PCT WEEK 2 (and some more)

PCT DAY 8 - Warner Springs - 18.01 mi

Ok! Today was a tough one, 18.06 mi with 3567 ft of ascent (1545 descent), mostly exposed, and I started later than planned (at roughly 11am), so it was hot the whole time I was hiking. Oh, and there was a 12 mi water carry, so I carried 4L of water - a bit of overkill, sure, but I’m glad I took it because I drank most of it! I hiked mostly alone today, but I hiked the last few miles with another hiker I’d met a few times (Sarge), which was great, because my legs were really feeling it at that point of the day, and it was nice to have someone to chat to to forget that. It ended up being a lot of weird up and downs, but the views towards the were really spectacular! We got to Mike’s Place, a trail angel’s cabin, around 7, and it’s very cool here - lot of old vehicles and pct memorabilia. Most importantly, there’s water, which is great, because it’s another 13 mi until the next water source, so that’ll be a long carry too :/. But from there it’s a short hike and hitch into Idyllwild, where there will be burgers and beer… Monday will be a good day! Tomorrow? Not so sure.

PCT DAY 9 - Mike’s Place - 20.8

Sarge and I woke up pretty early for the long water carry today. It was a 13 mi carry to DeBenedetti’s Place - a trail angel’s house about .7 mi off trail. We hiked there and when we got there, we found a big crowd of other hikers we knew - Deals, Porridge, Patty, Stoke, and a few others. We sat there for a few hours, and the trail angel brought us soda, popsicles, beer, and made us pulled pork sandwiches, which was SO NICE. After sitting there until it cooled off a bit, we pushed on to Little Bear’s Hostel, another trail angel about .7 off trail, who turned out to be a Seabee! We talked about that for a while, and then all the hikers set up cowboy camp spots on his patio and went to sleep.

PCT DAY 10 - Little Bear’s Hostel - 6.9 mi

Easy day today! We got a ride back to trail in the back of Little Bear’s truck and then hiked the 6.9 mi to Paradise Valley Cafe, where we ate some massive burgers and drank some beer. Eventually, our friend Diane caught up to us and Little Bear gave us a ride into Idyllwild, where we had a place for the night. There were 8 of us in that place, so we split up a hit during the day, so Deals, Sarge, and I went to a bar and got some drinks bought for us because we were hikers. Also at this small bar, I met Thurteen, one of the vocalists from Parliament Funkadelic, which was nuts. After that, we went back to the Airbnb and made our “bear dinner” - which was steak, asparagus and berries.

PCT DAY 11 - Idyllwild - 11.23 mi

We spent most of the day just hanging out in Idyllwild until it cooled off a bit, then we hitched back to the road and hiked to the next water source, which was at the base of our ascent up San Jacinto. We got in after dark and set up camp, ready for the big ascent the next day.

PCT DAY 12 - Cedar Spring Junction - 19.47 mi (5,231 ft ascent)

Absolutely BRUTAL day today. I woke up a bit late so was alone for the start of the day. To add to the brutality of the ascent, it was also a 15 mi water carry on some very exposed terrain. I carried 3.5L, which was on the low end of what I expected I’d need, but I thought I’d be good. Unfortunately, about 10 mi in, I dropped my pack for a break, and the cap of one of my water bottles popped off and I lost a full liter of water down the side of the mountain, which was absolutely terrifying. Eventually, I caught up to some other hikers, who gave me 0.5L, which I drank rather quickly. About 2.5 mi and 700 ft ascent from the water source, I was fully out of water and feeling lightheaded, but I knew Diane was behind me with extra water, so I sat on the side of the trail and waited for her to catch up, and she graciously gave me another 0.5L. That gave me enough energy to finish the climb and make it to the water source, which was ice cold and so tasty. I sat there for a while, rehydrating and eating, and then did the rest of the hike with Bug. I waited at the San Jac junction for Deals, who had gone into town and brought me back a pedialyte. We camped there, prepping for the even longer descent the next day.

