Click on the image below (or here) to view my collection of PCT videos. And check back from time to time – I’ve got plenty more PCT videos to share!

To see all of my videos on Vimeo, click here.

Then April 2011 arrived. In that month, I was laid off from my job of six years and decided to hike as much as I could of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The journey started at the Mexican border near Campo, California, through the harsh deserts of eastern California, into the wilds of the Sierra Nevadas, and through the thick forests of Northern California. 159 days later, my life-changing journey came to an end in early October after hiking nearly 1,700 miles of the trail. I came home with a strong appreciation for life and nature, a thinner waistline, and over 850 pages of journals! Before sharing any of the stories, videos, or thousands of photos I took on the journey, I’d like to share that which is most precious to me: my journals.

Here’s a visual representation of every scanned page from all four books:

My “Tower of Moleskines:” Despite their obvious individual distortions, these are all Moleskine plain pocket-sized notebooks. All except Book 2 are hardcover.

Below are my thoughts and sketches from the third day on the trail. I wrote, on average, about a dozen times a day throughout the entire journey. Sometimes I’d write for a minute or so, other times I’d sit down and write/sketch for an hour. Early on, I played around with starting each journal entry with a mileage stamp, as you can see in the spread below. I’d soon move to a time stamp to make it easier. Some of my wildlife sketches were just simple doodles to hopefully record enough identifying features to look up later.

When I would make the time, I’d spend it sketching landscapes. The sketch of Eagle Rock (left page) near Warner Springs, CA was sketched on the scene. If I desired to sketch a scene but didn’t make the time on the trail, I’d leave room and sketch it later based on photos I captured, as I did for the cow pasture scene (right page).

Here’s the first pages of my second journal, a soft-covered Moleskine. I learned quickly that I disliked this book as a field journal: the soft cover made it easier for moisture (sweat, rain) to get to the pages within. Note how the postal cancellation mark has smeared because of this.

When possible, I’d collect interesting flowers I found along the PCT. The pages of a Moleskine do a pretty good job pressing and drying out flowers. This flowering plant, however, wasn’t designed for storage. Its small flower petals began falling off almost immediately after placing it on the page. I now keep the flower and its small snowflake-like petals in a wax paper envelope for preservation.

Here I experimented with a different method of recording a section of the hike by centralizing around a physical representation of the trail (left side of these pages).

After about 500 miles, my hiking shorts had all but disintegrated. Instead of throwing the badly-shredded shorts away, I burned them in a campfire in a morning ceremony. Afterwards, I took a piece of the smoldering fabric and added it to the journal as a memento. It is said that 500 miles of hiking equals about 1.1 million steps.

Here’s a few pictures from the ceremony.

I like adding ephemera to my journals. Anything flat will do. Here I have a movie ticket stub, a candy label, a sticker, a stamp and a postmark – all from the town of Tehachapi. To add a different feel to the page, I tried following the contour of the oval sticker on the right page. The map I sketched on the right page shows the area of the town where I spent most of my time.

The sketch on this page was done a day or so after the writing was added. I left the gap so that I could spend time later sketching the pleasant scene of a house amongst trees.

Music on my journeys is important to me. On this page, I wrote down more than a few songs that were shared on the trail. Swapping MP3 players with other hikers for a section of trail is a great way to hear some new music.

On July 11th, my desire to hike all the way to Canada was waning. I would use my journal to define problems I would experience on the trail and come up with options for trying to solve the problem. On the left page, I listed five plans I could fall back on if my goal of hiking to Canada didn’t work for me. I ended up going with “Plan A”: “NOBO UNTIL GO NO ‘MO”, which meant I’d hike northbound (“NoBo”) until I couldn’t go any further. I think most thru hikers on the PCT are extremely goal-oriented people. Keeping a journal helps me define my main goal as well as daily goals I would make.

I found a coin in a stream while hiking through the Sierras of California. I thought for a while on how I would record the finding in my journal and came up with the idea of doing a rubbing, like one would do to preserve the patterns and lettering of a gravestone. When I eventually got a hold of a pencil, I recorded both faces of the coin on the page.

