SOLO PCT HIKE MEXICO-OREGON 1993 1of7
			by J. Willis 'Echo Thunder' Jarvis-Hennings
Prologue: These are the edited transcripts of my solo hike from Mexico to Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), from April 2 to September  4, 1993, a total of 156 days including breaks and layovers.  It was the third long distance hike of my life, after a 3-month 400-mile hike from Donner Pass to the summit of Mt. Shasta in 1980, and then ten years later in 1990 a one-month hike southbound from the same Donner Pass to the summit of Mt. Whitney.  This hike was different from the first two because it was open ended.  I did not have anything else planned to do afterwards, not even go back to work if I wished to live indefinitely under open skies as a homeless wanderer or a desert hermit.  I also started in poor physical shape suffering from ulcers and anxiety and had no idea how long the trail would be.  This hike radically changed my physical condition and in retrospect marked the beginning of my retirement at age 50.  In the following year 1994 I successfully hiked from Mexico to Canada in only 4-1/2 months (trail name: Willis Whoa), roughly about as long as this hike took just to reach the Oregon border in 1993.  Then in 1999 I thru-hiked the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).  But I did not keep a daily journal on those hikes, only this one. After ending this hike in Ashland,  Oregon, I transcribed my trail notes in early October, 1993, at my brother Jeff's home in Norcross,  Georgia, on my old ZEOS 386 33-MHz PC, without any word processor except for my customized M.EXE text editor.  I wrote a word wraparound program (WRAP.C) to format the line lengths to about 78 chars.  Unfortunately the wrap.c  executable no longer exists (as of July, 2002) and the challenge of recompiling the source code is daunting.  The hard line feeds embedded in the archived text prevent modern word processors from wrapping lines seamlessly.  Therefore the appearance of this transcription may not be optimum until the line feeds are painstakingly deleted by hand for approximately 3,496 lines in seven files including appendix.  A few xeroxed copies of the original were distributed to my close relations, and one was even mailed to Ray Jardine, the famous originator of ultralight hiking, who made some encouraging comments.  Then the file was archived on 3-1/2" floppy disks and remained sealed in ziploc bags for the next nine (9) years.  When in June, 2002, I created a personal yahoo website named The Whoa Way at www.geocities.com/williswhoa, I remembered this journal and unpacked the disks from storage.  Incredibly they were still readable.  The text was converted from plain text format to HTML format using Microsoft Word on my new Gateway 500S XP system running at 1.8 GHz, 55 times faster than the old ZEOS, may it rest in peace. The first 52 days of my hike were written on the margins of the Schaffer Pacific Crest Trail bible I carried with me.  I cut this reference into three sections, and carried only one section at a time, to reduce weight.  The first section was from Campo, a small settlement near the Mexican border, 50 miles inland from San Diego by county bus, to Highway 78 near Walker Pass, gateway to Mt.Whitney and the high John Muir trail.  The second section extended to Donner Pass, at the north end of Lake Tahoe. This second section was already used by me for a previous one-month hike three years ago (7/5/90 to first week of August, 1990) from Donner Pass to Mt. Whitney, and contained notes in its margin from that hike. Therefore I began keeping notes for this 1993 hike in a separate green Mead Steno Notebook (50 green tint sheets/Gregg ruled, 6X9in) which slipped easily into the map compartment of my Kelty Tioga backpack.  The third section contained PCT topo maps to Ashland,  Oregon.  I gave the third section to my cousin Brother Paul at the Abbey of New Clairvaux -- most of the notes in it are duplicated in a second Steno Notebook (Day 105..156).  So in summary these following journal entries are combined from five books: three sections of PCT guide and two Steno notebooks. In five months of solitary walking, keeping a journal was a project in its own way, and I wrote down all kinds of thoughts not fit to be published.  