PCT Day 15

Day 15

Miles: 28

Man it felt so good to sleep in an actual bed. As soon as I pulled the covers over me I sank into a deep sleep. The room was so dark and must have been well sound proofed against the roaring free-way. I woke up a few times thinking it was time to get up due to the misleading darkness. My body use to the sun being it’s alarm clock. When we do wake we are slow to mobilize, getting out and heading to Mac D for breakfast. I got my usual pancakes with golden syrup and a large refillable drink, they taste good. I don’t want to know how much sugar I just consumed…

The next water cache isn’t going to be for 26 miles so I drink loads. We head out for 7am and chat briefly with Globe and Namastay under the bridge where they slept. Then the long ascent begins. It’s so foggy and the visibility is terrible all morning. I can hear freight trains but can’t see them hidden by the damp clouds. It’s a long slog up but feels good in the cooler weather.  I ascend 15 miles going from of 3500ft  to 8200 ft. Then the sun comes out at midday and I have an amazing view above the clouds. It's so dull and dismal a few feet back and right here it’s stunning. I then get a phone signal and chat to the folks back home. I sit there on the trail for a good hour. I air my feet which feels good, a habit I’m always doing now whenever I stop. Soon I realise I have to continue and hikes on. The sun is now beating down and I’m beginning to wilt. It takes me ages to hike up the beast. Poptart and I had planned to camp at highway 2 and hitch into town the next day.That was only 3 more miles, then as I’m eating my cold, soggy noodles, surveying the view I get a message.

She says a trail angel is picking us up in 2h about 8 miles from where I am. Bummer!

I scoff my food and begin to pack up just as the blond shadow arrives on time. A guy who's happens to hike passed me at this time everyday. He is a faster hiker than I so I figure he must hike half in the day, half in the night for me to always be headed somehow in the late afternoon. His name I find out is Eric. We chat briefly and he confirms my 8 mile hike. He leaves me to pack up and I jog out ten minutes later. I then hike pass him 2 miles down the trail. The scenery at dusk is amazing and I’m missing it all. Rushing and stumbling to catch up. A part of me isn’t sure (looking back) why I was so eager to catch up. I could have easily just solo camped and hitched into town the next day…it's not like I hadn't slept in a bed and showered recently.

It’s close but I think I’m going to make it. I jog on the flat and cringe on the uphill. I text Poptart how close I am but get no reply. I reach an abandoned ski resort with creaking ski lifts and random shacks. I criss cross a dirt road which is a good sign that I’m reaching civilization again.  I’m half a mile away when a car appears which beeps at me. I’m saved. I still descend pretty fast when the driver a trail angel called Mike gets out and tells me to slow down waving his hands. He loaded my pack into the boot and I clamber in, my feet are pounding with blood. I sit back relieved knowing I can rest easy.

We chat to Mike well Poptart does and I’m just so happy that I made it but also exhausted so zoned out a bit in the back. I hear them talking of his home where we can shower, be fed a proper meal, sleep. We zoom down into Wrightwood where he points out shops where we can find food, collect mail and I can buy the new shoes that I so desperately need. We arrive at his house, a family home. His dog greets him but is very distrusting of us. Then we meet Sue his wife who is rocking her grandson to sleep. She invites us in and ask what are our priories; food, shower, sleep? Those in that order! We eat a chicken dish with carrots, onion, pineapple. Mac and cheese is also on the menu which it tastes so good. I get a second helping, my body thanking me, I thank the Trail angels. I swing my legs to and fro from the chair, my feet aching from my bad shoes. We chat to the family and I gain my trail name of Yorkie. We finish up and are shown to our bunk bed and where the laundry is. I shower first and it's amazing. Even though I showered a meer 24h ago it still feels awesome after a day out in the sun. I sit in the bottom of the shower and let it rain over me, feel little guilty with the drought in California. I clean my feet which are filthy and blistered and massage them. I chill in our room, laying on the top bunk relaxed. We head to sleep at 9 ish.

Day 16 here

PCT Day 14

Day 14

27 miles

I wake up before my alarm and assemble my things slowly. Some of the others are already up but Poptart and I leave first. We fill up at the water cache and hike on. It’s a little windy but once we enter the hills it dies down and we ascend gradually. The sun slowly rises and we take a break 10 miles in. Some of the others from last night pass us and then we regroup at the next water cache. I down a 500ml bottle, thirstier than I realised. We hike on and reach Silverwood Lake. I really fancy a swim so head down to the blue lake. Poptart hikes on eager for more miles.

