Challenge Completed
The day finally arrived and the Make-A-Wish 2024 Trailblaze Challenge has been completed! Thank you so very much for your support getting us over the finish line!
Through your thoughtfulness and generosity you have helped Make-A-Wish raise over $840,000 dollars as of the challenge weekend!
I am so thankful to have been a part of contributing to something that touches so
many vulnerable people’s lives in such a positive way. I am also thankful to have
been able to witness the successes of my fellow hikers who have overcome their own
incredible adversities past and present to complete this challenge because of their
commitment to this cause. Their selflessness and big hearts are an inspiration to me.
This has been a very deep emotional experience for me. So much so that I felt compelled to write this account
of my experience, even though I really, really dislike writing. Below I attempt to share a bit of the challenge as
seen through my eyes. I hope you enjoy this recap of the weekend that you made
possible.
Lead Up to the Weekend
Initially we had committed to hike the May 18th weekend session of the
challenge. But out of the blue Pam and I both tested positive for Covid the
Wednesday before. Make-A-Wish was able to shift us to the final scheduled event
weekend, which, as it often seems to be, worked out for the best because I was
still healing from an injury I sustained on a training hike. Also, all members of Team Cat PAWdy would be attending this hike weekend.
Arrival Day
Pam and I drove “the back way” up Highway 38 to get to Big Bear. This gave us a
chance to stop off along the way and pre-hike the first leg of the trail in daylight to get a sense of the terrain
to be tackled in darkness a few hours later. Here, the PCT winds past Onyx Peak with views towards Big Bear
City. The elevation (8,600) was quite apparent to us San Diego flat-landers as we found ourselves a bit
lightheaded hiking uphill the few hundred yards to get to the PCT proper.
Reconnaissance completed, we joined the bustling crowd of excited participants at the hotel and shared joyful
greetings and hugs. Pasta dinner was served at 6:00, where I took full advantage of the opportunity to “carboload”, polishing off an additional six dinner rolls for “dessert”. During the meal, a Wish family shared their
daughter’s cancer treatment journey and what the granting of her Wish meant for their family - a space to
connect and forget for a short while the day to day concerns around her treatment and recovery.
Dinner wrapped up at 7:45pm with advisements to go right back to our rooms. Not feeling tired just yet, Pam
and I took a brief sunset stroll around the village. I think the time walking and talking with Pam helped calm
my nerves over what was to come tomorrow. Returning to the hotel room we did a last minute equipment
check, ensuring everything was laid out for the morning. We turned off the lights at 9:00pm and willed
ourselves to sleep as best as possible.
Challenge Day
We were awoken at 2:10am to the lulling sound of plumbing in a neighboring room. Breakfast was microwave
oatmeal and a can of Starbucks Espresso for my required morning jolt of caffeine. After a quick shower, it was
time to grease up the feet and don the Columbia OmniShade SPF garb top to bottom. I completed my ensemble
with a buff decorated by Wish kids. Roll call was 3:15am and departure promptly followed. Vans shuttled us up
to the trail head over dark, deserted roads and the growing excitement was palpable. Arriving at the trailhead,
we quickly gathered our poles, strapped on packs, donned our headlamps and took a group photo before
starting our trackers and hitting the trail. The challenge was on!
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| Group Picture |
The experience of hiking by headlamp was surreal. The dust kicked up by those ahead of me swirled in my light
beam like a thousand little bugs before my eyes. There wasn’t time to pause and really take in the stars, but I
did happen to catch a glimpse of a shooting star once when briefly looking up to admire the rising crescent
moon. I tried to capture a few shots of the eerie procession of fellow hikers’ lamps in the dark but most came
out blurry. Here, I rushed ahead and then turned around to give myself a chance to capture a photo with
proper extended exposure. Twilight arrived much earlier than expected, after only about 45 minutes of
walking. For a few brief minutes the trail afforded a beautiful ombre prelude to sunrise.
From Onyx Peak, the trail meandered down one side of a deep canyon and back up the other. We walked by a thru-hiker camp site about an hour after sunrise. The hikers were still in their sleeping bags and sharing a laugh among new friends discovered on the trail. It is amazing to me to think that these people are probably doing this same sort of mileage day in and day out unsupported as they work their way towards Canada. I wondered what they thought of us tenderfeet as our horde of 100+ day hikers plodded by.
The climb out of the canyon was our first ascent of the day. A mere 400 foot gain, the climb never the less
reminded me again that we were at altitude and I needed to hike “within myself” and not push the pace. We were able to recover from the climb in the next segment which rolled over and around little knolls affording
broad views. The surprise on this segment was the periodic appearance of Joshua trees interspersed with the
other scrub cover. After skirting some ranch land at the 10 mile point we climbed up and over a low saddle to
begin contouring along the northern edge of the mountains surrounding Big Bear’s north side. Being on “the
other side” of the mountains from the lake, this trail opened up vistas of the Mohave desert far below us
As I passed this point, fatigue started to set into my quads, my stomach had become upset and, as a result, a
creeping sense of anxiety began growing in my mind, thinking “What is the second half going to be like and can
I handle it? There’s still 18 miles to go!” It was relieving to see Pam greeting me at the half-way point aid
station, cow bell in hand ringing me in from the trail. I took a very brief few minutes to refill my water and sat
just long enough to re-organize my snacks into easily accessible pockets before I headed off.
