"Do you wanna know how to make God laugh? Tell him your plans."

Day 15:
*Our first day off. We spent it in a town called Idyllwild. We did our shopping, ate a ridiculous amount of food at local restaurants, and hung around with some of our new hiking buddies. While sitting around at the coffee shop, we met an older gentleman and his wife. Turns out the 96 year old man was an old jazz singer and an actor in western movies. Herb Jeffries is his name. He kept us laughing for at leasat an hour with all his stories and jokes. We got to see some YouTube videos of him singing with Louie Armstrong and Duke Ellington. He also made us promise to come back to town some day and hike his trail that was dedicated to him a few years back. The title of this entry was a quote from Herb when I popped back into the coffee shop to say goodnight to him. Oh, and one other thing, Ben still can't remember his ATM pin. I think he's resorting to pushing random numbers now.

*What is a raven party? When 6-7 massive, black ravens triangulate your camp at Mt. San Jacinto State Park and kaw and chuckle and kaw and fly from the tree above your tent to the picnic table beside your tent and then perch on the ground right next to your tent. All at 6 in the morning, on your day off from hiking. What's more, they left almost immediately after we awoke. Game 1 goes to the ravens. But, we've got our eyes on you ravens, we've got our eyes on you.

Day 16:
*Things to remember when leaving town to re-enter the wilderness: 1.) Your lunches for the coming week: 2 summer sausages and 1 block of cheese innocently waiting back in the hotel room frigerator. Luckely, Ben gave Paul a pity slice of sausage and cheese for lunch. 2.) Leaving your lunch is about the most ridiculous thing to leave behind. I've got nothing else

*It was 3 days worth of summer sausage and cheese. I couldn't think about anything else other than food all day long. Ben's act of kindness actually made me miss it even more.

The Secretary

Ben and Paul now have a secretary to transcribe blog posts. Pictures will be added when we're able, so check back on each blog at a later date. Thanks secretary and trail angel Bison.

TRAIL ANGEL MIKE AND THE CASA HERRERA

Day 12:

*Once again we are left dumbfounded out here in the middle of the desrt. Trail sign says hike 1/4 mile up an abandoned dirt road. "Why, to see more of the same desert," I think sarcastically. No, no, no. Instead, to stumble upon the "Casa Herrera," the abode of Trail Angel Mike. We arrived to a residence filled with odds and ends (wheelbarrows, kid's bikes, six grills, hammocks, propane tanks, and old weird stuff). Sure, it looked shabby from afar. ON closer look, we discovered a screened-in porch filled with all sorts of hiker amenities (sun-block, stove fuel, camp food, TP, cots to sleep on, fresh water, a radio, etc.) What's more, a shelf filled with Budweisers, just waiting there for us. And they sell them in 30 packs, wow! We stayed for hours.

Day 13:

*Rain?! Clouds?! Yes!! And in the desrt. Finally, refuge from the sun (although Paul began to complain about being cold!) Over the next couple days we will encounter. The san Jacinto Wilderness, a mountain range from 6,000 ft. to 10,00 ft., our highest elevation yet. And what's more, we've finally discovered more hikers: George and Sean and Bluebird and Buster and our main man Todd who we started the trail with. We're finally catching up.

Day 14: Entering the San Jacinto Wilderness (We think Saint Jason Wilderness in English.)

*Paul asks how the breathing is with ascending the mountains today. "Fine," except for the brutally steep inclines (which we really haven't experienced yet). And then he reminds me that, while that may be true, we're also hiking at 7-8,000 ft. compared to the 4-6,000 we were used to. And what do we find at this elevation? Well, shortness of breath of course, but incredible beauty of sheer rock faces and towering boulder fields, immense mountain peaks and vast alpine pine forests. To top off our frist day in the Saint Jason wilderness, we hiked 25 miles to Idyllwild for a twon stay. We ate fresh, delicious mexican food at "Arribas" late into the evening and met David Ledbetter, an Idyllwild trail angel, who responded to our hiker stink as so: "All I got to say is that's real life. If you have a problem with that, then you're out of touch." We both felt warm inside and proud of our stench. Stink on, brothers and sisters, stink on.

The Great American Desert (check out this great essay by Edward Abbey if you dare: http://www.moonstar.com/~acpjr/Blackboard/111BB/abbey.html)

KIMOSABE AND THE WAVE

Day 6:

Day 1 on the trail: Mexicooooooooooo!

We reached the great black wall! And at this wall we discovered, not immigrants fleeing every which direction (however we did see > 15 border patrol vehicles and a helicopter pass over us several times), but the monument marking the southern terminus of the PCT. And it was grand. Furthermore, essential information to relay:

unofficial team name: Kimosabe and The Wave (yes, it does make for a sweet band name)

unofficial trail names: Itchy Bum (Ben) and Stinky Finger (Paul)

Paul's other unofficial trail name: The Wave - Why? Because he likes to sit in the splash zone of life.