I photographed the coin where I found it, on the edge of a stream in the Sierras. I’m not an expert in coins, but I believed that the “HELVETIA” inscribed on the coin referred to Switzerland. As it happened, I ran into some Swiss hikers soon after finding the coin and they confirmed it. They also told me that this coin – a 1998 Rappen (or a Swiss penny) – is no longer used as currency, but Swiss like keeping one on them for good luck. So for good luck, I kept this penny on me for the remaining 900 miles of my journey.

The more I wrote, the more a writing style was forming. I would increase the size of words to show importance.

Unfortunately, despite writing so often on my journey, there were days I didn’t make time to write. Oddly enough, I had a hard time writing on “zero” days, or days of zero hiking. While at Vermillion Valley Resort, a hiker-friendly community just off the trail, I didn’t write at all in my journal. Instead, I jotted down some notes about the time spent there that will hopefully jog my memory when I get around to writing in more detail on the blank pages. I plan on doing this sooner than later, before more of those small details of the day slip away forever!

I like adding color to my pages in the form of beer labels. Plus, I like beer. Especially beer after hiking for hundreds of miles. While in Mammoth Lakes, California, I took a much-anticipated trip to the Mammoth Brewing Company to try a selection of their beers. I discovered this delicious beer while on a previous backpacking trip to the Sierras. I also love the creative (and humorous) graphic design of the labels. Note how the text on the right and left of this label is meant to be read while drinking from the bottle.

I made an effort to get postmarks whenever possible. In fact, I once hiked 4 miles out of my way to get one from a small-town post office off of the PCT. At the small post office in Tuolumne, located in Yosemite National Park, the postal clerk was nice enough to give me an assortment of postmarks, including one made only to be used on June 5, 2010, commemorating National Trails Day.

I tend to stick with writing utensils I trust. Here you can see the exact moment I switched from a dying Staples Xeno 1.0 ballpoint pen to a Papermate ballpoint pen. I liked the slightly finer point of the Papermate that I’ve switched favorite field pens. Also on this page is the beginnings of an experiment to find out how productive I am on the trail when it comes to hiking.

Here’s one of the first pages of my third PCT journal, providing valuable calculations/information that I would use throughout the trek: locations of post offices, their zip codes, and what mile they fall on the PCT. For instance, I noted that Etna, CA is at mile 1,606 of the PCT, located 15 miles off the trail, has a grocery store (for resupplying), and when I estimated I would arrive.

I discovered the historic Benson Hut while hiking and stayed there for an evening. I spent an hour or so sketching the inside of the unique “emergency ski hut” found near Truckee, California. Sketching a place helps me remember it more vividly.

Hiking journals shouldn’t be clean unless your hike is clean. In this example, you can see dirt and smears of ink, a subtle clue that I was grimy and had just applied insect repellant to my hands. At the time, I was a little upset that the chemicals had smudged the ink, but I have learned to appreciate that my journal records more than just the words I print on it, for better or worse.

Now here’s something I found interesting: each of the four black and white butterfly wings were found miles from each other along the trail. I rarely saw this species of butterfly alive, but it seems to be a popular snack of the local bird population. When I arrived into Sierra City and went to the post office, it seemed appropriate to adhere the 64-cent Monarch stamp on the page.

I draw maps to help learn the geology or terrain of the trail or to note reroute options to share with future PCT hikers. In this instance, I learned of a short and steep trail for getting back on the PCT from Drakesbad Resort in the Lassen Volcanic National Park. I generally would only consider taking side routes if they were equal or greater in distance than it would be to stay on the PCT. A motto of all thru hikers is, “Hike your own hike.”

To record the excitement and messiness of finding ripe blackberries on the PCT, I smeared the berries onto the page. Until then, I never considered using natural pigments as a way of adding color to my journals.

Am I the only one who finds beauty in the colors of poison oak? They say that “leaves of three, leave them be!” but I broke the rule and plucked a few for my journal, careful not to touch them. On this journey, I started carrying scraps of wax paper in the back pocket of my Moleskine to be used in preserving items like this.

On the left, I recorded a water source near the trail that isn’t well documented in the books and maps. I also found an interesting Orthopteran that I took time to sketch on the trail. I enjoy coming home with these sketches and try identifying them in my collection of nature guidebooks. If I’m confident in its identification, I’ll go back and write the common and scientific name in the journal.

