Destination: Little Jimmy Campground
Starting Location: Wrightwood
Today’s Miles: 14.50
Trip Miles: 384.30
Highway 2 (369.5, 7386) to Little Jimmy Campground (384.0, 7450) ascent (3973) descent (3919)
Today was a nearly perfect day for hiking. We caught a ride to the trail head from Walt Klein after having another full breakfast at the Evergreen Café. Our waitress for the last 3 breakfasts supplied us with mustard packets and gave us each a brownie to take on our trek. We hooked up with Sugar Daddy after a mile or so and we enjoyed an incredible day. The temperature was mid seventies, the air was perfectly still, and the after storm visibility was amazing. We took lunch atop Mt Baden Powell after taking the short side route to the summit. Atop the mountain we could see 360 degrees and caught our first glimpse of Mt Whitney and the snow capped Sierras hundreds of trail miles to the north. We ate lunch with Sweat box, Tree hugger, Token civilian and Midnight. This group was cracking up at our over 40 team as we compared trans fat % of our selected lunches. They said they had previously been hiking with Shaggy and personally witnessed him eat 6,000 calories at McDonalds, or double dump, as we are calling it. Ah to be 20 something again.
Sugar Daddy decided he wanted to reach Agua Dulce on Friday and so he decided to push on. We are going to miss hiking with him. I carried a piece of carrot cake from Wrightwood for a surprise birthday party for him tomorrow. But since he was leaving, and I was tired of carrying it, we decided to celebrate early. Lucky Liz lit the match candles and we sang happy birthday.
I started ding more stretches hoping it will help my foot. It sounds odd but several people have recommended calf stretches for foot pain. Something about “the foot bone is connected to the leg bone, the leg bone…”
The sun is setting and I am perched perfectly to look northwest across the Mojave Desert. A few scattered lights are just appearing on the desert floor.
I asked Cadence, who has hiked the AT and 800 miles on the PCT in 2004, when the mental challenge kicks in. She said it was an individual thing but months 3 & 4 are typically the most difficult mentally. That makes sense given in the beginning it is all such a grand adventure and at the end you can smell the goal, but in the middle can be tough. For me the key has been to enjoy each day for what it brings. This continues to work for me and I think I am really enjoying my hike more as a result.
The sky is so beautiful I must try and capture it on a photo.
Destination: Little Jimmy Campground
Starting Location: Wrightwood
Today’s Miles: 14.50
Trip Miles: 384.30
Highway 2 (369.5, 7386) to Little Jimmy Campground (384.0, 7450) ascent (3973) descent (3919)
Today was a nearly perfect day for hiking. We caught a ride to the trail head from Walt Klein after having another full breakfast at the Evergreen Café. Our waitress for the last 3 breakfasts supplied us with mustard packets and gave us each a brownie to take on our trek. We hooked up with Sugar Daddy after a mile or so and we enjoyed an incredible day. The temperature was mid seventies, the air was perfectly still, and the after storm visibility was amazing. We took lunch atop Mt Baden Powell after taking the short side route to the summit. Atop the mountain we could see 360 degrees and caught our first glimpse of Mt Whitney and the snow capped Sierras hundreds of trail miles to the north. We ate lunch with Sweat box, Tree hugger, Token civilian and Midnight. This group was cracking up at our over 40 team as we compared trans fat % of our selected lunches. They said they had previously been hiking with Shaggy and personally witnessed him eat 6,000 calories at McDonalds, or double dump, as we are calling it. Ah to be 20 something again.
Sugar Daddy decided he wanted to reach Agua Dulce on Friday and so he decided to push on. We are going to miss hiking with him. I carried a piece of carrot cake from Wrightwood for a surprise birthday party for him tomorrow. But since he was leaving, and I was tired of carrying it, we decided to celebrate early. Lucky Liz lit the match candles and we sang happy birthday.
I started ding more stretches hoping it will help my foot. It sounds odd but several people have recommended calf stretches for foot pain. Something about “the foot bone is connected to the leg bone, the leg bone…”
The sun is setting and I am perched perfectly to look northwest across the Mojave Desert. A few scattered lights are just appearing on the desert floor.
I asked Cadence, who has hiked the AT and 800 miles on the PCT in 2004, when the mental challenge kicks in. She said it was an individual thing but months 3 & 4 are typically the most difficult mentally. That makes sense given in the beginning it is all such a grand adventure and at the end you can smell the goal, but in the middle can be tough. For me the key has been to enjoy each day for what it brings. This continues to work for me and I think I am really enjoying my hike more as a result.
The sky is so beautiful I must try and capture it on a photo.
Robert Francisco 
Leave a Reply