The Lords of the PCT, part three

I talked to Erin and Michael last week while I was still in pre-production for the epic trilogy, The Lords of the PCT. I asked Michael, "Who do you think you are in Lord of Rings: Frodo or Sam?"

"Probably Merry or Pippin," he responded.

"Michael, that was not one of your options," I patiently replied. "Frodo or Sam?"

"I guess Samwise," he sighed. "I carry a lot of stuff."

I asked my sister the same question: "Erin, if you were in the Lord of the Rings, would you be Frodo or Sam?"

"Definitely Sam," Erin said immediately. "I'm not as whiny as Frodo."

(For this reason I have left my casting choices in LotPCT rather vague.)
(Besides, it's obvious that both Erin and Michael would really be Eowyn. They're much too tall to be hobbitses.)

My friends, it is with great pleasure that I present to you:

THE RETURN OF THE HANLEYS




If you can't see the video here, check it out on Youtube.

As I write, Erin and Michael are within hours of finishing their hike. They'll be back in Seattle by late tomorrow.

Jorge and Longlegs, I am so proud of you!

With love,
Megan

The Lords of the PCT, part Two

Okay, blogosphere.
Here's part two of THE LORDS OF THE PCT.
I give you:

THE TWO THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FIFTY MILES*

If you can't view this video, click here instead!

*Plus or minus about ten miles.

Look for the conclusion of the Lords of the PCT trilogy tomorrow...

Love,
Megan

The Lords of the PCT

Dear ones,

Erin and Michael are within a stone's throw of Canada-- at least if the stone is a good flyer. In celebration of their (knock on wood) finishing the hike, I've made them a little movie or three.
This is part one:

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE PCT

If you can't see the video, you can also watch it by clicking here.

We're almost there, dear readers!
Love,
Megan

"We might actually pull this thing off"

HELLOOOOO BLOGOSPHERE!

I must apologize for my long absence. I have been in Mexico, where I was staging activist performance and messing with multinational evil-doers Monsanto, who want to own corn and soy and cotton and the world (they're really bad, and I say that completely objectively):

This is me, as corn

"Without corn there is no life"

I also worked with some incredible artists and activists and got to go to a party hosted by the incredible Zapatistas, where they talked about the ongoing struggle for autonomy and indigenous rights. When I say "party," I mean thousands and thousands of Zapatistas standing quietly and many hundreds of visitors standing impatiently in the rain for hours while incredible speeches were translated into three languages (Spanish, Tsotsil, Tzeltal), followed by a big dance party with Norteño accordion music.

Anyway, I was working 12-14 hour days for those three weeks, and so I dropped the ball on the blog. Know that I intend to pick up the ball. And I only have ONE MORE WEEK TO DO SO! Because while I was gone, Erin and Michael finished hiking through Oregon, passed Mt. Rainier, and are headed straight on to Canada! They should by done by September 3rd!!!

I am working on something special to commemorate this incredible accomplishment, but in the meantime, here's an update from Erin:

Hi Sisterfriend, 

We love you! Michael and I have spent that last day hanging with the parents, eating delicious french toast and cleaning some of the dirt off of our bodies. It has been a nice break but as always, we are getting a bit ansy to get back out to the trail. We just calculated how much longer we have and it will take us 12 days to get to the Canadian border. 12 DAYS! Wow. 

How was Mexico? And the rest of your summer? I want to hear all about it. But I suppose I might have to wait until after I finish walking. 

Here are some pictures of Michael and I walking through Washington. The bridge that we are crossing in one of the photos is the infamous "Bridge of the Gods" which goes from Cascade Locks into Washington state . The mountainous pictures are from Goat Rocks Wilderness outside of White Pass, WA. Goat Rocks is one of my favorite parts thus far. 

We were constantly being bombarded by fields of wildflowers, deliciously cold water from springs and waterfalls, and expansive alpine wilderness. Mt Ranier kept poking it's head out, and Mt Adams and St Helens kept appearing off in the distance from where we'd just walked. It was neat. 

We plan to finish on Sept 3rd and are meeting the parents up in Manning Park Canada. WAHOO! In between here are there are 266 miles through Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Glacier Peak Wilderness, the town of Stehekin, and North Cascades National Park. One of our friends reminded us last night that 266 miles is 10% of the whole journey. We might actually pull this thing off. Crazy. 