While transcribing and editing my notes I have omitted or modified some of them.  I have tried to extract the main recurring themes.  The two Steno notebooks were destroyed after transcription by a fire. Transcripts: My hike was successfully completed on September 4, about a month ago.  Since then I have visited my cousin Paul at the Abbey of New Clairvaux, consulted at Stanford's department of genetics for a couple of days, visited friends in the Bay area, and traveled by Amtrak from San Jose to Stockton, Bakersfield, Pomona, Chicago, New Orleans and Atlanta to visit my brother and his family.  After this report is completed and distributed to any interested parties, my plans are to continue exploring distant horizons by resuming Zen meditation practice at Jemez Springs Bodhi Manda Zen Center, near Albuquerque,  New Mexico.  My answer to the application form which asks why I wish to practice Zen at Bodhi Manda Zen Center is "I am looking for some relief from loneliness (the suffering of duality), not found in work or grasping personal relationships."  In response to the question how long do I wish to stay, I replied "one year or more." In the margin above Chapter 1, History of the PCT, appear these shopping lists: Morena Lake, need 1 Bic razor, Campmor Seattle Sombrero OR white XL, sierra cup, salt, pepper, olive oil, cashew nuts, instant rice, small green jalapeno peppers, bungee cord 12", Fidelity Select Biotechnology quarterly report, Pre Need pre-filter, folding scissors. Town of Banner, need: tortillas, jalapenos, Teflon fry pan with folding handle, send Ratatouille back to Uncle John foods, corn oil instead of olive oil, in wide mouth Nalgene container if possible, green fresh peppers, corn nuts. Idylwild: get scuba diving booties for stream fords, Kelty pack cover, Teflon frying pan, new boots 9-1/2W. San Dimas: wide mouth bottle for hydrating food, Vasque Trek 9W or 9-1/2W, consider a butane stove, soups to mix with U.J., 2-qt collapsible container, vinegar, rice, extra salt tube, Gatorade, CA road map, FS maps. Cajon Pass: dental floss, Rubik's cube and book, thin Gobi liners, D-ring, Crystal Delight grapefruit, tie straps to hold Thermarest on lower pack, sponge, toilet paper, birth certificate for passport. Agua Dulce: stoveless food such as cheese, bread, crackers, nuts, dried fruit. Fix or get new water container for Mojave  desert.  Dentist in Saugas?
	Thursday 4.1.93.  Flew from Des Moines, Iowa to San Diego.  I had spent over six working days adapting my DOTS image analysis program at Pioneer Hi-Bred, Johnston City, while staying at the nearby country home of my friend Arnold Oliphant, his wife and two young sons, sleeping on my Thermarest in the attic. At $300/day, I made $1800 which covered several months of hiking expenses.  The plane lifted off in a snowstorm.  I worried during much of the flight about the two canisters of illegal bear-repellent spray in my pack, afraid they might leak in the low pressure baggage compartment and subject me to a $10,000 fine. For all the worry these O.C. spray cans caused me, I never used them, and eventually discarded both of them.  As the plane descended to San Diego, I saw abundant water everywhere.  None of the lakes or reservoirs had visible drought marks.  I assembled my pack on the street outside of the San Diego terminal, then boarded a bus to downtown, then a street car to the El  Cajon western suburb, and then at 3:30 pm a rural southeastern bus ($2.50) 50 miles to Campo on the Mexican border.  There was another hiker on the bus, a college-age German student named Walter, who had far too much weight in two packs.  Later he sent one pack back, then soon after abandoned his hike, and I never heard from him again. It was nearing sunset on arriving at the tiny town of Campo.  Walter wanted to go immediately to the border, about one mile south of the town, but I chose to camp on the other side of a small hill in the desert.  As I walked away I did not say goodbye, which I felt bad about later, but I did not want to accompany Walter because I knew I could not keep up with him in my poor physical condition.  