PCT Day 16 (4/15/22) Grass Valley Creek to Silverwood Lake

 After an excruciating ten miles in the morning, I made it to Silverwood Lake. At that point I was close to a major highway and had cell reception, so I gave my mom a call with a rundown of the situation. After receiving her counsel, I decided that I needed to go see a doctor. I called up my uncle from San Clemente, who was luckily available to give me a ride.

As I waited for him and my grandparents to arrive, I did some self-diagnosing on the internet and speculated that I might have had a stress fracture. About a week later, after some x-rays and an MRI, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my Cuboid and Cuneiform, induced by overuse.

At first, my doctor did not believe that I would make it back on the trail that year. But in a later meeting I revealed my latest feasible resumption date of June 1st, and he let me know that I would probably be good to go until then. In the meantime, I could do anything I wanted, as long as it didn't make my foot hurt.

Needless to say, I was extremely bummed about my broken foot, but happy that I would be back on the trail in about a month and a half. I took my rest seriously and started planning to get back on at South Lake Tahoe and head north before coming back down to hike the Sierra Nevada later in the summer.

After this post, there won't be another until June 1st unfortunately. But the trail only became more exciting and entertaining as accumulated mileage, which will be reflected in my upcoming posts. I'm so excited!

Silverwood Lake, chillin' at the Silverwood Lake picnic area:

PCT Day 15 (4/14/22) Holcomb Creek to Grass Valley Creek

 "Great day today! Started off before six and had my best breakfast yet at a sweet bridge. Kept going until I got to some hot springs. Hung out there for a few hours. I met some cool people, swam in the river, and hung out in the hot tubs. I ate a ton of food before I left, and took a questionable recommendation from a local to drink the hot spring water, which made the end of the hike today a little uncomfortable." 4/14/22 7:23 PM

After an early start, I pounded some miles before taking a quick break for breakfast. Not long after resuming hiking, I passed the 300 mile marker. I sped along the trail and arrived at the location I'd been looking forward to all trail around midday: Deep Creek hot springs.

I had a wonderful time soaking in the various hot pools and swimming in the deep creek. The water was crystal clear and the perfect temperature to hop into after overheating in the hot springs. Most of the people there had hiked out for the day, and many had overpacked for their picnics, so I was able to inherit quite a few snacks.

While I was there, the hot spring local, Jason Stahlheber, arrived and started doing his thing. He showed me a copy of the local climbing book that he co-authored. He also sold me on the healing powers of the spring that feeds into the pools. Before I left the springs, I filled my water bladder to the max with hot spring water.

After I was done playing in the pools, I started to pack up, and I realized just how much my foot was hurting. I put my shoes on and continued hiking nonetheless. The day was hot, I had a full stomach, an aching foot, and the hot spring water was starting to cause a ruckus in my stomach. I took a break in the shade of some unusual water management infrastructure.

After I made the last creek crossing of the day, which was a shoes on and off ordeal, the foot pain really started to ramp up. By the time I made it to camp I was hobbling and forced to take frequent rests. I had also begin to adopt a very lopsided hiking style to favor my injured foot. I arrived at the creek, set up my gear, and hit the hay.

A sweet bridge, the 300 mile mark, Jason's book, leaving Deep Creek hot springs:

PCT Day 14 (4/13/22) Big Bear Lake to Holcomb Creek

 "Left Big Bear this morning and started hiking at 10 after going to the post office. Awesome trail today. Trail angel gave me some fat pineapple slices. Camping near a creek. Hopefully it isn't too wet tonight." 4/13/22 7:15 PM

Had a slow start to the morning after a late night the night before. I was able to make a quick pit stop at the post office to ditch my stove and make the definitive switch to cold soaking before heading up to the trail.

Once I was back on track I made quick progress on nice, loamy, smooth terrain. Around midday, I ran into a friend of friend who I hiked and chatted with for a while. Later that afternoon I made a pit stop at Cheshire Cat's aid station, who was serving up ice cold fruit. I couldn't have imagined anything better. After hanging out with him and his dog for a little while, I resumed hiking. Throughout the day I continued to have some foot pain, but at this point I was in denial about any potential injury. I figured I could keep hiking and eventually the pain would subside.

Eventually I started seeing camps set up here and there as the evening progressed, but I resolved to hike at least until dark due to my late start that morning. A descended off the crest of a ridge into the Holcomb Creek Canyon. I crossed the creek once, then found a nice campsite at the next crossing where I set up for the night.

A friend of a friend, Cheshire Cat and his pup:

PCT Day 13 (4/12/22) Coon Creek Cabin to Big Bear Lake

 "Staying in a hostel in Big Bear tonight. Took a shower and washed all my clothes. Sleeping in a real bed." 4/12/22 4:53 PM

I woke up in the middle of the night at Coon Creek Cabin with an unexplainable pain in my foot. Fortunately, I was able to fall back asleep. I noted the incident but decided not to worry about it.

