They're Done!

Super Albums: The cure for the blue indoor heart and the antagonist of Restless Leg Syndrome. There're still a few kinks to work out but I hope you enjoy! Make yourself a Pastaside, Ramen or some cocoa, get a bowl of Spicy Cheetos, click the Picasa Link and enjoy! Don't forgot about the videos!

Super Albums, Coming Soon

The view from inside. (Trail Angel Ted's house)

After a lengthy spell of computer repair and photo retrieval, I've begun to amass some "Super Albums" of the journey, consisting mostly of my photos via the interweb, my iPhone and my camera, but bolstered with those of others here and there (I will give credit in these cases ya'll).

The rainy season here is Portland certainly lends itself to sitting in front of my computer and harvesting and organizing these Pics, which I'm happy to have after the Great Hard Drive Crash-scare of '09; three days after I'd gotten back and downloaded all of my pictures to my computer I began editing and organizing them when my harddrive died. Not just started to go but strait up kicked the proverbial bucket with no warning. Even though my trip pictures (about 1100) were the only things not backed up, Recovery Service places quoted be $800-$1000 to retrieve them! &^%$! Luckily, new best friend and Mac whiz Jeremy was able to set me strait, get most pictures back, and hook me up with a fixed computer with fancy new stuff on it for about $300 less than a simple repair (not even photo recovery!) would have cost me at Apple. IF ANYONE NEEDS MAC REPAIRS, Go to this guy! He's the shit.

Readjustment to the "everyday" hasn't been so bad here in Portland. People here just kinda get it, both in the broader and narrower senses. Its been really nice to run into fellow '09 Hikers that I had the pleasure to walk with: Viewfinder knitting in a coffee shop, Fixit on his bicycle at a Cyclocross race. Lint on his tallbike and Miss Info going to work just to name a few. Its also been really nice to eat lots of Waffles from the Waffle cart, rent movies, drag huge logs and plants into my bedroom so I feel a little more "at home", cook huge dinners, see a bunch of music and overall waddle in all things Fat Kid. But it ain't the same as the trail, where you were reminded of the real necessities in life, and stresses, even over these primal needs (i.e. water, kinships, donuts), were few.

These first million or so steps are but the first. I've meet and hit stride with far too many too inspirational folk in between to not keep going. While my next adventure may be a bit smaller (I can only take 5 months off from the same job and still have it so many times! Thanks Matt!), the mode won't be too different.

So, keep posted to my Picasa page as it'll be growing with bacterial speed over the next few days. There're pictures of you and you in there, and yes, even you. I love you all, and no matter how you walk it, best of luck to you and hope to run into you all again along this great camino.

Like I said before: America, Fuck Yea!

(I was totally not crying in this picture)

Processing a lot, eating more. I love Canadians, but headed back soon... I'll do a blog proper when I'm 'home' (maybe Chrissy's couch/backyard?) and reliving the dream. Thanks and thanks again to all of you've who've helped and supported me along the way. I did not do this alone - Over and out on HCC, Haulin' Oates, Team Budget, Team Seize the Pants, W & LBs....til then, HIKE!

Reroute and detours: plans are one thing and fate quite another

Goldmyer Hotsprings: The Cave!

The views, reroutes and detours proved amazing as we followed the original pre-1971 PCT route. Just a quick blog from Skykomish - uploaded some photos to Picasa. Gonna hit the trail for the final run in this weather window!

-- Post From My iPhone

Washington: It rains here

This photo is one of a rain-free few: crossing Bridge of the
Gods into WA

7 days into Washington and we've been forced into town by unseasonably inclimate weather: it began raining three days ago, and pretty much hasn't stopped ( unless it was sloppily snowing above 5800"). After fording flooded "creeks", waiting out horribly windy nights in soggy, freezing tarps, and cursing endlessly, we' planned to haul a 33 miler yesterday to make it over the Knifes Edge and into White Pass. But after passing multiple parties that'd turned back from the Packwood Glacier due to highwinds, zero visability, and general crappiness, we succombed to reason and did the same, back tracking 12 miles into the town of Packwood. We're dry, fat and happy now, but I'll seriously have to re-assess my plans to thru hike if this weather remains: the point is to enjoy all this, and that's hard to do when you can't see anything and you're shivering, soaked, and exhausted.