Later I heard that he had been harassed by some of the town locals the next morning, and I was told in the next town that he had gotten rid of the second backpack (which he carried in front, to "balance the load", but I never saw his name in any trail log entries. Day 1, Friday 4.2.93 Hiked less than 6 miles the first day.  After daybreak,  packed up tent and walked out to the barbed wire fence south of town, past a juvenile detention center, and crossed under the border wire fence into the Mexican desert, where I walked about 50 feet south to use some toilet paper which I buried.  I scratched my name in the dust near the wooden monument marking the Southern Terminus of the PCT, and added "Celibate to Canada", two noble but unattainable goals that season.  Back in Campo, I stopped by the laundromat to dry off tent dew and clean clothes.  A border tracker wearing jeans, T-shirt and a big white sombrero warned me about Mexican thugs who rob their own countrymen near the border, but I did not see anyone else the whole day.  The landscape was mostly desert bushes with some trees tucked in narrow folds in the hills.  While resting in shade of an oak tree near a dirt road, several pigs came oinking up the road, crossed over near to my green poncho ground cloth, circled around me, scratched their rumps on an old rubber tire, then trotted away grunting.  Four hours into the hike, I had to ford my first stream, a narrow waist-deep ditch.  Afterwards I rested on a thick carpet of acorns and prickly oak leaves until my socks and shorts dried out.  My first camp was a sandy flat under the bank of a railroad track.  As I look at the map now, it is hard to imagine that it took most of the day to go such a short distance, but then it seemed a very full day.  My body and pack were very heavy and the balls of my feet hurt from unaccustomed weight. Day 2, Sat 4.3 Rocks, bushes, no people.  Saw a few three-wheelers on a dirt road. Day 3, Sun 4.4 At malt shop at Morena Reservoir, had a Bar-B-Que sandwich, then a Cheeseburger, then a delicious Pineapple Malt.  A retired man let me use his telephone to make a collect phone call to my sister Julie in Dallas to report my progress.  North of the town the path was sandy among large bushes.  That night a tick fastened onto my right chest.  The tick was swollen with blood when I pulled it off next morning.  There is still a round scar where the scab dropped off weeks later. Day 4, Mon 4.5 Flooded streams forced a detour across a ranch marked no trespassing.  While out in the open field, I noticed a large German shepherd dog running up behind me.  I hurried to wade across a swollen stream before he could reach me. When he started to enter the water, I faced him and lowered my pack to get the O.C. spray to defend myself, but he prudently backed out of the water so I did not have to use it.  Saw some bright red spiders but no other people.  The official PCT was bounded by barbed wire on both sides of a narrow 10-foot corridor through one ranch.  Climbed through a burned area on slowly rising land.  At 5800 feet rested under first pine tree.  A cold cloudy windy day. Day 5, Tue 4.6, Full Moon. Reached the tiny community of Mt. Laguna. Microwaved a frozen burrito dinner and drank a beer on the wooden porch of the general store.  A local resident who had been pouring concrete for his cabin showed me his acid-etched hands.  Camped that night past the radar tower off the trail in shadowy leaf-covered terrain.  In the morning my tent was covered with frost. Day 6, Wed 4.7 First view of snow-covered mountains ahead.  An abandoned road in much decay.  No other hikers the whole day. Day 7, Thu 4.8 Thirsty, left the official PCT to walk down Chariot Canyon which was studded with many small gold mining sites, all of them barricaded behind No Trespassing signs.  At Banner Queen Trading Post at the mouth of the canyon, met the son of a gold miner who had stopped there to use the pay telephone.  He told me how a door opened onto their shaft from the kitchen, extending back into the canyon wall, and how one of his chores was to help his Dad mine the shaft.  