Month: October 2023

Start: 2281.2(skipped Baden-Powell)

Stop: 2314

Today’s miles: 32.8

Total PCT miles: 2030.6

I was so warm and cozy in that motel bed that I did not want to get up, but the small breakfast buffet was calling my name.. food is always a motivator these days..

Marquis and I went to eat and then came back to our room to pack up. We walked outside to start our hitching attempts to get back to trail. It was cloudy and cool, but not actually raining. I debated putting my fleece on, but didn’t want to dig it out. I made a sign with computer paper in the lobby, and it definitely helped. The guy that stopped for us said it was the PCT hikers part that made him stop, because of a recent podcast he had listened to.

He took us up the mountain road, and as he made his way, sprinkles started. When we got to the drop off spot, I asked if he’d be willing to drive us just a bit further down this hwy 2 road, because with the rain and clouds, I didn’t want to be going up Mount Baden-Powell. I made sure Marquis was ok with my idea before asking, and he seemed as happy to jump around an unnecessary climb as I was. I don’t know if I’m just over it all, but even though these mountains have pretty moments, they all basically look the exact same and none of it is pretty in frigid rain.

He took us down the road to the crossing after Baden-Powell and we got out to cold and clouds, but no actual precipitation. I can do that! We thanked him, then started walking. The views were non-existent and pretty quickly the only motivation to walk at all was knowing we’d get to the Cajon Pass McDonalds tonight. Sounds silly, but again-food is pretty much the main motivator these days.

I was so full from breakfast, I didn’t stop for lunch. Marquis and I talked and ate snacks at regular intervals. The trail overall went uphill then mostly soft and rolling hills, then uphill, then a long descent that had my feet hurting by the time we got to the side road to McDonald’s and a gas station. I ended up putting on my crocs at McDonald’s, for a rest break. We ate and relaxed a bit, got our resupply stuff at the well stocked gas station, then hiked the mile out of “town” to the first campsite we saw. I accidentally ended up doing that mile in my crocs.

We set up camp and it was dark by 7:10! It’s chilly and I’m cozied up in my quilt. I’m hoping tomorrow is rain free and smoother than the last two days have been. I’ve enjoyed not seeing snakes, but I think I’m ok with no more rain.. I don’t want to take a zero until I have to for my sister’s wedding, so the smoother this thing can go.. the better! I know it’s a short one, I’m just too cold to think and write.. sorry! Ok, time to tuck these arms in! Goodnight!

Start: 2314

Stop: 2341.8

Today’s miles: 27.8

Total PCT miles: 2058.4

What a long but rewarding day. I woke up during the night to a damp quilt and condensation on my tent. When I woke up to my alarm, that condensation was frozen. Sheesh. It didn’t seem cold enough to be freezing, but I guess it was. My quilt kept me nice and toasty, so I was never cold during the night, once I initially got warm, even in just my shorts and hiking shirt..

We left camp at 6:30 and honestly, besides the damp dew on the grasses, it was nice. The trail wasn’t too overgrown and it was a little wider than it has been.. no crazy erosion to slide on. It was cool out, so I started in my fleece and gloves.. and was very happy about that choice. I was out of both within an hour, since the trail did climb uphill-but they were gentle climbs.

The sunrise wasn’t very captivating, just a bright sun coming up into blue skies with very few clouds. I wasn’t upset with that either! Nice weather, yes please! It was more of those cirque type views, being able to see the mountains rolling all around. I was enjoying every bit of it, especially the part where it felt too cold for snakes to make an appearance.

When the trail started to parallel a dirt road, you know we took it. It’s just nicer that way! We can walk side by side, talking the whole time-my legs don’t get scratched, Marquis doesn’t walk face first into branches.. it’s like a mini reprieve. And the views don’t really seem to change out here.I’m not saying the desert doesn’t have its own unique beauty, because it definitely does.. and maybe it’s the “itching to be done” now that I’m getting so close, but the views all basically look the same to me.

The mountains, while gorgeous, are all brown and dead and covered with those scrapey ass bushes-and snakes! I haven’t seen a snake since I’ve been with Marquis, but they’re always in the forefront of my mind since that huge one “chased” me back near Walker Pass. By the way-I’ve been told by some locals that the one I described sounds like a Mojave Green Rattlesnake, and apparently one bite will have you dead within 6 minutes. DEAD. And they wonder why I run like a lunatic when I see any of them! How am I supposed to know which snake it was? It rattled and came towards me-I ran! I’m not going to stand there and figure out what type it is!

Anywho. We got to a tree with shade and a flat spot to lay out our very wet tents, and ate our lunch. We took a good 45 minutes sitting there, to make sure everything was dry before packing up and moving on. While sitting there, we realized less than a mile from where we wanted to camp was a road junction that had comments saying this little bar down the road would send someone to pick up hikers! What?!

When we got there we called the number and Allen came to get us. We had burgers, tater tots, and a couple beers for me and a milkshake for Marquis. We hung out and chatted with the locals (the ones telling me about the snakes and getting a kick out of my reaction. God I hate those things). We sang along to country songs and eventually got Allen to drive us back to the junction to walk that last mile to camp.

