Warner Springs, mile 109!!!

We are dirty, stinky, sweaty, & so much more but we are taking a break at Warner Springs, 109 miles into the trail!!!  We hit mile 100 yesterday & we can't believe how the miles have flown by!!  Hiking in the desert has been the most challenging hiking we have ever experienced.  The grade is lovely but it's hot, dry, very little shade & everything just becomes all that much more intense in the heat & blaring sun.  Our bodies & minds are acclimating to the new environment, though & we are having a blast.  We are taking great joy in pushing ourselves way outside of our comfort zone & it feels sooooo good when we find a nice spot of shade or come across fresh water (which is rare).

The community center in Warner Springs has opened it's door to PCT hikers this year & we were fed a fresh apple & a delicious pancake & egg breakfast with orange juice & have access to all that we can dream of for the day...including a computer to update this blog!  They've really thought of everything we might need...it's amazing, really.  And we didn't even know about this place until about 20 miles ago.  What a pleasant surprise!

We will be camping out here tonight behind the community center as we await a package with some new gear in it when the post office opens first thing tomorrow morning.

So much has happened, it's hard to give all the details.  We got rattled at by our first Southern California rattlesnake & as soon as we gave him his space, he backed away from the trail & left us alone.  Gave us a nice adrenaline rush but they are very much misunderstood creatures.  We've seen many other snakes as well.  MANY lizards, horny toads, squirrels, coyote tracks & scat all over the place, hawks, cows as we walked through farm fields, & I'm sure there are others I can't think of right now...

We want to say thank you again to Frodo & Scout, who hosted us as well as many other PCT hikers at their home, fed us a delicious vegetarian-friendly dinner and breakfast, gave us a shady place to sleep, & shuttled us to the PCT southern terminus bright & early last Monday morning all the way from San Diego.  While we were there we cut off our hair (Keith still has his beard...for now) & we have not regretted that decision for one single moment.  Scout & Frodo dropped off 11 of us that morning & most of us are still in the same vicinity.

We hiked 7 miles to get here this morning, but now, the rest of the day will be rest & relaxation...& eating!  Thanks for the love, Mom, Kevin & Kanako & Jana.

Next stop:  Idyllwild!

Hello, goodbye, it's nice to know ya.

The Free Box in Telluride = one of the most amazing things we've ever experienced.  We hope to pass this on elsewhere...it was reminiscent of what we find "Hiker Boxes" we find along the trail...but included more everyday goods & things.  We were told by a local that Patagonia has a jacket inspired by the Telluride Free Box that's made with recycled materials.

Keith perusing the free box (we found amazing stuff & traded a few things in return)

After leaving Telluride, we passed through Four Corners (border of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona & Utah).  Had an emotional drive through Navajo Nation in Arizona, got sand blasted as it was very windy throughout Arizona & parts of Utah, saw some amazing land formations, got really hot then really windy then was snowing by the time we reached the east side of Zion National Park.  But it was sunny on the west side.

In four places at once

Had the most amazing less-than 24-hours stay in Zion.  Totally blew us away.  We decided to buy a National Parks Annual Pass so we can swing back through there & potentially other places in the fall on our way back east.

ZION

En route to Angel's Landing

Angel's Landing...can you see the tiny people climbing it?  Keith did this...I, on the other hand, did not...!

Swung through Las Vegas on our way through Nevada.  Left $6 poorer than we came in, but we can now say we've been there, done that.  And never shall we be back again (on purpose).

Playing the cherries for my mom!

We found the PCT on our drive across California!!!

Locally-grown avocados...7 for $1!!!!!!!!!!

We have had so much fun spending time with Keith's Uncle Randy, Aunt Vicky, Aunt Shelley & cousin Alex during our time here in Santa Barbara.  They have spoiled us with tons of delicious food, lots of laughs, Tai chi lessons, walks on the beach, wits and wagers (with and without the early answer reading by an unnamed party) and lets not forget the amazing hula hooping extravaganza!!! We have nothing but love for our California family, and we hope to carry the good energy that we encountered here with us as we start our trip north!

The above named extravaganza

Santa Barbara beach during sunset

One of the many lizard friends we've made...these guys do amazing push-ups

Uncle Randy, Aunt Vicky, cousin Alex, Aunt Shelley & us at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival

We leave tomorrow morning for our train/bus trip to San Diego where we will meet past PCT hikers Scout & Frodo as they will host us at their home (along with other current PCT hikers) & drop us off at the southern terminus of the PCT Monday morning.  The hospitality we have experienced even thus far on our trip has blown our minds.  You people have been good to us.  We are thankful to all of you whom we have visited & for those of you who have allowed us into your homes & have supported our adventure!!  Much love to you all!!

Until we meet again, The Narrows at Zion!

