http://postholer.com/discodan Pacific Crest Trail - 2007 Fri, 5 Oct 2007 4:00:00 PDT 240 Copyright 2007, DiscoDan Hiking Journals Generated by Journals At Postholer.Com rss@postholer.com (Postholer.Com) http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://postholer.com/journal/images/50/92-IMG_6738.JPG http://postholer.com/discodan 128 98 Hit the trail early this morning under cloudy skies and cool temps. It is an 8.1 mile hike down to the border and the Northern Terminus of the PCT. I arrived at Monument 78 at 1014 and although it was from the opposite direction from originally intende... Fri, 5 Oct 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1327 Got up, packed and headed up to Canada this morning....in the rain. Traffic in and around the Seattle area was terrible...stop and go, etc. Now this was the type stuff I did not miss! Lee and I stopped at a Dennys for breakfast and whatever it was I ha... Thu, 4 Oct 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1326 This morning another 6-10 hikers showed up in Winthrop. Virtually all of them had bailed at Rainy Pass due to impassable trail conditions due to the snow. Their arrival tended to support my decision from yesterday....still, it is disappointing to be of... Wed, 3 Oct 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1325 It continued to snow virtually all night. Woke up to a tent filled with condensation and as a result, most everything in my tent is cold and damp including my sleeping bag. Up at 0515 with an on the trail target time of 0630; we didn't actually get hik... Tue, 2 Oct 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1324 What a day this has been. Up early to shower and get my pack all set. Our ride back to the Rainy Pass trailhead was to pick us up at 0700 and he was pretty much on time. Got to the trialhead and on the trail hiking by 0825...in snow showers. For the mo... Mon, 1 Oct 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1321 As if this is a surprise, I was up early, finished packing my pack and I'm basically ready to go, well before anyone else is up. Do you think I just might be a tad excited? I have a feeling the next three or four days on the trail will be quite cold, bu... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1319 I'm really starting to get excited about finishing and seeing Lee. I'm having a hard time sleeping at night and I seem to be waking up earlier and earlier in the mornings. Got up this morning and took a shower and shaved. Abie made a pot of his usual ... Sat, 29 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1317 Had a very nice and relaxing day today. Slept in late and that was mighty nice. Once up, it was off to breakfast. After breakfast, we stopped by the local grocery store so Kathy could pickup soda, beer, and candy type items for a trail magic run up to... Fri, 28 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1316 Slept fitfully last night for fear I would oversleep and not get Meeghan and Eddie up on time. As it turned out, I gave them their wake up call right at 0430 but we didn't actually hit the trail until around 0600. Elliot, the section hiker that showed ... Thu, 27 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1315 It didn't rain last night...what a pleasant surprise. Actually, it was fairly warm last night and quite nice. Up at 0600 but we didn't hit the trail until 0747...Eddie and Meeghan apparently are not morning people, plus Eddie had to "take care of busine... Wed, 26 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1313 It's 0530 and I'm lying here in my tent contemplating getting up and going. As fate would have it, a little earlier this morning it started raining and has done so on and off for a couple of hours. At this very moment, it's not raining, but it's still ... Tue, 25 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1312 Oh what a beautiful day this was...nearly perfect. I was up early, packed and on the trail at 0637, 15 minutes before sunrise. The weather all day has been just great; clear, sunny and somewhat cool. Hiked through a number of high mountain meadows tod... Mon, 24 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1314 Back on the trail today for the next to last section....woohoo! I was up by 0615 and took a shower and shaved. Then it was time to finalize packing my pack. The other day at Safeway I had bought, among other things, some onion bagels and cream cheese s... Sun, 23 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1311 Another relaxing zero day here in Leavenworth, WA. Slept in late again, ah, what a feeling. Another nice day here but no telling what the weather is doing up in the mountains, reckon I'll find out tomorrow morning when I hit the trail again. Had brea... Sat, 22 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1310 Spent a very nice and relaxing day here with Abie & Kathy. Slept in late, then went to breakfast. After that it was back to the RV park for awhile to do laundry. Went into town a little later and stopped by the