Hannah the hiker

Day 37 was a zero day. We slept in and then went to town around 11. We had lunch at The Yodeler and then free coffee at The Grind. A lot of towns/stores on the PCT have discounts or free items for PCT hikers and The Grind was one of them! We sat and drank coffee on the porch talking about the trail, it was relaxing.

We then walked around a little bit and went to exchange our darn tough socks at the hardware store. I was able to get PCT darn tough socks! I’ve been wanting a pair for a while so I was pretty jazzed about that. I also bought some anti-chafe balm, my feet and legs will thank me for that. Normally the hardware store also gives hikers little pct pins but I guess they ran out after nobos passed through. Luckily I found one in the hiker box where we stayed. The gas station also apparently gives out free hotdogs to hikers, but that wasn’t the case when we were there. We resupplied at the grocery store, I bought some tasty food for the section ahead. Hopefully my jar of nutella lasts me more than 2 days. A nice local also told us that the grind normally gives out pct patches that he makes, we didn’t get any. So he said he would send us some to the Julian post office!

We all bought ice cream just before leaving the grocery store.

At the day spa where we stayed we watched some movies, ate our dinner, and then witnessed history being made. Stewart broke his ice cream eating record and ate half a gallon in 4 minutes. It was a big moment. We were all very proud.

We also ended up having to do laundry in the bathtub at the spa, not my first time doing that. But it is kind of fun to see how dirty our clothes get.

I went to bed around 8.

Day 38, we woke up and left the spa around 9. We got back to the trail and met two guys that just finished a 10 mile run. We chatted about the trail and they mentioned they had a race in big bear the next weekend and that if they see us they will buy us a round of drinks (or whatever we wanted). They were super nice and even gave us a $100 bill to spend at the McDonald’s the next day. Sweet trail magic!

We walked until 11:30 where we had to go to a steep off trail water source. It was our last one for 17 miles. We had a quick lunch and continued on. My feet were feeling pretty good so I could keep a steady 3 mile pace, especially since the day was mostly downhill. We stopped a couple of times for snack breaks. I listened to a lot of music for the rest of the day. Some Taylor Swift, Kings of Leon, Jack Johnston, and Johnny Cash. It helped me keep a cruisey pace!

We got to the water cache in Swarthout Canyon at 6:10. There was a lot of water here brought in by trail angels. We also decided to camp there since it was going to get dark soon. We did 22 miles with 2,200 feet of elevation gain and 6,000 feet of elevation loss. I went to sleep around 7:30 feeling pretty good.

Day 39 started early. We left camp by 5:30, excited for the McDonald’s that lay ahead. It was a nice 5 miles. We walked on some exposed ridge lines and could see the highway and trains below. Gams and I sat on a bench watching trains go by, it was really nice. We eventually walked through tunnels underneath both the highway and train tracks. They weren’t as cool as the highway 2 tunnel, but still cool. We got to McDonald’s at 7:30. I ordered way too much food for breakfast, which felt good at the time but I was paying the price in the hiking afterwords. Stewart and Zach got their hot coffees and Gams and I each got an iced mocha.

We hung out for a little while eating, then eventually headed over to the chevron to buy some resupply food. We only needed about 3 days worth, so I just bought some snacks since I already had my staple meals. We left Cajon Pass by 9. Then I had a rough 9 miles to our next water source and lunch spot. It was hot, I was stuffed, and thirsty. I slowed down quite a bit and just tried to get excited for lunchtime. I eventually ran into a section hiker who had met the rest of the crew already. She was sitting on a gate I needed to walk over to keep walking on the trail. The fence around her was too tall to climb and too low to go under as well. I stood there for 3 minutes while she “put a waypoint in her phone.” She even acknowledged that she was sitting in the way but didn’t move until she had done what ever it was she needed to do. It annoyed me as you can probably tell. It’s frustrating when people aren’t aware of their surroundings!

Anyway I continued on and made it to lunch by 12:40. I had packed out two chicken McGriddles for lunch from McDonald’s. I really didn’t want nor need more McDonald’s but I also didn’t want to keep carrying them. So I had them for lunch. We had an impromptu push-up evaluation as well. After I had told them that I was worried someone would ask me to do push-ups since I feel like my upper body strength has disappeared. Stewart did 1, Zack 2, Gams 3, and I did 4. We all could have done more if under pressure, I’m sure.

We also discovered the cherries we were seeing on the trail were edible, holly leaf cherries. So we started eating some of those along the way too.