On the more neato side of things, I saw my first mountain lion. While this didn't make me feel any warmer, it also didn't leave me with the sense of fear I thought it would; I felt strangely comfortable and a little more stoked.


-- Post From My iPhone

Package Sender Merry Makers

**be sure to send through your Post Office, since Fedex and UPS cannot deliver to P.Os***.
I've been lucky enough to get a bunch of requests for mail drop addresses. You guys are amazing and rock and I can't imagine life on or off the trail without you all. I love you guys (and cookies too!) If you could send it Priority (usually $0.50 more) that'd be great: in case I can't pick it up for any reason I can forward it to somewhere I can for free. Here's the beta:

Sept. 13th-ish: I should be arriving in Skykomish
Caitlin Burns (PCT HIKER)
c/o General Delivery
Skykomish, WA 98288

Sept. 18th: Rolling into Stehekin, the last stop before Canada!
Same
Same
Stehekin, WA 98852

Ashland-Portland: 14 days and the Beginning of Rain

Sunrise on glassy, lovely Crater Lake.

After living in Oregon for three years and a few other summer seasons, I finally feel that I've seen almost as much that I'd like to see. We started out from Ashland on the 15th, and found ourselves in Cascade Locks - the northernmost point of the trail - by the afternoon of the 29th. We took no zeros in this state, but she was kind to us nonetheless. After taking three months for the state of California alone, it seems rather strange to be finishing another in two weeks.

A taste of what's to come: rain heading down to Eagle Creek Trail

With 547 miles of trail left ahead, the reality of the impending "reality" that I and all of my fellow hikers will have to face once we hit the Northern Terminus in Manning Park, BC seems more present everyday. This is especially so here in Portland, where I write you now. We head out today with one hiker less and whole lot of awesome presence less: yesterday we took dear friend Bijan, "Mowgli", to the airport so that he could fly home to be with his family after suffering the worst loss of a sibling and friend. He will be enormously missed and I ask that, even if you never had the pleasure to meet him, please send all the love you can his and his family's way. Also please take every chance you can to get in contact with loved ones. One thing I've learned here on the trail is that when it comes to fundamental things: Don't Wait.

Berry season - something more delicious than mosquitos come to fruition with late summer rain. Thank goodnesses.

As we enter into moister climates, we've begun to reap some delicious benefits. For the first time since the Sierras we've been again finding edibles right on trail: huckleberries, salmonberries, second crop strawberries and all sorts of mushrooms (although I only trust myself to identify super obvious Chicken of the Woods and Chantrelles - which most deer get before we do). The wildflowers again enrich our color scheme, and make moist sleeping a little more bearable.

Typical knee brushers. Way better on so many levels than chapparel.

Heavy Weather hangs over Mt. Hood.

My body begrudgingly continues to hang with spirit here, and physcially and temporially I think I'm lined up to finish in less than a month. But Damn, I just cannot tell you how in love with all of this I am and how I, if I could, would keep this walking going endlessly. I've said it a million times and can say a million more how the people I've come to know and meet at random out here completely reaffirm what had been my waning faith in humanity. Time to hit the trail for one last dose of the good medicine.

Oh!regon

Testing out the blog via phone on trail.. More to come! P.s. Leaving Sisters by way of Santiam Pass this am... Lava is not your friend.


-- Post From My iPhone

Hot Creek Rim: Most people skip Section O...

Trying to keep it cool in 100 degree shade at Cache 22 along the Hat Creek Rim. We pulled 35 miles that day just to wake to water at the Crystal Lake Fish Hatchery. If the Poison Oak and heat wasn't enough, many times this section of trail went Southwest or due West. Canada is in neither of these directions.