Love you lots,
Erin (and Michael)

 Longlegs and Jorge/George

 Mt. Rainier in the background

 You can do it, George!

 "What I Did on my Summer Vacation"

They're so close, guys. SO CLOSE. Then on September 3, they will reenter the wnPCT (world-not-PCT), move in with their best buddies, and begin seeking work. So, wnPCT, who wants to hire some strapping young people?

With the end of our blogging relationship rapidly approaching, dear reader, I begin to feel nostalgic for our time together.

Fondly,
Megan

Roll on Columbia

Guest Writer: Michael Hanley

Hey all, Longlegs here. Erin and I have made it to the mighty Columbia river and Washington border. We are currently taking a wonderful day off in Portland, Oregon. I'm spending the day with my lovely friends Binta, Cara, Grace and Jack. Jorge and I spent the morning sorting out our food resupply for the great state of Washington.

Spoiler Alert: Pop Tarts, Snickers and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Clif Bars for Days.


Oregon has been spectacularly beautiful and the miles have flown by. We are quite excited for our home state but very thankful for the bounty of the southern area of Cascadia.

Here are some pictures of our recent adventuring:

So yes, things are going very well. As shown in the video at the end of Megan's last post, I do not look at all out of place in Portlandia. In fact, my alarmingly large and multicolored beard appears equally at home here in metropolitan Oregon, as it would in say Amish country... funny how that is. 

I am very excited to get back out there and go see what adventures Washington shall hold. If you would like to contact Erin or I, feel free to write ahead to the post office in Stehekin, Washington, and we will pick it up as we swing through there in about two and half weeks. Should this strike your fancy, the address is:

Erin and Michael Hanley

c/o General Delivery

Stehekin, WA

98852

A turn or two I'll walk, to still my beating mind

PROSPERO

You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd;
Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled:
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:
If you be pleased, retire into my cell
And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,
To still my beating mind.

(The Tempest, Act IV, scene 1) 

Yes, my friends, Erin and Michael have left the great state of California and entered...

Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival!

Instead of going to see a play, however, they are scarfing down cheeseburgers with their trail friends, the Ashland boys. Psh.

But the good news is that their swollen feet, while still painful, are less swollen; their bee-stung bodies, while still in pain, are no longer bee-stung; and that bowel trouble that I alluded to in my last post, while always a painful lingering memory, has not returned. 

FURTHERMORE, Erin has acquired a trailname from their trail buddies Tribu and Muir Bird, two PCT hikers who like to travel up to the 30 miles a day (that's a lot). From here on out, I will refer to my sister as Jorge.

Apparently there is a perfectly logical reason for this: namely, ultramarathon runner Jorge Pacheco. The dude runs 100 miles for fun and likes to train on the PCT (also, presumably, for fun). Turns out that our dear Erin/Jorge occasionally turns into an ultramarathoner of sorts, speeding along the trail like she's out to win a race. Sometimes, though, she slows down. Way, waaaaay down. Then her trailfriends call her George.

So, congratulations, Jorge and Longlegs, on reaching Oregon! Love you guys so much.

More than halfway there!

Friends, please pardon my long absence. This is what I have been doing this summer: 

Photo credit: Kym Bernazky

From the first showing of "I wondered why," a one-woman show based on my Dad's memoirs as compiled for me by my Mom and Dad.

Here, in the other hand, is what my beloved siblings have been doing:

Photo credit: Tom Glass

So, as can see, we are all completing activities of comparable difficulty.

Here are some updates from the trail, in no particular order!

Tom/Teddy has returned to notPCT land in one piece, albiet heavily bearded, after a month and a half on the trail. I am stealing all of the photos today from his facebook page. They are stunning photos, and also, Erin and Michael don't send me photos because when they get into town they are too busy repairing their heavily traumatized feet and eating every calorie they can get their hands on to send e-mails. I have not yet talked to Tom/Teddy, but i promise a full report soon.

Photo credit: Tom Glass

Teddy, Longlegs, and Erin (no trailname yet) reached the halfway point! Annnd Legs and Erin are stiillllll in California. It's a big state. They just passed through Castella, CA this weekend:

Almost to Oregon...

