Month: April 2018

PCT 2018 Day 6, April 28, Saturday. Start mile 117 tiny campsite on mountainside trail End mile 145, Mary’s Place Miles walked: 28 The path climbs gradually, until mid-morning water resupply at a big water tank at Mike’s Place. I did not go down to talk to trail angel Mike Herrera, but he is known for making pizza daily for hikers. The elevation is getting high enough that heat is easing a bit. Terrain is back to plenty of rocks, but with more color, and reminds me of an Arizona hike. Smoke Break, Beehive, Puma, and Taco pass at different times, and we all end up at Mary’s Place, a campsite set up by a trail angel. Several other hikers are there, including Emily and Vesuvius. Conversation and laughter ensue. Mary brings her dog to visit. About 25 hikers stayed the night in tents or cowboy-camping.

PCT 2018 Day 5, April 27, Friday.

Start Barrel Spring Campsites, mile 101

End mile 117 tiny campsite on mountainside trail

Miles walked: 16

On the way to Warner Springs is grassland rolling like waves. After a ten mile walk in the cool quiet morning, the Warner Springs PCT welcome center offers hikers a chance to rest and renew. Run by super-nice volunteers, the center offers amenities to hikers at low cost and thoughtful economy. Home Depot buckets filled from an outdoor sink and a privacy stall built on a deck serve to make a free shower. A three bucket system is offered to hand-wash your clothes: an initial rinse bucket to reduce the dirt, a soapy bucket, and a final rinse bucket. Clotheslines are provided. You can donate your extra food and equipment to other hikers by way of hiker boxes. Snacks and supplies are sold, and rides given to the nearby post office, convenient store, and grill. Another building is dedicated as a hiker lounge, with couch, chairs, and pool table. Camping out back is free. And more services, to fifty to a hundred hikers during the season. And free wifi allowed me to remedy my cell phone problem. Huzzah.

After clean-up, eats, and several hours of relaxation, the trail calls. Up a mountain with more trees, until I give out and find a tiny spot, joined later by three other hikers.

Trail names to learn today: Happy, Puma, Beehive, Luco, Sharpshooter, and 2Pack.

PCT 2018 Day 4, April 26, Thursday.

Start mile 72, a few miles to a water cache

End Barrel Spring Campsites, mile 101

Miles walked: 29

A few miles from camp, the trail descends into a broad valley, and crosses two highways at narrow angles to each other, Scissor Junction. Underneath a highway bridge is a cache of water, and a rooster. The path goes back up a mountain on the other side of the valley, up at 3300 feet from 2200 feet, and stays up there most of the day. Cacti and yucca outnumber bushes on the south side. Another water cache is down a trail with shady vegetation, where many hikers hide from the heat. Finally coming down the mountain, we reach the 100 mile point. Nearby is a piped spring and campsites, where I get to chat with several hikers, including SmokeBreak, Julian, and a father-son team heading south because they were not able to get a permit. They tell us news of the stop ahead.