PCT Day 5

Day 5 - 28miles

Had a terrible night last night... The place I'd chosen to sleep turned out to be the windiest place ever. Waking at 1am my tent was being blown at from all sides. I was getting use to the quiet, tranquil nights of the desert not this wind swept hill top. It was my own fault for not finding a better spot. I rested till half 4 before I decided to get up and pack up in disarray.

 ***

 My bag is packed horribly and I carry my tent in my hands for a mile until I find somewhere sheltered to re-pack. I follow the curves of the hill side, the sun still dormant. Rounding a bend I arrive at the perfect spot with a lovely sandy floor. Why didn't I sleep here last night I muse. O well least it's an early start for me. I eat a packet of cous-cous and sit still for a moment enjoying the wind-free solitude. I re-roll my tent, re-stuff my sleeping bag and walk on hands free.

The sun soon breaks the dawn and the heat began to flare up. I find a water cache which is lucky and top up my water before I hit the 900 ft climb. The ascent isn't actually hard but the heat makes it so. It a gradual climb and I'm slow.

 I plod on till 11 am and stop for more cous-cous and dried fruit. I dump my bag in the shade and follow. I check my next resupply location - Warner Springs, a little town with a petrol station where I can buy a few things from. I'd be getting into town on Memorial Day, a bank holiday so I hoped it would be open still. I had 2 packs of cous-cous left. A south-bounder appears just section hiking the trail. We nodded briefly in acknowledgment but say nothing.

I wish my water tasted better then the actual warm water it tasted like. At least I had some. If I made it into Warner Springs today I'd have done a 28 mile day. I follow the path which today seems endless as it leads me into it's deep crevasses. It makes me travel every in and out of every turn as the valley eventually begins to descend. There are no short cuts as either side is steep, bush-ridden slope up or down. I sing aloud to myself to pass the time and don't see anyone. I hike by a little sign reading..

Northbounders - Congrats, first 100miles, only 26 more to go!

On the reverse it reads,

 Southbounders - Congrats, only 100 miles to go!

I smile meekly looking forward to taking off my backpack to night. I eventually reach the bottom and find a bath shaped container full of water. The next stretch is shade less.

 Grass hoppers bounce like coils of little springs, I can hear them colliding with the dry grass as I walk along the trail. I follow them as they lead me on. I enter a little forest and a small stream is flowing. I'm doing ok and the promise of a town up ahead spurs me on. Random brown cows call out hidden somewhere in the hills.

I reach the borders of Warner Springs and see a sign directing hikers to the Resource Center promising refreshments, showers and laundry at a small fee. I immediately head there and hobble into the grounds to find it's just closed. A trio of hikers are chilling in the grounds, their tents already pitched. I plonk my bag down and myself after it. I hear of the tantalizing things I'd just missed. Least there are plugs here so I can charge my phones and the toilets have running water so I wash my feet and clothes.

The hikers I camp with have just finish university and thought they'd tackle the PCT together. They offer me packets of porridge and skittles which I add water to and eat thankfully. I can't be bothered to pitch my tent so I cowboy camp. Whilst snuggled down in our sleeping bags we swap stories of the trail and I join in the daily high and lows of the day. My high is crossing the 100 miles mark and my low is getting to the center late. We eventually dissolve into silence and one by one we fall asleep. It's a clear night and I eye the moon before I nod off. A slight chill lingers in the air and I slip lower into my sleeping bag.

Day 6 Here

PCT Day 4

Day 4 - 26miles

My alarm wakes me today and I'm walking by 6 am. I hear shuffling from the others inside their tents but see no one for the first few miles. It's a dull morning but then sun manages to burn through the layer of fog and the blue sky prevails. I can actually see the trail today. I maintain a decent pace and reach the water source (a water tank maintained by firemen) 14 miles away by 10:15. I down 2 litres of water and carry 2 more. Since I left swiftly this morning, I take a decent break doing my morning chores. These include brushing my hair and teeth, stretching, washing socks, eating breakfast.

It was 32 miles till the next water source and the heat was gaining strength. The others catch up just as I leave. The trail gently rising and falling as the sun relentlessly beats down. I seek shelter under a massive rock, it is huge and I should have taken a photo. If it had been raining you could have easily pitched your tent beneath it. I chill there for a bit managing to pee to which was a good sign in this 35 degrees something heat.

After an hour or so I hit the sandy, desert trail and meet a sign advertising a stagecoach Inn which did sound appealing - cold drinks, a swimming pool, WiFi, food, beds but I decide to keep going. I cross a road which seems so huge - having not seen one in a few days and in the UK our roads are smaller. Next the trail leads me under a bridge where I'm delighted to find my first trail magic!! 2 Trail Angels were keeping this cache going. It was full of random foods such as popcorn, bananas, cheesy biscuits, chocolate biscuits.

I drink and eat well replenish my water, eat a banana and pack out some biscuits. I chill there for a bit and leave a thank you beside the other stuffed under the trail angels contact details.

Walking on I ascend a gradual hill which zigzags in and out. I'm able to survey the valley below me, the large lorries seeming rather small now as they speed along the road. Even smaller cars over take. The opposite hills showing the path I'd taken a few hours before. Then my phone beeped and I had signal, only 2G but better than nothing. I hike on a bit more and find a spot to camp. I'd covered 83 miles in 4 days, averaging a little over 20 miles a day, not bad I guess.