I've spent over a week now away from the trail, and even though the last section I completed is the most commonly skipped (read: Hat Creek Rim, poison oak, no water, +110 temps, poison oak, forest fire smoke, poison oak) by "thru-hikers", I miss even it in comparison with "the everyday". That said, in order to walk into Canada before the weather turns gnar, I've made the decision to skip the 200miles stretch from Castella to Ashland. At this point I've hiked over 1595 miles, have gone through 5 pairs of sunglassess, am on my third pair of shoes, walk like an 80yo in the morning while my feet warm up, and cannot even imagine stopping.

The trail seemed to be the most trying here, and for the first time I felt the first sensations of the"Why am I doing this?" bummer - something it seems a lot of my fellow hikers have already gone through or are going through. Each person has their own personal devil, and section of trail that really doesn't do it for em, and mine is apparently heat without cacti. I did fine in the first sections of desert, but it seemed that without the visually stimulating flora, I didn't do so hot. Also, much of the terrain was tear-your-face-off -if-you-fall lava rock, which chewed what remained of my shoes (those babies made it 1000miles!) to bits. However, the self-questioning abated quickly, and I'm glad that I didn't yellow-blaze the notorious Section O, aka Section Oh-F*&^. Especially since it ended with trail magic from the underground trail angel Budesa family!

Things are hot all over: 106 degree heat in hometown Portland, 110 heat had me flying into the headwaters of Burney Falls, marking the end of doom. (i.e. Hat Creek Rim).

The light at the end of the heat tunnel: Molly Budesa cooks up a fierce stir fry. The Budesas: Paul, Tammy, Molly, Abby and Ian (and later Alex and Emily in Shasta) felt like a whole new part of my family and served up the most relaxing and as lovely as any trail magic.

.

I opted to leave the trail to climb Mt. Shasta, another +14,000 just south of the Oregon Border. Everyone we spoke to cautioned us about her, saying we'd need everything shy of the kitchen sink to make it up safely, and that our gear of shorts and questionable footwear, and ultra-light approach probably wouldn't fly. Turns out - as some of our crew flew past a team of 5, roped into each other and with about $5000 worth of gear each - the best piece of equipment you can really have is priceless and conveniently located on your shoulders. Shasta definitely dished out some mischief and was not a cake-walk, but was totally worth the blue-blaze. I'd probably wear a helmet next time though.

Left the trail last monday to climb Mt. Shasta, sans ice axe, helmet, and crampons. I did have a few holes in my shoes though, and gave them a vikings farewell as this was their last journey. This is the view up Avalanche Gulch.

The Bride and Groom's table.

After Mt. Shasta, I left the trail for good-friend's Kate & Pete's wedding in upstate NY. 40 hours or so of travel later, I happily arrived to the ceremony and got to visit, if however briefly, with some of the best people I can imagine knowing. This journey within a journey was a bit of reality check: I've been following one, sole, continuous path this summer and once in NY I found myself navigating every train in the alphabet going both directions. I had however, forgotten about the humidity of the east, and thought I might drown in the subway tunnels. I survived though, and so it would seem I've not lost all ability to live within society.

Almost full. The August "Strawberry Moon" Rises on the SE side of Shasta.

Despite my retention of civilized aptitudes, I can't wait to get back to that trail.

P.S: I've maxed out my Flickr account, but prefer Picasa anyway, so from now out all pic's'll be posted on my Picasa site. (You can find the link on the right side). I've also thrown up some video files, nothing huge, but something anyway. I apologize in advance for all the "Whoo!"'s you'll hear if you watch em.

Halfsies: Speeding down and Slowing up

Four days ago I became one of many to almost make it. Around 9:30am I came upon a handy little marker indicating that, at that very moment, I was about to complete my 1335 PCT mile. Shortly after I celebrated with a mini-flask of Maker's, and then headed 14 more miles and a hitch into new favorite CA small town Chester for celebratory Pizza (thank you Jan & Bob!), fruit (best fruit stand ever!) and ice cream (I, the fat kid, actually declined the 1/2 gallon milk shake challenge). That night Piper's Mom & Lowell took us in and fed the five of us amazing things and we played horseshoe on their luxurious green lawn (it's amazing how much we take soft, supple grass for granted, one good thing about civilization). You can check out her pic's here.

