I wake up to the birds chirping before sunrise. It’s a quiet morning otherwise. I slept well, feet feel like nothing, legs feel good and my minds clear. It’s a short day today only 15ish miles. The weather forecast is calling for rain and 45MPH wind gusts tonight and after the other night I want a little more sheltered camp site tonight.
I start walking before the others and want to beat the sun. I started with virtually no water after drinking it all last night and there isn’t any planned for 11 miles. A little sunburnt from yesterday, this week’s forecast is clear sky’s during the day. The scenery changes so much here, desert, mountains, desert, ridges, switchbacks. It keeps the uphill slogs interesting and fun.
I pass by some trail gates that keep me motivated. My goal is Canada and I’m done talking about it.
I’m doing it.
The trail gets harder after I see this. With my mind on the end of the day goal and me just zoned out I miss the side trail to Thule Spring, by the time I check my map I’ve gone too far to double back, screw it I push on I make it to the underground water cistern and it’s grotesque. I see a few dead snakes in there and decide I am definitely not drinking from it.
On to the next water source which was at a persons house a mile up a dirt road.
I get to the house and there’s no one there but barking dogs. I say at least there’s a fence and just like that the dog jumps the 5 foot fence clean and I stand face to face with it as it barks at me. “You’re alright buddy, I’m a friend” I tell it. I wait a few minutes like a western stand off am I going to get bit or nah, luckily it’s bark was worse than its bite and someone appears from the backyard.
“Hi there how’s it going?”
It was the owners son.
I say hello and tell him I needed some water if he could spare it. He shows me where the hose was. After I thanked him we talked for 10 minutes about how he ended up living there, how the area was with hikers and that the dogs are indeed friendly. As we talk and I filter my water Wolf walks up.
“Mouse did you get my Garmin message?”
BING- just did. An hour too late.
It says I’m heading to a house .7 miles up the road for water. We both had the same idea. 7 skipped it, kid just doesn’t drink water. It’s actually impressive his ability to camel up at night and hike all day. Canadian must have Labatt Blue in his blood.
The home owners let us fill up all our bottles as he tells us this was the last water source for the next 15 mile. Wolf crushes a frozen but now thawed out burrito they had bought at the gas station 20+ miles earlier in Warner Springs. What a power move that was.
After thanking the owner for the water and leaving I went another few miles and I make my first real mistake of this thru hike. I took a wrong turn, went up a couple hundred feet and actually slipped and fell.
I fell backwards, rolled over a rock and fell into a cactus. It stuck me good in my ass and leg. As I roll out of it onto my stomach and look up, Wolf’s standing there staring. “What the fuck are you doing? You okay?”
Luckily I was ok. But that could’ve been worse. I learned a lesson today. Slow down, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Wolf gave me a quick look over to make sure nothing was in my back and we walked on. We get a mile behind us and I say ugh shit I think I lost my AirPods. They fell out of my bag somewhere during that tumble. I look at Wolf completely defeated and say I don’t care. Wolf looks me square in the face and sternly says “no, go find them buddy, I’ll see ya later.”
I drop my backpack right on trail, swear 6 loud F words and actually trail run back to get them. I search and search and search and can’t find them. 4 more F words. “Find my headphones” doesn’t work with out cell service apparently. 1 more F word directed towards Apple.
About to give up I finally get on my hands and knees and look under a bush for one last try and find them. Ahah! There they are. Huge win after a small loss and minor injury.
From here on it was a battle up hill. My tailbone now bruised, dehydrated, sunburnt, and foot is on fire but my legs still feel good. My legs feel great even. Even with that I’m planning on stopping at Little Bears house tonight. I heard Little Bear will let us crash on his property and feed us some real food. He is a triple crowner who hiked the trail years ago and now lives here a mile off trail while he works as a SeaBee in San Diego.
