Robert Francisco

Destination: Wrightwood

Starting Location: Highway 2 T

oday’s Miles: 0.00

Trip Miles: 369.80

Wrightwood – Zero

Each town stop is like a mini reunion. As you arrive, you see people who are leaving. In town you get caught up with those who are staying and when you depart you see those arriving. At this point in the hike a fair amount of bunching up occurs as hikers set up their Sierran departure date strategy. Our group is looking towards a semi early start. Our thinking is that snow is better then potentially huge stream crossings. We will know more when we get to the Saufleys, but for now that is our stategy.

Utilized the Wrightwood library for internet access. It is a great facility and an excellent resource for travelers. I was happy to make a small contribution to the “friends” of the library group who had a donation jar on the table.

Ran into a shoe snag as New Balance is back ordered on 907, 12 ½, 2 E shoes. Dad is working hard to find me a pair and we have a back-up plan where as I would wear my Sierra shoes across the Mojave. This will likely work out well. They do not breathe as well but it will be a good test to ensure they will work for long distances. I wore the same model last year on the JMT but you never know and my feet have changed dramatically over the preceding weeks.

I have enjoyed Wrightwood and I am ready to move on. While I do not think much about the big goal of completing this hike, I believe it is in my subconscious and it reminds me that Canada is not getting any closer.

The storm has blown through and what remains is very cold air and blue skies. We will hit new snow in the a.m. but likely less than 8 inches accumulated, so it should not be a problem. I bought the last pair of glove liners at Mountain Hardware. They are not ideal but are certainly better than the ones that are permanently missing.

I am amazed at how much food I eat in town. I actually don’t feel that hungry then I eat multiple meals in a single setting…wild.

Hearing about more people getting off the trail. Hikers like to call it “off trail” as we do not want to make judgments regarding the whys. That is why you will rarely hear a fellow hiker say someone quit. If someone has a broken foot for example, which is common, you certainly do not want to label them a quitter. That judgment is so loaded and unfair given what we have gone through that it is best to simply they are “off trail”. It is their hike and their decision alone and that decision is most often respected by fellow hikers.

Destination: Wrightwood

Starting Location: Highway 2 T

oday’s Miles: 0.00

Trip Miles: 369.80

Wrightwood – Zero

Each town stop is like a mini reunion. As you arrive, you see people who are leaving. In town you get caught up with those who are staying and when you depart you see those arriving. At this point in the hike a fair amount of bunching up occurs as hikers set up their Sierran departure date strategy. Our group is looking towards a semi early start. Our thinking is that snow is better then potentially huge stream crossings. We will know more when we get to the Saufleys, but for now that is our stategy.

Utilized the Wrightwood library for internet access. It is a great facility and an excellent resource for travelers. I was happy to make a small contribution to the “friends” of the library group who had a donation jar on the table.

Ran into a shoe snag as New Balance is back ordered on 907, 12 ½, 2 E shoes. Dad is working hard to find me a pair and we have a back-up plan where as I would wear my Sierra shoes across the Mojave. This will likely work out well. They do not breathe as well but it will be a good test to ensure they will work for long distances. I wore the same model last year on the JMT but you never know and my feet have changed dramatically over the preceding weeks.

I have enjoyed Wrightwood and I am ready to move on. While I do not think much about the big goal of completing this hike, I believe it is in my subconscious and it reminds me that Canada is not getting any closer.

The storm has blown through and what remains is very cold air and blue skies. We will hit new snow in the a.m. but likely less than 8 inches accumulated, so it should not be a problem. I bought the last pair of glove liners at Mountain Hardware. They are not ideal but are certainly better than the ones that are permanently missing.

I am amazed at how much food I eat in town. I actually don’t feel that hungry then I eat multiple meals in a single setting…wild.

Hearing about more people getting off the trail. Hikers like to call it “off trail” as we do not want to make judgments regarding the whys. That is why you will rarely hear a fellow hiker say someone quit. If someone has a broken foot for example, which is common, you certainly do not want to label them a quitter. That judgment is so loaded and unfair given what we have gone through that it is best to simply they are “off trail”. It is their hike and their decision alone and that decision is most often respected by fellow hikers.