We've added some new members, so WELCOME! If you are just joining us, we started with an email thread and then switched to a blog. Updates 1-3 can be found below as well. As a reminder, if you wish to be removed from this email list alerting you when a new blog is available, just let me know.
This post has been a struggle for some reason. There is nothing bad that has happened....I had started making notes and then have had so many text conversations with K'lena that have been all over the place that I don't even know where to start so we're going to back it up a little bit.
Backing up a little bit......
Since cell service has been limited, K'lena finally uploaded photos to our album last week. I guess I was hoping she would update some more photos and other information, but that hasn't happened. And that's ok!
Friday, April 25th- K'lena's birthday
Her friends surprised her with brownies and sang Happy Birthday to her!
Leaving Julian
Saturday, April 26th they headed out of Julian in the morning. They had booked their shuttle for 8am. There was only room for 4 in the first car so K'lena stayed behind for the next car because she is the fastest in the group. She was about 10-15 minutes behind them. When she got to the starting point- the others weren't even on the trail yet. They had gotten lost.
It was cold, rainy, & super windy. Outside of Julian, there was a big incline right away, which K'lena loves! It makes her feel strong and she likes to go up them fast. When they got to camp it started raining again so they rushed to set up. "I've been listening to an audiobook during the day & reading a book on my kindle at night."
Cold & Rainy hikes!
Kind of hard to see, but they are hiking in the rain out of Julian
Still cold & still rainy!
100 MILES!
This was also the day they hit 100 miles! (Johannes shook his head at them and said, "Miles mean nothing to me!" They joked that they need to start looking out for the kilometer markers. (Remember he's from Germany?!)
All 5 people crammed into a "2" person tent, but it's really only meant for 1 person.
Playing cards to keep out of the rain.
Monday, April 28th
This marks Day 3 out of Julian, going into Warner Springs. When they left Julian they had 3 full days of food & 6 dinners (this was recommended as Warner Springs didn't have a grocery store). Warner Springs had a community center that accepted hikers. They had food at a decent price & a pretty good selection, but still not a grocery store. They offered charging, showers, bathrooms, bucket laundry. You just wash your things in a bucket! "I only needed to clean 1 thing."
Side note: this was also the night of the mouse incident......see last update for that story if you missed it!
Eagle Rock! How cool is this?!
Tuesday, April 29th- LONG WATER CARRIES
They were headed to "Mike's Place" - well known Trail Angel that provides water.
Because they have an app helping guide them to where the Trail Angels are, they had been reading comments about Mike's Place and people were alerting them they were having some weird experiences there. So why not check it out?! Mike wasn't there, but Steve was. He was weird and didn't seem to like hikers, however he made the group pizzas. I'm sure they are meeting some interesting people along the way!
Wednesday, April 30th
I was helping at another event in the evening and it was raining and people were there to talk to and then the panic text came through on the GPS tracker.....they were looking for a specific Trail Angels Ranch but were lost. K'lena only had an InstaGram name/information so I tried to follow and message this person, but no response (still no response as of 5/8 so not sure what's going on there). They were in need of a place to stay and WATER! They were in the desert so water supply was limited and they didn't want to carry that much weight so that's why they had planned strategic stops. Anyway I had offered to reach out to others if she could tell me who/etc. All is good- they were able to find food, water, and a place to sleep inside!
"This was my hardest day on the trail. It was excruciatingly hot & planned a 16 mile day that turned into 19 miles." After the confusion above they had to hike the additional 3.5 miles to stay at a hostel. This ended up being perfect because the host was great and fed them enchiladas and let them sleep inside.
Trying to find shade in the desert is hard!
K'lena hiking in the desert.....sooooo hot!
Thursday, May 1st
"We were planning for a 15 mile day. We were going to be crossing a highway that we could take into Idyllwild early if we wanted. There's a famous PCT stop, Paradise Valley Café (PVC) that is known for the "best hamburger on the PCT." (PS the burgers were just "eh") Johannes & I, ahead of the group & running low on lunch food, decided we were going to go eat there. Then, as the group started rolling in, we started talking about going into town & we decided to just head into town early! We were going to hitch the next section backwards, so going southbound (called flip flopping), due to weather as a storm was rolling in."
They also met up with some original friends they met on Day 1.:
Hannah (Trail Name: Tourniquet)
Allen (Trail Name: Hobblestone)
K'lena still hasn't told me if she has a trail name or not.
Friday, May 2nd marks 2 weeks being on the PCT!
Also a zero day in Idyllwild
K'lena and I had been texting and having multiple conversations. It was all over the place!
