Dave's Location

A new journey has begun!

Colorado Trail

Colorado Trail

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Following the SPOT

Today's SPOT from Dave came in at 6:00 pm today. I've estimated that they are around or near PCT mile 846, which, if I'm accurate, means that they've made good mileage today.

Dave's spot: Google Maps
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.09816,-118.5725&ll=37.09816,-118.5725&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

They are almost due West of Big Pine.

PCT California Section H, Page 13.
http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

We'll be finding out, in a couple of days exactly what PCT mile they have been at each day. Dave is heading for Vermillion Valley Resort, PCT mile 877, where he will be resupplying and picking up their first mailed package. If you have any questions for Dave about his adventure, send an email and I'll ask him when I talk to him next.

Trail Angel Jane
hiker2whitney@yahoo.com

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Grouse Meadow

Tonight's SPOT came in at 7:22, which means camp was set up and dinner should have already been eaten. Dave and his hiking partners are at PCT mile 829, around 8700 feet. They hiked about 15 miles today. They are in Grouse Meadow following the Middle Fork river. I'm sure Dave is wishing he had his casting rod. Being near a river without the ability to fly fish must be killing him. You can check out the PCT half mile map, California Section H, page 11.

http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

Trail Angel Jane

Monday, June 28, 2010

Kings River

Monday, June 28th, Just Dave and Team Far Sight arrived at their camp around 6:00 pm. It looks like they are around mile 814 or 815, just north west of Cardinal Lake. See California section H page 8 of the PCT half mile maps.

http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

Their camp looks surrounded by river fingers. They must be making lots of river crossings.

Kings Canyon National Park is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. This is one of the most scenic parts of the Pacific Crest Trail. Tomorrow they will be crossing Mather Pass, mile 817 of the PCT at 12,087 feet. They are still west of Bishop and will be for another couple of days, however, they did not plan on coming off the trail to Bishop again.

Trail Angel Jane

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Back on the trail again....

Friday, June 25th found Dave, Zero, and Fire Marshall in Bishop ready to get back on the trail. Zero was unable to find a dentist to assist with his tooth issue, so medications will need to help him get to Mammoth. Dave did tell me that when they were hiking to Independence they had almost run out of food. Traveling was slow and they needed a lot of energy. When food became scarce, they ran into a Ranger who gave them some food.

They took the 1:15 bus from Bishop to Independence. There they were going to contact Peanut Eater (a past PCT through hiker). Peanut Eater had told the guys that he would be available to drop them back off where he had picked them up a few days earlier.

Dave was excited and happy to be getting back on the trail. He was worried about being in town for several days. Getting his "hiker legs" back is always tough that first day or two. Because of the need for additional food during their previous hike, they decided to add a bit more for this leg. That means a heavier pack.

Their plan was to hike about 4 miles that late afternoon and position themselves to get back up and over Kearsage Pass, back to the PCT, and over Glenn Pass on Saturday. Glenn Pass is at around 12 thousand feet. I did not get a SPOT email from Dave on Friday.

Saturday, June 26th, Dave's spot came in at 8:52 pm showing them at Rae Lakes, mile 794 of the PCT. You can check out the PCT Half Mile Maps, Section H, page 5.

http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

There are quite a few river crossings coming up. Dave had, a few years ago, gone to Evolution Valley and crossed Evolution stream. Then it was a calm stream. This time of year this river is dangerous to cross. All three of our hikers know how to locate the best crossing path and promised to be safe. Evolution stream is one of the "deadly 3" - one of the worst three crossings.

Sunday, June 27th, Dave's SPOT came in around 6:15, showing him near Twin Lakes, mile 804 on half mile's PCT maps (California Section H). It must have been slow going because they only did 10 miles today. Slow passage would be due to snow or river crossings. If they come upon a river in the afternoon / evening, they won't attempt to cross it. The best time to cross a river is first thing in the morning. As the day warms, snow is melted, causing the rivers to be higher and more powerful. We'll keep watching their progress! Until tomorrow.

Trail Angel Jane.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Resupplying in Bishop

Last night the phone rang around 9:30. Dave sounded wonderful! Our three hikers had found a ride from the campground all the way to Bishop! They had thought they would have to wait for the morning to take the bus from Independence to Bishop, but they ran into a super Trail Angel!

Originally, their plan was to resupply in Independence, however, Zero's having a tooth issue and they needed to seek out a dentist. Bishop is the closest place for them to find help.

Dave's first comment last night was that he was looking forward to a shower as it had been two weeks since his last one! Laundry, resupplying, and getting Zero to a dentist are their plans for today.

On a good note, Dave's feet, which were having many issues from Kennedy Meadows to Horseshoe Meadows, are now doing great! He believes that his new shoes kept his feet hot. Lately they've been in snow and cold, which have helped his feet to heal.