Ranger Station to try and get some trail... Fri, 21 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1293 Stayed nice and warm last night, not that it got all that cold, but it was nice to be warm. Since I thought it was going to be foggy last night, I had both my tent doors nearly fully closed and as a result, things were a bit damp from my self generated ... Thu, 20 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1292 What a day this has been. 31.9 miles hiked and I'm exhausted. If yesterdays weather was the price I had to pay for todays weather, it was well worth it. Today was absolutely beautiful. Slept well last night even though it rained for a brief time during... Wed, 19 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1290 What a day this has been. I started the day bright and early by taking a shower followed by finishing up packing my pack. Then it was off to the Pancake House at the summmit for beakfast. Saw a good many hikers having breakfast: Sweep, Meso, Mr Pink, ... Tue, 18 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1291 Today was a good day to take a zero day. It was rather nasty out...cold and rainy. Spent a very relaxing day going into Seattle and the big REI store. Also went to the original Starbucks and walked through the Seattle market. The flowers in the market... Mon, 17 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1289 Surprisingly, I slept pretty good last night. I'm also happy to report the mice didn't get into anything of mine. I did hear the little rascals scurrying around and there were numerous sightings although I never actually saw one myself. I was up at 05... Sat, 15 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1287 Up early to finish packing. I went through my three food bags and probably took out at least two pounds of food that I decided I really didn't need...that's a first for me. Normally I would have just taken the extra food and to heck with the extra weig... Fri, 14 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1286 I slept fairly well last night but several times during the night I heard voices from my fellow camper's camp site....not sure if she was talking in her sleep, or if she was awake and just talking to herself. At any rate, it was a bit un-nerving. I also... Thu, 13 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1285 Up, packed and off to breakfast by 0745. We all had blueberry pancakes although in retrospect, I should have had the short stack (2 pancakes) as opposed to the full stack of three. We ran into Out There at breakfast and agreed to give him a ride back t... Wed, 12 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1281 Even though I went to bed last night tired and sore, I woke up no worse for wear. At some point during the night, I heard a bull elk bugling several times. I also heard a hoot owl hooting away just around sun down. Up and on the trail by about 0715 wit... Tue, 11 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1280 Today was another almost perfect day for hiking...the weather was absolutely beautiful, only thing missing was Kathy. I was up and on the trail by 0700 eating my last bagel with cream cheese as I walked. Today was the toughest and by far the hardest day... Mon, 10 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1279 Today was one of those rather rare days when virtually everything about the day was nearly perfect. For starters, I slept in until about 0700 and boy did that feel good...very relaxing. Once I was all packed up, we headed off to the local diner where I ... Sun, 9 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1278 Last night didn't end up being near as cold as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it didn't go much below 55 degrees though when I was eating my dinner, I sure thought it was going to be a cold night. Got up a little later than I had hoped. I looke... Sat, 8 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1277 I was up around 0630, finished packing my pack and then we all headed out to breakfast around 0715. I had a pecan encrusted coffee bun and coffee. Abie once again shared a piece of french toast with me which was very nice of him. Got dropped off at the ... Fri, 7 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1272 A late wakeup this morning since I didn't have too far to go to get to the road. Took my time breaking camp and made myself some coffee and hot oatmeal...both were mighty tasty. Hit the trail by 0800 and was at the road by about 1130. The hike out was ... Thu, 6 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1271 I'm finally in Washington! I walked across the Bridge of the Gods this morning and entered the state of Washington, next stop Canada! Got up early this morning and packed my pack and then we headed for breakfast. I had a huge cinnamon bun and coffee an... Wed, 5 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1270 I awoke to the sound of rain in the wee hours of the morning and quickly went back to sleep knowing I was safe and sound