They extract about $300 of gold flakes a month.  Approaching Scissors Crossing at the base of the San Felipe Hills, I twisted my ankle when I stumbled and pitched forward, unbalanced by the top-heavy Kelty external frame pack, and sprawled on the pavement of the highway at running speed.  Scraped hands and leg.  Ankle didn't start hurting until the next day. Day 8, Fri 4.9 In the San Felipe Hills, in the rain shadow of a larger range to the west, saw many beautiful desert plants.  An ocotillo blooming with green leafs, many small bushes with yellow flowers and bees, a swarm of bees that flew over me while resting under the shade of a stunted tree, a whip snake, a dead mouse, a large horned toad, the sound of a rattlesnake, crows sailing on air currents, sunflower petals consumed by long black and red beetles, pink cactus blooms, a curious hummingbird (later I learned they are always curious), Indian paintbrush and cholla jumping-jack cactus.  All the stream channels were bone dry.  A fireman hiking with a friend, carrying between them about 12 liters of water, generously gave me 3/4 quart, when they came upon me digging unsuccessfully for a trace of moisture in the damp cool sand of a shaded wash.  A few miles later, out of water again, I abandoned the trail to descend to a ranch north of the hills.  No one was at home, but a lawn sprinkler was spraying pure water onto green grass.  Two guard dogs let me pass after I bribed them with a snack of salty peanuts.  My body was dripping with clean water before I finished filling two 1-quart bottles.  That night incessant winds on an exposed ridge forced me to get up and relocate the tent at 1 a.m. Day 9, Sat 4.10 First Need water filter purified water standing in a concrete tank at Barrel Springs. Day 10, Sun 4.11 Early in the morning arrived at golf resort at Warner Springs, a designated mail drop, but the post office was closed for the weekend.  This was only the beginning of problems with making mail drop connections. Hitchhiked down to the desert at Borrego Springs, stayed at an expensive motel called Las Palmas ($40, discounted by manager from $60).  At a local cafe, a moderate walk into town, I sat at the counter next to a Chicano dishwasher who tipped the waitress $1.00 for his hamburger, fries and strawberry malt.  (Seldom did I ever have to pay for a meal at any place where I worked as dishwasher in New York.  Many places were Jewish, and their custom forbids withholding food from kitchen workers, because it is written that the ox shall not be muzzled while treading out the grain.  In any event, it was easy to fill your mouth with deviled eggs and other delicacies on any trip to the walk in ice box if a manager would not feed you).  The waitress returned the dollar bill to the young worker for his excessive generosity.  So then I tipped the waitress one dollar for her kindness and she said this is crazy. Day 11, Mon 4.12 Was dropped off about 4 miles short of Warner Springs but just plodded the remaining distance instead of waiting for another ride. Found another tick before it got deeply attached.  Tried heat treatment with hot tweezers, then open flame, but it did not react.  Then pulled head out with tweezers.  Discovered a bruise-like discoloration over large area of left calf.  Phlebitis?  Skin rash?  Slightly painful to stroke along inner vein.  No itching.  Hope this doesn't mean that vein is blocked causing subdermal hemorrhaging.  Took 2 aspirin, keep an eye on it.  Sprain on left foot getting better. Day 12, Tue 4.13 No entry. Day 13, Wed 4.14 Flies, 6 ticks, 2 rattlesnakes in 30 minutes, each 4' long, poor trail, no shade north of Bucksnort Mountain, but found small trickle of water.  Discoloration on left calf about the same, at least not getting worse. Slight pain along vein of inner thigh.  Small blisters on little toes of both feet, boots too small.  Cut hole in leather on left boot to relieve the pressure.  Lonely trail.  Seen no one for days. Day 14, Thu 4.15 Circling Anza.  Beautiful braids in flat sand bed of Nance Canyon.  Dug a hole to scoop up water -- by the time First Need filter purified two quarts plus a 2-liter Dr. Pepper bottle, hole was refilled by stream. Braids were continuously changing.  