Tuesday was the hardest day they've had recently, when they crossed Forester Pass at approximately 13,100 feet (the highest location on the Pacific Crest Trail). They were moving very slowly - under 1 mile per hour, due to the tremendous amount of snow. Dave sighed and said he was glad that was behind them!

I'll be getting a list of additional items they need later today, which I'll send to Mammoth. Dave's most desired item is his camera charger. He's taking lots of pictures! I'll do what I can to get them online for all to see.

Trail Angel Jane

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Independence, here we come!

Dave's Spot came in around 3:30 this afternoon. They are at Onion Valley Campground, 7.3 miles from the PCT (PCT mile 789). The road from the Campground will take them into Independence, another 13 miles away. My guess is that they will try and hitch into town this evening if their food is running out. They tend to eat more when they are hiking through snow! If their food supply is holding out, they'll camp here tonight and hitch down in the morning (or take a nice walk!).

Check out google map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.7715,-118.34123&ll=36.7715,-118.34123&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

See Section H page 4 of the PCT Half Mile maps. http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

I've mailed my first box off to Dave and Team Farsight today. I sent some clothes for Zero, fuel for Dave and Zero, breakfast for all three of them (my own no-cook creation), batteries for Dave's GPS, and maps. This box is for Mammoth - hoping it gets there in time! I've got another box to mail tomorrow. Mailing is much easier than all the driving I've been doing, but I do miss seeing Dave!

If I hear from Dave tomorrow I'll post what adventures he shares with me. Until then...

Trail Angel Jane.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

John Muir Trail and the PCT

The John Muir Trail takes you up to Mt. Whitney from the back side. The PCT junction with the John Muir trail is PCT mile 767 at 10,787 feet. Mt. Whitney is at 14,4965 feet. See the half mile maps, section G, page 16 (Mt. Whitney and the John Muir Trail can also bee seen on section H, pages 1 & 2).

http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

Sunday, June 20th, our 3 hikers summited Mt. Whitney around 2:00 pm. This was Zero's and Fire Marshall's first summit. This was Just Dave's first summit from the back of Whitney. He's gone up three times prior through Whitney's Portal.

That evening, around 7:30, after hiking back down, they camped near the intersection of the PCT and the John Muir Trail.

Monday, June 21st, Dave arrived at camp around 6:30. This location can be found on PCT Half Mile Map Section H page 4 at approximately mile 774.5 or 775. It doesn't look like they did their normal mileage, most likely due to the strain of the hike the day before.

Tonight, Tuesday, June 22nd, Dave's spot was emailed around 7:30. He is camping south of Bull Frog Lake around mile 786-787, where there are several campgrounds for them to choose from. Tomorrow they will travel west and then north around Bull Frog Lake.

At mile 789 the PCT intersects with TriKearsarge Pass. This leads to Kearsarge Pass which will take Dave and Team Farsight 7.3 miles into the town of Independence where they can resupply at the mini-mart or hitch a hike 42 miles north into Bishop or back into Lone Pine. There is a bus that runs on the weekdays between these three towns.

Kearsarge Pass is full of snow, but the boys have traversed worse snow earlier in their hike. I rest easy because these three are very careful hikers. You can find Kearsarge Pass on PCT Map Section H, page 6.

Trail Angel Jane

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Snow is a'coming

Thursday June 17th I met Just Dave and Team Farsight along with Rhyme & Reason and Mic at Horseshoe Meadows campground and camped with them. This is located 2 1/2 miles off the PCT just over 9000 feet, west of Lone Pine.

Friday morning was spent resupplying in Lone Pine. Dave did say what a treat it was to eat real food! He really enjoyed his breakfast in town. I left them about 12:30 while they were packing up camp. They had that 2 1/2 mile hike back to the PCT then headed another 4 1/2 miles to Chicken Spring Lake. This day was considered a "NERO" day (near zero day) because of the few miles hiked.

Dave's feet are bothering him. He is breaking in a new pair of shoes, so this nero day really helped. He is not looking forward to the cold and snow ahead.

Saying goodbye was hard because I won't see him again for almost a month when we are planning to meet up in Tahoe.

Trail Angel Jane

Google Map from Dave's SPOT:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.45545,-118.22589&ll=36.45545,-118.22589&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Zoom in and out to get a sense of where he is.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Finding Dave on the trail

Dave's spot came in today at 4:54 pm. This seems to be an early day for the hikers. They've stopped at Dry Creek, around mile 731. They are at approximately 9000 feet elevation. Stopping at a water source allows for leaving the next day with maximum water.

Would you like to look at the maps Dave is carrying with him each day? Here is the link to the 1/2 mile PCT maps. Today Dave is hiking California Section G page 11. Look for WA0831 - that is where the trail crosses the creek.

http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html

I'll attempt to approximate where he is each day and I'll provide the map section and page number.

