Day 30 – 32.6 km – Sunday 26.05.2024
The night was very stormy. I only slept for about 2 hours. My tent wobbled all night and despite earplugs I could hear the strong wind permanently. But since it’s no better in the morning, I’ll pack everything together around half past six and start running in the ongoing storm.
It goes up the mountain and even today I have to be careful that the wind doesn’t blow me off the path. I have so much headwind that I can hardly get up. Even if the landscape looks fantastic again in the morning, I can’t really enjoy it because the wind bothers me too much.
Only when I’m further up is it gradually getting better. Here the landscape changes abruptly. Instead of dry sand, I meet colorful flowers and trees. I take a second break for breakfast in a sheltered place.
Then it goes slowly downhill again on the other side of the mountain. Since my water is running out and there are still a few miles to the next stream, I continue to walk downhill in the ever warmer sun. After all, my foot doesn’t hurt that much anymore and I can walk around relatively easily.
After a long time I finally arrive at the water. Since it’s the last filling station for the next 20 miles, I’ll meet a few PCT hikers there. Like the others, I fill a few liters of water and drink a whole bottle to compensate for my deficit.
With a heavy backpack, after all I have almost 3.5 liters of water and probably eat over 3 kg with me, I’m slowly walking on. I stop at a campspot and take a lunch break in the shade of a tree. First I take a nap to catch up on my sleep last night and then I eat Nutella Wrap.
After my break, it continues uphill and downhill. I sweat a lot in the sun, but I find it quite pleasant overall. At least I sometimes pass trees that give me some shade.
Around 4 p.m. I reach a camp. First I’m thinking about staying here, but then I’ll decide to continue walking a little, because I haven’t reached my targeted 20 miles yet.
About an hour later I see a suitable place right next to the path. Since I can feel the lack of sleep, I turn off and set up my tent in the open space. Then I’ll cook something delicious for dinner again. Today there is spaghetti with tuna. I use the water I need for cooking directly to make a nice sauce with tomato paste. Refined with a little salt and chilli, the food tastes particularly good to me again.
When I wrote my diary, I noticed that I’ve actually been on the road here on the PCT for a whole month. So time goes by very fast again and somehow I’m not quite aware that I’m actually on one of the longest hikes in the USA. Although I’ve already covered almost a quarter of the distance, I sometimes think it’s more like a hike at home. The landscape and the cities are different, but otherwise it doesn’t feel as far away as it might sound. Maybe it’s because of the many nice people I’ve met so far.
Since I still have some time after the diary, I’m reading again for the first time in a long time and then go to sleep early. The monotonous sound of the wind turbines, which are only a few meters behind my tent on a hill, has a really calming effect and so I fall asleep quickly.
Day 31 – 40.1 km – Monday 27.05.2024
Today I slept very well. In the morning I get up and have breakfast. Since my tent is still damp, I’ll leave it at first and wait until the sun rises over the mountain and my tent dries. Then it starts in the morning hours.
It goes relaxed through the beautiful landscape. On one side I still see the wind turbines on the hills and on the other side I have a good view of the mountains.
For some time I walk on and get a glimpse of the higher mountains in the distance, which give me a first impression of what will probably await me soon.
As I walk relaxed through the landscape, I hear a bear calling a bear at a distance. But he’s estimated a few kilometers further down the slope and so I won’t let that deter me. Today the landscape looks much greener than in the last few weeks and soon I find myself in the forest again and again. The shade of the trees is quite pleasant, even if the many flies bother me a bit. Unfortunately, there are still a few kilometers to the next water point and since I’m slowly running out of water, the climbs in the sun are getting more and more strenuous.
I’m all the happier when I finally arrive at the water. A small stream provides enough water to fill up the reserves. Since it is the first water in 15 km and the space also offers a lot of shade, a group of hikers gather here again and rest. After drinking something, replacing my water and washing some clothes, I join them. Just as I lay down, two mid-fifty-year-old women came by with large backpacks. When you tell us that you have some Trail-Magic with you, everyone is happy. In fact, the two women brought plenty of food and drink with them. They parked almost 20 minutes away by car and then hiked here just to bring us something. For me there is an ice-cold cola, cheese, crackers, Oreo biscuits and an apple. After the exhausting last days, everything tasted wonderful and especially here, none of us had expected anything like that. As one of the women tells us, she herself migrated the part of the PCT from Campo, the border with Mexico to Tehachapi, a few years ago. In the 54 days she needed for this route, she had lost almost 25 pounds (12 kg). Since she didn’t manage to eat enough calories during this time, she ultimately had to break off in Tehachapi. Since she still likes to look back on this time and would like to make life easier for us, she now rides the trail with her friend and hikes again and again to places where the hikers can provide the hikers with drinks and food. After we have all been well cared for, they set out again to get to another place. I lie down for a few more minutes, talk to the others and start again around 4 p.m.
