Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Burney

Zac called tonight and filled me in on his progress. He was in the town of Burney Ca. about 7 miles off the trail. They hitched a ride into town and have gone in for a room at the Green Gables Motel. The owner set them up in an apartment type dwelling with kitchen, laundry, and even a pool table. This is a well needed resting spot. He had only gotten 9 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours and hiked 60 miles in the past two days. The full moon last night made it a great night hiking experience and they also took long breaks. They only saw one rattlesnake this time. There was a water cache close to road 22 that was a welcome sight.
In the room, the other hikers, Symbiosis, Bote, Aya, Sayo and Blackberry got together and filled the trash can with ice foo Zac to soak his feet in. They were hurting a little according to Zac. His shoes are falling apart on him. He still has some 90 miles to go before reaching Dunsmuir and the new pair I sent him. He seems to think they will make it. A 6th hiker, Lone Ranger, stayed at the trail back on Hwy 299 and will rejoin the group later. Tonight they were going to enjoy some fine Mexican cuisine before going to the Safeway for some supplies. Zac said he wanted to cook breakfast for everybody. The owner of the motel has offered to give them a ride back to the trail head in the morning. I want to thank everyone family and friends near and far for keeping him in their thoughts and prayers.

Night hike

Zac is starting to go through a section of trail that has little if any water along the way. It is thirty miles of heat and dust with a 40 pound pack on his back. He has hooked up with five other hikers. The group spent part of the day yesterday climbing in and around some lava tubes out side the town of Old Station. He has decided to tackle the waterless section by conducting a night hike. Why fight the sun if you don't have to. I received a few spots and it shows he walked 12 miles last night. One spot at 3:00 A.M. and the last spot (40.74191,-121.40328) at 7:30 A.M. I have mailed him another pair of hiking shoes which he should get at his next mail drop in Dunsmuir. He said the pair he has now are falling apart on him. The pair I am sending him are a pair he bought before his trip for this very reason. I'm also sending some items he never received that were in the lost box that finally ended up back here in Ga along with some new batteries for his GPS device in hopes of getting more spots. His spirits were up and he sounded excited about the night hike. Having some company makes a difference too I'm sure. Since returning from the wedding in Ga. on July 7th, Zac has hiked about 450 miles. If he can keep up this pace he should reach Oregon in approximately 14 days.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

moving right along

Zac' last spot sent to me was (40.44251,-121.4036) He was near Hot Springs Creek. He is doing well and making some good time. He is averaging about 25 miles a day. I received a package from Big Bear, California yesterday. It was the missing package that Zac could not find a month or so ago that had some of his clothes in it. Apparently it had been lost and then found and to be on the safe side the Post Office just sent it back to sender. He is going to be hiking through a waterless stretch of about 30 miles in a few days. He is going to have to be ready to conserve water and prepare for some hot temperatures. I will will keep you posted on that. he should be at his next mail pick up by Friday.
General Delivery
Dunsmuir, CA 96025Check Spelling

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Red Moose Cafe

spartan camp

mile 1305

Today is Saturday the 24th. Zac's total mileage for the trip is approximately 1305 miles. The elevation is getting slower and he is trying to get in as many miles as he can while he is going downhill. He told me the last time we talked that he came across two bears recently, a sow and a cub. The trail went right between the two. He said the pair looked surprised at him as he walked by. Risky thing to do but he had no choice but to go on between them. The cub was up a tree and mom was keeping a close eye on both of them. Not sure if any video was taken.
I am also trying to add some new videos and trying to put them where they go in his blog so you might want to go back and see if you can find them. I hope to hear from him soon so I can add some more detailed information.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Correct Address for Burney Falls

The correct address for the next mail drop is:

Recreation Resource Management
Attn: PCT Hiker Zac Finley
24900 Hwy 89
Burney, CA 96013

This is only 100 miles from Zac's spot for today so he will probably be there in 3 to 4 days.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Honker Pass

Sierra City at the Red Moose Cafe was wonderful! They 2 new owners of the place closed their place to public that night to cater a private party for the 6 hikers that were there. Ribs and other fixings for dinner with all you can eat pancakes the next morning. Had lots of mail at the post office in town that Monday morning as well. Thank you Monty and Grandaddy, Lou and Dwight for the letters and special thanks to Miss Mary, my new aunt in-law, for a huge care package filled with some awesome food and other luxurious amenities!

