Woke up yesterday and everything was wet. It only rained about a hundredth of an inch, but it was enough to get everything wet. Turns out my new tarp is HUGE. Twice as big as I need, so I will have to trim it down soon.

The day started out cool and foggy. Just like home and perfect hiking weather!

The sun did come out mid-morning, but it wasn’t too hot. I really lucked on this section because there is no shade and usually it is very hot.

I walked the road (2 miles off trail) into Green Valley and stopped at the store for beer and sunglasses (lost mine yesterday somewhere). I could barely fit the (12 pack of bottles) beer in my pack and it was a really heavy pack those last few blocks.

But I got to the Anderson’s, aka Casa de Luna, aka Hippy Daycare, about 1430 and started drinking beer and relaxing with everyone.

I caught up to my friends from Humboldt (now known as Goulet and Space Kitty)! They left a day before me and I have been chasing them the whole time. They got sucked into the vortex here and are on their second zero, which is how I was able to catch them.

I had a nice little campsite in back of the Manzanita forest.

They even have some disc golf baskets!

They fed us some awesome taco salad around dusk, as is the tradition. I stayed up to hear Terri talk about the history of Casa de Luna and their relationship with the trail and hikers. It was kind of moving, I got a little teary. Good people. But after the speech, I was definitely ready for bed.

I was one of the first people up in the morning and I was ready to hike by six. That’s when I found out the next part of the trail is closed and there is a 21 mile road walk detour.

Oh well. Terri Anderson saw me thinking about walking out (2 extra miles) and took pity on me and gave me a ride back to the trailhead before she had to be back to serve the traditional pancake breakfast. I felt the love!

I started road walking into the sunrise. But the shoulder isn’t too bad and the road has taken me to Lake Hughes where I am enjoying a proper breakfast at The Rock Inn.

As you can imagine, I’ve been thinking a lot about shelter these last 24 hours. What is it? What do I need? What do I want?
Some of you may be thinking it was crazy, or even reckless, to camp at elevation in bad weather with nothing but two garbage bags for a “shelter”, and to you I can only say that you have not experienced the joys of ultra-light hiking.

Ultra-light means that you KNOW you don’t have everything you might need. You might need to improvise, make good use of what nature can provide, and yes, possibly suffer a little for a few hours when things aren’t good. Isn’t that part of it? A little suffering here and there? And the flip side is, your pack is much lighter! People “pack their fears”. Apparently, I’m not afraid of sleeping outside with no comforts.

But I tend to agree with what you’re probably thinking. Especially considering where I’m going, two trash bags is a little too light. I think I will want more than that in the Sierra. But I’m torn between trying to work out the ultra-light system that works for me, which I know I could totally figure out over the next 2000 miles, and just biting the bullet and having my tent mailed back to me. I hate to carry a tent if I’m only going to use it once every two weeks, every pound on the back makes a huge difference, but I guess it all depends on the weather. I will have to research this in Tehachapi and make a decision about the Sierra.

Anyway, the hike down from my drying out spot to the KOA near Acton was uneventful.

I got there a little after three, immediately ordered a pizza and beer and was happy by four. I also looked through the hiker boxes and found a tarp (once bitten, twice shy). This was a huge industrial tarp like you throw over your boat or something. I cut a six by ten foot section out, which weighs over a pound, but I have a more substantial shelter now.

We hikers had this nice warm room to hang out in, and the forecast was for rain (snow above 5000 feet), but the only place to camp there for all the PCT hikers (20?) was this little patch of grass. Yes, that’s what earplugs are for, and I have those, but I heard about this railroad crossing, and I had seen a nice creek verge walking in, so after the beer was done, I walked out of the campground around six, looking to camp. And soon, because it was starting to rain in earnest. My umbrella kept me dry until I found it. The perfect train bridge/shelter! Totally dry, all my own, nice clean sandy floor with no garbage or litter. It was about four feet high and eight feet wide. So perfect! I was very pleased with myself.

You probably can’t see or hear the rain in that photo, but it was a beautiful moment. Turns out it’s mostly a commuter line, so there was only one freight train all night, and that was actually pretty cool being so close to such power and feeling so safe. I’ve seen The Fugitive! Yeah, I trolled that bridge and it was a awesome!

I thought the PCT went by my front door, but it turned ten feet before me. Here’s a shot from the trail when I hit the road at six:

So, I slept great, and was so happy not to be getting wet out on the lawn with everybody else. Being a troll rocks! But what is all this camping gear? Huge tarp? Totally not needed. The shelter thing is giving me a lot to think about. Stay tuned.