Backwashed 1/2 qt -- hope it works because filter is getting clogged without pre-filter.  Feet hurt all day.  Another lonely day.  Detoured through some home sites on Table Mountain to avoid descending into Burnt Valley, but should have studied topo map, detour path actually longer.  Hope for good breakfast at Palms-to-Pines highway junction tomorrow. Day 15, Fri 4.16 Steak and eggs for breakfast at highway cafe.  Above Hwy 74 trail finally begins to look like a real national scenic trail.  White boulders.  Dr. Pepper water bottle leaked, soaked all of interior backpack.  No harm done except to middle volume of PCT.  Billfold and Traveler's Checks safe in ziploc. Great invention ziploc, but not as great as DNA lock.  Camped a little early in pretty oak grove.  Thirty minutes back another hiker chose to camp on a windy saddle because he doubted finding a better site on steep slopes.  I must be a risk taker because I didn't hesitate to continue. Day 16, Sat 4.17 Long exhausting detour for water, no forward trail from springs.  First small snowbanks encountered at 7000 feet.  Camped early 4 PM, a cold, very windy, cloudy day. Day 17, Sun 4.18 Lost in San Jacinto Wilderness.  Today I traversed some 100'-200' snow inclines that were so steep that I was poking holes in the bank with my fingers for support.  If I had slipped there is no doubt that I would have fallen several hundred feet and been injured or killed.  I risked it because the afternoon sun had softened the snow enough to get footholds and because I dreaded turning back.  Not only would I lose a day or more of time, but the pitches already traversed were likely to be frozen now in eastern shadow.  I don't feel any sense of victory, just gratitude it is behind me now.  Will avoid >8K feet this early in the year.  Lost the PCT under 5' snow.  May not be able to get to Idlewild.  Have not eaten in two days -- no appetite for dehydrated food.  Just a few snacks like corn nuts and trail mix. Day 18, Mon 4.19 Idlewild, The Fireside Inn, Tom and Marilyn Sears.  Ordered Raicle 9-1/2W ($225), crampons, MSR Water Filter from REI by Fed Express.  Gave old Sundowner boots to Humberto at Squirrel's Nest Restaurant after re-oiling them.  Sorry about patch cut out over left toe.  Met Joseph Semprevio, a retired stock broker from San Francisco, hiking north from Campo.  Saw The Crying Game movie at local movie theater. Day 19, Tue 4.20 Rested most of day in the state park on outskirts of Idylwild, in a $3 Hike 'n' Bike spot.  The owners of the Fireside Inn invited me to stay an extra day at no additional charge but I declined in order to be near the stock broker, in order to discuss hiking  and financial matters, a costly mistake.  That evening, in the light of a butane lamp over mugs of tea at a picnic table, Semprevio advised me to dump Fidelity Select Biotechnology Mutual Fund, even if it meant taking a big loss, and invest in short term bonds instead. Day 20, Wed 4.21, New Moon.  Called Fidelity from the pay phone at the park entrance and sold fund; the broker remarked on the sound of birds chirping in the background.  Fed Express arrived from REI.  Took two pairs of massive Raicle Montana boots over to a shoe store and asked for an opinion about which pair fit better, the 9-1/2W or the 10W?  [Neither.  But the store owner did not know the method of sliding a foot all the way forward, then measuring the clearance between the heel and the back of boot.  Much later I measured a gap of more than one inch, way too big. My correct shoe size, after my feet permanently expanded in width due to months of hiking, is 8-1/2 EEEE] Day 21, Thu 4.22 First attempt to cross San Jacinto and Fuller Ridge.  Lost PCT in 4' snow drifts.  New boots are not working well.  So stiff they are bruising legs.  Feet slide around inside on inclined surfaces.  Hematoma on left calf is slowly clearing but new purple bruises on lower calf, caused by boots.  Had to stuff a handkerchief into left Raicle to reduce pain of contact.  Will backtrack and descend to roads to walk around mountain -- Fuller Ridge is not passable in these conditions.  