PCT Day 28 – Side tripping to the Beach!

Stats

Start: Bouquet Canyon Rd – Mile 465.6
End: Green Valley (LA) – Mile 478.2
Elevation Max: 2,583
Elevation Min: 3,530
Elevation Change: 1,724 up & 2,089 down
Average Heart Rate: 126
Walking Time: 3 hrs 53 minutes
Date: 4/30/2022

The Walk

I woke up at 5:30 ready for a big day. I had 13 miles into Green Valley. The next town on trail. There wasn’t much there, so I didn’t plan to stop.

I quickly and quietly broke camp and started hiking. The hike was pretty easy all morning. The weather was cool and the trail followed a ridge. Looking down into a valleys.

The valleys were green and filled with trees. Green valley is a fitting name for the next town. I relaxed and enjoyed the morning hike. I forgot how nice it feels to get started early and get the miles in.

I was checking FarOut for upcoming water sources and read a comment that LA wasn’t far away from Green Valley. My friend Nick lives in LA. I was 1-1.5 days ahead of the crew I’d hiked with most of the trail. And this would be a good way to burn some time. Plus I’m not in a rush to get to the Sierras. So my 30 mile day turned into a journey to get my feet onto a sandy beach.

There was one problem. I hadn’t called Nick yet and I had zero service. Service hadn’t been a thing for the past two days. So I hiked most of the morning looking for service. I found a lot of wild flowers and a dog, but no service.

Around 10:00 I got to the road into Green Valley. The trail crossed the road two miles away. Still no service. I hitched into town with Easy Rider. Then asked the driver where was the best place to hitch into Santa Clarita, an LA suburb about 30 more minutes away. He was actually headed there! Woo! I got lucky and thanked him for the ride.

Once in Santa Clarita I texted Nick and hopped on a few trains to make my way to Long Beach. Then took an Uber to Huntington Beach. It was a journey. Nick lived all the way across LA. He was flying back from Chicago, so I had some time to burn. I walked around downtown for awhile and explored the city.

Walking in downtown LA reminded me of my 5 years in Chicago. It felt normal to be surrounded by tall building and people hastily walking to their destination. It made me appreciate the trail. Where I trade the towering buildings for trees and busy people for hikers willing to share their story and experiences.

I watched the sunset on the beach and grabbed dinner from a local restaurant. It was a welcome change of pace. Sitting by the ocean relaxed my mind and body. There’s something special about the sound of crashing waves.