14.8 PCT miles
I was dropped off at the Road to McDonald's, right were I had been picked up a couple days ago. The McDonald's was open again, so I considered getting breakfast. Then I thought about the number of hikers moving through that restaurant, and how people had recently been coming down with the norovirus in this section, so I decided to skip it. I had also spent most of the weekend gorging on food anyway, so McDonald's sounded less appetizing than if I would have been coming off the trail.
The first thing I had to do today on the PCT was cross under the interstate. This involved a large tunnel that looked like a black abyss. It was not lit. After I exited the tunnel the trail wound around some private property before going under the railroad tracks. There was a freight train that came by as I was doing so. For some reason, in addition to crossing under the tracks, the PCT also crosses over the tracks a little further down.
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| Good morning to you too, PCT. |
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| Is this the PCT or The Walking Dead? A welcoming sign from a friendly neighbor's property. |
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| Looking back at the interstate. |
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| A freight train moving through the area. |
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| The PCT going under the railroad tracks. |
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| And, later, the PCT going over the railroad tracks. |
Eventually, the PCT started its long, slow climb into the mountains. The entirety of today would be uphill, gaining up to 5,000 ft in elevation. I thought it was supposed to be cooler today, but the sun was shining and it was starting to get warm pretty early in the day.
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| Heading through the desert to Mt. Baldy. |
That changed after I hit a crest and saw a wave of low lying clouds sweeping through from the southwest. The clouds were cold and damp. I suppose it was for the best, since I was yet again heading through a burn area. The alternative is that it could be incredibly hot with no shade.
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| The clouds adding some drama. |
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| It looks like things are going to get mysterious for a while. |
I kept going up in elevation and eventually got above the cloud layer. It was sunny, but I was now up in elevation enough that it was cool as well.
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| Walking through the burned area. |
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| A beautiful whiptail lizard. |
That should have made for some pleasant hiking, but I was struggling today. I don't know why. Maybe I took too many days off and lost my rhythm? Maybe I ate too much junk food on my rest days? Maybe it was because the hike was all uphill? Maybe I was just having an off day?
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| It. Just. Keeps. Going. Up! |
Whatever it was, I would go maybe a quarter of a mile before I would have to sit on a rock to rest. My backpack didn't help the situation because it was the heaviest it has been so far on the trip. I didn't weigh it before I left, but I had a full supply of food for the week, plus 5 liters of water. The water itself was 10 lbs. Unfortunately, this is about a 22 mile waterless stretch, so you need to carry your water in.
I slowly chipped away at the trail miles and eventually ran into some trail crews working on this section. Those people are angels! There were some slanted or entirely washed out sections of the trail. At one small section I even went down to my hands and knees because I was unsure of its stability. The section of the trail after the crews (the parts they had worked on) was so easy to walk on. I made sure to thank those guys (and girls) multiple times as I passed them.
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| Trail conditions before I reached the volunteer trail crews. Those guys my heroes. |
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| Scorched pine forest. |
Just passed the trail crews was a single tent campsite where I had planned to take an extended break, complete with taking my shoes off. I needed it. I don't think I was even making it a quarter of a mile anymore before taking a rest. I was stopping pretty much every time a saw a place I could sit. I couldn't inch my way along for the 5 more miles I had planned to do today, I needed to actually start hiking it again.
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| View of Mt. Badly from my rest stop. Those are some interesting looking clouds... |
As soon as I put my stuff down for my rest break, I thought I saw a rain drop. Nah, my mind must be tired.
No, it was real. And, it got very real, very quickly. I have a rain jacket/pants with me, but I hadn't yet decided how to waterproof my backpack. I was carrying a trash compactor bag with me to keep the stuff inside my pack dry, but at the moment it was folded up in the bottom of my bag.
I grabbed my tent out of my pack and quickly set it up. Then I threw everything inside of it including myself. This was my tent's first real test in the rain and it held up very well. Additionally, the ground underneath the tent was still warm, acting like a heated floor. I was very content laying down and watching the rain shower pass. I also contributed to making my pack a little lighter by attacking my food bag supply.
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| Yep. The tent is waterproof. |
When the rain shower passed, I was still pretty tired. I don't think the rest had the effect on my energy levels that I had hoped it would, and it was already close to 5 pm. I ended up deciding just to camp there for the night. If I wasn't feeling it today, then there was no need to push my body. The campsite was nice and private, with an awesome view of the east side of Mt. Baldy.
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| Baldy after the storm, looking much more friendly. |
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