Anyway, out of there by six and hiked through some nice country:

And went trough Vesquez Rocks:

The Trail went right through the town of Aqua Dulce so I stopped at the market and got some cheese and whiskey. Overcast, 50 something degrees, occasional light rain. Perfect hiking weather for a Humboldt boy. I think I have 8 more miles to hike today.

Cheers!

Last night deserves its own post.

I think I told you I found a spot on the ridge around sunset, dog-tired after 24 miles, and it was cold. Well, things didn’t get better. Even though I immediately inflated my pad and jumped in my bag, I was having trouble staying warm. The wind was howling.

At first I was too tired to eat, but after I had rested a bit there was no way I was sticking any part of me out of my bag, and it was pretty dark. Except, I was getting wet. Fog-drip and maybe even some fog drizzle were gradually getting me wet. Thank God I got those trash bags from the Forest Service! I put my feet in one and it came up to my belt. My feet felt a little warmer. But the wind was from over my head so it filled up like a spinnaker. That wasn’t going to work, so I got the other one, tore a breathe-hole in the bottom and pulled it over me the other direction. This covered me surprisingly well.

But it became clear pretty quickly that however much moisture wasn’t getting in, there was plenty enough moisture already inside. In order to keep my breath from adding to it, I spent the night with my face out the breathe-hole. Out in the cold.

At first I couldn’t sleep anyway because I couldn’t get comfortable. My hips and knees and feet had me changing positions every five minutes. Then, I was just cold. I don’t know how cold it got, none of my water bottles froze, but I’m sure it was 30-something. I thought the wind would die down overnight, but it increased instead. 50 mph? I never actually started to shiver, but I was cold and damp and uncomfortable all night.

I set a new record for breaking camp in the morning. Between the time I decided to get up and the time my feet hit the trail was less than eight minutes! That’s motivation. Not that I had much choice. After five minutes I couldn’t feel my fingers and they were stiff as wood. I hope that record stands for a long time. I don’t want more motivation than that!

I just wanted to hike down, out of the wind, down into the desert, but of course the PCT went up for the next two hours into the highest, foggiest, windiest ridges around.

I’m over on the hill in this photo now, drying out my sleeping bag. Fifty percent chance of rain tonight. Maybe if I start off dry, it won’t be so bad? It will certainly be warmer. It’s supposed to snow tonight where I was last night. Close one!

Monday when I woke up I still had three beers in the fridge, which I proceeded to drink as I packed up, took care of business at the Post Office, and did some other chores. The motel gave me and four others a ride to the trailhead at ten.

The day was nice and at first the trail was easy through some nice country. I met a group of school kids out for a field trip and they peppered me with questions, which I was happy to answer for awhile, but I had to get going.

Then the climb began. Steep switchbacks for hours going up Mt. Baden-Powell. I had a heavy food bag, five liters of water and I was slow.

It took me all afternoon, but I made it! I had the place to myself too, but I didn’t stay long.

 

I was really tired, so I only went about a quarter mile before finding a spot on the ridge to camp.

That was when I realized I had no shelter. I had intended to swap out my small tarp for the larger one since it may rain on Thursday, but somehow ended up with neither. I don’t know if I left it in the hotel room, or accidentally mailed both of them to Tehacapi, but either way I was sleeping in the dirt. It’s probably karma from mixing Bushmills and Jameson in the same container. (Post Post Trail Edit: That’s a joke. Does anybody understand why that’s funny? If so, please leave a comment so I know I’m not the only one laughing!)

It was a cold night (8600 feet). With no shelter, I got up early and hit the trail before 0600.

I don’t know how far I walked because of a frog detour (7 miles road walk) and my poor route finding, but it was a nice day, and I walked for eleven hours (so, probably 20 miles or more) to mile 404.

I had my first signs of hiker hunger. I ate my dinner and then I just couldn’t stop eating! Maybe my food bag isn’t too heavy after all.

It was a nice quiet night and not too cold. I slept great, awoke refreshed and hit the trail before 0700. Another beautiful day and pretty country to start out.

I met Lost&Found today. He rolls like me, sort of white and tan and grey, so I didn’t see him taking a break on a rock by the trail until I was right there. We had a pretty short conversation at the time, but I knew I liked him.

A few miles of up and a few miles of down and then more up until I could finally get cell reception.

Then down down down to a FS fire station for water. I introduced myself and got them to give me two garbage bags I can use for shelter if I have to sleep in the rain tomorrow night. Then it was back up up up through a heavily burned area.

I had committed to hiking to the next water source (7 more miles) before camping and I didn’t get there until after five. At that point I was ready to camp, but there was nothing but steep burned up brushy mountainside. The only place flat and clear was the trail itself. I passed by some spots around six but they were all taken.