We continued on from lunch and went to Silverwood lake for our next water source. And had another glorious road walk together. There were faucets, picnic tables, and pit toilets! We filled up on water and decided against swimming in the lake. We also listened to some Shania Twain which boosted my spirits! We continued on hiking, we had 8 miles to the next water source. It was a pretty 8 miles, we walked along the shore of the lake and then on some exposed ridges. I enjoyed it, even though my feet were getting tired.

I made it to the water source at 6:40. I decided to camp here with Gams and Zack and Stewart went .2 ahead to cowboy camp away from the mosquitos. In total we did 27.1 miles with about 3,500 feet of elevation gain and loss.

Day 40 was another great day!

We left camp by 6 and hiked about an hour to our first water and had a quick breakfast. We pretty much walked uphill for the rest of the day since that water. It was such a great part of the trail. Totally exposed trail just carved into the mountain. I could see Deep Creek below us. I really enjoyed it.

It was a pretty steady uphill, so it didn’t feel too bad.

I got to the highlight of the day around 11:30. It was the Deep Creek Hotsprings! I’d never been to a hot springs before so this was a neat experience. The rest of the Glee Club (Stewart, Zack, and Gams) were already in so I joined them. There was also a family in the springs so we all chatted a bit about the trail. I went in the hot springs then into the cold creek, and then back in the hot springs. It felt really great. We also quickly saw that clothing was optional as one man approached the springs completely naked except with his backpack on. Quite a sight.

I had a nice lunch there and then continued on to meet Zack and Gams at the next water source. At that water we decided to go another 16 miles so we would have a shorter day into town.

So Zack and I left first since we are the “slowest” but it didn’t take long for Stewart and Gams to catch up.

We went to the next water source and regrouped. Then continued on to the next one and decided to have dinner there to avoid eating in the dark at camp. For once I got to a meeting point first! We all ate dinner and got ready to hike the last 3.9 miles.

But a mile in at 6:40, we decided to just hike another mile because the trail was becoming very bushwhacky and we were losing it easily.

So we got to Holcomb Creek and set up camp. And decided to start hiking at 5 the next morning to make up the last 2 miles we missed out on. So in total we did 27.7 miles, 4,400 feet of elevation gain and 2,500 feet of elevation loss. A good day!

On day 41 we left camp by 5 and had more gradual uphill. It was very chilly! We got to a water source 6 miles in and all had our mittens and jackets on. So it was a quick water and breakfast stop. Finally the sun came out and I could shed some layers around 9. We walked 11 miles to the next water and had lunch there. At this water we called a trail angel in Big Bear to see if we could stay two nights with him. And he said yes! He also said he would pick us up from the trail too, so it was nice to know we had a ride scheduled. We only had 9 more miles to that road crossing.

We saw some signs for the upcoming race in Big Bear. It looked like the run mostly followed the PCT so the signs were nice reminders that I was still on trail!

We got to the road at 3:45 and Kenny picked us up moments later. He even had cold sodas ready for us.

We got to his house, showered, and then ate a tasty dinner.

Then he took us to Wyatt’s, a line dancing hall. I’d never been to one before so this was neat. Gams danced which looked like a lot of fun. I wanted to, but my feet were pretty tired.

We went to the grocery store after the line dancing to get ice cream for desert. Even though I told myself I would hold off on the ice cream in towns.

Kenny is a cool guy. He is a singer/songwriter and apparently opened up a show for John Prine in 1989. He had lots of stories to share. I went to bed pretty late but had a great day. It was 26.2 miles with 4,000 feet of elevation gain and 2,500 feet of elevation loss.

Today, October 12th, is day 42. I might have messed the day count somewhere though. But today we are taking a zero and another SOBO hiker caught up to us who is friends with the rest of the Glee Club, papa shark. We will resupply and rest today. I also got my leave of absence extended so I will be able to finish with the Glee Club on the 29th. Stewart is a member of The Phoenix, a national sober community. The Phoenix are hosting some events with Stewart on the trail and I thought it would be great to be able to participate in them too. So now I can!

Anyway I’m excited to take another day off. It’s been nice to walk a lot each day and then take a rest day. Definitely makes my body feel a lot better. There’s a hot tub here too so I’ll enjoy that. We have about 266 miles left of the trail.

I’ve been feeling really great physically and emotionally. Emotionally great to be hiking with the Glee Club because we laugh so much and they’re great people to be around. Physically because I’ve been stretching and rubbing my feet each night! It is exciting to be doing bigger miles at a little bit of a quicker pace for me too. All in all I’m enjoying the trail. I also will not be eating McDonalds for a long time. McDonald’s and then exercise is a recipe for disaster for me, or anyone really.