Climbing down the mountain

April 29th, 2015

    

I woke up from my camp at around 6 AM. I was around 9000 feet and it was 36° F. I forced myself to get out of my sleeping bag, packed up and then I started heading down the mountain into the desert. The trek from my camp to the next water source was going to be 20 miles.

As I was walked down there were some incredible views of the valley below, wind turbines and the mountains in the distance. It was very steep going down and the trail could use some maintenance but it was nice. 

After about hiking for six or seven hours down I made it to the drinking fountain put in just for PCT hikers. At the faucet there were hikers sitting around talking and filling up their water bottles. 

The next stop where I was going to get my next food package was at Ziggy and the Bear's. If you are wondering who or what Ziggy and the Bear is I don't blame you. It does sound a little strange but let me explain. Ziggy and Bear are nicknames for two trail angels. They bought a house in this town 18 years ago because it was right next to the Pacific Crest Trail and they wanted to help hikers. The house looks pretty typical. It was a gray stucco house with white fence around it and an American flag flapping in the wind. It was also very clean and not too big. The backyard was fenced off and carpeted so that hikers can have a comfortable place to sleep at night. Ziggy and the Bear were probably in their 80s, were very nice and liked to joke around a lot. 

When I got there 30 hikers were sitting around asking for packages to be sent to certain places on the trail. . I told them about my package and they said they couldn't find it but they were going to go to the post office the next morning and I could get it then.

I decided to go walk out into the desert to sleep because I'm not too keen on being around a whole bunch of backpackers snoring.  So I went back out and camped under the desert stars. 

Climbing Mt. San Jacinto Peak

April 28th, 2015

I woke up this morning and started to climb the mountain. There is another detour that you can take and it goes up to the top of Mount San Jancito. This peak is at 10,834 feet and it seems like a nice site. The only thing you're going to add is an extra eight or so miles to the trail and lot of elevation gain and loss. 

The trail going up was good. There was very little snow and the trail was easy enough to find.

Here I am at around 9700 feet and feeling pretty good. It is nice to be in the mountains.

Some weird looking plants on the trail.

After only a couple of hours of climbing and a few headaches I made it to the summit. 

        

At the top there was a great view of the Salton Sea, the desert, wind turbines and the surrounding mountains. 

There were about five or six PCT hikers and two day hikers up there and very little room but overall a very nice mountain to take a rest and look at the surrounding area.

On the way down I saw a search and rescue helicopters flying around. There were also a lot of search and rescue on foot. I ended up talking to them and asked what was going on. They said there was an Asian man in his late 20s missing missing since the storm a couple days ago. There are a couple of stories going around but apparently this guy went up the mountain with minimal gear. Then the storm got really bad and then the guy went missing. 

As I hiked further and further down I met more more search and rescue workers and turns out they found the guy down on some road.  

I camped early around 4 PM because there is a very long stretch trail without water that is 20 miles long.  I wanted to have water at my camp that way I could be hydrated before leaving.

I found a sandbar by this head of the river which is very small but there's snow all around me and very nice place. 

Back on the trail

April 24th - 27th, 2015

The storm was pretty bad yesterday  but it was nice to test out my rain gear. I also got to see rainbows here and there.

It was an uneventful day besides a lot of walking and taking pictures. The next point on my walk was highway 74 to a place called Paradise Café. 

Drying out my stuff after the storm.

It's always nice to run into an unexpected water cash.

Once I got there, I found it's a really nice place great food lots and lots of Pacific Crest Trail hikers. I ordered a burger because the person at the restaurant said that was the most food for the least amount of money. It was good but I was still hungry so I also ordered a burrito to go. Then got back on the trail. 

This section of the trail coming up is closed because of a fire that happened in 2013. I'm going to walk up to the closure then take a detour which is a trail that goes down the mountain to the interstate. Then you either walk or hitchhike on the interstate. 

This is where all the hikers would park their backpacks in front of the cafe.

While I was hiking I was just about to the closure and came across a nice little creek so I stopped and camped there for the night. One of the first camping spots next to water.

During the night it was very windy and I didn't bother to secure all of my gear and clothes. So when I woke up some of my stuff like blew into the stream that I was camping next to. 

