The Unpolished Princess

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: 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: 2215

Stop: 2252.7

Today’s miles: 37.7

Total PCT miles: 1969.3

I woke to condensation on my tent, in the desert! And when I got out of my tent and looked at the sky-there were some major storm clouds rolling in. They made for an absolutely epic sunrise: cotton candy pinks and neon oranges.. but I was concerned for what was to come. I had good reason..

We left by 6:30, and immediately hit a climb. This type of trail, the cirques I think-where the trail doesn’t really switchback, it just winds up around the sides of the mountains and you get to see the whole valley around, is my favorite. It was so pretty, but the trail was in rough condition-very eroded and loose feeling under foot. And let us not forget about all of the stupid bushes that have 92,764 million ways to stab, poke, or pinch me.

Around 8 something, we made it to the top of the first part of the climb, to a campground that was closed, with a ranger’s station that was also closed, and a house where Ranger Todd lives-but appeared empty. Dammit, Ranger Todd! The whole way up that hill, Marquis and I were fantasizing about all the great treats the ranger might have for us when we got there. At least the day dreaming got us up that climb I guess, and the pit toilets were open with TP, plus there were two jugs of water for us to use to fill up our bottles.. so we were happy, and took advantage of both the water and the toilet. That’s one hell of a run on sentence, but I’m too tired to figure out how to shorten it. Sorry, guys.

It was here that the wind really started to blow and the sky started to drizzle. It was the rest of the way up that climb when it started to really rain and then we stayed in the clouds the rest of the day! The wind was blowing so hard you could see it whipping the rain across the trail. We saw a dirt road a little lower in elevation than where we were on trail, so we bushwhacked down to it. It felt safer to have a wider trail to walk on, not to mention to not get attacked by the now very wet and prickly bushes.

When we ate lunch at 11:30, we got drenched. We both looked defeated, laid out on a dirt road soaking wet eating wet bagel sandwiches. It’s a good thing I have Marquis with me, because this would have had me in a tizzy of anger and frustration, but even in this mess, he had me laughing at our situation.. to the point of almost enjoying it.

We passed some guys doing road clearing and wished they’d let us warm up in their trucks or give us a ride to literally anywhere, but no dice, we hardly got a wave out of them. They were probably annoyed we were on the closed road and not the trail, but hell-it’s treacherous out there! We did pass another hiker going northbound, also on the road, who confirmed the trail sucked for him so he got on the road.. ok, so we’ll stick to the road as long as we can, too.

We got water at a fire station area and kept pushing. The rest of the day was much of the same, except the rain did quit eventually. It stayed cold though. I couldn’t warm up for the life of me, even with my fleece on under my rain jacket. I was shaking and trying to walk fast to warm up, even though all that seemed to do was make me sweat and then stay even more cold.

When we got to where we wanted to camp it was only 5:30, so there’s no way we actually hiked a 37 mile day, the dirt roads must have been cutting off more miles than we realized. I was so cold that I talked Marquis into getting to the next road crossing to try to hitch to town.. I wanted a shower and a bed. Ridiculous, I know, but thankfully he obliged.

We got to the road and got a hitch within 30 minutes. Two women, looked like mom and daughter picked us up and took us to a motel. I didn’t care the cost, I would have paid anything for that room, but it wasn’t bad. Marquis let me shower first, I took a L O N G one, then he showered and we did laundry. We had to set alarms because we both dozed off between the cycles.

He was asleep when I went to get our clothes out of the dryer, and once back in the room, I got in my bed and was knocked out, too (I’m writing this the next day at breakfast, no way I was doing any writing yesterday!). Thank you Lord for motels, hot showers, and laundry! I feel revived!