From Belly Aches to Bear Spray

photo taken by The Real Hiking Viking

We finally heard from Scarecrow, who finally made it to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where, along with a billion other tourists, saw Old Faithful erupt while taking a rest with Jabba and Bobcat.  Little did Scarecrow know that the next few days ahead of him would erupt into illness and fatigue.  As Scarecrow and his buddies arrived into the park, he said he felt nauseous and weak.  As they waited on the food line for burgers and soda, Scarecrow felt light headed and actually fainted.  Thanks to Jabba, who caught him before he hit the ground, Scarecrow was able to get to a bench and eat and try and hydrate himself.  There was not much success however.  As the minutes and hours went on, Scarecrow became sicker and sicker.  After checking in to a motel room and spending the night with some terrible stomach issues, Scarecrow paid a visit to the infirmary in the park.  Uncertain of whether his symptoms were from Giardia or from E. Coli, they gave him antibiotics and medicine to stop the horrific symptoms that kept him weak and exhausted, needing a bathroom nearby at all times.  After a day and a half off the trail, he decided to push through the awful feeling and begin again on the trail.  He then did a 25 mile day.

He officially weighed himself while at the infirmary and has lost a total of 40 pounds.  With 850 miles left to hike, this could get scary for him.  Good thing I know how to cook now, so I can fatten him up when he gets back home.

Upon leaving Yellowstone National Park and the state of Wyoming, Scarecrow will enter the Centennial Mountains of Idaho.  The trail follows along the Idaho/Montana state lines and then diverts east through the Anaconda Mountain Range toward Butte, Montana.  He checked in today, from a town called Sawtell, Idaho.  While in this town, he met a trail angel named Bob Syring.  After getting in to talking with the gentleman, he asked Teddy what type of bear spray he was carrying.  Scarecrow showed him, and Bob insisted on driving home and retrieving a better one for him to carry.  So, a huge THANK YOU goes out to Bob, for looking out for Scarecrow as he hikes through bear country with better spray for protection.

As we wrapped up our conversation, I was happy to hear that Scarecrow was feeling and sounding better after all of his belly aches and pains.  He is in the homestretch and feeling really good about his schedule to finish the CDT.  He also promised to provide me with a mail drop for any and all who have asked for an address to send him notes, goodies, and well wishes.  Look out for the next blog post with that information.

Where is he NOW?

Until next time,

The Thruhiker's Wife

BEST Breakfast on the CDT

photo by Scarecrow

 One of the highlights of the CDT was being able to enter and hike through the Rocky Mountain National Park.  It would be a day trip, 25 miles off the trail, and would be the day that Scarecrow separates from Jabba for a portion of the trail.

We wish Jabba happy trails, with an abundance of sunshine and trail magic for his journey. In the mean time, the hike through the park was everything Scarecrow hoped for.

Rabbit Ears Pass

A sight for tired feet - Rabbit Ears Pass - we can see why it received its name.   This is the spot on the trail in which hikers can step off, hike or hitch a ride for the 20 miles into the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  Teddy's plan was to wake up extra early to catch the ride into town.

 Unfortunately, Scarecrow stood for almost 2 hours before a nice gentleman stopped and picked him up.  Lucky for Teddy, the man was going into town to get his teeth cleaned right next door to where Teddy was looking to land in the town.

Our awesome friends, Matt and Corinne Bernath have family and friends in the town, and they recommended Scarecrow use a place called SKI HAUS as a potential meeting place.  Sadly, Scarecrow never got to meet up with the Bernath's contacts, but met a wonderful group of people at this ski equipment outfitter.  They were friendly, welcoming and helped Scarecrow gain his bearings around the town.

photo via Google images

Scarecrow was starving, and asked where he could get something to eat.  The staff at Ski Haus recommended a place called FRESHIES, which turned out to be the best breakfast so far on the trail.  Once the waitress came over to take Scarecrow's order, she got into talking with him and said, "You have to have a story." He shared his journey and mission of becoming a Triple Crown hiker with her, and after some questions, brought out the manager for more conversation.  By the end of Scarecrow's meal, it was decided that a photo would be taken, so the WHOLE STAFF came outside and posed for a group photo with our favorite hiker, Scarecrow.

wonderful staff of Freshies in Steamboat Springs

Scarecrow said the food and service provided by this restaurant was outstanding and recommends it to whoever comes into town.  THANK YOU to Freshies for taking such great care of Scarecrow for us.  While chatting it up with these great people, they shared with Scarecrow an event that would be taking place at the library this evening at 7:00 pm.  A woman named Jennifer Davis would be speaking about her experiences as a long distance hiker who currently holds the record for the fastest thruhike of the Appalachian Trail. Scarecrow decided, after getting his chores completed (resupply and laundry) and having a great meal, that he would attend this meet and greet/book signing event.

