Water

Our most important piece of gear is The Sawyer Squeeze. Without the small device our PCT experience would be very different.

This contraption allows us to collect water from any source, squeeze it through the filter and drink without any worry of contamination.

Here are some images of Joe collecting our water, also some of our sources of water: yes tadpoles

PCT Day 31 - A Zero in Wrightwood

Since our plan was to come into town in the morning, we didn’t have plans configured on where we’d be staying. I called around to a few lodges in town- but no vacancies. There was one other place to call- The Holistic Spa 3 miles up the road. We ended up staying there for $100 and did not get our complimentary foot bath. I think Joe is still a bit stunned we spent $100 for a bed, a shower and laundry. Oh well.

We got a ride from the spa to town first thing in the morning, went to the post office to pick up our care packages (Thanks Jan and John!), then headed to The Grizzly Cafe to get out of the rain and occasional sleet. We spent a couple hours there hoping to run into fellow hikers to get the scoop on finding a room to stay in tonight.

Due to the terrible weather we thought everyone must be hiding in a bar. Joe and I went from the cafe to The Village Grind, then to The Brewery where we finally saw familiar faces. But they were already sharing a room. After a beer we went to the hardware store (received our pin) where we saw our hiker friend Peter. He let us know about a group of hikers that had a 9 person room and we’re looking to split with a few more people. So we hit up Starfish, bingo! We had a bed for tonight, and at a great rate of $25.

We weren’t going to get the room until 5pm, so we had some time to kill before we did our resupply, so we headed to The Yoddler to grab a beer and some grub and do an inventory. We were planning on  doing our resupply run today once we had the room to drop off our packs and packages.

While out running our errands we ran into Hiker friend Skittles, she started in Camp with us a month ago! We were happy to see a familiar face from the start. This whole time Joe and I assumed we were in the back of the pack, but it’s becoming more evident we’re right on time.

PCT Day 30 - 22 Miles

The Big One did not go off last night, we did not have a front row view for the destruction of Southern California, and we will not be the famous first casualties of the biggest earthquake in modern human history. Instead as the sun rose on the San Andreas Fault it was evident it was to be a foggy, cool, cloudy morning and we were happy for all three. We will incline most of the day, mile after mile for thousands of feet elevation gained. There is only one water source between our doomsday campsite and the town of Wrightwood which is 22 miles away, the source is three miles from Wrightwood so it does not help us much and we must carry enough water to sustain us for the entire day. The fact the sun is not blaring now means we will hike hard and fast with hope it lasts, stopping only for pictures as steep inclines means high peaks and many photo ops. 

The day did not disappoint and after we had hiked for 5 miles and inclined 4000 feet we saw an old friend and foe standing off in the distance. Mt Jacinto was almost completely blue, blue comes after gray on the distance scale, with the exception of her snow-covered peak. The snow reflected bright as she stood above all the clouds this morning. As the day continued we could see desert floors, distant mountains, Cajon Pass, and interstate I-15 on the valley floor. 

We ran up ridge after ridge and eventually rounded a corner to see Baden Powell which will be our next largest peak. Rumor has it the mountain has snow covered trail and maybe treacherous as well, although a repeat of Jacinto I think unlikely. As we got closer the clouds lowered and the winds picked up from a slight breeze to a speedy gust. The gust tore through the tall ponderosa pines which create an eerie, loud, uncomfortable sound as it intensifies before finally backing off again. The gust are powerful and judging by the thousands of fallen trees all around us it’s certain the wind eventually has the last laugh. 

We wanted to camp two miles before Wrightwood but the gust were too intense and we were forced to hike the few remaining miles. As the days hike concluded the temp had dropped to the upper 30s and the wind was driving us mad. Baden Powell may not be a Jacinto but we will not take her lately when we see her in a few days.

PCT Day 29 - Faster, and Fast Food

Joe woke me up shortly after 5am - he wanted to get packed up early in case security found us. We technically weren't allowed to camp in the picnic area - Day Use Only. But no one came. A bunch of hikers actually slept out in the open on the picnic tables. :)

There were some awesome bathrooms available for us to use - warm and clean, and great plumbing!
I was able to wash my hands and brush my teeth with running water (a true luxury).

