Day 11 – Tentsite to Idyllwild via Paradise Valley Cafe, mile 151

There was no snow. Woke up as usual short before 6am. It was warm and cozy in the tent, outside windy, cold and wet. I was considering for a while to stay in the tent and wait for the sun to succeed – but my patience was limited. We planned to make it to Paradise Valley Cafe for a late breakfast or early lunch.

With the nasty weather, I had my breakfast in the tent.

Moved out around 7am. The weather did not clear up – we walked through the clouds until lunch.

We came to another tent site with some goodies from another trail angel… A library, a toilet and water!

We made to the highway that would lead in 1 mile to the West to the famous Paradise Valley Cafe around 1030am and immediately got a ride to the cafe.

A lot of hikers were eating there – discussion about the weather was ongoing.

At the end, most of us decided to consider the weather forecast and hitchhike into Idyllwild to wait out the snow.

The day was spent with shopping and relaxing… The evening with cooking and eating…

Get together in our Silver Pines Lodge cabin

Day 10 – Mike’s place to a tent site at mile 144

Slept better than I thought in the cold… Kind of a training for cowboy camping. But getting out from the sleeping bag around 6am wasn’t easy. Mike’s place was covered in dark clouds that were pushed by the storm over the mountains.

I was really worried at that time. As outer shells, I only had my down jacket and my poncho… Both not really good protection for something that looked like a rain storm. There was actually talk about a snow storm… I considered waiting for done weather improvement…
But I had to push on. In a worst case, I could always pitch my tent on trail and find shelter.

500 meters after leaving Mike’s place, the sky was clear and sun was warming my skin! Only his place was covered in clouds!

As I hiked on, the weather cleared up more and I had a nice view of the mountains.

The trail led up a few hundred feet before going downhill for a long stretch. Beautiful scenery was the reward.

We met up in a group of 5-6 hikers around lunch and planned to hike past the water cache at mile 143 to some tent sites with a view.

I staked my tent out carefully. The storm had not hit us yet but the sky was darkening.

We had dinner together, some chat and were in our tents as usual before 8pm (aka hikers midnight).

Will I wake up to rain or even the snow storm?

Day 9 – Warner Springs to Mike’s Place, mile 127

Got up 5.45am, left 7.30am after several good byes. Some hikers with the same start date (i.e. my “bubble”) stayed behind to let their blisters or other injuries heal. The good byes were not so easy… You don’t know if you will meet someone on trail again.

I had a really good start after the day rest and stopped for my 2+ hours lunch break at 11.30am already at mile 121, just 6 more to go.

Arrived in Mike’s place around 5pm.

Mike’s place… And interesting place that I have to describe. The first impression… It is a big property away from any towns, accessible via a 4WD road. One house, a big garage, an outdoor kitchen. Car wrecks and trash everywhere. An old huge RV abandoned on the side of the road (I was thinking “Breaking bad”).
I was welcomed by a guy in a poncho with pizza and soft drinks. And reminded of the tip jar which only makes the trail magic at Mike’s possible. Several times. We were maybe 8 hikers, by nightfall rather 15. There was a freshly killed rattlesnake.. I played with its rattle. The place was sketchy. But a storm kept coming and we decided to stay. Some slept in the old RV, I slept with others on the porch of the house in a space called hikerbox, just protected from the weather with a mosquito net.

We were in for a cold night…

Day 8 – Zero Day at Warner Springs

Zero day – trail talk for a day with zero miles walked, i.e. resting day.

Slept great – probably in anticipation of doing nothing, just hanging out with hikers at the Warner Springs community resource center. And I love my ear plugs. Not just because of the noise of other hikers but also the wind.

We went on a group of maybe 8 to the restaurant of the nearby golf resort and enjoyed American breakfast and lots of coffee refills.

The day was fun done we all got to disguise ourselves with loaner clothes while washing ours.

Rotem played some tunes and let us bite the guitar.

Time to recharge batteries, eat and chat.

In the evening, Cactass and Gorgeous got us beer and chips. We had a relaxing mellow evening with music, beer, chips and smiles.

A great evening to end the first week of hiking.

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail – First Week Recap

Here I am in Warner Springs, mile 109 of the Pacific Crest Trail. After a week hiking, meeting so many friendly people sharing the same passion and destination Canada, it is time for a recap.

Body

Doing surprisingly good. I kept my daily miles around 15, following the advice of some good friends (Hello EightKnots! 😁)! No blisters, knees are good.

Soul

I am happy with the decision to hike the PCT so far. I did not find much time for myself. I had a good morning waking up alone in the desert watching sunrise – I am hoping for more moments like that. I met so many kind people – other hikers (Rotem, Eric, Maddy, Johanna, Paulina, Colin, just to mention a few), trail angels (Carmen). Giving kindess, expecting nothing. I am just beginning to appreciate that and let go.

Gear

I started with a setup that was improved after two long distance hikes in 2016 and 2017. Still I had trouble letting go too many unnecessary things. Eric helped me to let go some if these things – but still potential left. I ordered a new tent – it will be 600gr instead of 1.7kg in my backpack. Let’s what will be next to go into a hiker box or be shipped to a friend. It is good to travel light.

Trail

The PCT, here the desert section, is much different than I thought it would be. More ups and downs, amazing views, more greens – but as little shade as I was afraid of. On some days, there are barely enough shady spots to take a break every 2h.

What did I learn so far?

Take it slow.

Trust people.

You need much less than you think.

It’s about the smiles, not the miles.

Life is good (especially with a chocolate bar).

What’s next?

Just about 25 times the miles I walked so far. And hopefully a lot more of what I just started to taste – trail life.

It’s your road and your road alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.