Reaching mile 1,500 on the PCT was a feel-good moment for me. I never thought I’d be able to hike so far. It just goes to show you that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

One of my favorite stamps to look for in the post offices along the trail is the Go Green stamp called “CHOOSE TO WALK.” It was the perfect representation for my journey. (Unfortunately, in this instance, I forgot to put the stamp in the journal BEFORE getting it post marked. d’oh!). The notes below the stamp are mileage estimates designed to calculate food resupplies. The thrown in notes on the left are for when I find time to write about the week I spent in Etna waiting for a snowstorm to roll through. Unbeknownst to me at the time, these would be my final days on my journey. The snow was too deep and so I called the hike finished, leaving the trail and going home on October 6th.

I love hiking data. Here I diligently recorded my latitude and longitude every evening from my campsite. I picture myself someday revisit these sites with my family, maybe even with my unborn children.

More PCT data. Everyday at the end of the day, I would record what PCT mile I was at, how many miles I did that day, what kind of accommodation I stayed in (ex. “T”=tent), and the location. I had fun naming my campsites if they had not already been named. For instance, “Camp Buddha Belly” was the name I gave the campsite I stayed at immediately after leaving Drakesbad on a full stomach.

While on this amazing journey, I learned a lot about myself and the art of keeping a journal. Since you made it this far in the post, maybe you’d like to learn more? I am currently writing a guidebook that I hope will help hikers and travelers start and retain their own journals while on the trail. If you follow me on Twitter (@thehikeguy), I’ll keep you posted on the book’s publication.

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But this was different. This was WEST COAST SNOWPOCALYPSE 2011!! The California blogosphere was a buzz with their own take on the weekend forecast, hoping that snow would fall in their fair city. The excitement of snow falling on unusual places was contagious, spreading all the way up to the national level, where CNN reported that the famous Hollywood sign could possibly be capped in the white stuff by Sunday’s Academy Awards. While most average Angelinos were at most curious about if it would snow or not, those in the hiking community were giddy, excitedly clearing their weekend schedule and preparing their hiking gear in anticipation of a snowy local traipse.

On Sunday, after the storm came and went, I met up with Michael, my friend and future Whitney hiking partner, and we headed up into the San Gabriel Mountains above Sierra Madre in hopes to see just how much snow Mt. Wilson received. I was excited to snowshoe for the first time in my life, even if there was just an inch of snow.

Michael and I arrived at Chantry Flat at 7:30am and began our 14-mile (round trip) trek up to Mt. Wilson. On Upper Winter Creek Trail, we saw small patches of snow, but it wasn’t until we reached the 4,800-foot level on the Manzanita Trail that we entered the obvious snowline. It was surreal to see the trail’s namesake shrubs, with their blood-red bark, covered in a spread of snow.

Michael holds the world's largest snowball on Mt. Wilson Toll Road. It looks like the road was plowed the day before our hike.

As I snowshoed through the pristine snow, I could see down into the Los Angeles Basin and beyond. The faint profile of Santa Barbara island was visible beyond the shimmering ocean. Snowshoeing with a view of the ocean in Southern California. How about that.

Below are photos and a video of our adventure:

Below you will find videos and photos from the 2009 hike, and for more information on the whos, wheres, and whatsits, check out my other site, 100hikes.com.

Video:

Photos:

Camping at Onion Valley (9,200 ft). The altitude kicked my ass on the first day, but I acclimated faster than expected. (I actually didn't think I'd acclimate much at all.)

Sisters Sam (left) and Nikki. Now entering the world-famous John Muir Wilderness, hiker's Disneyland!

A curious Clark's Nutcracker. A moment before this photo was taken, it was using it's long beak to crack open the nearby pine cones to get to the seeds.

Onion Valley looking southwest. Kearsarge Pass is in the distance, just behind the branches of the tree on the right.

Gilbert Lake with University Peak (13,632 ft elev.) in the background.

A good-sized trout in Gilbert Lake. The water was crystal clear.

We stopped at Gilbert Lake for lunch, a few miles into our hike and a little less than half-way to Kearsarge. (Flower Lake is the half way point between Onion Valley Campgrounds and Kearsarge Pass.)

A big freakin' rock!

Huffing it up the trail. We're at about 10,000 feet in elevation now and the pine trees are thinning out and being replaced by bristlecone pines.

