Stats

Start: Water Tank – Mile 68.4
End: Julian – Mile 77.3
Elevation Max: 3,636
Elevation Min: 2,248
Elevation Change: 717 up & 2,016 down
Average Heart Rate: 116
Walking Time: 2 hrs 45 minutes

The Walk

I woke up to the sound of someone fumbling with the water spigot at 4 am. Then at 5 am to the rustling of nearby hikers packing up their gear. I swear it took the couple section hiking an hour to pack up camp in the dark! They must really not like walking in the sun. Ha.

But I can’t complain. I slept great. And have less than 10 miles into Julian. I look forward to a light day and hanging out with hikers I met yesterday. I haven’t met anyone who hikes the same speed as me, but everyone will get to Julian tomorrow and relax in the afternoon.

My body will appreciate a short day! I got started at 6 am. 5 miles in I took a break with 10 hikers at a big shady rock and had a snack. I didn’t care to eat a ton or break too long because I was so close to town.

The trail was smooth and the miles came easy. Mostly downhill and not too rocky. I felt great all morning. No odd aches and pains. The hot shower and town food was motivating!!

At 10 I got to Scissors Crossing, the trail head where you leave the PCT to go into Julian for a hotel or the RV park for camping. A big group of people were headed into Julian for the day and to take a zero the next day.

I decided to go to the RV park. It was only 10 bucks and had unlimited showers and coin laundry. So I walked to the road and busted out my hitching thumb! The first car to drive by was a big RV. He slowed down and said “I’m headed to the RV park, but I can pick you up later and take you to Julian”. Perfect. I was headed to the same RV park! I hopped in. He met up with a friend of his hiking the PCT last night.

As I was leaving he tossed me an IPA for the road. I don’t drink often, but I’m not one to turn down trail magic. First up was laundry, cleaning up, and finding a tent spot. I’ve had some crappy trail showers, but this was top notch. Even soap and shampoo in the hiker box.

I finished up laundry and charging my things. Then headed to Julian with Fabian. We got a hitch part way back to Scissors Crossing. A few minutes later a trail angel picked us up for our second hitch. Or so we thought…

On the way a car coming the other way was turning left. But instead of continuing, they froze halfway in our lane, right in front of us. Our car swerved out of the way to dodge a full head on collision. But not fast enough. I heard a loud crash and the smell of airbags as my leg jammed into the seat. The driver and 2 other hikers were looking around in a daze checking for injuries. I did a quick head to toe and was releived everything worked like normal.

We all got out of the car and walked around the scene. Fortunately everyone involved was okay, I came out with a bruise and scratch on my leg but it could have been a lot worse. All the sudden 2 firefighters showed up. Apparently the crash happened right in front of their fire station. They brought us water as we waited for the police and tow trucks.

The whole ordeal took a few hours. When the cars were towed and insurance exchanged, the highway patrol gave us a ride into Julian. What a wild start to the day. It was my first car crash and I was thankful nobody was hurt. That could have been an early end to the PCT.

The highway patrol dropped us off at the town restaurant around 2. My day was way behind schedule. But at least chores were finished. I got a pizza and planned my next section of hiking. Then went to the small market for a resupply.

All of the people I hiked with were taking a zero tomorrow, but I wasn’t feeling it. I was ready to get out of Julian and I decided to push ahead. To get my mind off the crash I set a challenging goal. Could I get breakfast at the Paradise cafe on the third morning of hiking? That would take ~60 miles over two days and 14 the morning of the third day.

This would set me up to go 102 miles from Julian to Idyllwild in just 4 days. The final 10 miles of the trip would be snowy and at elevation > 8k feet. I’m excited to push myself and see what happens. My body feels up for it and my mind is clear. Let’s see how good my trail legs really are.

After resupply I hitched to the RV park And chatted with hikers I’d seen in trail or camped with the past few nights. It was fun to chat and shared a mango and laughs. They were staying another full day and night, but I’ll probably see a few later in the hike.

It was another perfect night to cowboy camp. I need to get an early start tomorrow to push a high 20 or 30 mile day.