With Tom gone, it seems that the intrepid Hanleyettes have either started to run into more mishaps, or they have fewer heartwarming stories to tell and are therefore telling the truth about how hard it is to walk thousands of miles. Michael was stung by a bunch of bees. Erin's toes swelled up so much that they broke through the tops of her shoes. There was an unfortunate poop episode that i hope to make a claymation movie about soon. Some packages failed to arrive on time. The Hanleyettes march on.

Photo credit: Tom Glass

Photo credit: Tom Glass

I should hear from them next weekend, but in the meantime, know that they are safe and (more or less) sound. And at least the view is good from wherever they are!

Photo credit: Tom Glass

Yours,

Megan

Help Teddy Roosevelt do more awesome things!

Hey team,

Longlegs passed 1,000 miles, Erin passed 100 miles, and Teddy Roosevelt needs your help!

Go here to vote for him so he can go on an amazing adventure in Idaho. He's a finalist for an adventure grant, and you can vote every day:

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/adventure-grant-2013?fn=3

Go! Vote now!

Love,

Megan

Use the Magic of the Internet to See Where Longlegs, Teddy, and Erin Are!

ALSO! I almost forgot!
This is so cool.
Teddy Roosevelt is carrying a little tracker that sends his family and me updates once a day. Here's a map that Teddy's family set up, using the magic and wonder of the Internets, to show you how far they've travelled.

Check it out here.

Erin joins the walk; Tom gets a trailname; Longlegs turns 23

Dearly beloved,

You'll have to forgive my silence on the blog. I've been making theatre and helping to run a workshop  for 60 artists from around the world and holding baby goats. Here's a picture of that last one:



Meanwhile, big developments from the trail and surrounding areas, in the form of three short stories.

Erin finished her third year of teaching on Friday, packed up her apartment with my parents on Saturday, and joined the guys on the trail on Sunday. They set out from Sonora, California last night. When we talked yesterday, Erin sounded excited and a little nervous about jumping in. Here is an adorable photo of Erin and some of her students at graduation:

Tom has been on the trail now for about three weeks. He, Max, and Michael climbed Mt. Whitney during his first week, a gentle start to the journey:



Tom has also acquired a trailname from an older PCT hiker whose trailname might be offensive if he didn't introduce himself thusly: "I'm Bipolar. That's both a diagnosis and a name." Bipolar noted Tom's enviable hat, which reminded him of another famous hat-wearing nature enthusiast:


So henceforth Tom will no longer be known as "Snack Captain" or "Skittles," which were my suggestions for trail names, but rather holds the proud trailname: Theodore Roosevelt.

Finally, last Wednesday was Michael's 23rd birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BROTHER! He celebrated with a day and a half of rest and, I think, a healthy amount of beer. Michael, I haven't figured out a good birthday surprise for you yet, but you know I'll come up with one sooner or later. In the meantime, he just passed mile 1,000... i.e. over 1/3rd of the way to Canada. Jolly Well Done!


Those are the updates for now. Sometime soon I'll tell you all about Tom's Place and share more photos... but for now, I'm going to go rest. Love love love and happy Monday to you all.

The Journey to Kennedy Meadows

First things first: here is where Michael and his buddy Tom Glass are in the world:

Tom is carrying a little tracking device that sends me messages every few days. You can see that this is significantly more accurate than my previous system of approximation and divination. They are almost to Yosemite! They climbed Mt. Whitney! They made it through the scary icy parts (though significantly less icy this year than in the past; this positive development probably brought to you by Exxon-Mobile!). But that is all I know, since I haven't heard from Michael since I left him on the trail about two weeks ago. He expects to finish this segment by his birthday, this Wednesday, and hopefully I will have word from him then. 

Luckily, this gives me a moment to catch up on the trip to California.

I flew into San Francisco on May 25, found Michael's buddy Tom on a street corner, and threw Tom, my partner Rachel, and her sister Claire into a car on Sunday, May 26, bound for Kennedy Meadows. My brother and sister talked about Kennedy Meadows as if it is a famous, mystical place, and as such, I had done little research. I plugged in my GPS as we pulled onto Telegraph Avenue, typed in Kennedy Meadows, and hoped for the best.

Tom the Snack Captain and Claire the dishonorably discharged Snack First Mate

Well, perhaps I should have planned a bit better. It turns out that Kennedy Meadows is not widely recognized by Google. 8 hours and 4 In N' Out burgers later, we pulled into a mountain rancher refuge called Kennedy Meadows-- population 200. 