They have 19 miles to get to Cottonwood Lakes parking (aka Horseshoe Meadows Campground). I'll drive up to Lone Pine tomorrow and then up in the hills meet the guys and resupply them. I'll camp overnight, so no updates tomorrow. I'll have some additional specific information to provide Friday.

Trail Angel Jane

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Hiker bedtime

Dave's spot sent us a location at 7:45 pm, but it was way off tonight. It showed him close to Crowley Lake. We are lucky that he's with two others that also have spots so we can verify his location daily. Once the sun goes down, you can be pretty sure that the hikers are in their tents ready to sleep.

They are two nights away from Cottonwood Lakes where we will resupply them. They have asked for their bear canisters, crampons, and ice axes. Their mileage is estimated at about 20 miles per day. We'll have updates on the fun they have along the way this weekend.

Trail Angel Jane

Tuesday June 15th update on “Where in the World is Just Dave” and “A Tribute to Midget Trail Angel Carol”

Thursday June 10th, Midget Trail Angel Carol and Trail Angel Jane drove to Kennedy Meadows to pick up Just Dave, Zero, and Fire Marshall. They completed mile 702!!! We found them at the Kennedy Meadows General Store talking with other hikers and eating a cheese burger. They looked tired, in need of a shower, but happy and healthy.

They came back to Duarte to resupply and plan the remainder of the trip. They are getting too far away for Trail Angels Carol and Jane to keep driving to them. Also, being in the Sierra’s, there are not easy ways to get to them. We’ve begun sending boxes of supplies out and they will need to hike into some towns for resupply on their own. This is standard trail protocol for all through hikers. Our guys have been very lucky to have had such great trail angel service for the first 700+ miles.
The plan was to get the boys back on the trail Sunday. We had to go to our friend Murray’s going away party. Dave and Murray have done Adventure Races, etc together. Dave will really miss Murray, so seeing him off was essential. Good luck Murray and family in your new adventure!

It was determined on Sunday that they still had too much to do, so the departure date was changed to Monday afternoon. I had to put in a full day of work prior to getting them back out in the wilderness. We left town about 4:00 and hit traffic (about an hour delay), arriving at Kennedy Meadows around 9:00 (yes, we stopped for dinner). That was right about the time there was an earthquake in El Centro. We were so far up the mountain that we did not feel it. Fire Marshall had just said that he really wanted to experience an earthquake. There were more than 100 aftershocks, but no damage reported yet. There were over a dozen hikers camping behind the Kennedy Meadows General Store, so our hikers decided to camp there also instead of going to the campground and were looking forward to an hour or two of socializing before bed. This General Store is only ½ mile off the trail.

I was back on the road around 9:30. I was not sleepy but was looking forward to getting home. The drive was uneventful until just prior to 11:30 when I arrived in the Alta Dena / Pasadena area. The drive was finally wearing me down. I was singing loudly to my music to stay awake, when I realized something was not right. The back passenger tire was flat. I pulled off the freeway and found myself next to a Rose Bowl sign. So I thought to myself, who lives near the Rose Bowl? Ah, yes, Midget Trail Angel! I gave Carol a call and she rushed to my rescue. We decided to put on the spare, but couldn’t get the lug nuts loosened. After a call was placed to request AAA, strong Carol loosened a couple of lugs. A Good Samaritan, Sergio, offered to help loosen the remaining ones. The tire was changed within minutes. Midget Trail Angel is a great tire changer! I drove a slow 9 miles home, arriving just after 1:00 am. What would life be without great friends and some adventure! Thanks Midget Trail Angel for coming to my rescue! Three cheers for Midget Trail Angel!

This morning our hikers had to wait for the Kennedy Meadow’s store to open up. Zero and Fire Marshall were expecting supply boxes. The store opened up at 9:00 am, so I’m sure they spent this morning pacing, itching to get back out onto the trail. They had complained yesterday how they spent too many days off the trail.
Stay tuned for more updates, pictures, etc.

Trail Angel Jane

Friday, June 11, 2010

Over 700 miles done!!

Thursday, June 10, Trail Angels Carol and Jane picked up Dave and Team Farsight at mile 702, otherwise know as Kennedy Meadows. Kennedy Meadows is the gatweay to the Sierra's, about 25 miles west of Hwy 395 (which takes you to Lone Pine, Bishop, and Mammoth). They are home resupplying for the very last time. The rest of their trek, boxes and containers will need to be shipped to different locations along the trail.

The boys are doing very well. They have all lost a bit of weight, but not much, which means that they are eating well! Any complaints they have are minor at this point, sore feet, tired knees, loss of upper body muscle. Dave told me it's the T-Rex syndrome (small arms, big legs, and a huge appetite!) Joking is always happening between them, even when they are dog tired (which is most of the time).

Dave sends his best to everyone watching the blog. We have specific updates coming along with pictures!

Trail Angel Jane