07 Apr Day 11 – Lifesavers and Fire Volunteer

 Tahquitz

Here is where I stayed while in Idyllwild.

Having left my sun hat in a car, I had more than the usual organizational problems to solve before I could be on the trail. Not having transportation, I expected it to take most of the day.

Don’t laugh about the hat. On the PCT without the best clownish looking hat your brain will bake and  your neck fry.  Many people bring specialized umbrellas.

Packed all up, I walked out of my room and saw a guy with a backpack getting in a car. “Hey can you give me a ride too?” It was David the Trail Angel. He dropped me off for breakfast at the Res Kettle. He met me back at Mountain Hardware where I picked up Denatured Alchol for my stove and a micro USB cable to charge my headlamp (the old one broke in two just that morning. You wouldn’t want to be in the dark in the wilderness?) He waited while I shopped. I told him about the hat and he took me to the outfitters where I picked up an OR neck scarf which fit the bill. I also bought a spoon. The handle broke off my spoon the first day. David waited in the car while I shopped. Actually he was busy loading 2 more hikers in the car. Shopping done, problems solved…David drove all of us to the trailhead. We signed his register and offered money that he wouldn’t take. He gave each of us a roll of lifesavers for the trail. It was  9:30 AM. Full belly and ready to hike.

Lifesavers. Thanks David the Trail Angel.

Tahquitz Rock – It was here and nearby Suicide Rock that Royal Robbins invented the difficulty rating system for climbing.

Miley the dog. Jeff is hiking the PCT with his friendly dog.

Chris the fire volunteer originally from England, now  lives here. He was packing a 25 lb pressure treated. 6×6 timber. See him ahead of me slowly moving up the trail with a strange load, I first assumed that he was another eccentric PCT hiker. His 55 lb pack was also loaded with tools.

See the 6×6 sticking out of his pack.

The fire tower is from 1919. It is being rebuilt on Wednesday. Here is where David’s pressure treated timber will go. The footing under the first step.

Here are the steps that will be rebuilt. Everything packed up 3000 vertical feet.

Here is the Firetower. The panels come down to reveal windows all around. David stays in the tower overnight watching for the glow of distant flames.

From Tahquitz Peak you can see the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island where there was an earthquake yesterday.

Here are some photos of the day. 

The snow now here would have been several feet deep last year at this time. 

This sunset photo was taken from sitting position in the door of my  tarp.  Really there is no door, just an opening.

More sunset photos. It lasted a long time and kept changing with new effects 

In sleeping bag and on my Thermarest X-Lite as I write. Very windy, but tarp is holding with stakes in ground and covered by large rocks. This sandy soil doesn’t hold as well as Georgia clay.

Goodnight