SCENE FROM THE TRAIL

Sunday, July 7, 2019

July 7, 2019

Ashland - And so we begin

We are here and ready or not it's time. Stephen, Bryan and Hunter gave us a lift to Ashland and now it's up to us to walk the rest of the way. It should be easy with all the butterflies in my stomach! Our final pack weight was a little more than we had hoped at 33 and 35 lbs. We know we've packed stuff we don't need so we'll probably add to the first hiker box we come to. Looking forward to getting our trail legs and mojo. It will be just the renewal we've been needing.

It was with mixed feelings I bid my coworkers and volunteers at Solid Waste farewell . It feels strange to not be coming back qnd I wonder what life will be like when we return. TBG will return to his job so we have that security to come home to.

To all of you wonderful well-wishers, thank you for your support and encouragement!

We promise to do our best to keep you updated as we walk along the trail. Please be patient as we'll be doing our communicating on our phone so typos and the like may be frequent!

With that being said I guess I can stall no longer....our first step of many.

Saturday, June 29, 2019

HERE WE GO. COME ALONG WITH US!

It's been a while since we've posted anything and boy, do we have a lot to share with you!

We have literally spent all our time since we started the PCT in 2011 preparing for this year. We hiked a couple hundred miles in 2011. A couple hundred more in 2012. 2013 saw us cranking out 1,400 miles. And then nothing...until 2019! We will explain the "nothing years" as we go along...

July 5, 2019, I (KOKO), will retire from my job and on July 7th we'll be in Ashland heading South to finish our remaining 900 miles of CA and the PCT! We're older, overweight (at least I am) and out of shape, but we are wiser as well and planning to not push ourselves any more than necessary. We want to cover a lot of ground, but we want to enjoy it as we do.

We are going to utilize the same gear we did before - TBG (The Bald Guy) LOVES his external frame pack and mine feels like an old comfy friend. Our tent, bag, pads, etc., are all still as great as they were before so why change? We've found the shoes we'll use this time; TBG is once again going with his Merrills but I have decided to try Altra Lone Peaks. I don't think they'll hold up well, but I think they'll be extremely comfy. I've ordered extra pairs in preparation...

Food has been our big challenge. Once again, we are electing to go cookless. This doesn't eliminate much weight, but it does make it a little easier for food prep and clean-up and there's no risk of fires!

We've been watching the current NOBO hikers progress. A lot of snow has caused most to do some major skipping and flipping so we are anticipating more hiker company than originally expected. Good and bad. It will be nice to have more company and the locals will be more likely be trail angels, but more people means more trash and abuse as well. Hopefully "new" hikers are as respectful as the ones in the past.

When we did this last, we were 6 years younger and only had 3 grandkids -- which I (KOKO) missed terribly. Now we have 6 grandkids AND in-laws and I'm having withdrawals already and we haven't even left!

Please follow us and leave comments!

And, as always, we love hiking!

KOKO and The Bald Guy

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Another day passes

Feeling nostalgic as I read what we were doing this time last year...I look at the photos and I am instantly transported back. It's funny how my memory tells me things weren't so bad. That it was...fun...The time since we got home has been rough. It took several months to get our real life legs back. TBG still thinks of it daily and it's a rare day that goes by that we don't find some reason to mention it.

Due to work and school schedules, we haven't been able to get out for any serious hiking since we returned last September. Talk about withdrawals. Just last weekend we were able to cross a hike off our bucket list by doing South Sister in Bend. Wow. Last summer it probably would have been easy (easier anyway) as needless to say, neither of us are underweight anymore! We struggled our way to the top and agreed that our mental and physical experiences on the PCT greatly helped us tackle this challenge. We never once doubted we could do it or considered quitting. A few years ago, I don't think I would have made it.

People still ask us about our hike, if we've changed. Physically? Yes, many folks don't recognize me as I haven't cut my hair. I've managed to keep most of the weight off and my cholesterol is at an all time low. Jeff is healthy, but there is something missing in life. We've changed mentally. We take things in stride better. I'm not as fearful of the unknown. I am more likely to face a challenge. I am more confident.

Spirituality we're different too. The trail offered a peace and solitude that can't be described. We've learned that there is something bigger than ourselves--and it's beautiful. We respect it. We fear it. We long for it. We look for it. We are more sensitive to our environment and the simpler things of life. We want everyone to know the feeling. We want to introduce it to our grandkids (our newest grandchild we mentioned in our blog was a girl by the way, Elizabeth Grace arrived in March!) We want others to value nature like we do. To...appreciate it and protect it...to be aware that there's something...
awesome...
spectacular...
challenging...
mysterious...
simple...
clean...
refreshing...
enduring...
refreshing...
quiet...
magical...
peaceful...
tremendous...
inspiring...
emotional...
consuming...
glorious...
spiritual...
strengthening...

It's wonderful to be home. To be surrounded by our loved ones, even to the creature comforts...but ultimately?

You got it...we still love hiking!

KOKO & TBG

Here are some highlights of South Sister...