PCT DAYS 9-11

Day 11: June 2nd. Mile 250.5-266.1, 15.6miles
I missed my alarm again this morning and woke up an hour after. That’s fine, I was headed into town anyways. I was 15mi out from the road crossing and packed up and set off. I enjoyed the big cedars, tall ponderosa pines, and the cool mountain air. A large change from the desert of yesterday. A couple hours in I met another hiker who was heading into town. We talked for half an hour until discussion about vaccines and the pandemic came up. I took off shortly after. I got water from an excellent spring on the side of the trail. I walked another hour then put on my audio book to get me to the highway. I passed the 10% marker on trail this morning. Passing it was a much larger moral boost than I expected. At my current pace I am on track to finish in about 4 months but I expect to pick up the pace further north as days get longer, legs get stronger, and the overall terrain eases a bit. About 100yds from the road there is a “hiker text message” box. I wrote a quick note then noticed a box of PBR sitting nearby. I sat down to drink one before heading to the road to catch a hitch into town. Another hiker was trying to hitch at the highway so I went over and talked to him. He said a guy named Kenny was able to pick us up in a bit if we didn’t catch a ride in. After 20+ minutes, Kenny called and he was on his way. Kenny took me to a grocery store for my resupply and picked me up 30min later. By then his kindness and humor won me over and I decided to stay at his place for the night instead of trying to get some more miles in the afternoon. His house is a vortex, it sucks you in and you can’t leave! A couple other hikers had been here for a bit, unable to escape his hospitality. We all chatted and hung out. We got dominos for dinner of which I ate a whole medium pizza and a half gallon of ice cream (ice cream split across half the day). Tomorrow I’ll fight the Vortex and get back on trail after his legendary breakfast. After many days hiking alone, it’s nice being around other hikers.


Day 10:June 1st. mile 218.5-250.5, 32 miles
Last night I messed up setting my alarm. I woke up without it going off but only half an hour later than planned. I packed up quick and hiked to the Whitewater River. After 200+ miles of desert, this large creek comes as a surprise. It’s almost 10ft across and it’s got water!! I filled up, said hello to someone packing up and took off. A few miles later I noticed what looked like cat tracks. I followed them to Mission Creek. Not too long later I found a hiker with a dog. Phew! There I met another hiker who I hiked with for about an hour. The trail follows mission Creek crossing over it many times. Unfortunately due to a recent flooding the trail can be difficult to follow. While following it slowed me down a bit I was successful passing through. There is a 5-mile dry section where the creek and trail separate and somehow I missed collecting water before entering. Running out of water I found another hiker in a similar predicament. We checked our maps and saw a seasonal stream half a mile ahead and lucked out, it still had water. The morning was hot the afternoon as well. I was grateful to be following the stream up most of the trail however the temperatures still slowed me down. Eventually the trail started to climb out of mission Creek and there was a slight breathe near the high points. Towards the end of mission Creek I got water from a small spring that was like a cave with water dripping in the ceiling. I took my second siesta there though I couldn’t sleep then continue 10 more miles. Looking back I saw Mount San Jacinto and the temps were cooler as I was in the trees. I feel surprisingly good after 32mi. Tomorrow I will go into Big Bear for a resupply.


Day 9: mile 209.5-218.5, 9 miles
Last night we had talked about finding a hotel once we got to the I-10 overpass. Since we didn’t get in until 11pm and all the hotels were super expensive for memorial day weekend we decided to sleep just past the overpass in a wash. We were zonked from the day so we fell asleep unbothered by the whizzing cars. Amanda and I woke up sorta early and realized how close to a house we had slept-woops! James, Amanda’s friend had slept in his car nearby and we hung out for a bit before choosing a breakfast restaurant in palm springs, the reason we pushed so hard last night. I had an awesome breakfast, huevos rancheros and 3 large pancakes and finished it all after a quick 10 minute break in the middle. Amanda and James rented a hotel room and I snuck in the backdoor. I showered, charged everything, and we hung out in the A/C. A few hours later we went to get lunch- monster sub, and ice cream, mega shake!! Palm Springs was hot and we walked around a bit. We came back and Amanda and I swam before I packed up and they dropped me off on the trail. I hiked 9 miles then a bonus 0.5 to whitewater preserve where I didn’t have much luck finding an excellent spot. I had the other half of my sub for dinner. I said bye to Amanda and James when they dropped me off. I really enjoyed hiking with Amanda. We crushed some tough terrain and did it with some goofy and fun energy. Maybe she can catch me in the coming days!