Mecca

Pilgrimages, this word to me contours images of something we save up for and something we dedicate ourselves to. Some might even call life a pilgrimage.

Unintentional or not, this hike has been a series of pilgrimages. 20 years ago I got to visit Yosemite National Park with my family. Unfortunately I was not as mesmerized by the sheer rock formations then as I am now. Looking back, my main focus was beating the last boss I'm Wario vs Bomberman for the Gameboy. Yup, that was the focus.

As I hiked down the John Muir Trail the other morning, moon shining bright as the sun began to creep over the horizon, I felt a sense of understanding of why I was there. The day before I had thought, why not finish the JMT? Only 22.5 more miles, what is that in a summer of hiking across the country.

It wasn't until I approached Half Dome that I had a sense of where I was and what I was looking at. The things I took for granted twenty years ago lay before me, though I wasn't quite backpacking to the degree I have now a days :)

Seeing the day hikers, prepared or not for Half Dome made me appreciate the trip I've been lucky to be having. Some of the kids reminded me of me, not having quite the interest in their surroundings like I did so many years before. But I also saw the awe and genuine wonder in other kids and that made me smile.

I chose not to hike Half Dome as I will be back and I plan on climbing it. It is weird being in one of the Mecca's of rock climbing and not being able to climb. But this trip was never about climbing, it has been about reconnection, discovery and understanding. That will be another Pilgrimage of my own one day and at that point I'll be a lot more focused on my surroundings.

Garnet Lakes

Half the Dome

Pilgramage

Chasing Waterfalls

What a day

You know I'd walk

Moments

Reality check***

**Brace yourselves, this post may not be in line with all people's views, these are my feelings and if you would like to have a discussion about it please send me an email and I'll be glad to respond.**

   One of the first things hikers on the PCT do when they get to town is turn their phones off Airplane Mode. This leads to a myriad of updates, messages, voicemails, missed calls and updates from the rest of the world. Unfortunately one of the first two posts I was welcomed back to wi-fi world was about the Massacre in Orlando...
   It is times like these when you realize all you really are doing is walking across the country. Just moving your legs and body north or south, up or down, through creeks, head on into insect swarms and eating anything with fat and calories. Seeing what certain television figures have been saying about what happened in Orlando also reminded me why I have made a choice to try and avoid major "news" outlets while in towns for R and R. It hurts to see so much hate being shown in the world, so much tragedy and fear mongering being used for different agendas.

  What I felt when the television showed updates about the Massacre in Orlando was how can we as society be better? How can we help? What can I do? Sometimes I feel lost, and I actually was lost for a little bit in the snow the other day. Long story short, I had to stop, take a deep breath and commit to a course of action that was going to lead me in a different direction. It is in times of great tragedy that a lot of people jump to conclusions, not all fault is their own. I let my own pride get in my way when I got lost and my mind was not thinking critically as I was driven by emotion.

  I get to hike in the mountains, the wilderness, valleys, through rivers, creeks, by lakes and across the West. This isn't something I can take for granted. Through my travels north though I have seen great compassion through fellow hikers on the trail. Whether it is a simple hand to help someone up a high spot or the sharing of some chai or hot meal when everything is wet and cold. One hiker has ordered 50 rainbow flags to pass out and carry to Canada with all the names of the victims of the Orlando Massacre. Sometimes it feels like the rest of the world isn't there, but once anyone gets a cell phone signal you realize everything outside of your pack and 18 inch wide trail is still going on going on.

  This last section of trail has been the most challenging. Terrain, weather, food, physically and mentally it was taxing. Two of my hiking partners, The Graduate and T-Rex had to leave the trail for a bit due to an injury. It was how fast that injury occurred that brought the hike back into perspective. Things can happen quickly and our bodies and minds being healthy are key to keeping this dream alive. As we've seen so much recently, one moment your lives can change forever.

  Gosh it seems this had become a ramble, maybe some will see it as venting but with all I've seen and experienced thus far I am happy for the moments I've had. I appreciate every one of you and the moments we've shared together. I look forward to sharing more moments with you soon,

Love,
The Prodigy

Rae Lakes with good people

Short Shorts after Thunder Snow night

Muir shelter

Yo

Sierra

The Mountains Have Called

Hello, are you there?

  John Muir, do you remember the first time you heard this person's name? Do you remember the first thing you learned about this person?

  It seems everyday I am in the Sierra Mountains the name John Muir comes up in some way, shape or form. If you are reading this you may have heard or read the quote: "The Mountains are calling, and I must go." This is by far one of the most well known John Muir quotes and also one of the best finishing lines in a letter ever written. That quote was written in a letter from John Muir to President Theodore Roosevelt. Oh how time has taken that quote and made it into undeniably one of the best motto's for getting outside and escaping into the wilderness areas across the world.