I walk the mile road walk to his house and meet his wife Joanna, their 3 kids, their dog Lady the two cats Iris and Socks. Seven was already there when I arrived, luckily I saw him or I would’ve kept walking. Wolf arrives a few hours after and then two other hikers Craig and Renaissance a few hours later. They asked us if there’s room and with us dirty thru hikers there is always room for one more.
Craig retired in September after 39 years as a letter carrier. Even in his 60s he’s fit and ready for this, he said he made sure to make his backpacking pack the same weight as his mail bag for the memories.
Renaissance was from Mississippi, he hiked the trail last year, he found him self in San Diego initially while enlisted in the Navy and learned of the trail. When he got out he hiked it once, now he is hiking it a second time and has a lot of info to share. I didn’t get to talk to him much because he got there late but we’ll catch up again in the future.
Little Bear and Joanna have an awesome set up, I offer to help Little Bear with his chickens as he gets home from work. We gather eggs for the house and laugh about egg prices with Seven because he says they are still cheap in Canada.
For dinner I think I had four or five hot dogs and some chips, two Gatorade’s and a Coke. That’s a good dinner, I’ll burn that off by 9AM. I’ll also have to get up to pee tonight. Since we’re all crammed together in this shed tonight I think it’s going to bother everyone!
After dinner I head to Little Bears shed/chicken coup where the five of us will be cowboy camping tonight. Tonight it’s raining with sustained 45 mph winds, I’m so thankful to be inside.
We all set up our pads on the floor, talk about a game plane for tomorrow and grab each others phone numbers just in case. My plan tomorrow just changed, I check my package delivery date and it’s delayed. Paradise Valley Cafe is in 7 miles and my box will be there three days late.
Overall, subpar performance from UPS, my dad was stuck at work and couldn’t ship my box on its intended day. Instead in an emergency he paid for three day shipping over a week ago. I’ll let ya guess how much that cost?
Plan now is to hike the short day to PVC seven miles and then jump a hitch to Idylwild to resupply. Spend a night in Idylwild and then hitch back to PVC to grab my box of shoes and ice axe and then get moving north again. I need the ice axe and microspikes for San Jacinto. The mountain just got a foot of snow and I’m excited to get over it.
One thing that’s certain, I need to be flexible out here. Plan and then adapt to it, roll with the punches and just smile. Worst case I crush 2 days worth of burgers in town and hang around to meet the mayor Max. I heard the mayors a good boy. In my normal life this uncertainty would stress me hell out, out here I am as cool as a cucumber. What’s my rush? I have 288 more days off this year. I am going to enjoy every one of them.
I arrive at the trailhead with Wolf and Seven and get a ride the mile up the road to Paradise Valley Cafe by a hiker Blueprint. I met Blueprint back in Julian through Wolf. Wolf and Blueprint met on another long trail and kept in touch.
Blueprints burning the next few weeks preparing for his AZT thru hike. He hiked the PCT in 2022 and has been giving us his experiences as well. Blueprint was a pilot, he retired and then became a college professor teaching. He fully retired and said I’m going to spend the next ten years hiking. He’s currently in year 8, Blueprints an awesome guy to talk to and a wealth of knowledge.
We get to Paradise Valley Cafe at 10:30AM and order breakfast, a round of breakfast burritos and a Banana bread beer for the lads, the waitress says in 30 minutes we can order lunch.
After finishing up breakfast, myself and Seven order bacon cheese burgers for lunch. I skipped the veggies portion of the burger but viciously ate it while on the phone with UPS. UPS didn’t have anything good to say.
After our food we take the half hour drive to Idyllwild to resupply, pick up packages for Seven and Wolf and enjoy some cold drinks somewhere.
Today it’s considered a Nero day. Nearly zero miles covered, we’ve been doing 15 mile days no sweat so today feels like cheating with less than 10. But deep down it’s fine with me, it’s not a sprint but a marathon. Many people who have finished the PCT say he who finishes last wins.
I like that….
The Pacific Crest Trail 