Sunday, May 29th - Winds blowing at 50-60 knots and rain.

Dad called this afternoon and said that he was back in Tehachapi...what? That's backwards. Well, here's the story. They left Tehachapi on Saturday and got about 6-7 miles out (approx. 4500' level) and decided to put up for the night right there. There were winter warnings and gale force winds (approx. 50-60 knots, he said) and he couldn't even set up his tent, so laid his sleeping bag right out on the ground and crawled in. At about 2 am it started to rain. Not what a hiker wants when the wind is already blowing ferociously!! He put on every article of clothing he had and put a garbage bag around the bottom of his sleeping bag to try and keep partially dry. At around 6 am he decided that he'd just get up and walk on ahead to see if he could reach a wind break. So on ahead he went to approx. the 6200' level (by himself, mind you). At this point the wind was blowing so hard that he could literally push his body forward and not fall down. He did come around a ledge however, and the wind got him and knocked him down. His reaction was "Well, this is nuts". So he got up and decided that it wasn't probably the safest thing to continue on by himself. So back down he headed. He reached the other party that had gone as far as the night before with him - still in their tents (smart people). Dad decided since the wind was still howling and he was drenched to the skin and his sleeping bag was sopping wet, that he'd head back to Tehachapi to dry out and warm up.

He found/called a trail angel to see if he could get a ride into town and she said she'd be there in 15 minutes. Sure enough!! She took him into Tehachapi where he decided to forego the typical Best Western for a po-dunk hotel. Po-dunk was right. It had no heat and no towels in the bathroom, which he didn't discover until he'd already taken the last layer off. Needless to say, it all ended up ok. He took the longest, hottest shower he could stand, got something to eat and was ready to wait the weather out until it decided to let up; wind and rain.

To be continued....

Saturday, May 28th - Tehachapi!!

Dad called briefly this morning and said that he reached Tehachapi. They were gearing up to start out on their next 80 miles. There is some rugged terrain to maneuver as they are getting up into the mountains. Please be careful dad!!

I have 120 miles behind me now!!

Dad left me a voicemail on Thursday evening, May 26th and said that he now had 120 miles behind him. He didn't mention "where" he was, but my guess was out in the middle of no where. He was having a ZERO day that day and would hit the trail again in the morning. Goal is still to reach Tehachapi by Saturday.

I've got 75 miles behind me!!

On Tuesday, May 24th dad called and said that he'd put in 3 16+ mile days so far and had approx. 75 miles behind him. He was getting ready to settle into a little hostel in a "hiker town" in the middle of the dessert (possibly called Lonepine-sorry, can't remember). At one point he needed to write something down and said "wait a second sis, I need to go and put my head lamp on so I can see." :) Somewhere along the way, he managed to find/talk to someone that coincidentally was heading up to Kennedy Meadows, exactly where he wanted to meet his car at the end of this leg. So now he doesn't have to worry about his car getting to where he hopes to end up; but now just needs to focus on getting to his car! Dad said that according to weather reports, they are about a week ahead of the heat which is perfect for the desert walk ahead this week.

Dad sounded good and said the hike was going really well. He hopes to reach Tehachapi by Saturday, the 28th. I'll keep you posted...

And he's ready to go at it again ... Dad's return to the Pacific Crest Trail

On May 17, 2011, dad called and said that he was going to join the trail again, for a few weeks anyway. He's starting out where he left off almost exactly a year ago, which is at or near Agua Dulce, Calif. He was going to leave the next day from Madras, OR (his home) and drive down to where he'll hit the trail.

After almost a year "off" (off the trail), dad's been busy working on this, that and everything in between, leaving little time for rest, relaxation and recuperation. As of late, he's felt the need to get away. What better way to relax than to walk a trail and enjoy God's creation all along the way and even meet new friends!!

Dad plans to keep in touch every week, give or take, so I will update his blog as soon as I have something new to share! Thanks for following him!!