On one side of the mountains is Kern river desert lands, joshua trees and burnt-out areas and desert foxes included. On the other side is the Inyo forests, lush and cold.

We drove up to a log general store with a large porch, populated mostly by elders and their dogs. I should interrupt myself to say that Michael's instructions to me had been, "Go to the general store and ask for Longlegs." He seemed so confident that this would work that I hadn't questioned the plan, even when I received a facebook message from him warning me that there was no cell phone service in Kennedy Meadows. Now I was running two hours late and carrying my brother's hiking companion, bear box, and new shoes. I felt nervous as I jogged up the steps to the general store. If Michael wasn't here, I had no idea what I should do.

But there, of course, suddenly, he was: tan and bearded, surrounded by other skinny, dusty, happy-looking people who were wolfing down hamburgers and a Costco sized bag of Doritos. Michael has developed a tri-tone beard -- blonde moustache, reddish brown on his face, and black on his neck. He looks wonderful. 

Beavers and Tiny Little Bears on the PCT

This video goes out to Mr. Dave Coogan, who wins this Social Media Intern's award for the Greatest Chachke Finder.


If you can't view the video on this blog, you can also see it here.

Thank you, Dave Coogan, for being so awesome. 

Anyone seen a tall PCT hiker goin by the name of Longlegs?

OAKLAND, CA-

The social media intern has returned to the grid. For those of you who worried that my silence this week meant that Michael had gone missing on the trail, that I had failed to find him, or that my Social Media Internship has been outsourced due to the high cost of my labor, fear not. Michael is pushing 800 miles by now; I and Tom the Snack Captain and my partner Rachel and her sister Claire did indeed find him, though it was looking a little worrisome for a moment there; and the social media internship continues.

I will have to write a series of blog posts just about Kennedy Meadows and Tom's Place. In the meantime, due to time, here are a few short updates:

1) Michael has grown a tricolor beard. Blonde mustache, red on his face, black around his neck. Rachel calls it a calico beard. It is beautiful to behold.

2) Yesterday, Michael and his buddies Max and Tom climbed Mt. Whitney (Michael's first fourteener). Report forthcoming.

3) Michael has given me permission to publish all of John Henry's letter to me, which I will do in a coming post. I needed to get his blessings first, though I promise that the letter is Safe for Work.

4) I successfully delivered Dave Coogan's brilliant care package; documentation to follow.

More to come!

A Letter from John-Henry

Dearest readers,

I have been somewhat lax in my social media intern duties. I blame the end of a tough teaching artist residency, a performance last weekend, several big projects at my several jobs, and an enormous puppet Statue of Liberty. Mostly good things. But I still needed some time to work on this blog entry.

Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, the People's Puppets, and Kolot Chayeinu celebrate Mother's Day and May Day (photo by Marjorie Dove)

First, the facts as I understand them. When I talked to Michael last weekend, he was about 560 miles into his little walk. He took an afternoon off to watch The Great Gatsby, playing now in theaters near you, which he recommends highly. He and his buddy John-Henry had a lovely time hiking together before John-Henry had to go back to the World that is Not PCT (wnPCT for short). While on the trail, John-Henry wrote me a delightful letter that reminded me that Whitman College either attracts good people or turns them into good ones (or possibly both).

Here is what John-Henry tells me. Apparently among through-hikers and the communities that love them, donning surnames such as Longlegs or Beef is kind of par for the course. J-H describes the hiking community as a friendly if somewhat liberally-monikered crew:

It's about 1:00 at a picnic table outside the Big Bear Lake Hostel, where we have just passed an exuberant 24ish hours. The hostel is commanded, seriously, by Sarge (not sir), an ex-marine gunnery sergeant   [...] with a penchant for Jameson and telling war stories to crustily be-blistered hikers. We piled into town yesterday via Michael and I's first American hitchhike experiences, along with a bunch of new friends from the trail. Since Michael skipped a few days for the kick off, he's had to meet a whole new cadre of hikers. This batch includes Moonshadow and Firedrill (newly nicknamed this morning after his alarm went off 5 separate times in our dorm room waking everybody but himself), a pair of cousins hiking to raise money for mental illness; Yazzi, who is videotaping everything and appears to be a veteran of no small number if LSD trips; Argentina, a self described weirdo, with a striking bowl cut, on his 8th PCT trip; Astrid and Ister, two quite beautiful British girls (at first I liked the blonde one and Michael liked the one with the black hair, but we have since switched) who we have spent quite a lot if time talking to without actually managing to understand very much; "the Ashland boys," who in my experience are either drunk and happy, or sober and not at all happy; and Sky Eyes [...]

