Mobile device

Leaning on my GE stove listening to Fresh Air. These are pictures I took with my handheld device.

Pacific Crest Trail

I am planning to hike the PCT, or Pacific Crest Trail for long (which makes more sense considering how long the trail is). I have started contacting past thru-hikers for interviews. My favorite interviews include answers but no questions. So does this. This is from Todd. Thanks Todd.

If you are planning a PCT thru-hike, I can assure you it will be one of the most challenging and memorable experiences of your life.  I'll also assure you that in the end it probably won't be what you thought it would be.  The trail changes you as a person and your visions of what it will be, those expectations will likely fall short in many ways but also be exceeded, too!

To answer your questions and give you my take on things:

1.  The essential publications are:  yogi's PCT guidebook (google it and buy it online from her).  It has excellent recommendations on gear and past hiker's experience.  For maps, you need to print halfmile's pct maps (google it, they are free except the cost to print) and bring just the sections you are doing, mailing the rest to your drops spots.  I DO NOT recommend Schaffer's PCT guidebooks.  The maps are inferior, the text is not something most people read after a while and not worth the weight or expense.

2.  Carry as little gear as possible and spend the extra money to purchase ultra-light equipment.  Every ounce you place in your pack is an ounce you have to carry.  Things that I did not carry and would not carry in the future:  camp shoes (flip flops, crocs, etc), a stove (I would go stoveless if I had to do it over), ice axe (only needed in the southern Sierras, if at all).  

3.  There was nothing that I wish I had brought, only stuff (like my stove) that I wish I would have gotten rid of sooner

4.  Echo Chalet--don't have an opinion.  In general, I never came across any communities or businesses that weren't hiker friendly.  As usual, if you treat people with consideration and respect, they will tend to return that.  People are incredibly generous along the trail with rides, putting up hikers, etc and that is one of the best things, the serendipity of the trail and its people.

5.  I would not recommend bringing a dog.  I never met a thru-hiker who made it with their dog the entire way.  The desert and the high mountains can be incredibly vicious places to be and I've seen many dogs suffering in the heat of the desert.  I personally don't think dogs should be a part of the trail, and certainly not a thru-hike.  In fact the only dangerous animal encounter I had that caused me any direct physical harm was when a dog belonging to a day hiker bit my hand as I walked past it on the trail.  

6.  Motivation can be a difficult thing.  Most people who set out from the Mexican border do not complete their hikes.  Most drop out before the Sierras, many within the first couple hundred miles.  The trail is incredibly difficult and I sometimes think that suffering is the only constant out there.  People's motivation for doing a thru-hike varies a lot.  Some hikers just seem at ease out there, like it is no big deal.  Others need to force every step and every mile.  Both types can be successful and have a great experience.  Motivation can come through something deep within yourself or the relationships with other hikers may sustain you when you are feeling down.  Having a certain amount of emotional maturity is also helpful; recognizing that things may be bad now but it isn't likely to last.  Sometimes just taking a zero day in town can recharge your batteries enough to remove that doubt that was bothering you.  I will say that most successful thru-hikers have obsessed about this trail and the hike for years.  They have deep seated reasons for wanting to do it and that motivates them to keep moving forward.

7.  What to bring in terms of electronics.  I brought an SanDisk FM radio/MP3 player--awesome piece of equipment, allows you to pick up radio stations which I often listened to more than my MP3 songs.  If you put a AAA lithium battery in it, you'll get 4-5 days use out of it before needing a replacement battery (I usually carried 3-4 batteries with myself between town stops).  I would bring an iphone 4 or other smart phone that has internet and GPS function.  The GPS will rarely be needed except if you find yourself in the Sierras during a heavy snow year.  Finally, I brought a Kindle which was an awesome piece of gear.  I would listen to books during the day.  The kindle has the only text to speech function of the e-book readers, weighs 8 oz, and has a pretty good battery life.  I would usually listen 3-4 hours per day and could use it 3 days or so before it died.  I listened to dozens of books over the summer.  I carried the charger for my iphone and the kindle (2 cords, 1 common wall plug).  Some hikers (actually many) didn't carry any music or electronics beside a cellphone.  The cellphone is important because of emergencies but more because of needing to call for rides and coordinate other things on the trail.