I saw a spur trail down to an old landing and thought I had scored a nice spot, but when I got there, someone was already there. He was a nice guy, and offered me to camp in the remaining spot. But I wouldn’t want someone camping at my camp, and I didn’t particularly want company. So I walked back up to the PCT and kept walking.

I hiked until after seven, about twelve and a half hours. 24.35 miles. My phone says I took 62,030 steps today. I’m really tired and it’s freezing cold up here. I don’t know if I have the energy or appetite to eat tonight. Good news is I only have 16 miles to go tomorrow.

I think my westward journey is almost over. I think tomorrow the trail heads north again, across a corner of the Mojave Desert and toward the Sierra. The hottest and bleakest part of the trail awaits.

Well, I know I’m at the Pines Motel in Wrightwood, but that’s not really what I meant. It’s a beautiful day here and the air smells like sunlight on pine needles.

The moon is full again, which means I’ve been gone from home for a whole month (I’m going with lunar months while I’m on the trail). My goal for the first month was to still be on the trail, and I think I’ve done a good job with that. Everyday I feel stronger and have less pain, and I can’t believe how far I have come (363 miles)! I’m definitely still on the trail and feeling like I’m getting in shape to really mash some miles.

The bad news is, I’m only halfway across the desert, and I think the second half is even more waterless and desolate than what I’ve already been through. I keep looking forward to the Sierra and all the other really beautiful places that lay ahead and I plan to make 20 miles my standard daily mileage goal, more if I can. I hope to be in Kennedy Meadows (the start of the Sierra) in three weeks. It would be cool to be there on my birthday (the 21st), but it doesn’t look like I will make it. Oh well, I’ll just pretend the 23rd or whatever is my birthday (they have ice cream there).

One month in is also a little bittersweet the way 10% was. If I catch up to my initial schedule (looks like I will be a day or two behind at KM) then I am one fifth of the way done. I’m feeling like I don’t want to be any part of the way done, but there it is. I may slow down a bit in the prettier parts ahead, but if I keep hiking, I will keep getting closer to the end. Oh well, there’s always more hikes to be hiked. I think when I get home I will try to become an influence on The Bigfoot Trail, which is in its infancy, is near my home, and is a lot more wild. I think it’s only 400 miles or so. Maybe I can hike the PCT and still have time left over for the Bigfoot before my leave of absence runs out. Or part of it.

Anyway, things are good, all systems are go. I am planning on hiking to Tehachapi by the 13th and taking a double zero there to rest and get all my resupply together up to Tahoe. Yes, I’m planning a two day vacation from my “vacation”.

And the best part is, I’m starting to have fun! As my body gets stronger, I’m starting to have more fun. I saw my calf muscles yesterday in the shower and they are getting pretty sculpted looking. The human body is amazing! Can’t wait to see where I am and how things are in another month!

My ridge camp was kind of buggy, despite the wind. I couldn’t believe it. The wind would die down to nothing and the skeeters would come out. Then, out of nowhere a gust of wind like 50 MPH would blow up and I was thinking, “Take that suckers! That wind is going to blow you right off this mountain!” But within seconds of the wind dying down, the mosquitoes were back. I don’t know how they do it, but clearly they have their ways.

I didn’t sleep well again. Maybe it’s the big moon. It was like sleeping under a streetlight! No matter. I got up at 0700 and hit the trail before 0800. Here’s a look at my stealth camp in the morning:

I felt good and it was a beautiful day. Here’s another look at Gorgonio and Jacinto with different light. Maybe you can see them better.

Later on, when I got higher, I thought I saw the mountain behind San Jacinto, which would have been where I slept the day I went to Mike’s Place over two weeks ago! Crazy.

The first four hours was steady uphill climb with nice views. Nice to be up in the mountains where there are trees and it’s not too hot. I could see the desert though.

As the trail finally crested the ridge, I got a look to the northwest. I think this is Mount Baden-Powell, and I think I go up there very soon.

I took the Acorn Trail down into town. Short trail (3 miles) but very steep. Here’s one for the earth scientists reading:

(For those of you who know what I’m talking about, it’s not half as big as Mule Slide)

It was longer getting down than I thought, and I had to walk through almost a mile of these gigantic houses. There’s some serious money in this town.

But I got here around two, and I got some beer and it’s time to get cleaned up. Six days living in the desert will get you pretty dirty!

I’ll have a more reflective post tomorrow.