Since leaving Sierra City I have hiked about 70 miles in the past three days, with one of which covered 31 miles. I saw two black bears on Tuesday during that 31 mile day. Yesterday I arrived at the Big Creek Road and hitched 2 miles down to Honker Pass to the William's nice cabin near Bucks Lake. Very friendly family that really made me feel right at home. Nancy Williams has been inviting thru hikers into her home as of last summer, and now has the help of her son's family including his wife and two young kids, 1st and 3rd graders. I was the only hiker to be here at Honker Pass yesterday, so I had the run of the house and most importantly had the opportunity to share more personal time with the Williams while watching the Giants game. Shelly and Nancy's son, Dennis had breakfast for me this morning with a full plate of eggs, fresh fruit, berries, potatoes, biscuits and gravy! Don't have much time to write much more before the family will be taking me back up the road to the trail where I left it. My next certain mail drop will be at mile 1423 at Burney Falls State Park. Here's the address:

Zac Finley PCT Thru hiker
McArthur-Burney Falls State Park
24898 Hwy 89
Burney, California 96013
(530) 335-4214

This address may change actually! My mom will be checking into it by tomorrow and will update the blog for a definite accurate address.

Thanks, as always, for your support and prayers. Happy Trails!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Sierra City

Zac called me today about 7:00 pm from Sierra City. He is at mile marker 1197.6. Of course I asked him right away about the mountain lion. "Oh yeah, it was really neat! I only saw it for about ten seconds and then it was across the trail and into the woods. So I ran (I'm thinking ran as in ran away from the thing but he meant he ran toward it.) HELLO!!!! He wanted to see where it crossed so he could get another look. He told me that it was no where to be seen. When it moved through the brush it did not make a sound. He said it was an amazing sight. He camped that night at what he called a Spartan camp. He said it was on a small flat spot on the edge of a cliff that was just big enough for one tent. From his site he could see the reservoir and the Sierra mountains and all their glory. Today he met two hikers named Johnny Law and Missing Link. It was nice to have some company along the trial. The spot device is not working as well as I want it to. He is sending them, I'm just not receiving them. When he got to Sierra City this afternoon, the dinner, The Red Moose Cafe, was closed for lunch and only serving dinner. There was sign instructing any PCT hikers to come on in. The owners offered him fresh fruit, shower, laundry service and told him he could camp in their back yard if he wanted to. Down the street at the grocery store he found out that he had a package from the Vermilion Valley Resort. This is where Zac worked a few days for some free room and board. The package was a box containing: giant Slim Jim's, homemade chocolate chip cookies, bags of popcorn, energy bars, chocolate bars (the good kind), granola, Jolly Ranchers, chap stick and some glitter stickers. There were also some hand written messages from friends there. He wanted me to say a special thanks to Roy, Jamie, Denise, Rock Star, Olive, Byron, and everyone else at the VVR. It was like Christmas to him. They were smart to send it to the grocery store instead of the P.O. Zac said that everyone in town was real nice to him. In one place a lady claimed to have accidentally made an extra milkshake and gave it to Zac. Good grief! He also said the lower elevation has made the temperature warmer. He is gong to be mailing home some of his heavier clothing. He has a blister on his foot that he looks like a sixth toe. All this wonderment and blessings in one day! Life is good. Thanks so much for your prayers. I don't believe he would be having such good fortune without them.

Watch your step!!

