Forager Heads Back To The Trail!

The day is here! I am heading back out on the Pacific Crest Trail after a 5 week work/stay at the Nature's Inn here in Big Bear City, CA. The best part about the next five days of hiking is that my girlfriend Debbie has flown out to hike with me. She will be hiking with me to an area called Cajon Pass at an intersection with I-15. I look forward to sharing some more great stories with you. Until then....
Love,
Forager

Let It Snow..Let It Snow...Let It Snow!

You guessed it! It is Christmas in May....ok not really. But it is snowing right now in Big Bear City, California. It is absolutely beautiful and it brings a peaceful tranquility to the air that is unparalleled and indescribable unless it is experienced. It is a great reminder for me that God made this amazing creation for us not to destroy, abuse, or misuse, but instead to experience in all of its glory. Today is one of the best days of my journey simply because I am free. Free to appreciate the simplicity and wonder of something as white as snow. I hope you all have a day full of simple pleasures.
Love,
Forager

Winding Down In Big Bear

The stay here in Big Bear City is winding down now. I will be getting back on the trail now in about a week. It has been a real blessing here at the Nature's Inn. I have been fortunate enought to meet about 300 of this years Pacific Crest Trail hikers that came through here while I was working. I met people from all over the United States and from all accross the globe. I have benifited greatly from other hiker's advice and I have been fortunate enough to do my part to make other hiker's stay here as enjoyable as possible. It has been a great reminder that serving others incredibly more rewarding than serving myself. The experience is one more thing driving me towards working for a non profit organization when I finish the hike. I was also able to start my book while here in Big Bear. The book is only about 10% complete so far, but I look forward to continuing the adventure and finishing the book near the end of my hike. I hope you all have a peaceful day!
Love,
Forager

Bugs don't taste like chicken

It has been a fantastic stay so far in Big Bear City....I am counting down the days until I get back on the trail, but it has been wonderful meeting all the hikers as they come through town. I have made a lot of great friends that I plan on keeping in touch with for a long time. I was able to go out on a day hike yesterday with my boss at a place called Onyx Summit. Now that my trail name is Forager I have some goals for unique things to eat including: snakes, grubs, general bugs, ants, grasshoppers, fish, and anything else interesting. Yesterday I had the opportunity to eat some tasty termite larvae and they did not taste like chicken! They were small and slimy, but they really didn't have any taste....I look forward to adding more things to the list that make all of you go ewwww gross :) Until then I hope you all have a peaceful day!
Love,
Forager

Back on the trail in 14 days....

He works hard for his money!

I am working hard and loving life here in Big Bear City! I have been doing odd jobs around the Nature's Inn and tomorrow I will be starting on a log fence that will surround a prayer walk. I work with some great people here.....There is Ed, the owner of the Inn and my boss who is anything but typical (long haired, bearded, eccentric type), there is Gerry, a 6'3" Cajun man from the swamps outside New Orleans complete with the full accent, and then there is Robyn the housekeeper (aka Silverfinger). There are also various side characters like DeWayne and his dog Baby, and then also the occasional vagrant that stumbles up looking for something to do....We have a lot of fun here and the Inn is full of hikers so there is no shortage of excitement. It looks like the day I will be back on the trail is May 28th so that will give me plenty of time to save up some money....I don't need to buy gear any longer because the earlier mentioned Trail Angel Adrian is going to loan me some very expensive ultralight gear to continue on my adventure....He has a heart the size of California!!! Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to hearing from everyone!
Love,
Forager

Forager Is Born

The Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off weekend was a lot of fun....It took me all the way back to a campground at the beginning of the trail...There were about 700 people in attendance. There were barbeques...gear vendors...information workshops.....and videos of past hikes.....The weekend was a great weekend and also very special because many of the hikers that have been killed on the trail were memorialized....I have also been given a new trail name which I was proud to accept....A hiker named "Thumbs Up" came up with the name "Forager" because of my decision to find food along the trail. Then Allen from Portland suggested I take Forager for a symbolic meaning because of the spiritual nature of my adventure. He said that I am always looking for the limitless bounty of the universe. So...I accepted the new trail name and at the kickoff it took like wildfire....now everyone knows me as Forager. So....this will still be the hemmingway adventure, but the trail name for me is now Forager... :) I am back in Big Bear City now and starting to work on a log fence that will be surrounding a prayer walk...This is really shaping up to be quite the adventure! Have a great week!
Love,
Forager

Hemmingway Gets A Job

Greetings from the Pacific Crest Trail! I am still in Big Bear City and have actually landed a job for the next three weeks working for a land owner in the area....The Sierra Mountains are still getting ice and snow so I am about 4 weeks ahead of schedule. The forestry service doesn't recommend reaching that area before June 15th and if I keep going I will be there by May 15th (way too soon for safety). I was fortunate to meet a man named Ed that has givin me the task of building a log fence for a small park he is putting in near downtown Big Bear. He is giving me room and board at his hotel for the time while I am here and a nice pay check to go with it....So basically I'm getting paid to put up a fence in a beautiful ski resort town while I live here for at no cost! The kick off for the Pacific Crest Trail starts tomorrow and the @ 500 hikers that start the trail this weekend will be in the Big Bear area in about three weeks....just in time for me to get back on the trail....more to follow on my adventure here in Big Bear....So far it is shaping up to be quite an experience! I have attached a pic of Big Bear...
Happy Trails! Hemmingway Jones