Category: Uncategorized

I wake up on the later side. Overstock must have left while I was sleeping. We filter water and head out around 8. 
  

  

More forest for breakfast. The trail deviates from the stream. It wanders through the hills around boulders and lavender bushes.

  
 The air grows hot. I leap frog with a sister hiking team, Melissa and Skylar. They could be twins but they’re not. They stop for a break and I push on. The flowers are beautiful today! 

   

   

 
    
    
 
The trail dips low between some hills. A bridge crosses a stream!  

 I see Overstock and the OCBoys by the water. I scramble down to join them. It’s so nice to be around water after those dry sections. We take our time filtering water, washing out socks and relaxing. The British couple and Butterfingers join us. Everyone is in good spirits. 

  

 A guy riding the trail crosses the bridge with his two horses. I don’t know how they do it. There are so many downed trees and steep narrow sandy bits of trail high up with sharp drops. I would be nervous to take a horse on those parts of trail. It’s hard enough for me and I only have two legs to keep track of. They manage though! It’s fun to follow their hoof prints and see where they take breaks. 

I head out down the trail with Jeff and Jonathan. We hike spread apart today, taking photos of whatever interests us. The trail snakes through the hills above the stream. I can hear people jumping and playing in the deeper pools. It looks really refreshing….wish the trail wasn’t so high up from the water. Oh well. 

 
We cross another bridge.   

The trail is surrounded by these crazy Dr.Seuss flowers. The pictures don’t do them justice. They sway hypnotically in the breeze.

   
   
Jeff and Jonathan push ahead. The trail crosses a stream. A group of older men are taking a break right in the middle of the trail. I awkwardly hop over some boulders to pass them.  

 The air is so hot and dry. I feel like I can see the moisture evaporating from the grass. I wonder what the plants would do if they knew there was flowing water below them. I imagine them jumping ship, letting their roots go and tumbling down the ravine.  

I eventually pass some hot springs. It looks really cool but I don’t stop. According to the water report it’s contaminated with amoebic meningoencephalitis (a rare and sometimes fatal disease, also a super high fecal coliform count).

  
 I hike up the hot hill in a bad mood. Why must people poop near the water. I’d like to jump in that water. I take a pout break in some shade. Jeff and Jonathan hike up. I thought they were way ahead of me! 

They had stopped to check out the hot springs and tried to wave at me but I didn’t notice. Apparently it was super nice looking. …….Why people why!   

We hike on to the next clean water source and planned campsite. We get there and there’s no space to set up a tent! Not even for one person. Darn. The trail is no where near any level ground, not for another 14 miles. We push on hoping to find something. The trail switchbacks down towards a rainbow bridge. 

 

I spot a sandy beach next to the water! Let’s camp there! We find a very steep path down and set up our tents in the sand. This spot is really cool.     

 

We eat dinner and listen to the marsh birds call out to each other. A small waterfall pours into a reflective pool. A giant sand colored spider sits by my foot. It surprises us by ‘hoping’ away. The sun starts to set and tiny bats flap around gobbling up the night time bugs. The air is warm and the sand is soft. We stay up late listening to crickets and talking about life.

  

Camped at mile 310.17 of the PCT
Miles hiked today: 16.93

I wake to the sound of woodpeckers in the trees and the morning sun warming my tent. I love the soft patterns of light defined by the trees. Such a relaxing way to wake up. Condensation collects on the inside of my tent, it drips on my nose when I move. I try my best to wipe it down as I pack. 

  

 
I feel so much better today. The forest is warm and sunny. I bring out Doug’s Sansa clip and cruise down the trail listening to Radio Head. I pass Jeff and Jonathan and hike most of the morning by myself. The trail is a gentile roller coaster through the trees. It climbs up the side of a hill reveling Big Bear lake, then plunges back down into tall forest.

   

   

I hike around a bend and am suddenly in a completely different forest. The trees are scarce and burnt. The air is very dry and the trail is completely exposed. This must be what Jonathan was talking about, the effects of the drought and wild fires.

   
 
The skeleton trees stand like big black lines in the air. So strait, so solemn. It looks like the flames took big bites out of their trunks. 

   
 The air is dry and hot. It smells like pine tree in a new way I haven’t smelt before. Not campfire pine tree like one would expect, but a sort of… spicy sharp pine tree. Grass covers the hills and not much else. I spot a few young trees making a comeback. I hope they grow to be big and strong. You can do it forest!