John-Henry goes on to describe his experience of hiking with Michael on the PCT. I decided there was really only one way to do his narrative justice. (See brilliant artwork below.) A caveat first, for John-Henry: J-H (with one h, if abbreviated thusly), as you know, I am pretty sure we have never met. I could not find you on my Facebook mobile app. So I googled "John-henry whitman college," and this was my first hit:

If that's not you but is instead some other Whitman College John-Henry, I do apologize. You will have to imagine that claymation J-H (still only one h) looks more like you.

Love

Megan

Ps. Next weekend I am going to go find Michael on the trail as part of a vacation to Yosemite! Will I recognize him under all his body hair? Will he be at the general store at the appointed hour? Tune in next week to find out.

1/6th of the Way There!

Dearest readers,

Please forgive the social media intern's silence. I have had a busy few weeks. BUT I am back with news from the PCT!

Michael passed through Agua Dulce, CA this weekend, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. By my calculations, that means that he's about 1/6 of the way to Canada. He took a zero day to rest, but I did not manage to catch up with him by phone. I was busy performing and planning all sorts of interesting, secretive things with the Yes Lab (check us out), but I still felt bad to miss his call.

Luckily, I still have many interesting updates.

1) First, here's an excerpt of a beautiful letter that I received from Michael last week:

Yesterday I climbed up and over a 9,000 foot ridge and then traversed a snowy hillside. I walked 18 miles down switchbacks to lose 6,000 hard earned vertical feet. I reached a water source and curled up in the shade to wait for the cooler evening to cross the last 5 miles of desert floor. As I get up to walk my final push, the wind kicks up to about 40 mph out of the Northwest and I plod my way at about a 30 degree slant [here he sketches a picture of a stick figure falling forwards] when all of the sudden I just found myself laughing as hard as I could. The situation was so ridiculous. My feet hurt, my knee ached, I was tired, dead tired, and here this crazy wind was trying to blow me back. I naturally proceeded to narrate my life as if I was in a movie trailer, put out my arms like I was an airplane, and composed ever so slightly ridiculous poems about my adventure. A giant smile spread across my face and the last few miles flew by. With love, Michael

2) I thought this episode was very theatrical, so I decided to make a movie about it. At first I thought I could use a hair dryer to play The Big Wind, but it kept knocking my Michael over. So I decided to cut the hair dryer and replace it with a sexier, though no less dangerous, adversary. That's Hollywood, kids.

More soon! Go Michael Go!

Much love,
Social Media Intern Megan

Daddy Longlegs has reached Big Bear

Helloooo internets!

First of all, from both my trail-bound brother and myself, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR MOTHER!



Happy birthday, Mom!

There are plenty of updates from the PCT, but I'll keep it brief for now. Last weekend Erin and Michael went to the PCT kick-off, which is, according to Michael, a chance for the old-timers to give advice to the new-timers, such as, "Do not die from dehydration." Sound council for us all, really. Erin sends the following photos from the kick-off weekend, along with the heartening news that Michael has been given a PCT nickname (perhaps a gift from Staggering Beef??). He now goes by Daddy Longlegs, or Longlegs for short. I can't for the life of me fathom how he got this nickname.

Picture time!

Longlegs at the trailhead near the Mexico/U.S. border, appropriately decked out in gringo gear, I might add. 

Erin sent me this picture so we could all appreciate the biodiversity of Southern California

An action shot: this is what Michael is doing all day, every day, for the next few months

Michael made it to Big Bear, CA this week after being dropped off on the trail following kick-off weekend. More to come soon! 

Moses, Staggering Beef, and Michael

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
Social Media Intern Megan Hanley here.

Lots of news to share on the PCT front. First of all, it seems that Michael has become friendly with a clumsy cow. But we'll get to that in a moment, dear readers!

Michael and I connected via phone on Thursday (no small feat-- as some of you know, I am notoriously bad at answering my phone, and Michael is usually only in cell phone range for a few hours every couple of days), and then I got a letter from him on Friday. Erin picked him up on Friday to go down south to the PCT kick-off-- more on that when I get the full report-back from her.