Friend Levi came out to hike a little over 1/26th of the trail with me, meeting up in So. Lake Tahoe then sneaking through the Desolation Wilderness (without a permit!) up to Sierra City. I think he contributed over 200,000 calories to the mission of the trail via waffles, sushi, and other other delicious things! Thanks Levi! You can check out his pic's here.

Things on this trail remain stupendous, despite the climbing mercury. I've taken a slower pace here through Northern California, taking time to soak up some trail magic here and there with some new and old trail angels. I can't wait to angel myself next year: I'm already planning Margaritas and Key Lime pie for next year's crew somewhere in Oregon.

In other news, I've started to develop blisters on my heels, which really doesn't make much sense to me unless my feet have grown bigger. I guess they say that is supposed to happen. Weird.

For those of you hoping to find more blogs more often (brother Brian, here's looking at you!), expect an annoying amount to spring up in the first half of August, when I'll be getting off trail to attend good friends Kate & Pete's wedding upstate NY, and will have my own, speedy, computer for more than the usual 1/2 hour of slow, trail computer. NYC, I hope I survive you in all your technological prowess. I have trouble with doors these days.

Going to Church and Unlikely Patriotism. Also, 1000 miles!

These two made it how far? Really? Colorblind and I pose pretty at the 1000mile marker

With the Fourth of July I said goodbye to the Sierras - hard to do though they humbled me immensely - and headed into Northern California. The past month has been unlike any other and, in the big footsteps on John Muir, I went to church for the first time in California every single day. I wish I had more pictures to share with you all, but I was ironically too distracted by the scenery to think to capture it.

Mather Pass - bestest one yet

After leaving Independence I hit a +10,000 pass everyday, with numerous, freezing fords in between. Each pass was extremely unique in it's challenges and gifts - most of the time the ones which seemed "smaller" packed the biggest punch, as Glen Pass did. I had to cut my miles back as a consequence, but was more than happy to do so: the past 300 mile section of trail has been the most amazing yet and there was no good reason to rush through it.

Church, also known as High Sierra Sunrise Trail (at sunset)
In all, I tacked on 76 miles in side trails to Mt. Whitney, Yosemite, and some ridiculously serene and clear hotsprings that were a "blueblaze" (meaning not on the PCT) into Red's Meadow. A fire had sparked in Yosemite the day before we got up Halfdome and the valley was slightly obscured in a haze that gave it all a Maxfield Parrish sort of glow... but the views were still stupendous. The crowds weren't too bad either - and provided entertainment as we watched a family first stalk then run away from a very freaked out adolescent bear.

I didn't experience any "real" bears fortunately (or unfortunately?) though I did wake up with a mouse in my sleeping bag - a lesson in why you shouldn't eat poptarts in your bed if you're not using a tent. Each town visit is still a study in glutany, though now that I'm in Tahoe, Casino-land of all you can eat buffets, I tending to go for the higher quality calorie instead of quanity (although I did eat tempura cheesecake after sushi last night... yum).

When you dream about food all day and you're eating 2x as many calories, things get a little weird: Nacho Doritos and French Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Dream.

From this point on I'll be joined by friend Levi through Northern California. In the next 200 miles I'll just be hitting the halfway point! And I've got less than 300 to be ready for the Seiad Valley Pancake challenge... See you at the Oregon Border?

The Past Few Days: Immersion in Epic-ocity

Greetings from the town library in the basement of Independence, CA's town courthouse. Time is limited, but I wanted to put up a short blog to say hello & let you all know that there're new pic's on my flickr site. All's well and then some after summiting Whitney on Saturday then crossing both Forester and Kearsage pass yesterday (anytime anyone wants to do the John Muir Trail - I'm in!) It is COLD that high up! Think of me when you cozy up in nice warm beds and send some of that heat my way - my shoes've been frozen solid the past couple mornings, but the scenery's been absolutly worth it. Wish you were here!

Mile 551: One Pair of shoes down... ? to go?