  
The trail dives low between the hills. I find a stream with a grassy bank! I take a break to filter water. Jeff, Jonathan and Overstock join me. We wash our feet in the cool water and sit in the sun warmed grass. It feels sooo good. I think we bask in that one spot of a good hour before I head out.

  
 I can feel my body getting stronger! Those ten miles went by like a breeze. I’m going to be a real lean, mean, hiking machine.

 The trail leads me through more burn scars. Not much is growing back in this section, mostly manzanita bushes. 

   
 The sand of the trail is almost indistinguishable from the sand surrounding it. It feels like the land is in the middle of a transition. I wonder what it will decide to be, a forest or a desert.

  
Jeff and Jonathan catchup to me. We take a long break in a patch of shade and swap stories of adventures past. Jeff tells us of the ledgend of an underground sea. He and his friends have been trying to find the entrance. Exploring old mines and repelling down holes deep into the earth. They found an old suspension bridge and rickety ladders that lead to nowhere. Spooky Mines of Moria kind of stuff. I love it. The sun starts to hang low. We decide to get going before it gets dark. 

The land starts grows green again. The trail hugs large sandstone boulders above a babbling stream. It’s nice to hear water again! We get to cross the stream a few times. I want to jump in so bad!  

  
The trail opens up to a nice sandy clearing with large oak trees. The creek can be heard near by. We were planning on going one more mile but this spot just looks too nice to pass up. We manage to fit all three tents under the oak tree. The stream is wide and calm with a knee deep sand bar! I wade in and rinse my hair and my hiking shirt. I feel like a new person!

Overstock joins us and we make dinner. Jeff runs off into the hills again to get the perfect sunset photo. He didn’t even start eating his food! Overstock and I brainstorm a few trail names for him. So far I really like Sun Chaser (because he’s always chasing the sun!) We’ll see if it sticks. The photos he’s been taking are really amazing. 

  
We hangout until it gets dark and climb into our warm sleeping bags. The creek sounds sweet and melodious. Frogs and crickets add to the night time symphony. 

Today was a good day.

Camped at mile 293.24

Miles hiked today: 16.62

I wake up at 630 and am ready to go at 7. 

It’s hard to believe I’m passing through Big Bear already. 

Jeff and Jonathan disappear up the trail and I hike most of the morning by myself.  

The air is cool and calm. A cloud passes over the trail. It’s just cold enough for me to hike without my jacket. If I stop for a break I have to put on a layer. I take my time. My shoulders hurt today. I have five liters of water and a week’s worth of food in my pack. I try to eat a lot of it to lighten the load.

  
It’s neat to see what’s on the other side of the Big Bear hills. More desert. Jonathan said the next section really shows the effect the drought and fires have had on the land. It’ll be interesting.   

Indian paintbrush flowers dot the landscape. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in one place! I walk past a few Joshua trees. It’s weird to see those here. 

   
    
    
 I catch up to the guys. We find a small crate of hiker food and a water cache before the highway 18 crossing. Trail magic! We sit down for a break and enjoy a brief spell of cellphone service. A few cars drop off more hikers on the trail. It looks like most people going around the closure are picking up the trail here. We set off as a large group shows up to send off a hiker. 

The trail curves through a forest. My shoulders hurt pretty bad so I just focus on walking. I pass a group of ladies collecting plants. Jeff and Jonathan zip up the hill. I take my time. 

  
I find ‘Overstock’ up the trail! She’s the trail angel that gave me a short ride at scissors crossing. She’s hiking the full trail too. We hike together for a section before I move on. 

I find the guys taking a break and join them. Darn shoulders! Everything else is great. I guess if you’re a thru hiker somethings gotta be hurting. 

We head up the trail to a saddle then down into more forest. Jeff takes off and Jonathan and I hike together for awhile. We reach a creek and pass a handful of hikers taking a break. We have just 2 more miles to the next camp site. Jonathan hikes ahead of me and I eventually loose sight of him. 

  
I slowly make my way into the camp. I find the guys sitting at a picnic table!! What luxury! We make dinner and listen to music. I eat more of my fresh veggies, yum yum. 

  
It’s only 4:50. What are we going to do now? We setup our tents. I try to paint but it’s really cold out, even with all my layers. We all end up trying to get warm in our sleeping bags for the rest of the evening. 

  
Camped at mile 276.62 of the pct.

