5/5 – John Fazel, the CA coordinator for the ADT, invited us to stay at his house. He fascinated us with his stories of the trail. His goal is to run the entire ADT, he has already run from Delaware to Colorado ! He is also an ultramarathoner- 100 mile marathoner- an inspiration, very awesome!!!

5/6 – Spoke to Johns Rotary club and then drove to the coast to find Pt. Reyes National Seashore, CA. Hiked 5 miles to the beach and then walked/jogged with happiness another 2 miles down to the starting point, turned around and went back another 2 miles to set up camp. It feels great to be here!

5/7 – Hiked down the beach, saw kelp, starfish & anemones. Richie showed me which kelp to eat. Climbed over rocks & felt extreme peace while gazing at the ocean, letting the sun soak into me and watching a sea lion poke his head out of the water & then disappear to resurface elsewhere. The sound of the water coming in & then receding over the pebbles lining the shore sounds like a stream. It is great to be alive!

5/8 – Happy Mothers Day Woke to rain, nonstop all day. Have blisters, tried fixing them but couldn’t effectively because of wet feet & nothing to dry them with. Nothing will stick to the feet without slipping off . Windy, foggy, as hiking the hills go down into a dark foggy abyss. Exposed most of the day, running to stay warm, I am staying warm but Richie is complaining of being cold. The wind and rain are just pounding us.  I say bring it on! Every once in a while going through small patches of woods, it feels like medieval times, awaiting the dragon and knight to appear. Stopped on a wooden bridge over a small creek to pitch the rainfly, tied it down as good as we could, cooked lunch and changed into dry clothes to get/stay warm. I am learning how to better keep my down bag dry- essential for it to keep me warm.

5/9 – Woke to rain/sleet.  The sun came out and we laid all gear out in the sun to dry off. Beautiful scenery and rolling hills on this northern side of San Francisco is undeveloped, quite a comparison to the southern side of the Golden Gate .  I love how after letting the sun soak into me after rainy days I feel recharged.  Tonight I slept on a saddle overlooking San Francisco Bay on one side and the ocean on the other. Not much wind, clear skies, great views. Watching ocean liners – impressive in size, appear to move in slow motion. The shadows from the clouds play tricks with my eyes. I watched four birds playing and swooshing around each other floating on the air current updrafts.

5/12 – Sylvia shared with me some of the early history of San Francisco .  Apparently it was once all sand dunes.  In the early 1900’s an earthquake and consequently a fire destroyed many homes. Refugee camps were made of small but strong houses, some of which are still around today.

On my way out of town I stopped by a shoe store to receive a complimentary pair of z-coil shoes from a rotary member. I tried them on and walked out with a bounce in my step! Took a bus to where I previously left off walking – learned another valuable lesson – taking a bus can be much more challenging/difficult that walking. I tried to stay balanced on my new shoes, being careful not let my boots swing into someone’s face (I took up a lot of space with my pack), hold my walking sticks & map, while simultaneously grasping the overhead bar...see the dilemma.  In addition, going around the twisty turns, constantly stopping and trying to stay upright and then lurching back as the bus continued onward.  Whew, I was relieved to be able to walk again. I hiked past the piers full of people, a certain level of excitement filled the air, similar to being at a fair. I have met some very friendly people, and shared my mission with at least a dozen separate people.

Got to the ferry & called John, he’ll pick me up on the other end and meet up with Richie. The ferry ride was awesome! The captain was at the entrance and immediately started asking me questions about my z-coil shoes (they were a big hit in San Francisco ) and the trail. As soon as I got on the ferry he sat with me and wanted to know about everything. As I told him what I was doing a group of people had gathered & by the time I had arrived on the other side at Alameda I had been treated to some nice spiced tea, the ferry ride for free, plus an additional free ferry ticket and donations collected for the library.  The captain was all excited about the ferry being part of the American Discovery Trail.  He exclaimed that he had been boating trail miles every day without even knowing it. Got picked up by John and Richie on the other side, got a shower & bed to sleep in. 

            Had a great lesson in identifying the various looks of poison oak. Will be handy in future comfort.

5/15 - John dropped Richie and I off at the entrance to Mt. Diablo . I met some locals, and talked about the trail and my mission. I’ve been handing out a bunch of information: pamphlets, stickers and pins to people about the trail. 

