Schimmer, wie weit das genau vom Trail weg ist, hatten aber versprochen uns von Wrightwood aus zu melden, damit Sie uns abholen konnten.

Wir sassen dann ueber eine Stunde im Auto! Die Dantas sind nur wegen uns solange im Auto gesessen und haben uns am Dienstag dieselbe Strecke natuerlich wieder zurueckgebracht...Hammer!

Und das war ja laengst nicht alles. Wir waren zwei Mal toll essen und haben noch ein Dinner und ein Fruehstueck bei Ihnen zu Hause bekommen. Wir sind zu REI und zu Supermaerkten gefahren worden, haben unsere Waesche waschen koennen, das Internet benutzen duerfen und haben abends Hiker-DVDs und Dias von Randalls Everest-Besteigung ansehen koennen.

In den Restaurants wurden wir eingeladen und jeder Versuch sich an den Kosten zu beteiligen wurde im Keim erstickt.

Es war keine Sekunde langweilig, weil die beiden begeisterte Hiker sind und man immer was zu erzaehlen oder zuzuhoeren hatte.

Die beiden wollen uns nochmal auf dem Trail besuchen und wir hoffen, dass es klappt.

Jetzt sind wir gerade irgendwie knapp 8 Meilen gelaufen und sind irgendwie geschafft. Wir haben glaube ich ein paar Lebensmittel zuviel eingekauft. Na ja, lieber zuviel als zuwenig.

Alina doest gerade ein bisschen in der Sonne und nachher schaun wir mal, ob wir heute noch den Mount Baden Powell besteigen oder ob wir heute faul bleiben und das morgen machen.

Schaun wir mal sagt der Kaiser.

Wann faengt eigentlich die WM an?  

¶ 15:28 0 comments

Zero day in Tustin, Orange County (OC)

PS: Yesterday we hiked across and along the St. Andreas' Fault!! Didn't feel the earth quake though.

Last night after a looks-changing shower Alice and Randall took us out for dinner. After the very delicious main meal they treated us to a "Mother's Load" which is a complete, a huge (I don't exegerate) chocolate cake with chocolate fuge and nuts in top. I loved it! We could not finish it of course so the rest was taken home in a box.

But the real zero day was on Monday. Delicious breakfast with ocean view and then we resupplied. Alice took us to two different organic supermarkets or health food stores. The choice was overwhelming and of course excellent and there I found for the first time really good honey. Hmmm  :-)  I also stocked up on protein bars to make sure I'll be fine.

Then we passed REI twice, this is a store where both of us can spend much time in  :-) 

Then again a delicious lunch and after that we headed home. Time was flying!! We solved the pocketmail problem and after Randall returned home he showed us the slides from his Everest expedition in '92 with Rob Hall. Wow! He is a serious mountaineer.

After the very delicious dinner and more mountaineering, bear and mountain lion stories we watched Squatch's DVD "Walking". "Still walkking" we had watched the night before. Both are about the PCT and its hikers, very funny and inspiring. Very recommendable. Hope to meet Squatch again.

So both nights we went to bed very late in hiker terms but Alice and Randall really spoiled us in every way. THANK YOU, WE APPRECIATE IT!

And we learned some entertaining things about the stereotype OC blonde with certain plastic jobs. 

¶ 15:25 0 comments