Miles hiked today: 17.27

The sun wakes me up at 630. I slept super warm! First night I didn’t need my knit hat. Hikers snore on the other side of the fence. I slowly stretch and organize my gear.
Everyone takes their time. The next section of trail is closed for more fire restoration. It’s a big chunk of trail too. With the last detour and this, I’m a week ahead of where I thought I would be!
All the hikers are trying to figure out a way around the closure. Ziggy organizes shuttle rides for a few hikers. Some people are planning to road walk all the way (that’s a 30 mile stretch of freeway walking!). Some people are going to hitchhike. Others have friends and family driving them. I feel lucky, Jonathan’s super awesome parents are driving up to give us a ride.

I make coffee and wash my socks as we wait for them to arrive.

 

The Bear sits in his lawn chair and watches all the hikers go about his yard. Ziggy places a tray of orange juice in little Dixy cups on the table. I’m so impressed by these two. What an amazing couple. I hope I’m as exciting and welcoming when I’m their age. Thankyou so much Ziggy and The Bear for being amazing trail Angels!

Jonathan’s parents arrive. I scramble to grab all my stuff. Hope I got everything! We all squeeze into the car. They brought us muffins! cold grapes! And water! Yum! We snack on all the goodies as we get onto the free way. I wave goodbye to the hikers braving the road walk. Hope they stay safe.

This will be the 3rd car I’ve been in since I’ve started this trip, but it’s been awhile since I’ve traveled this fast.

The country side zips past! It’s a little overwhelming after traveling 2miles an hour for 14 days.

It feels like we’re at Big Bear in a matter of minutes. I always get carsick on the curvy road in. We stop at a Big 5 Sporting Goods and I have to sit in a camping chair to stop my head from spinning.
I recognize a few other thru hikers shopping too! The British couple I met at Mike’s place find me in my chair. It’s nice to see them again!

We finish up and head to Vons for Jeff and Jonathan to resupply. Doug mailed me my resupply at Ziggy and The Bear’s so I focus on getting fresh produce! I get an apple, an orange, string beans, cucumbers, tiny potatoes and two tiny onions.

We find a deserted side of the parking lot and reorganize all our packs. I’m excited to have fresh veggies in my dinner tonight!

Jonathan’s parents drive us to the Onix Summit trail head. Thank you so much for the ride!!! They take a few photos and we wave goodbye.

 It feels so good to be back on the trail.

The sky is cold and grey. The distant hills disappear behind a curtain of rain. The trees look old and mischievous.

 

We find a couch and a giant box filled with trail magic!  

  
So comfy!

It starts to sprinkle. Then snow!

It’s cold.

We hike on for a few miles. I’m fully prepared for it to snow the whole evening when all of a sudden, the sun breaks through the clouds!

The snow turns to rain!

Everything shimmers. Leaves sparkle with thousands of tiny prisms in the light. Steam rises from piles of glistening dead pine needles. Tiny rainbows appear then disappear like fleeting holograms. It’s beautiful.

 
Jeff laments having his camera deep in his pack. Better safe than wet. We pick our way across muddy stream crossings. The trail descends lower and the magic sun rain eventually stops.

We power on to the next campsite. The trees smell like vanilla.

We reach a clearing and take a break. Jeff is always trying to get the perfect sunset photo!

full pack still on and everything! Now that’s dedication.

We find a good spot and set up for the night. I make curried cuscus with my fresh veggies and it is delicious.

Camped at mile 259.35 of the PCT.
Miles hiked today: 7.39

I wake up at 6:30. The air is surprisingly quiet. The wind must have stopped sometime last night. I pack up my things and hike out of the dry creak bed with the OCBoyz.  

 The morning sky is a magical baby blue. Everything feels fresh and awake. Even the dead trees have a kind of life to them.

           

The trail starts to head down into a cloud. I brace myself for a wet and cold blast but the white mist is surprisingly dry! It passes around us and is gone in a matter of seconds, evaporating over the dry earth.      

Switch back after switchback the trail lowers itself down towards the valley. The hills transform from populous boulders and dead trees to waving grasses and sporadic wild flowers.    

 
   
Jeff takes off down the trail and Jonathan and I keep pace. The air grows warmer the lower we descend. I look over my shoulder and see storm clouds forming behind the ridge we climbed yesterday. 

