Welcome Back friends! We have a lot of information in here and LOTS of photos! We basically get 2 updates in 1 since it's been a while....so let’s jump in!
Idyllwild
to Cabazon to Big Bear & Everything in Between
Taking
it back to May 3rd Day 1 out of Idyllwild
The day started
around 5am and they ended up leaving camp by 6:45am. They needed to hitch a
ride back to the trailhead, which seemed to be a little struggle. They had 5
cars pull over, but they just didn’t work out. They ended up taking 2 cars for
the 3 of them. (I imagine all their gear wasn’t fitting) The plan was to hike
as far as they could because there was rain. The mountain was completely
underestimated! “The first 8-10 miles were gradual ascents that were hard, but manageable.
The last 8-9 miles were absolutely horrific. Some of the steepest, hardest
climbing that I’ve ever done!” Also the storm was coming, they were up super
higher and the wind was BRUTAL.
In
addition to hard climbing, straight uphill, there were water challenges again.
They had to go off trail for water in these spring boxes. “This one was a fight
to drink. It tasted like straight sulfur aka rotten eggs & farts.” (Great description K’lena….. I guess when you
are desperate you drink what you can)
May 4th
– Day 2 out of Idyllwild
Still
raining and they were not motivated at this point. “I don’t want to go back
down this damn mountain only to come right back up it.” That’s when they made
the decision to keep hiking and not give up on the mountain! “I just have to
say that I’m so incredibly thankful these two are up here with me, otherwise I
wouldn’t have been able to do it alone! Jenna will take a climb head on &
get to the top with a massive grin on her face & say, “Wasn’t that
gorgeous?” Johannes makes hiking look so elegant, yet he remains so humble
& encourages everyone along the way.”
Low
visibility the whole day but when it did clear up the views were stunning! It
eventually turned from misty all day to snow.
“We were
doing another big climb on an exposed ridge, with consequential cliffs whom
have claimed the lives of several hikers in previous years due to snow. We were
dragging due to down trees, we’d each have to take a turn going over one (and
some doing them perfectly so you’re not falling down the mountain) & making
sure the person behind you is okay. They were more annoying than scary!”
May 5th-
Day 18 on the PCT
They
reached the highest point of the PCT that will go on San Jacinto. Another slow,
cold, & wet morning with lots of SNOW!
May 6th
The plan
was to hike 16-18 miles to a hostel that is right off the trail. They contacted
the host and opted to spend $20 to spend the night in the garage vs $40 for a
bed. (more to come on the hostel) This
was the BIG DECLINE day. Downhill all day long! “Dreadful! The downhills are
harder on your body- you’re pounding on your feet with a pack that is bouncing
around. You lose your footing more & its more mind numbing. Downhills are
where you get insured, so I’m very cautious of how hard I’m stepping down. Thank
goodness for my trekking poles!”
The view
of San Jacinto was the whole way down. “So cool to think we were up there just
yesterday!”
200
Miles down- just a casual 2,450 or so to go. Basically almost there!
Going
forward each 100 miles should go faster & the daily mileage increases!
Road
walk. They have been learning German from Johannes.
Arriving
at the hostel…… when they arrived they found that the host had overbooked the
garage so they got to sleep on “the comfiest couches!” They got to snuggle the
host cat “Jeb” and met the hosts 10 year old son who dreams of being a hiker
someday and took the role of host very seriously.
May 7-
Whitewater/Cabazon
They
were basically on the interstate so they couldn’t hitch a ride to town so they
had Walmart deliver their order to the hostel. “I was so hungry from the last 4
days that I absolutely overdid it.”
Once
they repacked they got a ride from a trail angel, Mike & his dog Midnight.
The first stop Taco Bell! Johannes had never been to Taco Bell and he really
liked it! Since it was 100 degrees they decided to wait out the heat and
started the hike in the evening. They went 3 miles and called it a day.
May 8th-
Day 21 on the PCT
The
group is known to not leave on their planned time but they wanted to get a head
start since they were in the middle of the desert heat. They packed up and left
before 6:30am. This day was full of random intense climbs, which was hard on
K’lena because she went crazy on the food. I am a little worried- she will be
picking up a package I sent in about 20 minutes and I may have overdid it with
supplies for her. Whoops!