Jennifer Davis with Scarecrow

He was able to successfully meet and speak with this inspirational woman, who was labeled as an Adventurer of the Year in 2012 by National Geographic and author of several books on her experiences.  What a great time Scarecrow has experienced while in Steamboat Springs.  He then made his way to the Rabbit Ears Motel where he will get his much needed and deserved night's rest before heading back out on the trail first thing tomorrow morning.

Happy trails, Scarecrow, and may you be faced with nothing but sunshine and good weather, and an abundance of trail angels and trail magic on your path to Encampment, Wyoming.
Want to follow along? Click HERE to see where Scarecrow is now.

Until next time,
The Thruhiker's Wife

It's All Down Hill from Here

Today, Scarecrow checked in at the top of Gray's Peak - the highest point along the Continental Divide Trail.  This marks the second 14er that Scarecrow and Jabba have hiked up and over.  Earlier this week, he reached the top of Mt. Elbert, which is the HIGHEST of all the 14,000+ foot mountains in Colorado.  Hiking Mt. Elbert was a side trip they took, as it was not officially on the trail.  Gray's Peak is along the trail, in the Front Range, and is listed as the highest in this range.

Top of Gray's Peak, elevation 14,278 feet

Want to read about this mountain top? Click GRAY'S PEAK to learn more.  Scarecrow and Jabba will descend and continue North to Grand Lakes, and then onto Steamboat Springs.  I guess we can safely say, "It's ALL DOWN HILL FROM HERE."

Safe, happy trails you guys.

Until next time,

The Thruhiker's Wife

Some of Scarecrow's Shots ~ no Stealing from Jabba this Time!

photo by Scarecrow

I got to speak with Scarecrow yesterday as they left and headed onward to Grand Lakes.  He was able to catch a signal and send some shots off of his camera.  These pictures came with no information so I will try to give you as much as I can find.

Kokomo Pass

 Kokomo Pass, with an elevation of 12,027 feet is a mountain pass that crosses the Continental Divide in the Gore Range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Kokomo Pass

It must still be pretty chilly up there, as Scarecrow is sporting his pants, jacket and gloves.  Even Jabba is in pants here - now I know its freezing.

Scarecrow mentioned they hitched a ride from the trail back into the town of Breckenridge via pickup truck.  I am not quite sure if this was because of a pending storm, but I appreciate the trail angel who picked these hikers up.

After one more night in the hostel, they were back out and on the trail, heading north to Grand Lakes.  Teddy told me he should arrive there by Tuesday, so it will be about 5 days before we hear from him again.

photo by Scarecrow

 I am not sure of exactly where these shots were taken, but their scenic beauty was worth sharing regardless.

photo by Scarecrow

 When posting these pictures, I have our dear friend Pattie Grieco's words and thoughts in my head ~ "we are getting to see parts of this amazing country that we may not have seen, thanks to Scarecrow's pictures and experiences".

photo by Scarecrow

So although I do not have an exact location, please enjoy these areas of the beautiful state of Colorado.  Teddy will be able to fill us in with the details upon his return.

photo by Scarecrow

photo by Scarecrow

photo by Scarecrow

photo of Jabba by Scarecrow

Where is Scarecrow now? Click HERE
Happy, safe trails to you both.

Until next time,
The Thruhiker's Wife

Climbing in Colorado...