 
Looks like we successfully jumped through the good weather window.
Jonathan and I take a small break on a rock. The views are amazing. A train whistle can be heard in the distance. Tiny wind turbines wave from far away hills. It’s cool to see where we’re headed.   

We hike on. Pausing every now and then to take a picture. 

Jonathan stops me.

“Where’s the 200th mile. Did we pass it yet? I didn’t see a marker”

We check our maps.

Mile 200.27

This guy is good! I would have just blown right past it! We take a celebratory photo. 

 
Yay! 200 miles!!

Then we find this at mile 200.89.   

“They’re a little off.” I say.

“Maybe the person who carried it up here got tired” observers Jonathan.

We laugh. 

Finally we reach the valley floor.  

 There’s a spigot by a road. Yay water! Hikers lounge on nearby rocks. I recognize almost all of them! We find Jeff in the shade of a large boulder. I set my pack down and head over to the spigot.
 I try to catch the small trickle with my water bottle but the wind makes it tricky. I successfully capture 2L and plop down in the road to take a break. More hikers show up and soon a line forms. The wind sends the water spraying into the air.
After a good rest, Jeff, Jonathan and I start the trek across the valley. Our next stop is Ziggy and The Bear’s house. The trail goes down a paved road then into a large dry flat river bed. The sand is deep and hard to walk through. We stray to the edges of the trail, looking for firmer footing.     

The wind dances through the dry grass. Everything seems to permanently lean in one direction. We cross under some power lines bouncing in the wind. They make a faint high pitched screaming sound worthy of a horror movie. 

 

The earth starts to harden into cracked patterns. I wonder what this area looks like in a storm.  

 We eventually pass under a highway. It’s fun to think of each car sound zooming by as a person sitting. They’re sitting so fast!  

The trail leads us around a small suburban neighborhood to Ziggy and The Bear’s house! Ziggy and The Bear are trail angels that let pct hikers rest in their backyard. The entire area is covered with carpet! There’s spaghetti and coffee and hot water! The Bear sits us down and has us fill out a register. He then takes our pictures. I’m the 571st hiker to come by their house! Amazing! Ziggy then gives us each an ice cold Gatorade and piece of fruit. These people are just the epitome of kindness and hospitality. Thank you so much Ziggy and The Bear!

   

Jeff, Jonathan and I set up our tents on the opposite side of the fence and make dinner. I paint the nearby mountains.     

The sun starts to set. We relax on a couch and people watch for the rest of the evening. There are so many interesting hikers! 

Camped at Ziggy and The Bear’s. Around mile 211 of the PCT

Miles hiked today: 17

My alarm goes off at 5am. The sky looks clear! That’s good! We have a big day today. I pack up and eat some cookies. Good bye campground. We start the road walk to the trail head around 5:30. 
  
The town sleeps as we pass through. Neat little cabins line the road. The sun starts to highlight the ridge high up above us. I can see frosted pine trees near the top. I’m excited to see some snow! 

  
We finally get to the Devil’s Slide trail head. 

 
Jeff and Jonathan take a quick break while I push on. They’ll pass me soon enough. (And they do). I’m slower at going up switchbacks. Up and up the trail zigzags. The earth is pockmarked from the rain yesterday. I’m glad we took a zero. 

  
The Devil’s Slide connects to the PCT right after the closure on a forested saddle. I find Jonathan taking a break and Jeff taking pictures. Jonathan shares some of his strawberry fignewtons. Best cookies I’ve ever had! Yum! Thankyou Jonathan! It’s hard for me to believe we already covered five miles. I feel good so I push on.

The way is carpeted with old pine needles and dead bark. It feels wonderful and springy to walk on. Pine cones gather around the trail. The large pine trees look wild and tough. Their branches twisted and gnarled into frozen shapes from storms past.   

   
 Higher and higher the trail climbs. Last night’s ice melts in the new sun. The trees start to drip. Chunks of ice fall around me as I walk under their branches. It feels like they’re waking up from a deep sleep. Or I’m walking through a new type of rainforest made of pine and ice. It’s a lot of fun!    

    

 
  Jonathan and Jeff catch up and we admire the view. It’s cool to look down and see where we were a few hours ago. 

   
 
The trail contours the ridge, up and down and back up again. Large snow banks cover parts of the path. Even when covered by feet of snow the way is clear. It’s slick! I can see where other hikers have slipped. I place each step very carefully. My hiking poles get stuck easily in the icy snow crust. It reminds me of hiking in Colorado. I love it!

