Day 4, 18.47 miles

What a crazy rollercoaster! Today was so so so so HOT in all caps!! Even though it seems like two days ago, I woke up this morning to witness a high desert sunrise in my beautiful boulder-side tentsite. Pictures below as promised!

Complete with wind protection!

#iwokeuplikethis

My hamstrings were extra sore this morning, so I actually started at a pretty mellow pace. Soon everything warmed up and I was feeling fine! I’m realizing it’s extra extra important to get those morning miles in since things start to get hot around 8:30am!

The first few miles of trail were comprised of yet again my favorite surface:

Who put that there?!

I soon approached today’s important water result point. It’s 0.5 miles off trail but without it we’d be facing a 26 mile waterless stretch. As I took the cutoff trail for it I saw some sweet trail magic:

Yum yum yum! Pink grapefruit! I took a big one and headed towards the water source. (For those that remember, this is the same area that Claire, Banjo, and I spent about 2hs crammed in a tiny outhouse just to have some sanctuary from the 70mph wind!)

 There was some nice shade and I sat down and had an amazing breakfast consisting of white cheddar popcorn, a pink grapefruit, and a snickers bar! (I love trail diet). It was there a became formerly introduced to a group of 5 hikers that I had seen just before Mt. Laguna: Queso, James, Sean, Coke Can, and Vincent. You don’t want to know why they call him Coke Can..

I also ran into Sarah and her dog Porter again!

After filtering 4 liters of water I headed back towards the trail. In the small parking lot near the trailhead back to the PCT, I saw a lady pulling a big container of  grapefruit out of her car. It was the trail angel that left them there and was back to refill the container! Her name was Ice and she’s so cool! She even gave me a SWEET custom-made buff of different points of interest on the PCT and the trail angels in each area:

Ice

This is a great multi use item that can be used for sun protection around the neck, a wet towel when you need to cool off, a wind blocker, the list goes on! And it’s super soft! Thanks Ice!

I helped her carry a big bucket of grapefruit less than half a mile back to the PCT. I thanked her, gave her my blog, and headed off. Not a few minutes later I finally saw my first snake on the PCT! About time! It wasn’t a rattler and was too far away to actually startle me.

Well, there’s not much to say about the actual trail today expect that it was long, hot, windy, and windy (both meanings of this word). After a downhill that seemed to last forever, I made it down to a sandy wash where in 2016, Claire and I met Ben (later to be dubbed Gladiator). It was there in the shade where I met Mike and Elaine from up in the Olympic peninsula! We talked about the beauty of the Pacific Northwest for a bit and then they were on their way.

I want to mention most people that I meet and talk with here, because I found that in 2016 I wouldn’t mention when I met someone, and later they would turn out to be great close friends! So bear with all the details! :)

At another super hot and dry moment on the trail, near a water source that is all dried up, I spotted a vehicle from afar on a dirt road that crosses the trail. I got closer and noticed a few hikers sitting under the shade of a canopy attached to the big SUV. It was Happyfeet,  a trail angel who hiked the PCT last year. He was providing shade and ice cold Powerades :) I’ll take both please!

Left to right: Happyfeet, ——, Candyman, and Tanya

I had seen the others before but just learned their names today. Candyman and Tanya are both from Switzerland but didnt know each other until now. Sorry I forgot the second guy.. I thanked Happyfeet and once again headed into the blistering (quite literally) sun.

The scenery soon opened up big time and we started a loooooooong downhill (and a little uphill) traverse, following the contours of the valley wall. (If you look close you can see the trail in the middle of the very right side of the picture)

It was during this intense challenge that I took a break on a nice rock in a rare patch of shade, when I formally met Andre. He is a great fellow from Germany. We asked about each other’s life and background and fields of work. He’s been married 5 years, and has done a lot of other hiking and backpacking. He’s backpjed across the Swiss Alps for two weeks, and lived in Banff/Lake Louise area up in Canada (one of my favorite places and the location of my favorite hike) for 6 moths! He has a 6 month visa for the states and if he finishes with enough time he’d like to fly to Kaui and rent a car for a few days, camping on the beaches and possibly hiking the world famous Na Pali coastline. He has a great outlook on life and is so glad that I’m out here doing this trail while I’m young and that my family supports me. I would definitely consider him my closest friend on trail now, hahaha! I will try and remember to get a picture of him tomorow.

Andre (Photo taken next morning)

As long and hot as the day was, there was a very special beauty to it. As the day grew longer and I become more tired and delirious, I witnessed the flora change. There were more cactus and the first blossoms on some plants that I’ve seen yet. The afternoon lighting made for some great sights.

The real surprise came when I FINALLY found a spot to camp. I had passed what I thought was a great spot, because I wanted to go a teeny bit further, and of course there was no other spot for the next 3 miles. I set my groundsheet down and did started doing some stretching and yoga. When I sat back up, facing the open side of the valley, I saw the most beautiful sunset unfolding right before my eyes. The colors came rapidly out of nowhere! Oranges, pinks, purples, yellows, within minutes! 

Looks about right. Then....

BAM! 

What a lovely sunset! My favorite so far, more to come I’m sure! There’s no filter on the photo, of any that I post here on the daily blog. I sat right there in that exact view until it got completely dark. When all of the light was just about to fade away, you could hear coyotes from all around, doing a sunset howl together. The bright 1/2 moon popped out of nowhere, and the temperature went from hot to perfect. What a perfect night..

Ok, I’m not exaggerating one bit about this next part. About 20 mins ago I clearly heard what I thought might be another hiker coming down the trail. I was waiting to see a headlamp but then realized there was no one coming... James saw a mountain lion last night while night hiking around this area, and that thought was enough for me to retreat to the tent to finish up the blog. Just now I heard some soft padding outside, not circling my tent, but pacing back and forth a little ways away. I’m sure I’ve heard it twice now. I’ve realized that mountain lions are curious, but not enough to mess with a tent. I’m not saying that that’s exactly what I hear, but I’m definitely going to check for prints in the morning!

Well, on the terrifying note that a mountain lion might be watching me right now, good night! 

PS.. if it is a mountain lion, I’ll shine my headlamp at these and it’ll run away! :)

Thanks for reading!