June | 2015 | two feet wide…

Top of Forester Pass

Well, I’m alive and hanging in Bishop CA at The Hostel California. I made it through a week in the southern Sierras trekking through some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever experienced. Unfortunately this is where the journey ends for me. The first part of the week I was able to hike virtually pain free then gradually it came back. Surprisingly my knee has held up very well, its my feet that are the giving me problems. Whether it’s the shoes, insoles or the constant pounding they take everyday, it seems as though they never seem to recover. So I think its best for me to leave the trail and take care of myself so I can continue to hike in the future.

I really appreciate all of you who followed along and gave me the opportunity to share a personal part of my life.

I’m in the process of figuring out my exit strategy and see if I can try to experience a few more places along the way as I make my way back to Seattle.

I’ll leave you with a few photos and will probably follow up in a week or so with a synopsis of my last week on the trail and also some thoughts about my experience out there. I will say that if any of you who thinks and dreams about adventure or just wants to do something for yourself, plan it and get out there and do it. I only wish I did something like this earlier in my life. This definitely won’t be the last one for me..I believe it’s the beginning of something that will make my life more exciting and fulfilling. I don’t have the responsibilities that most people have so the world is open for me and the adventures are endless.

Thanks again for your great comments and support…

Grinder

Start of Sierras

Crabtree Meadow

Looking back from Forester Pass

Well, I’ve had alot of downtime since my stop at Cajon Pass, so I’ll pick up from there and get everyone up to speed. It was Saturday the 23rd when I got to the Best Western. It was great to be able to take care of myself without having to deal with hiking another mile like the way I was.

I didn’t do much there other than show up for the free breakfast in the mornings and ice what I needed to. On Memorial Day I met an older hiker who was having severe blister issues on his feet. He was waiting for his veterinary friend to show up to take care of his feet and drive him to town for new shoes. He mentioned that if the guy brings his portable xray machine they’ll stop by my room and get some photos of my knee. They stopped by awhile later and I got some free xrays. The guy said human knees are no different from horses or cows, so when he looked at my xrays he couldn’t see anything wrong. I had plenty of joint space in the knee, so that wasn’t an issue. Only an MRI will show the tissue image but I wasn’t going down that road.

I felt good about the xray images so I got my pack ready to head out and hitch a ride to Wrightwood about 15 miles away. I had a package there and from what I heard it would be a great place to rest up. I ended up having to get 2 hitches to get here. I arrived in Wrightwood about an hour later and was dropped off at the hardware store where my package was. There is also a long list of Trail Angels there who host hikers. After getting the list and a map of the town I walked next door to the market where hikers stop to resupply. Ended up seeing familiar faces, including Gandolf with the twisted ankle. He decided his hike was over and would be leaving to go home soon…bummer.

I was deciding who to call for a place to stay when a little kid came up with his mom and asked if I wanted to stay at his house along with some other hikers. I accepted the offer. They had baseball practice to go to and I had beers to drink, so we decided to meet up later. I walked to the local pub and met up with some locals there and proceeded to drink a few beers with them. The other hikers I would be shacking up with were there as well. After a few hours our Trail Angel showed up and gave us directions to the house and said to come by whenever we wanted. We were all having a great time there we didn’t leave till 10pm. The house was a mile away and I knew right away this walk was going to suck. I had to road walk one mile all buzzed up to a place I’ve never been before. I apparently went the wrong way and had to backtrack a little to get there. I finally got there without incident. Here I am in a new town, walking into a house I’ve never been at and not knowing where the hell I’m sleeping. I stumble in and there are the others, all sprawled out on the floor in the next room. I quietly got my sleeping gear out and passed out hard from the long day.

I got up Tuesday morning knowing I couldn’t stay at the house again. It was just too far to walk from town. I found out the local coffee shop in town let hikers sleep on their deck for free, so after I got dropped off I went over to check out the situation. I decided this would be the best place for me since everything is close by and I would be sleeping under the stars still.
The coffee shop (Village Grind) also serves beer and wine..perfect.

There were a few others there as well, including Ratatouille who I’ve hung out with before. Met so many great people from all over the place. Seems most people have some sort of foot or knee problem, but not like me.

On Thursday and Friday I went and got my first ever acupuncture treatments to see if it would help. The purpose is to increase blood flow to the area to speed up healing. This guy was highly recommended so I went for it. He is a very laid back guy and it was really interesting to learn about the process and what to expect. You can’t even feel the needles go in as they are tapped in about 1/4 inch in most places. After about 12 needles are strategically placed, an infrared heat lamp is put in front to help with the process. The following day after the first visit I could feel the difference. After the second one not as much. He said it would take a few days for results. I also got a pack of herbal capsules that help with inflammation. Overall, I’m glad I gave it a try. I would do it again knowing my health insurance will cover in network visits..not the case this time though.

So here I am, Thursday June 4th. My knee feels so much better. When I got here I wasn’t able to walk without a trekking pole for support or put full weight on my knee. My feet were still getting sore walking on the pavement. I was given a brand new pair of insoles from a hiker that for some reason weren’t right for him. They seem to help better than the other ones I had.

I started to write this post a few days ago but was reluctant to send it not knowing what I was going to do. 4 days ago I was ready to call it quits and just go home. Today I am planning my escape from Wrightwood and head up to Kennedy Meadows to at least be at the gateway to the Sierras. Right now I am able to walk without a trekking pole for support with hardly any pain in my knee and feet. This isn’t anywhere like it was when I left Big Bear, so I’m feeling really good about continuing on. Looking forward to getting there before the weekend if I can.

If you take a moment and look up the John Muir Trail, you can understand my willingness for holding out and hike this section. One of the most beautiful places our country has to offer. Thought about coming back later but it’s a logistical and monetary nightmare to do it. I’m already here in SoCal, only a few hundred miles from my dream hike with permits in hand.

I’m going for it as soon as I’m ready. I might stop at a trail angels house along the way for a few days..supposed to be a great place to party. If not I’ll head to the Meadows and hang for a few more days then hit it. If for any reason I feel I wouldn’t be able to handle it, I’ll hang it up.

There is no cell service there, not much along the way at all unless stopping for a resupply somewhere. I’ll try and post before I leave here.

Looking forward to sending pics from the Sierras. Thanks for hanging in there with me!!