Started: Tentsite (333.8) Ended: Swarthout (347.2) Total: 13.4 miles plus .8 Bonus miles Achievements: The Cajon Pass Micky-D’s
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Our immediate goal was to hike to the Cajon Pass McDonald’s. In that eight mile hike, we saw one of the most amazing panoramic views. If I wasn’t blogging off my phone, I’d edit the site so I could display large images. In the meantime, you’ll have to settle for this.
We has some amazing views along the way, even though it was hot.
Eventually we reached a downhill run and to McDonald’s, right about lunch time!
There we ran into Napoleon and Dreamer. They are hey hiking team like Fish Tank and I. They met at Scout and Frodo’s and hiked together ever since. They remind me of an old married couple. They pick on each other. Napoleon is a trivia machine and it drives Dreamer crazy. What makes it truly interesting is that Dreamer is from Germany and Napoleon is Dutch. They are both speaking a second language to each other and making fun of the other’s accent.
After yesterday’s long hike, both Fish Tank and Little John have sore feet. As it was hot, we hung around McDonald’s until it cooled off. We finished the day with a five mile hike to a water cache. It was a nice five miles.
It is going to be hot tomorrow and the hike brutal. We have 16.2 miles and 5,000 feet of incline to get to Wrightwood. I’ve directed everyone to eat all their heavy food tonight. Did I mention that it is a no water carry? This might the second worst hike day. We’ll see.
Started: Deep Creek (313.5) Ended: Tentsite (333.8) Distance: 20.3 miles. Achievements: Twenty Mile Day
We had a later start today. Camping with us was a young pre-med student who wrapped Chef’s foot with the hope that she could hike on. Chef told us to go and it wasn’t long before we were texted that they had left the trail. Our goal today was at least 15 miles with a stretch goal of 20. At a water source at Mile 318, there was a note in the sand that there was Trail magic at Mile 328. That is what you call hiker motivation.
When Fishtank caught up to me, I told him the news, and he asked how I knew and I was “It was written in the sand, it must be true!” Needless to say, he spent the entire day not believing me.
The three of us have come a long way since we started. It was hot, with many ups and downs, but we just muscled through, not really even tired at all.
We reached the trail magic at mile 328 about 2:30. It was put together by two former PCT hikers, Swiss Army Knife and Hee Haw. There was all you could eat hot dogs, chips, soda, beer, and Snickers bars. As this was the 15 mile mark for us, we could have stopped there, but we decided to continue to complete our quest of a 20 mile day. We are going to have to complete 20 mile days regularly if we hope to finish on time.
By 6:30 I found a single tent site for the three of us, and we are cowboy camping beneath the stars, victorious.
Tomorrow is going to be hotter and we have a long water carry to get past, so we will hike eight miles to McDonald’s, rest there for the most of the day, and hopefully complete a simple 15-mile day.
Started: Splinter’s Cabin (298.5) Ended: Deep Creek (313.5) Total: 15.0 miles.
Achievements: 300 Miles, Rattlesnake Staredown (2), Primary Amoebic Meningoencewphalitis Can’t Hurt You When You Are Already Out of Your Mind
So, staying in a $15 a night condo with a hot tub was a very fine choice. The patio furniture on the deck was covered in ice. I am really glad that I did not sleep in that, especially without an air mattress. While it is nice to sleep in a bed and be warm, it is not the best way to get miles done. Our ride was able to get us to the trail by 9:30, so we had a late start. Scott also gave me an older air mattress. My guess it is from the 1990’s. It does not pack down at all, so it is on top of my backpack as I walk. This should get me by for a couple of days.
While I have discussed Fishtank and Little John, I have never mentioned the other two hiking with us, Chef and Feinschmeckei. The reason is simple, I could not spell Feinschmeckei. It is cool trail name. It means someone who likes the finer things in life. They are married couple hiking together. They were one of the reasons Fishtank and I hiked separate after Julian, because Chef and Feinschmeckei make me miss my wife.