When I awoke in the morning, it was very cold, and I decided to get going before the bad vibe crowd got up. My hands were absolutely freezing while I waited for the sun to come out. Eventually I found a spot in the sun where I was able to eat my breakfast and thaw out.

I hit the high point of the day at Onyx Summit and began my long, gradual descent to Highway 18. As I hiked, my shoe kept felt like it was getting tighter and tighter, no matter how much I loosened it. I knew something was up, but I decided to make to Big Bear and worry about my foot later.

When I arrived at Highway 18 there was a huge crew of hikers standing on the wrong side of the road complaining about how nobody was picking up hitchhikers and they were calling a shuttle. I decided to try my luck on the correct side of the street, and the first car to come over the pass pulled off and picked me up. It turned out to be an elderly woman who had lived in the area for years. And with her local knowledge came an adrenaline inducing driving style.

We were on the outskirts of Big Bear Lake before I could blink, and from there a took a couple buses, with a stop at the supermarket, down to the hostel I planned to stay at for the night. I was able to get organized and clean that evening. The hostel had nightly themes, and I happened to arrive on Taco Tuesday, where tacos and tequila were included with the room. Along with the eclectic and energetic hostel crew, the night devolved into mayhem.

Another view of Mt San Jacinto:

PCT Day 12 (4/11/22) Whitewater Preserve to Coon Creek Cabin

"Epic day today! Sleeping over a mile higher than I did last night. Sweet cabin with a fireplace to stay in."  4/11/22 6:31 PM

In reminiscence, this day was quite a mixed bag, with plenty of joy and sorrow alike. I began the day in the Whitewater River Wash. The trail was difficult to follow, and the deep sand was challenging to hike in, but I made steady progress nevertheless. As I approached the northern end of the wash, the trail began to climb.

I knew the night prior that there was going to be a lot of elevation this day, and elevation there was. The remainder of the day, I felt surprisingly great, and made speedy progress on the way to Onyx Summit, my ultimate elevation destination before descending into the town of Big Bear. Amidst my progress-induced euphoria, I set a lofty goal of making it to the Coon Creek Cabin for the night, which at that point was a questionable (but internally justifiable) decision, and within a few days would turn around to bite me in the ass.

By nightfall I made it to the cabin. Unfortunately, there was a dysfunctional "trail family" already there occupying the majority of the cabin. The vibe was off, and they were disappointed that I wanted to keep the fire rolling. I kept it rolling anyways. Another individual hiker arrived later that night, and we kept each other company. At about 10, I hopped in bed, with my biggest day in terms of both mileage and elevation under my belt. 

Mt San Jacinto poking through the clouds over the Whitewater River Canyon, a Gophersnake, Coon Creek Cabin, a happy fire:

PCT Day 11 (4/10/22) Fuller Ridge to Whitewater Preserve

 The report I wrote on the night of my eleventh day was the only one that did not survive. Regardless, I still recall quite a bit from that day. I left camp around dawn and begin making my way down the remainder of Mount San Jacinto. The total descent from the summit to the San Gorgonio Pass was about 10,000 feet, so I needed to get going. As I wound my down the mountain, within the cell reception bubble of Palm Springs, I decided to make some phone calls. My complacency grew, and before I knew it I was face to face with an angry six foot long rattlesnake. I waited for a few minutes, but the snake stood its ground, so I was forced to scramble through screen while avoiding cacti in order to continue down the trail.

Eventually I made my way to a water tank where I rested in the shade and let my adrenaline subside. Following the tank was a long, hot walk through a wash before crossing under the I-10 freeway. When I made it to the underpass, I was relieved to find plenty of shade and a friendly woman administering trail magic. I took an extended break to enjoy some refreshments before beginning my final section of trail for the day.

The exit route from the freeway was very uncomfortable, as the trail dipped drainage ditches of a partially defunct and totally sketch housing development. The most nervous moment was when I had to take an urgent crap just off the side of the road, with nothing but some thin desert brush to hide me from the residents.

I finally made it out of the neighborhood and enjoyed my climb up a canyon with a pleasant breeze. When I arrived to the top, I had to battle a vicious headwind along the rim of the canyon. By nightfall, I made to Whitewater Preserve, which had a man made pond (with swimming permitted) and a large field with free camping to hikers. It is here that I wrote my report that did not survive, while trying to sleep through intense wind that I had experienced earlier in the day. I made refuge behind the leeward side a hefty stone bathroom, which proved to be a worthwhile campsite.