  
   

 
I pass a group of hikers taking a break by a stream. They look beat. One tells me they spent the night up here and it was really really cold. Yikes. I bet it was. I’m glad our plan is to camp as low as we can tonight. 

Jeff takes off up the trail and I hike with Jonathan for a good section. Jonathan does a lot of trail work when he’s not hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. I watch him climb over a downed tree.

“What number is that one?” 

“16” he shakes his head.

 
We eventually catch up to Jeff taking a break on a warm rock and decide to join him. The sun feels so good. I get to paint while the guys nap.

  
There’s one more climb and then it’s all down hill from there. Jeff disappears up the trail again and I spend the rest of the day hiking with Jonathan. He lives really close by and knows all the peaks!  

  

The trail meanders to the other side of the mountain. This side is significantly drier and more windy. Down down down it takes us. Good thing too! Clouds start to gather over San Jacinto. It’s completely covered in half an hour. I hope those other hikers I passed get down soon!

   

         
We find Jeff at the next water source. We walk down the creek bed but it’s dry as a bone. Dang. The next reliable water is in 10 miles. We asses how much water we have between the three of us. Just enough. Phew!
We set up camp in the dry creak bed sheltered from the wind. It roars angrily through the trees above. Hope I can get to sleep!

Camped at mile 194 of the PCT

Miles hiked today: 2.5 road walk + 2.5 Devil’s Slide trail + 16 pct miles = 21

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

 I wake up at 6. It was cold last night. I had to get out of my tent to go to the bathroom at midnight. Not the best sleep. I can hear Jeff making coffee nearby. Time to get going. I pack up. The guys wait for me to stuff the last things in my pack. It’s nice having the company. We head out into the gloomy morning. 

The clouds keep the trail cool. I’m thankful because we have a steep climb out of the campsite. Up and up, through the brush for a mile and a half. Jeff takes off and I pause to let Jonathan pass. Phew! Quite the warmup this morning. 
We get to the trail crossing on a saddle between two peaks. The views are beautiful. The sun starts to sift through the clouds.    

 I’m really proud of us for hiking all the way up to the trail closure! Mile 162. That’s as far as you can go (without getting fined). A lot of hikers skipped this section and hitched a ride into Idyllwild. It’s funny because we’re heading back down to the road very close to Paradise Cafe so I understand the thinking on skipping. There’s a saying on the trail ‘HYOH’ meaning, hike your own hike.

We head down some steep switchbacks. I take less pictures than I want as we talk about coffee and the effects caffeine have on people. I haven’t had any caffeine this whole trip! I don’t think I really need it.

The switchbacks plunge down into a cozy wooded area. We pass some day hikers. The plants are green and lush next to the stream. We come to a road. The paper map detour says… Turn right. We walk down a dirt road by a small quiet neighborhood. 

Every single house has an angry dog charging down a fence to bark at us. Bark! Bark! Bark! The neighborhood erupts with sound. Hope we’re not disturbing anyone! 

The road leads to a dead end. Well this isn’t right. We look at all out maps and apps. Guess we need to go further down the road, and then turn right. We walk back past all the dogs making a racket. Sorry! 

Walking on pavement has a different feel to it. My steps are bouncier and I want to go faster. I think I’m still used to driving on roads and not walking on them. I instinctively want wheels.

We eventually find the dirt road we’re looking for. It goes strait down a big hill towards the highway for a few miles. The going is rough. The road is filled with loose fist sized rocks. My joints groan, possibly from walking on the pavement earlier. We eventually come to another dirt road. The highway is just a bit further. I can hear the cars race by. 

We turn down the 2nd dirt road but it starts to parallel the highway. We want to cross the highway. We bushwhack across to a barbed wire fence. Jonathan hops over it and Jeff and I take turns crawling through the wires. 

It’s a rush having the cars zoom by. I forgot how fast they move! It’s kind of scary. 

We cross the highway and walk under a telephone wire for several miles. The earth is really soft and sandy. Large pine trees watch over the grassy fields. This section is actually really pretty if you ignore the car sounds. 

  
The telephone wire path eventually stops next to the freeway. 

Now it’s only a 6mile freeway walk into Idyllwild. 
Great. 

We walk along the grassy shoulder and stop at a small bridge. This is sketchy. We wait for a gap in the traffic and power walk across. Phew! I don’t think I like road walking very much. It definitely makes me appreciate the trails more. 

