PCT Days 26-33

Day 26 was a zero day in Big Bear Lake, spent relaxing and sleeping. I had a nice breakfast at the Grizzly Manor Cafe, and enjoyed dinner with Chris, Kristina, and Emma at Fire Rock Burgers.

I had not yet resupplied in town, so on day 27 I had to do so before leaving town. It was fairly expensive in the resort town. After struggling to get a hitch for awhile, a nice guy gave me a ride back to trail around 1:30. Since it was already so late in the day, I only hiked 13 miles to mile 279.2. The miles went by easily enough, and I camped with some people I’d never met before, spending the evening chatting with GWAG.

I planned to hike 19.3 miles on day 28, and set off a little late but at a brisk pace. I was covering 3.5 miles per hour as the trail headed downhill. I reached my goal rather early, around 3:15 pm, and decided to have my first 20+ mile day on the PCT and continue on. I pushed another 5.4 miles to make it 24.7 miles for the day, my longest day of hiking ever. I also caught up with most of my friends, who had left town a day earlier than I did. I felt great and was elated to have hiked such a long day.

The next day was forecast to be chilly and rain all day, and day 29 didn’t disappoint. There was a picnic area 24.2 miles away, off of mile 328.1, and I urged the group to make the push, as one can order pizza from the picnic area. It rained most of the morning as we made the miles. My feet were soggy and I was chilly, but the rain eventually cleared up in the early afternoon. The trail made its way around Silverwood Lake as we neared the picnic area. At the junction down to our goal, there was a sign proclaiming trail magic ahead. I rushed down to find a group of hikers drying out and enjoying burgers and sodas. I met Fish Tank, the hiker who organized the trail magic. I cheered my friends as they came in, all having completed their longest day. I felt incredibly proud of myself as well, having hiked 48.9 miles in two days. Unfortunately, the forecast for the next day called for more rain and some storms.

Day 30 also happened to be my 30th birthday. I checked the weather in the morning when I awoke and found that the light rain that was falling was to stop after 8 am; the storms in the previous day’s forecast were no longer expected. Our first goal for the day was Cajon Pass 13.8 miles away, where there is a McDonalds .4 miles off trail. Joren and I hiked together much of the morning, making our way out of the valley containing Silverwood Lake and down to the highway. After getting to McDonalds and stuffing our faces, we grabbed some beer from the gas station and hiked a couple miles to an overlook of Cajon Pass to watch the rail traffic and relax. We passed a couple hours enjoying the view and drinking beer before deciding to hike another 4 miles or so. After about a quarter mile though, we found a nice campsite and the burgers and beer dictated that this was home for the night.

Day 31 marked a month on trail, and we had to make 20.7 miles to Guffy Campground, the next water source. The problem with the day’s hike was the climb: 6650′ of climbing over those 20.7 miles. Thankfully the weather was decent, 70s and partly cloudy. The climb was rarely steep, instead maintaining a steady but persistent incline. After about 8 miles, I began to notice my vision getting funny in my right eye, a sign of a migraine — something from which I suffer occasionally. I pushed another 4 miles through the discomfort until I found a nice shaded place to set up my tent and nap for a couple hours. I woke up shortly after 3 and felt good enough to continue hiking, so I packed up and headed out. The trail had been climbing from a high desert valley all morning, but as I rounded a corner after resuming my hike, the landscape changed dramatically. Mount San Antonio rose above a valley of pine trees, all signs of the desert suddenly gone. I finished the hike and fetched water from Guffy Spring down the incredibly steep side trail. Camped at mile 364.3, we left just 5 miles to Highway 2, where we could hitch into Wrightwood.

On day 32, we made the 5 miles quickly, enjoying gorgeous views of the canyon and Mount Baden-Powell. We hitched after about 30 minutes down to Wrightwood, a small mountain town northeast of Los Angeles. The local hardware store, Mountain Hardware, is very friendly and helpful towards hikers, stocking gear and letting hikers hang out and charge electronics. I was able to exchange a pair of Darn Tough socks that had gotten a hole, and picked up an additional new pair. We enjoyed breakfast at the Grizzly Cafe before getting picked up by Dave from the Bud Pharm. Dave has been hosting hikers for a decade, providing tent space, showers, laundry, and each night hikers all contribute funds and effort to cook a great dinner and have drinks. There are cats, dogs, chickens, and donkeys at this little hiker paradise, and Dave is a wonderful host. We enjoyed chicken and steak tacos with Modelos to wash it all down.

Today is day 33 and we’re still resting at the Bud Pharm. I washed my clothes and showered today, leaving resupply as the only chore left to do in town. We’re thinking about barbeque for dinner. We’ll be heading out in the morning. Next town will be Aqua Dulce, 85 miles away, where we’ll plan on staying at Hiker Heaven.