On Saturday I spoke to Zac as he was heading away from Pooh's Corner. He was moving on at a fairly good pace. He had been having trouble with the Spot device. He was sending spots and not all of them were being received. He told me that some other hikers were having the same problem. It might be a problem with the satellite. I will do the best I can with the blogging with the spots I get. I am sure it will be resolved soon. He was trying to make it to Sierra City some time Sunday. He plans to camp there and collect the mail first thing Monday morning and continue his trek north. I received a text from him later that said, "Saw a mountain lion not thirty minutes after I talked to you" How nice. What a wonderful message to receive from my only son, hiking by himself, a few thousand miles away and in the middle of no where with a GPS device that is on the blink, not to mention miles away from the nearest pizza joint. He sent a few spots later that evening that let me know he was camped out and I presume doing fine. He had hiked 25 miles and was camping near Jackson Meadow Reservoir. (39.47021,-120.51536) His mileage total so far is 1186. Last time I spoke to Zac he mentioned that if anyone has any questions about his trip they can write them in the comment box on the blog. I will relay them to him and then relay an answer back on the blog. Thank you again for all of your support and prayers. Zac is aware of everyone following his journey and is very appreciative.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Pooh's Corner

I arrived at Interstate 80 today around 1:30pm after hiking about 17 miles. Today was the first day I have experienced humidity in the California air. Luckily, I got a very early start, as usual, to beat most of the heat. I awoke this morning atop a ski lift near the summit of some mountain overlooking Lake Tahoe and its surrounding Sierra mountains. The sunset last night, setting the snow aflame of pink and red hues and watching giant Lake Tahoe below settle down to a majestic calmness, was a perfect way to end a long 30 mile day.

As I walked those 30 miles, I didn't run into any thru hikers except for the legendary Billy Goat at mile 29. He was gingerly walking southbound from northern California after 'flippin' to avoid the snow in the high Sierra. We talked a good bit while swatting mosquitoes and filtering some water from the headwaters of Middle Fork American River. Billy Goat is always a treat to run into on the trail. He has hiked the PCT seven times and the AT three, along with several other long trails around the world. You can imagine chatting trailside with such a character. Earlier that day at mile 13, I met someone else while enjoying a roast beef, peanut butter, pepper jack burrito at Carson Pass. She was returning from a trail run with her dog along the PCT to her car at Forest Road 3, where I was enjoying that lunch and had previously spotted her Montana tag. Anywho, after a bit of small talk and speaking of our commons in Montana, we found we both had a close friend in Holly Sheppard. Holly and I both worked in the Lake area as Chefs in Yellowstone last summer, and Neddy, the trail runner with the dog, lives in Big Sky, and is friends with some of Holly's relatives there in Big Sky, Montana. Long story short: its a small world! Holly, if you're reading, hope you are well, and cooking something mean in a kitchen somewhere.

Now, relaxing, at Pooh's corner on Donner Lake, getting laundry done, taking a shower, jumping off the dock in the backyard, eating too much ice cream, and trying to repair a couple holes in my tent. Pooh's Corner is a hiker haven home of the trail angels, Bill and Molly. Bill hiked the AT in 1998 and enjoyed and appreciated the trail magic so much there, he decided to be apart of it here on the PCT since then. After calling the number posted at the highway, Bill was there, to bring down to his lake house before I could get both sandals on my feet. The first thing he instructed me to do when arriving at their place was, "Drop your pack, get a spoon outa this drawer, and eat some ice cream."
Next order of business was to put some life in the cell phone and make the call to parents. Then more ice cream, strawberries, peaches, and a jump in the lake off his back dock with 2 kayaks and dingy boat attached. Then shower, laundry, and some good grub. Dinner included catfish, bratwurst, margarita marinaded chicken, potato salad, Caesar salad, warm peanut butter green beans, vegan rice and bean pilaf, broccoli with cheese, chips and guacamole, with more ice cream and brownies for dessert. Needless to say, I was stuffed and have been wobbling around since then with a much bigger belly. Their house on Donner Lake is amazing. Was built in the early seventies with Bill and Molly as residents since 1985. Their living room has a climbing wall rising around the fire place and up to the second floor ceiling. Myself and the five other hikers staying here tonight, Happy Camper, Patch, Trash Pocket, RT and Shannon, all played a part in getting the feast on the table and cleaning up afterwards. This is the first hiker's haven house in the last 460 miles at Kennedy Meadows at mile 702, before entering into the high Sierra. Do the math, I'm at mile 1158!