The north face of Mount San Jacinto, an angry snake, trail magic at the freeway, a peaceful snake:

PCT Day 10 (4/9/22) Tahquitz Ridge to Fuller Ridge

 "Crazy day today. Started hiking around 4:00 AM and descended into Idyllwild. At breakfast and got my toe socks then headed back up towards San Jacinto with feet feeling much better. Summited around 1:00 PM. Super gnarly descent down the north side and hiked a few more miles before camp. Pretty wiped." 4/9/22 6:38 PM

That was a very crazy day. I hiked to the saddle at the top of Devil's Slide Trail and set up my tent to leave my stuff inside, before slackpacking down into Idyllwild. I had to walk almost all the way into town from the trailhead, as nobody was really out and about yet. I reunited with my friends that I began with at breakfast. They had resupplied and stayed in Idyllwild the previous night. I got to the outdoor store at opening to pick up a couple pairs of toe sock liners. As soon as I put them on, it was like all of blisters went away. It was much easier to get a ride back to the trailhead. I ripped my way up the climb with a near-empty pack, before packing up my gear that I had left at the top of the climb.

From there, I headed north again on the PCT until I reached the turn off for the San Jacinto summit. As I continued to climb, the snow became more and more prominent. At this point in the day, it was extremely soft, and every step was laborious. By early afternoon, I made it to the summit. I enjoyed my lunch, and began my descent down the notorious Fuller Ridge.

Being on the north side of the mountain, the snow was a whole lot thicker. The trail was steep, and the snow was soft. There were sketchy almost-melted snow bridges over raging rapids. I slogged along with another group of hikers I came across until we came to a well established campsite. The group of hikers stopped, but there was no way I was going to let any snow come across my path the next morning, so I targeted a site a few miles down the trail, and got going. I finally made it to camp, which I shared with a handful of others, made dinner, and went to sleep.

Alpine start, breakfast with the boys, on the summit of Mount San Jacinto, appreciating my new toe socks at lunch:

PCT Day 9 (4/8/22) Paradise Valley Cafe to Tahquitz Ridge

 "Really hard day today. Lots of elevation, downed trees, and snow. Made it further than expected. Going into Idyllwild tomorrow to get some toe socks." 4/8/22 7:33 PM

Yes, this was a very hard day. Looking back the most challenging aspects came due to water access. The trail that I covered that day basically followed a ridge up towards Mt San Jacinto from the south, and all of the water sources were down in drainages off of the ridge crest. To get to my first water, I had to hike quite a ways down a steep ravine. Before descending, I had a to take a crap so badly, but had no water left to use in my bidet. Part way down, I conceded and used random debris to wipe my ass before finally making it to the water source. After climbing back out, I continued along the ridge. The sun continued to climb, and the steep trail was arduous. By mid-afternoon, I made it to my next water source, also more than a mile off of the main trail. Many people were slack packing down, but I brought all my gear to have a picnic in the shade and potentially set up camp for the night. Luckily, after refilling my water, washing my feet, and relaxing in the shade while having lunch, I felt rejuvenated and resolved to continue hiking until dark. As the trail gained elevation the snow patches began. Luckily the snow was very consolidated and did not require a ton of extra energy to traverse. Combined with many downed trees though, the progress was definitely much slower. I eventually made it to a great campsite overlooking Palm Springs right around dark. I set up camp with plans to hike into Idyllwild in the morning to get some toe socks, which seemed to be the most popular remedy for my increasingly agonizing between-the-toe blisters.

A lizard chillin', a great view into Coachella Valley, testing out my microspikes, my camp for the night:

PCT Day 8 (4/7/22) Tom's Place to Paradise Valley Cafe

 "Made it to paradise valley. Had an awesome lunch." 4/7/22 6:43 PM

I rose early to the bewilderment of my neighbors that morning, and started clocking some miles on easy terrain. After I had been cruising for a while, I set my sights on arriving to Paradise Valley Cafe with ample time to grab my resupply package and eat before they closed, at 3:00 PM. This gave me little to no time for breaks, and it was necessary for me to set a high pace throughout the morning into early afternoon. Along the way, another hiker tagged along who shared my goal. With the toughest climb of the day in the rearview mirror, we hiked down the 1 mile stretch of trail off the PCT to get to Paradise Valley. I grabbed a table with my hiking buddy, then headed to the bathroom and the resupply package stash. I found my primary resupply easily, but the envelope containing my titanium spoon, the one I left in Barbara's car on the first day, was nowhere to be found. I enjoyed a great meal before we got kicked out so they could close. At this point I began to realize how much of a beating my feet had taken that day. With my shoes off, I could easily see the many blisters between my toes. Along with a couple more hikers, we hitched a series of poorly planned rides before finally arriving at the trailhead. Just a mile in, there was a great place to camp, so I set up and passed out.