As we started at 298.5, it did not take long to get to the 300 mile marker. However, in that short period of time, we nearly had two major injuries. I was point and Little John was right behind me. We we’re walking on a steep ridge and there were large bushes with branches overlapping the trail. I passed through without incident (for a change), but Little John lost his footing. He was struggling to recover, so I turned around and bent over to help him back up. While bending over, I watched one of my Smart Water bottles bounce down the hill.
I apologized for breaking a Leave No Trace principal, but it was not possible to recover it. This is the reason why we use Smart Water bottles. If you loose one, you are okay. My water is distributed.
Once we cleared out, we tried to find a high point so that we could warn the others. They did not come right away. It turns out that Chef tripped and heard something pop in her foot. She muscled through to the 300 mile marker so we could take pictures. Her ankle was swollen already. She told us to not wait for her, so Fishtank, Little John and I continued.
Our second milestone was the Hot Springs. There is plenty of strange things to see there. The water is hot and comforting, but there are some risks. Most hot, sweaty, completely unsanitary PCT hikers take a dip there. That and many just swim naked.
The PCT Water Report states that there is a brain eating amoeba in the water as well. Normally I would catch something like that, but the warning that you could die a slow and painful death was in the small print, not the normal flashing red on a yellow background like all the other things that could kill me on the trail. So, yeah, I relaxed in the hot springs. It was awesome.
The three of us hiked most of the day wondering what happened to Chef. Did they leave the trail? Did they continue? As we were in a canyon, we had no reception.
We eventually left the canyon and had reception again. We called and texted. We didn’t get a reply, and that was a not good sign.
A couple of miles before we stopped, once again I was surprised by a rattle snake on the trail obscured by a rock. This one was the largest yet. It hissed, started to strike, but I quickly flicked it with my trekking pole, flipping it well up into the air. Fishtank and Little John ran up to me to see if I was okay. They were freaking out, but I really didn’t think much about it.
Eventually, we reached a good campsite with water about 5:30. As we started to set up camp, Chef texted us. They were right behind us. She hiked 15 miles on a swollen foot. Amazing! Together we ate and joked before bed.
Tomorrow, we need to do some miles. We don’t want to run out of food again.
I woke up this morning and looked at the weather. A high in the mid-30’s and a low well below freezing. Our ride wasn’t able to return us to the trail until 11 a.m., so we were not in any rush. At breakfast I proposed that we remain in the condo until the weather improved. I’m from Wisconsin, and I don’t want to backpack in these conditions, especially in light weight gear. We are much better off staying warm and dry for $15 a night than struggling out in the cold and wet. The hot tub is nice as well.
We’ve been watching Facebook. People around us are hiding in bathrooms, calling for extraction from trail angels, and are miserable. One of the hikers I know who scaled Everest even called for an extraction, while we went to a theater to see the Avengers.
It is supposed to rain until 7 p.m. tomorrow, but it will be warmer. Then it will be in the mid-40’s. The day after will be sunny. The PCT is risky enough. There is no sense in compounding the danger when you have an option to wait a day.
My intent for this blog has been to keep it raw. I do not have anyone proof reading it. I write it at the end of the day, exhausted, sweaty, stinking and uncomfortable. I only have my phone, so I cannot edit or adjust photographs.
This is what hiking the trail is really like. There is a glamour to thru-hiking, but in reality, it is quite brutal. You make friends quickly, only to never see them again. Gear breaks and you just have to make do. Every step requires you to pay attention, but you can really hurt yourself. I find myself on a ridge inches from a 100 foot drop or more.
That being said, it is amazing. I can see the transfiguration in me after 300 miles. The way I look and feel is completely different than before I left. I am forced to make changes. All my senses have become acute. Despite the dangers, I feel calm.
So, I apologize if content isn’t perfect. I’m often too tired to fix it.
