Some of My Fellow Hikers

 

From the left: Hamburger, LavaGoat, Easily Distracted, her sister Rear Guard, and Dusty Bottoms



Scalawag, from Temecula, CA. He had been working in the water filtration industry, but was laid off. He decided to do the PCT with only 3 weeks notice!

Easily Distracted (from Florida, did the AT), with the Michigan Wolverine (from Ann Arbor, did the AT) in the background

 

LavaGoat, right after she face planted. She is such a champ! In her 30s, married, living in San Diego, I feel like I have more in common with her than with other hikers. She is a very capable outdoorswoman and it's my challenge every day to keep up with her.

 

Style (did the AT) and Rear Guard (Easily Distracted's sister. This is her first long hike.)

 

Dusty Bottoms (did the AT with Easily Distracted), signing the log book for a Geocache we found in the shade of a manzanita bush. Dusty Bottoms is a sweet boy about my age with an amazing sense of humor; he sees beauty when I'm too tired to appreciate it without prompting. He cares about everyone he meets.

Hamburger, a true gentleman from Hamburg, Germany. He has a wonderful sense of humor and genuine warmth. Here he is in Warner Springs, right before heading out in the evening.

Lunchbox has been living in Davis for a couple of years, so it's fun to hike with him and talk about familiar places. He recently did a cross-country bike tour to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, and as he went he helped to build houses. He's looking forward to doing the AT and building his own minimalist house. Mt. Everest is the very last thing on his bucket list.

Here GipCGirl and LavaGoat watch Scalawag (in the red bandana) go through the hiker box in Warner Springs. His resupply didn't arrive at the post office, but he was able to scrounge up enough cast-off food to make it to Idyllwild. GipC is a retired woman from Australia. She did most of the AT in 2010 but broke her leg. She returned in 2011 to thru hike it. She finished just 7 months before starting the PCT this year.

Neon and OnnaMove from Arizona. I ate breakfast with them my first morning in Julian and they told me about their section hikes on the PCT last year. Really friendly people.

From Left, Houseparty, Tim (from NOLA) and Little Cubit (so named because she has short arms) at Mom's Pie in Julian. They fed us on the house there. It was wonderful. That was the last time I saw Houseparty and Cubit; I hear they were in Palm Springs recently. Tim and his brother Jeremy are also staying at the Motel 6 here in Big Bear.