After a false start back onto the trail due to a mudslide, Scarecrow made it back on by Wednesday, and caught up to Jabba a day or two later.  They are headed from Monarch Pass to Twin Lakes, with such beautiful scenery along the way.  Because Scarecrow has sketchy service, I am "borrowing" the photos you see here from Jabba's pictures.  You can look him up on Facebook if you want to see more at "The Real Hiking Viking".
During this leg of the hike, the hikers ventured off on a side trip to climb their first 14er.  Click HERE to see the entire list of 14,000+ foot mountains.  Mt. Elbert is the name of this beautiful, scenic land they are standing on.  Its elevation is 14,433 feet.

photo by The Real Hiking Viking

 This mountain is part of the Sawatch Range and is the highest elevation they will encounter while on on this hike.  They will also summit Gray's Peak, which is part of the Front Range, and noted as the highest point on the CDT, reaching a whopping 14,270 feet further up the trail.  As you can see, the view is breathtaking.  Thank you Jabba for including Scarecrow in your photo shoot.

photo by The Real Hiking Viking

photo by The Real Hiking Viking

Scarecrow and Jabba were accompanied by two of Jabba's friends for this climb, and were there to enjoy the view and some refreshments upon completion.

photo by The Real Hiking Viking

After speaking with Teddy, he said while he and the group were ascending, he got a chuckle over imagining me trying to hike this ~ he and I both know how THAT would have ended.  So, after this excursion was through, they headed into a town called Breckenridge for resupply.

I got to speak with Scarecrow today, and they are on the move again, rested and resupplied.  He is happy, healthy and full of life as he continues on his journey.  Please enjoy the next few photos of our favorite hiker, thanks to Jabba.  I tried to enlarge them as much as possible, some decided to hang off the page - I don't mind because the beauty and accomplishment in these photos is worth hanging out for :)

photo by The Real Hiking Viking

photo by The Real Hiking Viking

photo by The Real Hiking Viking

Still tracking Scarecrow's progress? Click where is Scarecrow now? to see his progress.
Happy Trails, Scarecrow.  Have fun, be safe, we love you. Olive Juice.

Until next time,
The Thruhiker's Wife

Pretty Pictures of a Shrinking Scarecrow

taken by Scarecrow

It has been a week of updates from Scarecrow - he finished the piece of Wyoming, waiting for the terrain to clear a bit in Colorado.  He, along with the Warrior Hikers, took a ride back down to Colorado with Theresa Martinez from the CDTC to reconnect their steps and finish up the missed section.


Pictured, you can see Jabba, Scarecrow, Theresa, NO2 and Grayhound taking a break from what was surely an interesting car ride for all.

Jabba & Scarecrow looking like twins (minus the beard)

An early checkpoint once entering Colorado through the San Juan Mountains is Wolf Creek Pass, with an elevation of 10,857 feet.  The hikers will continue to head North, through Colorado and into Wyoming.  They are so thankful they conquered the piece of Wyoming that will have little or no water supply by the time they were "supposed to" be there without flip flopping.  When they finally reach the Great Basin Divide, they will be able to launch forward about 200 miles and continue up to their ultimate goal of Glacier National Park.  

Teddy finally stepped on a scale and has lost 23 pounds since his departure.  He is now just over 200 pounds and shrinking.  He has about 1200 miles under his feet, with about 1900 left to conquer.  He has separated from Jabba, who stepped off the trail for family obligations and hopefully will reconnect with Scarecrow when he returns back to the trail.  The other Warrior hikers are still together, I believe, but Scarecrow has been on his own for a few days now.  He is cranking out the miles, heading North through Colorado eventually ending up in a town called Twin Lakes this past weekend.

 There was not much to report along the way, other than a resupply and some beautiful pictures sent of the amazing scenes he walked through on his way North.  He definitely needed an ice ax, his shoe spikes and winter gear to get through those snowy mountains.  Thankfully there are miles of no snow as you can see.

Unfortunately, there is a bit of a delay from when these pictures are taken and when I actually get to speak to him about them, so information is limited.  My instructions were to make sure he was in the pictures he is taking, so we can see how he is making out.  Great job, Teddy - you look great and the scenery is amazing.

Teddy took this picture of a fellow hiker to show us the terrain and how vast the snowy land is.  I do not think he shared with me who it actually was.

 So, as Teddy heads North through Colorado, the kids and I know the time we will meet up with him is getting closer.  While in the town of Twin Lakes over the weekend, we were able to solidify plans for our reunion.  We are so excited because Scarecrow will hike into Monarch Pass, and be transported to the Denver area, and fly out to Washington to see us on the 4th.  That is just under a week from now - we all cannot wait.  Scarecrow will enjoy some much needed family time with our family trail angels, the Christman Family, and be back out on the trail within a week.  Hopefully, he will be rejuvenated, full, rested, and ready to attack the rest of the CDT.

I want to give a quick shout out to the creator/programmer of the trackleaders.com program Scarecrow is using to check in -  Teddy told me he met you while in Twin Lakes.  Thank you for all you have done to allow families to follow along while their loved ones are hiking.  The real version of this shout out is: thank you for allowing me keep track of my husband and make sure he is not really in the Bahamas sipping Coronas with his buddies.  All joking aside, it is amazing that our supportive family and friends can click on a link such as where is Scarecrow? and be able to see his progress and follow along.  It is so appreciated and I am grateful for all of your hard work.

Scarecrow also wanted me to again, thank each and every one of you who have shown and spoken their support in such an amazing endeavor that he is undertaking.  I share with him all of your messages, posts, phone calls, and actions which mean so much to our family.  We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends who are so supportive of Scarecrow's dream of becoming a Triple Crown Hiker, as well as his family as we root for his success across the finish line.  THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU.

taken by Scarecrow

Until Next Time,
The Thruhiker's Wife

Trail Magic for Everyone

via The Real Hiking Viking, a.k.a. Jabba

I have to begin with thanking Jabba for this picture.  As you hike and receive trail magic along the way, your postings are like trail magic for Scarecrow's family.  So now for an update on this not-so-easy-to-follow part of the trail.

Scarecrow and friends have taken some more trail magic from Theresa Martinez from the CDTC and traveled back down to Cumbres Pass, where they stepped off the trail because of excessive snow.  They got back on the trail Sunday, and will hike northbound again to Pagosa Springs and beyond, which will "reconnect" their steps along the trail and fill in the section they had to skip.  Of course I asked, what were the snow conditions going to be like, only 2 weeks later? He explained, when they attempted it prior, there was fresh, deep snow 18+ feet deep.

via The Real Hiking Viking

Now, some has melted and it is packed down, so they will hike on top of the snow now.  The hikers are still sporting snow shoes, spikes and their ice axes, but at least they will complete it now.  As you can see in the picture on the right, Jabba is standing next to the depths of snow they will now be walking ON instead of IN. They are headed into the San Juan Mountains and thanks again to Jabba, here is a picture of what they will conquer.

via The Real Hiking Viking

We got to speak to Ted over the weekend for Father's Day and was able to share with him the trail magic sent his way by some of his loved ones.  Tracey, my real life twin gave Scarecrow a donation that helped to totally hooked him up with the unexpected traveling up to Wyoming for the flip flop.

It came at the perfect time and is much appreciated.
You continually give me so much love, support, guidance and friendship for which I am truly blessed. We have conversations all the time about the "nontraditional life" my family leads ~ I want you to always know that I value your opinion, welcome your advice, appreciate your support and am grateful for your love.  THANK YOU for the trail magic.

Some of you reading this blog entry may not know the next two trail angels, Mike and Tommy.  They have been cutting Ted's hair for years, and now take care of Jagger as well.  I am posting a link with their information before I continue - click HERE for an awesome haircut They ask every time we go in about Ted and his hike.  Well, this weekend, they presented me with a generous donation towards Scarecrow's journey.

Mike & Tommy from the Barbershop

Thankfully, Ted was in a town with a phone signal and was able to talk to and thank both of them for their continued support.  This too, came at a perfect time for resupply before going into the mountains. Although Ted and I planned for this trip based only on our own means, we are so appreciative and grateful for EVERY LITTLE PIECE OF LOVE AND SUPPORT that has come our way.  This trail magic manifests itself in the form of notes, calls, posts, pictures, donations of food, snacks and money to Scarecrow, time and assistance with life here while Ted is away... We both truly appreciate every single one of our trail angels during this amazing journey.  You are all a piece of Teddy's success.

Not many pictures were sent this time (as you can see I had to "borrow" from Jabba) but Scarecrow sent this one.  It was taken when they finished up the piece of trail in Wyoming before heading back down to Colorado.
And just an interesting piece of this story to share ~ the whole flip flop was a huge blessing in disguise, as the hikers agreed that if they were hiking in that piece of Wyoming as initially scheduled, there would have been NO WATER SUPPLY for them.  So, once again, we have seen and felt that everything happens for a reason and is unfolding EXACTLY how it is supposed to.  Hang in there, Scarecrow.  It has been 2 months already that you have been gone - you have met amazing hikers who are sharing this amazing journey with you and most importantly, you are safe and happy.  Happy Trails... we will see you in about 3 weeks.

Until next time,

The Thruhiker's Wife