   
 We get to a small camp store by Hemmit Lake and take a break. I buy a cold drink and some gummy cherries. We sit in the sun resting our feet. It’s very relaxing. 

A car pulls up.

“Need a ride into town?”

“Wow! Yes please!” We scramble to get our stuff.

The driver hiked the pct last year! His trail name is Shades. He drives us into town up a windy road. Im super glad I’m not walking this, parts of the road have blind turns and no shoulder. He drops us off at the Idyllwild outfitter. Thank you so much Shades! 

I wait outside as Jeff gets new gear. It’s nice to have cellphone service! 

Once all new gear is acquired we walk to the campsite and set up camp. It’s only 3 dollars for pct hikers! And they have showers! The hot water feels so nice. 
We gather our clothes and head to the local Laundromat. Our clothes altogether make up one load. I’m washing everything I have so I hangout in my rain gear. Josh and Jonathan are in their thermals. A few more hikers join us in their underwear. I wonder what the locals must think. 

  
Once all the chores are finished we head strait to the local Mexican restaurant. So good! We clean our plates and head back to camp. The air drops several degrees and clouds linger on the horizon. The forecast says it’s going to snow. I hope it doesn’t get too cold tonight.

Camped at mile — of the pct

Miles hiked today: about 18?

It is was super cold and windy all night. It started to rain a little. The wind would gust stronger and the rain would turn to ice.

I grab my filter and hide it in my bag. If it freezes it’ll be usless to me. The sun eventually comes up. I hear Jeff and Johnathan start to move around. I take my time packing. I wander off to go to the bathroom and comeback. Gosh those guys can sleep. I write a note in the sand saying “see you in paradise.” Our next stop is the Paradise Cafe. Their food is legendary. I finish the note and wander around the bolder to where their tents….were… Where’d they go? They must have left when I was off. 

I pick up my things and walk briskly. There’s a light dusting of frost lining the trail. It starts to melt in the morning sun, casting millions of sparkles like shards of broken glass. I quietly pass a few more farming trailers. The trail winds through tall manzanita trees, tiny white flowers speckle the grass. 

    

Where’d those guys get too. How did they leave without me knowticing? They must be miles ahead. I squint up towards the ridge as I round a bend. I almost walk over them! They’re taking a break right in front of me.

Hey! 

I’m surprised and happy to see them. I pause to chat then push on. I’m too excited for cafe food! 

I’m impressed with how hearty the wild flowers are after a cold night.   

   
I catch up to a group of 5 other thru-hikers. I recognize one from Warner Springs. 

We reach the road walk to the cafe. Two of the guys start talking. Whoever gets to the cafe last, owes the other a beer. Deal.

On your mark (they start walking faster)

Get set…

GO!

They take off full sprint, packs, water and everything. 

The cafe is still really far off. It’s hilarious to watch. They eventually run out of steam near the end. It’s a power walking walk off! One holds the lead while the other tries to sneak up from behind. They break into a sprint again. They start running on the road.

The guy ahead gets to the cafe first and does a victory dance. One of the five turns to the others and says, “we’re never going to hear the end of this are we.”

  
I get a table inside and order a mimosa and chicken salad. Jeff and Jonathan show up and join me at my table. Jeff is vegan and can barely order anything off the menu. Watching Johnathan eat is like watching a magic trick. Now you see a giant burrito, now you don’t. We talk about how weird it feels to be in a cafe. I feel so grimy.   

Everyone is talking about the fire closure ahead and how to get around it. A lot of people are skipping this section and hitching a ride to the next town. I don’t really want to skip.
Jeff and Jonathan have a pretty good plan to hike around it and invite me to join them! I say yes. 

We ask the waitress to fill our water bottles and head out. 

It’s aquard for me to hike with other people at first. Am I going too fast, am I going too slow? I eventually relax and just go my own pace. It’s fun hiking with them! We pass through a section with large granite bolders and pine trees.

   
   

The trail then climbs up and up to a high ridge. The views are amazing. 

  

 
It’s tough hiking today! I feel tired going up the switchbacks. I take less pictures when I’m busy talking. Also I feel self conscience about how many wild flower photos I take. I take a lot.   

   
We get to a trail crossing on a saddle. We made it to mile 162! The fire closure.   

I’m so happy we hiked this section. It really started to feel like mountain mountains.  