in the comfort of the RV. It continued to rain, rather hard at times, until mid-morning. Even though the rain had stopped and it was... Tue, 4 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1269 Today was a nice, relaxing day after the 31 mile slog of yesterday. Slept in late and then Abie made coffee...excellent! Once everyone was up and had their charge of coffee, it was off to Portland to find the REI store and have breakfast. We ended up ... Mon, 3 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1254 A great day on the trail and once again, a beautiful day. I can't believe how lucky I've been when it comes to nice weather. Slack packing is not too shabby...sure beats the heck out of carrying a 25-40lb pack for 31 miles. Had some great views of Mt ... Sun, 2 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1251 Gosh, it's hard to imagine today is the first day of September....my hike will be starting to wind down soon, but I still have a ways to go. Up at 0530 and then it was off to breakfast. After eating, Abie took me, Kathy and Glacier back up to Timberline... Sat, 1 Sep 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1250 Up and on the trail by about 0630. I had cell phone coverage so was able to touch base with my Dr's office. My Doc wouldn't do anything for me without seeing me...I could understand his point, but I was still a little disappointed. Oh well, I would ha... Fri, 31 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1249 Hit the trail this morning around 0910 and hiked until 2315 covering 44.2 miles, a new personal record for me...woohooo! Great day of hiking and the trail tread was, once again, fairly easy. At the "usual" time for stopping for the day, I decided I jus... Thu, 30 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1248 For once in a long time, there was a nice breeze that picked up during the night and helped dry out my tent. The other day when there was frost, I had to roll up my tent before it could dry out and as a result, it was still damp when I set it up last ni... Wed, 29 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1237 What a great day of hiking! The weather has been beautiful and the views have been fabulous; I truly am one very lucky guy. I was up early to shower and shave. Abie & Kathy drove into Bend to pickup Glacier, a fellow hiker, who needed a ride to the tra... Tue, 28 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1236 Last night and this morning was the coldest thus far on the trail. I had frost on the inside and outside of my tent, so it had to have gotten at least to freezing if not a tad lower. I was real happy I had purchased a Cool-Max sleeping bag liner the ot... Mon, 27 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1232 Lincoln slept with me most of the night on the fold out sofa bed. In fact, he took up most of the bed because of how he decided to stretch out. It did no good trying to nudge him as he was essentially dead weight and virtually unmovable...oh well, he's... Sun, 26 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1231 I slept like a baby last night and did it ever feel great to get a good nights sleep. Got up around 0700, took a shower and then it was off to IHOP for breakfast and then on to REI to do some shopping. We must have spent a good four hours at REI. I was... Sat, 25 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1233 Didn't sleep worth a darn last night. My sleeping bag seems to be in a constant state of dampness and it just feels wierd and as a result, it's very uncomfortable. I'll be back in my Marmot bag before too long, but until then, I'm not sure what I'm goin... Fri, 24 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1230 Hit the trail by 0705 and hiked until around 1830. The weather today was again nearly perfect. The trail tread was also very good again today so the hiking was not difficult. Passed lots of lakes and ponds and with so much water around, the mosquitoes... Thu, 23 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1221 There was a heavy dew where I camped last night so when I broke camp, my tent was once again wet. There was absolutely no breeze last night so there was some condensation in my tent as well...mostly on the floor. I tried wiping off the dew from the outs... Wed, 22 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1222 It rained on and off throughout the night and didn't stop until around 0400-0430 this morning. I slept pretty good but kept waking up checking for tent leaks. As it turned out, I think I had quite a bit of condensation in the tent due in part to lack o... Tue, 21 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1220 I had a good nights sleep even if I was sleeping on the floor. I was just so thankful that Scout & Frodo saw fit to give me some floor space! I was the first one up this morning and when I went outside, the sun was shining, I could see some blue sky and... Mon, 20 Aug 2007 4:00:00 PDT http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?entry_id=1219