Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last update, living in the woods is taking its toll on my cell phone coverage. Since I last posted anything I've been walking, shocking I know. I'm now in the Sierras! The mountains are much more appreciated after coming out of the desert! The scenery has become amazing! Every ridge I cross brings me into a new landscape where beauty can't help but be discovered. In the desert you had to look for the beauty, now it jumps out at you. no longer is it a cactus flower that catches my eye but thousand foot granite slabs rising sharply from alpine lakes. It's a little less subtle than a cactus flower. And there is water! Hiking is so much better when you don't have to carry 10 pounds of water!

I'll get back out on the trail today and I'm going towards Mammoth. I should be there In about ten days. I'll post some more pictures from there. Hopefully of some fish I catch! I just bought a liscence:)

I'm just headed back to the trail now after a great couple of days with my dad in L.A. The majority of each day revolved around my desire to eat! We ate very well, it was a great mix up from my "just add water" diet. Inevitably I became full so we were able to do some other fun stuff. We hit up universal studios. I saw more people standing in line to buy tickets than I've seen in the last month. The next day we went to REI and I stocked up on all sorts of great gear. Then it was off to Walmart to buy some food for this weeks hike to Agua Dulce. As I wandered around Wally World I couldn't help but notice some strange looks coming my way. I've gotten used to this from coming in to town after a week of not showering, but I was all cleaned up this time, I didn't even smell. I was clued in during my search for tuna packets. I rounded the corner of the aisle and was met by the raised eyebrow of a heavyset black lady. "You're not from around here, are you?" A little surprised at her honed detective skills I told her "No, I'm from the Seattle Area... what gave it away?" We both knew I was the only white guy in the store, but she pointed it out so I tried to let the awkward moment last. Squeamishly she responded with "Well I was just surprised, uh, you know, uh, it's just that, uh" with each "uh" my smile grew and then she got to the point. "Uh, it's just that it's, um, it's a good sign when white people start moving in to the neighborhood again." We laughed off the racism together and ended up having a great conversation about her school and my hike, she was truly very nice. I do say racism though because If I went up to a black guy at the grocery store in my predominantly white town of Stanwood and said "you're not from around here, are you?" And then followed up with "Well it's a good sign when black people start moving in to the neighborhood." He might be a little put off. Anyway excuse my rant I thought it was a pretty funny situation. So after the Wally experience we headed to Venice beach, it was full of interesting characters! Then more food! we met my dads friend Mary for dinner and she took us out to a comedy club and I laughed my head off! It was quite the great break from the trail! My feet are feeling like walking again which is good because I've got about 2300 miles left :) ...almost there!

Alright I'm feeling totally refreshed after a day of eating, sleeping and hot tubbing thanks to my aunt and uncle Larry and Linda for letting me use their timeshare! What an awesome time at big bear lake! Now it's off to Wrightwood with a really heavy pack... Six days of food! I'll meet my dad there and have two or three more days of pampering! Now it's time to walk!

Well I'm about two weeks into the trail and everyone is extremely nice! All the people I've walked with have been very kind, helpful and easy to talk to. At the start of the trail I hoped that every other person I'd meet would have dreadlocks, Birkenstocks and eat wild shrubs, but unfortunately this hasn't been the case. Most everyone has been what I would call socially normal; just with cooler beards and a little more hiking experience tha the average joe... Then my dreams were realized!

"Ruff, ruff" barked Aston the mangeiest mut I'd seen since the amliessly wandering dogs I saw In Mexico, but Astons bark sounded like an invite to me so I followed the overgrown trail into the shade to meet his owners. "Have I gone back in time?" I thought as I stared the sixties in the face. Real hippes! Dreadlocks, or something on the natural course of becoming dreadlocks! Full wool clothes, the smell of bad pot lingered in the air and crafts! "What's up? I'm Marshall" expecting "earth child" and "rainbow spirit" to answer I was surprised to hear "Trevor and Ian, glad to meet ya" as they saw the inquisitive look on my face Ian said "Oh, we're making braclets... out of the rattlesnake we killed and ate last night!" Stunned I glanced around and noticed their gear. External frame packs, tarps, pots and pans, a mini guitar, a tamberine, two crossbows and a knife so big I'd call it a sword (this was the slayer of the snake!). These guys are for real! "So are you guys thru-hiking?" I asked. "Ya we're going until it gets too cold, it'll take us a little longer because we're trying to forage and hunt for all our food. That rattlesnake was the best meal We've had so far!" Stunned again, I had to be sure of what I heard "So, no food from anyone?" I asked. "Well we got some beer at the paradise cafe about 20 miles back" said Ian. Then Trevor chimed in with "And some free food... I had a piece of bread for the first time in a long time and I got a hemroid, it was gnarley! Nature provided though man! I made some tea out of oak bark and it cured that right up!" ...who knew?!

Oh the people you meet! And I'm only 200 miles in... Who will I meet next?

This past week I've been walking away and have found myself in Idyllwild. The past two days I climbed and climbed in the San Jacinto range, its the most beautiful part of the trail to date and the steepest.

I took a day off today and stuffed my face with all sorts of delicious food that I didn't even have to rehydrate, it was quite refreshing! Tomorrow I'll load up on a big breakfast and then I'm off for Big Bear lake and should get there in about a week. On the way there I'll climb up to about 8000 feet and then drop down to 1000 were it'll be close to 100 degrees!! This will be quite the test for my Washington self, but I'm having a blast!

The first wave of blisters is healing with a new set coming in strong, but I'm sure in a few hundred miles they'll be a thing of the past (I'll probably tell myself that the whole trail) :)

"I shouldn't of pushed twenty miles." This was my first thought as I awoke to the tune of double calf cramps on day two of my journey. I had never hiked that far in a day and the half dollar sized blisters on each heel told me I never should have. As everyone broke down camp around me I knew it was time to get up, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. An hour and a half later I hit the trail! As I was the last one out of camp I pushed hard to catch up. My blisters paid the price. Two hours in they refused to carry on... I kept walking, the pain became unbearable. Four hours in I began to pray "Lord, take the pain away!" ...nothing. Rhythmically with every step I said "ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch" then "holy $&@! !&@? $&@&" my rhythm had been interupted by the loudest most heart piercing rattle you can imagine. My eyes were drawn rapidly to my feet only to find a six foot long coiled up rattlesnake less than ten inches from my right foot. The snake cocked back ready to strike. Adrenaline rushed through my body, mostly to the part of the brain that produces swear words. I retreated faster than I knew was possible with a forty pound pack. I used my trekking poles as defense and the snake abated. Seconds later it slithered off into the grass. By the sound of the rattle I determined it to be about ten feet off the trail, but I took no chances. As my heart pouneded and obscenities flew I transformed into Usain Bolt and set personal best 40 time. "Pop, pop" the sprint popped my blisters and my mind was freed from any thought about my feet. The Lord answers prayers!

As I walked on that day I had roughly twenty more snake encounters... or so I imagined. The wind blowing through the grass, my trekking poles striking loose leaves, squirrels, tiny lizards, my boots kicking rocks... everything sounds like a rattle and now I'm the jumpiest hiker on the trail!!

Just got to do that 25 more times!