I got the stuff out of the stream washed up and washed my clothes. Since I washed up and had a late start at 10 AM I walked to the closure. The detour had an incredible view and I'm glad I took it. Most of the PCT hikers are just hitchhiking to Idyllwild.

A picture from my camp and the small stream.

Some wild flowers on the detour.

Does this look like a big asparagus?

 I went back down to the interstate got a ride up to Idyllwild by a ex-Pan Am flight attendant. It was really great because he told me about the trails coming up and let me off near the Mexican place that I ate at before I went to the hospital. 

When I was there I called my girlfriend and then went to a grocery store. Bought some supplies for the upcoming part of the trail and then I found a place to camp a little outside of town.

More hospitals and good news

April 23rd and 24th, 2015

After I left the hospital finally got a hotel room and waited for the next morning to go to find an ear, nose and throat doctor. Luckily there was a doctor nearby. I went to the office and they told me that the doctor really couldn't do anything that I have to go see a different specialist in a different city. They said that the closest doctor that could help me was in Riverside regional hospital which was more that three hours by the public transportation system. I found out what bus to take and waited for multiple buses. Then I finally made it to the hospital and I went through the ER again. There are tons of people took another three or four hours in the ER to talk to someone. After all day waiting and riding on buses they told me that I have to see another doctor the next day. They also said that I need to get another CAT scan. I told them that I didn't feel comfortable with another CAT scan and I told them I had my CAT scan results printed out. They informed me that I needed a digital copy on CD therefore I would have to go all the way back to Hemet.

It was 5:40 and in order to get the CAT scan in time for my next doctor's appointment I needed to rent a car and the car rental place would close at six. I took the bus ended up getting at the bus stop at 5:55 and sprinted to the car rental place. While I was sprinting a person working at a car dealership offered me a ride in a golf cart and I got there just in the nick of time.

When I got inside the car rental place I explain my situation about my head injury and about going to the hospital how I needed my CAT scan from the Hemet hospital.  After a little bit of convincing they decided that they were going to let me rent a car.

 When I got back to Hemet  I went back to me this dirty little hotel that I stayed in the night before because the doctor before prescribed me some very very strong antibiotics and I wasn't feeling great. the day was not a total failure but I didn't get to see a doctor that could tell me how serious my head injury is. Hopefully tomorrow I will have better luck.

I got up early and headed over to Hemet Hospital to pick up a copy of my CAT scan and the report they wrote. When I got there the people were very friendly and helpful. They got me two copies of my CAT scan and the written report. I ran out of the hospital and quickly got in my car and drove to Riverside regional hospital. When I got to there I found the clinic and checked in. Then I waited for a long time.  I was over an hour late for my appointment but luckily that didn't matter. I eventually got in to see the doctor and she checked me out took my blood pressure did everything all the other hospitals did multiple times then she went over the CAT scan with me. 

She show me all the places that were fractured in my face and told me the good news, you don't need surgery. She said that she wanted me to see an eye doctor just in case there were any effects on my vision from the injury. I declined because I spent enough time in hospitals and doctors offices. 

My new priority was to get back to Warner Springs and to get back on the trail. My sister helped me out and told me that there was a car rental place in Ramona which was about 40 miles from Warner Springs. Ramona was about a two hour drive from where I was and there was a bus to that would get me close to Warner Springs. 

I called the car rental place and paid for a drop off fee. They weren't very happy because they said they needed my car for a different customer but eventually helped me out again. 

I took a drive down towards Ramona which was very nice because I took the back roads in the country. It was a rainy day, a little cold but after about two hours of driving I made it to Ramona and from there I caught a bus that went  to Highway 79 which is about 9 miles from the trail. Once I got to the highway I put my thumb out and the first car that passed pulled over. 

They were a couple in their 20s and the guy just got out of the army. We talked about the Pacific Crest Trail and he told me about his time in the army. I told him I was from Foresthill and he said he knew where it was because the military does drone training there. This was news to me! I guess you learn something every day. Once I got to Warner Springs I quickly found somebody to mail my CAT scan back home for me. Then I got on the trail. 

