Mile 179.4, Day 18

Day 8–11 (4/5 – 4/8): On Day 8 we had our first zero day in Julian! We got to do our town chores at a leisurely pace, jump in the pool, hang out at the local bar, and still be in bed by 10. Julian was such a hiker friendly town with great people! Then we began a steep hot stretch of the PCT in the middle of a heat wave.

On Day 9, we had our biggest climb in 87 degree weather. Kerrie and I could not find any shade to stop for a break, so we just kept walking. We both got a little cranky in the afternoon, and I got a bit of a heat rash, but don’t worry we were friends again 2 miles later 🙂 We have definitely learned the true harshness of the desert though. Kerrie packed out an avocado and we made chips and guac which really revived us. We cowboy camped for the first time and I made kerrie sleep right next to me so no creepy crawlies would get me 🙂

We began to learn the ways of the desert and start waking up earlier to hike while it’s cool. We hit the 100 mile marker on Day 10, and received trail magic in the form of cooked food, beers, and the sweetest dog to pet. We had done our miles for the day by 11:30, and were able to sit out the heat of the day under Montezuma Valley Market’s giant shade tree while we feasted on hot pockets and microwaved burritos. We had a great evening with our hiking group playing cards and hanging out.

On Day 10 we hit Eagle Rock, an iconic stop on the PCT. We got to the road crossing at Warner Springs and got trail magic in the form of delicious trail mix cookies, cuties, and cold drinks from Julie’s parents. After the high from trail magic, things quickly took a turn as Kerrie was admiring the meadow ahead and twisted her ankle in the largest snake hole we’ve ever seen. She threw herself sideways into the meadow, scraped her knee, and got pinned down by her backpack. Sometimes Mother Nature just needs to brings us down a notch to remind us who’s in charge. It’s ok though, we laugh about it now 🙂

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Day 12–14 (4/9 – 4/11): now we’ve really got this desert-thing down! We wake up at 5am, hike as many miles as we can before the heat of the day, take a 3 hour siesta in the shade with other hikers, then continue hiking as the weather cools. We’re beginning to do longer miles and bigger climbs, and Kerrie and I are feeling good! For our biggest/longest day yet, the quote of the day was “this is why you don’t let a guy from Illinois choose the mileage” -Will/Mellow. Podcasts, audiobooks, and music really help me get through the tough hot parts.

The water sources have been getting sketchier, and on Day 13 we had to get water from a concrete cistern with ‘floaties’ in it. The water was so low someone rigged up a Nalgene to his hiking pole and scooped us all water. We made it to Mary’s Place that night; Mary is a trail angel who has a little hiker oasis with a water tank, picnic tables with shade, and a spot for us to pitch our tents.

The next morning (Day 14) we had an easy hike into Paradise Valley Cafe and a delicious breakfast! Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Will/Mellow, who has been with us since Night 1, but decided to leave the trail. While we were at the restaurant, we got news that there would be snow at low levels of elevation and incredibly high winds where we were hiking to that night. We made a last minute decision to go into town for the night, so we got a hitch into Idyllwild and an Airbnb, best decision ever! We heard the conditions were really sketchy that night. Instead, we made a delicious home cooked meal, showered, and did laundry. It was a great night!

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WEEK 2 STATS-

• Week 2 Miles: 74.9
• Week 2 Average Miles: 10.6/day
• Total Miles: 151.8
• Total Average Miles: 10.8/day
• Resupplies: 2
• Showers: 2
• Favorite Trail Foods: chips, Annie’s mac n cheese, ranch corn nuts
• Least Favorite Trail Foods: split pea soup

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Day 15 – 18 (4/12 – 4/15): there’s mountains and snow in the middle of the desert! It was hard to leave the cozy Airbnb, and we had to hunker down for a cold and windy night down in a canyon 1 mile off of trail. Luckily it was sheltered from the wind and my sleeping bag kept me warm in a 29 degree night! We have to sleep with our water filters to prevent them from freezing. The quote of the day was “I’ll just be in my sleeping bag eating a snickers” -Diana

On Day 16 we have our hardest day yet! 4500 feet of elevation gain, 2500 feet of elevation loss. But the views were amazing, and we’ve been climbing up along the ridgeline of the mountains in the San Jacinto Wilderness (part of San Bernardino National Forest). On our last day before town, we had to climb over/under/around probably 30+ blowdowns, with lots of “YeeHaws”. Kerrie and I accidentally got off-trail and bushwacked for probably 30 minutes finding our way back to trail (see picture below).

We finally made it to Idyllwild and had a great zero day in an Airbnb. We made homemade pizzas and bought way too much food for our resupply, as usual. Kerrie and I got fanny packs for the front of our backpack and we are SO EXCITED for the additional snacks and sunscreen that we’ll have easily accessible on trail. We named them Franny and Manny and painted faces on them becauuuuse Manny, Franny, and Granny go to Canadanny! We may have a little too much thinking time out here.

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