-Glide

Got up and out of camp around 0700. Didn’t sleep well again, tossing and turning all night. I don’t know if it was the bugs, the humming powerlines overhead, the train whistles, or all the planes. I did a little research on the rest of the trail to Wrightwood, and I was glad I did. It gave me time to contemplate the fact that there was no water between I15 and Wrightwood. I was looking at a 26 mile water carry, almost all uphill, plus one night camping (8 liters, my full capacity?). Ugh.

But the morning was pleasant, I was feeling good, and the terrain got pretty scenic, which was a nice change. For the first time on this trip I felt grateful to be out hiking the PCT. In answer to yesterday’s question, Yes, this is what I was seeking! The trail went through some crazy terrain on the way down to the highway. Here’s some pictures:

The Interstate was so loud, it sounded like a huge waterfall was around the corner, or something. I did pretty good at McDonalds, put away over 2000 calories. The bad news was, again, it was breakfast. I really wanted a cheese burger and maybe some chicken nuggets, but they only serve breakfast before 1030. I ask you, what is this world coming to when you can’t go to McDonalds at 1000 and get a cheeseburger?! Or any time of day, really.

I went to the restroom, washed up a little in the sink, and filled my water bottles and bladders.

So, I loaded up with 7 liters of water, a bottle of wine from the gas station next door (minus the bottle) and headed out to climb the hill during the heat of the day.

The first few hours were steeply uphill and super hot and I was not feeling well. I drank way over my allotted amount of water, probably from all the salt and sugar in the food. But I still made pretty good time, and it was kind of scenic.

Luckily, the trail crossed a road, and there was a water cache there. I was able to replace the two liters extra that I drank since leaving McD’s. I was really grateful, but of course it was 4+ pounds.

About 1300 I came to the real climb. Classic PCT where it’s not too steep, but it’s definitely uphill, and it goes on for like, in my case, five hours. Looks like this:

But slow and steady will get you there.

Soon I was up where it’s cooler and there was a nice breeze. I looked back and could see the mass of mountains around Mt. San Gorgonio and even San Jacinto in the far distance. Not sure if you can see it in this photo:

I started looking for a campsite around 1630, since I was already past halfway to Wildwood and up most of the elevation. I have an easy 14 miles or so tomorrow, so I should get to town in early or mid-afternoon.

I spent some time wandering off trail looking for my stealth spot. I don’t know why I don’t want to camp with other hikers, but I just don’t. After hiking all day, I just want to eat and go to bed, not necessarily in that order. I don’t really want to socialize. And I don’t want to hear people snoring or tossing and turning or getting up early, or me worrying about being quiet if I get up early. I like sleeping somewhere quiet.

I was worried that I was wasting time and tearing up my pack in the brush, but I did find a spot on this knoll with views to the east and west. It’s a bit breezy, which feels good now. Hopefully, it dies down a little after sundown, although I am low behind some bushes that take most of the wind over me. Here’s a shot from camp looking at the mountains I’ve been hiking toward all week. I’m close!

The other thing ailing me is the bug bites. Got like ten on each hand. I also have an itchy bite on my lower calf, which could only come while I was not hiking. Spider in the sleeping bag? And my foot’s been itchy. I thought it was athlete’s foot or something and then tonight I notice my foot actually has 13 distinct red marks, like insect bites:

My big toe isn’t looking too happy either.

But it was a pretty good day. My spirits were pretty high most of the day and I got about 17 miles in. I’m looking forward to town tomorrow. Maybe I can even walk there before my feet start to hurt!

I didn’t sleep well last night, not sure why. Until about 0430, and then I slept hard and didn’t want to get up. I finally got up at 0700 and hit the trail around 0745, the same as yesterday. I would say by 0800 it was already over 80 degrees, so I missed out on any chance to hike before it got hot.

I wasn’t just sleepy tired, my legs were tired, right from the get go. There was no shade and it was hot and I’m like, “Well, you’re the one that asked for it. Let’s go hike the PCT, you said. Isn’t this what you wanted?” Wrong time for that question. But I just kept walking. I put up my Chrome Dome to try and get relief from the sun, but I think the effect was mostly psychological. It was still really hot!

Heard my first buzzworm today (rattlesnake). Sounded like a hiss, like a gas leak or something. It was ten or fifteen feet off the trail so I went by and as the snake stopped its rattle I heard it slow down to the sound I’m more familiar with.

The trail went over a ridge and down around the shores of Silverwood Lake. I don’t know where they are getting their water, but the reservoir looks pretty brim full to me. Here’s a photo of the lake. That mountain in the background is where I slept last night:

All day yesterday and all morning there were a lot of hikers on the trail. But I took a short cut to this picnic area for water (also got rid of all my trash!) and everyone else must have gone the long way because I had the place to myself while I had lunch with my Scrub Jay buddy (he was on it too! I walked maybe twenty feet to the trash can (10 seconds?) and he already had one of my bags pulled down to end of the table! Sorry, little buddy, I don’t feed wildlife.)