As I was in there brushing in my tiny oasis, a fat mouse ran from under the toilet and back out from the under the sink. I screamed! I spit, and exited in a rush. Oasis, no more. There were a few mice outside too, chasing each other under the bathroom doors. Finally not enclosed in their presence, I found it comical.

As we packed up, ate our oatmeal and protein mix, we saw a few of the guys from last night heading back to the trail. We too made our way away from the lake, Joe exclaimed his leg was feeling much better- the break did him wonders!

About 8 miles in, with a slight incline we finally saw the peak we left behind yesterday. It felt so long ago since we'd seen it.

Behind us in the distance we saw another snow covered peak- I wondered if it San Jacinto...

We had 14 miles until the McDonalds at Cajon Pass, we are excited to get there, even though we just enjoyed pizza.

The hike in/down, the last 4 miles was super long. But also really stimulating. The view was great, the wind a bit strong at times, and when we saw the sign for the McD's, we were elated.

The place was packed with hikers. Mostly of hikers we knew- Tie Dye, Hops, Hollywood, Speedy and Gonzales, Hop Along, Kiki, View.

Joe ordered a Filet-o-Fish, McNuggets and a combo, and I got a crispy chicken sandwich with ice coffee and a McFlurry.

Too much.
We were there for nearly 3 hours - digesting, and charging, and washing our hands (a true luxury).

With full stomachs and enough water for a dry 20 miles, we hit the trail. Our target was 7 more miles. Wrightwood was still 27 miles away, and water is non existent.

Joe and I are both carrying 4 liters each, hopefully thats enough.
I'm already thirsty thinking about it. The hike to Wrightwood is allllll uphill, net 5,400 elevation gain.

Right away the views leaving Cajon Pass were epic. The mountain sides, and the San Andreas Fault between the two, the purple and yellow flowers and tall grasses, so beautiful, I was almost inspired to make a video during that 2 hour time frame. This small stretch of beauty has been one of the prettiest.

PCT Day 28 - A Swim and Pizza

As I wake this morning on our scenic ridge, I immediately felt for my left leg. I gave it a squeeze and tried to assess if after a rest along with a lengthy and painful massage session from Madelyn (She used the oils from her friend Kayla and her massage ball), had alleviated any of my pain. My initial thoughts were that some of the tightness was loosened but I'd have to wait until we started hiking to see if the pain returned. I wouldn't have to wait long as the trail led us downhill. It quickly became apparent the same pain was present and the tightness returned as well.

My spirit started to sour as I'm uncertain what this might mean. Will I have to stop ASAP and rest up for a few days? Will I need to hitch to the nearest town and see a doctor? With all this looming in my head, we trailed at snails pace. The miles seemed to never pass and if it wasn't for the mountainous horizon, one particularly snowy peak kept my attention as I knew we were headed its way, I'm not sure I could have kept focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

Eleven miles from last nights camp there is a lake with a picnic area with picnic tables, toilets and running water (and rumor has it, we could order pizza to be delivered!). This will make the ideal place to rest up for the day. We hiked a slow mile after slow mile, and finally made it to Silverwood Lake. It's a deep blue lake surrounded by mountains with green trees, not exactly the kind of lake one might expect to find in SoCal, but that's only because SoCal knows how to keep at least a few gems hidden.

The lake was fantastically cold and as we swam under the hot blue sky I could feel some of the pain subsiding. After a two plus hour break we continued along the trail for a few more miles until we came upon our campsite at Cleghorn Picnic area; where we ordered pizza and ice (for my leg). We made phone calls and caught up on messages.

We took today slow in hopes tomorrow of the next day we can return to full speed. We'd be naive to think there wouldn't be a speed bump or two along the 2,650 mile journey.

PCT Day 27 - Hot Springs

Yesterday we were slowed and did not make our mileage because Madelyn was not feeling well after lunch. Today we did not make our mileage because I'm having issues with my left quad. My pain began late yesterday and returned today just prior to lunch. The pain got progressively worse throughout the day and I'm having trouble with each step, going downhill is almost unbearable.
Maybe it's only cramping from not enough water as I may not have drank enough the past few days when the weather was cold and rainy. Either way, tomorrow will tell.

