First zero vortex

Warner Springs - Mile 110 - Apr 30_th, 2010

Had hoped to take some time for a more thorough update, but the time got away from us. No big rush to get out except that this place is a steady drain on the wallet. They haven’t been mentioning to hikers that there’s a $10 “resort fee” on top of the room charge – that’s setting a slightly less hospitable tone than I recall from previous years.

Plenty of hikers hobbling around here, and a few that we’ve gotten friendly with, but I’ve been very lazy this year about remembering names. I think I’m feeling like waiting until the crowd thins out a little more and seeing which hikers we connect with long term. Weather was pretty miserable the last day out of the San Felipe hills – which provided great motivation to get here. We did the first 10 miles in four hours on rainy, windy ridges – and then completed the next nine in slightly more than three hours, and we’re not feeling too rough for it, so that’s been very encouraging for both of us, particularly for ThruCry who had no idea before we started this that these were things she was capable of. I had no doubts she could do it, but she had no frame of reference so wasn't so sure herself. Now she knows she can bang out ten miles before lunch, and can walk 20 miles in a day and live to talk about it! Our Chacos have chewed up our feet fairly nicely, but nothing we can’t cope with. ThruCry has discovered how quickly a zero day can move by, and how it can not feel like a zero at all after a few hours of laundry and chores. At home when it’s 6:00PM we still have a good eight hours before bed-time, but out here we run out of steam at hiker midnight (9:00 PM) so the end of day yesterday snuck up on us.

This weekend there’s a big party at Mike Harrera’s place (I think that’s his name) which is about 19 miles further along the trail, quite literally in the middle of no-where. We’re trying to get out of here today, and will aim to get there by lunch tomorrow. I vividly remember having a fantastic nap on his porch in 07 almost three years ago to the day with SunWalker (I mean SunWalker was there, not that we napped together ;-) - and some water hoarding section hikers. It was a great little oasis and it’ll be nice to actually meet the man who provides it this time.

So, anyway, wish that I could take more time to say a little about the hikers we've been hanging with but there’s been quite a few and the names just aren't sticking for me yet. More in a few days from Idylwild. Oh, some very sad news, the Paradise Cafe at Palm-to-Pines highway is apparently closed ... boourns. :-( All the buzz here is of course about Fuller Ridge and the snowy patches leading up to it. Hoping that by the time we get there it’ll be passable – apparently someone had to self arrest with a Leatherman. If its sketchy we’ll be turning back and hiking around – not taking any unnecessary risks, but my guess is that by the time we arrive in a few days it won’t be so scary.

So, feeling great, spirits high, packs loaded – happy with most of our gear, heading out.

Cheers – Potential 178 & ThruCry