This is the final hello from the desert: a beauty for sure but, like the best, a terrible ruthless one at that. Everything is prickly, cranky, and generally pissed off; I don't much blame it, especially between the hours of 1:30 and 4:00pm. Even still I wouldn't trade a single degree drop in temperature for what I've seen during the past four weeks. Its also a farewell to my first pair of shoes, worn down to the nubs by the hot, gritty sand terrain:



The permanent, "lifer" Trail Angels in this section lived up to their reputation: so many thanks to the Saufley's in Agua Dulce (a huge operation with large tents with cots, air conditioned hiker-trailer with A.C., kitchen, and shower, and wonder-woman Donna holding the show together), the Anderson's in Green Valley (these guys cook dinner and breakfast for 20+ hikers every day in addition to not only rehydrating and putting up with but keeping up with the drunken party-hikers) and Bob at Hikertown, who provided much needed mid-day shade and glorious water.


Surreal things happen daily, but this one was pretty cool. Two black Wild Mustangs from a herd of about 100 watched us carefully from the hills of a windfarm.


Fellow hiker Colorblind represents. She hiked all but 200 miles before dropping off in Northern Washington last year, and is an amazing resource for everything from watersources and landscape changes to creepy sections in towns to be avoided.



View from Rooster Crest. Awesome camping to be had in it's saddle. I usually try to camp in an exposed spot with my head to the west and feet to the east: there is nothing like waking up with the sun rising at your feet.

Wrong Address...

Hey all you package senders: I posted the wrong address for Kennedy Meadows.
Here's the right one:
Kennedy Meadows General Store
96740 Beach Meadow Road
Inyokern, CA
93527

Wrightwood, CA

(Boyscout surveys the sunrise scene from Apache Saddle)

Greetings from mile 369: Wrightwood, CA. I've joined up with a gelataneous group that varies from 4-10, and we've been pounding some pretty fantastic landscape these past few days. Blisters have formed and popped and formed again, and every sunset and sunrise has been staggering. The trail angels (both intentional and impromptu) remain overwhelming in their humanity and generouisity.

I've created a Flickr account so as to share some more pictures (as I can only do 5 per blog here, and I ain't no blogoholic). You can check it out here. They are mostly in order (save the ones I had to edit and rotate) starting with most recent.

Also, I've added a link under Friends and Family for "Walk for Wildlands". They're an organization that raises money in order to procure and preserve tracts of wilderness. If you don't want to send me a box of cookies at Kennedy Meadows(winkwink), and even if you do, please consider donating to these guys! Once I'm off the trail and working again I plan to do the same; it doesn't seem right taking in all these staggering vistas without giving a little back.

Oh, and if you do want to send cookies or other hard to get items (dried papaya strips that resemble bacon, trader joe's dried banana halves etc), you can do so here:
Caitlin Burns
******NOT THE RIGHT ADDRESS
1445 Kennedy Meadows Road****NOT RIGHT ADDRESS
Inyokern, CA 93527
The Right Address is: c/o Kennedy Meadows General Store
96740 Beach Meadow Road
Inyokern, CA 93527
**I'll be there around the 9th of June, so make sure to send it with ample timing. Thanks!

Root Canals to Rattlesnakes: The first 150 miles.

After hiking about 70 miles, my tooth began to throb and I knew I probably needed to get it checked out. Begrudgingly, I used my iPhone (both stupid and stupendous in the wilderness!) and found out where the nearest dentist was: Julian, about 6 miles back and a 12mile hitch hike from where I sat, hot and cranky in the mid-day heat. I sucked it up and backtracked, only to rejoin my original hiking partner (Evan, aka Boyscout, Cubscout, Cubby jugs or Few Words) and new hiking bud Elise in what turns out to be California's Pie Capital. We wasted no time sampling the wares.

Turns out I had an infected tooth (due to bad work before...) and needed another root canal. Fun! The root canal guy, Doc. Masters, comes into Julian two days a month to do his dirty work. Just so happened that the day after I got there was the day he was coming to town. Fancy. Thanks a ton to Dr. Bob and Dr. Masters!