Day 5 Here

PCT Day 3

Day 3 - 16miles

Well what a night....I eventually dozed off and woke around midnight to a sky full of stars. I watch them as a few thin clouds pass between me and distant twinkles before I return to the world of sleep.

Then I awake feeling damp. I peer from my nest and feel wet clouds engulfing me. This goes on for the majority of the night. I pull out the outer part of my tent and turn myself into a human burrito attempting the shield myself from the water droplets. I gaze up and see blinking stars in the dark sky between the intermittent clouds as they fly over me. I doze till 5 am and then pack up. My tent is wet, my sleeping bag is wet, I'm wet and as soon as I climb up and out from where I slept I am instantly hit by actual rain and wind, the combination turning into an icy blast. My hands begin to freeze. I pine for the sun and follow the trail feel miserable. I check the water report and see it's 10 miles till my next water and I'm soaked. I'll have little opportunity to dry my things in this weather so I decide to get off the trail. I see a detour leading back to the main road and make my way to the campsites. There should be a water tap and a shower block. Maybe I can have a warm shower, the mere thought of it filling me with joy. I pull out my puffy jacket and hike on into the campsite. A dense fog has filtered to the campsite and the ground squelches beneath my feet which are sodden. I pass by a campsite notice board and see signs reading...

"WARNING DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER - ECO-LIE PRESENT"

My heart sinks. Bugger! Does that mean the showers will be closed too? I walk on and pass by a trio of deflated tents. The wind had won and I could see peoples sleeping bags inside. Their tents laying directly over them, water easily making it's way inside. I walk on and reach the shower block. It's locked. I sit in the dry-ish doorway and open my tin of mini sausages congealed in a white paste, I don't finish them. The wind picks up and I huddle against my bag and put my thermals on which are dry for now. I zone out for a bit and an hour passes. The tent trio emerge slowly from their dismal shelters and pile everything into their car and drive away. Eventually I repack my bag and head out into the wet fog. I've decided to walk back to Laguna and go from there. My feet feel like tiny ice blocks as they pound the concrete road. Cars pass by whipping water my way. Least by walking I begin to feel warm again. All I can see is fog up ahead.

I hear a car from behind slow and it pulls in. I catch it up and see the smiling face of a man. His car is full of boxes and gear.

"Do you want a lift? I'm heading to Laguna"

"Yes please!" I say

My natural instinct of getting in a car with a stranger left at the door. I slide in hoisting my bag onto my lap. The car owner, a man called Dave revs up the heating and I begin to get the feeling back in my hands.

"You made a good choice to head back the village" Dave said "It's only due to get worse"

"O Right" I say pleased to be out the cold and moving fast than 2.5 miles an hour. Dave, it turns out to be the owner of the mountain supplies shop and invites me to spend the morning there. He lets me dry off inside, starting up the wood burner and helps me strewn my wet belonging all over his shop, including hanging my sleeping bag. My feet are happy to be dry again. He boils a kettle in the flames and makes me a hot chocolate. We chat about the trail and he mentions about a freak snow storm which happened only 2 week earlier.

Then the door opens and two hikers enter, it's Stefan and Kyler. They got in last night and camped at the campsite, they don't know where Darby and Dan are. Dave checks the weather for us. He says he runs the store intermittently and as soon as he hears of a decent snow fall in the Sierras he closes up shop and goes skiing. Even though the items in his shop were a tad pricey for me he offered invaluable advice to hikers and did pack-shake downs for free! Which lightened the loads of some hikers by 10 lbs!

He recommended that if we were planning on hiking out today that we get to a spot 17 miles from here which offered shelter from the winds. We chilled for a bit in the restaurant, a few other late starting hikers had gathered there. Kyler and I decided to head out for 11:30 am. It was a little annoying to be hiking the same 5 miles again but hey-ho.

It was just as horrible as when I left it a few hours earlier but the rain soon eased, only the wind keeping up a gale. We were suddenly joined a lady with a strong Irish accent. She'd hike the Appalachian trail last year - 2,200 miles up the east coast of America and she'd decided to hike the PCT this year. She was in a mad rush needing to be finished by early September. Which I calculated doing at least 27 miles everyday till then with hardly any zero days. I was at the front of the pack and felt that I had to keep up a decent pace. After storming along for 2 hours I paused for a break, Kyler joined me and the Irish lady jogged along. We crash hard, devouring cereal bars with ease.

"I'm glad you took a break" Kyler said "I was debating it"

We hike on, my leg muscles already beginning to seize up from the little respite. The weather was still dismal and we came across two guys called Rite and Matt. We walked as a group till we reached mile 56 where we think the sheltered area will be. There are large boulders dotted everywhere and few sunken sections off the trail. We head down into the shallow parts and pitch our tents. I use both parts of my tent and climb inside. It's only 6 pm but seems later due to the darken sky. I hope I sleep better to night. I scribble a few notes down into my journal and zip up my sleeping bag. I can hear the tiny patter of rain as it crashes into my tent and slowly drift off into the land of nod.

Day 4 Here