Sunrise as I began my day, a horned toad beginning his day:

PCT Day 7 (4/6/22) Montezuma Valley to Tom's Place

 "Epic day today! Very hot." 4/6/22 8:55 PM

It was a pretty hot day that day, despite it only being early April. We left camp and headed towards Warner Springs, an optional resupply that we were opting to bypass. I ventured ahead of the main group and took a long rest up ahead in a cool ravine with a nice creek running through it. I spent a long time waiting for my companions in the shade. I had initially set Tom's Place as a good goal for the evening, still eleven miles ahead. By the time the group arrived, nobody was excited to keep going, so I decided to forge on ahead. I set a quick pace and enjoyed the cooling air as the sun lowered in the sky. By the time I made it to Tom's Place it was dark. I had heard that Tom's Place was a little bit weird, and I ran into some hikers right outside who were leaving because of the weird vibe. I decided to go on in to Tom's property to collect water from one of his tanks, but did not spend the night. Instead I headed out along the dirt road for a mile or town before setting up camp at the junction with the PCT alongside another pair of hikers.

Breaking down camp in the morning, Approaching "Eagle Rock", An interesting lizard, Sunset on the final climb of the day:

PCT Day 6 (4/5/22) Julian to Montezuma Valley

 "Sent it this morning! Chilled hard at a spring with a sweet crew." 4/5/22 7:37 PM

I remember this being the first day that my body felt excited to cover some ground. We passed the 100 mile marker after midday. Afterwards, there was a long, dry descent that ended in a small wooded area with a comfortable campsite and a plentiful spring. We were able to wash clothes and bathe. There was a small grocery store a couple miles down the road with a shuttle that we made a trip to in the afternoon to top off our resupply from Julian. The oasis attracted a large group of hikers that night. Looks like we also came to a well-stocked water cache and saw a couple of snakes too.

What appears to be a couple of gopher snakes, a water cache with a shady spot, and 100 miles from Mexico:

PCT Day 5 (4/4/22) Chariot Mountain to Julian

 "Resupplied in Julian today, pretty sweet. Stores had hella hiker deals." 4/4/22 7:16 PM

Well that report was quite an understatement. We started hiking at the crack of dawn down a 2000 foot descent to Scissor's Crossing, the access to Julian. The hike was pretty mellow, with tons of fighter jets flying low and fast overhead. A trail angel conveniently arrived at Scissor's Crossing just after us and gave us a ride into Julian, which was a great place to resupply and get reorganized. We were able to take care of a few tasks while in town: resupplying, eating a lot of food, and mailing out some equipment that we decided we no longer needed. The grocery store was decent and we were all able to get a solid resupply out of it. The post office was a bit out of town, but we made the trek regardless. The real highlight was the in town food. The deli had a $5 sandwich and chips hiker deal that I hit twice during our few hours in town. Additionally, one of the pie shops in town gave out a free slice of pie a la mode to hikers, which we all gratefully enjoyed while our electronics recharged. We left town in the evening and made it up a somewhat substantial climb before calling it for the day.

Packing up nice and early, Setting up camp that evening, A well savored slice of pie a la mode:

  

PCT Day 4 (4/3/22) Penny Pines to Chariot Mountain

 "The fourth day was sweet. Started from the tap real early and hiked pretty quick through the morning to the next water. Took a super sweet break at the top of a descent then sent it to a killer campsite. Psyched!" 4/3/22 6:43 PM

An uneventful and beautiful day by my recollection. Aidan walked past the water fill up and ended up throwing down a few extra miles from circling back. The trail was super easy and nontechnical, so we made good mileage with low effort. The campsite was slightly windy but had spectacular views.

Sunrise over Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness, Chestnut cream (sugar) from the french restaurant, First blister maintenance, Epic clouds rolling in at camp:

    

  

PCT Day 3 (4/2/22) Cibbets Flat to Penny Pines

 "Great day three. Hiked pretty quick to town then had a chill afternoon." 4/2/22 7:51 PM

Day three was actually much more interesting and exciting than I originally made it out to be. We woke up at an epic campsite overlooking a large valley. Hike up a pretty long, steady climb up to Mount Laguna, our first, very small, resupply. We ate lunch at a really great french restaurant after replenishing our supplies enough to get us to Julian. We enjoyed calm terrain and great weather after we left town and got in a few more miles before camp.

Waking up at the previous night's camp, Aidan overlooking a large valley, Setting up for camp in the evening, My food supply to get me to Julian:

  

  

PCT Day 2 (4/1/22) Lake Morena to Cibbets Flat

 "Mellow day two. Chilled out for a while in the afternoon." 4/1/22 7:28 PM

Day two definitely was a mellow day. We woke up, hiked a couple of miles to a sunny spot to have breakfast and dry out all of our dew covered gear. Continued on steadily the rest of the day until we arrived at a Cibbets Flat Campground, a little ways off the trail. Filled up our water and lounged on the grass in the sun before heading back up the hill to camp at the trail.

Dewey camp in the morning at Lake Morena, The crew hiking through a meadow, Sunset from camp, Under I-8 overpass: