Food Issues or as the Spork shovels it in.

This is combination of fork & spoon. 

This is our kitchen. Titanium. Light. TC swears cooking in this pot leaves an after taste. FC licks off the aftertaste. 

,

Our carefully prepared, researched & boxed for resupply. 

After 2 1/2 months we have grown tired of this. It's organic and natural. it's good for us.

Our new carb & fat filled snacks added to above. Bread, chips, cheese-it's, popcorn, ham, sLa. Organic, non-GMO when possible. FC began by eating "good " nuts and is now reduced to Blue Diamond habanjero, jalapeño almonds that are covered in so many irresistible chemicals one becomes addicted immediately. This is the point. You can eat them forever.At restaurants we eat things like cheeseburgers covered in chilli with fries. Often the meat is crap but when in Crapville eat crap. At Donner Ski Ranch: FC had a Polish dog covered in onions, salad, fries, macaroni salad, some of TC's onion rings. TC had some kind of chicken sandwhich. Our bill came to 35 dollars. Expensive crap but it lasted 5 hours on the trail. FC smothered her dog in mustard and mayo. She felt slightly nauseous a few hours later just thinking of it but she wasn't hungry!

The Tahoe Rim Trail 6/27 & 6/28

H

Around the rim of Tahoe we went. It was picturesque, high, windy, wild flowers were going off, we got to see the headwall of Squaw Valley Sky Resort without any snow on it. Do you know that highway 80 was built in the 60's to accommodate the Winter Olympics held at Squaw? We saw Alpine Meadows Ski area as well. The trail skirted under one of the chair lifts of Squaw. Last time we passed through this way we camped under this very chair lift. 

Can you see the chair lift? Alpine with Big Blue in the back ground. 

(TC ordered a sleeping bag near this spot thanks to cell reception & Nick at Down Works in Santa Cruz)

Amazing terrain HeadWall at Squaw. 

This is what you get when you mix DIrty Girl with FC

This area should be called Mule Ear Rim Trail. For as far as the eye can see, acres and acres of mule ears are blooming.Their leaves are big and look like mule ears. They are grey green, soft and fuzzy. In a month or two from now they will be crispy and dry, rattling in the wind making raspy sounds.Their flowers are golden yellow and look like big daisies. Amongst these rattlers are the occasional Mariposa lily, cream colored with a brown and orange marking inside. Another popular flower when not blooming looks like a tight dull purple, fuzzy raspberry. When blooming it sprouts a white Afro hair-do and the purple mainly disappears. TC took a picture of some. Any ideas?

Pacific Onion

Afro-do? Now: Desert Mint

How about these? Sulfur Buckwheat

Balloon Milkvitch also called Whitneys Milkvitch  (Chinese Lanterns anyone?)

      As we walk the rim we see the splendid blue of Lake Tahoe. It's an impressive lake. We have been going toward it and circling it for the last three days. We will see it for the last time as we get closer to Donner Lake over by the famous Donner Pass.

One last view. 

      As we walk the trail we hear stories from your lives like : people being diagnosed with cancer; babies being born: uteruses prolapsing and pesaries are being inserted; prostates are becoming enlarged and causing pain as ureters are squished and pee is pooling. Nothing like the relief of a catheter freeing the pee. Friends getting married (congrats to Twig and Nancy); people  buying speedboats to pull their growing children over the water at high speeds; a promising graduating high school student with university scholarship potential is deciding that girls are more fun so now he is working two jobs and planning on moving out of mom's place; people buying brand new RV's to come visit us; recovering alcoholics divorcing their alcoholic husbands; an experimental stem cell procedure to increase circulation; Brazil being in the semi-finals of the World Cup; Jennifer Aniston hooking up with the wrong guy. Everyone's life is continuing. 

Trail Angel Reno Dave. Delivering beer & sodas from his bear canister filled with ice. A very welcome trail magic moment!

  

TGI Nancy C

A big Thank you to our home town quartermaster!!! 

We couldn't do it with out her. 

She fields texts at all hours and even on the road. She has it covered. 

Semi-frantic calls from small towns, wondering where our box is?? No problem! She has the tracking number. Hungry hiker special requests for food items. She tracks them down. 

If we need some article of clothing or gear she ships it to us. 

All this and she still finds time to juggle berries. 