Anyway, the afternoon was the opposite. I only saw one hiker, just pulling out of a stream as I was just about to fill up, so I didn’t see them again. It was nice. Seems like hikers tend to bunch up, while I’m pretty steady, so I imagine I’ll be walking in and out of clumps of hikers.

Despite being tired, I felt otherwise pretty good, and made good time. I kept getting to my destinations early. I decided to go for another 20 and got it done in almost exactly ten hours. Since that time includes about an hour of breaks, it seems like I am getting faster. Here’s a shot looking back at where I woke up from later in the day:

Right around 20 the trail dropped down by a dry arroyo and I knew there would be good stealth camping there. I hiked about a quarter mile upstream looking for the perfect rock to lean on. No one’s going to find me here! I’m right in the sandy streambed, so if there is flash flood tonight, I’ll be washed away, but I’m not too worried. I’m only about five miles from Interstate 15, but thankfully, I can’t hear the traffic, but I know I’m close to civilization because I can hear the huge powerlines humming and the trains blow their whistle every 15 minutes or so.

I thought about powering through. I figure I could make it to the highway by full dark, eat at McDonalds, get a six pack of beer and a room at Best Western, maybe breakfast at the Best Western breakfast buffet before heading out tomorrow. But it’s a little too far, and that sort of thing isn’t really why I came out here. All in good time.

So, about 31 miles to Wrightwood. I’m thinking of pulling big miles again tomorrow so I can get to Wrightwood in time for lunch on Saturday since I’m running low on food. We’ll see what McD’s does to me.

I woke at 0600, but somehow managed not to get out of camp until after 0730. It was a beautiful morning and I was taking it easy. Here’s a picture from the trail looking back at the rocky ridge where I camped:

I glided down to Deep Creek, feeling good. Here’s a view from the bridge:

And then there was this:

For a while it was nice and scenic:

And then it was more like this:

And it was hot! In the 90’s, I’d say. I need to get a thermometer for my pack. The trail was crowded today, and when I went by Deep Creek Hot Springs, Oh My God! It looked like real nice place, but I counted over 30 people and I’m sure I missed a bunch. They were hooting and hollering and it just wasn’t my style, so I glided on by.

I was getting away from the crowd, and feeling good about it, when up ahead I saw fifty or sixty people down in the creek. Not hikers. And then on the trail was this steady stream of people coming to join them. Must have been over a hundred people. Turns out it was a memorial service for their friend who died at the falls. They all looked like High School students and I’m not sure why they weren’t in school on a Wednesday in April, but I can tell you they all wore the same shoes. All one hundred of them.

I finally hiked out of Deep Creek canyon and got a look at the terrain ahead:

I hiked down and tanked up with a bunch of water. I had 16 miles in by 1530, so I took a break in the shade. Nice cool spot. It would have made a nice camp. But I was curious about my progress, and also when I would get to the fabled McDonalds on I15.

Turns out, from that spot, I still had 54 miles to go! With three days left, that’s 18 miles a day. I thought this week was supposed to be relaxing! I don’t know how my math got messed up, but I’m glad I checked. Naturally, I got up and kept walking. I figured I could quit around 1700, but there was nowhere to camp at all.

(Post Trail Edit: I made a math error. Leaving Big Bear I thought 6 days to Wrightwood was 15.5 miles a day. No, it’s 17.7 miles a day. Oops.)

Finally, a little after 1730, I decided to take this very marginal spot. It will do, but not much in the way of amenities. Not all that stealth, but not right on the trail either. Can you see the trail on the left?

So, I’m near mile 317, which means I hiked about 20 miles today. More than I planned, but I don’t want to fall behind since I don’t know how hard the trail up ahead is.

As for McDonalds, it’s 23 miles from me here, which means I will be eating breakfast there. This is horrible news. First, I somehow thought I had put one of my friend Steve’s burritos in my food bag, but apparently not, so I’m one dinner short and I was hoping McDonalds could cover it. Second, I’m not a big breakfast eater at all. While most hikers will put down four or five thousand Calories, breakfast or not, I think that will be tough for me. Not to mention that fast food usually makes me feel sick. I haven’t eaten at McDonalds in over 30 years.

Looks like the clouds are setting up for a nice sunset. I’ll update this post with a photo if it’s worthy.

Edit: Update: Uh huh

For you Red: