Day 21 – 30.1 km – Friday 17.05.2024
After a quick breakfast, I leave shortly before 7 a.m.
At first it’s quite relaxed through the forest and I’m making good progress.
The path falls off easily and I’ll soon be passing ski resorts.
After about 2 hours I stop at a park bench and take a first break. Then continue downhill to a road. I’ll take another break there before a longer climb begins for me. For the first few meters, the path, which will lead me up a total of about 700 meters in altitude, simply walks along the slope.
At a spring I fill up my water and then it continues more and more frequently in the snow. Soon I’ll be completely out in the snow and there’s no way to see it anymore. Since the others feel the same way, I will soon walk directly through the snow to the summit. The climb is very strenuous and the deep snow doesn’t make it any easier. I keep slipping around or sinking in somewhere. I’m making progress, but I’m on my way very slowly. Still, I have to keep going up.
When I finally arrive at the summit, I’m exhausted, but I’m rewarded with a beautiful panorama again.
In front of me see a huge sea of clouds hanging further down the valley. Only a few mountains stand out. Since I’m pretty exhausted from the long climb and I like the view so much, I’m taking a longer break, which ends almost an hour at the end. I eat something and enjoy the view into the distance.
After that I start the descent. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of snow here and I’m only making slow progress even when descending. A real way is not discernible and I often follow some footprints that deviate far from the GPS. I slide down the slope more or less and have to reorient myself more often.
I’m all the happier when I finally get back on a normal path. Unfortunately, this one isn’t particularly good at the beginning either and I have to go through the bushes again and again. After all, the view in front of me is very beautiful and because of the evening sun, it looks even better.
Only around half past six in the evening do I get back on an easy-to-run hiking trail. I quickly covered the remaining kilometers to a spring and then to the camp. Quite exhausted, I set up my tent at 6 p.m. and cook dinner. Today was a strenuous day for me and although I was on the road all day, I just missed the 20 miles (32 km). In the end it was at least 30 km, but they felt like 45 km. After all, the landscape was fantastically beautiful today again 😊 Allegedly it was also the last mountain in the desert on which there was still so much snow. Starting tomorrow it should then continue on easier ways, where I hope I can cover more distance again.
Day 22 – 38.1 km – Saturday 18.05.2024
In the morning I take my tent off and have a short breakfast. Then it starts again.
First it goes through a burned-out forest for a long time.
At first slightly downhill and then steeply uphill and down again on the other side of the mountain. Some other hikers use a road and thus save themselves the ascent and descent. Since I have a good view of the surroundings from above, it was the right decision to follow the PCT.
After the mountain I pass a rest area. This time I seem to be in the mountain lion area. Funnily enough, I’ve already taken pictures of the last two places and so I have a great collection of danger signs on a few kilometers – mountain lions, rattlesnakes and bears.
Further back, I have to follow a road for almost 4 miles because the PCT is closed on this section. Apparently because of endangered animals or something. Running on the street with the hard ground is less fun for me. After all, Straße is currently closed to you and therefore there is no traffic. On the asphalt I walk on quickly and then soon I can switch back to a smaller path.
This leads me through a small gorge back to the PCT. Shortly before the actual trail, it goes over a small river. On the other hand, I take a lunch break. I wash myself and some clothes in the cold water and then cook for a little something to eat. After about an hour I walk on again.
Today I meet noticeably few people. I often meet someone I talked to in the morning. Otherwise, I overtake two pensioners who are hiking here and a group of scouts comes towards me. Otherwise it was for most of the day. It continues through rather unspectacular landscapes. Again and again it goes through forest, which also often shows burn marks here. In between, I see interesting flowers.
Otherwise, the path splashes more and more and I quickly cover a few kilometers without really stopping. At least I pass a 400 mile marker on the way.
Only shortly before the target camp did I meet other hikers again, whom I quickly overtake to get a good seat. Arriving at the camp, I cook something to eat, read and then go to sleep soon. I’ll do without a tent again today.
Day 23 – 38.7 km – Sunday 19.05.2024
The night was bitterly cold today. Without my tent I felt the cold, but was still able to sleep relatively well. At 6 o’clock I’m into packing everything and having breakfast. Since I don’t have to assemble a tent, it starts early.
It goes uphill for a long time. In the morning it is still pleasant to walk and I am making good progress.
After about two hours I reach the top of the mountain. From above I have a good view of the landscape in front of me and can see far. Many hills can be seen and during the longer descent, I have enough time to take a closer look at the area and see many animals again.
Shortly before a fire station, I meet Grace, who lives in California. Together we walk the remaining meters to the fire station. There is a small area where we can fill up our water. We meet a whole group of hikers who are looking for protection from the sun under a bush. In addition, a dear TrailAngel has provided cold lemonade and chips waiting for us in a chest. We sit down with the others and I talk to another hiker for a while, but he’s only on the trail for a few weeks. Together with his wife, he wants to have walked the whole trail in three years. After a delicious cold soda, I’ll continue walking again.
It’s going uphill for a long time and I’m sweating a lot in the warm midday sun. After what felt like an eternity uphill, it was rather pleasant. Always a little up and then down again.
Around 2 p.m. I take my lunch break and eat couscous. Then it’s another 4 miles to a water point where I have to replenish the reserves by evening and for the morning, as there is no more water in 5 miles until the next camp.
So with a heavy backpack I’m on my way again. It goes up again and only after 24 miles do I reach the desired camp. There I have dinner and hang my sweaty shirt in the sun to dry it. Since I don’t feel like talking to others today, I prefer to read something while the sun slowly sets in front of me and then go into my sleeping bag to fall asleep under the starry sky.
Day 24 – 28.4 km – Monday 20.05.2024
The night tonight was significantly warmer than the last one. At 5:30 am I get up and pack everything up. After a short breakfast I start at dusk.
After just a few minutes, I get a wonderful view of the clouds that are still hanging in the valley in front of me. The sun shines on the clouds golden and once again I admire this natural spectacle.
But since I want to refresh my supplies in Acton today and it’s almost 14 miles (23 km) to the road, I’m still in a hurry. The path slowly leads me downhill and since the clouds are rising, I get closer and closer to the cloud cover.
After a while I dive into the dense mass of clouds and so I won’t see much anymore. In the stillness of the clouds, I keep walking and don’t meet people. I’m progressing quickly and soon I’ve made the first 7.5 miles. But since it’s not far to the street anymore, I don’t take a break here myself, I just keep walking.
About 5 miles from my destination, I get a slightly better view of the surroundings. I keep running down and then actually meet other hikers.
On the street there is a campsite where you all want to stop off.
I follow them and buy a coke and a chocolate muffin in the campsite’s kiosk. Then I go to the street and try to hitchhike in the village. But since the traffic is close to zero, my prospects are not particularly good. Luckily, after a few minutes, a trailangel that takes hikers to and from the village stops and takes me, as well as two other people.
In the city, I first buy groceries from a supermarket for the next 4-5 days. After that I walk to a Mexican that the Trailangel recommended to me. There I eat a delicious and really big burrito. Then I walk back to the street and am collected directly from the Trailangel again. So after a 2-hour stay in the village, I arrive at the campsite around 2 p.m. There I ask if you can only shower because I don’t need an overnight stay. Since everything seems to be paid separately here, this is not a problem and for $7 I get shampoo, my own towel and I’m allowed to shower as long as I want. I mercilessly enjoy this offer and so I’m in the warm shower for almost half an hour and wash the dirt off the last few weeks. At least I’ve showered in idyll game more than three weeks ago. Otherwise, cold streams and rivers had to be used, whereas the warm shower is a real blessing. In addition to my body, I also wash some dresses directly, which takes a really long time, as a lot of dirt has accumulated here too.
Then I go back to the kiosk and buy another coke. While my clothes are drying in the sun, I drink the soothing drink and also meet some familiar faces with which I exchange ideas. Shortly after 4 p.m. I pack everything up and set off again. I quickly leave the campsite behind me and it’s a little uphill again. Instead of trees or shrubs, I meet dry grass here, which is beautifully illuminated in the late midday sun.
Some interesting rock formations can also be seen in front of me, which will probably accompany me in the next few days.
After 28.5 km I turn off just before a campspot and spread my things there. The spot looks better protected from the wind than the campspot a few meters away. I cook dinner and then set up my tent. Actually, I wanted to camp cowboys, but due to the many clouds I saw in the valley today, I’ll change my mind before I wake up tomorrow with a wet sleeping bag. When the sun went down, I go to my tent and soon fall asleep.
Overview
Currently I made it to mile 447. The next stages should be a little flatter and maybe I can cover a few more kilometers a day there. In the meantime I have already crossed more than half of the desert and slowly I have to prepare for the mountains of the Sierra.
Here’s another graphic where I’m right now:
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