8.  Food is a tricky subject.  People's tastes vary a lot.  I personally can't stand trail mix, find Clif bars barely edible.  I resupplied by buying my food along the way and this is a very good strategy but expensive.  The problem with shipping your food is what you think you'll like to eat now is likely not what you'll find appealing 1, 2 or even 3 months into your trip.  Toward the end, tortillas became a staple for me and I would fill them with all sorts of stuff:  tuna, salmon, deli meats, pepperoni, etc.  Also, buying town food and packing it out for a nice meal for a day or two is a great strategy (i.e. buy some burgers at McDonald's and take them with you, left over pizzas, etc.).  If you pack your sleeping bag at the bottom of your pack and then put your cold foods (cheese, meats, etc) on top of that and then place your clothes bag over the food, you create an instant insulated cooler which will keep things (including drinks, water, etc) quite cold even in the heat of the desert.  

9.  Loneliness wasn't a big issue for me.  I did the vast majority of my hike alone.  I made friends with many of the hikers but didn't routinely camp or hike with them.  I found that having the FM radio helped ward off some loneliness for me because I could keep up on the world events if I wanted to and hear another person's voice talking to me which helped a lot.  Some people really need companionship out on the trail and there are plenty of opportunities to find people to hike with that will share your hiking speed/style and likely compliment your personality.

10.  I did shave, but not routinely.  I had to come off the trail for 2-3 days each month to take care of business at home so I would shave when I came home.  I never developed the enormous beard that is the tell-tale sign of a thru-hiker.  I didn't need to cut my hair.  

Please feel free to ask other questions that come to mind.  If I could give you one piece of advise, get Yogi's book, read it carefully and adhere to the recommendations.  Less gear and a lighter pack make for a much more enjoyable experience.  Life on the trail is hard work, especially if your intention is to make it to Canada in a single season, but well worth the effort.

Sincerely,

Todd

Nobel

It sucks to die a couple days before the Nobel committee announces your long awaited award. What is even worse is dying of the problem your research was meant to solve, ei Cancer. The other potential bummer is that the Nobel rules state the recipient must be alive at the time of the announcement.

Poor Steinman was not alive. The good news is that his life was extended because of his immunotherapy. Just not extended enough.

If I ever need immunotherapy the only guarantee I want is that I will live long enough to get my Nobel prize.

Dreamland

When I finally buy land I want there to be a rainbow or two in the background.

Cause and Effect or Prey and Predator

Before 

After

Once Bitten, Twice Bitten

This summer I was bitten on the foot by a mosquito and the mosquito died. Poor thing. Then I started worrying about my blood - it kills bugs dead. But this mosquito did not die right away; she hung in there for hours. Turns out that mosquitoes often die after feeding. The foot swelled to many, many times its normal size. And itched really bad.
Now I am suffering from a black widow bite. Maybe a brown recluse. It was probably both come to think of it. The two deadly spiders obviously teamed up to cripple my right wrist. And don't give me that "There aren't brown recluses in the West" nonsense. Look at my swollen, weeping wrist and tell me it was not a brown recluse /black widow combo that bit me? Or another mosquito.

Techno-less

My computer broke in France. The gentleman at the Genius Bar told me it was my graphics card and that the part costs $900. Then he told me that Apple will cover it. He said it was a known problem. I have been computerless for a few days and will be for a few more. In related news, my phone fell out of my pocket in Luke's car at O'Hare. So I have been phoneless for a few days. Part of me likes being phoneless and computerless. But the part of me that posts things on the Internet finds it frustrating.

Warm and Furry

A few days ago, I hooked up the leash to the animal pictured below, went for a run, played with it for a while and after a few hours of fun I realized, "You are not Diego. You have too many legs." 

But what really happened was, Jenny found this poor deceased spider in her garage. I picked her up and after a few seconds felt her moving. She was alive! But barely. She was soon completely dead. I was considering taking her to a wildlife rescue - we had already taken two birds the day before - but you cannot rescue the dead as the saying goes.

Semi-racist Yard Sale

The third or fourth yard sale of the morning made the first two or three crappy yard sales almost disappear from memory. Of course these things never completely go away. They stay somewhere in our subconscious only to resurface as sweaty nightmares, "Oh no, more homemade potholders - and look! Another unused Nordic Track..."