One of the requests she had was "olive oil packets" and "Real Mayo packets" and other supplies she would be wanting coming up. I put out a Facebook post requesting where to get these items for free so I'm pursuing that. I've honestly never seen olive oil packets myself. (I see Amazon carriers them) and then "Real Mayo"....I'm more of a Hellmann's mayo girl myself, but K'lena specifically said "REAL MAYO"....if you remember the photo with the miracle whip in it..... she ditched it pretty quick...the taste wasn't doing it for her. I personally do NOT like miracle whip either! Funny how when you are kind of desperate on the PCT but still being picky about a condiment! We like what we like!
NOT MY INTENTIONS!
Graciously someone sent me a Venmo to buy the olive oil packets.....THANK YOU! (You know who you are!) In fact I've actually had several people reach out about giving money or items to K'lena.... you are all so generous! Let's take a minute to chat about this..... in NO WAY was I asking for donations to cover expenses for K'lena, food, or hotels! I simply wanted to start an email chain and now Blog to just keep everyone updated on the journey and so maybe we could feel like we were on the hike without hiking! By me showing you what expenses are for food and what items she eats, requests from our family for resupply, etc was all a part of this journey so we could feel like we were living this lifestyle and to see what kind of costs this takes to plan an adventure like this. In NO WAY does she expect or do I expect any of you to give anything. K'lena actually has planned out her restocks, hotels, etc financially she is stable and has this all planned out. K'lena seriously feels guilty. I feel guilty! K'lena is so GRATEFUL to all of you following this journey and those who have reached out for support and have sent money and encouraging words. The support by following her journey and the encouraging words are enough to keep her going!
Are you sick of a certain food?
K'lena had been texting about the condiments and other items that she wanted me to send her. She said she's getting tired of a couple of things already, but not as bad as Larissa or Jenna. Larissa can't stand oatmeal and Jenna can't stand Mac N Cheese. K'lena has done a good job of planning her meals and making sure she's choosing a variety of options. I seriously couldn't do this!
The Essentials
Sunscreen is super important! I should take my own advice as my face got fried last Tuesday working the event I mentioned earlier. I am finally done peeling. Well I am glad K'lena is applying her sunscreen because it's on her list of things for us to refill. She asked that we send the bottle that she has at home. She has hardly any shade as you can see in some of the photos below. She has a specific brand and what not that she's already purchased, just needs a refill soon. She also asked that we send her some more contacts. This was a last minute add to the box that just went out today. She thought she had enough, but I'm guessing she did a recalculation and doesn't have enough or will be close.
Splitting up
This was not the original plan, but the plan changed about 3 different times on Friday. There was a rush to get supplies and the decision was made.....the tramily has split up....K'lena, Jenna, & Johannes left on Saturday morning to push through the snow storm! If they wait on the storm then the mountain becomes impassable and they waste that time. They had talked with a gentleman who is in his 80's (I may have referenced him early on, but they met back up with him and he really encouraged them to continue on and push to do this section) Don't worry....there are exit points that they can get off the "mountain" and have their plan in place if they feel like they need to leave the trail. They also purchased extra supplies and micro-spikes to put on your shoes to grip the snow. She told me they have warm clothes too. This section should take 3-4 days. I was just texting K'lena on 5/6/25 and they are about to the next town. "to get lots of food in town. There's an In & out AND Taco Bell." They were at a hostel in Cabazon/Whitewater. On 5/7/25 (yesterday) they were to resupply and then get back to the trail that evening. (Yes her GPS started about 7:15pm and ended around 8:30pm). She started already this morning 5/8/25. They continue to do 16 miles a day and the snow is done. "Going back all the way to sea level. Over 9,000 feet to sea level in less than 24 hours is crazy."
The other 2: Larissa & Nohemy have went the alternate route and essentially are skipping this section. Larissa & Nohemy will go with Hannah & Alan. Instead of climbing the mountain they will descend. They will be a couple of days ahead of K'lena, Jenna, & Johannes. So they are unsure where and when they will meet back up with them.
Bears ARE COMING!
We hope not! But they are a part of this journey & I can't remember the exact spot she talked about on the trail where bears will be. The Trail Angels and others all have an app they can update and say when a bear is sighted in the area. That will be helpful. She will rent a "Bear Can" This will help keep her food so the bears don't get into/smell it. It will be cheaper to rent than sending her Bear Can she has at home. She planned for this because it was just going to be extra weight she didn't need early on. When she gets done with the Bear Can and away from the bears she will just drop it off at the designated area.
This is an example of what a "Bear Can" can look like.
That's all I have for now except a few photos below. Until next time!
The meadows
Hitching a ride
Actually do have a story about hitching....not this particular incident. K'lena sent a photo in our group text...it was of someone's license plate. She said her name is Cher and she is "CRAZY". She sent that in case something happened we knew what vehicle she was in. In the moment, it wasn't funny, but after a few texts back and forth and confirmation- she did make it to her destination.
Checking out the view
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