Oh, and as for the trail, snakes galore and lizards galore, and the most brilliant sunset over Hausser Canyon.

Day 7:

Chopper Crash near Mt. Laguna

*After a grueling 20 mile frist day, we set off with fresh-ly sore feet and medium-high spirits. The morning was swell, but when we reached 10 miles for the day, a forest sevice employee in a green truck blocked our way and explained we could not use the trail and instead follow a detour (12 miles of road walking!). Apparently, there was a helicopter crash near the trail several days ago and the chopper was carrying live ammunition and missiles. The forest caught fire and there was a high risk of explosion. So, we took the detour.

TRAIL MAGIC AND BORDER PATROL:

Day 8:

*The desert certainly has its surprises. Take, for example, Mo Miller and his wife, Gerry, who just so happened to delight us with water (always magical in the desert), beef stew in a can (which had been warmed to perfection by the desert sun sitting in the trunk of his car), and a handful of stories beginning with, "you'll probably think I'm a liar or 100 years old," about his teaching days, and his border patrol days, and his volunteer work as a local sheriff.

Or, take for example, the 25 border patrol vhicles, 3 fire engines, 6 police cars, and a couple of ambulances speeding past us along sunrise highway after a high speed border patrol pursuit ending in a rollover only a couple miles up the road from us.

Day 9:

*What appeared to have been, and still could be, a couple of film makers out to make a hiker porn (filming our willies from afar while we peed at a picnic area), actually turned out to be a pair making a PCT documentary (perhaps 3), about a hiker on the PCT. But Brice, Stacey, and Daniel are excellent hiking companions and we expect to see them often along the way.

Day 10:

*Things we once took for granted, but no more:

1: Water-if it weren't for some angels of human beings, we would be without water for 20+ miles, daily. NO WATER IN THE DESERT! Instead, we've stumbled upon gallons and gallons of water caches left beside readsides and arbitrary gates along the trail. To whom should these good deeds be recognized? We are only left to wonder. . . perhaps the divine . . .

2: Shade-twice now we've been caught up in the desert mountains at high noon, the flora only reaching up to our waists, searching and searching for any refuge away from the sun. But alas, we walk until 1 or 2, and when it becomes too unbearable, we huddle next to one another beneath a shrub. The price for escaping the sun: smelling Paul's stinky socks and feet and shirt and shorts and the list goes on.

PAUL THE RATTLESNAKE CHARMER:

Day 11:

*100 miles complete!!

Paul=slowest hiker ever to pack his stuff up in the morning. He's even slower than Bison (Ben's AT hiking buddy for anyone who doesn't know him), and he was SLOW!

Also, it's been determined that Paul is a rattlesnake charmer. His rattlesnake count is at 4; Ben's is only at 2, and he's only seen them when Paul is nearby. Therefore, Ben hikes away from Paul. He charms rattlesnakes in his sleep too. Ben hears him snoring.

Joke of the Day:

Man and daughter, two equestrians by nature, are riding their horses down the PCT. They pass us, and the horse that the man is riding, a beautiful black and white spotted mare, turns skiddish. The man asks, "Are you French?" "No," we reply back. He says, "Because the French eat horses." He proceeds to coax the horse, "see they're not French, they're just a couple hikers." (Is that true, Nicolas? Don't worry, we didn't believe him either way).

Sitting in the Splash Zone of Life

Day 5:

*Our final day in San Diego:

During an afternoon stroll down the streets of San Diego toward Pacific Beach, Paul decided to tell a story about Sea World (at the time we were hiking along Sea World Drive and had just passed the big Sea World roller coaster--just to paint the scene). When Paul was young, he visited Sea World and simply loved the live marine animal shows, particularly with Shamu, the killer whale, and the dolphin show. What he remembers most is all the little kids going nuts just to sit in the splash zone--the place where the dolphins splash or spit water on the crowd: "The excitement they had, just to be splashed with water." What Paul was talking about was the splash zone--the splash zone of life.

San Diego (Saint Doug we think translated from the Spanish)

We arrived to San Diego on our third day. Paul´s friend Elena generously offered her apartment up to us for our duration here in San Diego. Thank you, Elena and Nicolas! (Our first trail angels of the PCT!)

Day 3:

*Swine flu, schmine flu . . .
--> With all the media hype on swine flue, we decided to enter the belly of the beast and investigate--a mexican restaurant. . . in San Diego´s Old Town. Rumor has it that it all started somewhere in the near vicinity. Results still pending . . . (but excellent chile rellenos!)

--> We met Hilda on the train today on her way to visit her family. She said the next time one of her kids complains about walking here or there she will tell them, `Ben and Paul walked from Mexico to Oregon.` Even if we don´t make it all the way, those kids won´t know the difference and will still be guilted into walking to the store.
Today was our first day in San Diego. Found my friend Elena´s house and got settled. Took a practice walk around the city. I think that I might be getting blisters already. Not good.