Beautiful foliage.

Looking down on Flower Lake. It looks small only because I am high above it. The large granite boulder just below the lake in this photo is just as big as the boulder pictured earlier in this post.

Two backpackers head down into Onion Valley.

I'm hot, tired, and the altitude is making it very slow going. Some of our party have already turned around with symptoms of altitude sickness. At this point, I'm at about 11,000 feet in elevation.

Heart Lake. To give you an idea of the size of the lake, I've circled in orange a hiker along the shoreline.

Big Pothole Lake with a nameless peak in the background. I read that some climbers call it "The Finger of God."

At Kearsarge Pass (11,760 ft) looking down into the back side of Kings Canyon National Park. Seeing this view for the first time is a moment I'll never forget.

We headed back down as the sun was setting. This was taken at Gilbert Lake, where we took a brief break. Faster members of our party filtered some water and hid some bottles for us in the brush.

The last of the sunlight highlighted the jagged profile of University Peak.

We celebrated our fantastic day of hiking around a cozy campfire. Steak, macaroni & cheese, s'mores, and friends. It doesn't get any better than that.

We have none of these problems in Los Angeles. Sure, we get bad weather from time to time, bringing sheets of rain which lead to walls of mud rushing down canyons and through kitchens and family rooms of houses in the foothills, but nothing that requires me to grab anything more than a rain jacket or an umbrella before entering the maelstrom. Hikers in Los Angeles love heavy rains because they know that when the storm blows out of town, so goes the smog, leaving the air crisp and clean. In the winter months, the distant mountains seem to be within arm’s reach, capped with an icing of snow beckoning  snowboarders and skiers. Trails below the snowline are bustling with hikers (or rather, city folk who have escaped the asphalt jungle).

Some of the best views of Southern California have been witnessed after these heavy storms and this weekend was one of those special opportunities. We had heavy rains on Friday and Saturday, bringing spectacular weather on Sunday and Monday. I had missed out on hiking on Sunday, but luckily Monday was President’s Day and I made sure I was on a trail for the holiday.

For my hike up to Echo Mountain, I packed heavy camera gear in anticipation of a stunning sunset… and Mother Nature didn’t let me down. Check out the video and photos below!

Sunday's crisp post-storm air was replaced by a heavier sort. I was worried that it would hinder a good sunset, but I was wrong....

The light from the setting sun lit up the thick marine layer and burned it off.

Two hikers enjoy the light show from Echo Mountain.

These three were geniuses: they packed beer for the sunset viewing.

I was the last up at Echo Mountain. Although it isn't a tall mountain (3,207 ft), it did get cold quickly as the sun set. There were still patches of snow on the summit from Sunday's storm.

Last shot before heading home.

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The Modern Hiker (Casey Schreiner) on a hike up to Sandstone Peak in January, 2010

In January, after a week break from hiking, I ventured out to the Mojave National Preserve with some friends for a weekend of camping and exploring. I stayed close to home in February, hiking in the open areas of the Angeles National Forest, the exception being a day-trip down to the Cleveland National Forest late in the month.

March brought wildflowers and an annual trip out to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve. April is a great month to explore California’s deserts before they get hot, and this year was no exception. Another group camping trip to the Mojave National Preserve was well worth the drive.

May was a big month of hiking, completing more miles in the month than February, March and April combined. The highlights included two back-to-back hikes to the “Bridge to Nowhere” in the mountains above Azusa, CA, and a week-long backpacking trip to southern Utah with my friends, Alyse & Remi, where we hiked the famed trails of The Subway, Angel’s Landing, and Buckskin Gulch. June brought me to the central coast of California (San Louis Obispo) on one trip and the Northern California coast and central Oregon on another.

The incredible canyon walls of Buckskin Gulch humble hikers who venture through it.

July would begin with a bang, bagging the personally-challenging Telescope Peak (in Death Valley National Park) for the second time, the first as a solo hike. A 4-day weekend in Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park in August reminded me yet again how nice it is to live in California.

September‘s backpacking trip in the Eastern Sierras was a “successful failure.” A two-day overnighter in the mountains and my cooking stove was left at home by mistake. October was a wet month, yet I endured and did over 50 miles of local trails, crossing the 400-mile marker on October 24th.