Having lost almost two days, and with the full Milk moon rising, I decided to see if I could hike through the night to make up lost miles...solo. Very intense but unbelievable experience: an unseen but very audible rattler nest I woke up, coyotes, washes, and lots of steep canyon walls...

...But the experience was so surreal I'd do it again in a heartbeat. About 13hours, 26 miles, and 5 rattlesnake experiences later, I found myself getting a ride from Barrel to Warner Springs where I again rejoined other hikers and "reality".

... This was the second to last of the rattlers. He wouldn't move out of the trail, so as I tried to walk around him I pissed off/woke up his buddy just a few feet below him. This was all before 9am... and at that point it all got kind of funny. But not funny enough that I want to see or hear anymore anytime soon. I think 5 rattlers in less than 30 miles fills the quota just fine.

Now resting up in Idyllwild, where I'll leave from tonight to hit some of the most varied (re: steep!) terrain of the trail so far. Whoo!

l

Thinking of renaming blog: America, F*@$ Yea!

It was windy and clear at the Southern Terminus, with no one but Border Patrol around for miles. Being there - not being able to see into Mexico due to a dividing road and big hideous wall - once more codified my belief in how dumb walls, borders specifically, are. Robert Frost was right, there is something that does not love a wall, and walls certainly make shitty neighbors. We did some jumping, paid our dues and hit the dusty, wall-less trail.

I can't wait to see what my feet look like after mile 500. This was about mile 30. As bad as they look, the preemptive taping lead to only one blister (my comrades' dogs are covered and hurting)



Still relatively flat, but very lovely view from Camp 2.

Misty morning of day 3, absolutly stunning around Garnet Peak.

We've just gotten an idea of how hot (and sexy!) the desert will be.

Border Line

We (Chrissy & Azad - our gracious drivers - Evan and myself) made it down to the border in three days and two stays. Thanks much to Megan and Billy in Oakland, and Rio and Will in San Diego. Many a fine burrito and last minute tweaking in between. Also, the MOMA in San Fran - an amazing William Kendridge exhibit is up - and a Strep diagnosis in Oakland. That was exciting... as you can see:

(Yeah health clinics for the people - Oakland/San Fran are full of free and low cost clinics!)

Tomorrow, May 2nd, myself and the young one, Evan, skip the Kentucky Derby and make our own for Campo and the PCT beyond.  He prepared with more burritos and the leg lift/rest technique in San Diego's Balboa Park:   

  After safely ferrying us and our very few belongings to the trailhead, Chrissy and Azad take off to enjoy their time together on the coast on their own journey back home. Thanks guys...have fun!       

Testing

Testing123... iPhone shananigans & photo upload?

Great Things...

The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 (H.R 146) was awesomely passed late last month. This Act will affect 86 rivers and over 2 mil. acres of land across the nation whose future had been in seriously limbo. Read more about it here.

One of the main draws of the PCT for many people is the ability to traverse such a huge tract of epic wilderness in relative safety, experience just about every climate and alpine landscape imaginable, and revisit the romance that is the American west without encountering serious language barriers or political unrest. This is so completely unique - where else in the world is this possible? And while parts of the PCT are still under threat of "deformation" (re: clear cutting etc.), this Act will absolutely help. It's a great trend at the very least after hideous 'environmentalism' of the Bush legacy.

In other news, my PCT wardrobe is now dialed. I owe all inspiration to this man:


(this daper gentleman originally through-hiked in 1974. Sam Abell, the National Geographic photographer responsible for this exceptional documentation, later stole this guy's girlfriend - also a through hiker. His wooing technique? Even shorter shorts.)

Departure!

So its settled now - leaving Portland on the 28th and arriving at Campo between May 2nd-4th...
I've sold my bed and am shaking down everything else similarly in order to put as little in storage as possible. The full Milk Moon won't be 'til the Eighth, but maybe there'll be enough light to start under the milky way? So much food prep and gear finalization...

The Beginning...

I'm hiking the PCT in the 2009 season and want to reach you all with a visual journal of the happenings along the way. The real action will start in mid to late April when the snow fields clear up and the walk begins. After then please feel free to check up whenever, and freer still to get out from behind that computer and come meet me on the trail!