Zero Days Read online

  “Although Egbert makes it clear that nobody but a long-distance hiker can truly understand what it’s like to tackle a thru-hike, her book provides an overarching picture of a hike that comes as close to conveying understanding as any second-hand account can. Her 10-year-old daughter Scrambler’s enthusiasm for the trail is apparent and contagious. That Scrambler is the youngest person on record as having completed the PCT is an extraordinary feat in itself, but what is truly inspirational about ‘the Blighs’ is their ability to take on this adventure as a family, and stay together through sun and snow, blisters and mosquitoes, and even too much togetherness. This is a great read for anyone who has ever thought of hiking the PCT, or of introducing a child to backpacking.”

  —Liz Bergeron,

  Executive Director,

  Pacific Crest Trail Association

  “Zero Days is a fascinating account of the thrills and challenges of long-distance hiking, but the true joy of the book comes from watching a family grow closer to each other while spending six months together on the trail. Ten-year-old Scrambler’s ceaseless optimism is especially inspiring to parents like myself who dream of long backpacking trips with their children.”

  —Tim Hauserman,

  author,Monsters in the Woods:

  Backpacking with Children

  “This is the story of an epic adventure by uncommon and wonderful people. It is a peek into the world of long-distance hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail. It inspires, educates, and entertains. For families or individuals who aspire to attempt such a hike, it provides a reality check and many insights.”

  —Donna Saufley,

  owner of the PCT hostel Hiker Heaven

  Zero Days: The Real-Life Adventure of Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and 10-Year-Old Scrambler on the Pacific Crest Trail

  1st EDITION January 2008

  Copyright © 2008 by Barbara Egbert

  Front and back cover photos copyright © 2008 by Barbara Egbert and Gary Chambers

  Interior photos by Barbara Egbert and Gary Chambers. Some of the photos in this book originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News.

  Illustrations and journal entries copyright © 2008 Mary Chambers

  Book, cover, and map design: Larry B. Van Dyke

  Book editor: Eva Dienel

  ISBN: 978-0-89997-458-3 (cloth)

  UPC: 7-19609-97458-1 (cloth)

  ISBN: 978-0-89997-438-5 (paper)

  UPC: 7-19609-97438-3 (paper)

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Published by: Wilderness Press

  1200 5th Street

  Berkeley, CA 94710

  (800) 443-7227; FAX (510) 558-1696

  [email protected]

  www.wildernesspress.com

  Visit our website for a complete listing of our books and for ordering information.

  Cover photos: Scrambler on the PCT in southern California (front, main photo); Captain Bligh, Scrambler, and Nellie Bly on top of Mt. Whitney (front, inset); Scrambler celebrates her successful PCT thru-hike at the U.S.-Canada border (back, main photo); View from Packwood Glacier in southern Washington state (back, banner photo)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Egbert, Barbara, 1951-

  Zero days: the real-life adventure of Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and 10-year-old Scrambler on the Pacific Crest Trail / by Barbara Egbert. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-0-89997-458-3 (hardcover) — ISBN 978-0-89997-438-5 (pbk.)

  1. Backpacking--Pacific Crest Trail. 2. Egbert, Barbara, 1951—Travel—Pacific Crest Trail. 3. Pacific Crest Trail—Description and travel. I. Title.

  GV199.44.U82P333 2008

  917.94’9—dc22

  [B]

  2007036438

  FOR SCRAMBLER AND CAPTAIN BLIGH

  ZERO DAYS is the story of my family’s backpacking trip along the Pacific Crest Trail. My family—my husband, Gary, our 10-year-old daughter, Mary, and I—started hiking the trail on April 8, 2004, and finished on October 25, 2004. I named my book Zero Days after the phrase long-distance backpackers use to describe a short break from hiking. It’s a “zero day” because a backpacker racks up zero mileage on the trail itself that day. For weary, footsore, and half-starved backpackers, a Zero Day is a Very Big Deal.

  NOTE ABOUT JOURNAL ENTRIES: Throughout our PCT trek, Mary kept a daily journal with illustrations and thoughts about our journey. Several of her illustrations and journal entries are included in this book.

  TRAIL SONG

  (Sung to the melody of “Git Along, Little Dogies”)

  One morning as I was out driving for pleasure,

  I saw a thru-hiker come walking along.

  I pulled my car over and opened my window,

  And as she drew closer I sang her this song:

  Chorus:

  Yippee ti yi yo, get along little hiker,

  It’s your misfortune and none of my own.

  Yippee ti yi yo, get along little hiker,

  For onward to Canada is where you must roam.

  It all started out way back down south in Campo,

  Where the cactus grow and the yucca bloom.

  She wanted to fatten on ice cream and pizza,

  Yet before Jeff and Donna’s, she was just skin and bones.

  Chorus

  At Kennedy Meadows she climbed the Sierra,

  With lightning and thunder and mountains that loom.

  She finally got to Vermilion Valley,

  Where she could get burgers and a motel room.

  Chorus

  Into Yosemite her PCT took her,

  Where the streams and rivers are deep, cold, and wide.

  She fooled the bears and the backcountry rangers,

  But from the mosquitoes there was no place to hide.