I fell behind in my goal due to illness in November, only hiking a measly 3.1 miles in the first 20 days of the month. But I came back and came back strong, hiking one hundred miles in New Zealand on a 18-day north-to-south solo trip. 11 of those days were spent on some of the best trails in the world. I would hike my last miles of the year on my birthday, December 6th, giving me my first real “vacation” from hiking since May 2009.

The 500th Mile Club at Mackenzie Lake along the Routeburn Track in New Zealand

If my photo database is to be believed, I took 26,723 hiking-related photos in 2010. Having hiked on 97 days during the year – all with my camera(s) always in hand – I believe it. I spent my “vacation” from hiking looking through all of them to pick my very favorite photos. These images are links to strong memories I made throughout the year. Moments of beauty. Moments of struggle or triumph. Or moments of being in the right place at the right time with my lens cap off. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
(Click here to view the photos on Flickr.)

Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! Today is a day we spend time reminiscing about the year behind us and look forward to the year ahead of us. I’ve got a lot to reminisce about. You might recall that this site was launched with three ambitious personal goals I hoped to achieve by the end of 2010. Let’s see how well I did on completing them.

Goal #1 – Become a member of a Search & Rescue team.
Status: FAIL

I threw in the towel on this goal fairly early in the year. I was excited to be accepted to the San Dimas Search & Rescue Team and start down the 2-3 year road towards becoming a member, but the time needed to dedicate to wilderness classes and homework would not fit into my schedule. Plus, I wanted my weekends to explore! So I replaced this goal with this:

Goal #1 (Plan B) – Become a Volunteer with a local organization that promotes the outdoors.
Status: Double Win!

In 2010, I became a volunteer with two great organizations:
1. Tree People – Founded in 1973 here in Los Angeles, this non-profit organization’s main goals is to add more trees to the geography of Los Angeles – and idea I can get behind. After the devastation in the Angeles National Forest caused by the Station Fire of 2009, I heard that Tree People would be the group that would eventually replant saplings in the burned areas. I became a reforestation supervisor in February and have helped plant trees in the Arrowhead Lake area during the Spring. Next year, Tree People begin the major task of replanting the Angeles National Forest. If you are interested in spending an afternoon replanting trees you can show your grandchildren, Tree People has got a lot of opportunities for you. Check out their site for details. They have tentatively scheduled to reforest every weekend in March and April.

Planting Trees in Fawskin, CA

2. Santa Monica Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA)- The MRCA works with an assortment of other organizations (including the National Park Service) to secure and develop park land throughout the Los Angeles area. The MRCA preserves and protects many public lands scattered throughout the area, including Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills. It was here that I became a volunteer naturalist in April. As a naturalists, I can conduct guided programs for school groups and the general public, assist at MRCA special events, operate park nature centers and information booths, and/or rove trails. I’ve roved a few trails in the Verdugo Hills, offering assistance to hikers, and I taught a program on astronomy at Vista Hermosa Natural Park in downtown LA. I’m looking forward to dedicating more time to guided programs in 2011.

Trail roving in the Verdugo Mountains

Goal #2 – Hike 500 miles in 2010.
Status: WIN! Total mileage: 513

In 2009, I completed the life-changing goal of hiking 100 times in 240 days and I recall thinking that nothing could top such a physical task. Nothing could push me further. I was wrong. My hiking goal for 2010 took me to what I thought was my limit and pushed me beyond it. This year I hiked 91 times in California, Utah, and Oregon.  The final 100 miles were done on an 18-day trip to New Zealand, where I backpacked 20 miles in a single day, something that I never thought I could do.  I was able to witness some of the most majestic natural wonders I’ve ever seen. (I’ll post a slide show shortly.) Best of all, I was able to finish this seemingly unreachable goal on my birthday, December 6th, in New Zealand. Happy Birthday, indeed!

Each photo represents a mile that I hiked in 2010.