I should be in Sierra City, California by Sunday evening camping behind some church. I'll get my mail early Monday morning and head back to the trail. I've got a lot of miles to catch up on in order to finish the PCT in Canada early enough to get a good start in Maine on the AT before freezing to death in the Whites of New Hampshire. Averaging about 25 miles a day, with fewer zeros, and hopefully fewer and dwindling snow fields, I'll make up for lost time on the trail and achieve my goal of a 5000 mile year. Haven't quite figured the logistics of my next certain mail drop for your letters to be sent to yet. As soon as I do, I'll pass the information along to my dad, who has been doing a great job keeping up with the blog. Glad you all can finally get a glimpse of the high Sierra traverses with the new videos he has posted. Here is a shot I took with my phone of a look out the back deck, where we all had supper and Bill digesting dinner and Donner Lake below.

Happy Trails!

swinging foot bridge

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Cold trail scenes

Moving On

Today Zac hiked 32 miles from Camper Flat to Squaw Creek. He is camping there tonight. The elevation there is 8270 ft. The highs are in the 80's and the lows are in the 50's. Sounds like the great weather is playing a big part of his progress. He is about 11 miles from the trail angel post called Pooh's Corner. He is making a great effort to catch up with some of his friends he had walked with before leaving for his sister's wedding. I am hoping for a call from him tomorrow to get more information that I can pass on here.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Sliding down the trail

Making Tracks

Zac completed 28 miles on Tuesday thanks to good weather and a determined spirit. While hiking he walked a ways with someone that was heading to the Tahoe Rim Trail. He had lunch during a stop at Carson's pass. There were a few day hikers there who wanted to know all about his hike. They were asking questions about where he had been and where he was going. He held an outdoor classroom on hiking the PCT. They payed him for his information by sharing some fresh goodies for lunch. He had heard that there were amazing milkshakes in the town of Echo Lake. He was afraid that store would close before he got there. He somehow got the number and called. The lady at the store told him they would close in an hour. He was still a mile or more away but with the thoughts of such a great reward rambling around in his head, he was able to make it. If I had only known that I could have bribed him with milkshakes I am sure I would have gotten more yard work out of that boy. He told me that his tent had a hole in it that was making it hard to use the support pole that holds it up. He said that he was using duct tape but wasn't sure how long that would work. He learned that his friends he had walked with before his break, Tooth Fairy and Hot Mess, were only two days ahead of him. He gets this information by looking at the hikers log in town. He can look and see the date when hikers passed through. He is looking forward to reaching a place on the trail called "Pooh's Corner". This is another trail angel spot where hikers can get a good hot meal, dry place to sleep, meet with other hikers and just relax a bit before moving on. He wants to get in at least 20 more miles on Wednesday. He said there may be some snow to slow him down but wasn't expecting it to be a big problem. He sounds so much better now that he is back on the trail and moving. I think it was just what the doctor ordered.

Monday, July 12, 2010

S-K-E-T-C-H-Y!

Zac is back on the trail after a bus ride/hitchhike trek to the trail head. He has decided to skip over a section that is about 25 miles of trial. This portion of the trail has been reported to have snow covered trail and dangerous river crossings. This was a difficult decision for him. He did not want to miss an inch of the PCT. He was feeling kind of low about it but he knew it was the right thing to do. He was able to get some new batteries for his GPS device. His last spot sent to me was (38.61333,-119.8273) He is on the trail north of Hwy 4. I did talk to him today and learned from him that his hiking pal Mango had left the trail and gone home. He was having some sort of pain in his legs. Actually, they were both in Reno at the same time and neither of them were aware of it. Best wishes to you Mango and hope you get back out there soon. If you check out this blog please send a comment so we know how you are doing. You have been a great friend to Zac and I know you will be missed greatly. I have added a few more videos so if you get a chance you might want to check them out.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Gone Fishin

