PCT Days 23-26

Day 23

Miles 292-308

Today Jolly and I passed the 300 mile mark. This is officially the longest hike I've ever taken!

Around lunch we passed Deep Creek, which was cold, clear and, by far, the largest river we've come across thus far.

We stopped at a spot called Deep Creek hot springs for the night. We went swimming in the hot water, laughed under the trees with hordes of other hikers, and even skinny dipped in the moonlight. I tried to get a picture of the springs, I really did, but the resident naked hippy boys were always in the springs and didn't seem to want their pictures taken. I saw about four or five guys that seem to live at the hotsprings; one plays the guitar, one smokes, and one wears a grass loin cloth and calls himself Tarzan. A few hikers mistook Tarzan for me and we all got a laugh out of that.

Day 24

Miles 308-330

Here's the only picture I was able to snap of the beach surrounding the hotsprings. I thought I could get a picture or two before anyone else was awake, but apparently naked hippy boys get up really early.

Today we started hiking in mountains and eventually came out near a water treatment plant outside of Hesperia. I lost Jolly along the way (he chugged 20oz of coffee in the morning and buzzed ahead) and I haven't seen him since. I know he's been trying to catch up with old friends for the last few weeks, so I hope he found them.

Then, to my surprise, there was WATER. I was hiking alone, so I had my lunch on the beach. 

I forgot to take a picture, but my campsite for the night was in this valley at a large group spot. The site had bathrooms and showers, but they were all locked. I had been hiking with a new friend named Miles for the last few miles, so we both cowboy camped under the stars.

Day 25

Miles 330-347

Today I woke up with one single goal- make it 12 miles to McDonalds. The McDonalds at Cajon Pass is, supposedly, the only fast food restaurant on the PCT. Everyone stops there to escape the heat, calorie load, and use the bathrooms. The 12 miles to McDonalds twisted up and down and around endless small hills going down to the pass and highway.

Look! I'm almost to Canada!

Miles had hiked ahead of me (his trail name is Miles because he's FAST) and was waiting for me before the final victory half mile off-trail to the restaurant.

I'm finally beginning to understand this "hiker hunger" that everyone talks about. It's difficult to describe, but it feels like a slight cramping/nausea that starts about an hour after eating. It's sort of uncomfortable and strange and it only goes away after consuming a few hundred more calories.

I'm still grossed out by most foods, even the goods I liked before the trip, but I'm attributing a lot if that to the heat. In the end, the hiker hunger is trumping the lack of desire to eat and I've been eating quite a bit more in the last few days.

At McDonalds, I managed to eat 10 chicken nuggets, 4 sodas, fries, a chocolate shake, two spicy McChicken sandwiches, and more fries. Then I fell into a deep, deep food coma.

We took up a whole corner of the restaurant. We're so dark and dirty!

I decided to hike 5 more miles today to get out of the town/restaurant vortex. Miles stayed behind in a motel while Rocket and I hiked under the highway and into a large bowl-shaped valley where we could see the highway skirting the valley and trains weaving in and out of the hills. I tried to capturer he incredible scene in this panorama, but I'm not sure how it will come through on your computer screens.

With only a 1/2 mile remaining, I stumbled on this old water cache.

There wasn't much inside: a gallon or two of old water, some random paperback books, empty cookie tins, and a hiker log. It looks like Jolly is already a day ahead if me!

Rocket and I camped inside of the San Andreas fault, which is the fault line between two tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. Rocket and I talked about how, if there was an earthquake, maybe we would fall into a crack in the earth while we slept.

It was a perfect campsite, even with the risk of death.

Day 26

Miles 347-369

Today was a big climb out of the San Andreas fault and into the San Gabriel mountains, home of the Angeles National Forest, Mount Baldy, and Baden-Powell. It also marks the beginning of California section "D" of the PCT, a 112.5 mile section that ends in Agua Dulce.

We hiked out around 5am to beat the heat. Today will be a 22-mile day with over 6,000 feet of climbing.

There's a detour on the ascent to skip a burn zone that's overrun by Poodle Dog bush. I was distracted by my Game of Thrones book on tape, so I missed the detour. The trail became an obstacle course for the next four miles as I had to constantly dodge the evil plants that grew into the trail.

I made it into Angeles National Forest right before meeting a trail angel, Big O, who gave me a piece of his roast beef sandwich. Yumm.

Up up up up up up up. After speeding past Rocket, I hiked alone until I ran into Sugar Pine and Lingo. 

Once Sug, Lingo and I made it to Highway 2, we got picked up by the owner of the Pines Motel. He's an older Filipino man who likes to drive fast, bargain hard, and is incredibly hiker-friendly. He sped into the parking lot where we were resting while bumping Rihanna as loud as his car allowed. He jumped out and shuffled our packs into the rear while telling us that his conversion van, complete with at least three TVs, cost him $100,000 in the 90s. The drive was a bit scary as he swerved in and out of the double yellow line and into oncoming traffic, but we made it safely in the end.

Then I looked into a mirror. Am I sweating McNuggets or what?

Dinner- Six sodas (I've really been craving soda recently) and a very large pizza.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get out of the town vortex as early as possible. I have to resupply for the next 4-5 day section, but then I need to escape before I decide to gorge myself on milkshakes and take a nap in the afternoon. 

The motel is overrun by other hikers, all of whom I've met before. I spent the rest of my night eating pizza and fruit, drinking whiskey and soda, and laughing around a big table in the motel's courtyard. This is the life!