[Zoom-able version]

Goal #3 – To hike with 150 people
Status: FAIL

I wasn’t able to get 150 people on the trails, but I was able to hike with many fantastic people that have been an inspiration to me and others. I was able to convince a few who had never hiked to get outdoors and tramp, something that can be quite intimidating for a city dweller. I was also introduced to many hikers whom I now call friends; those who I met on the trail or through my hiking group on Facebook, The Hike Guy’s Hiking Club. I currently have over 200 members in my little club and hopefully they’ll all eventually join me on the trail. So, for this goal, I got less than half way there: I end 2010 with a total of 66 people whom I’ve hiked with since January.

A BIG THANK YOU to the 2010 Hiking Club: Peter, Shawnte, The Mystery Hiker, Casey, Ric, Eliza, Leighton, Lori, Justin, Chris, Jackie, Amie, David, Jassica, Sarah, Chris, Shannon, Jean, Mike, Remi, Alyse, Jamie, Michael, Gregory, Melanie, Lauren, Brandan, Elizabeth, Jen, Sandra, Bob, Michael, Vanessa, Justine, Molly, Karima, Mona, Tim, Justine, McKenna, Sharon, C.J., Dan, Noel, Cassandra, Daniel, Laura, Carlos, Julie, Claudia, Zachary, Joe, Alan, Rashid, Natalie, Ann, Angela, Michael, Emily, Alexandra, David, Robert, Dan, Peter, and Wendy.

So what resolutions do I have for 2011? I’ve been thinking about this for a while and will post something about it soon.

Friends + waterfall + keg of beer = good times.

Along with the ten essentials, I packed an item we all agreed to be essential for such a special hike: beer.  A keg of beer, in fact.  I carried a 11-pound Widmer Hefeweizen Mini-Keg and cracked it open at the falls, sharing with both friends and strangers alike. We finished off the 5 liters and hiked stumbled out of Big Santa Anita Canyon.

Now I’ve just got one hundred miles to go to accomplish one of my big goals for 2010!

The photos were taken with a GoPro Hero HD camera (goprocamera.com) attached to a Camalapse (camarush.com). The song is called “Liquid Remedy” by Cities Of Foam, found on Cafe Buddha: the Cream of the Lounge Cuisine.

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Mount Hollywood is located just south of the center of Griffith Park.  It is commonly mistaken for the location of the Hollywood sign, which is on neighboring Mount Lee.  Mt. Hollywood stands at 1,640 feet in elevation (495 meters), and offers impressive views in all directions.  From the peak on a clear day, visitors can see downtown Los Angeles to the south,  the beach cities and Catalina Island to the southwest, Glendale and Burbank to the east, and the San Fernando valley to the north.  To the west runs the ridge of peaks that make up the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, which includes Mount Lee and the famous Hollywood sign.

There are a few ways to get to Mt. Hollywood, all of them are relatively easy.  The shortest route to the peak is from the world-famous Griffith Observatory, which was built on the southern slope of Mt. Hollywood.  The five-mile round-trip hike starts at the northern end of the Griffith Observatory parking lot (the Charlie Turner Trailhead).  Due to the popularity of the observatory, you should arrive early to find a parking space or prepare to park along the paved road leading up to the observatory.  I prefer approaching Mt. Hollywood from the north, starting at the parking lot for the historic Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round off of Crystal Springs Drive. There are two parking lots, each able to hold over 150 vehicles.  Even on the most crowded of weekends, these parking lots usually still have spots available.  From the second parking lot, it’s about a 5-5.5 mile hike to the summit. This route takes you past the abandoned Los Angeles Zoo (1912-1965), where you can explore the old bear and monkey cages. Higher up along the trail, you can hear some of the animal calls from the present location of the Los Angeles Zoo, which is also in Griffith Park. As with all hikes, it would be best to print out a map of the park’s spaghetti-like trail system.  (see link below)

No matter which path you decide to take to get to Mt. Hollywood, please remember to wear sturdy shoes and bring a bottle of water and layers of clothing.  The temperature can drop suddenly after the sun sets.

Resources:

• Local Hikes
• Map of Griffith Park trails
• Trails.com: Griffith Park to Mount Hollywood

Here are a few photos I’ve taken on a recent trek up to Mt Hollywood.

Two new parents introduce their infant to one of the famous Los Angeles sunsets.

Enjoying the last of the sun, the Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee is to the right.

The sun setting over Los Angeles.

The marine layer came inland during the late afternoon, covering the west side.

Mount Lee and the Hollywood sign look like an island in a sea of mist.