We were originally all gung-ho at the junction, saying we’d go 4 miles to a bridge and yada yada-when we had to take our shoes off to cross Deep Creek, we changed our tune real fast. It was starting to get dark and our feet were wet-so, we set up camp at the dirt roads above the creek but on the side of the concrete barriers that looked like it didn’t get road traffic. All of these dirt roads seem to get locals in jeeps, 4 wheelers, and dirt bikes mostly, and it being a Monday night, I’m sure we’re fine here, but we still attempted to find the safest place available.

This area feels odd, lots of strange birds making stranger calls, and some crunching of animal activity down by the water, but it is what it is. As I type this, I just heard something splash into the water below-creepy. Something tells me I’ll be in my earplugs soon. What I can’t hear can’t terrorize me, right? Ha. I also have a feeling we’ll be waking up to condensation again. The temps really drop at night.

For what it’s worth, I’m ready to be done. I know I’ll have some miles to make up next year, before I can say I really completed the PCT, but when I get to Mexico, I’ll only have 284.9 miles to complete: One section being the jump to get to Marquis, the other being the fire closure business from Etna to Dunsmuir. However you want to look at it, I’m saying I finished my thru hike of the PCT in 2023, and I’ll do those miles when I can so I can then call my hike complete. The random thoughts that keep me awake at night, lol.
Anyway, I’m going to try to fall asleep before I hear anything else from down at the creepy creek. Sweet dreams!

Start: 2341.8

Stop: 2369.3

Today’s miles: 27.5

Total PCT miles: 2085.9

We got started around 6:30 this morning. It’s staying darker later, so it’s either start at 6:30 when I can see, or start the day in my headlamp, and I’m really just not a fan of that. It was a cold night and a very chilly morning, but surprisingly my tent was dry, even being that close to the creek.

The trail climbed up out of the canyon and then went along the mountains following Deep Creek. The views were beautiful and I was really enjoying it. Pretty early on we passed a hot spring.. there were locals camped around (you know because of how heavy and large their tents are-no backpacker is toting those big mamas).. and there was so much toilet paper, stranded around all the bushes the trail passed by. There was trash, too. It would have been gorgeous if people didn’t ruin it.

It got hot fast once the sun was up. Then, naturally, the bugs followed. I started the day gung-ho and loving every step and by lunch time I was irritable and ready to quit. The water had a nasty taste to it, I was getting swarmed by bugs and I was sweating like crazy. We ate our lunch sitting in a nice spot down by the creek, but even this spot was littered with trash. It’s sad. We talked and considered going to the malt shop everyone talks about, since we’d be passing the road crossing for it within the next hour.

When we started hiking again and I got startled by a snake, it was confirmed: Malt Shop here we come! Ha. The trail was more sandy dirt and eroded trail after we descended down to where we ate lunch. Even with some climbs, it just wasn’t pretty anymore. There were no views and it just sucked. The dirt roads we took to get to the malt shop were all closed for some reason, there was a little wash out here and there, but it looked like the area used to be a fun place for locals to come to.. maybe it was closed because of all the trash? Who knows?

We got to the Malt Shop in Cedar Glen and got a booth to relax at. The restaurant was decorated as a 50s themed diner, with pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, records on the walls and cool classic cars all over the place. Even the burgers were named after cars. I ordered the Edsel and a caramel milk shake. And y’all. Holy hell was it all absolutely delicious! I know I always say that, but this burger had so much flavor! And I usually never get milkshakes or ice cream, so this one was really flipping good!

When we left the malt shop, instead of going back to trail, we road walked through Cedar Glen to an RV campground.. because it raved about the epic views, and we were both over the nasty water on trail-actually we were over the trail itself if I’m being honest. We walked by stunning homes, built into the hills and in a way that the snow in the winter wouldn’t demolish them. Most seemed to be 3 stories tall.. they were massive and beautiful and we were pretending to be on House Hunters.

This whole area is a winter ski destination, and the campground we got to is right across from an amusement park called Santa’s Village. Since we came wondering through in the off season, it was pretty empty all around. The campground itself was very nice. They had fire boxes with chairs laid out around them, a wash house, an area that you can rent an airstream for the night, then all of the RV spots, and a section for tent campers way up on the hill.

I called the number for the camp host, so we could pay and get the bathroom code-but no one ever answered or called me back. We wondered around looking for someone, no luck there either. So, we went and picked a campsite and started setting up our tents.. assuming they’d see us and come over. The two of us had to put up one tent at a time because the wind was absolutely insane.

We got them both up while watching the sunset, which really was something special.
We are set up with a view of the big city lights down below, and the orange glow of the disappearing sun just makes the lights and darkness surrounding them stand out so much more. I was fascinated by it. I took pictures and stared for a while before getting inside tent.. the wind was so nuts that I had to lay my stuff out in all corners so it would stop lifting up my tent in a way that felt like it was going to snatch my stakes out.

We’re laying here, yelling to each other over the wind, and still no one has come over to us.. so, no bathroom code for us. I think I’m going to put in my earplugs and say a prayer that my tent stays standing tonight.. I don’t think I’ve been in wind this strong before. It’s a little unnerving! Goodnight!