Siesta
time!
They
stopped around mile 13 which put them at 1pm-2pm timeline. The heat was too
intense. The afternoon consisted of hanging out with another tramily of 3,
laying in the creek, and playing cards. They ended up not going forward this
day/evening.
May 9th
Mile 226 to 235- PHYSICALLY INTENSE DAY!
Part of
this trail had been washed away due to a record snowfall year a few years back.
They started around 5:30am to hopefully beat the heat again. There was no
defined trail and they were walking on loose rocks & constantly checking
the app to ensure they didn’t make a wrong turn. “Our ankles were sore &
the terrain worked different muscles in our bodies, so we were exhausted, but
we still had some steeps climbs ahead!”
They met
back up with Boss Bob (he’s the 82 year old). They had a nice time catching up
with him, but he will be leaving the trail at Big Bear and flip flopping to go
south bound from the Oregon border. They will see him again in Northern
California.
This is
the day K’lena discovered a lump on the back of her heel….she suspects it to be
a bone spur.
May 10th
MENTALLY TOUGH
The day
started off rough with her thinking too much and making a big deal out of her
heel then it needed to be. 16 miles to the nearest water again. She didn’t go
into any other details.
A
glimpse of supper
“ A
ramen bomb with beans. A ramen bomb is when you mix ramen and instant mashed
potatoes! Otherwise known as “concrete” as well. I like mine slightly soupy!
The beans add some fiber & protein, & good taste!”
May 11th Happy Mother’s Day!
K’lena had service ALL DAY. We kept trying to call each other- but she would be busy and then I would be busy. We ended up having a couple short phone calls this day. We were trying to figure out the final details of the next box she will be needing. This box should arrive on Monday, May 19th in Lancaster, CA, but she won’t be expected to arrive until around Memorial Day. (I just checked the tracking number- the box is there and ready for her! Today is 5/19/25 as I’m trying to finish up this update….we’ll see how long it takes for me to get this one published)
Let me
tell you what….. packing the box is fun, but a little stressful. We made sure
to get everything she requested- some had to be purchased, some she already had
for resupply, and some she had already packed but has found she is tired of an
item or simply doesn’t like that item. We threw in a few extra items as
well…..again looking back probably not a good idea if the pack is already full.
Oh well, share the love with others! I took the package over to the Post Office
on May 15th. K’lena had provided me with the address and all the
details….some boxes have to have specific wording, all boxes have to have PCT
HIKER and her name and ETA date. I’ve got a little beef with our local post
office (won’t get into those details) so I usually dread going in there! I set
my package on the counter and gave the guy all the details, answered all the
questions, the whole thing. We are almost done, we discuss price and arrival
date, etc. He goes to print the label and it’s telling him the address is NOT
VALID! I’m searching for texts from K’lena to confirm the address- maybe I
wrote it down incorrectly. Maybe he input a wrong number. I tried to call
K’lena- straight to voicemail. I’m like well now what do I do?! Do I take the
package back and send it by next Monday & hope that K’lena can find me a
new address to send to? He was stumped too why the address wouldn’t show up.
All of a sudden- bam the computer updated and accepted the address. The
strangest thing…. Why does the post office have to be so stressful?!
They
were 9 miles away from Highway 18 to hitch to town. “I was SO happy to see the
highway, I didn’t realize how much I wanted town!” They ended up booking a
private cabin that had a kitchen. “I was really looking forward to a nice,
fresh salad.”
They
were able to check in early and take showers. “We were so happy to shower!
Johannes & I immediately started laundry and checked our resupply options.
They had a Dollar Tree!!! WHAT?! And there was a grocery outlet that had cheap
items!” – I was on the phone with her during her visit to Dollar Tree….. “I
want this. No I want this. Oh but there is this!”…..it was quite funny that
someone could be so excited to get snacks and to SHOP especially at Dollar
Tree. Don’t get me wrong….I love a good find at Dollar Tree, but I guess when I
have access to the stores regularly I’m not thinking about how she doesn’t have
access so it’s a big deal for her!
She goes
on to say that she bought nail polish because “why not?!”. She can’t wait to
see how dirty her nails get. She also decorated her garmin with nail polish.
