I am back...

Back on the trail. I believe all sickness is behind me and now I am only a few days from Crater Lake. I am now hiking in Oregon and Cali is in the rear-view...
Time to make up some ground and get this thing done! Thanks for all the kind words, help and support from all of you kind people !!

Hope you're having a great summer...

K

Still not feeling quite right...

I've hikes a hundred miles since I got really sick, but I am still not quite right. Every morning I've been waking up with stomach pains and flu like conditions. Somedays it goes away quickly, Somedays it's a grind. I wish I could eat nothing but fruits and veggies, they always help my stomach settle, but it's an impossible mission on the trail. We are also in the midst of a punishing heat-wave that has the temps at or above 100 degrees for the next few days still...ugh...I am gonna take it easy, but this state is almost in the rear view and I am excited to make it out of Cali and into Oregon...
Gonna meet up with my mom in Ashland in a week and a half, so I need to get moving...
Hope all is well with you folks.

K

morning talk....

Me: ....ugh....hiking...blech...

Beard: well lets go get a job....

Me: ....ugh...work...blech...

Beard: feed me....(nom nom nom)

Me: Beard you have no idea how fast I could get rid of you...

Beard: get rid of me you? already pull like 100 hairs of me out a day!! What gives man???

Me: watch it dude!!

Beard: so do you think i had anything to do with that bear running away so fast yesterday?

Me: no doubt beard, no doubt! Good
Job!!

Beard: and did you see that lady with a beard yesterday? Weird right??

Me: I love you beard!

Beard: I love you too... (nom nom nom) ...I am glad were hiking again...we should catch up with that Blood Bank character....

Me: you're hella smart for only being 3 months beard...let's get going, we have at least 25 miles to do today...

Beard: I'm still hungry....

DIP, Becky, and Blood Bank to the rescue....again....

Well I finally had my biggest trail snag thus far, getting food poisoning or some bug on the trail. It led to some major dehydration and me needing to be off the trail for a few days. Luckily, DIP and his wife and children happened to be at Burney Falls SP and came and rescued me from Old Station where I was in hot, miserable shape. What an amazing trail angel family. They took me to their camp and filled me up with drinks, fresh fruit and vegetables, and got me feeling a ton better. They live real close to mile marker 350 and took me in when I was just a month into this adventure, and gave a group of us some much needed time off from the desert, and the timing then couldn't have been any better, just like this time! What a great time it was seeing them and spending time with the whole family. It was the best thing that could have happened when I was feeling that horrible. So once again, right when I've thought the trail has gotten the best/worst of me, something or someone is there to keep my head on straight and keep my spirits up! What a great adventure this last three months has been, I hope it continues forever. For reals.
I am feeling a bit better today, looking to get back to hiking solid once my buddy Wolverine catches up with my wallet...definitely needed today off as well!

Thanks for all the kind words of support and concern, all you amazing people are mostly what keep me going everyday. Knowing so many of you are wishing you could be in my shoes makes me feel so fortunate for living this 'on the road' lifestyle. It is so amazing and fulfilling, so thank you all so much, truly.

Peace.
Kristo

boneheaded....

left my wallet in Chester....seriously a bonehead move. Must have been in some sort of shake...er...malt coma. On the upside, Hee-Haw, Swiss-Army and myself got some insider info on a old fashioned ice cream shoppe/counter. After the malt, we hit up a great Chinese place.

So the wallet was found, I called they had it, my buddy Wolverine (wolverinePCT.blogspot) behind me picked it up and I just have to wait for him to catch up to get it back to me. Major crisis averted. Meanwhile, I am at an awesome place in Lassen National Park, Drakesbad Guest Ranch, a mineral hot-springs and resort. Super hiker friendly, free showers, laundry, and swimming, super cheap food!!!
There are some crazy boiling sulfuresque pools nearby, and air pockets venting gases, crazy stuff hiking next to so much volcanic terrain instead of granite....effin' good times!!

Hat Creek Rim is up next, the major waterless section in nor*cal. Should be no biggie, I am gonna hit that hot stretch like a bullet from a .45 and. Hike through the night I think. Back to night hikes looking out for rattlers...and pumas...

it's heating up, so stay cool
kristo

Chips Fire

The Chips Fire which is just North of BeldenTown, began the day before I arrived there. Initial reports were that it was 25 acres and would shut down the 45 mile section of trail between Hw70 in Belden and Hw36/89 near Chester for only 3-4 days. I was able to walk a forest road/highway walk alternative that connected me back on the PCT after about 35 miles, but road walking sucks and can be dangerous. Other hikers behind me were not so fortunate to have another way around the fire to walk, as the fire has now grown to over 1000 acres and they have shut down all roads and trails in that area to foot traffic. For the ' 'purist' hikers this is a real bummer because they choose to walk 100%of the way, border to border, no rides where Pct miles are counted for. This closure forces them to hitch or use public transportation to get around it, skip 45 miles of hiking, and we have missed the actual PCT midway marker. Oh well. For me it is the summer of my life, learning so much, meeting great people and loving the life on the road lifestyle. So, I've made it around the fire area, I am near Mt. Lassen and booking North...I am only a couple days behind a few hikers from my old 'bubble' so hopefully I can catch em sooner than later!!!
Today it's Drakesbad Guest Ranch, tomorrow, it's Old Station for a package, then it's on through the Hat Creek Rim en route to Burney Falls, then Dunsmuir, Etna, Seiad Valley and it's SO LONG CALI!!! Oregon is coming up quick and I can't wait for Cali to be in the rear view....

Thanks folks, I love ya
Kristo

so much thanks...

....to the universe, and everyone and everything in it. Life has been really good lately. Great family, friends, and trail. I sometimes forget to remember that it may not be so great for others, and I hope you all can find something that always makes you happy and try to focus on that whenever you are feeling down...
A great quote that I received in a txt today (I love knowing such great people) says : "when you stop doing things for fun, you might as well be dead." - Hemingway

I hope you all have a TON of fun doing something you love this week...make a point of it!

Peace and Love
Kristo