Greetings from Telluride, CO!!

We woke up this morning & our first thought was, "In one week from today...we'll be taking our first steps on the PCT!"  Well, hopefully that's true...we still have miles to go before we make it to California but so far, we're (mostly) on track.

After an eventful & memorable 3 days & nights of sleeping in our Subaru (which is actually deliciously comfortable), we have landed in one of the most beautiful towns either of us has ever seen - Telluride, Colorado.  It's nestled in a valley up at 8,750 ft. in the San Juan Mountains in southwest CO.  Here's a look at the downtown:

Last night we stayed in a FREE campsite we found just outside of Ouray (another adorable town tucked in a valley lower down in the mountains).  We stopped & ate a homemade doughnut & a yogurt parfait for breakfast before heading up to Telluride.  We got here early & found a room at The Victorian Inn & we have been relaxing a bit as well as exploring the town/area & are glad to be here during off-season because it's quiet & not so busy.

So let me backtrack a little bit...here's what Keith was doing YET AGAIN in Fort Collins 3 days ago, the morning after we had arrived in Colorado:

Can you see the Rocky Mountains in the background?

This time, it was the starter...something we had been putting off fixing for a long time but when our car had trouble starting the morning we were planning to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park, we decided we no longer had a choice...whenever it was cold, our car wouldn't start & it was going to be COLD in the Rockies.  So we spent that morning fixing it as well as the heat shield that was slowly starting to fall off underneath our car.  We're pretty sure we're in good shape now...........:)

After putting our car back together (hopefully for the final time), we headed up the mountain toward Estes Park & into Rocky Mountain National Park.  When we first arrived, there was only snow at a certain elevation & we were camping below, where it was dry & actually kind of warm.  We traveled up into higher elevation to hike to Alberta Falls as well as Bear Lake, which were both frozen solid yet still beautiful.  Although it was snowing & the wind was howling all night long, we were toasty warm sleeping in our car.  The roads were icy the next morning & as we were heading out of the park, we heard they were expecting much more snow so we managed to sneak out just in time...

Bighorn Sheep on our drive up to Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park

Elk herd as we were entering Rocky Mountain National Park

Keith "glissading" down the frozen Alberta Falls

A frozen Bear Lake

We awoke to Rocky Mountain snow!

So we headed back down to the valley & toward Longmont, the town where I spent the first 5 years of my life, in hopes of visiting some old & familiar territory.  I couldn't find our old apartments but we did find "the" King Supers that I remember shopping at as well as Twin Peaks Mall, both of which we explored & I shared stories.  I could've spent a lot more time exploring & searching for familiar places but we had a long day of driving ahead of us & storms to try to beat out.  I have high hopes of coming back here with my family someday.  We also drove through Boulder (the town where I was born) & kind of fell in love.  It's a bit large & sprawled out it's actually quite nice & it would be so amazing to live with the Rockies just within reach.

We spent the entire rest of the day driving through the Rockies in a snow storm but around every bend was a breathtaking view.  Mountains in all directions.  We had plans to make it all the way to Telluride yesterday night but it would've been late & we wanted to soak up all we could from our one night splurge on a hotel.  So we traveled into Ouray & that's where this story began.

We knew we'd fall in love with Colorado.  And we have.  But tomorrow it's time to say goodbye...for now.  Next stop:  Zion National Park, Utah.

Here's a little inspiration I found on a building here in Telluride.  Cheers!

Yet another car delay...

We've had a lovely time here in Iowa with my oldest sister Deana & her family.  It's been 9 years since we've been here to visit, 5 years since we've seen them all together (at our wedding) & 4 years since Deana last came to Michigan.  It blows me away how much our niece & nephews have grown & changed & it is always inspirational to see Deana & Josh as parents because they are so patient & kind & value their children's opinions & ideas.  It is a beautiful thing.  Ate much delicious food, sampled a few beers ranging from anywhere from Michigan to Iowa to Colorado (all familiar places to our family), finally broke open & shared the Colombian Rum I had been saving for them since my trip to Colombia 4 years ago, danced & rocked out on the Wii, played some new thought-provoking board/card games, watched Jocoa's 1st ever track meet, Keith & the kids played some bball, planned & prepared for our trip through Colorado, ate many Jelly Belly jelly beans, got to see where the kids go to school & picked up any remaining backpacking supplies from the cool outdoor store where Deana works in Iowa City.  We very much hope to have less of a gap in between any future visits...

Josh, Jocoa, Coltrae, Maya & Deana

Rat-a-tat-Cat

Sierra soaking up the sun & some lovin' from Keith

We had plans to head out early this morning toward Colorado...BUT when we went to start our car yesterday evening, it wouldn't start!  We tried every trick we'd previously used with past issues but had no luck so we got it towed into Iowa City this morning.  The guy was eventually able to get it started enough for us to fix the rest ourselves at a MUCH cheaper price - fuel filter, spark plugs & wires, so Keith's working on that right now.  I think he might go crazy if one more thing in that car breaks on this trip...

