[pct-l] News from Walker Pass Oct. 12

[Charcholla@aol.com]

If you've ever backpacked on the PCT through Kennedy Meadows, you've probably
met "Meadow Ed" (Faubert). Normally, he was in one of the campsites and
invited all PCT Thru-hikers to join him there.

Since Ed is not a subscriber to the PCT-L, I'd like to share a letter that I
received from ED just yesterday. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"PCT Walker Pass
October 12

Hi Charlie,

I got your snail mail letter last week and meant to answer right away, but now
I'm glad I waited. I left Pasadena on the 6th and went up by Bouquet Canyon
and camped out a few nights up there. I placed my bourbon bottles out on
Bouquet Canyon Road then drove 3 miles over to the campground at Spunky Canyon
where I spent the night. The next morning I drove over to San Francisquito
Road and read the register there and saw that 2 PCTers had been thru (t)here
yesterday so I drove on into Agua Dulce and found them walking into town. I
talked to them and while they were not at Kelso Valley on the 25th, they were
there shortly after and got some water. Interesting was the water I put out at
Bouquet Canyon came out of the ice chest and was still ice cold when the 2
hikers found it. 

On Sunday, yesterday, I was driving up to Cameron Pass to put out a few jugs
and saw 2 backpackers hitching into town. By the time I went up and dropped
off some water and went back towards Mojave, they were gone. I checked out all
the fast food places and stopped into White's Motel and still no luck; even
went over to the one grocery store and, nope. Then I thought, OK, 2 people
getting into a town they never had been to before may grab the first place
they come to that has a motel, etc., and sure enough these 2 backpackers,
thru-hikers heading to Mexico were there -- 2 young girls, in fact. They knew
who I was as soon as I said "Meadow Ed." They also found the water bottles on
the trail. Now this was yesterday the 11th and you were out there on the 26th
to refill them and now see how the trail magic continues to go up and down the
PCT. The 2 brothers plan on finishing up in Campo on the 1st of November and
the two girls on the 7th.

< I assume Ed means the two brothers, Steve & Curt Crowdy from Pittsburgh >

I don't remember if you were in Kennedy Meadows when Jennifer Pittman and Mark
Morse were there; I seem to think you were there later. Mark was hoping to
reach Manning on the 10th of October and Jennifer is about 10 days behind him.
I also seem to remember you met Swine someplace up north. Well, according to
the 2 girls yesterday, he just completed his hike, but I'm not sure where he
did so. They met him somewhere along the trail and maybe either got a P/C in
Kennedy Meadows or that may be where he finished and saw his name in the
register. I'll be up there next week to check it out -- actually, I'll be
there Friday of this week -- the 15th. I know two boys who plan on finishing
on the 21st in Lone Pine so I may try and call Mike's family this week to see
if his date of the 21st is still ON.

Let me give you Mark's address 'cause he lives in Anza Valley <snip> -- up
until this very moment as I looked up Anza in the guidebook, I thought it was
a lot closer to Campo than it is. I thought it was only 50 miles not 150 miles
away. Oh well, trail miles are not road miles anyway.

Well, I need to finish this so I can get it off in the mail when I make my ice
run into Inyokern. Thanks again for your help and I will drop a snail mail to
Pat in Virginia.

See you on the trail,
Meadow Ed

p.s. I still have lots of water bottles in the car and a good thing as by
today, the water ran out up here at the Pass <Walker Pass Campground>. This
late in the year, they won't refill the cistern as the pipes will freeze."
~~~~~~~~~

Does anyone know the names and home cities of the 2 girls heading to Campo by
the 7th? Who are we tracking here?

Charlie

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