PCT DAY 13 - San Jacinto Summit Junction - 27.2 mi, 9,154 ft descent

Another absurd day. By far the longest mileage and descent I’ve ever done. Deals and I started together until the last water source before another loooooong carry. I sat there for longer to eat and hydrate, and then began the 20 mile water carry down the side of the mountain, which was also ridiculously hot. About 15 mi into the carry, I caught up to Deals, Sarge, Luna, Bug, and Javos, and we did the final bit down to the water source together, which was a TOUGH little stretch. When we got to the water source, there were a ton of other hikers, so we all sat there and waited for our various groups to show up. It was really nice to relax and socialize after such a long, difficult day of hiking. From there we hiked about another mile down to the road, where there was a trail angel with juice (sunny d & cranberry juice mix), werthers, and some sodas, which was VERY appreciated. Most of the group caught a ride to the In-N-Out in town with the trail angel, but Deals, Sarge, and I got into an uber because there wasn’t space for all of us. Unfortunately, it was not clear if the uber driver had ever been behind the wheel of a car before. She could not stay on the road, and then, when she was making a left turn onto the highway, she decided to fully stop perpendicular to the oncoming traffic. She sat there for about a minute as we yelled at her to move and cars flew by, leaning on their horns and slamming on their brakes. Luckily, we were unscathed, and got out as soon as we were close enough to walk to the In-N-Out, where I inhaled a 4x4, animal fries, regular fries, a vanilla shake, and a pink lemonade. Exhausted from the day (and food), we decided to stay at a travelodge in town, where we fit quite a few hikers into 2 beds.

PCT DAY 14 - Cabazon - 11.04 mi

It was BLAZING hot today, so we spent most of the day inside the McDonald’s and Dollar Generals in town, before making our way to a highway underpass to wait out the heat (it was 105°). We sat there for a while and eventually started hiking around 7pm, so mostly in the dark. Bug and I made it to the Whitewater River, where we cowboy camped for the night. I wish I had a decent photo, but it was such a lovely spot. Open skies, a babbling creek, and a chorus of frogs made getting to sleep very easy.

PCT DAY 15 - Whitewater River - 20.85 mi, 6833 ft ascent

This was absolutely the worst day of trail so far. I woke up in the morning to Bugs leaving at 5am (which I was NOT about to do), so I slept a bit more, and then realized Deals & Sarge were camped about 100 yards from me, so I started hiking with them again. The first 5.5 mi were pretty light, but then we got to Mission Creek, one of the most notorious sections of trail. The entire area was washed out by a tropical storm a couple years ago, and according to a PCTA worker we met in Idyllwild, the PCTA had the funds to repair the trail this year, but that funding was rescinded by the current administration… Donate to the PCTA.

For 12 miles, there was no evident trail, and we followed the creek through the wash out, fighting across large boulder fields and sand pits the entire time. In addition to the hard hiking, it was over 100° for much of the day, but at least we didn’t have a long water carry! Finally, after hours hiking through the washout and a looong siesta under a nice shade tree, we left the wash out for what I thought was the last time (it was not). By this time, I had fallen a bit behind the other two, and wayfinding was difficult. Unclear on the difference between the old “official” trail and the more commonly used social trail, I got off the social trail on accident and was in some pretty sketchy situations, including a time where I was trying to scramble over a tree and got my leg caught behind me, which messed up my hip for the day, but feels better now. Eventually, I finished the ascent up to the next water source, where a bunch of my friends were camping, and we all ate dinner together, which was very needed at the end of that shitshow.

PCT DAY 16 - Mission Creek Camp - 26.2 mi

After days of brutal hiking, today was a very cruise-y day without too much ascent or descent. Additionally, because we are at elevation, it’s all shaded with lots of big pines. I was the last to leave camp for the day, but I made up my mind that I was going to sleep in town tonight, so I really pushed my pace. Over the course of the day, I averaged 3.5mph when I was hiking, which is really quick for me. Eventually, I passed all the other people that were in camp with me and caught up to Deals and Sarge, so we booked a spot in town together for the night for $60. Our place had a hot tub in the room, so we made great use of that, and I got to sleep in a bed for the first time since Julian!!

PCT DAY 17 - Big Bear - 0 mi

FIRST ZERO SINCE JULIAN!! Today was a wonderful day - I slept in, got some coffee and pastries, ate a huge burger, did my resupply shopping, then headed to the Airbnb with the rest of the bigger group. I organized my stuff there, and then sat in the hot tub there and drank some beer. We eventually had more burgers and veggies for dinner, and then I went to bed pretty early and got a phenomenal 10 hrs of sleep! Up next is a long few days to the Bridge Fire closure, where we’ll hitch to Wrightwood, resupply, and figure out our next plans.

Ok with this being a long post, there’s quite a few songs on my mind as of late. Alaska by Maggie Rogers, Ode to the Mets by The Strokes, Universal Sound by Tyler Childers, and Nabokov by Fontaines DC.