Day 66, mile 943

Thursday, June 27, 2013
Leg 10: Reds Meadow to Sonora (via Half Dome), California

Overnighting: Tuolumne Meadow, California 

An exhausting three days for Red and Dufresne, but so worth the views and additional adventure stories (as if this trek needed additional adventures).  In the last 58 hours, the boys have hiked over 70 miles and gained 1000s of feet of elevation.  

Becca is learning to use technology for good (as opposed to the usual evil uses), and created this nifty map to show everyone the "shortcut" the Andrews found... just a quick jaunt up Half Dome.  Figured out how to insert the map; did not figure out how to insert a well-centered, zoomed out map.  :-\

          A = start of Day 64 (Tuesday 6/25/2013)

          B = end of Day 64 & start of Day 65 (Wednesday 6/25/2013)

          C = end of Day 65 & start of Day 66 (today) 

          D = waypoint: summit Half Dome
          E = end of Day 66


View Larger Map

And here are a couple photos Mathes posted in the B9 hangout.

Atop Half Dome

Yet another meandering river

Flanagan looks forward to the hotel room in Bridgeport Monday night.  The rest of this leg is (relatively easy) with 20 mile days and only 10 miles on Monday.

Day 63, mile 840+

Monday, June 24, 2013
Leg 10: Red's Meadow (near Mammoth) to Sonora Pass, California

Overnighting: ??? (somewhere after Muir Pass)

Friend on trail: Beezy

Second cyber-spotting.  First appearance in the written word of another Thru Hiker.

http://mexicotocanada2013.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/losing-the-trail-up-muir/

Muir Pass -- Red, Other Andrew, Muk Muk, UB

(assuming Beezy took this photo with Muk Muk's camera)

If you're tracking their progress using Jonno's online map or Halfmile's PDF maps, here's how to find them:

• JONNO: find the pinpoint for Independence, follow the trail (red line) north until you see the first purple tangent running east.  Zoom in as far as you can to that red-purple fork, then follow the red trail, which heads north, west, and then hook south past Helen Lake.  Our boys hiked right pass this lake as they went up and over Muir Pass (mile 838.6) is just southwest of Helen Lake.
• HALFMILE: open California Section H, page 12, right-hand side

Links to both maps are available within my April post, Map of Pacific Crest Trail.  Happy tracking!

Day 62, mile 907

Sunday, June 22, 2013
Leg 9: Independence to Reds Meadow, California

Overnighting: Mammoth, California 

Friend on trail: Beezy

Text messages from "Red" to Becca:

 

11:38am: In mammoth. Love you!

 

Our boys and Beezy left the trail at Reds Meadow and are overnighting in Mammoth.  Beezy finishes his leg of the PCT.  Red and Dufresne (aka Flanagan and Mathes) return to the trail tomorrow morning, skipping the planned zero day.  They want to spend an extra day or two this next leg to play in Yosemite and summit Half Dome.

Day 54, mile ~767

Saturday, June 15, 2013
Leg 8: Kennedy Meadows to Independence, California
Waypoint: Mount Whitney
Friends on trail: Gil Flanagan & Pat Flanagan

Text message from Flanagan to Becca

11:22am: Hello from the highest point in the US (AK doesn't count). All is fantastic !! Love you!

Day 48, zero week

Sunday, June 9, 2013
Layover between Legs 7 & 8: Kennedy Meadows, California
Overnighting: Healdsburg, Sonoma Valley, California

What every PCT hiker needs -- a zero week in San Francisco!

Sunday the B9 crew met at the cabin in Forestville for lunch: brauts, brews, cards, and many laughs.  After lunch Dufresne headed back to San Francisco with Beezy, Andy, and Nichole.  

Red remained at the cabin with Nat, Dru, and Becca, and they spent the afternoon near the water -- Red floated the Russian River with Nat while Becca and Dru read books on the river bank.

Sunday evening Flanagan and Becca returned to the city to celebrate their five-year wedding anniversary.  The celebration was a few weeks earlier than the July 26th anniversary, but Becca wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to see Andrew!

Day 47, zero week

Saturday, June 8, 2013
Layover between Legs 7 & 8: Kennedy Meadows, California
Overnighting: Healdsburg, Sonoma Valley, California

What every PCT hiker needs -- a zero week in San Francisco!

Saturday was spent in Sonoma Valley celebrating the union of Akiko Fujii and Chris Wheeler.  Many congratulations on their splendid wedding festivities! 

Poolside after the wedding: Nat, Dru, Mathes, Flanagan & Becca

Dru is the genius that called bowties for B9 crew.  Glad I could help the boys and tie them up before the ceremony.

Red cleans up rather well . . . and enjoys the occasional mint julep

Looking good, Dufresne!

Day 43, mile 702

Tuesday, June 4, 2013
End of Legs 7: Kennedy Meadows, California

Received confirmation that the Andrews met up with Dru and Nat this morning.  The four guys are headed to Bishop, California, today and into San Francisco tomorrow.

This weekend is the wedding of a childhood friend.  A great excuse to come off trail for a week, and the first time Flanagan and Becca will see each other in 50 days!

With time off-trail and a laptop, we're hopeful lots of pictures and trail notes will be added to this site.

Day 41, mile 698 & 702

Sunday, June 2, 2013
Leg 7: Highway 58 to Kennedy Meadows, California
Overnighting: South Fork Kern River (Red) & Kennedy Meadows (Dufresne)

Mathes finished his epic challenge, hiking over 50 miles in 18 hours.  While he recouped with a trail angel in Kennedy Meadows, Flanagan finished the trek from Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows at the regular pace of 20-25 miles per day.

Day 40, 676 & 702 (crazy adventures on trail)

Saturday, June 1, 2013
Leg 7: Highway 58 to Kennedy Meadows, California
Overnighting: off trail at saddle (Red) & Kennedy Meadows (Dufresne)


Walker Pass trail angels brought ice cream sandwiches and a relative feast for hikers.  Feeling good, a few hikers dreamed up the "Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows 24-Hour Challenge."  That's 52.5 miles of hiking in under 24 hours!  Mathes took the challenge, and Flanagan carried much of the "extra" gear to allow the lightest possible pack for Mathes.

Five hikers took the challenge.  Mathes started about 5am, assuming the other four would catch up to him half-way through the day.  The team of hikers never caught Mathes, who finished in about 18 hours. 

One of the four hikers -- UB --created an amazing 4-minute video of The Challenge (http://vimeo.com/67612312).  A few highlights from the video are typed below.

...The Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows 24 Hour Challenge...

Start at 7am

The Challenge is 52.5 Miles in under 24 hours

3 climbs, over 6,969 elevation, and one of the driest sections on the PCT

Our first water stop took us over 90 minutes to get enough water to push on

The first climb -- one hiker down, three remain

6pm reached Fox Springs without water

Spent an hour refueling at the springs before the last 19 miles

Averaging 3+ miles an hour

Sun setting over the first views of the Sierras and six hours to go

1:28am challenge completed = 18h 28m