Had a beautiful 12 mile hike up the mountain. Saw a rattlesnake, groundsquirrels (looks like small prairie dogs) peeking in and out of their holes, lizards and lots of flowers.  Richie met some women who knew all about the various wildflowers, they had said that we were there at the peak of the blooming.  The top of mountain was foggy, however; the views most of the way up the top were marvelous.

Richie and I split up periodically always to meet for lunch or dinner somewhere up the trail. Once I had thought he was ahead of me, but he was further behind me.  I got to the top and did not see him I waited around in the nice and warm visitors center and chatted with people while I tried to decide where he would be. I received donations for the library and even had a handwritten note to be allowed to stay in the campground for free that night. About 15 minutes later Richie appeared, filled with energy. He had practically run up after having taken longer waiting for me on a different trail.

5/16 - Last night we woke to sounds of an animal trying to get our food. The bear box at the campground had a large hole in it and we could hear as an animal was tugging at the food.  At first I thought it was Richie going for a late night snack, so I called his name but then realized he was still under his tarp. Due to my tent being closer to the food it was my duty to scare the animal away.  I wasn’t too happy about getting up to scare away something of an undetermined size. By the time I unzipped my tent the animal ran off, and Richie handed me some rocks to scare it off if it came back. It decided not to reappear and the next day the sun shone brightly as we walked down into the town of Clayton and night hiked up into the hills that beckoned us. 

When I tried to hang my food bag it really did feel like an Olympic sport. For those who aren't familiar with backpacking, in order to have my bear rope high enough in the tree I tie my water bottle to it.  Then, I attach my pack and hoist it up.  However; I did not tie my string well enough onto my bottle and when I threw the bottle over the limb the string came off while the bottle stayed stuck in the tree! Richie ended up climbing the tree to knock my water bottle down for me – I had not had that happen before, that is entertainment on the trail!

5/17 - Arrived in Antioch . On the way into town Richie and I split up agreeing to meet in the park later. He wanted to get to the thrift store before it closed and I wanted to get a salad. I wanted to do my grocery shopping at that time but Richie wanted to wait until we were on the other side of town (keep packs light thru town).  I have been craving salads and greens, bought a large salad at the grocery store then went outside and ate it.  Went to the library and then met Richie in the park. On our way out of town we saw no evidence of another grocery, I started to get very irritated because I wished I hadn’t listened to Richie and just gotten food when I had the opportunity. Well, we kept foolishly walking out of town. As we walked along the tracks we spotted a little league baseball game, walked over and asked some parents about any food stores. We felt like hobos as we approached the fence and spoke to the kids and adults on the other side. We were informed that there would be a small place coming up, after telling the kids about our hike, I handed out stickers and pins and continued down the desolate road.  The store was closed when we got to it.  We were in sunken spirits, hungry and uncertain what to do. Buses had stopped running and we couldn’t pitch a tent in town. Then our hopes lifted as we saw neon lights…food! We ate an awesome homestyle meal, were comforted with hot tea and enjoyed the bantering atmosphere.  To excellent waitresses served us there, Janet and Karen. 

On our way out we struck up a conversation with some men who were working in the area and needed a ride back.  I do not like to see people get behind the wheel when they shouldn’t so I readily got behind the wheel of their car and took them back. Our payment was a Rotisserie chicken...perfect to have for lunch and dinner tomorrow! I do not understand how things always seem to work out.  Next, we stopped by a gas station and supplied ourselves with crackers and snacks.

We both kept walking into the darkness out of town, over the 1.8 mile San Joaquin Bridge until finding a field to sleep in.  Stickers & foxtail (an annoying burrowing grass)– are abundant in the area and were pulled out from underneath my sleeping spot so that my tent would not be punctured.   Alas, then I rested my tired feet and slept contently.  

5/18 – This morning I walked on a levee road, washed up in a nearby river and feel refreshed.  I am in a great mood, although it’s cloudy, it feels great to be out of the direct sun.  We stopped at Eddo’s, a marina harbor with snacks and juice.  The breeze is blowing, it looks like rain…I love being out walking and look forward to the entire hike!

While walking along the roads on the levee it was pretty deserted, a car every hour - maybe.  A car went by, pulled over and I met C.C. (the driver).  We talked some and then she handed us 3 little jellies. Towards the end of the day met 2 guys who invited us to their campsite. They were with a group of students from Michigan who were studying various environmental issues. Stayed up late talking about various issues, sharing stories and laughing - a wonderful experience.

