Blessings...

Out of difficulties grow miracles.  ~ Jean De La Bruyere

With the turn of a new day, comes lots of blessings... Teddy and I are so grateful for all that flooded into our lives over the past several hours and days.  So, the 300 mile diversion Teddy thought he had to take due to bad weather just outside of Crater Lake turned into a mere 144 mile section being temporarily skipped instead - WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES...

via google images

We both agreed that there is a reason why he was not meant to hike that section during that particular time - perhaps there was some hiker-eating monster up in the mountains, or another storm was brewing , or it could have been to simply allow him to take advantage of the great sale at REI on his boots... whatever halted his progress there allowed him to mentally and physically resupply, call home, and then move on.

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. ~Napoleon Hill

Teddy's trail angels, Lloyd Gust and Lloyd Miller picked Teddy up, as promised, and brought him into Bend, Oregon where he was able to purchase his new winter hiking boots, resupply his pack and call home with some positive news.  The information seemed bitter sweet - Teddy found out that just 30 miles from the blizzard like conditions he was hiking in yesterday, there was not an ounce of snow on the ground - the trail was untouched by inclement weather.  He was a bit disappointed that he had already traveled up the 144 miles, and wasn't able to jump back on the trail to only have to return for the 30 impenetrable miles - but immediately begun to be thankful for the safety and availability for resupply he was surrounded in now.  He said "Having to return to hike 144 miles is a hell of alot better than 300 miles."  According to his average daily mileage, he can bang that 144 miles out in  less than 6 days.
So, onward to his ever-changing newest plan of attack - he is being dropped off in Sisters, Oregon - mile 2,010 on the trail.   He will continue walking, hopefully with some new-found thruhikers, onward to Canada only 5 or so days ahead of where he would have been prior to the weather hiccup he experienced.  Once he reaches Canada, he will make his way back down into Oregon and decide whether he will hike that last 144 miles northbound or southbound - I guess it will depend on the weather at that minute... and once that task is done, he will have completed the total 2,650 miles that make up the Pacific Crest Trail.

I hope I didn't confuse anyone who is actually trying to keep track of all this mileage stuff - all I know is that the plan is better than the one we formulated yesterday, which in turn lifted Teddy's spirits, which in turn lifted my spirits, which in turn allowed me to sigh relief and breathe again, which in turn allowed my children to see the "positive, rational, closer to normal" side of me again... everyone wins...

So, he is back up and hiking... looking to be in Cascade Locks in a few days, hopefully with a cell phone signal so he can send some pictures - he entered back on the trail at 1,856 - exactly where he stepped off - this means he is days away from hitting the 2,000 mile mark.  He already has his candy ready to eat in celebration of the milestone.

There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.
 ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Thank you for these blessings ~ thank you for the lessons...

~ The Thruhiker's Wife ~

Some NEWS to share...

via google images

Teddy was able to call home several times over the weekend... each time further up the trail than the day before...he is averaging 25 mile days and is leaving Burney, CA as of Tuesday, September 13th.

He has reported he is back on his own now, after hiking for a few days with a NEW thruhiker named "Sticks".  Nothing to crazy to report, other than this guy is "cowboy camping" - what does that mean you ask?? He is thruhiking the PCT without a tent... he has slept on a mat, under the stars, rain or shine...

There is a NEW mail drop, for those who asked... Teddy will be there in about 5 days.  And it's in a NEW state... he will finally have completed the 1,710 miles of California and enter Oregon within the week.

via google images

Teddy "Scarecrow" Warren
General Delivery
Ashland, OR 97520




Unfortunately, there are no NEW pictures to share, other than the NEW and improved "I Love You" shot from last week... he decided to resend it, as the last one portrayed him as a jigsaw puzzle instead of a grizzly looking, determined, man on a mission...

via google images

 A hiker is walking up to the shelter when he sees another hiker with a rod and reel fishing in the privy. He walks over and asks “what in the world are you doing in there"? He says "I dropped my jacket in and I'm tryin to get it out". 

 The first hiker looks in at the jacket and says "You're not actually gonna wear that are you"? The second hiker shakes his head in disbelief at such a ridicules question and replies "Heck No! There is a Snickers in the pocket"!

Hang in there, Scarecrow - the kids sent you a NEW package of treats to enjoy... and you won't have to fish them out of the privy...  WE LOVE YOU...

~The Thruhiker's Wife~ 

A Bit Out of Order...

Teddy finally received a signal today and was able to send two pictures... one was pretty clear, and the other?  well, not so clear :(

Yay!! As you can see by the sign, this was when Ted made it into Sierra City back at 1,201 miles.  He is pictured here with Not Ryan all the way to the left, and another thruhiker named Condor, who Ted describes as a "gentle giant"...