Michael rolled into his next stop ahead of schedule after clocking in a 27-mile hiking day! Or possibly a 24 mile hiking day. Here's the thing, guys. I am just not a reliable source here. You're going to have to take everything I say with a grain of salt. I claim poetic license/no real knowledge of the PCT as my excuse. In fact, I am very confused about where in the world he is. Perhaps 200 miles in? Oh, hold on. Let me go listen to my voicemail from him, and then I will update this post.

Wherever he is, there are a couple of trail angels who open their property to PCT hikers, a place to rest. They keep a guest book each season so you can figure out how many hikers are ahead of you-- Michael was hiker #69 this season-- and they ask that you write back to them if you complete the trail. Michael said they were incredibly sweet and welcoming.

On Friday, I received a letter from him written on a PCT topographic map! Unfortunately my cat Marcelo has tried to eat the letter twice now. I am not, it seems, a very careful archivist. Now, unfortunately, I am having trouble reading parts of the letter. It seems to me that Michael has taken up with a biblical hero and an uncoordinated bovine. Am I wrong?

"Dear Megan & Friends,
Last time I wrote I was cold and having a rough time of it. But today things have improved drastically. Since starting, 5 and a half days, my new buddies Moses, Staggering Beef, and I have covered 110 miles. Yesterday we stomped out 24 miles. We've covered some staggeringly beautiful country. I'm really enjoying the challenge and getting used to the long hours spent walking. Lots of the day is spent in mild to moderate discomfort, but I'm really blessed to be with the people I'm with and excited by the ongoing challenge. It feels great to be at the end of section sitting in a field in Warner Springs.
With Love,
Michael"

I will do some fact checking with Michael next time I speak with him, but for the moment let's all rejoice that he has a new friend named Staggering Beef. PCT-induced hallucination? Could be. Es imposible que sepamos (It's impossible for us to know).

Okay! Since this post has been riddled with holes, I include a picture of my cat sitting on Michael's letter and looking adorable AND a map of roughly the distance Michael has travelled. It's google maps, so it doesn't actually show the PCT route, but at least you can imagine where in the world he is. This week Mike's buddy John Henry joins him on the trail. Next week hopefully I will have a report-back from John about who-- or what-- Staggering Beef really is.

EDITED TO ADD: when I first wrote this post, I thought Michael was in Warner Springs. But now that I have reviewed my voicemail, I think he is actually a mere 100 miles farther down the trail, in Cabazon. So here is an updated map!

First Missive from the Mountain Man

Hello friends,

Michael is on his way, and I got my first letter from him this week. While I was merrily posting weather forecasts from my nice warm New York office, he was:

"at a tiny enclave called Mt. Laguna. Last night I slept at very near 6,000 feet (no 14er by any means, but with the wind blowing around 40 mph it was plenty cold."

A 14er is a mountain that is at least 14,000 feet above sea level. You will be impressed to know that I, Megan, have climbed a 14er. It was in Peru, and I had no idea how high we were going because I didn't know how to convert from the metric system. My partner and hiking buddy Rachel got terrible altitude sickness, started crying at the pass, told me to just go on without her, and then swelled up rather like a balloon. We were with a guide. He said, "Esta turista tiene que bajar!!!" which means "This tourist has to descend!!!" So I carried her pack, Rachel cried some more, and eventually we got to a lower elevation. This is perhaps another reason why I am not hiking the PCT with my siblings.

Michael also says:

"Physically I'm feeling good. I've done 40 miles in two days which is pretty good right out of the gate. My feet are a little sore by about hour 8 of walking but so far no blisters."

He adds, however, that all the solitude is a lot to deal with. Luckily, he met a bunch of other solo PCT hikers, and they are going at it together for now. Soon Mike's friend John Henry will join him, and then a few weeks later his buddy Tom.

In the meantime, if you want to send Michael mail, there's an opportunity coming up! You might want to send it right away, as Michael should reach Big Bear by early next week.

Address it to:
Michael Hanley
c/o Adventure Hostel
PO Box 1951
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315-1951
estimated arrival: 5/4/13


Thanks, team! More soon!

100 miles down!

Hey team, Erin sends this update from Michael. I unfortunately missed his call! Bad, bad social media intern.

