PCT Days 7-10

On Day 7, I intended on resupplying at the RV park, but they didn’t have fuel so I needed to hitch to Julian again. As a friend on the AT last year said, “you gotta show a little thigh!” I had lunch while in town and the people eating next to me paid for my lunch without saying a word! Really awesome surprise. Day 7 ended with an 8 mile hike to mile 85.3. We left Scissors Crossing around 4:30 pm and finished the hike under moonlight. It was a beautiful, warm night and we enjoyed wine and the moonlit mountains all around. Overall a great day!

Day 8 was a 15.8 mile hike to mile 101.1. It was a hot and sunny morning and my left foot was hurting rather badly during the first 6 miles to the Third Gate water cache. We filled up at this blessing that breaks up what would be a 24 mile dry stretch. Our plan was to relax in the shade and do the last 10 or so miles in the late afternoon to avoid the heat.

It was buggy though, and I got bored and decided to hike through the heat of the day. I began the 5 mile climb at 11:30. Occasional cloud cover and a little breeze helped make the heat manageable. The last 5 miles or so were a fairly gentle descent to the large campsite and spring at mile 101.1. When I arrived, well ahead of my group, I was a bit surprised to find 25 or so hikers and some trail angels setting up trail magic for dinner and giving out beer and snacks. Eventually there were around 40 hikers, all well fed by these lovely locals. When we ran out of beer around 7 pm, they went and got at least four more cases. I met tons of new people at this spontaneous party with strangers in the wild. It was a fantastic night.

Our plan for day 9 was to hike the 8.4 miles to Warner Springs at mile 109.5. After a brief climb through desert scrub and chaparral, we walked into a gorgeous meadow of wildflowers, surrounded by the mountains of Southern California. We made our way to Eagle Rock, a large rock formation resembling an eagle. After getting pictures, we finished the hike into Warner Springs. The Warner Springs community resource center offers many services for hikers, including camping, a small resupply, charging stations, bucket showers and laundry, and an outfitter is onsite. We relaxed in the afternoon, and enjoyed a free dinner of vegetarian chili provided by some trail angels. I counted over 50 tents set up in the evening.

Today we are relaxing at Warner Springs, and will likely take a zero or possibly hike just 2.1 miles to a campsite. Planning on making it to Mike’s Place tomorrow.