Robert Francisco

Destination: Sandy Jeep Road

Starting Location: Chihuahua Valley Road

Today’s Miles: 15.60

Trip Miles: 142.70

Chihuahua Valley Road (5050) to Sandy Jeep Road (4075)

Assent (2116) Decent (3054)

I am not sure where the “herd” of hikers we keep hearing about is as we did not see another hiker all day. We did have a very close encounter with a Western Diamondback rattle snake. As Lucky Liz walked by this 5+ foot snake with eight buttons of rattles sounded the alarm. T-minus immediately backed into me and Liz leapt forward. We tried to get that snake off the trail for 15 minutes and boy was he mad, coiled, and acting defiant. We finally had to get off the trail to get around the serpent. I hope no one was behind us because as we left he was coiled right in the middle of the trail.

I’m not sure how Tom pulled it off, but even after completely miscommunicating our meeting location, Tom deducted where we should likely be given the number of hours we had been walking. He found us in the middle of a very confusing maze of dirt roads. Just when we figured out that we had screwed up and obviously missed the rendezvous, here comes Tom walking up the trail carrying 3 of the juiciest oranges in the world. So our planned 12 mile day morphed into 15 with an 800 foot gain the last few miles. Tom drove us to the Anza RV Park. The shower was hot and the food at the diner down the road was pretty good. Just as we left the diner, the adjacent bar was setting up for karaoke cowboy style. The last thing we heard was George Jones blaring through the machine. Linda and Hank are also here

Destination: Sandy Jeep Road

Starting Location: Chihuahua Valley Road

Today’s Miles: 15.60

Trip Miles: 142.70

Chihuahua Valley Road (5050) to Sandy Jeep Road (4075)

Assent (2116) Decent (3054)

I am not sure where the “herd” of hikers we keep hearing about is as we did not see another hiker all day. We did have a very close encounter with a Western Diamondback rattle snake. As Lucky Liz walked by this 5+ foot snake with eight buttons of rattles sounded the alarm. T-minus immediately backed into me and Liz leapt forward. We tried to get that snake off the trail for 15 minutes and boy was he mad, coiled, and acting defiant. We finally had to get off the trail to get around the serpent. I hope no one was behind us because as we left he was coiled right in the middle of the trail.

I’m not sure how Tom pulled it off, but even after completely miscommunicating our meeting location, Tom deducted where we should likely be given the number of hours we had been walking. He found us in the middle of a very confusing maze of dirt roads. Just when we figured out that we had screwed up and obviously missed the rendezvous, here comes Tom walking up the trail carrying 3 of the juiciest oranges in the world. So our planned 12 mile day morphed into 15 with an 800 foot gain the last few miles. Tom drove us to the Anza RV Park. The shower was hot and the food at the diner down the road was pretty good. Just as we left the diner, the adjacent bar was setting up for karaoke cowboy style. The last thing we heard was George Jones blaring through the machine. Linda and Hank are also here

Destination: Chihuahua Valley Road

Starting Location: Warner Spring

Today’s Miles: 17.50

Trip Miles: 127.10

Warner Springs (3040) to Chihuahua Valley Road (5050)

Today was perfect weather for hiking with overcast skies all day. We had a nice breakfast at Warner Springs and hit the trail around 8:00. We had a 30 minute delay as we met some equestrians who had a two year old horse in training who simply would not jump across a creek with a steep incline on both sides. It was fascinating watching a skilled horseman work with the nervous horse until his confidence was built or his stubbornness was tamed. When the horse finally gave into the will of the man you could see it in his eyes.

Tom hiked in and led us back to his truck where we fired up the Coleman stove. We had a feast of tuna casserole, salad, Girl Scout cookies. We are starting to hear gossip from up and down the trail and it is strange to me. For example today we heard that Mango from New Zealand decided to end his hike early and head for home. This information simply traveled from person to person until we heard it . . . quite a grapevine.

