Saturday's hike photos. Eat your heart out.

I'm not complaining, I'm not feeling too sorry for myself, I'm not bragging..... but after getting home at 1:30am Friday night I got up at 5:30am to lead the 7 mile Mission Hills CC hike carrying a 26 pound backpack!

We 7 seven hikers on this hike decided this particular 7 mile section on the PCT is our favorite hike of all the hikes our Club has gone on.

Here is the link to photos from our four hour hike.

p.s. Once on Smugmug, after clicking the link above, you will notice another gallery has been added to my Smugmug photosite and I've posted to this new gallery the Debbie D. Talk photos from March 10th. Any of you who were at the talk and would like a photo, you may order photos from Smugmug.

I will be emailing out one group and one family photo in .jpg format to all who are in our family within the week.

Sick today. Some flowers I shot Sunday in Anza Borrego.

I suspected I wasn't feeling all too hot on Sunday. Today I know I'm sick with a cold or flu. Never got out of my jammies.

Sunday I shot photos with a 100mm macro lens and all shots were taken on a tripod. I kept shooting away. I knew I wasn't liking what I was getting. I hiked up the trail and found the little shade there was and set up. The only other time I used this lens I was on the ground with the camera. I could see better whether what I wanted was in focus or not and I was comfortable. Sunday, the rocky terrain had me standing, set up low and I just never got comfortable. Of all the photos I took, there were only a few that were in focus enough to keep just for this post.

What I learned this day:
-Go earlier before the wind picks up. Shooting macro with even the slightest breeze is almost impossible.
-Don't start shooting until I find something pleasing. Just take the time and keep looking for color, patterns, texture, etc.
-Don't go to a popular trail area. I had to be concerned about someone walking by and my being in their way or kicking over my tripod.
-I don't know much about macro photography.
-Setting the aperture to 32 isn't enough for macro photography unless the flower is on the same plane. Depth of field is only very limited.
-Basically know what I like about what I'm attempting to shoot and shoot for that.

PCT Hiker sightings at Warner Springs!

At 7am this morning, Heidi and I drove through Anza Borrego State Park on a wildflower search. We drove south down past the Salton Sea but returned via S-22 to S-2 to 79 on past the PCT at Barrel Springs and Warner Springs.

On S-2 a few miles before heading north on 79 (which connects up with 371 and 74) I couldn't help but pull over and check out the PCT trail that goes by Barrel Spring, a welcome water source for PCT hikers. I've camped at Barrel Spring and have incredibly fond memories of this spot. Heidi and I walked over to the spring. Water was slowly dripping from the pipe into the trough, unlike the strong flow of water I'd remembered. But there was water and bees!

Back in our car and having driven about 7 miles, I spotted my first PCT 2009 hiker 500 feet before Warner Springs Resort. I was thrilled and quite jealous at the same time. I introduced myself and Barney (trail name - Be Hope) said, "I know of you Gottago. I'm pleased to meet you." My friend Heidi was quite surprised I'm sure that a fellow hiking along the road knew me. Be Hope left on his PCT hike at the US/Mexico border, March 11th, Wednesday night, and hiked a few miles before camping. He'd been leap frogging off and on with another young, fast, PCT thru hiker named Alex who was a bit ahead of him.

I gave Be Hope my card in case he needed to call for anything. Tonight, seven hours later, I heard from him. He requested I post to the online backpacking forum a question about snow conditions north of Warner Springs and higher up in the San Jacinto mountains, as well as the San Bernadino mountains.

Here is a photo I took of Be Hope that I'm posting (with his permission).

Having left Be Hope, I drove 500 feet before another PCT hiker sighting. Kamlin, a young boy, was waiting outside the Warner Springs Resort. I made a U turn, parked and went over to say hi, when his father came out of the Resort and said, "Hi Linda!" I was surprised. Kevin reminded me we'd met about 2 years ago when I was speaking at a meeting. What a small world.

Kamlin, and his dad, Kevin are out section hiking the PCT for a couple of weeks. They both look pretty happy. Again, I'm jealous. I miss the PCT.

Leaving Warner Springs, heading north, I spotted smoke in the distance. Hopefully, this is a prescribed burn as it seems way too close to the PCT.

Yesterday's hiking photos with my new Canon EOS 40 D

Looking west up to San Gorgonio from the mountains above the White Water River and the White Water Trout Farm.
I wish I wasn't going to miss Carol Leigh's Macro Class that starts June 15 as I really would like help with macro shots.

Off to take the Mission Hills Country Club Hiking members off for a hike in this area today. I think there will be 11 of us.

Yesterday I made sure I could park in the White Water Trout Farm parking lot. The car break-in had been on the street an 1/8th of a miles from the Trout Farm. I talked to Robert at the Trout Farm yesterday.....he is the person I had stopped to talk to when he was driving by me after my break-in last Friday. He lives in a ranch nearby and is also the manager of the Trout Farm. Robert remembered me and told me that the break-in has freaked out all the neighbors. People are now locking their doors at night. Robert did say that they have not had break-ins up there before. It was a freak incident. Great.