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News & Features
From the Idyllwild Town Crier weekly newspaper, 05.08.08 edition.
Patch,
Backtrack and
Sweetfish thank Idyllwild
By Marshall Smith, Staff
Reporter and
J.P. Crumrine, Assistant
Editor
"Sweetfish” came in to download photos he had taken of the Apache Fire,
while “Patch” and “Backtrack” stopped in to thank Idyllwild for its
extraordinary hospitality. Sweetfish and Patch had both hiked the full
length of the Appalachian Trail and were now beginning the Pacific
Crest Trail (PCT). Backtrack had hiked neither trail before and was
carefully watching experienced hikers like Patch to pick up what
pointers he could.
“We came in to find out how we could give more appreciation to the town
and residents,” explained Backtrack. “People have been incredible. They
are going out their way to offer assistance. Even the sheriff’s office
is willing to help.”
This spring has been unexpectedly difficult for PCT hikers. The Apache
Fire closed portions of the trail, and for PCT “purist” hikers,
this poses a dilemma about whether to continue north, missing the
section of the trail closed by the fire, or wait and complete the
skipped portion from Highway 74 in Garner Valley to Saddle Junction
once the trail reopens.
Sweetfish, who discovered the fire, was one of the last to complete
this leg of the trail. He said compounding the fire obstacle to the
south is ice to the north. He said the trail into Saddle Junction was
easy to lose in the snow. Further north around San Jacinto Peak, the
trail turns icy and hikers may need crampons, he reported.
Each spring, like daffodils and crocuses that cover the Hill for a
short period of time, PCT thru-hikers, who begin their hike near the
Mexico/California border and plan to hike the trail to its terminus in
Canada, begin appearing in Idyllwild. Patch, also known as Todd
Everleth, originally from Albany, N.Y. and now a resident of Las Vegas,
exudes friendliness and confidence. He said, when introducing himself,
“This is the first time I’ve used my real name in two weeks,” since
beginning his hike. Inveterate long-distance trail hikers are known to
each other by their trail monikers, never or rarely, by their given
names. Everyone is anonymous and, in a sense, isolated from “real” or
daily life.
“Thru-hiking is something particularly American,” said Patch. He said
only one other town in his hiking experience provided the kind of warm
and open hospitality that Idyllwild has given him and his compatriots:
Damascus, Va., a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the
Appalachian Trail. Damascus is actually called “Trail Town, U.S.A.”
because of its location across a confluence of trails and for its warm
hospitality to hikers. It’s a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains
traversed by the Appalachian, Virginia Creeper, Trans-America National
Bicycle, Iron Mountain, Daniel Boone, Crooked Road Musical Heritage and
the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail.
Damascus has made welcoming its hikers a high art. So to be compared
with Damascus is high praise. Idyllwilders offered friendliness, rooms,
recommendations, meals, information and, especially given the confusion
and interruption the Apache Fire caused the hikers, offers of rides to
the next open part of the trail.
“On two separate occasions, people voluntarily offered places to stay,”
said Patch. “It’s amazing how friendly everyone has been.”
The 2,650-mile-long PCT, formally know as the Pacific Crest National
Scenic Trail, is for hikers and equestrians, and runs from the Mexican
to the Canadian border. It traverses the desert at just above sea level
to as high as 13,153 feet at Forester Pass on the Oregon-Washington
border.
According to Patch and Sweetfish, many hikers find the PCT easier than
the Appalachian Trail because of the switchbacks it uses to climb
elevation rather than the straight-ahead trail approach of the
Appalachian. Also, PCT trails tend to be wider than the Appalachian.
The PCT, along with the Appalachian and the Continental Divide
Trail, form the trifecta for long-distance thru-hikers in the United
States. Each year, about 300 people of a wide variety of age ranges
attempt the entire trail length.
As verified by Patch, missing a section, because of the Apache Fire
closures, means hikers will have to return at the end of their
four- to five-month trip to complete the section they missed.
“Purists,” observed Sweetfish.
Some hikers left Friday for Big Bear. They plan to walk south to
Idyllwild and cover the omitted section before restarting the long
arduous trek to Canada. All hope to arrive at the northern border by
early October before snows in the Cascades begin closing trail sections
there.
“The best part of the hike is not only the people you meet on the
trail, but also the people in the towns,” said Patch. “Everyone is
hiking their own hike, but everybody wants you to succeed.”
Carl Triplehorn, from the District of Columbia via Alaska, is
Backtrack. Bobby Wisnouckas from New Hampshire is Sweetfish.
According to Bruce Watts, Nomad Ventures manager, people were lined up
on Saturday waiting for the noon opening of the trail as the Apache
Fire was contained “A lot of people were staying in town longer than
usual,” he said.
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