--> Steps to take if you never want to be invited back to San Diego ever again (on your first day!):
1. Insist on sleeping on Elena´s roomate, Nicolas´s air mattress.
2. Continue to insist, even though the pump to Nicolas´s air mattress only works when connected to a car lighter outlet, and neither Elena nor Nicolas own a car.
3. Have Elena call her friend Liana over, who has a car, in order to inflate the air mattress.
4. Have Liana arrive while Nicolas is showering in her room where the mattress is, and have Liana wait 10-15 minutes outside the apartment, while Elena is trying to cook dinner before an evidence exam (Elena is graduating from Law School) the following morning.
5. Passively allow Nicolas (straight from the shower) and Elena (busy slaving over a meal for Ben and Paul) to run outside and take care of `Paul´s sleeping problem`.
6. Finally, with the mattress inflated, the dinner made (however needing to be reheated in the microwave), Nicolas showered, and Ben patiently awaiting for everything to return to normal, Paul goes as far as to refuse the dinner Elena has just spent cooking for little under an hour (just short of the duration it took to figure out the mattress fiasco).

Day 4:

Now for my disclaimer: Anything Ben may have said or will say, is probably filled with exagerations and just plain lies.

--> Ben apparently decided to forget his ATM pin some time before embarking on this adventure. Instead of waiting and contacting his credit union in Michigan, he decided to put in random numbers (which turned out to be parts of his friends´phone numbers). Now the bank has put a hold on andor cancelled both his ATM and credit cards, leaving him with no means to purchase food, supplies, bus tickets, etc. I guess we´ll have to wait and see if pity sinks in and I decide to spot him for his precious Little Debbie Honey Buns.

--> First PCT photo-shoot (however, we´re still in San Diego):
Fortunately for us, Elena is an amateur photographer (self-proclaimed) and decided to schedule for an impromptu photo-shoot on the campus of her University, The University of San Diego. The campus was awesome, the day was beautiful, and Elena´s talent and skill was certainly revealed, however she is quite a stickler for perfection as she criticized Ben for photo-taking skills. Overall though, the shoot was a huge success. Quickly followed by food shopping, tea and taquitos with Elena, Liana, and Mike (another friend from the University, who feels marginalized because Elena and Liana don´t accept him as an international student because he is from Canada, and because those from the U.S. don´t accept him as a national student, because he´s from Canada). It was a relaxing afternoon filled with conversation and laughs. This was followed by our second day of training. We decided to hike out to Balboa Park, San Diego´s famous park which houses the San Diego Zoo. A casual 10 mile round trip turned into 15 when Ben suggested a short-cut, which Paul instantly supported. Due to Paul´s enthusiasm, Ben pushed on with his short-cut. Needless to say, the hike ended with sore feet, Paul´s bladder about to burst, and Ben in hysterics as Paul made several unsavory comments about each street and building we passed. On the plus side, we were able to hike through a magical desert garden, filled with cactus trees, weird flowers, and palm trees, and some excellent hiking across freeway entrance ramps and across bridges over freeways after the sun went down. Short cut=get a second opinion.

Trains!

Day 1: Train to LA (Ann Arbor to Chicago, Chicago to LA . . . )

*Highlights-
--> Yogurt-induced comas: Contrary to common belief, you cannot eat so much diary that you´ll go blind. After four yogurts each (afraid the yogurt would spoil after a day), a block of cream cheese (again, fear of spoiling), and half a block of monterrey jack, we both were able to see just fine-except for Paul because he wears glasses.

--> The novelty of a cross country train ride wore off after realizing we were only five hours into a 45 hour ride. A lot of reading, sleeping, and eating of soon-to-be spoiled dairy products. And let´s not forget about Gina. The lady from Chicago who, after drinking for a number of hours, told us everything there was to know about her daughter as loud as one could without considering her speech, yelling.

*Disclaimer- 50% to all of these posts are going to be about food. We thought that that was because we won´t be doing much else, but we haven´t even started the hike, and I guess that´s all we can share. . .

Day 2: (Still trainin´)

--> Not so much of a highlight, but more of an absurdity--it turns out that Paul has a mild allergy to raw apples . . . , and yet, all he talked about on the train was his darling apple juice . . . and apple pie . . .
Oh, and another fitfull night of sleep. Perhaps because we have to sleep sitting up, but then again, perhaps it was because poor Elenor, a grandma from Chicago, was afraid she´d sleep through her stop, eight hours away, and kept asking us for the time. The pacific and mountain time change also seemed to be throwing her off.

--> With six bananas, eight pieces of bread, and one jar of peanut butter, we were left with a predicament. With a little creativity and lack of sleep, we came up with banana hotdogs. They became an instant classic. There was also the lady in front of us who made us promise this wouldn´t become an Into the Wild type adventure for our mothers´ sake.