Self A-Rest

Zero,  another post about the number? No. But kind of. On the trail there are days you hike, days you hike and rest half the time (a nero), or don't hike at all (a zero). You have a choice in life, to hike or not to hike?

  It is extremely important to take zeroes on the trail. One, it gives your body a time to rest, heal and recover. Two, it is time for you to let your mind take a break, maybe distract yourself from the next section and what lies ahead. Three, you get a chance to resupply, fix gear and catch up with the outside world.

  Time exists, but mostly to the tune of eat, hike, eat while you hike, break, water filter, hike, eat while you hike, hike more, photo op, hike to water, eat, set up camp, sleep, repeat. There are no specific days, no specific month, sometimes no specific hours. When it is time for a zero you know, your body knows, your mind knows, and your stomach knows.

  We are taking a zero in Tehachapi, a desert town before the hardest stretch of desert on the trail. Lots of windmills this last stretch. My body is ready for a break, it's time to turn off the mind for a day. Then we will start prepping for the final So Cal desert stretch and then the Sierras.

  We often wonder where time takes us. About a year ago I would have been having an awkward conversation before heading to Alaska for the first time. A year later we are here, desert life, trail life, living life.

- The Prodigy

500 mile marker!

Hiker Heaven

Farm Life

Selfie mile 486

Recognize any names?

Namesake

 in the mountains we run and the deserts we crawl. That's a thought as the sun watches your every step. When people think of Southern California it seems they see more of the coastal cities and urban metropolises. Let me be one of the many PCT hikers to say that there lies a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities that exist.

  Now to the post ...Where do names come from and where do they take us? Some people grow out of a name, others never fit theirs. Some say you have to earn your name, others say you must live up to it. Out on the trail, the stories behind names range from simple to grand.

  You cross paths with folks such as Danger Dave or Legend to Aunt Petunia and Ultra Heavy. Sometimes you wonder how many names are individual and unique as opposed to recycled and duplicated. When will it be time for your trail name? Do you have to do something epic? Or possibly make a group of other hikers laugh? How memorable will that moment be when it does happen?

  Alas a name has been given..."The Prodigy." This is one of many names to have been offered my way. Whether or not it sticks is for the future. For right now, it is what I have been signing as in trail registries and answering as to other hikers. The origin comes from two hikers I've had the opportunity to hike with. Their names are "The Graduate and T-Rex" respectively. Both The Graduate and T-Rex hiked most of the trail last year before getting turned around by wildfires in Washington.

  So why "The Prodigy" you ask? Well, the way The Graduate explains it is both he and T-Rex trained for half a year to go high mileage days to finish the PCT by early to late August. I met up with them on their second day and have been hanging with them doing multiple high mileage days since. Normally hikers don't jump into a thru hike attempt, especially their first, averaging the type of miles we have. Thus the name The Prodigy was given, though again many other names were suggested and declined.
 
  It still hasn't hit yet that I'm walking from international border to international border. We just crossed 454 miles and are in a place called Hiker Heaven. It is a rest spot before the next big push through the desert.

So let's try it out,

Until the next post,

Sincerely,
The Prodigy

Desert Colors

Tunneling with T-Rex & The Graduate

Selfiez

Inversion 

Station Fire 7 years later

Sea to Summit

Growing up near the ocean was a blessing. Being able to hike in the mountains is also a blessing. Your lungchanging...ing and your body converting that depleted oxygen to help you up mountains... A fascinating process.

In the last 12 hours we climbed up 4000 feet and then dropped down 7000 feet. We stood on one of the highest peaks in Southern California and could look out at the cloud cover on one side while the other presented you the desert floor 10,000 feet below. Descending what seems like 100 switch backs , one wonders where you'll end up when you can see another switchback below.

When you can see vast distances everything can seem smaller, even you. I wondered today about the past and how one can define a life. Is it about the mountains we've scaled? The valleys we've crossed? The dishes we've created in the kitchens? These experiences we get in life are all unique, it doesn't matter how many times you've run the same trail or how many times you've baked your favorite pie, each time there is a distinct and individual experience.

I have learned and am reminded everyday that less can be more. Everything I carry on my back needs to have a use. There can't be a just in case attitude for everything out here because the environment around you is constantly in motion. Your body is in motion everyday. No matter how repetitive your steps seem, each one has its own quality to it.

And as I sit here back at sea level, about to go up in the mountains once again I see that my life is ever changing. Take the good and the bad because we all can make a choice on how we choose to live.. and that too is a blessing.

Tahquitz Peak

When you are this high, time for pie

200 mile marker

Mt San Jacinto from descent

fire detour = In n Out 

150 Miles to Paradise

Firstly thank you to everyone who has fonated to the fundraising page! Please tell your family and friends! 

 www.gofundme.com/2660forYWCAandNCBI

I remember in kindergarten we had a number line above the chalkboard that went from 0 to 100. Every day that ended in a zero that we were at school became kind of a reward day. Our teacher would bring out a donkey puppet "Zero the Hero" each of those days and he would give us treats that looked like zeroes ( 0 ). 

