I wake up to the sound of rain on my tent.   It must be too warm for snow. I bet it’s definitely snowing up higher. Good thing we’re taking the day off. This is my first ‘zero’ day on the trail. No miles hiked.

I rest in the warmth of my sleeping bag. I love watching the water droplets slowly gather in the sun. It’s a very relaxing way to sleep in.    

I slowly roll out of my tent and head to the local mountaineering outfitter. My hands get sunburnt no matter how much sunscreen I use. I never thought I would need sun gloves so badly but I guess I do! They only had XL ones but that should still work.

I head to a coffee shop, order breakfast and look at maps for most of the morning.   

I’m sad to miss the closed section of the trail. The terrain looks really fun. I’d love to come back and hike it once it re-opens. Jeff and Jonathan join me for a little bit. We catchup with the outside world on our phones.

They head out to the library to fill out some paperwork. I wander around town, call people and write postcards. It feels weird not hiking. 

The town people are super friendly to thru-hikers and keep offering to drive me places. I’m good for today but Thankyou so much people of Idyllwild! 

Once Jeff, Jonathan and I finish up all our town chores we head to a local pizza place for dinner. We each order our own individual pizza! They finish theirs in what feels like seconds. I’m 2 slices short of finishing. Jeff helps me out with one slice and I pack the last one out for breakfast. 

The staff takes our pictures to add to a Class of 2016 PCT hiker wall.  
It’s only 7 and I feel so sleepy! We head back to the campsite for an early night. The plan is to wake up at 5 and tackle the Devil’s Slide before he weather acts up again. 

Camped at Idyllwild camp ground.

Miles hiked today: 0