PCT Day 5

    

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PCT Day 5, 17 May 2022 (Tuesday)

Season 1, Episode 5 - “The One That Was Clingy”

Start Location:	Julian	Destination:	Barrel Springs
PCT Miles Day 5:	23.8	Cum PCT Miles:	101.1
Non-PCT Miles Day 5:	0.1	Cum All Miles:	104.3
PCT Miles Remaining:	2,551.5
Elevation Gain Day 5:	4,588	Cum Elevation Gain:	14,540

 

I don’t have much to say today.  I got a ride back to the trail from Julian and then it was another long day of hiking in the blazing hot sun.   It was, however, the longest day yet, miles wise; and the greatest amount of daily elevation gain yet.  There was a great water cache at the right point of the trail, so I was able to drink all the water I wanted again today.  Oh yeah, I passed the 100 mile mark today. Not bad for five days of hiking.

Funny tidbit, I miss fresh fruit so much that I bought a can of cling peaches in Julian and carried it in my pack all day.   It should be noted that 4 out of 5 long-distance hikers do not recommend caring canned goods in your pack on a long, hot day of hiking.



The trail on Day 5, north of Julian was like this most of the time, clinging to the sides of hills and mountains.



Desert mountains on the left, forest mountains on the right



The famous Third Gate water cache



Cholla Flowers



Barrel Springs, a great source of water

 

 

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PCT Day 4

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PCT Day 4, 16 May 2022 (Monday)

Season 1, Episode 4 - “ The One Where Dan Got Hitched For The First Time”

Start Location:	Wilderness campsite	Destination:	Julian
PCT Miles Day 4:	13.6	Cum PCT Miles:	77.3
Non-PCT Miles Day 4:	0.1	Cum All Miles:	80.4
PCT Miles Remaining:	2,575.3
Elevation Gain Day 4:	1,070	Cum Elevation Gain:	9,952

Today was the shortest day yet, because the destination was Julian, a little less than 14 trail miles to Scissors Crossing, where most people catch a ride.  The good thing is that Julian is a good place to resupply and get some good food.  The bad news is is that my daily mileage average is now less than 20.  To get to Julian I hitched a ride with several other PCT hikers; it was the first time in my life that I ever got a hitch.



A prickly pear flower.



A red diamond rattler, one of the largest I’ve ever seen.  This one was courteous enough to give me an intimidating, adult rattle.  A Navajo Indian saying: “There is nothing as eloquent as a rattlesnakes tail” (Hint: A synonym for eloquent is persuasive.)  Well, this sucker, or should I say injector, persuaded me to step off the trail onto a steep hillside and go around.

 

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PCT Day 3

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PCT Day 3, 15 May 2022 (Sunday)

Season 1, Episode 3 - The One Where Dan Got His Mojo Back… At Least For Today, And Probably Tomorrow"

Start Location:	Mount Laguna	Destination:	PCT Wilderness Campsite
PCT Miles Day 3:	22.2	Cum PCT Miles:	63.7
Non-PCT Miles Day 3:	0.8	Cum All Miles:	66.7
PCT Miles Remaining:	2,588.9
Elevation Gain Day 3:	2,402	Cum Elevation Gain:	8,882

 

First, I’ve had terrible cell phone issues the first 9 days (it’s Saturday the 21st right now), which I’m hoping to get fixed in the next week or so.  It’s almost impossible to deal with this while on the trail.  Also, Wi-Fi has been scarce or very bad.  So, it is taking me quite a while to do these daily posts.  I am hoping to catch up eventually.  I don’t have time to update all the stats right now, I’ll go back later and do it.

I felt good again today, which is a good thing because I did over 22 miles today.  It was fairly easy terrain and the temperatures varied quite a bit from very hot to just warm, and there were breezes throughout a lot of the day.   I saw two snakes today, a king snake, and the other I think was a garter, but it slithered away so fast I couldn’t really tell.  There was also finally trail magic today.  There was a local who had cold drinks and some fruit and fresh water.  It was nice to get that later in the day, especially since I am dry camping tonight.  I think the hikers starting in March and April get much more trail magic, and I was wondering if there was even going to be any this late in the hiking season.  Tomorrow I go to Julian and it will be a relatively short day compared to what I’ve done the last three days.

Garnet Peak



Mile 50 marker



Approaching Kwaaymii Point from Pioneer Mail Picnic Area.



From Kwaaymii Point, the most expansive views on trail so far.



It’s possible I drank something that was bad for me, but it’s also possible I drank something that was good for me… I guess. What came out of the tap didn’t look nearly as bad as the tank itself. And once purified, it actually had no strange taste.

 

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