None of us knew what she volunteered for....BIG job

Bad Day for the Bubbies 6/26

The blustery, pushy wind of yesterday turned into rain, mist, and pushier wind. TC and FC were startled awake by the gusts through-out the night. When they awoke things were quite wet. They were dry, the tent was beginning to drip, their sleeping bags were damp, but they were dry. No choice but to continue on. At first it was refreshingly beautiful. The plants were happy to be wet and showed it by displaying more of their colors. They were bobbing up and down as the raindrops fell. Perfect globes of water rested on leaves and petals and reflected the world around them. FC was lost in the beauty and then she was lost on a trail. TC, the navigTor who had gotten them this far, began to quickly unravel. Her GPS showed they were not on the PCT. Neither of the hikers had seen a junction or different trail. They did not believe the machine. FC had just questioned why they were going uphill when they were supposed to be going downhill. That was about the time TC checked the GPS. If any of you have ever gotten off track and you're sure you haven't missed anything you'll understand the denial and subsequent chaos that ensues. FC was still letting TC take the lead, not really worried. They hiked down a bit and the GPS said they were getting closer to the PCT then it said they weren't. This was confusing only because they were still stuck in an erroneous belief- they had not fucked up. Up they went again. Higher and higher into the storm. TC Lost it. Her ability to reAson took a quick exit. Babbling to herself, tears began to roll down her already wet cheeks, whimpering  inchoherently about how she had messed up. Probably no one out there has seen Tidy Camper in this state. Not to worry, you never will. Firecracker has access to TC's innermost heart; her injured heart parts and vicia versa. Those places where we suffer because we are still believing something that is not really true. Something we believed as a child without the wisdom to know better.. It does surprise FC when it happens but she thinks she understands it more and more. It was time for FC to take charge. The GPS said they were getting farther away from the trail. "What direction are we supposed to be going according to the map?" FC asked. TC peered at the wet map getting wetter with her tears and the rain and said, "Northwest". FC told her to get the compass function on the iPhone and read it. Not only were they not going down they were going east. FC told TC what they would do. They would return to a place lower down where they had been closer to the PCT and go from there. Both hikers had soaked feet and were getting colder. They descended. Once they had reached a point that said they were three tenths of a mile away from the PCT FC told TC to get a compass reading and they left the erroneous trail and went straight down. They were going cross country now. If the GPS turned out to be wrong (which is what they had been thinking...maybe the signals in a storm went crazy), then they might get lost. They descended over iced over rocks slipping and sliding their way down. Fortunately there were no precipitous I drop offs or cliffs. Guided by the GPS and the iPhone  compass they reached a trail and  decided it had to be the PCT. They walked for a few minutes and decided to eat. This indicated that the adrenaline predominant state was waning. FC bent down and took a pee. She was 2 ft away from the trail. Three twenty year olds walked by and to their credit kept their eyes straight ahead. They were called "the Fellowship".A fourth rolled by afte FC managed to pull up her undies. His name was Cacti and be belonged to the Fellowship. He did ask if he was on the PCT because he said there were many unmarked junction points and he was winging it. Having seen The rest of his group and now trusting our GPS we said we were pretty sure he was on the correct trail. 

    The cold continued most of the day. FC and TC were dressed in layers until late afternoon. The sun came out intermittently. After lunch FC put her head on her knees while sitting up and fell asleep immediately. She was too tired to get to Canada. She realized that she had a large sleep deficit and unless she could get more sleep she would not make it happily. She got more sleep in Santa Cruz. Being tired affected her mental state. When she was tired she thought she hated hiking and that was scary coz she had a long way to go. TC was also exhausted. It was time to sleep. They set up camp at 5:00pm. Other hikers passed them. There was still daylight. The Bubs were asleep by 6:50. They awoke next morning at 6:00am. After 11 hours of sleep they liked hiking again. It appears they had recovered mentally. They did 20 miles that day without fatigue.

Echo Lake 6/24, Mile 1094

Loading up gear for the short trip to the cabin. FC taking a quick map when she can. 

We left South Lake Tahoe after spending a ton of money on mediocre food and expensive services. FC sat in a salon and watched her hairdresser take 45 minutes to shave her head. A job that takes TC maybe 15 minutes. It was considered a haircut and cost $40. FC tipped her $5 because she took so long and was a single mom. She even offered to blow dry her hair. FC did not allow it. One night they spent $18 on fries and a dry hamburger. Food, except for the Driftwood Cafe which served breakfast and lunch, was disappointing. 

       Our little group has split for awhile. Glitter left 2 days ago; Moxie left yesterday, we left today and the Germans may be leaving tomorrow- Princess is nursing some tendinitis. FC and TC were picked up at the BW by Darcy Thole who happens to have a  beautiful cabin on Echo Lake which happens to be part of the PCT route. The path goes around half the lake. We arrived which made the head count 7 adults and 5 children in a 800 sq. ft. cabin. Darcy's daughter and grandson were staying at another cabin but dinner included everyone. It was fun and relaxing. We were well taken care of and fed extraordinarily superb food. 

YUMMY!

Sharon is a fabulous cook. We had pork tenderloin with the best mashed yams FC has ever tasted along with green beans, salad and dessert (fruit salad and brownies). We felt pampered and special. What a beautiful place to spend a day off. 

 

TC with her lifelong buddy Darcy in front of Echo Chalet. 

Most of the crew. 

   We returned to the trail today ( Wed). It's always difficult to get back on the trail after having two days off. One feels the pull of comfortable pleasures like hot showers, toilets, beds, nice pillows, soft sheets, chairs and sofas, friends. It is easy to desire everything you have been missing so the first day back FC feels more tired and thinks hiking is hard. She is usually a bit irritable (quietly to herself ) for the first half of the day. She mainly misses the people she has been with and wants to be of service once again. It takes a day to get back into the groove again; to know the tent is your home and the blow up pad your bed; to feel ok about your pillow being all your clothes stuffed into a bag under your head and peeing in the dirt around your tent. 

Aloha Lake.  Desolation Wilderness.  

      Our feet are bigger and swollen. TC bought 5 pairs of shoes (all the same size ) before she left and now the shoes are too small. Oops. She will have to get another pair before long. Firecracker bought a new pair of Lowa  boots which she loves. They are a size 8 and a half, much larger than her normal size. Yes, after time off our feet have to reorganize and remember what to do. In the mornings they feel like glass... easily breakable. The first few steps taken are tentative.

     The wind today, especially at Dick's Pass, was formidable. By the time we reached the top we were staggering. The wind was gusty and very pushy. We looked drunk, falling to the left, then to the right. When we found a camp site and made dinner we ate it in the tent. It was too cold and windy to stay outside. This is the first time in 1110 miles we've had to do this. This number is the same number of our address in Santa Cruz. We're hoping it's a good number for us and that tonight we are safe at our address. TC asked FC what she feels when she hears the wind's sound elevate and get stronger. When it gets so powerful the sides of the tent are being sucked in and out. FC said she feels safe enough. TC said that her heart tightens and it feels like her internal barometer is going up with the wind. FC suggested ear plugs.

Dick's Pass. Cold & windy. A storm is brewing. 

Lake Tahoe here we come. 6/22

The Bubbies at Carson Pass. A favorite place us. 

First wild Iris!

First glimpse of Lake Tahoe. 

The Solstice Day 6/21

The newly named Firecracker! Just slightly puffy but none the worse for the wear & tear. 

The longest day of the year was a long hike for us. For some reason, was it the afternoon cup of tea, the eating of more snacks instead of a big lunch, hormones, less steepness to the climbs? Who knows but we hiked 22 miles and weren't dead on our feet. Firecracker thinks it was the tea but TC is reluctant to commit to any one idea. We walked from 6:40am until 6.30pm. 

     If you remember way back in the desert I highly recommended a place to hike in the spring time. It was the San Felipe Hills near the town of Julian at Scissors Crossing. The blooming cactus were unsurpassable in their brilliance and contrasting softness to the spiky dull brown desert. Well the place we have been hiking in the last 2 days definitely deserves a visit. The land between Sonora Pass and Carson Pass is varied and unusual. It's a mix of prehistoric looking volcanic rock, rolling green hills and granite boulders tucked away in pine forests dotted with mountain lakes and streams. The volcano rock is so sharp, spiky and wholly it looks like sea corral. It's even covered with fluorescent lichens much like the colors under the sea. Firecracker imagines this the land of Indians 200 years ago where vision quests and rites of passage would take place. It looks old and sacred. You can get here by car but we recommend backpacking. It is impressive. Come see!

     The smells walking across this land were a mixture of flowery and herbal. They were earthy and healthy like walking into an apothecary's shop. It was not like walking into a pharmacy which has a sterile, antiseptic odor. Firecracker could understand the idea that everything you need tobe healthy is grown in the area where you live. 

       TC and FC found a secluded, not yet camped at spot above the trail. FC worried about the plants they might be crushing. She's constantly avoiding insects, flowers, branches. Her newly alive revelation that all things have a right to live is keeping her on her toes (literally). If she does step on something accidentally there is remorse but she doesn't beat herself up all day. She is really getting into ant culture and making friends with them. She just expects them to be crawling all over her and her stuff. Her reaction is no longer indignant and violent. Her reaction to humans is still a bit iffy. For example: at this lovely campsite just before sunset TC and FC are just about to fall asleep when they hear gunshots. SUNSET !! People are target practicing at sunset. They continued after the sun set. FC wanted to yell something but reconsidered. People with guns are already in the unpredictable category. 

    From this campspot they walked around Elephant's Back, saw Frog Lake, Caples Lake and finally got sight of Lake Tahoe. Blue and big. They naked dip in Showers Lake inspite of the people they saw around the lake. After their afternoon tea break they walked out to HWay 50'and hitched a ride from a guy in a black convertible sports Celica. It was a bit beat up and dirty but so were we so it was a perfect match. Jimmy was a sweet guy who had recently been beat up on the job (security guard). He was dealing with Workman's Comp. which was frustrating. He didn't know how to fight and that was a great disadvantage. He tried to block a punch and got his shoulder dislocated amongst other things. FC advised him to learn some martial arts but he's probably through with that job. 

   To be continued...

Ebbett's Pass 6/20

Here we are at lower elevations enjoying the fresh green colors of spring and the rolling hills. The flowers are beginning to bloom but they've got a ways to go before they are in glorious bloom. The rock is still rust colored volcanic and appears in clusters of craggy roughness. The music to this landscape would definitely be from the "Sound of Music" score. I expect to see Julie Andrews running by us with her arms outstretched singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music ". The music of the Sierra was more from a James Bond movie score. Picture Bond on a leisurely ice climbing expedition, on his day off. just about to hammer a piton in the ice and suddenly he is surrounded by 3 helicopters that are shooting bullets at him. The music is dramatic and exciting. How will James escape this predicament? That's the music of those mountains we just crossed. Now we are in cow grazing pastoral land. There are also outcroppings of fat granite boulders. FC is really wanting to do something other than hike, like climb, but she's afraid her feet will spasm if she points her toes. She stretches her feet slowly and conscientiously because they have a tendancy to Charley Horse but she would love to climb with her hands only. These boulders are perfect for free climbing.

       Here a statistic that appears to be true: of all the hikers who attempt the PCT 50 percent quit during the desert, before the Sierra and then another 10 percent don't make it through the high Sierra to Canada. We remember sitting in Mt. Laguna 5 days into the hike,at a dinner table with 8 other women. Of that 8 TC  and FC are the only ones still hiking. 

    

Kennedy Meadows North 6/19

Above Sonora Pass. 

Yesterday we went over Sonora Pass, one of Firecrackers favorites. Three years ago she went over the pass with TC and  Carolyn Biddick in a lightening thunder storm. TC tends to run when she sees lightning and we all know what FC does (you know, she laughs and screams demonically to the powers asking, "Is that all you got"?) TC began to run and FC ran after her deciding that if they were going to be hit they should be hit together. They didn't get hit but they did see a lightning bolt come up from the ground and join a bolt coming down from the sky. This occurred in the valley not on the ridge where all the running was going on. Yesterday skies were blue and the wind cold. The rock is volcanic with hardly any plants growing except lichen and fluorescent moss. The ascent was 2500 to a ridge and then some traversing. There was snow on the north side but hard enough to avoid leg-sucking. TC and FC have been travelling with 5 other people for the last three days. Mainly they pass each other through-out the day and finally end up camping together. This has been riotous fun. Lots of laughing and loud screaming. FC has been in rare form. She has not been with people for awhile (except for TC) and that spark that gets ignited by the presence of certain people burned and exploded uncontrollably. She sang, she danced, she spoke with funny accents, she made faces and acted like a nut on drugs. This continued at the Kennedy Meadows Resort. The group (now included 8 people) bunked together, 5 in one room and 3 in the other. TC and FC had the pleasure of Tortuga's (retired park ranger) company. Lights were out by 9.00pm, even in the rowdy room next door. The showers were great (hot water), they had 3 washing machines and 3 dryers unlike the one washing machine at Kennedy Meadows south. This place was a resort and massive ranch. They had 240 horses and cowboys to go with them, dressed in their tight jeans and sexy cowboy boots and hats.There were cowboys everywhere; in the lobby talking about investing in stocks and bonds; young cowboys in the corral practicing their lassoing, cowboys leading horses around. Manly  cowboys. Where the heck were all the manly cowgirls?

       The food was surprisingly good and all the hikers manifested their overeating disorders, eating lunch at 2.00 then dinner again at 5.00. Hikers believe they must eat a lot on these "town" trips to fatten themselves up. Mainly they just make themselves sick and have upset stomachs for days.

    We had to hitchhike to KMeadows and got picked up by a couple in a pickup who had never picked up a hitch hiker in their combined lives. They picked up 6 of us. FC being the smallest person got to lay over 4 people's legs. TC sat up in front with the stunned chihuahua and the driver and his wife. The dog didn't make a sound, which surprised the owners. FC thought that the dog  could not differentiate whether these 6  beings were animals or humans on account of the smell. The confusion kept its yapper shut. The ride was entertaining and slightly nauseating because of the steep, winding road. We all survived.

Mile 1018, Sonora Pass

Kennedy Meadows North resupply. 

FC giving deep tissue (pain) massage at 10,600 ft  to a worried hiker (Princess) who fears shin splints. Turned out to be tendinitis.

In the volcanic rock land. Looking south, heading north. 

Trail Angels!! Picked up 6 of us plus packs. First hitch hikers they ever picked up. 

That is 5 in the back seat. You can't see Mr. Sandals. He is behind Princess. Firecracker is laying on their laps for the 13 mile ride to KM. (Moxie, Glitter, Princess, Firecracker, & Mr Sandals)

Packed like sardines. Mr. Sandals doesn't like to be seen. He's behind FC.

Bunk room dorm style. Hot water. Toilets. Food. What more do we need?

1000 miles 6/17

I

Today we crossed the 1,000 mile mark. Some people think this is a momentous milestone. They do things like shave their heads, perform special ceremonies. There is even a 1000 mile club. We just took a picture of the stone marker and kept walking. After yesterday's hard day today's was a welcoming, mainly downhill trek except for the last 2 miles which were up. We are now nearing Sonora Pass which TC and FC have  done before. It's a lunar landscape up there, stark and beautiful. There will be snow and it is steep. 

Dorothy Lake. Leaving Yosemite behind, as we enter Hoover Wilderness.  

     We have been running into mosquitoes now and then. We were told they were horrendous but the cold snap has tamped them down. They are frenzied and hysterical when the wind dies down. Most of them appear to  be newly hatched untrained juveniles who throw themselves at our faces without proper training in flight etiquette. They don't know how to fly yet so there is a lot of crashing and mis-hits. En masse they frantically throw themselves at exposed body parts.Firecracker feels sorry for them and let's them try and try again. They are just so excited to be alive and doing what they are supposed to be doing. FC tries hard to respect their right to life. She is in their territory after all. It's like the ants that crawl over her every time she sits on a rock or piece of earth. They live on those space and she realizes she is invading them so she no longer gets mad. She brushes them off and is in wonder at the kind of bodies they have that allow them to hit the ground and remain unbroken.. They go around in a circle then take off. If someone flicked Firecracker off the way she flicks them off she would be taken to the hospital in a helicopter because not any hospital would do. Unless she was in a Hollywood movie where people are always bouncing off train roofs while in motion or flying over canyons in their cars walking away with only a split lip. Recall the movie "Gravity" ? That Sandra Bullock must have learned some tricks from the ants in her garden. Ants are true super heroes. Firecracker has seen them fix a twisted limb that looked like it had been put on backwards. It took some time but they straightened it and away they went. Her respect for ants is boundless. 

    Last night encamped with Princess, Mr. Sandals and Glitter. A campfire was made. That was a first for TC and FC. It has been colder here (25 degrees @ 6am) than in higher Sierra we just passed through. Tomorrow we are going into Kennedy Meadows North. We'll be hitching 13 miles west down a beautiful narrow gorge.

      Here's an interesting story. Maybe a week into the hike when we were going up Scissors Crossing a young girl dressed in all black and quite striking was on her way down. TC asked what her name was. "Hot Shot" she answered, and told us to look out for her dad. She had done the PCT last year and had just hiked/carried his pack for a part of the trail. Ken did not yet have a trail name.TC noticed her because it was a scorchingly hot day and she looked cool in her black clothing and because she was quite attractive. Two months later TC sees a very handsome man and for some reason remembers Hot Shot. She asks this guy out of the blue if he had a daughter named Hot Shot. Sure enough. Two months later, for the first time we meet this guy. The threads keep joining together. Firecracker finds it a bit eerie since she barely remembers the girl or what she was wearing. TC is also a bit of a freak.

Gruel Fest, 6/16, mile 988

What succulent is this?

Mountain Heather

Phlox

19 miles of up, down to the river, cross the river and climb straight up the next mountain, descend it to the next river and immediately climb up again I don't know how many vertical feet we climbed but we went over 4 humongous passes. This portion is steep and rugged. It is actually harder than most single days on the JMT. This section in particular. Stunning mountain lakes, shiny white Sierra granite, blooming flowers once again. One flower looked succulent - the leaves resembled the hand guard on a saber (curved downward) and they lined up the stem. At the top were tiny purple flowers. This was a new plant sighting. Those tiny pin-sized heartbreaking miniature flowers, so close to the ground you can barely see them were bravely showing their brilliant magenta, burgandy, periwinkle, pinks and blues. "Look at me, look at me" they smiled.

      Chem- trails everywhere. There were none until Tuolemne. Pure blue skies and then not. FC talked to a ranger about them and she said there was a lot of air traffic around here. She just kept saying that and had no further comment. There was such a clear demarcation between the normal blue and the man-made white. The streaks were everywhere. Weaving clouds together to create more white. FC has to deduce that these things are experiments with the weather. It's been freezing here and today the heavens were white all day. The temperature was in the 40's all day. FC stopped looking up. She got tired of swearing at the drones and scientists whose imaginations can be quite destructive. The water and soil have been tampered with to death and now the skies are next . What would Michael Jackson do?

Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Tang 6/15

TC woke up feeling better. Her appetite returned but she did still have some diarrhea. Her legs were no longer leaden and the nausea was gone. FC was still concerned. The nausea returned mildly after TC started walking. FC wondered where she could get some Chinese herbs out here in the middle of nowhere. Then she remembered what had been working since day one : just ask THE UNIVERSE for what you need. She asked for some herbs. About 10 minutes later she and TC stopped to talk to someone who was resting on the trail. Her name is Moxa. This is an herb used in  Chinese medicine. It is burned and placed on people's skin.Moxa, the person, it turns out is a newly graduated acupuncturist. She and FireC started talking and before long out from her pack came the perfect formula for TC (Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Tang).It takes care of illnesses that have symptoms of nausea and diarrhea. That's the only formula she had. FC had another in mind( Huang Lian Su) but since The Universe chose it she wasn't going to argue. What are the chances of getting the perfect formula ten minutes after you ask for it on the PCT? TC took it all day and she is better. Her appetite is raging and she can now successfully fart without danger. This is a true story. Remember the bandana incident?

      What's really interesting is that Dirty Firecracker, who doesn't wash her hands much, who sits beside mouse turds inspite of the Hunta virus threat, was not the one who got sick. It's already been stated that she is a freak.

Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows 6/12- 6/13

U

Sugar Mama Patti Cakes our trail angel from Mammoth. 

Devils post pile, Mammoth.

Thousand Island Lake

It's been a couple of days since we have blogged. We're just having a walk in the park now that the high snowy passes are over and the raging rivers are behind us.

 

     Donahue Pass was a slow meandering climb. There was a bit of snow but nothing that a person with a good set of eyes couldn't walk around. We ate lunch surrounded by curious marmots and one bold ground squirrel, also called a "picket pin". He came nose to nose with the marmot just to let him know who was boss. Ground squirrels stand up and whistle when there is any sort of danger. Firecracker can't count the number of times she has thought someone was whistling at her and turned to see no one. She now thinks it was these picket pins whistling away. We did not feed the animals but did talk to them about world events and various TV series. They were attentive and polite listeners.

We began to see a lot of John Muir Trail (JMT) hikers going in the opposite direction to us. We were happy not to be going back to those passes these  hikers were about to tackle. It's also approaching the weekend so there were also a lot of weekend hikers. They're easy to identify - they have no rhythm or spring to their step and their equipment looks new as well as their smell...they smell new. 

      People often stop to talk and ask us where we are going. We do the same. We met a women from Felton who was so thrilled that TC and DG were 59 years old. She was 53 and wanted to do the PCT but first she was starting with theJMT. This is always a good idea. The JMT is a good warm up.

     News flash: DG new and improved trail name given to her by Moxie : firecracker. To be consistent, if you please you can call her Dirty Firecracker but Firecracker will do. Meaning : bright, explosive, loud, surprising, powerful, a small thing having a big impact, in your face, frightening, joyous, celebratory.

Big mistake for TC. (Food that is)

For over 40 years TC has come to climb in Tuolumne, this is first time she walked there!!

     

  Yesterday while nearing Tuolemne, TC began experiencing some gastrointestinal distress. It was after having a cup of tea and nuts and chocolate. Her intestines began to gurgle. We ate dinner at Tuolemne Lodge ( which was a big mistake because the food was medocre and Firecracker really was't hungry); TC had grilled trout and some veggies she'll never eat again. By the time she stood up to leave the hurl reflex was set in motion. We had to walk a mile to get to the walk in campground. TC had not thrown up yet  but she looked tentative the entire way. We reached the campground and after pitching the tent TC pitched her food about twenty feet from the tent. She was on her way to the bathroom but failed to make it. Firecracker lost track of her for a moment and was talking to two tanned Israeli's about pita and falafel and matzo ball soup. It was getting dark when out of the corner of her eye she saw TC bent over, her head close to the ground,just to the left of her about twenty feet away. She continued her conversation with the couple wondering if they were seeing TC. They certainly weren't hearing her because she was silently throwing up, a  very difficult thing to do. She saw Sarah look over at which point Firecracker said,"She's not feeling good" and demonstrated a wretching motion. Everyone sympathized and the conversation continued. What help can one be to a person throwing up?

Best to keep one's distance. Firecracker was astounded that the event was happening in silence. How does one do this? How is it physically possible? TC returned to the tent and verified that indeed she had thrown up 3 times in that hallowed spot in silence.

    Today TC felt weak, tired and slightly nauseous. She did eat oatmeal & juice and manage to keep it down. There was a bit of diarrhea yesterday and today  

But no more vomiting. Princess gave her some Nux Vomica which allowed her to walk and Firecracker gave her an acupuncture treatment after they had walked ten miles. That seemed to do the trick. She ate a little and revived slightly. They set up camp early and now TC is asleep. 

    You can imagine how hard it was to organize our re-supply from Tuolemne - TC was unable to look at food and FC was still unable to eat dehydrated food. They decided to take everything and buy bread, Black Forest ham, and some fruit. FC was sure she could eat ham sandwhiches for a few days. TC was not saying anything.

Toulomne Falls near Glen Aulin. 

Relaxing !!! 6/11

Yes, it's true. I am relaxing for a moment. Shopping is done. We've bought a lot of fresh food to eat for the next two days since our next stop, Tuolemne, is so close and because of DG's aversion to dehydrated food and assorted snacky foods. We will be eating out with five other hikers tonight at a condo they have rented (Princess, Mr, Sandals, Gretchen, Glitter, and Hawg). These are people we have been hiking with on and off for a month. Princess is the oncologist who was scared by the gun wielding ATV hooligan at Kennedy Meadows. Her boyfriend, Mr. Sandals has been taking Ibuprofen everyday since the start. He has a severely pronated foot. Gretchen refuses all nick names given to her but DG and TC call her Blessed. She has incredibly good "luck ". Hawg is our age and ending his hike at Tahoe  because that's the time allotment given to him by his wife. We will be eating chilli, salad, bread and dessert. Dessert is what DG and TC are responsible for- they're taking chocolate cream puffs from the local bakery.

       Some animal updates for you. While traveling over snow we have sighted pikas. Normally we just hear them and not see them because they are so well camouflaged. On the white snow their brown bodies stand out nicely. They look like small, underweight guinea pigs. They are slightly bigger than a chipmunk. DG also saw two small birds running across the ice on a frozen lake. They were running without taking off, as though they were playing, perhaps even sliding. It looked unusual for sure. Birds having fun on the ice. DG also saw a small frog retreat into a hole by the side of the trail. There was frog song in the air but this frog seemed to reside in a hole by the trail.

Chem-trail update : DG has not see any chem trails since Tehachapi. There are no chem trails in the Sierra. There are very few populated areas in the Sierra. Hmmm....

     Cheers for now. We might be ready for more hiking...if not, we will continue hiking anyway. That is the way of IT.

Mammoth Lakes. CA

How do "they" decide where to put a bridge??? So nice after so many fords. 

