Chief, aka Kevin. PCT 4 me 2013: The Traveling VORTEX!

July 10 - Hat Creek Campground
mile 1384

Some new terminology I have learned in the last few days.

the Vortex - aaaah. be careful not to get caught in the vortex! this can be a trail town, trail angel, nice people at campgrounds, etc. you get the drift? I, apparently, have the Traveling Vortex (that being the camper!) by going to trailheads and being at nice campsites, hikers are all welcome to "hang-out" for how ever long they like. I have a cooler full of cold drinks of various beverages!, cookies, and are always welcome for dinner, breakfast or lunch. Apparently, you can easily get stuck in this vortex of mine. Midnight Choc. and Cowgirl have been somewhat stuck, but I love it. They have been hiking with Chief for the past few days and feel like they may be stuck in the "traveling vortex!"
SOBO and NOBO - southbound and northbound thru hikers. The NOBO's (which is the more common path) are always hoping to meet up with a SOBO to get more detailed trail info, for example..."is that water cache really there at Hat Creek Rim?" If the data book, halfmile, guthook says there is a water cache, one begins to doubt if it really is there. 1 litre weighs a bit over 2 lbs. to have to carry 3 ltrs over 20+ miles is not the preferred method of travel! NOBO's are a great source of knowledge for the SOBO's and trail rumor spreads once someone gets to chat it up with them.
DNF - the dreaded term of DID NOT FINISH.
Yellow-blaze - hitchike or drive a section and not go back and walk it. This is not in CHIEF's agenda. (In WILD, Cheryl did this in the Sierra section and she was a Section hiker)
NERO - less than 10, just a few miles that day
ZERO - no miles, essentially a rest day
The Log Books - oh so important for the hikers. Chief has made some really great friends with other thru's, but with some taking Nero's and Zero's for various reasons, you either get ahead or fall behind with previous groups of hikers. I picked up a couple hithchiking in Chester, IceMan and Kattywompus, that had been with Chief in the 700 mile range. They all got along, but somehow with a zero in between, they haven't seen each other. The log books are at the major Trail Angels and trail sections. You can then check to see who's ahead of you...they knew Chief was 2 days ahead. When I picked them up they pleaded with me to tell him to SLOW down!
so many more terms that just escape me now. When you sit around a table with a bunch of hikers it's almost like listening to a different language sometimes.

Ari...Cowboy and BirdMan say "Hey SeaLevel!" and hope you are well. Saw them when I was on the trail with bodie at around mile 1370 (outside of Old Station).

So here I sit in a reststop/overlook area with hikers sleeping under the truck in the shade. Taking an afternoon siesta getting ready for the long, hot stretch of the Hat Creek Rim trail heading towards Burney Falls State Park. They already did a 7 mile stretch to get here, now waiting for the right time to start off on the exposed 30 mile rim walk. They talk about a lot of different strategies, planning, looking and re-looking at maps, possible water cache sites, etc. It's lots of talking through things together. Everyone has their own ways to manage these situations, but this group is going for the late afternoon/night hike to Burney.

I wish them well and hope to see a large group come into Burney Falls State Park tomorrow evening. They will be hungry, thirsty and tired. I'm ready.

Chief's Wife