We'll spend one more night here & then we'll head out tomorrow morning to drive as far as we can get into Colorado - first official destination:  Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park!  If we have time, I'd like to check out Boulder & revisit some familiar territory in Longmont.  Then, we'll head down to the Telluride/Ouray/Durango area...all of which is new territory that we are VERY excited about...Colorado is calling our name!!!

Wrong turn on I-55

Our car brought us safely to Mattoon, IL Saturday morning.  A short (a bit too short), sweet visit with my dad, stepmom & younger brother Caleb.  Saved the world TWO times from a Pandemic (in a board game...but still an accomplishment).  Also got to see my Uncle Ken & Aunt Carol which is always lovely...I am greatly looking forward to receiving my Newby Auto Body t-shirt someday in the future!!  We hope to be able to meet up with some of my Newby family when we hike through the Lake Tahoe area...the trick is trying to predict when we'll actually be making it there...

Douglas-Hart Nature Center just outside of Mattoon

Visiting the farm & surrounding area brings back a lot of memories

We left Illinois Sunday evening & are now in North Liberty, IA visiting my oldest sister Deana, her husband Josh & their kids - Jocoa, Maya & Coltrae...whom it's been far to long since we've last visited.  But I will share more about this in my next post...for now, we'll go to sleep to the sound of thunder & the view of flashes of lightning outside our window.

Happy happy birthday!

Happy birthday to my sister Deana (yesterday) & to Keith's mom TODAY!  It was a lovely day today, although our original plans to head on to our next destination (my dad's house in Mattoon, IL) did not work out as planned...

A few days ago, we discovered that our car was leaking oil so after close examination, Keith & his dad figured out what it was, then ran into difficulty finding a place to order the parts (wishing we were back in Northern MI where Subaru's are a plenty), ran into some hiccups in getting the parts, but finally got them first thing this morning.  THEN we realized one of the parts they gave us was wrong, so we're trying to make do with what we've got.  Keith & his dad are still working on it as I write this.  Hopefully it'll work well enough to get us to Mattoon early tomorrow morning....& to North Liberty, IA on Sunday night...then to Santa Barbara, CA after that...

I got a new pack...but it's the same pack!  I was going to keep using my pack I used on the AT but when I put it on yesterday, the frame was bent!  So back to REI we went.  I tried on everything they had to offer & after 3+ hours I came right back to the Deuter ActLite 60+10, although this model is lighter & new & "improved."  I actually liked it just the way it was...but unfortunately company's are always striving to "improve" their products.  It is more lightweight but I miss my side pockets & external straps to secure a sleeping pad (so we added our own straps).  I'll have to adapt, I suppose & stop expecting perfection.

Box in a box & Bailey surrounding himself with our PCT goodies

Foods I'm looking forward to receiving: good peanut butter & fair trade chocolate. Keith: Texturized Vegetable Protein, hah

We've got our 5 boxes all set to go, ready to be shipped to us when we've made it to the planned stops.  IF you would like to send us something while we're out there, here are the 5 places where we'll definitely be picking up a package so we'll be able to accept other mail/packages sent via USPS.  You MUST write "hold for PCT thru-hikers" all over it & make sure not to send it out too far in advance (they'll usually hold things for about a month).  I'll try to keep this updated well enough so you can predict the appropriate time to send things...but that'll depend on what kind of access I can find to the internet.  Our trail names are Scat Tracker & Unicroc...in case you didn't already know that.  :)

Here's are the addresses:

Box #1 - mile 454.9:
Keith & DeAnna Romstad
c/o The Saufley's
11861 Darling Road
Agua Dulce, CA 91390

Box #2 - mile 702.8:
Keith & DeAnna Romstad
c/o Kennedy Meadows General Store
96740 Beach Meadow Road
Inyokern, CA 93527

Box #3 - mile 1,197.6:
Keith & DeAnna Romstad
c/o Sierra Country Store
213 Main Street
Sierra City, CA 96125

Box #4 - mile 1,830.4:
Keith & DeAnna Romstad
c/o Crater Lake Camp Store
Mazama Village
Crater Lake, OR 97604

Box #5 - mile 2,302.8:
Keith & DeAnna Romstad
c/o White Pass Rural Branch PO
at the Kracker Barrel Store
48851 US Highway 12
Naches, WA 98937

Boston peaking through the cat-hole @ Keith's parent's house

"Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together?  I guess that wouldn't work.  Someone would leave.  Someone always leaves.  Then we would have to say good-bye.  I hate good-byes.  I know what I need.  I need more hellos." -Charles M. Schultz