I had heard the lore that there was “the big climb” right after the aid station so I was
expecting the trail to immediately start going up. Thankfully, the trail continued
contouring mostly flat with the stunning views to the desert continuing for the next
couple miles. This gave me time for my stomach to start settling, which helped ratchet
back some of the anxiety I was feeling. The trail finally crossed back to the Big Bear
side of the mountain through another low saddle and entered a huge recent burn
location. This exposed hillside was "the big climb". 900 feet over 2.2 miles with no
tree cover, full beating sun and no breeze. This is where the mental game really
started to happen for the day as the quadriceps and back fatigue took firm hold as I
worked my way slowly, slowly up the grade over the next hour.
In this time I reflected
how this discomfort was of my choosing and would pass in a brief few hours while
others fight battles not of their choosing for days, months and years on end. A strong sense of gratitude filled
me and got me up and over the hill. Once over the crest, the trail rewarded the effort with a couple miles of
recovery in rolling terrain through meadow-like areas broadly carpeted with white and purple flowers. This
was the calm before the final storm.
The trail then descended steeply, losing half the elevation I’d fought so hard to gain, arriving finally at the 3rd
and final aid station. At this point, the bottoms of my feet had joined the discomfort game. My dogs were
barking! Yet there were still 5 tough miles to go. In this upcoming segment I had to regain all that elevation
just lost, again over a 2.2 mile segment, before I would traverse the final saddle and begin the long descent
over challenging trail conditions to gain the finish. The staff at the final aid station were nothing but positive
and really bolstered my confidence. After only a brief stop to top-off water, wet my buff to afford some cooling
and do a few cursory quad stretches, I hit the trail again. This time, there was no reprieve and the trail
started right up. Fortunately, the gradient was half that of "the big climb” and was under tree cover.
The saddle was achieved and I could definitely start to smell the finish. Cell coverage was back so I was able to
text our family group chat as I passed through those final few mile marks. This gave me a big boost of energy
having them acknowledging my messages in real time and that Pam, who was waiting for me at the finish,
knew that I was close and safe. It was deeply emotional for me to round that final corner in the trees and see
her there again ringing me in. We walked in the final quarter mile together, hand in hand, as we “cut the tape”
to cross the finish. A cold Gatorade and a few minutes in a chair in the shade felt like a true luxury. Once
somewhat recovered, I joined Pam in ringing in other hikers to the finish. It felt great to share other people’s
accomplishments and cheer them in.
We eventually shuttled back to the hotel, cleaned up and, even though it was only 4:45pm, headed straight out
to an Italian restaurant where I ordered what seemed like a ridiculous amount of food. The server made a
humorous comment at the quantity of food I put away. I checked my tracker. I’d burned 5000 calories over the
day. There was a pretty big deficit to fill there.
Back at the hotel later in the evening we shared stories with other hikers. Lots of tales of blisters and
universal agreement on the sheer difficulty of gutting it out over "the big climb" and onward to complete the
trail on what appeared to be an exceptionally hot day according to those with prior experience of the trail.
Departure Day
Before departing, we gathered once more as a group to breakfast, receive our completion pins and honor those
who made our journey possible. And then it was time for final hugs and goodbyes, for now and hopefully not
forever. I’m not sure if I’ll do the challenge again, but would like to participate with this organization in some
capacity. Pam and I both offered our contact information to get more details on the role of Wish Granter, which
would entail working directly with a Wish family.
As we made our way home I fell into a contemplative mood. What an amazing
experience this had been. And it wouldn’t have happened without Pam’s spontaneous
urging that we attend an information session back in January. Every great journey
starts with a single step. It’s a matter of saying yes to that first step that puts these
opportunities and experiences in our path. I look forward to my next “first step”
whatever it may be. Thank you again for your help pushing me over the finish line.
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| Our Team: Team Cat PAWdy |
Behind the Scenes
As a bit of Make-A-Wish magic, each door was decorated with blue streamers. And in the haze
of the morning, we all tripped out of room and got caught in this shimmery web, inevitably dragging it behind us as we got ourselves untangled. Never did we actually witness other people getting caught up in this blue web, but here is the evidence.
You are always told not to get into a creepy white van. Good thing this one wasn't creepy. Say hello to van #3 (there were 8 or 9 vans)
Setting up Aid Station #2 - the half way point where Pam spent most of the day. Here is Tom taking a brief break there.
Thanks again - our team raised over $11,000 -- enough for one wish to be granted.
Pam and I drove “the back way” up Highway 38 to get to Big Bear. This gave us a
chance to stop off along the way and pre-hike the first leg of the trail in daylight to get a sense of the terrain
to be tackled in darkness a few hours later. Here, the PCT winds past Onyx Peak with views towards Big Bear
City. The elevation (8,600) was quite apparent to us San Diego flat-landers as we found ourselves a bit
lightheaded hiking uphill the few hundred yards to get to the PCT proper. 