It is now more pleasant to walk and we continue through the forest. Shortly before the last water source for just under 35 miles, I meet Erik with the trail name ‘Noodle’, a hiker from Colorado. I hike with him for a few minutes and as it turns out, he’s the hiker whose parents I met a few days ago just before Tehachapi, which is a funny coincidence. I turn off to a camp and fill up my water there again before I make the last few miles to my chosen campspot.
After another hour I set up my tent in a nice place.
Right in front of me I can see the valley and watch the sunset. I cook something to eat quickly and then enjoy the view. Then it’s back to sleep.
Day 32 – 34.7 km – Tuesday 28.05.2024
After a good night, I dismantle my tent in the morning and have breakfast at sunrise.
Then it’s time to relax through the beautiful landscape. Again and again I get a good view of the surroundings. The landscape actually looks like a desert again today and in the distance I can see some mountains. I walk slightly downhill without much effort.
Just as I walk around a bend, suddenly a mountain lion (also called Puma) is suddenly less than 10 meters in front of me on the way. But even before I have really realized that, the animal jumps up the mountain with a few large sentences and disappears further up between larger rocks. Even though I couldn’t take a picture of the animal, it was clearly a mountain lion and not exactly a small specimen either. The footprints are still clearly visible in the sand, even if I can no longer see the animal. While many other people might break out in fear or even panic here, I continue to run with a big grin on my face and am happy that I was actually allowed to marvel at a mountain lion in the wild.
I keep looking around for the next 500 meters, but I can’t see the lion anywhere. I just hope he doesn’t follow me. When I meet other hikers at a water cache and tell them about it, they are all amazed at this, as these animals are relatively rare to see. After filling up my water reserves for the next 15 miles, I’m on my way again.
Most of the day I walk through very dry landscapes, in which, in addition to small bushes, there are only the well-known Joshuatrees, which look very interesting.
The trees that look like a cactus sometimes grow in a very adventurous way and somehow fascinate me.
After a long break in the shade of one of these trees, we continue in the hot midday sun. While it was pleasantly cool in the shade, the sun heats up here and I quickly sweat. I notice that I’m still out and about in the desert. After all, Death Valley, one of the hottest places in the world, is not far from me.
After another ascent and descent, I finally reach a water cache again around 4 p.m. Here volunteers have provided some canisters full of water. Without this help, we would have to lug water for 35 miles (56 km) with hikers here. That would probably be at least 8 liters of water, which is a lot of weight. So I’m very happy that I can fill up my water here in the middle of the dry area and can walk with fewer reserves. Nevertheless, it goes on for me with almost 4 liters afterwards. Because I still have a strenuous climb in front of me, need water for cooking in the evening and for the morning and tomorrow I have another 12 miles to the next water point in front of me.
With a heavy backpack, I’m going back on a long and exhausting climb. In the meantime I notice the distance already covered and with every meter I get more exhausted. Actually, it’s only 4 miles and about 400 meters in altitude. In the end, however, I need almost 2 hours before I finally arrive at the top of the mountain. There are a few places to camp in the bushes.
After setting up my tent in one of these places, I cook something delicious to eat.
After that I enjoy the last minutes of the day before I slip back into my sleeping bag and soon fall asleep.
Day 33 – 40.8 km – Wednesday 29.05.2024
The night on the mountain was again very windy. Nevertheless, I was able to sleep reasonably and so I get up at 5:30 a.m. and pack up my tent.
After a short breakfast, it starts again and after just a few meters I get a great view of the surrounding mountains, which are illuminated by the morning sun.
The path takes me downhill in the morning for a long time. First a little along the slope and then for a long time through the forest. The small PCT path markings that were nailed to the trees are funny here. Some are literally eaten up by the tree and some are no longer really visible.
After the longer section in the forest, you continue on a very uneven road. The holes are so deep that the holes are so deep that I can hardly imagine how someone wants to go through with the car. After all, the way on foot is easy to walk and I’m making quick progress. Since I still have half a liter of water, I omit the only water point in the morning and walk another 7.5 miles down the mountain.