Destination: Chihuahua Valley Road

Starting Location: Warner Spring

Today’s Miles: 17.50

Trip Miles: 127.10

Warner Springs (3040) to Chihuahua Valley Road (5050)

Today was perfect weather for hiking with overcast skies all day. We had a nice breakfast at Warner Springs and hit the trail around 8:00. We had a 30 minute delay as we met some equestrians who had a two year old horse in training who simply would not jump across a creek with a steep incline on both sides. It was fascinating watching a skilled horseman work with the nervous horse until his confidence was built or his stubbornness was tamed. When the horse finally gave into the will of the man you could see it in his eyes.

Tom hiked in and led us back to his truck where we fired up the Coleman stove. We had a feast of tuna casserole, salad, Girl Scout cookies. We are starting to hear gossip from up and down the trail and it is strange to me. For example today we heard that Mango from New Zealand decided to end his hike early and head for home. This information simply traveled from person to person until we heard it . . . quite a grapevine.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006 Destination: Warner Spring

Starting Location: San Ysidro Creek

Today’s Miles: 4.40

Trip Miles: 109.60

San Ysidro Creek (3355) to Warner Springs (3040)

Today we had a nero which is hiker language for “near zero”. A zero days means that you hike no miles that day. So because we only did a few miles it is a near zero day. We got to Warner Springs at 8:30 a.m. and they immediately got us checked in. Then we were off to breakfast where I had my first experience ordering 2 full meals and eating every bite; omelet, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and French toast. I am hopeful my HDLs are elevated enough due to the exercise to compensate for the saturated fat load. One thing great about hiking this much is you can literally eat all you want. During breakfast a very nice and well clad golfer named Mike stopped by to ask us a few questions and express his support for the PCT. Then when we went to pay our TAB the waitress informed us that the gentleman whom we had been talking to had taken care of it. Whoever you are Mike, thank you. Warner Springs has been fantastic and there are lots of Hikers here. We spent some time with Warner Springs Monty and reconnected with T-minus who is going to join us in the morning as we head to Idyllwild. Her husband Tom is supporting her and thus will be supporting us as well for the next few days; the team work on the trail is beginning to develop. I am getting a fair amount of ribbing about taking on the trail name go-BIG but it is all in good spirit and most seem to get the parody of a soft middle-aged guy going big.

Destination: Warner Spring

Starting Location: San Ysidro Creek

Today’s Miles: 4.40

Trip Miles: 109.60

San Ysidro Creek (3355) to Warner Springs (3040)

Today we had a nero which is hiker language for “near zero”. A zero days means that you hike no miles that day. So because we only did a few miles it is a near zero day. We got to Warner Springs at 8:30 a.m. and they immediately got us checked in. Then we were off to breakfast where I had my first experience ordering 2 full meals and eating every bite; omelet, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and French toast. I am hopeful my HDLs are elevated enough due to the exercise to compensate for the saturated fat load. One thing great about hiking this much is you can literally eat all you want. During breakfast a very nice and well clad golfer named Mike stopped by to ask us a few questions and express his support for the PCT. Then when we went to pay our TAB the waitress informed us that the gentleman whom we had been talking to had taken care of it. Whoever you are Mike, thank you. Warner Springs has been fantastic and there are lots of Hikers here. We spent some time with Warner Springs Monty and reconnected with T-minus who is going to join us in the morning as we head to Idyllwild. Her husband Tom is supporting her and thus will be supporting us as well for the next few days; the team work on the trail is beginning to develop. I am getting a fair amount of ribbing about taking on the trail name go-BIG but it is all in good spirit and most seem to get the parody of a soft middle-aged guy going big.