Hello fellow travelers and armchair adventurists, 

       Are we tired yet ? We hikers are glad to be in the beautiful resort town of Mammoth. It's a ski town in the winter and fabulous mountain bike, climbing, fishing, swimming, camping place now which I think might be summer. We had thunder and lightning storms today. Lot's of good restaurants for people with eating disorders like us. DG is constantly explaining to wait staff why she and TC are eating so much. It is embarrassing to eat so much in public.

    We arrived yesterday and it was definitely DG's lowest day since starting the trail. She was so tired. After one two hour uphill cardio workout she had serious doubts she could finish the day. The previous day had looked like this: 1,000 ft up; 2,000ft down, 3,000 ft up, 2,000ft down. This was not the worst of it. She was beginning to reject food (i.e. gag at the thought of eating anything in her supplies). This has happened on other trips. Her body wanted fresh food. End of story. TC said it was mental thing implying that DG had control over this. DG did not agree and went on at length to explain her body and how very special it was. Whatever, the bottem line was, no food no power. She managed to eat a  couple of oat cakes with almond butter and jam. That lasted an hour. Pushing longer she finally was weak and hungry enough to eat their last dehydrated lunch: chunky chipotle chilli. It went down  and stayed. 

       DG was under the impression that everything was downhill from their lunch spot. She was maintaining and then there was another pass. She considered collapsing and never getting up again. She was angry at TC who was the map reader and all around general guide who had told her it was all downhill. At one point she yelled back at TC, "Jeezzus... could you not see this on the map? TC took her time answering. "I didn't look. I knew this was the only way out." DG said nothing else out loud. Inside her head there was plenty of dialogue. What was the point? She knew she was tired and there was no point blaming TC for this pass. She did have the thought, for the first time in 900 miles,that she hated hiking.

        Both hikers made it to Horseshoe Lake where they waited 10 minutes for a shuttle to take them into town. The shuttle driver was also a mule packer Harley Davidson rider who preferred sleeping bags to women behind his back while riding. The sleeping bag was soft and cushy like a woman but they didn't ask him to do anything and he didn't have to buy them beer. He went on about being 68 years old and the difficulty of finding a woman who didn't want to tie him down. He could do his own cooking and laundry. He wanted a woman to go dancing with him and be a companion whenever he wanted her to be. There was another hiker on the bus, Solitary Man, who had a smile on his face, chuckling at the honesty and absurdity of this overweight, toothless trolley driver. DG, always thrilled with the incredulous, egged this man on, plying him with more and more questions. She's good at egging on. They transferred buses and this time the driver was female. Apparently everyone in Mammoth has two or three jobs to survive. She was a housewife and bus driver. Her husband did nothing in the house so she really had 2 jobs. By the time DG and TC reached the Best Western their moods were lifting but not necessarily their fatigue. The front desk lady clerk had one job but her husband had three so it evened out. 

       After taking a shower and watching a white face cloth turn black they surveyed their bodies and took stock. TC had some kind of gnarly chaffing happening in her butt crack which she had been unaware of, and 2 rubbed off & bruised places over her ASIS joint. DG's body was fine but her mind was still tilted to the left. They weighed themselves and discovered they had lost 5 pounds in 7 days. Have I mentioned that after the wind episode at Walker Pass DG stopped telling the elements to bring it on. The Sierra brought it on big time and DG has shut her mouth. 

      Eating at a bar and grill place (Slocum's), was heavenly. They ate for two hours and watched one of the Stanley Cup finals games. They weren't walking. They were sitting. Everything was good.

        Next day was chore day. Washing, buying new underwear, socks, sun  glasses, boots, tenacious tape, bear proof bags. DG bought a pair of boots she could have done without because the salesman (he had two jobs) was so good. He wasn't even trying he was just authentically knowledgeable and DG is a sucker for that. Ask her to tell you her Kirby vacuum cleaner story one day. In that store (Footloose), of course they run into Andy Puhvel, the guy they had run into in Bishop, who was buying gear for his son Cashus to shred in a mountain biking comp that day. Arrangements were made for dinner at their place that night. What a good time we had. Andy and Lisa, unlike the other Mammoth residents we met barely have one job between them. They spend alot of time with each other and their two boys. They are doing it so right. They are living their lives exactly the way they want to and are happy. Their kids are special and will no doubt grow up to be exceptional people. There was a clarity and attentiveness about them. They were social and not hidden behind electronic devices. They were not twitchy and off the charts hyper. They were curious and engaged. There were kid's books everywhere. .It's inevitable with so much love and time given to these boys they will change the course of this world. Kudos to Andy and Lisa. It's not always easy to live differently than everyone else.