Being back on the trail is so nice. I've been hiking at a faster pace and covering more miles in the day than I thought I would after taking two weeks off. I've hiked about 76 miles in the past 3 1/2 days. Yesterday I walked over the 1000 mile marker at Cascade Creek! I, even, can't believe I've walked that far. Still got a ways to go though. Hitched into the small town of Bridgeport, CA before noon today after reaching Sonora Pass at mile 1018. Haven't decided whether I will stay in town tonight camping behind the elementary school or try hitching back to the trail after I've gotten resupplies at the grocery store, a monster burrito at the bar, and 3 scoops of chocolate ice cream. Looking to cover more ground as the trail continues and eventually, hopefully by Oregon, catch up with hikers I've been traveling with prior to Erin's wedding. I have met just a handful of new thru hikers: NonStop, Whoooooi!, Blackberry, Paparazzi Biscuit, and Annica. The trail goes over 10,000 feet just a few more times in the next 10 miles and then never again. So really its kinda all down hill from here with less snow traversing. Now the river fords will be more difficult and mosquitoes, that are more like underground gangs in New York City. I have had a few river fords in the past few days that have been near chest high. These fords are not only extremely chilly, but very capable of knocking you over, which can be lethal if swept away downstream over a waterfall or just plain hypothermia(freezing to shock or death). The mosquitoes just started to get bad last night. After nearly bathing in bug spray and standing in the smoke of my campfire, the "suckers" were still all over me. The upside of things has been the scenery as usual. The mountains have become more volcanic after leaving Yosemite National Park a couple days ago. More red and orange in the rocks than the silver and gray granite of Yosemite. And, I caught my first fish yesterday!.....Bare handed! That's right, no fishing pole or hook. Just my hands and a dumb fish that swam out of a lake into the flooded trail that was more like a very skinny and shallow creek. Basically just got em into too shallow of water for him to do much more wiggling around to the point where I just snacthed him right up with my hands. No, I didn't eat him. Just got a video with him(which you will have to wait to see on here for at least a couple weeks) and tossed him back into Dorthy Lake. My SPOT seems to be low on batteries and I don't have any extra lithium batteries and neither does this small town. So, if I'm unsuccessful at obtaining the right kind of batteries, my family won't know exactly where I'm at, which may mean less info here on the blog until I get to my next town, which may be Echo Lake. Sierra City is still my next definite stop for mail.
Zac Finley PCT Hiker
General Delivery
Sierra City, CA 96125
(530) 862-1152
I should be there, no more than 2 weeks from now.
Happy Trails!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Spot Blog

Zac has made it to the 1000 mile marker on the PCT! He is near Lake Harriet (38.18592,-119.57569) The elevation is about 9,400 ft. The closest weather report I could find said that the high today was 68 and the low was 47. If he keeps up this pace he should reach Hwy 108 tomorrow. For what ever reason I did not receive many spots today so my information will be limited. I have added a video with a couple of views from the trail. These were shot by Zac a while back but are still interesting to watch.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Back to the trail North

Zac called yesterday and said he had gotten off the bus from Reno at the town of Lee Vining. He still had 20 miles to go before reaching the trail head at Toulumne Meadows. The rain was coming in and it was getting cold as he started walking down Tioga Pass Road (Hwy 120). The third car that passed by stopped and he was given a ride. The driver was a French girl who was on her way to Alaska. She was on the road trip of a life time and I am guessing that she was happy to have some company. Zac said the two of them shared stories during the ride and got along well. When they reached the Meadows it was starting to hail so the two rode on to the valley near Yosemite and camped for the night. The next morning Zac caught the shuttle back to the meadows. While there he checked the post office and the hikers log. He saw that most of his old crew that he had been walking with off and on had already passed through. Much to his surprise, as he was coming out of the post office, he saw his friend Tom, the trail angel that has been helping him throughout his hike. What a coincidence to say the least. He had just dropped off three hikers when Zac saw him. The two talked and both went their separate ways. I have a strange feeling that Tom the trail angel will cross Zac's path again before too long. Zac called today around 11:15 his time. He sounded like he was in good spirits and was eager to get back to what he loves. One spot I got from him today was at 8:30 pm(38.00631,-119.37665) It looks like he was near Return Creek. The last one I received was 10:00 pm(38.00704,-119.39025). He is along Spiller Creek and I believe he will camp there tonight. He has hiked 14 miles today and 955 miles in all. I am sure he is happy to be back on track.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Wedding Bells