Jonathan and I push on to the next water source a mile and a half down some switchbacks. Jeff stays on the ridge to try and get the perfect sunset photo. He’ll wait for as long as it takes, hours even.  

 

  
  We get to a small stream. Jonathan filters water for both himself and Jeff. What a good hiking partner. Jeff eventually joins us. thwarted by the clouds again he proclaims. We set up camp, make dinner and watch the stars twinkle through the tree branches. 
Camped at mile 162 of the pct

Miles hiked today: 18 + 1.5 to get water 

I wake up in the tiny trailer. I can see Jeff and Jonathan’s tents being buffeted by the wind. It must have been stormy all night. I stretch and take my time getting ready. It looks cold outside. 

  
The guys slowly crawl out of their tents. Guess I should get going too. 

Tom, one of the guys helping at Mike’s made coffee and breakfast burritos! I eat one and pack one out for later. So good! Just as I’m leaving a handful of hikers arrive. 

I wave the burrito at them and point them towards the house. Thank you so much Mike, Tom, Josh and friends! 
I’m walking to the trail and hey! My heel bones don’t hurt anymore! I feel great! The air is crisp. It’s cool enough for me to hike with my hair down! Perfect hiking weather. 
The clouds tightly contour the hills. They spill down to fill the valley in a network of patches. It looks like a calico landscape with many shades of green. The clouds move so fast, I’m bathed in sunlight one second, then cast into shadow the next.   

It’s energizing. I feel like I’m flying down the trail. I pass Jeff and Jonathan de-layering and don’t see them for awhile. Bird calls echo through the misty hills. 

   
    
 
 The trail starts to lose elevation and I drop out of the sun and cloud scape into rocks and sand. 

    

   
The wind gusts at me from all different directions. I feel like I’m trying to walk strait in a mixing bowl. I’m going to get blown into a cactus pile, I just know it. 

There was one point where the wind was so strong, I had to walk looking down, hat shielding my face. I could see the little ants being blown away with the sand. Their little bodies tumbling away with nothing to grab onto. 

I make it to the next water source and find a water cache. It’s like a treasure hunt.

   
   

Do you see it? There! Under that bush!
  
I’m extra careful to not let the wind blow the bottles over as I refill them. 

I see Jeff and Jonathan in the distance looking for the water. I stand up and wave them over. It’s so windy the sand blasts us as we filter. Mmm sandy water. We talk about maybe camping at a boulder field at mile 144 tonight. I finish filtering first and head out. 
The trail wanders over large empty sand washes, then starts to climb up a steep ridge.

 
The wind blows down at me as I try to climb up the hill. Why wind why! Can’t you help me out and blow the other way? And just as I thought those words, the wind switches directions and pushes me up to the top. 

Haha! Wish granted! Thank yo-whoooosh!!!! 

It tries to blow me back down the hill! 

I grab onto a bolder and look down to the bottom of the ridge. The wind tears through the trees. The sound is tremendous. Yikes. This is sketchy. I look up ahead. The trail narrows and has a steep drop to the right. One wrong gust and bad news. I prepare myself to walk across. My stance like a suma wrestler, hiking poles splayed like Bambi on ice legs. Let’s do this.

 I waddle across the narrow section.

 The wind tries to pull me every which way. Not fun. I make it across okay and laugh at myself ‘that must have looked silly’.

The trail then levels out into a section with normal wind levels (thank goodness). I have to take a picture of every single cactus flower. 

 
  
 
  
 
The air smells very strongly of skunk. I walk on and find this sign:

 
Oh.

 I’m suddenly very aware of some trailers by a dirt road looking down over the trail… I wish I wasn’t wearing such a bright blue shirt. Green or tan would have been nice. I push on for a few miles trying to be inconspicuous. 

I find another water cache.  Thank you so much to the people who keep these caches stocked!

I eventually find the bolder campsite and attempt to set up my tent. The wind is back with a vengeance. The ground is too sandy for the tent stakes so I rig the lines to rocks and sticks. Hope it holds through the night!

 
 Jeff and Jonathan aren’t too far behind. They set up camp on the other side of a large bolder. We make dinner huddled from the wind behind the large rock. 

We spend the rest of the evening talking. Jeff waits for the sun to set so he can get the perfect picture. Jonathan explores the rock formations and I paint the surrounding manzanita trees.

 
Camped at mile 144 of the pct

Miles walked today: 17