Destination: San Ysidro Creek

Starting Location: Top of Felipe Hills Today’s Miles: 20.20

Trip Miles: 105.20

Top of Felipe Hills 1st Gate (3360) to San Ysidro Creek (3355)

2100 Assent, 1952 Decent

Our water/heat strategy worked well. arrived at the 3rd Gate cache with 3 liters apiece and enough to get to Barrel Springs if needed. Frightening the 3 other hikers at the cache were completely out of water as they were relying on the cache being fully stocked. About mid morning we had a bit of a scare as Liz was on her hands and knees with a sudden and acute case of nausea. I immediately suspected heat exhaustion but the symptoms were not quite right. Fortunately she recovered as quickly as she fell ill and thinks it may have been from some powdered soy milk–another good reason not to be a vegetarian. It was scary being a long way from anywhere and being faced with this situation. It was a nice afternoon at Barrel Springs and a quick trip to our camp stop. We will go into Warner Springs tomorrow for our first true resupply. I am looking forward to cleaning up as we really stink after 3 days of desert travel. Some town food sounds good also. Did I mention we really stink?

Starting Location: Rodriguez Spur Truck Road Today’s Miles: 17.00

Trip Miles: 85.00

Rodriguez Spur Truck Road (3650) to Top of Felipe Hills

1503 Assent, 482 Decent

We got up early and hit the trail at 6:20 in order to beat the heat. As planned we reached San Felipe Creek by 11:00 and are now parked under a cottonwood tree as we wait out the heat of the day. We plan to leave around 4 p.m. and do another 9 miles or so. So the water cache situation here is unique in that you have San Felipe Creek which is of marginal flow and you have about 50 gallons of bottled water .2 miles away. What to do? We filled our bottles with the cache water and will carry enough to make it to the next permanent source. Liz pointed out that not using the clean water in order to make a point or claim some sort of purism was really silly as much of the water we have been accessing was also developed by people for the PCT traveler . . . interesting thought.

I climbed up Felipe Hills in the late afternoon carrying 6 liters of water. At two pounds per liter that stuff is heavy. The climb took longer than expected and we did get over the top before dark so we found a flat spot along the trail and threw our bags down. It is a beautiful evening and my spirits are good. I am suffering more physically than anticipated; the knee is very sore and Liz pointed out without me even noticing that my ankle was swollen up the size of an orange. It is freaky looking but does not hurt at all. The heat and mileage is causing me some chaffing. My feet, which everyone talks about being a problem, seem to be doing well with one tiny blister on the side of my big toe. The stars are really coming out now under a quarter moon. We must get going early again tomorrow as we have about 15 miles to water and we are dry camping with only 3 liters left. I am really enjoying the desert and especially the blooming cactus

Starting Location: Rodriguez Spur Truck Road Today’s Miles: 17.00

Trip Miles: 85.00

Rodriguez Spur Truck Road (3650) to Top of Felipe Hills

1503 Assent, 482 Decent

We got up early and hit the trail at 6:20 in order to beat the heat. As planned we reached San Felipe Creek by 11:00 and are now parked under a cottonwood tree as we wait out the heat of the day. We plan to leave around 4 p.m. and do another 9 miles or so. So the water cache situation here is unique in that you have San Felipe Creek which is of marginal flow and you have about 50 gallons of bottled water .2 miles away. What to do? We filled our bottles with the cache water and will carry enough to make it to the next permanent source. Liz pointed out that not using the clean water in order to make a point or claim some sort of purism was really silly as much of the water we have been accessing was also developed by people for the PCT traveler . . . interesting thought.

I climbed up Felipe Hills in the late afternoon carrying 6 liters of water. At two pounds per liter that stuff is heavy. The climb took longer than expected and we did get over the top before dark so we found a flat spot along the trail and threw our bags down. It is a beautiful evening and my spirits are good. I am suffering more physically than anticipated; the knee is very sore and Liz pointed out without me even noticing that my ankle was swollen up the size of an orange. It is freaky looking but does not hurt at all. The heat and mileage is causing me some chaffing. My feet, which everyone talks about being a problem, seem to be doing well with one tiny blister on the side of my big toe. The stars are really coming out now under a quarter moon. We must get going early again tomorrow as we have about 15 miles to water and we are dry camping with only 3 liters left. I am really enjoying the desert and especially the blooming cactus

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Destination: Rodriguez Spur Truck Road