5/19 - Great hiking along the levees, it’s like being in the Louisiana bayou, lots of crawdads, fertile farmland, a really neat delta area.  I never expected it to look like this in CA.  Richie sang in a gravelly voice Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses”.  It fit the mood perfectly. 

    Walked into Isleton, went to the library and then stopped by a café.  The owner, J.T., was like a stand up comedian.  When I ordered a steamed milk he pulled out a “how to” book to figure out how to make it.  He entertained us with funny stories and antics about living in a small town.  When I asked for a muffin he admitted he wasn’t sure what kind he had nor how old they were.  “I guess I shouldn’t have said that out loud, huh” said J.T.  When I chose one to eat he handed it over to me inside a plastic glove, he had run out of baggies.  After getting in a healthy dose of laughter, we left and met a newly graduated photographer who took our pictures. On the way out of town stopped and talked to people and learned even more about the town. Isleton is the crawdad capital, it has an enormous mural of a crawdad on a two story building in town.  It used to have a population of about 5000 and bustled with gambling and prostitution.  Then the government shut it down and it has less than 1000 residents.  A movie had been filmed in town, the streets were filled with dirt and prop fronts covered the buildings, I can’t remember the name of the movie…something about Hell (it came out years ago).

5/20 - The river rose quite a bit last night.

We walked into Walnut Grove, as I passed a neat looking houseboat with 2 men working on it, I stopped to ask if I could take a picture. Got to talking and found that one of them, Russ, lived across the street.  He invited me into his home, to wash my clothes and shower. The son-in-law, Roger, was also very friendly - wonderful caring people. Stayed the entire afternoon at Russ’s, he made us lunch and then had to leave to go to the doctor but invited us to stay and let me use his computer and phone to call some rotaries further up the trail.  We were still at Russ’s home when he returned, he wanted us to meet his daughter so he walked with us over to her house. I sat on the porch and was served sweet lemonade!  I talked about the hike and shared our faith, a fantastic conversation.  I really feel so blessed to meet so many people and be invited into their lives. We were invited to spend the night but we needed to continue hiking.  We have met many people who have previously seen us walking, it is fun to listen to their amazement about where they had seen us and how far we came.  Many thought we were just a little crazy! 

So far since beginning the hike I have collected $297 in donations for the library. An adjoining town to Walnut Grove is the small town of Loche.  It is one of the only towns in the US settled by Chinese immigrants. It is only one block long, but has lots of character. We ate at a restaurant that had dollars pinned to the ceiling. You can throw them on the ceiling by using a coin and a tack, I tried and it worked. Night hiked till we found an impressively massive black walnut tree to sleep under (rolled the walnuts out from under our sleeping bags).  Absolutely beautiful skies! 

5/21 - Have been passing vineyards and orchards for the past couple of days, miles go by quickly on the smooth roads.  We stopped by a picnic area by the river and watched as children gleefully splashed in the water that has overflowed from the river onto the parking area.  Cottonwoods seeds are blowing all over, it looks as if it is flurrying outside. 

Stopped by a pottery shop to have a respite and met Bob and Sonya.  They are the owners and today was their 11^th anniversary.  They invited us to have a seat in their yard and brought us lemonade. On our way out we left a card congratulating them on their anniversary.  I really love to see couples who are in love and who show each other by their small gestures how much they cherish each other.  I feel happy when I see couples who are still in love and show tenderness in their actions. 

Now, I am in Freeport at a church waiting for mass to get out.  I hope to speak to the priest to ask for lodging and if I may speak to the congregation to encourage them to continue helping one another.  Hopefully they will understand how the most important thing we can do is to love one another.

5/22 - Went to mass and was unable to speak to the congregation, Father said they needed a break from being asked to donate. I didn’t aim to speak to them for money, but I wanted to encourage them and reinforce to them how important their actions are in helping one another.   St. Paul said that, “We need one another.”  It is so true that we depend on one another no matter how independent we are. I was invited to stay in the church’s mobile classroom last night.  Today I hiked all the way thru Sacramento and continued on into the night.