Pack is also much heavier due to added crampons, MSR water filter, frying pan and tortillas.  Wish I had stayed with Vasque Sundowners, foregone crampons and just avoided 8K elevations for rest of trip.  Ice axe will be additional weight.  Mild sprain in left foot persists when foot is extended. Plan to take several days at Janie's to build up leg and soften boots with Neatsfoot oil, and clean Red Wing gook out of leather with saddle soap. Day 22, Fri 4.23 Noon.  Cannot descend further into a south facing canyon -- too steep.  Will put on crampons and climb back in NE direction, look for some trail.  This is not fun.  7  pm. Reached Idylwild, camped at park again. Day 23, Sat 4.24 Janie picked me up at Idylwild totem pole.  REI in San Dimas, Vasque Sundowners 9-1/2W too big. Ordered Vasque Trek in case Raicle cannot be made to work. Day 24, Sun 4.25 Day 25, Mon 4.26 Day 26, Tue 4.27 Day 27, Wed 4.28 Day 28, Thu 4.29 Five nights at Janie's to soften Raicle with 3 coats of Neatsfoot oil and heal bruises on legs.  Boots don't hurt as much but still too heavy.  Walked down to Cal Poly, found a computer terminal and logged on to my old account at everest at ANL, replied to an email message from Stanford, arranged for a few days of DOTS programming there later in hike. Day 29,  Fri 4-30 Janie dropped me off at the Idylwild trailhead to San Jacinto.  pm. Exhausting day, never did find Deer Springs campground.  No tree blazes as in northern CA PCT.  Slashed a 2" cut in left calf with crampon blade, also stabbed a hole in toe of Raicle boot.  Marveled at bright red color of blood dripping on virgin white snow.  Very hard to make way cross country on 60 degree slopes even with crampons.  Lost rubber guards, so now carrying crampons outside of pack, teeth pointed out. Day 30, Sat 5-1 Found a road down from Fuller Ridge, wonderful start to a long day.  Raicle's hurt the most going downhill, at base of foot.  Will try to tolerate them to I15 and Cajon Pass, then get Vasque Trek instead, 9W or 9-1/2W.  Will my body ever adapt so there is nothing to grumble about? Thinking about teaching yoga as a job, maybe starting a center in Albuquerque. Get accreditation  at the Buckingham IYI?  Teaching high school maybe, science?  Something social, not solitary.  Will stick to non-fat veggie diet from now on -- what's the use of all this work just to put weight back on again.  Still coughing from the funky cloud of cigarette smoke at Janie's house. Day 31, Sun 5.2 6 rattlesnakes and 2 other snakes on descending Fuller Ridge to San Gorgonio riverbed.  Killed three ticks but one got me at back of neck overnight. They have 8 legs like spiders.  Felt drained of energy all day -- electrolyte imbalance? Tried Gatorade tonight, a winner.  No cooked food today.  Yesterday had refried beans with soy sauce, good.  The settlements of Snow Creek, south of I10, and West Palm Springs Village, north of I10, were very odd because no stores, only houses.  A good Samaritan saw me lying in the shade of an oleander beside a street, backed up his old car and handed down a cold Lucky Lager beer in a brown glass bottle without saying a word.  Strong winds in afternoon, justifying the wind farms all about. Day 32, Mon 5.3 Had to turn back at PCT ford of Whitewater River, about 13' wide, 4' deep, boulders everywhere, a raging torrent.  Will try an alternate path to a trout hatchery in morning when water level may be lower.  Should have anticipated this.  Bozo the Clown boots awkward.  Have to stop hourly to rest feet which hurt all the time.  Can hardly stomach Uncle John dehydrated foot -- frying doesn't help; can't get flame hot enough, and frying does not hydrate tough little pieces.  Necessary to hydrate several hours to soften.  Wish I hadn't wasted $500 without sampling first.  Instant rice and other mixes would taste as good.  Taking Vita-Pak vitamin supplements.  Glad I spent for MSR filter, water here is polluted by cattle.  Encountered a solitary bull on high bushy slopes above Hatchery Canyon.  At first sight I thought it was a gray elephant escaped from a circus.  Incessant wind a great annoyance especially when pushed off balance on high narrow ledges in wrong size boots on uncertain footing.  