We passed mile 100 the other day of the PCT, a reward day in a sense but no Zero looking treats ;). I have been hiking for 5 days now after spending time with my parents and a few days off. I've switched to Altra Olympus ultra running shoes and they have felt much better on my feet. I am still adjusting to the mileage though. The aches and pains of the first two weeks everyone talks about are there.

The desert is tough and beautiful, one wrong step and many lessons can be learned... Or earned. I've had a lot of time to think, lots of questions from the past come up but I am always brought back to the present. You can walk and walk and think and think but the landscape draws you back to what lies in front of you. For a few moments at a scenic overlook you turn around and look at the scenery behind you. And its in those moments you realize how far you have come. The wind blows across your body, the sun shines in and out of the clouds and then you breathe and continue onward.

Next up: lots of climbing and descending, hope to update everyone in big bear

Photos: Eagle Rock, Sterling Burger at Paradise Cafe

Day One.5.Zero

Hey All,

 Just wanted to check in and let you know I've completed 42.8 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail thus far. My feet hurt, shoulders are a little sore and pride is definitely going to need to be checked soon.

 Lessons are learned the hard way, and fairly quickly when you are embarking on a  2660 miles journey. I decided to test out the first miles of the trail without the proper shoes, ouch. I made really good time the first day and got to Lake Morena a lot faster than anticipated. Unfortunately some hot spots had formed on the running shoes I'd decided to bring given my other shoes were in the mail still. Also, hiking in the heat of the day is brutal, though you can counteract that with an umbrella (which a lot of folks had) and proper clothing.

Side Note: The desert is beautiful and full of life. The amount of colors you see at this time of year is unreal. I've seen more wildlife in the dessert than I've seen in a lot of forests.

 I met about 20 people that day, some more energetic than others. Turns out there was an unofficial kick off party being held by some past thru-hikers at Lake Morena. Usually the last weekend of April is the weekend of the annual PCT - Kick Off Event. However due to logistics and other circumstance it didn't happen this year, well not a sanctioned one anyways. I however had this goal in mind to make it to mile 32 so that I could pull another long day tomorrow. Pride got in the way and I left Lake Morena, where the party was just getting started.

 To keep it short, I pulled 27.7 miles on Day 1...not the smartest idea. The original goal was to do 3 of those days to get to Scissors Crossing to meet a friend before going back up the coast to see my parents who were returning from a cruise. Well lets just say your body tells you when you aren't ready for trips in obvious ways. I did catch a good sunset (photos below), but was it worth it? Lesson learned.

  But before we get back to that lets go back to the night of Day 1...where I lost my maps!!! I was hiking after the sun had set and forgot to zip up the hip belt pocket. The maps fell out and I was at that point looking for a cowboy camp spot. 10 minutes after I realized I'd dropped my maps I heard voices, then saw 2 headlamps coming up the trail. I had my own head lamp on (red light/tactical mode) to conserve energy. The two guys who rolled up asked if I'd lost some maps?! If the world is trying to tell you something well it has funny ways of doing it sometimes. I thanked them profusely as the second of the two men handed me the maps. These happened to be 2 ultra runners, starting their run at 9:30pm in at night to beat the heat!

  Well after half heartedly finding a camp spot or more like a flat-ish and bare piece of ground off the trail  (LNT = 200 ft off trail), I set up my tent, sort of. Everything was aching and I fell asleep without blowing up the sleeping pad I'd decided to bring. Needless to say I can understand now how some people do not bring books on the trail because once camp is set up you are in bed.

 Day 2 saw the rain come in. If you aren't walking you get cold, if you don't eat enough you get cold, if you aren't hydrated you get cold. I did ok on those three fronts though there is a lot of room for improvement. My feet started to blister and I pushed through the pain until I got to Mt. Laguna. At that point I called my friend in San Diego and said the plans had changed, I was not going to make it to Scissors Crossing without seriously hurting myself 2 days into the hike. I hung out at the Pine House Cafe and Tavern, met some other thru-hikers or "Hiker Trash" as we get to be known, had a BIG Breakfast before heading over to the Laguna Mountain Outfitters.

 It was here that I learned of the Altra (Ultra Running Shoes) that were designed to fit your feet anatomically. Once I put one on I realized what a big mistake I'd done with my normal running shoes. Even though I'd ordered some trail runners via mail I had to get a pair of the Olympus Altras. I will let you all know how they work out in a few days.

So here I sit resting the feet, getting gear cleaned and readying myself for the real start to the journey north. I'll do my best to update this blog and keep entries shorter. Oh and if you didn't know I'm putting on a fundraising campaign for YWCA Missoula and NCBI Missoula, two nonprofits that I had the opportunity to work with in Montana.

Here's the link:
https://www.gofundme.com/2660forYWCAandNCBI

Hope everyone is well,

Cheers,
Tyler (no trail name yet)

Northbound

1 Mile down!

Wave Rock

Rock Arch

Sunset 1

The feet, the poor feet