I eat chocolate and go for dip. The water is so refreshing cool, goosebumps instantly line my skin and I dip down to submerge myself. I rinse my clothes as a few other visitors enjoy the water. Families and couples are swimming and enjoying picnics. There's a cold breeze  coming in so I sit in the shallows and wash my feet and legs. I have no idea how they get so dirty with my trousers on. I retreat under the lifeguard box and chill there out the sun. I pick through my food when a lady approaches me and holds up a sandwich and some watermelon. Amazing! The Trail provides! Fresh fruit is always appreciated on the trail. My clothes dry within the hour and I decided to make a move.

I brush my teeth at the water fountain and sort out my feet with fresh plasters (band aids). I set off at half 1 and it’s so hot. I see a road which looks like a shortcut on my map and head up it. But after 30 minutes it becomes too overgrown to continue and I have to turn back. I keep my head down as I battle the heat. I ascend and take frequent breaks along the way to try and cool down. I drink my warm, flavoured water and survey the scenery before me. I’ve climbed quite high.

I keep a good pace and get a new blister but the thought of Mac D drives me on. I check my phone - a lot as I get towards the end of the day. Both my half mile ap and GPS. I’m so close. A hiker passes me and I try to match his pace but I can’t. Only 2 miles to go. I drop under power lines and can hear the road. I’m close. I see a wooden sign for Mac D -  0.4 miles away. I speed up considerably and can see the guys who overtook me earlier. I vault inside and order a large ¼ pound burger meal and down the various flavours of drinks they have on offer. We don’t have free refills in England so I indulge.

A guy asks me about all the hikers who pass through here and I say we’re all hiking from Mexico to Canada. He stares gob-smacked for a moment and admits he’s impressed. I then get talking to two other hikers called Globe and Namaste. They were taking the trail easy and going with the flow. They had spent 3 days at the hot springs a few miles back. Both cool guys. I eat a mcflurry and get a call from Poptart who is spending the night in a hotel and says I can join her. I head other there and sneak in. I wash my days clothes which takes ages and in the end they don’t actually come clean. Then I wash myself. I hang my clothes up to dry in the bathroom and hobble around on my poor feet. I stretch a bit which I think helps. Poptarts spend the evening on the phone as I catch up with the online world. I watch the end of the latest GOT episode and chill. It’s 10 pm when I head to sleep.

 

Day 15 Here

PCT Day 13

Day 13 

28 miles

I get up early as does Poptart and were walking by 5am - Early to bed, early to rise.  We hike for a few miles before we stop for breakfast. I chomp on an apple and noodles. We walk on and make 13 miles easily by half 10. We talk the whole way about life, school, work, love, travel, hiking, pets, family, life-goals. Poptart talks of her friend who hiked the PCT last year Southbound. He mentioned that he saw half a dozen rattlesnakes when he was hiking this section. Then we hear a rattle and freeze. It’s in front of us and poised. It’s tail high in the air. We stare at it and it glares back, unmoving. We give up and take a wide path around it. Thankfully it does nothing.

When we arrive at a bridge we chill beneath it in the shady beach trees and get water. I let my feet breath, the plasters have stayed on. The shower at Papa Smurfs was so beneficial to my feet. It’s half past 11 and we’ve hiked 15 miles. We plan on making it a 30 miles day well Poptart is keen to get a 30 mile day in. I’m just happy to walk and see where I end up. A few hikers walk over head on the bridge as we relax. Two Swiss girls stop to chat with us appreciating the shade and water.

Back on the trail we come across the Warner Hot Spring and I go for a dip in a little side pool. It’s so hot- both in and out the water. We dip our shirts in and keep walking. They dry instantly. We follow the edge of a valley as usual, going in and out. We cross a rainbow bridge and make our way to the edge of the valley. We find water, a flowing stream and suddenly there is a gathering of hikers there. The two Swiss girls catch up along with another lady and an older couple. We walk on and make our way to mile 215 which we find is too windy to camp so we hike back a mile to where everyone else is. They’re camped in a sandy bay of the trail surrounding trees. There are ants but luckily they’re not too bad. I eat my noodles, brush my hair and teeth, set up my inner tent and sleep. My legs are vibrating. Everyone’s silent by 8:30 pm. The wind roars around the trees and calms down sometime in the night.

Day 14 Here