Moss Starlet tent not designed for these winds, even guyed down with rocks.  BTW, for the record, I am glad to be here.  My purpose is to renew my body.  These aches and pains are a sign of progress.  No pain no gain. Day 33, Tue 5.4 Forded Whitewater River this morning near mouth of Haladay Canyon where main channel blocked further walk downstream.  Braced with a stout stick, slowly inched across without losing my footing.  The water came up to my shorts.  Then had to hike rocky muddy terrain north two miles and then climb a bluff where main channel struck east wall.  Also did two fords of Mission Creek flowing 10' X 2' deep.  Second ford looked so risky that I tried an alternate crossing 100' downstream, but because of narrow canyon ended up wading upstream back all the way back to the risky-looking ford.  Then it occurred to me that this was kind of fun as well as cool on the feet.  I laughed on arriving back at the formerly feared crossing.  Even if the river bottom could not be seen it could be felt, and it takes a lot of force to move a 170 lb man [weight dropped from 205 to 155 lbs during hike] with a 50 lb pack [eventually trimmed to 30 lbs] and a stick. So this is how experience builds confidence.  Met a CCC crew cutting weeds. Foreman told me only one party had forded Whitewater River to his knowledge this season, a man with a 10 year old boy about a week ago.  They crossed upstream at a wide place.  If I had not believed the topo map about the river disappearing underground near the fish hatchery, I would have gone that way too.  I wonder how Walter [the German student] and Joseph [Semprevio] did it. Suggested to the foreman that Forest Service blaze trees above snow line on San Jacinto and throw a pipe or something across Whitewater River ford.  He just shrugged his shoulders.  A whiff of marijuana threaded the air. Day 34, Wed 5.5, Full Moon. At least 40 fords of ankle-deep to knee-deep Mission Creek.  Just sloshed along all day in wet wool socks in wet boots, dried feet at only three or four rest stops.  Trail was wiped out in many places by floods, debris everywhere, slow going.  Can't force myself to eat anything except dry nuts. Thought of cooked food makes me retch even though hungry.  Will change to butane from gasoline to remove odor and make it easier to boil a cup of tea. Electrolyte depletion may be cause of nausea and dehydration.  MSR purifier works well but silt screen has to be cleaned often for Mission Creek rapids water. Day 35, Thu 5.6 [Note: Journal has an error in skipping to Day 36 -- this error propagated to the end of the hike, which was 156 days total, not 157.  The dates have been corrected for this transcription.] Ad and Trudi Van Berkel from Alicante,  Spain (a Dutch couple) passed by my tent in early morning.  [They were to travel together all the way to Castle Craigs in northern California before Trudi dropped out.  Ad continued all the way to Canada].  Good distance today in spite of morning nausea.  Both nausea and hunger vanished in afternoon.  Decided to detour from PCT on encountering more snow at 8K after Mission Creek Camp.  Also eager to finish off this arduous leg to be in Big Bear City tomorrow, I hope (~15 miles).  Real food! Day 36, Fri 5.7 Day 37, Sat 5.8 Day 38, Sun 5.9 Day 39, Mon 5.10 On reaching Big Bear City called Janie to come pick me up because of ongoing problems with oversize boots and general weariness.  At REI, in San  Dimas shopping center near Janie's house in Diamond Bar, Vasque Trek boots were not available, so got Raicle Spirit 9W instead.  Should have just kept old Sundowners until worn out.  Left crampons behind at Janie's, never to use again. Day 40, Tue 5.11 New boots feel better.  Back in mountains again. Day 41, Wed 5.12 Downhill all day.  Overtaken by three fast-moving Mexico-to-Canada hikers: Scott Williamson and two cousins, Brian and Scott.  Scott hiked California last year, this year he is going all the way.  His pack was as small as a day pack. He had no tent, and only sneakers, but did carry an ice axe.  Warned me there would probably be a lot of snow on Mt.Baden-Powell in San Gabriel Mts. near Los Angeles.  