Stats

Start: Julian – Mile 77.3
End: Tent site by Warner Springs – Mile 109
Elevation Max: 4,332
Elevation Min: 2,251
Elevation Change: 4,144 up & 3,312 down
Average Heart Rate: 128
Walking Time: 9 hrs 8 minutes

The Walk

I woke up at the RV park surrounded by friends. I felt fortunate to be out there and have no injuries after the car wreck. There are no absolutes or guarantees in life. Anything can change in an instant. And I’m here for the journey. Whereever it takes me.

At 5:30 I got up and snuck in another shower. I didn’t feel dirty, but you have to take advantage of hot water at every opportunity on trail! At 6 I packed up and walked to the road. I needed to hitch 3 miles to the trailhead.

I was focused. Ready to push a 30 mile day. I only had to wait 3 minutes. A red truck pulled over about 30 yards in front of me. I jogged to catch up and thanked them for stopping! The road ends in a T at scissors crossing, so they had to be going that way.

I hopped in and chatted with Jorge and Amelio. They were headed 70 miles to San Diego to landscape a new development. Quite a long drive, but there isn’t much around this area. They were kind and curious about the trail. It’s nice that everyone knows Chicago or someone who has been in the city. An easy conversation starter on hitches!

I headed straight on trail and got to climbing. The day started with a 700 foot climb up switchbacks. I was thankful to start early, because this was the second hottest day of the 4-day heat wave. With expected temps above 80 degrees. That means no breaks until afternoon when the sun gets hot!

I started the switchback climbs and felt great. I had energy and excitement for my new goal. Could I really push 30 miles on day 5? I ate granola bars as I went and enjoyed the hike. The views of mountains as I climbed kept getting better. I stopped often to snap pictures or to look at the views.

The sun stayed away from the climb. The grade wasn’t very steep and total elevation was around 800 feet. It wasn’t as bad as the climbs on the Arizona Trail. I actually was flying. Around 3.3 mph. I cruised all morning long.

I came up to two hikers on trail and was suprised to see malt man and pizza girl who I had dinner with the first night. I didn’t expect to ever see them again. We chatted for a bit and I headed on. Happy to see them doing well and enjoying themselves. They wanted to see the desert section so skipped ahead a bit.

Water is scarce in the 30 mile section and hikers rely on caches from trail angels. 14 miles in, around noon, I got to a huge water cache. There must have been 500 gallons from trail angles stacked on pallets. It was perfect.

I was suprised to see another familiar face at the water. A guy with a stupidly cute trail dog named Daisy was laying under a tarp. We shared a shuttle from San Diego to the trailhead. I stopped by to chat and laid in the shade 30 minutes before continuing on. I had a good start and was curious how the rest of the day would go.

The trail followed a ridge and the desert views really opened up. All afternoon was beautiful and windy. The wind was a welcome relief from the hot sun. I had already learned my lesson not to forget sunscreen on my hands and nose, so the sun didn’t bother me.

I felt focused and strong. I hiked all afternoon and made it to a resupply store at 3pm. I ate tuna and avocado for lunch while waiting for the store shuttle. Sadly, I missed trail magic by an hour. A few girls who had hiked the PCT made sausage and eggs and painted everyone’s finger nails. It would have been a fun one!

At the store I grabbed a microwave pizza and some bars / snacks to supplement my food. It was perfect break and recharge. I was tight on food without the extra snacks and the prices weren’t bad. With pizza in my belly, the 30 mile push felt possible.

I kept hiking and the views kept improving. The trail wasn’t rocky and I had no complaints. Just kept pushing on. As I turned a corner I was my first snake! It didn’t have a rattle, but I still wanted to avoid it. I tapped my trekking pole on the ground, but I it wouldn’t move. After a 5 minute standoff I hopped off trail a few feet and walked around.

Around 6 I caught up to Fabian and a creek and we hiked together for a few miles. A group of us decided to eat dinner, relax and watch the sunset at eagle rock. It was a cool experience. We were in a meadow for the first time! Then we night hiked 2 more miles. I made it to camp at 9:00. All the way to from scissors crossing to Warner springs. Almost 32 miles.

At night I felt great. I think I could have hiked more. It was weird to hike at night. On one hand I would have loved to see the scenery, filled with tall trees and a running stream. But it was a cool experience to walk by headlamp hearing the frogs croaks, the rolling stream, and huge shadowy tree branches hanging over the trail.

I got to camp and quickly got out my gear. There were 4-5 people already set up and out for the night. Tomorrow I want to push one more 30 mile day. Breakfast + Lunch at Paradise cafe and a relaxed day is possible. That will be welcome break before pushing up the first mountain range and seeing snow. Onward to Idyllwild!