Perhaps it should come as no surprise that someone on the Divide would playa role in a recent history-making event, and that's just what happened for one local when she opened her home to two hikers nearing the end of a journey that would permanently place them in America's journals in time.
Jan Jerabek, who recently moved to Foresthill from Pleasanton, Calif., has always enjoyed the great outdoors and often goes hiking with her dog, Davis. Jerabek is a member of Folks Walking, an international organization, and also belongs to the local chapter, Placer Pacers.
The couple making the historic hike was Marcia and Ken Powers (also from Pleasanton) who completed one continuous trek over the American Discovery Trail (established 2000), which passes through Foresthill via the Western States Trail. Jerabek knew of the Powers and invited them, through the Internet, to stay at her home when they reached the Divide. They arrived Oct. 3.
"Interesting people," said Jerabek who had one short evening to visit with the Powers. "They didn't miss a step."
The Powers started their historic march last winter in Cape Henlopen, Del., where the transcontinental ADT East Coast trailhead is located. They traveled across country with backpacks and a PocketMail computer with which they made contact with their two sons to send them supplies at various checkpoints. Jerabek said they made 40 such sojourns during their trip, including the Foresthill Post Office.
Although the Powers were not the first to traverse the ADT, they were the first to do so in one continuous effort. Joyce and Pete Cottrell are credited with being the earliest to ever complete the full 4,818 -miles, but thy did so out of sequence, and at different times of the year.
Because they had little control of just when they would reach certain areas of the country, the Powers had to slog through deep snow, face hot desert winds, travel through electrical storms, and even maneuver past quicksand. During the entire eight-month journey, there were only four days the couple didn't hike, knowing they had to reach the Sierra Nevada before the snows came.
Prior to starting out in Delaware, Marcia and Ken Powers buried caches of water in the deserts of Utah and Nevada. When they reached the Wah Wah Desert of Utah, they discovered their water was gone. Fortunately, a motorcyclist touring the area gave them the water they would need to venture on.
Like their visit with Jerabek, the Powers said they encountered several "strangers" along the way who were more than happy to feed and shelter them so they could continue their expedition.
On Oct. 16, Jerabek met the couple at Limantour Beach near Point Reyes, Calif., which marked the completion of their incredible trip, which took them through such places as Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, St. Louis, 14 national parks, 16 national forests, and the Foresthill Divide. It was the culmination of an adventure they prepared for earlier by completing the 2,000-mile Appalachian in the East, the 3,000-mile Continental Divide in the Rockies, and the Pacific Crest on the West Coast.
And Jerabek not only shares the Powers' joy of taking a good, old-fashioned walk, but also she and Marcia Powers are fellow musicians. Powers plays the flute, and Jerabek the clarinet, and both performed in the Pleasanton community symphony.
Now, when Jerabek and her companion Davis are out hiking, she will know she once played a small part in the making of America's history.
Written by Jim Linsdau
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