Day 23, Snow Zero

Part 1, The Desert, Day 23

Snow Zero

Miles: 0

PCT Mile: 369.5

Today was a weird day and difficult to really blog about, since I did so little. It was actually very boring, but I still documented it, so here goes. 

Once again, I woke up in my motel room and did not know where I was. It took awhile this time to realize I was in Wrightwood at the Cedar Lodge. Last night, the snow fell and it was gorgeous, and bitter cold. I tried to capture it with my phone:

This morning I peeked my head out and everything was white. I knew it would snow today too, and that I was zeroing because of it, so I stayed right in my warm bed until my 11am checkout time. Survivor Man was on this morning on one of my three channels, so I picked up some expert tips. After showering and loading my pack, I set out for town to run some errands. I needed a cheap place to stay tonight, but otherwise my day was wide open. I walked to the hardware store:

I put my extra food into the hiker box here. A hiker box can usually be located in each trail town and contains food, gear, and other items that hikers don't want or need. Some hikers resupply exclusively from hiker boxes. I usually avoid them, but sometimes I give them a quick scan for hidden gems. (Hiker boxes are usually filthy)

Next, I looked in the trail register at a list of trail angels who host hikers. Most only provided camping in yards. 

I found a bed in a cabin for $25 dollars, with a kitchen, bathroom, shower, and my own loft. I called Janet, the owner, and I lucked out, as it was available. Wrightwood is full of hikers today because of the snow, so the inns are full, as well as most host houses. Janet even picked me up and drove the whole 2 blocks to the cabin. 

The cabin was way better than I thought it would be. I was met by Seneca, an older guy wearing a kilt, who I'd be sharing the place with. We talked for a bit and he's a very experienced hiker from Oregon, so I listened to his advice. He's a cool dude. I dropped my stuff and went to town to kill time. I went right to the used book store:

it took awhile to get past all of the crap books before I found some good ones.

The book I wanted was a bit heavy, so I spent some time debating the pros and cons of carrying it, but my buddy who has the 75 pound pack, Jake, was there and convinced me that weight is nothing to fret about, so I bought the book:

I read this years ago, probably one of my favorite books of all time, and I'm excited to read it on trail. My second Steinbeck in a row too. I did tear out the lenghty introduction to make it weigh less. After this I went across the street to The Evergreen Cafe. I'm trying to save money, so I hoped a big lunch here would be all I needed for the day and I was right.

I ordered this massive cheeseburger. It was amazing and it nearly put me to sleep. Mission accomplished.

I left to walk the street again and it was still early. The thing about zeroing in small towns is that you're at the mercy of the town. Everything there is to do, pretty much drink or eat, costs money, so hikers spend a lot of time sitting at coffee shops, etc. I went to a coffee shop and sat inside and read. It was still snowing outside. I was very bored.

Here is a picture of me being bored and wishing I was hiking on the trail:

I went to the Mountain Outhouse, a snowboard shop, and bought some cheap new sunglasses to replace my very scratched ones. I've never owned sunglasses beofre this hike, (something people find odd, for some reason) and I know to take better care of them now, because I need them out here.

There was actually an outhouse on the porch:

I was so tired, I could barely keep my eyes open, so I went back to the cabin.

I have the loft with a comfy bed all to my self.

I "exploded" my pack on the bed. Exploding your pack is a term on the trail for completely emptying your pack, and it happens several times a day, because whenever something is needed, it's always at the bottom of the pack.

I found this scratch and sniff book near my bed:

I scratched and sniffed the pictures, but they smelled like cat pee. Then Seneca gave me a pack of dehydrated peanut butter. Just add water. I'm excited to try this on the trail. 

Because this blog post may be less than exciting due to the snow zero, I thought I'd show you all how I cook my dinners. I use a JetBoil stove.

It's a bit heavy, but compact and boils water in under two minutes, even in windy conditions. 

I buy dehydrated foods and put the food in ziplock quart freezer bags: (without the wrapper, of course)

I pour the boiling water into the freezer bag and put the bag into my freezer bag cozy to keep the heat in:

Minutes later, I have hot, disgusting food. The adavantage of freezer bag cooking is that it's fast and there's no cleanup. I'm thinking hot food will taste better in the Sierras. Eating hot food in 100 degree weather is so sad. I went for a walk to take some pics and saw Morningstar, the Belgian hiker. He actually stayed up on the mountain during the snow storm last night, which is incredible. He gave me lots of good advice on how to prevent injury on the trail, and I listened. The sun was coming out in part of the sky, but the horizon where I hike tomorrow was still dark.

It was so cold that I made a swift retreat back to the loft. I'm typing this, and Seneca and I are watching the tv, warm and comfy. I'm leaving tomorrow, and it will be very difficult to find a ride to the trail head, but I'll get there. I'm very nervous because I climb Mt Baden Powell tomorrow at around 9,500 feet and there will be lots of snow on the very steep and narrow trail. Hikers around town say it will be treacherous. I've heard that before. Stay Tuned!