It's been almost 3 weeks since my last posting from Julian, CA, so I apologize for the lack of blog updates, but this is my first real full day off the trail since then. I'm now in Wrightwood, a small mountain town just north of San Bernandino and the I-15 in California. Since my last posting, I've hit the 100, 200, and 300 mile marks, and am now 364 miles down the trail. As I walk, I feel endlessly grateful to the many donors, supporters, followers, and trail angels who have helped me on my way, this trip would not be possible without all of you. 

 

     A lot has changed about the hike since the terrain near the Mexican border. I've now ventured into higher elevations, from the high desert to the snowy mountains of San Jacinto. Though this change came with lots of steep, endless climbs, I welcomed the respite from the harsh desert heat, hiking through patches of snow has been a treat. My diet has changed drastically since the kick-off of my journey, as my "hiker-hunger" has kicked in. The ability to instantly digest food is both a blessing and a curse, a single Snickers bar will give me an energy boost in about 10 minutes, but i'll be hungry again in 15. My diet is all about the calories, and I've learned a lot from other hikers about what to eat. Turns out, the best food for thru-hikers is the worst food you could eat at home. I eat about a pound of peanut butter a week, putting it on my snickers and clif bars (of which I have about 5 a day), and sometimes just eating it raw as I hike. With over 90% calories from fat, it's a perfect hiker-food. Hikers are constantly in search of low-weight, high calorie food, so breakfasts are often hostess or little debbies cupcakes or honey buns (400 calories). When we come into towns, we eat constantly, always in search of the biggest burrito or hamburger to satisfy our insatiable hunger. Before going under the long tunnel that took us under the I-15, we passed a sign for McDonalds. Some hikers spent as much as $60, loading up on hamburgers to eat constantly over the next few days (they keep forever). 

     Overall, my health has been good, and I feel extremely fit for the trail. Because of this, my pace and mileage has increased, from an average of about 16 miles a day to a new goal of 24 (highest mileage to date 32 miles). I've been meeting a lot of new people as I travel up the pack, hiking with a group of Germans for awhile, a man from Kenya, and a few people from Portland. My feet have started to get used to the endless hiking, helped in part by Ibuprofen and two large holes cut into the back of my hiking boots (their nearly sandals at this point) to relieve friction. Sometimes I envy Softwalker, a hiker from Iowa who has hiked barefoot from the border, who is blister-free. As I picked up my resupply box here in Wrightwood (full of trailbars, electrolytes, tuna, and socks), a lady asked if I needed a place to stay. I and about 6 other hikers were taken in by this family and fed burgers and a hearty breakfast at their rather large cabin. This is not uncommon on the trail, especially in Southern California, where so-called "trail-magic" is most common. After my day of rest here, I hike on to rise another 4000 feet in elevation to summit Mt. Baden-Powell, and then descend over 90 miles into Agua-Dulce.

 

Yours on the trail,

 

Rory