PCT Days 27-31

Day 27

Miles 369-383 (plus the tiny Baden-Powell side trail)

I woke up around 7am today and managed to shower, eat breakfast pizza, grocery shop, eat second breakfast, pack my backpack and drink three sodas by 11am. Clean and full of high fructose corn syrup I walked back out to the main road and stuck out my thumb.

A very sweet woman from Wrightwood picked me up within 5 minutes. She's a local who shuttles hikers to and from the trail. On the way up the mountain she told me about her three trips on the Camino del Santiago with her husband and asked me about myself. It ends up that she knows a few people that I went to high school with. Small world!

Here's a self portrait with some awful new sunglasses I bought (stepped on the old ones) and Mount Baden-Powell in the background.

I'm finding that the first day out of a town is really tough. My muscles are relaxed, I'm full of greasy food, and my motivation to hike is really low. Instead of getting frustrated at my sluggish pace, I just took tons of breaks. I like breaks; breaks are fun.

After a long, slow climb up Baden-Powell, I made it to the summit. The trees up here are incredible!

This one is dedicated to some Boy Scout founder and us estimated to be 1,500 years old.

Here's the summit of Mount Baden-Powell.

I can't get over these incredible trees!

Today has been the most beautiful day of the PCT thus far, but also one of the most difficult. I've been feeling down for no particular reason during the past day or so, so I'm just going to accept it, see what it offers, and let it pass...

..or maybe it's just the excess of pizza, whiskey, and high fructose corn syrup I consumed in the last 24 hours... Whatever.

Look at these pictures of the sunset! This first one is taken looking south towards West Covina and the second is looking southwest towards Glendale.

Day 28

Miles 383-390, 394-405 (plus 4.9 mile old endangered species detour)

Last night I camped on a ridge three quarters of a mile before an established campsite. My guidebook said that the established campsite is known for bears, so I decided to set up camp earlier in hopes of avoiding any trouble. 

When I camp alone I'm much more prone to being freaked out at the thought of bears or mountain lions. Having been alone last night, I found myself waking up at every little noise in my camp.

Today started with a side trip to fill up my water bottles. California section D of the PCT is known for being dry, so I'll have to carry 4 or 5 liters of water for most stretches. That's 8 to 10 pounds of water! Oh well, the extra weight is worth not having to go thirsty.

After crossing Angeles Crest Highway a few times (I'll cross this highway at least 9 times in this section), I came to the beginning of a detour. The PCT has been closed between mile 390 and 394 for a few years in order to protect the habitat of an endangered toad. There are two ways to get around this section: the new endangered species detour replaces the lost 4 miles with a 20-mile trek on the High Desert Trail, while the old detour involves a 2.7 mile road walk and 2.2 miles of another trail to get back to the PCT. I'm not sure which detour other people are taking (I'm not sure why I rushed out of Wrightwood without asking), but I took the old detour. 

I usually hate road walks, but this one was surprisingly nice. It's Sunday, so people from the cities below were cruising the mountain highway on their motorcycles and in their old sports cars. There was almost always a wide shoulder on the side of the road and I skipped along most of the way. I danced to music in one of my ears and used the alone time to sing at the top of my lungs.

I spent an extra mile or so lost in the Buckhorn Campground, which connects the highway to the alternate trail, back to the PCT. My guidebook says that this campground is known for drugs and violence, but I only saw the drugs. I walked by several cute lesbian couples, a  big group of camping hipsters, and one interesting group of college aged kids. The six teenagers had to be on hallucinogens of some kind. The four girls were sitting in a circle, stretching and staring at the trees with wide eyes. The two guys were huddled, maybe more like crouched, over a guitar considering it so intensely that they didn't even notice me walking 3 feet behind them. Funny urban campgrounds.

It got really hot in the middle of the day, so I spent some time cooling my feet in one of the last big creeks that I'll see for a while.

Did I mention how much I love breaks?

Today I hit 400 miles! Yesssss!

I stopped for dinner a mile or so before camp. When I got to the roadside parking lot a woman was just getting out of the bathroom. She asked if I was a thru-hiker and got really excited when I said that I am. She yelled to her family across the parking lot, "IT'S A THRU HIKER! HE HAS A TRAIL NAME! HIS NAME IS GLITTER!" She told me about her plans to hike the PCT in the future as I pulled out my dinner of steak-flavored rice. I wanted to ask her if she had a soda, but I didn't. I don't want to play the desperate PCT hiker too often, but Jesus Christ, I've been craving Pepsi so badly.

After dinner I immediately walked into dense poodle-dog bush. I'll take another detour or two tomorrow just to get around this nasty stuff. For now, I'm setting up camp early so I don't have to navigate poodle-dog bush in the dark. 

Three more days until I pick up my new socks at the Saufley's. I'm going to miss my current pair, they never loose the shape of my feet and they have been pure gold in preventing blisters, but there's a hole the size of a sand dollar in one so they need to be replaced.

Day 29

Miles 405-431

I've developed an itchy heat rash on my back, my feet hurt, I'm alone, and I feel like a TOTAL BAD ASS. 

Today was tough. I'm absolutely loving this experience, but it's really hard work. The morning was hot and my body didn't get into the rhythym of walking very quickly. I make my body walk anyway because food, fuel, and water are limited. 

