PCT Day 8 - Julian

We only have 5 miles on our plates today! And we reach our first real town: Julian.

Julian is known for a few things: 1. Taking care of PCT Hikers, 2. Their Pie's, 3. Apples, for said pies.

Julian was the cutest, I could have spent another day there if Joe allowed. Its a historic Gold Rush town, that is now turned touristy. We visited during their Lilac festival, so the whole town smelled like flowers, and pie.

Joe and I hitched for the first time in our lives. We stuck our our thumb, and about 10 cars later a beat up Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled over and we climbed in the empty back- no seats. This vehicle looked as though it had been rolled at least once, maybe more.
The steering wheel was completely sideways, the windshield cracked clear across and down... But Anne the driver was as sweet as... pie!

It ended up being a fine hitch.

For all my California lovers and residents and future visitors- put Julian on your list.

PCT Day 7 - Sunrise and a Storm

You're going to grow tired of hearing about the views... But there's more!

We camped last night around 4k feet, on the tallest mountain that we could see- at mile 59.5. Our last water source was at 58.5, so Joe got up at 5:30am to back track to refill our 4 liters (2 each). The thing about the PCT, you have to coordinate a few things - 1. your starting point, 2. where tent sites are in relation to where you want to finish (we're asked to only camp where sites have already been established), 3. where our next water source is and how far off trail the source is (and how much water we need to ration/carry).

Last night we out did ourselves so we agreed that we would make camp and then back track when we had more energy in the morning.

Joe agreed to make the 2 miles round trip, so I stayed behind and prepared my things for the day and make our breakfast. Breakfast consists of oatmeal, carnation and instant coffee. All in one! Yum!

Our sunrise this morning was incredible! The VIEWS! Ahhhh.

About 5 miles into our day, it started raining. We pulled out our rain gear and trailed on.

About mile 8 it started to lightning and thunder... at this time we were on the side of the mountain, on about a 18 inch trail cut into its ridge. It was a tad threatening. We busted our bums to get down, at least to a safer area with some cover. We got 4 miles in, in 45 minutes! A record!

Today was fun, the views and the storm kept our minds on other things.

PCT Day 6 - Crest

This morning started off with the most scenic view we've had from Campo (It seems as though each day surpasses the last, in the terms of beauty). Looking East from our camp site we could see the Anza Borrego desert and beyoond, the morning was clear and we could see snow capped mountains that may be more than 80 miles away. The Trail earned its middle name today as the entire 13 miles was on the Crest of 4 or 5 mountains. The views today from the crest were breath taking! Its hard to believe everything we see is contained in only one state. Breath taking views is not the only feature of the crest however, howling, gusty winds greeted us in the morning and only relented a few times throughout the day. Madelyn and I both wore our wind jackets all day and she even wore a bandanna around her face to protect her from the wind. Thankfully for us the high winds and cool temps were coupled with plentiful sunshine. The contrast between the Sun and wind today meant we were never too cold or too hot. Asides from the views that get better each day, we also hit a milestone; 50 miles! As we were scurrying along a particular windy section with our heads down we managed to see the number " 5 0 " along the East side of the trail. We've hiked 50 miles in 6 days! We did 13.5 miles today, our feet and legs are a little tender right now but a good night sleep will do us wonders.

PCT Day 5 - Freezing above the desert

Today we woke up late with a purpose, we wanted to rest as the day before was our hardest yet. WE also needed to resupply as our next stop won't be for 40 miles. We ate breakfast at a local cafe, it provided us with a hearty meal and two cups of coffee. It was nice to have a real meal at a real restaurant. The restaurant caters to hikers and we were welcomed to leave our bags outside and sit a designated hiker table. We charged our phones and battery banks and set off to resupply. The corner store was over priced but we got enough food to last for 4 days and the staff was friendly enough. We have a modest goal of five miles today as we both want to be careful and not over do it too soon. A quick glimpse of our maps indicated we would be going down hill today. As we crested the mountain we slepct on last night the world opened up. Below us was the vast mountain chains and desert floors. Yesterday I thought we were high and had scenic views, today however was so much more. The greatness of the country, the size, openness, the ever changing landscape left us in awe. We were looking at Anza Borrego from the tallest mountain. I won't forget this day, this view and the stiff winds that about blew Madelyn and I away. We camped in a small valley, we're all alone tonight for the first time and the winds seem to be settling down. Word on the street it's supposed to get down to 31F tonight- you better believe we will be sleeping with our Sawyer Squeezes. Madelyn even had to wear her Enlightened Equipment down booties to bed.

 I think tomorrow we will really get some mileage in.

PCT Day 4 - Big climb into Mt Laguna

The climb into Mount Laguna was tough. But we better get used to it. We had 11.5 miles to put in before we reached the coveted Campgrounds. We heard there were hot showers there!

This was our first day where our hike required music. Joe and I plugged in and pushed through the 2k feet elevation gain, then the decline, and the climb up again. It was hot, the sun unrelenting. We walked 8 miles in desert like mountains, barely finding shade along the way. Thankfully our packs were beginning to feel lighter as our food and water was mostly consumed by this point. Up and up we went, with gorgeous views of the mountains in the distance behind us. It’s beautiful how the layers fade into a blue ombré.

Before we knew it, we found ourselves walking into what appeared to be a slice of Northern California; tall pine trees, enormous pine cones, and soft ground covered in pine needles. And the smell! It was heavenly. We found a clearing and dropped our packs- it was time for a nap. We earned it.

2.5 miles to go! We were so sore and ready to be done. .1 miles left... and what do we see... a sign “Wolverines of the PCT! Trail Magic at site 42”

MORE trail magic! We are getting spoiled! Will it last?