May 22, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: Pines Motel, Wrightwood
Miles: 20

Adrian:
Thanks to Brian, Mike and Cathy for signing our guestbook. We appreciate the support.

We had our first rain and our first snow today. It kept us cool for the 5,500-foot climb from Interstate 15 up to Wrightwood. Our highpoint was 8,250 feet after a low point of 2,930 feet at the interstate.

It was quite cold as we reached the Acorn Trail, which was one of the ways down into Wrightwood. Because we were not sure if the hitch on Highway 2 would be easy, we opted to hike down the steep Acorn. It will be a pain to hike back up it, but we are in town!
Kirsten: Have I mentioned yet that we have trail names?

Well we do. A trail name is sort of like a nickname. Some hikers never take them on; preferring to stick with the names their parents gave them. I'm kind of indifferent to the trail name concept. I think it's fun and a lot easier to remember people. I don't call Adrian by his trail name though because it just seems weird. He's Adrian to me, not Hawkeye, which is what Fatty Cakes dubbed him a couple of weeks ago.

Why Hawkeye? Because he has a hawk's eye. Get it? He does have this gift for spotting things like animals or a cold beer in the middle of the desert (this happened outside of Warner Springs).
I think his name sounds sort of superheroish. I wonder what his superhero outfit would look like? And his lair. Would it be in a nest?

You may be wondering what my name is. For those of you who know me, this should not come as a surprise. My trail name is Danger Prone. It sort of speaks for itself. I tend to trip and fall all the time. I also punched myself in the face as I went to grab my hat on a windy traverse. I almost gave myself a black eye when I knocked a water bottle over onto my head. I was laying down at the time.

Oh yeah, this happened long before the PCT. I once drank, but DID NOT SWALLOW, denatured alcohol. To be fair it was being stored in a poorly labeled plastic water bottle.