  Chorus

  She sweated and swore through Section O’s bushes

  In the miserable heat of the Hat Creek Rim.

  Then Oregon came with cold nights and downpours,

  And she thought she would never have dry feet again.

  Chorus

  At the Bridge of the Gods, Washington beckoned,

  And she thought for the border she’d make a mad dash.

  But wait—what’s this white stuff falling from the heavens?

  Is that simply snow—or volcanic ash?

  Chorus

  —by Scrambler, Captain Bligh, and Nellie Bly

  CONTENTS

  Foreword

  Chapter 1: In the Beginning

  Chapter 2: Togetherness

  Chapter 3: Backpackers A to Z

  Chapter 4: Trail Angels and Demons

  Chapter 5: Food and Water

  Chapter 6: The World of Nature

  Chapter 7: Pain and Suffering

  Chapter 8: Town Stops

  Chapter 9: Toward the North Star

  Epilogue

  Appendix: The Future of the PCT

  Glossary

  Off-Trail Angels and Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  FOREWORD

  IN MAY, just as the summer heat begins to soar, they arrive, dusty from the trail and ravenous. Their shoes are worn and their clothing tells the tale of life in the rugged southern California mountains and deserts, caked with dirt and salt. They’ve hiked hundreds of miles to get here. Up the road and in the gate they come, seeking rejuvenation and respite from the trail. For them, we open our hostel door and hearts. Ours is a place where hikers take zero days.

  Driven by dreams and desires to experience som
ething that is difficult to convey to the uninitiated, most who come through our gates are seeking the same goal: to walk the entire length of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Many will make sacrifices to take this journey, and many will suffer bodily and mentally to reach the trail’s northern terminus. Obstacles and challenges will be presented to all. The trail will humble and elate them, luring them onward with the invitation to see what is around the next bend or mountain. Hundreds will start out, but only the luckiest and most determined will make it. A handful return again and again, finding their truest happiness in the rugged simplicity of trail life.

  The Pacific Crest Trail’s remoteness and the wildness of the lands it passes through make hiking it in one season a daunting endeavor. The timing of the season is dependent on snow and weather, limiting the typical season to five or six months. Those who intend to complete the trail must carry food, gear, and supplies across mountains and deserts and through rivers and streams. In the long, dry reaches, they must add to their burden the weight of precious water. They endure insects, physical discomfort, and extremes of temperature. Feet and muscles rebel. No bed or hot shower will wait at the end of each day, and a week or more may pass before resupply opportunities. Proper equipment, logistical planning, and preparation are required. So are the rarest of all gifts: good health and free time. It is a determined and fortunate group of individuals that attempts this lengthy trek.

  Stereotyping these seemingly unemployed bohemians is a fruitless endeavor. They may be world-class or first-time adventurers. You’ll find grandmas, construction workers, veterinarians, airline pilots, lawyers, waitresses, and firefighters. Liberal doses of musicians, writers, and engineers walk alongside college students and retirees, from trail-wise veterans who’ve walked tens of thousands of miles to high schoolers on a lark. Couples, relations of all combinations, or simply single and on their own, each hiker may have a home and family who provide support, or may be alone and homeless for the duration of the hike.

  The trail is the Great Equalizer, removing all vestiges of status, wealth, or occupation, giving each the appearance of a vagabond traveler, the vocation to which they seemingly aspire despite their diverse economic backgrounds and points of origin. What one does, drives, or possesses is meaningless and invisible, as the trail cares nothing for such things and exposes the inner character of each soul to its owner.

  This great river of humanity flows through the doors of our trail retreat, Hiker Heaven. Since the first hosting of thru-hikers in 1997, thousands of them have found respite here on their way north and south.

  In this sea of hikers who have stopped at our hostel, the rarest sight of all is a family as defined by mother, father, and child. Many families may hike and camp together, but precious few of them thru-hike.

  The reasons families don’t attempt thru-hiking are evident in all that is said above; it is rigorous and rife with challenge. As much as the hardships and shared passion can forge social bonds, it can also break them. Relationships both begin and end on the trail because of the shared difficulties encountered. Life on the trail is definitely not for everyone, so an entire family that possesses the dream, motivation, and fortitude to attempt such a feat is uncommon, even in this community of uncommon individuals.

  Thru-hiking young children are rarer still. Few children would be willing to forgo every imaginable creature comfort, be separated from friends, and muster the courage and perseverance to walk 2,650 miles for fun. An unwilling child dragged along on such a journey is a formula for a nightmare.

  The uncommonness of the thru-hiking family isn’t the only thing that sets Nellie Bly, Captain Bligh, and Scrambler apart, however. Their love, support, protection, and encouragement of one another through their hiking joys and travails are inspirational. They survived the challenges as a unit rather than merely individuals, which requires the additional aspects of compromise and cooperation. They were a team of problem-solvers, cheerleaders, and doers for their common cause.

  Barbara and Gary (before they were Nellie Bly and Captain Bligh) gave their daughter, Mary, a precious gift. They introduced her to the wonders of the backcountry. They painstakingly cultivated skills and sought to bring enjoyment to backpacking for their child, always with safety paramount. The result is amazing. At age 10, Scrambler was the youngest child ever to complete the Pacific Crest Trail in a single hiking season. That amazing record still stands.

