One particularly cold morning in the San Gabriel Mountains had everybody wanting to go home. Since then we’ve paid close attention to the forecasted weather and have avoided the colder temperatures, heading down to the desert when necessary. More recently Jerry joined us as well. The combination of his company and warmer conditions has done wonders for Cindy’s mood.
I think a couple other things help as well. In the San Gabriels I did not equip Cindy with her walking stick or gaitors. Cindy still has a very strong image of herself as a hiker and I think the added gear reinforces that image of herself. She even desires having a full pack on as part of that, though she gets over that desire quickly enough for the advantages of day hiking.
Of course, staying at a Sheraton every few days helps as well; I still have quite a few points to use up for hotel stays.
With Jerry out here I’ve recalled that my three favorite slides from my film camera days all involved him. They all involve the summer of ’82 when John Markelon, Paul Connelly, Jerry and I had a series of adventures on the way out to a thru-hike of the John Muir Trail. Our first stop was exploring the Bitterroots as part of an advanced scouting mission for the Continental Divide hike.
I have a shot of a spectacular rainbow arcing over a green mountain landscape with Jerry observing in the foreground for perspective. I had to take two shots to capture the 180 degree reach of the rainbow. Nowadays you just use the panoramic setting of your digital camera. Another favorite in the Bitterroots was a perfectly timed shot, using the camera’s timer, of the four of us jumping into an ice-covered lake, snowy mountains in the background. We were all in different stages of entry, being airborne and feet still on the rock from which we dove. Since Jerry’s feet were the ones still on the rock there’s no proof he actually went in.
The one other favorite photo was of Jerry and I jumping off a cliff together above Punchbowl Falls. I mentioned that one earlier, now there are prominent signs on the Eagle Creek Trail promising fines for anyone who tries such a stunt.
The John Muir Trail was the icing on the cake for that summer. Fortunately, Cindy was on that hike as well, knocking off both the most beautiful and most challenging area of the PCT while young and healthy.
When we reach the Mexican border my wish for Cindy is to have shown her all the highlights of the PCT. If she is not capable of hiking in the future to complete the trail she yet will have witnessed the near total scope of its beauty. Between now and then we have to hike in the Anza-Borrego Desert, the Laguna Mountains and hike up Mt. San Jacinto to fulfill that mission. Then the most challenging hike I have ever done will be over, yet with that challenge comes the reward of matching up a beautiful person with the beautiful landscapes she loves.
Yes, this is her blood !