There were supposed to be two detours today to skip the worst of the poodle-dog bush. I missed the first detour. Then I got lost in a forest of fallen trees and had to slide down a hill, dodging the poodle-dog until I got back on the trail. Oops! The first 14 miles of the day felt like an obstacle course; I'd barely make it through a patch of poodle-dog when I'd come around the corner to find an even bigger patch. 

This area was burned in the Station Fire in 2009. The fire even killed two firefighters when it burned the fire station near the top of Mount Gleason. 

Around mile 16 I went off-trail to get water from a roadside picnic area. A construction worker nearby told me that four or five other hikers were resting at the fire station, so I walked across the street and found Ninja Tank and the Fellowship. The Fellowship is composed of four guys who I first met at Fuller Ridge. They gave me a Pepsi that Ninja Tank's mother had dropped off and I sat in the shade, basked in the carbonated goodness and rested my feet. Soda!

After a short break I started on the 10-mile, road walk detour around the rest of the Station Fire burn area. I almost stepped on a snake, but thankfully he was already dead.

Walking on pavement makes all of the muscles in my feet, calves, and butt ten times as sore as usual. The road got really steep and went on forever, but the view was spectacular so I put in my headphones and danced my way up the mountain.

For those of you who are curious, I'm directly north of Los Angeles right now. 

As the road ascended from the Mill Creek fire station at the bottom of Mount Gleason to the peak, I passed the memorial to the firefighters who died in the Station Fire. 

Right off trail you can actually walk into the old burnt fire station. Seeing the station was an odd experience; everything seemed to be preserved in the same place it had been before the fire. The basketball court and barbecue had melted and through the windows I could see burned out furniture filling the rooms. Charred trees have fallen into the building and poodle-dog bush has overtaken every spot of dirt.

Back on the road, which was now dirt, I continued up the mountain.

26 miles later, I arrived at the camp right after Ninja Tank and before the Fellowship. This day has felt so long. I can't wait to curl up in my amazing new tent and rest until I do it all again tomorrow. 

Day 30

431-454

Today I descend from Mt Gleason into Agua Dulce, where cold drinks and hot showers await. Even more than the food, I'm excited to see who else is taking a zero day at the Saufley's. Maybe I'll catch up with Jolly or Miles. 

Today was cloudy all day, which is always a welcome surprise out here in these exposed burn areas. The lack of sunshine was a perk in a day full of poodle-dog.

I'm pretty sure today is my last day battling with poodle dog (please god let it be so), but it was also the worst. It often felt like the plant was making an effort to rub against my foot or arm or backpack.

Sometimes I'd be looking down, watching my feet, and I wouldn't notice that another sneaky poodle dog had reached it's feelers into the trail at eye level.

After getting out of the station fire burn zone, the terrain opened up and I could often see the trail for miles in front of me.

Another day of hiking alone and I'm happy. Lonely, heat rashed, and happy.

I passed under highway 14 about ten miles before Agua Dulce. Highways are gross.

I also passed a Metrolink going from Lancaster to Los Angeles. I smiled and waved at the passengers, who looked at me with curiosity.

In the last 7 miles the sky darkened and it began to rain. My first PCT rain! It only lasted for a minute or two and I stood still, feeling the warm rain on my face.

Once I reached the valley floor all of the poodle dog bush had turned into wild flowers. Entire hillsides were covered in golden poppies and I discovered this beauty right next to the trail. Anyone know what it is? It came in white, yellow, orange, and this light red.  It looks like a poppy, but grows on it's own and not in clumps like the golden poppies I know from childhood.

A few miles later through a tunnel, up over a daytime picnic area, and down the main street of Agua Dulce, I arrived at the Saufley's. While getting a tour of their hiker amenities (more to come on that tomorrow) I found Jolly, Jolly's friends he had been trying to catch up with, Miles, Nature & Legs, and a whole bunch of other friends. It's nice to be in the company of other hikers again.

I spent the night drinking beer, eating meatloaf, watching movies, and chatting with everyone about dry, dirty, detour-y section D. 

Day 31

Miles: None

Zero day! Miles and I rode into town this morning for breakfast at the Sweetwater Cafe. I didn't have energy to go into town last night, so this was my first town meal in Agua Dulce. The waitress asked us to sign the banner out front.

I spent all day today recovering at the Saufley's. The Saufley's have extended their home to hikers, dedicating their entire garage and backyard to everything a hiker could want. When I showed up yesterday I was immediately greeted by a volunteer who gave me a big towel and loaner clothes from bins in the driveway. He led me around the yard showing me which cots were free, where I could pick up my packages, where to put my dirty laundry (Mrs. Saufley does the laundry and welcomes special instructions), where to shower, and how to get into town. They even have a fleet of bikes ready to ride the one mile into the little town.

Back to the Saufley's...

The shower is part of a two bedroom mobile home, completely dedicated to hikers.

One of the volunteers drove a few of us into town to resupply at Walmart. Aren't these folks INCREDIBLE? I bought food for the next 5-day section and cheap white wine for right now.

The rest of the day I organized my food, drank wine, napped, ate Mexican food, and napped again. Tomorrow will be a bigger day. I'm planning on sleeping in, then waiting for the heat of the day to pass before I join Miles for 15 miles or so of hiking. The next day we're at another trail angel's house, the Anderson's (AKA hippie daycare). Bring it on section E!