He did not have a Thermarest, but only a black ribbed foam pad trimmed to torso length, attached to the bottom of his day pack by two strings.  His only non-essential weight was his long blond pony tail.  The four of us paused briefly together at a late morning rest stop, then the fast movers went on ahead to meet up with another thru hiker, George from Temple,  Texas.  I caught up to them near sundown where they were all sitting around camp boiling water for supper. Felt strangely embarrassed to join them even though Williamson invited me to sit down. I continued on for another half hour.  One of the reasons for my reluctance was that they were not using tents, but I was not ready yet to sleep without mine.  I never met all of them again, but believe all four made it to Canada, according to numerous log entries farther along the trail.  Water very clear fording Holcomb Creek, bottom visible 3' deep.  Able to hold down some Uncle John food by mixing it with powdered spices.  Tried Jasmine tea in new REI mug, just so-so.  Try Ovaltine?  Espresso? Scott Williamson crossed Fuller Ridge in sneakers but had to self-arrest four times with ice axe.  There will be a big log jam of PCT'ers at Kennedy Meadows waiting for high sierra snow to melt.  The traditional convocation is 6.11 with nominal departure 6.13, but this year there is major snow.  Considering alternate path up along Inyo Mts?  New boots OK. Day 42, Thu 5.13 Ledge at 140' above Deep Creek was completely washed out. Extremely steep slope both above and below.  Sloping stone incline near washout very hazardous, don't see how other hikers passed it.  Backtracked looking for a road down to river, then decided to hike out of canyon on a jeep road, since river was too deep to ford.  Back roads very hilly, some of them designed for motorcycles, feet hurt more than usual.  Rehydrated food with spices and chicken bouillon, tasted almost good.  Pre-soaking meal for tomorrow in Lexan Nalgene 16oz 500 ml container.  Not necessary to actually cook the food, just heat a mug of chicken bouillon, then pour into Lexan container.  Wash it down with rest of bouillon, better tasting than hot tea.  But leaving food too long in container not good. Day 43, Fri 5.14  Almost to Silverwood Reservoir on western bearing trail.  While looking for Hwy 173 cross country, came on some strange abnormal roads.  Instead of contouring around hill tops, the roads aim straight up.  Later I learned these were constructed for Off Road Vehicles.  Finally broke out of hills to intercept 173.  Uneventful road walk without much shade.  Passed a shooting range but hill protected road from bullets.  Camped on a small rise between two highways, completely hidden from view in the middle of moderate traffic. Day 44, Sat 5.15 Called Janie from Tiffany Restaurant at I15 at 5 PM.  She, Joe and Leena came to pick me up an hour later, then we went out to dinner, except that I had already eaten a spaghetti dinner at the restaurant.  At Janie's got everything in order for next segment to Agua Dulce.  Got a Rubik's cube, but with orientation marks on four sides to add another level of complexity to the problem.  I scratched them off.  Stop complaining.  Read parts of PCT guide by Jardine, which advocates athletic shoes or even going barefoot!  Many of his ideas agree with my experience.  Hazards of rope fords, further reason to avoid Sierra snowmelt.  Will interrupt hike after Tehachapi Mountains to consult at Stanford for a week (staying with John Mulligan and Pip).  Weight has dropped 30 lbs from 198 to 168, goal is 145, two more butterball turkeys to go.  Beginnings of an ache in right jaw, hope it goes away, hardly noticeable now.  Earache of past two years lingers in the background but seldom think about it.  Have not used Q-tips in some time to avoid irritating it further.  Best is just to ignore it.  Discovered that it is possible to wear thin Gobi liner socks without wool to free up room in boots for expanding feet, no matter if foot slips around a bit [?].  Feet are biggest problem so far.  Shaved beard, then the left-side mustache, then both sides. 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