Number four was the mother lode. We headed straight for the backyard where a sign out front had instructed us to go if we were interested in tools. The first thing that caught my eye was a bench grinder with a homemade, heavy duty stand. "How much do you want for that?" I asked trying to sound uninterested. Dan, son of the deceased, seemed surprised by the question. "Uh, I don't know... how about ten dollars?" Sold. Then a red tool cart struck Jenny's fancy. "I don't know, how much will you give me?" asked Dan."Five dollars," I offered hopefully. "Its yours. And you can have everything on it." We only wanted some of what was on it but we did take everything that was in it. He also said we could have whatever else we could fit on it. 

Jenny noticed a hand-carved, wooden Buddha in the toolshed rafters. Then she saw a Buddha cookie jar. Then we both started seeing Buddhas everywhere. I bought the cookie jar. Mamma (that's what Dan called her) showed us a 4 foot high, smiley buddha wearing a cap and sunglasses. She bought it for her husband for $426 in the 70s. I went out to search for more treasure and Dan went in to warn his mother about potential thieves. Even though he was practically giving everything away. He said, "Mamma, we need to have a conference.  I'm not racist but - well, not very racist - but there are a lot of Mexicans wandering around here and you know how they can be. So you need to be out there making sure people aren't leaving without paying." 

The daughter showed up riding a Lark scooter. She was the only one who seemed at all concerned as she watched her dad's stuff walking away. Her mother said to us, "Dan didn't want her to come. He said she'd scare everybody away." 

We weren't scared but we did feel like we left without paying. Maybe Dan and Mamma gave us the white people discount. 

Dolly: $5

Tool Cart: $5

Tools included

Oster blender was from a thrift store but I thought you would like to see it. 

Grinder $10

Buddha cookie jar: .25 cents

Photography: Not For the Faint of Heart

The dangers of bunny photography.

The bunny.

I am kind of like this guy but with bunnies and without the dramatic music. 

House (wren) Music

Singing in the wrain

House Wren crashed into the House window

This little house wren flew into the window and landed on its back. He looked like a goner lying on his back. He slowly started to snap out of it after sitting in my hand for a few minutes. He flew away after I took this picture.

Don't Stand so Close to Me

While I was reading a magazine at a bookstore a middle aged (70ish) woman walked up and stood with her considerable bottom a few inches from my considerable nose. A conversation that I would not actually start went through my head. It started with, "Please don't fart, please don't fart, please don't fart." Then, in this silly fantasy, granny gave me a withering look. To which I replied, "Sorry, I just know it can be hard to hold your farts at your age." It was at about that time when the fantasy turned to reality. She farted. I thought I was mistaken until she farted again. She farted a third time and took her leave. I suppose the words, "be careful what you wish for or you might just get it," apply to this situation. Or maybe what my dad used to say would be even more applicable: "Be careful what you make up about a strange lady in a bookstore or she just might fart in your face."

Free Bacon in Chicago

Today I was at the Whole Foods in Chicago - the big, new one behind Dick Blick near North Ave. I was buying ingredients for coq a vin. I asked the butcher for his most ethically produced bacon. He wrapped it up and asked, "Have you tried this?" "No," said I. "It's on the house." Later I was buying paper towels from a local paper towel vendor to dry the chicken with. He said, "It's a Memorial Day present." Maybe I should have test driven a car.

Car

I've been following this car (the one with the green door) and taking its picture every minute or two.

Lunatic

Driving South on Highway 101 a few miles south of the Oregon border my associates and I passed a jogger, also heading South. The jogger was dressed in white from head to toe. As a small black car attempted to pass us, the jogger jumped in front of the car and danced about making "funny" faces. The passing car could not swerve to avoid him without either hitting us or hitting him. At the last second the demented jogger jumped out of the way. I watched him continue to dance and bob and weave as he shrunk in the rear view mirror. The small black car pulled over and a gentleman of about 55 or older exited the driver's side. He was going to confront the maniac. For the next few miles I worried about the safety of the gentleman and his wife that he left in the car. By the way, the jogger was big and fit looking. The gentleman was neither.

Migration Frustration

It has recently been brought to my attention that my habit of moving out of my humble home every summer is noticed by people other than me. I do like the part about migrating to the Sierra Nevada via Chicago in the summer but I admit, moving all of my worldly possessions into storage every May and out of storage every August is inconvenient. Next year I am going to try to keep my home and offer it for a summer sublet. So next year when you are considering a home away from home, consider Boise.

More buried cabins

 View of the cabin from the lake. 

The shovel to dig to the cabin is on that tree somewhere under the snow.

Flagpole Peak Today

Flagpole Peak

One of my top ten favorite mountains.