Starting Location: Pioneer Mail Today’s Miles: 15.70

Trip Miles: 68.00

________________________________________

4-30-06

15.7 Miles

Pioneer Mail (5260) to Rodriguez Spur Truck Road (3650)

1759 Assent, 3228 Decent

It’s nice to finally be on the trail for good. Looking back, the Kick Off was great but I am glad to be moving. Liz joined me today and will stay with me for about a month. It was great hiking together today and I enjoyed seeing my wife again after such a busy few months with life getting in the way of us spending time together. Doug and Gerard gave us a ride to Pioneer Mail and then continued on to Warner Springs to drop Pro Deal off. The walking was really nice with abundant wildflowers. We enjoyed a few hot mid-afternoon hours in the shade of an oak tree in the middle of a desert meadow. We laid in the tall grass and had our first stretch where water was an issue. I had to walk down stream about ¼ of a mile before I found water at Chariot Canyon. Here at Rodriguez Spur we found water in a concrete tank used for summer wildfires. It had a few floaties in it but with a few drops of Aqua Mira (a chemical used to treat water) we drank up. We are sleeping under the stars tonight and plan on an early start as we have to cross a hot waterless stretch tomorrow afternoon. I have decided to try and not use the water caches that are put out by a group of wonderful volunteers. I believe the concept is wonderful but I am concerned about the reliance people may take in them and what that may do to the trail experience.

Destination: Rodriguez Spur Truck Road

Starting Location: Pioneer Mail Today’s Miles: 15.70

Trip Miles: 68.00

Pioneer Mail (5260) to Rodriguez Spur Truck Road (3650)

1759 Assent, 3228 Decent

It’s nice to finally be on the trail for good. Looking back, the Kick Off was great but I am glad to be moving. Liz joined me today and will stay with me for about a month. It was great hiking together today and I enjoyed seeing my wife again after such a busy few months with life getting in the way of us spending time together. Doug and Gerard gave us a ride to Pioneer Mail and then continued on to Warner Springs to drop Pro Deal off. The walking was really nice with abundant wildflowers. We enjoyed a few hot mid-afternoon hours in the shade of an oak tree in the middle of a desert meadow. We laid in the tall grass and had our first stretch where water was an issue. I had to walk down stream about ¼ of a mile before I found water at Chariot Canyon. Here at Rodriguez Spur we found water in a concrete tank used for summer wildfires. It had a few floaties in it but with a few drops of Aqua Mira (a chemical used to treat water) we drank up. We are sleeping under the stars tonight and plan on an early start as we have to cross a hot waterless stretch tomorrow afternoon. I have decided to try and not use the water caches that are put out by a group of wonderful volunteers. I believe the concept is wonderful but I am concerned about the reliance people may take in them and what that may do to the trail experience.

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Destination: Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

Starting Location: Lake Morena ADZPCTKO Today’s Miles: 0.00

Trip Miles: 52.30

________________________________________

0 Miles

Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

Well the Kick Off is winding down and it was a really great event. I met some wonderful people today. My knee is feeling a bit better so some of my apprehension has dissipated. The evening BBQ was really neat. I had a triple cheese burger, potato salad, and four huge brownies.

Jeff and his family departed today. It was great to spend time with them and to continue to build a relationship with Jeff. Another brother-in-law Gerard (Liz has a huge family) arrived for the evening with his partner Doug. The support and interest from family is quickly becoming a special part of this trip.

I got stung by a damn bee on my little toe this afternoon. Fortunately it was not a bad sting as I am highly allergic. I got a bit light headed and it hurt like hell, but the pain is O.K. now. Unreal – the class of 05 just delivered hot chocolate and smores as I am writing this. My fingers are so sticky it is making a mess of my journal

Destination: Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

Starting Location: Lake Morena ADZPCTKO Today’s Miles: 0.00

Trip Miles: 52.30

Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

Well the Kick Off is winding down and it was a really great event. I met some wonderful people today. My knee is feeling a bit better so some of my apprehension has dissipated. The evening BBQ was really neat. I had a triple cheese burger, potato salad, and four huge brownies.