"Here's what I heard from Michael:
- On Friday afternoon he made it to Warner Springs and was camping out at their Community Center for the night. He'd thought about pressing on that day but the promise of a pancake breakfast in the morning was too enticing.
- His first day of hiking he had to make it about 20 miles before he'd get to a water source. He started hiking at 6am when the trail angels [note from Megan: not a mystical term but hikerspeak for people who help trekkers by leaving water, providing shelter, and in this case driving hikers to the trailhead] dropped him off and made it to Lake Morena by 2pm. Translation: He kicked some ass starting Day 1.
- Miguelito said that he wrote you a letter around Day 2 or 3. Day 2 involved hiking in the rain for most of the day and then camping out on a very cold and windy ridge. Day 2 was not the highlight of the trip and he said that his letter to you was a lot more miserable-sounding than the rest of the time has been.
- Around Day 3 or 4, he met up with two other dudes and he's been hiking with them ever since. Hiking in a group with two other random guys seems to be making the long days much more enjoyable. He's ahead of schedule at the moment and will most likely roll in to Idlywild around Tuesday night.
- Michael and his new friends were quite happy to reach the 100 mile mark. Little victories!
- I'm heading down to Kickoff on Thursday [and will pick up Michael on the way for the celebration that marks the beginning of PCT hiking season... Michael started early to beat the masses, of course] We'll give you a call sometime on Friday once we are together."

So they're on their way! More updates later this week.

Michael is walking north

GUEST BLOGGER MEGAN HANLEY, New York, NY
Well, hello, everyone! Social Media Intern Megan Hanley here.

As some of you may know, Michael has now been on the PCT for three days. This first stretch will take about another four days, so hopefully we'll hear from him this coming weekend. I'll post updates from him then. Until we hear from him, you're stuck with me. Actually, for much of Michael and Erin's PCT hike, you'll be stuck with me! What a journey you and I will take, dear reader.

Michael and Erin have been telling me about the PCT for the past several years, but the truth is that I just absorbed the gist. I tuned them out when they started talking about the benefits of one brand of sleeping bag stuff sack vs. another or how much average snowfall one can expect in the Sierras in junohohiw0-'w3-0' oh sorry fell asleep there for a moment. This means that I have to rely on Google to tell me where exactly my beloved siblings will be. Here's what I learned in my research today:

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

The Southern California section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a 900 miles. The PCT begins on a low hill near Campo (elev. 2,600’), a small town near the Mexican border. It passes through Lake Morena County Park and beneath Interstate 8, then climbs through chaparral, scrub oaks, and pines to the rim of the Laguna Mountains. The trail dips into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at Scissors Crossing, then winds up, down, and around the San Felipe Hills and lesser mountains of the Cleveland National Forest before crossing SR74 at 4,900’ and climbing the backbone of the San Jacinto Mountains. It reaches its highest point in this section at 9,030’ shortly before it plunges to its lowest, crossing beneath US10 at elev. 1,190’ in broad San Gorgonio Pass.

For details and printable maps, please visit:http://www.trailsource.com/pacific-crest-trail/index.asp#ixzz2Qfbfnq00

I thought about filling this whole first entry with some musings on how borders affect our ideas about ourselves, our countries, and the people on the other side of the border, but then I decided that that might be a little much for this first entry. Instead, here's some information from Wunderground about current temperatures near Campo, California:

And here's a video of me hiking in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in 2008. Let this video answer the question, "Why isn't Megan hiking the PCT with her siblings?"



Much love, and more updates soon,
Megan

Gearing Up

Erin and I are putting the final touches on PCT preparations down in Berkeley, California. Since getting off the Colorado River last month, my life has been filled with final training hikes, long lazy afternoons considering minor gear selection issues and a fair bit of thumb twiddling. BUT! This weekend, I will finally get underway.

On Friday, I will catch a bus to San Diego and spend a night visiting with my friend Fran. On Saturday night I will make my way to the home of two "trail angels" (people who do acts of kindness for PCT hikers, in this case a husband and wife who hiked the trail in 2007). These kind folks are letting me and several other thru-hikers stay in their home and will drive us all out to the Southern Terminus of the PCT the following morning at 6 AM. Last year, they hosted over 200 hikers. They are incredible. At that point I will simply need to start walking North.

Oh Golly, I'm ready to go!