5/25 - Woke to construction crews working, and to our dismay discovered poison oak all around. Didn’t even realize when I hung the bearbag that I was surrounded by poison oak. Sparingly rinsed off with some of our water and continued into Auburn .  Met a man named Wajid who offered to take us to the library and to later meet us for tea in the morning. Really nice man, excited to talk about using our gifts to help others.  He wants to plant trees, actually forests, and organize a foundation to let others do the same where it is needed, all while having fun!  In the morning I will speak to a Rotary club and am uncertain about sleeping arrangements for tonight.  Gave Marcia a call (the woman we met who was bike riding and gave us her number) and she came and picked us up and took us to a motel – her treat.  It is hard to describe in words how utterly fortunate I feel to be so well taken care of by others. It brings me such joy and is so wonderful to see the joy in others.  Was able to resupply in town, bought ½ gallon ice cream for dinner.. good thing I’ll keep hiking for awhile!

5/26 -Marcia took us to the Rotary club in the morning, spoke about the library and afterwards was picked up by Wajid.  He took us out for yummy smoothies and we shared our stories.  He then took us back to the trail and we once again were hiking.  Something I am realizing is that in order to grow spiritually, we must grow in our faith in others.  That is what love is about, we need to encourage one another in life – to really live and use our talents – the world will be much happier and productive.  I want to increase and grow in my faith and I believe it will grow as I focus on my faith in humanity.  I believe that when we set aside intentional time for prayer, it can only bring us closer to God, closer to becoming the person that  we are meant to be.

 5/27 - Slept by the American   River , near No Hands Bridge – gorgeous river.  The bridge was built in the early 1900’s, longest concrete bridge at that time.  Nice day of hilling, great views of tree filled canyons and the swollen rumbling river.  We met another nice biker, Jennifer, who stopped and chatted for awhile. The mosquitoes are bad.

 5/28 - Very tired, didn’t get hiking till 12:30 . Nice views but in a gloomy mood.  Only hiked 5 miles – my body is tired. Called it an early day and stopped to sleep by the river. Have seen lots of snakes and lizards, yesterday Richie peed on a rattler and didn’t even see it till it started rattling.  Today as I was walking I almost stepped on a rattler and didn’t know until I heard it move – it didn’t even rattle.  Have seen corn snakes, garter and ring necked snakes.   I haven’t seen any mountain lions or bears yet.

5/29 -Walked 10 miles up into the town of Foresthill .  The runners for the Western States 100 are practicing so we were able to meet about 100 runners coming down the hill.  Very inspiring to see people, most were middle aged and older, out pushing themselves to their physical limits while enjoying the trail. I don’t know how I’d do at trail running, perhaps I’ll try it later.  Got into town and met Lou and Whinney, 2 runners who took us to the grocery and forest ranger station.  We got food and maps. Then, went to where the other runners were camping. Talked to some runners about the trail and got some info. about the upcoming section. Was given a pair of binoculars which will be very useful while in the Sierras.  Don came by looking for some friends of his to shuttle him to the trail tomorrow. We offered to shuttle him since tomorrow is Memorial Day and we will be taking a day off. 

 5/30 -Happy Memorial Day! Shuttled Don to the trailhead and then I got to drive his car to Auburn . It is fun to get to be behind the wheel, it is kind of crazy to drive past what we just walked, it is neat though to be able to know the area better by trail and by road. Stopped at an outfitter’s in town to check about snowshoes, they were all in the attic. Later picked up Don and went back to where we camped.  Met Jack, he is from Foresthill and is an ultrarunner. He knows every area of the mountains, he came by and highlighted the way for us to take on our map. He explained it all, step by step, it was awesome to meet him and feel his love and enthusiasm for the trail. He offered to let us use his snowshoes.  He has 18 pairs because he is a guide in the backcountry in the winter, and will even meet us on the trail to bring them to us.  He was the perfect person to meet to be able to answer our questions about the upcoming Sierras. Our packs are heavy, 8 days of food, but I’m happy to get on the trail again. Have met many fantastic people, I have so much to thank God for.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to live a good enough life to be able to show my appreciation to the Lord, but I will try.  I want to learn to show a greater love to all, to attain pure love. I do believe it is possible for all humans to truly love one another, but you need to want to show that love to others. It takes work, dedication, perseverance and sacrifice. Of course I am writing like I know what I am talking about J, I cannot help but to at least set lofty goals, any less and it is insulting to ourselves, to others and to God.