Delicious salad that Johannes made. Spring mix, quinoa, bell peppers, cabbage, cucumber, feta cheese, chicken, and sweet potato
May 12th
– Day 25 on PCT
NERO
Turned ZERO in Big Bear!
“All
last night we kept making jokes of how nice it would be if we took a zero! Our
own private space AND kitchen?? We decided that is they had vacancy we’d stay,
if not we’d get back on the trail. Thank goodness we zeroed! I needed it, for
my heel especially.”
Grizzly
Manor Café
Shoe
Funerals
Have you
heard of such a thing? They just hosted their first one…I don’t have a photo,
but Johannes’ first pair of shoes he named ‘Ben & Jerry’ are gone. They are
making some fun out of it and laughing about it. I wonder how many pairs of
shoes they will all go thru?!
Tomorrow: May 13th is the day they head out again. They will be going to Wrightwood (where her package is waiting for her!). They plan to stop in Cabazon for McDonald’s and a quick resupply. Wrightwood is where they will encounter their first fire closure. She says she will explain in another update.
10% of the PCT behind you- miles of grit, views, and glory ahead.
One step closer to
Canada!
Breathtaking
Views & Some not so nice views….
May 13th-
Day 1 out of Big Bear Lake
It was
pretty cold all day. The low at night is 20-25 and K’lena & Jenna shared the tent again to stay warm.
May 14th
K’lena
has this thermometer and she calls it a “fun” piece of gear, but all her gear
is “pretty fun.” She turns it on at night and it records the lowest and the
highest temperature that is super helpful.
“When we
went to bed, the temperature was 45. The lowest last night was 28! Brr! I bet
you were happy you were inside. Luckily I stayed warm all night, I was actually
toasty! What?”
Today
was COLD and the first 4.5 miles flew by and then it took a turn. Johannes was dealing
with a knee injury and was thinking about stopping for the day, but didn’t want
to get separated from K’lena and Jenna. Luckily Jenna was there to give
Johannes tips as she’s dealing with her knee injury. They were able to rest,
tape his knee, then continued to the next water source about 5-6 miles down the
trail. Then K’lena started having tummy issues. “Imagine not having access to a
toilet or running water. This was something that I was worried about on the
trail before I started.” She went on to tell me that she would walk then her
stomach would cramp so bad. She ended up taking a Pepto Bismol tablet and kept
going, slowing down and hunched over. She finally caught back up to Jenna and
told her what was going on. “Part of me wanted to just curl up in a ball in my
tent!” Finally the cramps stopped about ½ mile from the next water source. They
rested for what was supposed to be an hour, but that turned into 2 hours, then
that turned into just staying there for the night.
Dinner
was Ramen & Beans & a Lemon Fruit Pie. “These things are amazing. I
packed 4 of them for this trip. 79 cents and 400 calories each?? Say less!” K’lena’s
tip is “Eat as much food as possible (well, more like that as much as you can
carry) She had originally planned for about or over 4,000 calories per day
which was too much and couldn’t eat that much so she took it down to 3,000 to
3,500 calories. “Eating enough calories keeps you warmer at night too.”
“Hiker
Hunger”
This is
a term that means no amount of food will ever satisfy you. K’lena doesn’t think
she’s quite here yet, but she’s on her way. If she carries too much food, then
she thinks she shouldn’t have eaten that much. If she’s too light on food then
she thinks she’s still hungry. But then also thinks she can walk faster because
of the lighter pack. So it’s a constant struggle when packing/thinking about
food.
Helpful
Tips while hiking/camping from K’lena:
“One of the biggest tips to
staying warm while camping/backpacking is
1. 1. Always pee before bed. Or if you have to pee
during the night- suffer the cold, you’ll thank yourself later. You body will
be wasting energy and warmth to keep your pee warm, so therefore you’re wasting
out in that extra warmth!
2. 2. I always eat a piece of junk food or chocolate.
I don’t exactly know what is happening from this, but from my understanding
that extra fat keeps you warm? I’ll have to look this up when I get service
again. I ate a package of yummy Turtles, my mom’s favorite candy.”
May 15th
– 300 miles here we come!
Unfortunately Johannes knee isn’t doing better. It was pretty sunny and warm so lots of breaks happened, but not in the shade because the shade was cold! It’s getting more mentally tough…. All the weather changes are a big factor in this right now. “Luckily the views were absolutely stunning!”
Remember
Nohemy?
“We’re
about 8 miles behind Nohemy. She is dealing with some pain & decided to
take an on trail zero & slow dodwn her mileage. We’ll likely see her
tomorrow or camp with her tomorrow evening! It’ll be exiting to catch up &
see how she’s doing. There is a potation that Johannes will get off the trail
& arrange a ride into Wrightwood. He really doesn’t want to skip this
section, but wants to stay with Jenna & I and also rest & recover. He’ll
arrange an appointment with Blaze Physio- she’s a thru hiker physical therapist
that follows thru hikers & down the PCT. She also does online appointments.
She’s loved & adored in the PCT community as a super informative, helpful,
& affordable resource on the trail. Hopefully she can help Johannes AND
potentially Nohemy if she hasn’t seen
her yet!”
May 16th
Today’s
mission & goal was to get Johannes to Wrightwood! Service was an issue so
it was hard to get a Trail Angel and make arrangements for a ride and hostel,
but they were able to walk some, get a little service, keep checking for
updates, and keep going on. Johannes got a ride into town while Jenna & K’lena
kept walking. They realized it was their first time just the two of them on the
PCT hiking together. They were excited to talk about their PCT bucket lists. They
found Nohemy! They met up with her, stayed at the campground, and talked all
about what their experiences were in different areas of the trail.
May 17th-
MCDONALDS!
This is the ultimate goal for the day!
They
left the campground around 6:30am to get to everyone’s favorite MCDONALDS! This
is the only “on trail” McDonalds. It’s .2 miles from the trail, so who can resist
that? Another terrible weather day full of clouds, misty, & wind! “No
matter what, I’m never satisfied with the weather! If the suns out, I want it
to go away! If its hidden behind clouds, I want it to come back out!”
The wind
just continues to be a struggle as well! But hey…..they got MCDONALDS! The plan
was to keep hiking until the fire closure which was about 14 or so miles, but
they got “sucked into our comforts of inside & decided to head into town
with Nohemy!” This is where they were reunited with Johannes as well. They
raided the hiker box as they were in need of a few supplies: Leukotape (to tape
blisters), a sewing kit, & duct tape.
“I made this little sewing kit from a Listerine strip box (threw out the melted strips). Its so satisfying to look at!”
Looking
back after this update- I feel bad…..K’lena called us this morning, but it was
CHAOTIC at our house! Lenny and I had our first ever dance recital. K’lena was
bummed to miss out on it, but we got a video and sent it to her along with
photos. K’lena was a dancer back in her day. We really only got to “talk” to
her for 5 minutes and by “talk” the kids were yelling, trying to get snacks
packed, all the dance things, and yelling “what are you doing Keena? Where are
you Keena? Why can’t we see Keena?” All
the things a 3 year and 9 year old ask. Sorry K’lena…..we will try again to
talk soon!
PS K’lena
didn’t make it to the Post Office this day to pick up her package. She has to
wait til Monday 5/19/25.
May 18th
– at Wrightwood
DAY 31
on the TRAIL! Let’s all celebrate this accomplishment!
The morning that K’lena sewed her ripped sleeping pad. It's kind of hard to see in this photo, but she sewed the ripped area.
They are
staying at “Getaways” with Trail Angel “Pajama Mamma” who is known for hosting
hikers in her rental cabins and doing their laundry. She simply requests that
you put on some fun pajamas while you wait. The cabin they are in is Christmas
theme. Another cabin has animal onesies. “Pajama Mamma” also is known as
Arlene. She is super sweet, her prices are affordable, and she made them feel cozy!
May 19th
The day
she picks up her package…….. she just
got the package and has started to tear into it and seeing what’s all in there.
She would like to say THANK YOU to all who included a note or signed the card.
It made her really excited & she appreciated every single one of them!
She did say she’s sending a few items back- too many of them and she will want them later down the trail. (couple food items and personal items) The box weight was 9 pounds…..the next box says it was 11 pounds…..whoops! We might have to cut some weight next time.
Phew we
made it! That was extra long but so many days in between and so many great
photos that I just had to share! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
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