For those who might not understand why someone might attempt to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in one go, I offer this brief video from Sam Fox's 2011 attempt to break the speed record on the PCT:

http://vimeo.com/40683404

Also here are two pictures of the grandest of canyons:

My friends and I on our last morning on the Colorado. 

The 21 days I spent with these fine folks were filled with immense joy, hilarious antics, breathtaking beauty and true adventure. I will remember them for the rest of my life.

*Photo Credit - a woman from the group camped next to us*

The South Rim as seen from a riffle near Upper Unkar.

*Photo Credit - Avery Potter

Mail and Such Things

Although I will be hiking for five months, the PCT passes through a town, hamlet, or some sort of bastion of civilization every so often. I will stop in many of these outposts to pick up supplies - much of which my amazingly kind mother will send to post offices near the route. Thus, should you want to estimate the location of Erin, myself or any of my esteemed hiking partners you might find the following chart useful.

click on chart to make it larger

The above spreadsheet contains my best guess as to how fast my hiking companions and I will get from one town to the next. It is very likely that I will deviate from the hiking plan estimated above. However, this document gives a basic ballpark estimate. Folks who have talked about meeting up with us once we reach the PNW will hopefully be able to compare the dates on this chart with the dates we actually arrive in said places to know whether we are ahead of schedule, behind schedule or right on track.

***

Another great thing about knowing where we are (and here comes the shameless plug) is that should you decide to send us mail, you could do that. The mental challenge of walking over twenty miles a day and staying focused and happy is the part of this experience that I am most intimidated by. As such, a good old fashion piece of snail mail once in a while could really do incredible things for my morale. Letters are wonderful. Care packages would also be amazing, but please only send edible things. I have done my best to keep my pack as light as possible, and although a Mariners jersey is certainly good for morale (after all I credit the M's with teaching me a great deal about hope and "Refus[ing] to Lose") but I don't really want to carry such an item all the way back to Seattle. 

All mail ought to be sent two weeks prior to our expected arrival date as we will be stopping at some very rural locations with infrequent postal deliveries.

Here are some places where those inclined might consider sending mail:

In Big Bear, CA:

Michael Hanley and John Henry Heckendorn

C/O Adventure Hostel

PO BOX 1951
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315-1951

ETA 5/4/13

In Kennedy Meadows, CA:

Tom Glass and Michael Hanley

c/o KENNEDY MEADOWS GENERAL STORE

96740 BEACH MEADOW RD
INYOKERN CA 93527

ETA 5/30/13

In Old Station, CA:

Erin and Michael Hanley

C/O General Delivery

Old Station, CA 96071

ETA 7/8/13

In Seiad Valley, CA:

Erin and Michael Hanley

C/O General Delivery

Seiad Valley, CA 96086

ETA 7/21/13

In Crater Lake, OR:

Erin and Michael Hanley

c/o Mazama Village Store

P.O. Box 158
Crater Lake, OR 97604

ETA 7/30/13

PCT 2013

Hey all, 

I created this blog during my junior year of college to keep my friends and family up to date while I studied abroad at the University of Jordan. I have recently decided to brush off the dust and resurrect michaelissafe.blogspot for my upcoming attempt to thru-hike the 2,600+ mile long Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Hiking the PCT is something that my friends and I have talked about since at least the summer of 2009. Now after years of discussion, months of preparation including a string of seasonal jobs and tremendous amounts of food packing, I am almost ready to go. On April 15th I plan to start at the US-Mexico Border and walk North to Canada.

This expedition is a true team effort. My sister Erin and I have always planned to hike the PCT together. For employment reasons, Erin cannot get off work until the middle of June. However, she will be hiking the majority of the PCT with me. My good friend John Henry will join me for the first 400 to 500 miles and help me tackle the desert section of the journey. In the high Sierra Mountains, my good buddies Tom Glass and Max Henkels plan to jump on the trail and hike until they have to leave for their respective summer employment opportunities. Tom's hike will probably cover more than 600 miles. 

On the home front, my parents will manage the complicated postal service subsidy program that is my resupply system. Thanks to them I will not go hungry on the trail. Lastly while I hike, this blog will be managed by my oldest and wisest sister, Megan Hanley, who shall serve in the prestigious and recently created post of Social Media Liason. While on the trail I plan to send her letters, and she will update the blog accordingly.