  Amazing is the word for Scrambler. She not only hiked the 2,650 miles, she hopped, skipped, read, and still had time to play. Wanted to play, after grueling days of hiking up and down mountains! At 10, Scrambler could hold court with adult thru-hikers on any topic related to the trail. Though she for all the world played and behaved like the child she was, peering into her eyes, one encountered the depth of a soul who had trod many miles, learned many lessons, and absorbed the beauty of the places wandered.

  What follows is the story of an epic adventure by uncommon and wonderful people. It is a peek into the world of long-distance hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail. It inspires, educates, and entertains. For families or individuals who would aspire to attempt such a hike, it provides a reality check and many insights.

  Enjoy!

  —Donna Saufley and her husband, Jeff, have lived in Agua Dulce since May 1996, and began hosting PCT hikers at their hostel, Hiker Heaven, in May 1997. Since then, Donna has been active in the Pacific Crest Trail Association in many ways, including chairing the 2006 Trail Fest and working on volunteer trail crews.

  THE BLIGHS’ PCT ALBUM

  Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and Scrambler began their journey at the Pacific Crest Trail’s southern border monument on April 8, 2004.

  Looking east from the border monument along the wall between the United States and Mexico

  “Thanks for the water,” Captain Bligh writes in the trail register at the water cache on Chihuahua Valley Road, 127 miles from the Mexico border.

  Scrambler surveys the southern California desert in mid-April.

  Nellie Bly and Captain Bligh at the water fountain at the mouth of southern California’s Snow Canyon; Fuller Ridge is in the background.

  Whitewater Canyon with Fuller Ridge in the background

  Trail angels Donna and Jeff Saufley at Hiker Heaven in Agua Dulce

  Scrambler makes friends with a skeleton at the Hikers Oasis water cache, maintained by trail angels Joe and Terrie Anderson, north of Agua Dulce.

  Afternoon thunderstorms move into Scrambler’s so-called “Dragon Mountains” in the southern Sierra Nevada near Mt. Whitney in late June.

  Scrambler and Captain Bligh perch high on a pile of rocks near Kennedy Meadows in late May, just before leaving the PCT for three weeks.

  This marmot greeted Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and Scrambler on Forester Pass in late June.

  Scrambler crosses a snowfield on the descent from 11,980-foot Glen Pass in the southern Sierra.

  Scrambler pauses on Selden Pass in the southern Sierra in early July.

  Nellie Bly and Scrambler above the southern Sierra’s Thousand Island Lake, with Banner Peak in background

  The moon is visible in a cloudless, late-July sky as Scrambler and Nellie Bly pause on a hot day in the Sierra Nevada north of Highway 49.

  An arrangement of pinecones marks the PCT halfway point, just north of State Route 36, near Chester in northern California, in early August.

  Scrambler and Nellie Bly at Burney Falls State Park in northern California

  Scrambler with trail friends Sherpa (on left) and Crow in mid-August near Mt. Shasta

  After the third straight morning of waking up at 4:30 a.m., Scrambler grabs a last few seconds of shut-eye before leaving camp in far northern California.

  Scrambler wears her poncho on a drizzly 21.5-mile day in late August, the day before reaching Oregon.

  Nellie Bly and Captain Bligh sign the trail register at the Oregon state line.

  Crater Lake and Wizard Island

  Just north
of Crater Lake, Scrambler poses with Scott Williamson as he heads south on his yo-yo of the PCT.

  Scrambler and Nellie huddle in the tent during a miserable rainy day in early September at South Matthieu Lake in Oregon.

  In order to avoid potentially dangerous crossings of Milk Creek and Russell Creek, Scrambler and Nellie Bly walk along a narrow road from Pamelia Lake to Highway 22 in Oregon.

  Scrambler thumbs her nose at a school bus sign in Washington, celebrating the fact that she’s not in school in late September.

  Scrambler with Mt. Rainier in the background, early October

  Nellie Bly says goodbye to Scrambler at White Pass, where Scrambler and Captain Bligh continued on without her in early October.

  Scrambler walks among the fall colors as clouds threaten a few miles north of Chinook Pass, near Mt. Rainier.

  A glorious sunrise in central Washington swiftly gave way to steady rain, south of Snoqualmie Pass in early October.

  At the trail register at Summit Inn at Snoqualmie Pass, there are two notes to Scrambler, one from Nocona, and a long one from Chacoman.

  Scrambler pauses on a snowy trail in Washington’s Cascades near Suiattle Pass as she and Captain Bligh encounter bad weather in mid-October.

  At Buckskin Pass in late October, Nellie Bly and Scrambler get ready for their final push to Canada.

  Scrambler celebrates reaching the U.S.-Canada border on October 25, 2004. She’s holding her water bottle and Cactus, her stuffed animal; she carried both the entire 2,650 miles.

  CHAPTER 1

  IN THE BEGINNING

  Day 3: Today was not all that interesting. We walked through a burned area and walked 16 miles.