Jeff and his family departed today. It was great to spend time with them and to continue to build a relationship with Jeff. Another brother-in-law Gerard (Liz has a huge family) arrived for the evening with his partner Doug. The support and interest from family is quickly becoming a special part of this trip.

I got stung by a damn bee on my little toe this afternoon. Fortunately it was not a bad sting as I am highly allergic. I got a bit light headed and it hurt like hell, but the pain is O.K. now. Unreal – the class of 05 just delivered hot chocolate and smores as I am writing this. My fingers are so sticky it is making a mess of my journal

Friday, April 28, 2006

Destination: Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

Starting Location: Pioneer Mail Today’s Miles: 0.00

Trip Miles: 52.30

________________________________________

4-28-06

0 Miles

Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

I’m taking a zero day at ADZPCTKO with mixed feelings. The event is a great place to reconnect with friends, meet new people, and gather valuable information. At the same time it has a weird feeling to me. I don’t really know how to describe the feeling but the KO feels foreign for a hiking experience. I did not have this feeling in non-hiking years so I may simply be anxious about my hike. This could be exacerbated because my knee is really sore and I am kicking myself for potentially over doing it on the Mt. Laguna day. The thought has occurred to me that I could have screwed up my hike and that is an incredible disappointing and heartbreaking thought. I am sure I am over reacting and simply have an overuse injury but the fear is troubling.

One really great thing about Kick Off is direct access to the cottage industry vendors who are producing the best gear and doing a substantial amount to support the trail. Today Henry Shires from Tarp Tent showed how to optimize the set-up of my rainbow tent, and Brian Frankle from Ultralight Adventure Equipment helped adjust my pack and personally delivered a set of crampons. Where else can you get such service from the owners of companies and then have them donate time and money to support the trail. These guys are the besDestination: Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

Starting Location: Pioneer Mail Today’s Miles: 0.00

Trip Miles: 52.30

Lake Morena ADZPCTKO

I’m taking a zero day at ADZPCTKO with mixed feelings. The event is a great place to reconnect with friends, meet new people, and gather valuable information. At the same time it has a weird feeling to me. I don’t really know how to describe the feeling but the KO feels foreign for a hiking experience. I did not have this feeling in non-hiking years so I may simply be anxious about my hike. This could be exacerbated because my knee is really sore and I am kicking myself for potentially over doing it on the Mt. Laguna day. The thought has occurred to me that I could have screwed up my hike and that is an incredible disappointing and heartbreaking thought. I am sure I am over reacting and simply have an overuse injury but the fear is troubling.

One really great thing about Kick Off is direct access to the cottage industry vendors who are producing the best gear and doing a substantial amount to support the trail. Today Henry Shires from Tarp Tent showed how to optimize the set-up of my rainbow tent, and Brian Frankle from Ultralight Adventure Equipment helped adjust my pack and personally delivered a set of crampons. Where else can you get such service from the owners of companies and then have them donate time and money to support the trail. These guys are the best.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Destination: Pioneer Mail

Today’s Miles: 9.30

Trip Miles: 52.30

9.3 Miles

Mt. Laguna (5980) to Pioneer Mail (5260)

1191 Assent 1781 Decent

Another magical day. We left Mt. Laguna at noon in a complete cloud with very limited visibility. I was surprised to wake up to a very sore right knee and instep. The instep loosened up but the knee was hurting pretty good by Pioneer Mail. I was glad we were stopping after only a few hours of hiking. Looks like I may have over done it yesterday. Oh well, I have a couple of days to recover. We had a plan to get a ride from Pioneer Mail on Friday morning, but 5 minutes after arriving Brad (class of 02) dropped in and offered us a ride and a soda. How could we refuse?

We ran into our first mountain bikers on the trail today. They claimed they did not see the signs which is highly improbable, but they were cordial and agreed to depart the PCT after some polite conversation. And they did, as we came to a road immediately, they got off the trail.