This picture had the subtitle "Olive Juice" and he is holding up the sign for I love you... unfortunately the picture came through scrambled... although the message was still received :)

As the last post stated, he has reached the half way point, hiking 30 mile days, back to back for the past four days...  he is feeling strong and is "on a mission"...  He has said he has lost 25 pounds which brings him down to 190 pounds... HOLY STRING BEAN Batman...

Keep ongoing, Scarecrow - I love you...

~The Thruhiker's Wife~

Halfway Hoorahs!!!

Teddy called last night - he made it to Belden, CA which is posted at 1296 miles... which means TODAY, he will walk past the halfway mark of the whole trail... 1,325 miles.  He said he has already purchased his Reese's candy pack to make his sign on and send to me for posting.

Way to go, Scarecrow!! Keep on trekking... we are so proud of you !!

Essential Etiquette for Escaping Eerie Encounters...

While laying on the hammock this afternoon, I received call from Teddy - but he sounded different.  Stressed.  Could it be the reality of walking 944 miles has set in? Or maybe that he has seen himself in a mirror 18+ pounds lighter than he left.  Or is it that he just misses his family.  Or the beard and facial hair interrupting meal time is just too much.  No, nothing as unprecedented as those things would stress Teddy out like this.  No, this voice was evoked by the huge teeth marks he discovered running through his cook pot.

*photo NOT taken by Teddy* via google images

Enter: second encounter with a bear on the PCT.  This one - not behind a cage or a fence, and certainly not in any Hollywood movie to date.  Scarecrow and Not Ryan were on their second consecutive 18 mile day, headed  into Tuolumne. Exhausted from upping their mileage, they made it into a campsite around 9:30 p.m. After cooking, and setting up camp, it was after 10:45 p.m. before they settled in their tents for the night.  Standard procedure is to place contained food and cooking supplies a decent distance away from your sleeping quarters, preferably hung from a tree, for obvious reasons.  A rustling of their pots caused them to jump up and investigate.    They located their cooking pots, but as Not Ryan stated, "That ain't where I left mine."    They both had left all of their food safely stored in bear-proof canisters, as per PCT regulations, with their cook pots on top.   In the dark, headlamps on, they found their stuff,  being handled by something... about 15 feet away.  At first, all they saw were eyes glaring back at them, as Not Ryan yelled out, "Get outta here... Go away, bears" - but as their eyes adjusted, they were able to make out the bodies of a momma bear and her cub, startled by the yelling, as they dropped the cook pots and sauntered off into the night.
Needless to say, their food canisters AND damaged cooking gear were hung until morning with no further incidence.  It wasn't until this morning, in looking at the pot, that Teddy saw the huge tooth puncture in his pot,  causing this piece of equipment now to be non-functioning (hence the understandable stress in his voice).  It definitely humbled Teddy, magnifying his respect for nature, its creatures, and the etiquette he must maintain while hiking through this beautiful landscape.

~The Thruhiker's Wife ~

What a difference a few weeks can make...

via google images

Last we heard, Teddy was finishing up the Mojave Desert, hiking through 104+ degree weather, averaging 20-25 miles a day.  He checked in with me today from a town called Independence, which is 791 miles into the trip.  He sounded strong and invigorated while telling me about his latest accomplishments.

After leaving Kennedy Meadows, Teddy was with 7 thruhikers, all heading on the 63 mile journey towards Mt. Whitney.  You can only imagine the dynamics of 7 different people, with their own plans, hiking at their own paces, with their own expectations of this experience.  In the words of "Not Ryan", one of the hikers still with Teddy, "group travel is complicated."

* Hooray *  We finally heard from Teddy today. I was not surprised, as the kids and I just got back from our own little adventure up by Lake George, so we must have been summoning Scarecrow's spirit.  The whole time we were away, we were channeling Scarecrow's energies - from swimming in Trout Lake , to row boating, kayaking and tubing, to sitting around a campfire, to zip lining and swinging in the trees (all thanks to the Kropp family) - everything we did was what Teddy loves.  Finally we get to swap REAL adventure stories with each other...

 He has said his daily mileage has cut down to 15 miles per day, as the snow and elevations have curtailed the high mileage.  One may think, okay, no big deal, I am walking a bit slower, but that affected Teddy's food supply as well.  He resorted to his yogi-ing skills once again, and generous day hikers provided him with various snacks and food to compensate for the shortage.

And then there were 3.  Scarecrow, along with "Not Ryan", and a girl named "Bacon", emerged ahead of the rest and continued on together.  They made it to Crabtree Meadows Ranger Station, at mile 766, and set up camp for the night.  The next day would be their trek to the summit of Mt. Whitney.

