[pct-l] News from the trail: Goforth

["Karen Elder" <wild_mind@earthlink.net>]

Joanne "Goforth" Lennox is sending me reports of her thru-hike for me to
post here with news about trail conditions for this year's hikers and a
glimpse of our beloved PCT for the rest of us.

Karen Elder

------------------------------------------

Thursday
April 22, 1999

Dear Karen + List Members-
    A lot of water over the dam since I last wrote.
    After I crossed the Mojave from Tehachapi + then left Jack Fair's house,
I got into another snow storm -- the 5th. Tried to exit out thru 3 Points --
ended up in Gorman on I-5. That night curious about all the noise that kept
waking me up -- I opened my motel door to find the hallways lined with
sleeping people. The snow which had fallen all day + night closed the
freeway at the "grapevine". My instincts seem to be good -- all my snow
storm exit point subsequently close major freeways the following night.
    Tom Reynolds picked me up for the bash -- and it was incredible meeting
all the people -- everybody, hikers + helpers alike. I had an image of
everybody and am happy to report not a single of my mental images was even
close to the real thing. Turns out I have had the same thing with a lot of
waypoints on the PCT. I look at it on the map (rarely read the description),
get an image + am always surprised when I get there.
    After the storm, I tried walking back up Liebre Mt, but the snow got
worse + worse. I thought I could round the ridge to the S. side, but the
snow deepened as I reached the ridge top. I had been in knee-deep slush.
When at last I turned around, my Achilles tendons were so frosted, I could
hardly walk downhill. I walked the road to Hughes Lake + caught the trail
there (it was 1000' lower).
    I was walking a steep, rocky hillside + noticed a horizontal crack in
the rock with 3 holes. The rock was worn smooth around the holes, there was
no excavated soil or signs of digging. What could live in such a place? I
leaned over to peer into the last + largest hole + in so doing placed my
head directly over the middle hole. I reacted so suddenly to all the
rattling + hissing that I almost threw myself off the trail edge. The loud
rattling stopped, but all the hissing continued no matter how far away I
got. They never showed themselves, but there must have been a whole den of
them.
    When at last I saw my 1st rattlesnake, I was enthralled. It was small +
apparently asleep on the trail. It was beautifully marked with diamond
shapes. It did not rattle when I awoke it. Nor need it have -- it's pattern
sinuated itself across the sand in a visual simile of its sound.
    I started from Agua Dulce + felt pretty punky in the unaccustomed heat.
Pretty slow the 1st 2 days + then the mountain air seemed to take over + I
started doing 20 mile days. These are real mountains with all the visual
cues + smells of the Sierras. Piney woods + redwoods + rivulets trickling
over white granite. All went well until I hit major snow around Mt.
Williamson. I was at the summit (No. 16, you can see my numbers game) at
dusk (7:37) and decided when I got back to my pack at dark, that I needed to
cross all the snow patches in the dark, because I knew they would be too
hard by morning. The edges of the snow are ice -- this makes transitioning
from the snow to trail difficult. Twice I slipped and jammed my ankle when I
slammed down onto the trail edge. By the time I found a camp, my left ankle
was very sore + giving me problems downhill or on sloped ground.
    Hiway 2 was closed, the snow clearly was not an option without an ice
ax. I underestimated the San Gabriels -- so much of the terrain is very
steep ground that even if you are on the trail, if it has snow, you need an
ice ax. The snow also was very heterogeneous -- up on the crust one moment,
up to your crotch the next, or skating on ice. I ended walking Hiway 2 from
Islip Saddle thru Dawson + to Vincent Gap -- didn't have to worry about the
traffic, but wouldn't recommend it. A fair amount of snow + rock debris on
the road. A shower of rocks came down as I passed a bridge - making loud +
surprisingly musical sounds on the bridge posts. I still have to fill in the
San Jacinto to Baden Powell gap. My ankle needs a rest + my husband some
company.

                Goforth




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