Some last shopping – and I finally got some chewable vitamin C. I hope this will help with my cold.
The weather forecast for the region was motivating me this morning. Temperatures will drop to a perfect 15-20 Celsius during the next days. Hiking will be so much easier.
Weather May 9 and onwards in Big Bear
Started around 2.30pm on the trail where I left off.
At the drop-off/pick-up point at the I18, we ran into Rotem! Hadn’t seen him for a while… Glad we met again!
The trail leads through respectively around some burned forest.
Steps in the blackened sand
Afternoon break at 4.45pm at mile 272. Doing well today. Napping in the shade… Sun falling softly through the branches of a tree into my face. Wind blowing gently in the leaves.
May 7. Started a bit earlier – on trail at 6.30am. My daily planning mainly follows the daily updated water report. For today, this meant either 15 miles or 21 for wet (nearby water) camping. We had about 2000 feet altitude gain ahead of us – and I had not been feeling too well the last two days. Good thing on the trail – don’t worry now about things that don’t matter right now. So I started hiking without knowing whether I will do a 20+ miles day or stay with a moderate 15 miles.
Walking through burnt forest
The day turned out beautifully! The altitude and the trees – the heat from the last two days was gone!
Slept ok, first night on my new foam pad Therm-a-rest ZLite Sol. That pad is so practical… At any short rest during the day, I can throw it to the floor and lay down for a while. No risks for punctures… It is just a foam pad. Gear of the day award.
Normal routine, woke up around 6am, hit the trail around 7am. Today I was facing a 20 mile hike. All downhill, about 7000 feet, the longest descent on the complete PCT. I would find out later that downhill doesn’t mean fast. On the contrary… Being careful with my knees, I barely made 2-2.5 miles per hour.
Coming down Fuller’s RidgeThe desert is blossoming
Later the day I got news from a fellow hiker that he needs a longer break from the trail due to serious knee pain. These issues from other hikers keep floating around in my head… You can’t go super slow and careful all the time… But you can also risk your hike with one wrong step.
Talking about that wrong step. I was listening to music in the afternoon…
Song of the day: Melissa Etheridge – I run for life
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth, for all that is real (lyrics from Melissa Etheridge)
When I realized that there was rattling sound that doesn’t fit to the song, I was standing right next to a rattlesnake.
First rattlesnake for me at mile 197
My heart skipped a few beats. I was told by another hiker to keep distance at least equal to the length of the snake… I was walking by just about 50cm of it, didn’t see it in the grass next to the trail until I was standing right next to it.
I continued without music for a while… 😂
Mile 200
The descent to the water and tentsite at mile 206 took a lot of time. 4 miles out, it looked like you could touch… But once again, the trail kept following the mountains into the next canyon and the target was out of sight again for another 2 hours.
Another small snake
I finally arrived and pitched my tent around 5pm, the sun still heating up the whole valley. A few other hikers were discussing to take an Uber to the nearby town Cabazon and eat burgers there. When the three other hikers from my group came in, we opted for just that. We left tents and packs, walked about a mile to the next street, rode in an Uber for about 20min and had a feast at In-n-out!
In-n-out Double Double Animal Style
After that feast, walking back the mile to the tentsite was not easy, but a beautiful walk under the stars and moonlight.
The night was warm… Only used my sleeping bag as a blanket, fell asleep with a view on the beautiful night sky.
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.
Woke up at 6am, enjoyed a free breakfast burrito at Carmen’s.
After that the free apple pie at Mom’s.
Went to the Julian Post Office to lighten my backpack. Eric was already sitting there and helped with the shakedown. Thank you Eric! 👍 Eric is one of the guys who cut off the toothbrush handle to reduce weight. Sent clothes, ebook reader, maps, jacket to Steven. Got rid of some underwear, toilet paper…
Paulina, Eric and myself met to hitchhike back to trail around 10am.. we started the hiking around 12pm.
I felt super motivated with my lighter pack. Two hours later I had finished 7 miles! My fastest section so far, despite hiking uphill in the noon sun with no shade.
The world is big 