I am pleased that Scarecrow caught up with these thruhikers and was able to experience this ascension of Mt. Whitney with them - "Bacon" is on the left behind him and "Not Ryan" is on the right.  I was relieved that Teddy had this company - not only for safety reasons, but to be able to share in the pure intoxication of this achievement.  Way to go thruhikers.  

The warning message in the trail books read: Whitney Trailcrest: Hazardous sections of snow. Depending on the snow conditions, ice axes & crampons may be required to cross safely.

And there you have it... Teddy is sitting at the summit of Mt. Whitney, grizzly beard and all - I am so proud of you Teddy for taking this 16 uncounted mile side trip to climb that mountain.  I am sure every step was worth it when you look out at that exquisiteness around you.




After descending Mt. Whitney, Scarecrow and his two thruhiker companions camped at Crabtree Meadows Ranger Station for another night.  They would begin the next leg of their journey in the morning.

This brings us to Monday, July 25th.  Scarecrow, Not Ryan, and Bacon headed out on the PCT still in Sequoia National Park.  Sequoia is where the John Muir Trail begins, running along the PCT.  At the northern edge of the park, the Trail crosses Forester Pass (13,180 feet), which is the highest pass on not only the John Muir Trail, but the Pacific Crest Trail as well.  I found an updated weather alert for this area:  

Forester pass:  Snow continues for a very long time. North side 100% snow for 2 miles. South side steep snow.

*WOW*  what a complete contrast to what he was hiking in a few weeks ago... first the blistering hot desert and now steep snow.  When asked which he prefers, Teddy said definitely the cold.

At left, Teddy is at the top of Forester Pass, walking stick, grizzly beard, and ice axe in hand.  The elevation will be the highest he will be along the PCT, so hopefully he will pick up his mileage again once he is hiking in more comfortable elevation levels.  

By the 27th of July, Teddy is descending from Forester Pass, hiking another 15 miles before he has to take a side trail into town for resupply.  The side trail included a 4 mile hike up to Kearsarge Pass, over and down another 5 miles before reaching Independence.  He, and his fellow thruhikers, got to eat, do laundry at a local gas station for $5 (that sounds creepy, but whatever gets him through I guess), resupply food for the next 8 to 9 days, and rejuvenate before taking the 5 mile trek back over Kearsarge Pass, and walk another 4 miles just to get back onto the PCT.  Their next destination is Mammoth Lake, which is at the 908 mile mark on the trail.  Anyone following on a map can see that it looks like just about half way through California.  And that's not even the half way mark of the PCT...

on his way down from Forester Pass

With just shy of a third of the trail completed and behind him, he said he is treasuring this experience, and consuming everything he had hoped to... he sounds strong, energized, and confident... yet strongly feels the absence of his family and friends.  I have included below Teddy's next mail drop address for anyone who expressed an interest in mailing Teddy a note of good wishes and encouragement.  He told me the last ones that were sent had a huge, positive impact on his mental state of hiking.  He will be arriving there in a week or two.  

Teddy "Scarecrow" Warren

General Delivery

South Lake Tahoe, California  96151

What a difference a few notes can make...

~The Thruhiker's Wife

Learning How to Climb...

After 5 days of seeing no one, and speaking to only me briefly on the phone, Teddy arrived in Kennedy Meadows, received all of his packages and goodies, and is heading out towards the Sierra Mountains.  It was recommended in "Yogi's PCT Handbook" to leave Kennedy Meadows with an extra day of food to account for one of the most unique experiences on this trip - to summit Mt. Whitney.  The western slope of the mountain lies within Sequoia National Park, one of the two national parks that Teddy will travel through during this next leg of the trip.  He is currently about 40 miles from entering the parks.

via google images

The PCT enters Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park at mile 753 and exits the parks at mile 854.  In reading through Teddy's books for information, I came across this notice:  As of January 2011, thruhikers along the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail with a valid wilderness permit must use portable, park approved, bearproof storage containers. 

Lovely.  Teddy might just get another encounter with a bear, but this time, the bear will not be training for any movie.  

I know from talking with Teddy, that climbing Mt. Whitney is one of the biggest highlights of his trip.  I am so happy that he is approaching this triumph - he needed a pick-me-up after his rash ordeal.  I want to share a few facts about this mountain that my husband is about to climb.

Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet.   The most popular route to the summit is by way of the Mount Whitney Trail which starts at Whitney Portal, 13 miles west of the town of Lone Pine. The hike is about 22 miles round trip with an elevation gain of over 6,100 feet.  The High Sierra, including Mount Whitney, has unpredictable weather patterns.  Common advice is to be off the peak by noon during the summer monsoon season, between June and September.  Lightening is a frequent occurrence at the peak on summer afternoons.  Let's hope Teddy read up on his Wikipedia facts before leaving on this trek...

via google images

Residents of Lone Pine financed the first trail to the summit, engineered by Gustave Marsh, and completed it on July 22, 1904.  Breathtaking photographs of the trails leading up to Mount Whitney, as well as the photo at left, can be found on many sites - I took these from Wikipedia.  Although this is not a picture of Teddy, I hope the experience is just as amazing as it appears in this photo.

via google images

 I also learned that there is a hut at the summit of the mountain, known as the Smithsonian Institution Shelter.  This shelter was constructed back in 1909, after a hiker named Bryd Surby was struck and killed by lightning while eating lunch on the exposed summit.  In response to this event, Gustave Marsh began work on the stone hut that would become the Smithsonian Institution Shelter, and completed it in 1909.  The shelter was built to house scientists who used the 14,505-foot summit to study high-altitude phenomena in the time before sustained high-altitude flight was possible.

So, there you have it.  A bunch of interesting, crazy facts about the next piece of Scarecrow's adventure.  Below is a picture of the plaque that is mounted at the summit of Mt. Whitney.  I am anxiously awaiting for Teddy's photo of this amazing accomplishment.  I am sure that he will climb this mountain, reach the summit, and take a big breath... and then, he will fill up with pride and accomplishment in the realization that he has achieved this extraordinary feat. 

via google images

There are times in  life when you gotta crawl
Lose your grip, trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no one else
That's when you find yourself...
I've been around an' I've  noticed that
Walkin's easier when the road is flat
Them danged ol' heels'll get you every time
Yeah, the good Lord gave us mountains
 So we could learn how to climb...       ~Lonestar

~The Thruhiker's Wife

Adventurous Dad = Adventurous Children

So, this has been the longest stretch of time without a word from Teddy. I don't think he will have much to report, as he is by himself, hiking through the last part of the Mojave Desert.  He is approaching Kennedy Meadows, which will be an exciting stop for Teddy, as once he arrives there, he will pick up a new pair of hiking shoes he had ordered, his ice axe, and a bunch of goodies from the kids and I.  It is our hope that all the Snickers bars and girl scout cookies aren't melted and crushed by the time he receives them.  Once arriving in Kennedy Meadows, Teddy will have walked 703 miles - only 1,947 left to go.  What an adventurer.

The kids are hanging in there, anxiously awaiting for Teddy to call, ready to catch him up on all that we are doing to keep busy.  They truly channeled their dad's adventurous spirit on Sunday, when they decided to go groundhog hunting in our back yard. Rubi, our dog, was barking at something that was under a piece of fencing.  Instead of bringing the dog inside, Dakota and Jagger decided to lift up the piece of fencing to see what Rubi was barking at.  Rubi anxiously waited in attack mode while the kids lifted lawn chairs, fencing, and planks of wood to uncover what was described as an enormous groundhog.  Jagger told me later it was the size of the gas tank for the barbecue.  Rubi was trying to bite it, it was up on its hind legs hissing at the kids and the dog, while the kids were totally freaking out, now not knowing what to do.  They surprisingly were able to grab the dog, and ran inside.  What they did not anticipate was all of the mud that Rubi brought in with her.  So, while I was out, now they had a muddy house, a dog that was freaking out, and a huge groundhog loose in the back yard.

via google images

I did not receive the call about any of this until after the fact - after the kids cleaned Rubi, after cleaning up all of the mud that got into the house, after all of the fencing had been put back in its place, along with the planks of wood and the lawn furniture.  Now that I know what my adventurous children are TRULY capable of, there should be no problems with the chores I give them - ranging from "empty the dishwasher" to "fold up the clean towels."  Any complaints from them now, and I will just send them back outside to hunt for the groundhog.


We anticipate Teddy calling in the next day or two - as soon as he does, I will be sure to report all that is unfolding in his adventure, and hopefully nothing else on the groundhog hunting going on here.

~The Thruhiker's Wife

Scarecrow's Post #1

This was sent by Ted to my phone: ENJOY

~~ June 6 2011. Its about 8:10 pm and I just crawled into my sleeping bag. It was a good day today. The muscles don't hurt anymore. The town stop into Julian definitely rested my body. I was only going to go 13 miles today out of Scissors Crossing - when I hit that point, it was still mid afternoon, so I made my dinner and kept going 4 more miles. I'm at 95 miles. Looking forward to hitting 100 miles tomorrow. I'm going to go. I'll talk to you soon. I might not call you tomorrow, because I think I'm going to go past Warner Springs. Something really cool for tomorrow, I'm going to that eagle rock that I showed you in Yogi's book. That is at 106.6 miles. I'll take a picture with the phone and send it to you. I Love You and please tell the kids I love them and give them hugs and kisses. SCARECROW