It was a rainy day around 40 something degrees and the wind was blowing hard. At least finally get to test out my rain gear. I walked only a little bit of the trail found a place to camp and slept for the night.

Going to the doctor

April 22, 2015

I woke up the next morning feeling sticky from the crusty sweat from yesterday's hike. I was also feeling a little anxious thinking about the possibility of having some serious problems with my injury.  I packed up slowly and made my way to the hiker camp in Warner Springs. When I got there 20 to 30 hikers were lined up outside a small building. I asked someone what was everyone waiting for? Someone simply said, "breakfast." Then I saw a sign on the door that said, "breakfast, eggs, sausage and pancakes... $6." It sounded good so I got in line myself. Once I got inside and got to the sign up sheet there was already a page and a half of names on the paper. So I put down my name and went to the charging station. I was lucky enough to get the last spot to plug in my phone. This was one of a couple charging stations and there were constantly people walking around looking for a spot to plug in their smartphone. 

As I waited for my food I went around and asked all the people that were not hikers if they new anyone going to a city with a clinic or a doctor. Finally I found someone that was going to Idyllwild, another hiker town that was about seventy five miles up the trail or about a hundred mile drive. So I told him about my situation and he said it would be no problem but to be ready at one o'clock. 

Once I finally got my breakfast I really wasn't feeling super hungry but managed to slowly eat the food. After breakfast the local sheriff was offering to give people rides down to the post office and jumped on the opportunity to skip the two mile road walk there and back. I was not the only one that jumped in, there were five other hikers that crammed into the sheriff's car. After getting my food at the post office I went back to the hiker camp to reorganize my food and pack. 

While I was just finishing up the my ride came out and said that he would be leaving shortly. One other guy got into his small SUV and he sped off with his head out the window yelling, "Wooooooooohoooo! Last one to make it to Canada wins!" Everyone in the hiker camp suddenly looked up looking surprised. Once we got on the small road he took the car up to speeds that I really didn't think were possible for that road. During this time he was playing drum and bass as loud a the speakers could handle. He would give snippets of information about the places we passed, "That's an awesome restaurant. They have elk, bison, and all types of wild game meat..." After an incredibly short time we were approaching Idyllwild. I was thankful because while going around one corner the car started sliding going 80 + mph. Once we got to town he took me to the medical center. He said that they were really good and would fix me up. 

I went in and asked for a doctor. The girl at the desk saw my and cringed a little and told me told me the doctor was out of town and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Then she said that there was another clinic about a half of a mile down the street. 

I walked slowly down to the other clinic and asked to see a doctor. The lady said with an incredible amount of empathy, "Sorry, but we don't have the equipment to take facial X-rays you'll have to go down to Hemet. It's about a half an hour drive from here." I thanked her left and got some food and started asking people if they were going towards Hemet. There were no offers right off the bat. So I got a little food really quick and then went to the gas station down the street. 

I approached a car with an elderly couple. I asked the man if if I could get a ride and told him what happened. He said, "Do you know what day it is?" Yes. "Do you know where you are?" Yes. "You're fine you don't need to see a doctor." Right as I was walking off the older lady on the driver seat jumped out and asked if I was a PCT hiker. I told her I was and she immediately told me to get into the car and said that she would take me to the hospital. The man shook his head but said nothing. 

We started driving and the lady started asking me a million questions about the PCT and about what I did before getting on the trail. I told her about teaching English and traveling. She was delighted and told me that she loved to travel and loved adventure. He name was Janet and she was in her seventies. She told me about how she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, kayaked up to the North Pole, trekked up to Everest Base camp and has a goal to climb Mt. Fuji when she is ninety.  She was very nice and even her husband started to be a little nicer. We got to the hospital and they wished me luck. 

I got to the hospital carrying my backpack in with my trekking poles strapped to the side. The security guard was nice enough to put my pack behind his desk. Then I just waited for what seemed to be forever. I eventually got in and did my cat scan and went back to the waiting area. Then some paramedics came and told me they had to take some blood samples and do some test. "Everybody that comes to the ER has to do this." They put an I V in me, hooked me up to a ekg machine and took some blood samples. As I was hooked up to all these machines I told them that I had to use the bathroom. The nurse stopped me a said they also needed a urine sample. All this seemed strange. I was starting to think that something might be seriously wrong or the thought I was a drug addict. This is a picture of me in the hospital bathroom.

So I waited for a while and then suddenly they came in and told me that I need another CAT scan. As I was walking to the CAT scan room the guy said something was up.  So I took my second CAT scan this time while the machine was running my eyes started to blackout during the process. All I know is that CAT scans are not fun and it probably involves lots of radiation. After hours and hours of waiting I finally got to see a doctor and explained that I have multiple fractures. According to my written report I have "...a modified tripod fracture on the right side. There is a fracture of the anterior maxillary sinus wall, posterior maxillary sinus wall, the orbital floor, and a fracture of the Ziggomatic arch at its junction with the temporal bone (probably part of the temporal bone and possibly a fracture near the temporozygomatic structure." Basically he said I need to see an ear, nose and throat doctor because one of my bones might push into my nasal cavity and create an infection. Then that can spread to my eye and making me go blind. I thanked the doctor and felt relieved that I didn't have any internal bleeding in my brain. I was also glad that I can finally get the IV out of my arm. I left the hospital and got to a hotel to figure out what to do next.

A long day and an unsettling night

April 21st, 2015

I woke up fairly late in hiker terms, which is around 7am. Then I worked on my blog and went over my food. All I had left was three cups of dehydrated beans and rice and a cliff bar. I was about three miles from a small resort area or I was around thirty two miles from Warner Springs. Since it was getting late and probably would start getting hot I decided to try a long day and try to at least get close to the next town. 

I packed up and started climbing out of the valley that I was camping in. As I started going up the mountain I caught up with a hiker that was quite interesting. Her name is Mother Goose and she is eighty five years old and attempting to hike the entire PCT. She asked me where I was hiking today and I told her I was trying to get to Warner Springs. After that she wished me luck and said, "you young whipper snappers can do that." Then I walked on passing a couple more hikers until I caught up with another older hiker named Tin Man. He told me a story about falling twenty feet out of a tree and getting metal plates in his leg. I hiked with him briefly then continued up the trail. After hours of going up the mountain I got to see the valley where I was camping the night before.

For some time after that I was just walking and taking it all in. I really didn't think the desert would be very stimulating but with all the cacti blooming and strange lizards scuffling about I can see why some people choose to study botany of wildlife. I saw some interesting snakes and lizards that I never knew existed. This guy on the bottom blended in perfectly with the rocks and had these strange horns on his head. To get this picture I had to climb a little up off the trail and he blended in so well it was hard to focus on the guy.

As I kept hiking there were more and more pleasant surprises. One of those surprises was another water cash with more than 200 gallons of bottled water. I was carrying enough water to make it without this but it's always nice to have a little extra water to drink. Also if you are ever feeling a little bit lonely water caches are a pretty good social spot on the trail there are always at least 10 to 20 hikers at these caches.

As I kept walking I finally reached the 100 mile mark. Not a very big accomplishment as a sign says that there are only have to go 100 miles 26 more times.

As I moved on I met a hiker named Paparazzi. He use to work at a wilderness school and was a mountaineering guide for some time. He even  led a trip up Gasherbrum which is the 12th largest peak in the world. I drilled him with a million questions about climbing, gear and exhibitions.  On the way saw a big gardener snake and eventually made it to Eagle rock. You can't see it but there was someone camping right in front of it which is a little disappointing for the people who want to take pictures of it. 

As the sun started to set I picked up the pace and made my way to Warner Springs hoping there would be a store open because I finished off the rest of my food in the afternoon. I got to the small town and there was nothing open. Also there were about twenty to thirty tents set up and hikers sitting around shooting the breeze. This was a little overwhelming and I wasn't about to camp among all  these people. Mainly because there are bound to be a few people snoring and I would rather not hear that. So I walked off and found a place that was a little quieter and laid out my sleeping pad. After walking thirty two miles with a backpack lying down is almost a religious experience.  As I was about to fall asleep I started to become a little concerned because the right side of my face has been numb ever since I got hit right before starting the trail. The swelling finally was starting to go down and started to feel my cheek and under my eye. I noticed a few differences below my eye and my cheek bone. After five days I was just starting to realize that there might be a real possibility that some bones in my face might be fractured or even worse I I might be bleeding internally. Because since I started the hike my nose has been bleeding pretty much all day every day. I thought it was just the dry desert air. With all these things running through my mind I drifted off to sleep.