It's been almost 2 full weeks since I have been on the Pacific Crest Trail, and I can feel it. I miss it. I'm craving it. The two weeks have been full for the most part though. I spent a few days in Yosemite National Park with friends. I did a lot of hiking there in the valley, mostly climbing to the tops of waterfalls(Yosemite, Vernal, and Nevada). After leaving Yosemite and getting a ride to Lee Vinning, CA and another ride to Reno, Nevada with a German traveling to Yellowstone National Park, I spent two nights in Reno waiting for my early morning flight back to hot Atlanta for my sister's wedding. The first of the two nights in Reno was spent relaxing nicely in a Best Western Hotel. The second night was spent sleeping on the hard floor or massage chair in the Reno/Tahoe International Airport for my 6am flight to Atlanta. No, the massage chairs weren't working, and nor were they comfortable.

Being home was like being in smelly noisy hot sauna when i was outside, and a hetic, busy, stressful, can't-sit-down, chaos when I was inside. I wasn't prepared or excited about the heat and humidity of being back in the southeast. Spending time with the family was quick and usually consisted of getting something done in preparation for the wedding or doing something related to it. It wasn't all bad, it was just HOT HOT HOT and GO GO GO!
I did get to take in a Braves game with the my new brother-in-law and his groomsman and my dad. That was a lot of fun. Tim, my bother-in-law's brother, even got a ball during batting practice. Once the wedding finally arrived on the 2nd of July, things settled down a bit up until the ceremony. My great Uncle Dwight, who has been writing me many letters on the trail, married Stephen and Erin at the church my siter and I grew up in. It was beautiful. I have to admit I couldn't fight back a few tears when the march music played and my dad and Erin walked down the aisle. The reception was a blast down the street at Little Gardens. Lots of catching up with friends and family, answering everyones questions about the trail, drinking, dancing, and somewhat letting loose like I used to in the employee pubs in Yellowstone on the dance floor. My dances with my sister and Grandmother Monty were my favorites. Party continued and flowed over to the hotel where most of the Torrey and Finley families were staying. The fun didn't stop there pretty much all night. The day before my flight back to Reno, I spent mostly with my childhood friends, Andy, Justin, and Joe. Lunch at Friday's bar, putt putt golf, go-carts, batting cages, more drinks, bowling, more drinks, and another bar, which of course meant more drinks. Needless to say, the flight back to Reno was a rough one in the early morning.

Spent yesterday afternoon sleeping and last night watching the fireworks from my hotel window, sucking down as much water as I could to releive the 24hour headache. Today I walked around town exploring the biggest little city in the world. Didn't do any gambling, but did walk around a few casinos and bought a mango-tango smoothie that came with a free lei, I proudly sported around my neck.
Tomorrow I will be back on the trail by the late afternoon, due to the poor bus schedule, and hitching a ride from Lee Vinning to Tuolumne Meadows. I'll be lucky to get 5 miles in tomorrow. So, hopefully by Wednesday, I'll be off and running at 20 to 30 mile days again on the trail and getting to Sierra City, California in the next 10-13 days. That will be my next definate mail drop if any of you kind people would like to send me any letters or other goodies. Here's the address:
Zac Finley PCT hiker
General Delivery
Sierra City, CA 96125
I hope to get more videos of the Sierras, Yosemite, and even the wedding up soon. Thanks, as always for all your support and prayers. Happy trails!