  Coming at you from Bishop, California... and no I am not climbing, well not rock climbing, well not bouldering, sport or trad climbing. We are resting up before the next push in the Sierras to Mammoth! And no I will not be snowboarding or skiing. It is quite stark the contrast in temperature in the mountains to the valley floor. It was maybe in the seventies on our hike out of Kearsarge Pass to get to the Onion Valley Camp Ground. From there we were able to catch a ride from a local hiker named High Walker to Bishop. Well it is about a hundred and one degrees right now outside. Luckily the local library is allowing hikers to use the internet for a short period of time.

  The first stretch of the Sierras has been absolutely breath taking, both literally and figuratively. We have to "earn our mountains" as I kept saying in previous posts. Well this is the stretch that every PCT hiker past, present and future talks about. In the first few days we've already reached the highest points on the PCT, CA and the lower 48. As we ascended Mt. Whitney I got to see what seemed like endless miles of mountains to the west, north and south. How do you describe in photos the sensations and feelings that run through your body as you sit and ponder your life and the life of this planet? I'm standing at the highest point in the state and lower 48 states and the only thing I can think of is how can this get any better?

  Well the trail sure does like to throw it at you everyday you are in the mountains. The very next day we go to ascend Forester Pass, the highest point on the actual PCT (Mt. Whitney is a 17 mile side trip, which of course you must do). at over 13,000 feet we got to look behind us and remind ourselves that we are one of many and that in front of us lay even more. I can tell you first hand that I would love to bring everyone I have befriended in my lifetime to these places so that you can all truly experience the special energy out here.

  I am humbled every day because I get to wake up in these places. I am reminded of some of the reasons why I chose to hike this trail. The communities we live in help shape who we are. The trail, it isn't just for me, it is also about helping inspire and educate another generation. That's why I am so happy to be helping to raise funds for both the YWCA and NCBI in Missoula, MT as these organizations help to build stronger communities.

 Each year the trail changes and I know that it will be different again next year. To live in the moment and enjoy the world as it is today is something I think we've lost touch with. Maybe if you decide to call and get a voicemail, maybe then at that moment you and I will realize that I'm answering another call.

-The Prodigy
#2660forYWCAandNCBI
www.gofundme.com/2660forYWCAandNCBI

A Top the highest point in the Lower 48 Mt. Whitney

Chicken Spring Lake

Meadow Lands

Kearsarge Pass

A top the highest Point on the PCT, Forester Pass

Trail Magic

**Right now a fire has closed off the main road in and out of Kennedy Meadows. It was 800 acres last night and jumped the road this morning. It is over 1000 acres now as of 10:15a on 6/2/16. Apparently 500 more firefighters are en route to the fire east of our position.

*** Luckily we weren't affected by the fire but many other hikers had to re route and or hold tight in towns before the fire. As I post this on 6/8/16 I have heard that they reopened the trail

  Magic, a word that can bring so much joy to people. I can remember going to a magic show as a child and being the one who got chosen to be the participant in the trick. I was so excited that during the trick ( where two ropes somehow became one rope when tied around me ) that I couldn't speak. The magician asked my name and I couldn't speak because of the excitement. All I could do was give a shy smile and nod.

  Today I get to think back to the last 700 miles and the experiences I will take going forward. How do you summarize thousands upon thousands of steps through various ecosystems, passes, valleys, dirt roads, old burns and many other places? I remember the heat, the lack of shade, the slight breeze that would disappear for hours, the hunger at all times of day and times all you wanted was a flat, soft spot on the ground to nap.

  Everyone of the moments the last 700 miles has benefited me. Sure I can complain buy what's the point? Each day presented new learning experiences and I'm happy to have done every step. We have to earn the Sierras is what I kept telling myself. As you hike through the desert though you begin to appreciate the beauty it holds. It has taught me a lot about looking beyond the surface of the earth. This was most evident as I had an interaction with a snake the other day slithering inches by me as I snacked along the trail.

  Shooting stars, desert sunsets, hummingbirds fluttering around you as you filter water. It might not seem like much but simple moments out on the trail have brought it all into perspective. Our wild places are magical and you can have many magical moments when you least expect them.

  It has been during some of the hottest sections, hungriest moments and times when the only thing you craved was a soda that a little bit of magic happened. We've been fortunate enough to come across Trail Angels who have had cold drinks and snacks at some of the hardest sections of the desert. How can I describe the feeling of turning the corner and seeing someone with a cooler with ice cold drinks? Getting a hitchhike to town or from town too is a feeling that just makes you appreciate that there are good people everywhere.

  Magic, it may seem like just a word. I am one to say it is out there, whether in a top hat or at the bottom of a mountain pass. Maybe it is just a feeling, but you'll know it when you experience it.
 
  

Wind y roaf

Desert clouds

Flowering in the burn

Kennedy Meadows bound

Chimney Creek Fire