Recovering and going north

April 19th and 20th, 2015

After I rested for a little bit I went to Mount Laguna and stop by the outfitter to chat to some hikers and locals. I saw a hiker name Pillsbury,  a hiker I met on the trail while section hiking last year. I briefly talked to her and then talk to a local guy about hiking in the area. He was very nice and told me all about his family and about the trails in the area and about anything on it his mind. 

After this I decided to try to find some food so I went to the general store. When I went in everything was way overpriced. I was going to buy a little bit of cheese but it was five dollars for a very very small piece. So I decided to go to the restaurant instead and order some food to go. I ordered a couple of things and was resting on the couch while I was waiting for my order and the chef came out and told me I couldn't sleep there and tried to get me out. I told him I was just waiting for my order and would leave as soon as I got it. So after a little bit it came up I went to the RV camp. Ate some then packed up and started moving on. 

 I hiked into the night to the next campsite about six or seven miles up the trail and when I went to camp I couldn't find water anywhere. Luckily somebody was up at around 9 o'clock and I asked him. He told me where it was so I filled up my water bottles and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning I drank a lot of water and started to pack up and head out. I went back to where the water was, only to see a spicket and a sign saying that it was non-potable water for horses only. I just hoped that this water wouldn't  make me sick. Then I talked to a trail angel for a while, he offered me some coffee which was very nice and told me about the water up the trail. I packed up cleaned up, wash my shirt, and started at around 10 AM. 

There's a lot of exposure and no shade on the trail but there were occasional winds that felt really nice. The warm spots, not so nice. At this point I basically was feeling better so I walked all day and  got to this humongous valley that was very flat and very exposed. But it was very beautiful seeing all the stars at night. I was gonna keep walking and then I ran across the trail magic. A cooler full of water that wasn't cold but a pleasant surprise because I was rationing water. I grab some and decided to camp. Overall a much better day and finally making some progress.

... Hiking into the night

April 17th, 18th and 19th, 2015

Later that day I was sitting around Campo icing my head and not feeling so great. I was really hoping to get on the trail but with my injury and how I was feeling I didn't think it would have been safe for me to go on the trail. But then I had an idea. I can put a lot of ice into my water bladder the

and use it for an ice compress later. So I went to the market, bought my second 7 pound bag of ice and went back to fill up my water bladder. After I finished I ate some yogurt and had some coconut water then headed out on the trail around 7 PM.

 I so was still not feeling great but I kept going. As the sun went down and as it got cooler started to feet better. Once it got dark I was around 4 miles north and as I continued to go border patrol helicopters started circling me.  They never use the spotlight and didn't get too close but they would take very large circles about every 20 minutes and would come around again. I guess they eventually figured out that I was not an illegal immigrant. As I walked I listened to some owls hooting and tried not to step on any big spiders.

That night I got to about mile 14 at 2 am and found a place to lay out my sleeping bag and slept until I could see the sun coming. I crawled out of my sleeping bag feeling tired and sore and then packed up and started moving on. As the sun came up my face started to swell so I grabbed my bag of ice/ water container and pressed it against my face.

 I did this for about three hours and as I passed some runners they would ask me if I was alright, probably thinking I'd just gotten jumped. I would just say I'm fine and mosey on.

After a couple hours I made it to lake Morena, a small RV campground with a store up the road. I bought some food, took another really quick nap, packed up and started hiking again and pushed on to mile 30 by 9pm. 

When I woke up I was feeling nauseous. I slept the whole night with my head flat on the ground as a result the swelling was back.   

I decided to start walking and I felt like throwing up a couple times but didn't because it might make me really dehydrated.

 After about two hours of hiking and stopping every 100 feet I started to feel better.

 Then I had a pleasant surprise as I went up the mountain I got to a point where that cactuses and brush disappeared in pine trees appeared. So I decided to take a break where the environment is nice and after that I felt much better.