Six miles into the trail today we came across Deep Creek Hot Springs - were clothing is optional.
The spring was nice, hot but not too hot as the day itself had temperatures rise into the mid 80's. We hiked along ridges most of the day without much of a view- just the canyon's opposite side, and the Deep creek below us. Finally after 4 or more days of small shrub filled mountains dominating the landscape, we were rewarded with a view again. We see a snow capped mountain with two slightly smaller ones next to it. Baden Powell and Mt Williamson.

We finally were making our exit out of the canyons, the landscape gave way to much lower elevation- somewhat of a plateau below us until we reach the next set of ridges that will lead us into the San Gabriel Mountain chain.

I worked my way slowly down the steep incline, to the creek we've been following all day. We had to refill and filter our water. Madelyn played in the creek some- it was Mother's Day so there was somewhat of a local party crowd in the area, with the same idea.

After we hydrated, we had to cross the calf high creek, and make our way back up to the next ridge line. Madelyn has been leading most of the day because of my injury. I told her to watch for possible tent sites, we should make this an earlier day than usual.

What happened next is very strange. We come across a family out hiking with their grandmother- she must be 85. When the group saw us on trail, the elderly lady took a step, slid, and fell. She broke her ankle right in front of us. Her son and grandson carried her to a flatter part of trail - after speculating what to do, they ended up jogging off to retrieve their car and drive it up the fire road, as grandma could not walk or stand. Madelyn and I hung with them for the hour or so during the whole ordeal, said our goodbyes, and wished them luck.

The break was nice for my quad, I decided to press on at least another mile in search of a spot to camp. Not even 5 minutes back on trail, I am startled by what first sounded like a taser going off to my left. A Rattlesnake! It was definitely out of striking distance, but it was mad and certainly letting us know. A day hiker was just up the way, he pulled out his concealed firearm and threatened to shoot it for us. Since we were in his line of fire, we demanded he put his weapon away until we can clear the area. After all of that, the snake got bored and slithered off.

We finally found a great spot to camp, free of rattlesnakes, with a great view of sunset.

Tomorrow we will hope for the best, take it slow if necessary and push forward.

PCT Day 26 - 3 0 0 !

It rained a lot last night and I was a bit worried our tent might leak as this was its first true test. We remained dry in the tent even though my clothes, shoes and pack were wet from the day before. Putting on wet clothes and shoes is no fun, but as we were doing so the sun was starting to peek through the clouds and we were cheering for its full time return.

We ate breakfast- again as a family outside our tent, and HOT thanks to the stove and fuel. We hiked a short .5 miles, then said our goodbyes to Adam, as he was returning to Arizona today. Hiking today the topography remained constant and we did not gain or lose much elevation. We are still hiking in San Bernardino National Forest and working our way west soon. We dodged light rain showers all day and the combination of the showers, wind, sun, shade and moderate temperatures kept us guessing all day as to whether I should be wearing my rain coat, wind coat, or just my hiking shirt.

Ultimately I ended up switching between all three several times.

We only hiked around 15 miles today because Madelyn was having stomach cramps after lunch. She ended up getting sick, which left her feeling better than before lunch.

We pressed on a few more miles, at a somewhat slower pace. As we closed in our last mile of the day we ran across the 300 milestone!

It's hard to imagine we've been out here for 300 miles! This is (almost) the distance from LA to San Fran, or STL to Milwaukee. Sounds like a lot until you compare it to 2,650...


Madelyn's entry:
Right before I got sick, I stopped to change from my beanie to my hat. We just climbed a hill that was completely in sun; I was over heating. I stopped at the first bit of shade that I came to. I acknowledged to Joe- "that shade just 15 feet up trail is much better, but I can't wait, I'm hot." Just as I bent over, up came my lunch. Surprise!
Then, just 15 feet away we hear a big crash. A pinecone twice the size of my head fell probably 30 feet from its maker straight down into the center of the PCT. Onto the very spot I contemplated stopping instead... Talk about uncanny.