Back in Morena now and another meal courtesy of mom and dad. The camp ground is filling up rapidly and the festivities are beginning—Welcome to the Annual Day Zero, Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off Party (ADZPCTKO). The ADZPCTKO is an informal gathering of hikers and supporters but the party is getting so big that out of necessity it has some formal feel to it. For example, when we got in we were “informed” that we needed to register. It is funny and I guess natural how things go from simple to complicated; the inverse of ent

Destination: Pioneer Mail

Today’s Miles: 9.30

Trip Miles: 52.30

9.3 Miles

Mt. Laguna (5980) to Pioneer Mail (5260)

1191 Assent 1781 Decent

Another magical day. We left Mt. Laguna at noon in a complete cloud with very limited visibility. I was surprised to wake up to a very sore right knee and instep. The instep loosened up but the knee was hurting pretty good by Pioneer Mail. I was glad we were stopping after only a few hours of hiking. Looks like I may have over done it yesterday. Oh well, I have a couple of days to recover. We had a plan to get a ride from Pioneer Mail on Friday morning, but 5 minutes after arriving Brad (class of 02) dropped in and offered us a ride and a soda. How could we refuse?

We ran into our first mountain bikers on the trail today. They claimed they did not see the signs which is highly improbable, but they were cordial and agreed to depart the PCT after some polite conversation. And they did, as we came to a road immediately, they got off the trail.

Back in Morena now and another meal courtesy of mom and dad. The camp ground is filling up rapidly and the festivities are beginning—Welcome to the Annual Day Zero, Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off Party (ADZPCTKO). The ADZPCTKO is an informal gathering of hikers and supporters but the party is getting so big that out of necessity it has some formal feel to it. For example, when we got in we were “informed” that we needed to register. It is funny and I guess natural how things go from simple to complicated; the inverse of entropy

Destination: Mt. Laguna

Starting Location: Lake Morena Today’s Miles: 22.40

Trip Miles: 43.00

_______________________________

Lake Morena (3065) to Mt. Laguna (5980)

4688 Assent 1781 Decent

Today was full of wonderful contrast as we traveled nearly 3000 vertical feet and went from chaparral to oak woodland to coniferous forest. We also walked from pleasant weather to sleeting rain and when we arrived at Mt. Laguna we were both physically exhausted. We were also beginning to shiver. We had not planned on coming this far today but after running into Charlie Willard at Boulder Oaks and hearing about a hot shower and a comfortable bed the idea was planted. We were also interested in pushing ourselves to test our bodies early on. We faired well but vitamin I (ibuprofen) was on the dinner menu. We did not have reservations at Mt. Laguna and we arrived after the facilities were closed for the evening. We were certainly anxious when (while dripping and shivering) we rang the night bell and asked for a room. The inn keepers immediately invited us in, secured us a room, and even opened the store for us. We bought some junk food to supplement our mush-in-a-cup along with some firewood for the wood stove. What incredible hospitality. I can not remember when a hot shower and bed ever felt so good . . . I am exhausted

Today’s Miles: 22.40

Trip Miles: 43.00

Lake Morena (3065) to Mt. Laguna (5980)

4688 Assent 1781 Decent

Today was full of wonderful contrast as we traveled nearly 3000 vertical feet and went from chaparral to oak woodland to coniferous forest. We also walked from pleasant weather to sleeting rain and when we arrived at Mt. Laguna we were both physically exhausted. We were also beginning to shiver. We had not planned on coming this far today but after running into Charlie Willard at Boulder Oaks and hearing about a hot shower and a comfortable bed the idea was planted. We were also interested in pushing ourselves to test our bodies early on. We faired well but vitamin I (ibuprofen) was on the dinner menu. We did not have reservations at Mt. Laguna and we arrived after the facilities were closed for the evening. We were certainly anxious when (while dripping and shivering) we rang the night bell and asked for a room. The inn keepers immediately invited us in, secured us a room, and even opened the store for us. We bought some junk food to supplement our mush-in-a-cup along with some firewood for the wood stove. What incredible hospitality. I can not remember when a hot shower and bed ever felt so good . . . I am exhausted.