The area changes quickly and soon I can see the first snow-covered mountains in the distance. The plants next to the path also change. Over time, I increasingly walk through beautiful flower passages and in general the path becomes rockier.
After about 28 km I reach a water cache at around 1 p.m., where a Trailangel has provided water in the shade for us. Below there are a few benches with tables where I settle down. In addition to the water, I also find cola and beer, which I really like again today. I talk for a while with a woman who is waiting for her daughter, who is also running the PCT and later with other day tourists here. Only when I want to set off again after almost 1.5 hours do other hikers that I know from the last few days come. While I haven’t met anyone all morning, some come down the slope and are happy about the cola and the beer. After talking to a few, I’m on my way again.
I cross a street and then it goes straight uphill again. Despite my longer break, it’s pretty warm and the ascent is exhausting.
From further up I get a good view of the surroundings and the distance covered. The zigzag course is particularly easy to see.
For me it’s so much more uphill. Since I have to be in Kennedy Meadows by Friday, because I usually run out of food, I keep walking. There are a few more bends uphill and in the end I completed more than 40 km before I turn and set up my camp.
I cook something else to eat and marvel at the landscape in front of me. I drink a beer with it, which I took with me this afternoon.
After sunset I go to sleep in my sleeping bag.
Day 34 – 38.7 km – Thursday 30.05.2024
The night was less windy than expected and so I could sleep well. When I woke up briefly that night, I looked at the starry sky above me again and fell asleep again a short time later. At 5:15 my alarm clock rings and I am greeted directly with a beautiful dawn.
I make oatmeal again and drink a cup of coffee while watching the sunrise. I walked off shortly after 6 a.m.
There are two more bends along the mountain. The view is great and I really enjoy running in the first few minutes.
A small pass then takes you to the other side. Here I descend into the valley for a long time. Running is quite relaxed and I’m making good progress. In between, I keep hearing a bear calling, but I can’t see it anywhere and it’s probably further back in the valley.
After almost 10 miles (16 km) I pass a first good stream, where I can finally fill up my water. While I’m filtering my water, I’m talking to another hiker who’s just running a section and breaking up from home. He lives near the Mc Donalds and walked away with his wife from there. In Kennedy Meadows, the two will end their tour again. He calls this tour ‘burger tour’ because he ate burger while running and will eat again in Kennedy Meadows. While he’s talking about the delicious burgers, I’m getting hungry again, even though I don’t have much food anymore. Not a good sign.
After a while I keep walking and it goes straight uphill for a long time. In the meantime, the temperatures are also rising well and since the path hardly offers any shade, it will be a strenuous day again.
After what felt like an eternity, I reach a camp on a mountain saddle. I find a shady place there and since it’s just twelve o’clock, I’m taking a lunch break here.
Around half past two, I continue uphill in the midday heat. At least I have a little more shade here and soon it’s going downhill again on the other side of the mountain. But even the downhill run is exhausting in the hot sun. Maybe it’s the heat, the little food, the efforts of the last few days or the relatively boring route today, but somehow I find it difficult to walk. In the meantime, I long after arriving at Kennedy Meadows, where there is finally something clever to eat again and I would like to take my first zero-day (break day).
But since I only have food for tonight and tomorrow morning, I should make sure that I’ll get there sometime tomorrow. There are still more than 20 miles to get there and so I can’t break up earlier today. So I just keep walking through the landscape and towards evening the temperatures will at least become more pleasant.
I then pull the handbrake on a stream and set up my tent next to it on a flat square. I still cook mashed potatoes with tuna for dinner and then withdraw to my tent because the flies are too annoying for me outside.
In the end I managed 24 miles again and therefore only 19 miles ahead of me, which I should definitely make tomorrow. If I saw it correctly, I also get a slightly lighter track, with less strenuous climbs.
Day 35 – 30.9 km – Friday 31.05.2024
After an ice-cold night, I’m looking forward to morning coffee. Müsli is only half a ration left, because I don’t have one else. Then it starts in cold temperatures.
It goes straight uphill and soon the warm sun will come out and so I’ll be back in my shirt after half an hour.
In contrast to yesterday, running is very easy for me today and I’m more or less flying over the trail. Overall, it’s pretty unspectacular for a long time along the slope, slightly downhill. So I don’t take breaks and go through the first 10 miles (16 km) in a row.
At the first water point, I sat in the shade with a few other PCT hikers and make myself the last meal left. There are pasta with Nutella, which tastes surprisingly good. After about half an hour I set off again because I can hardly wait to finally arrive at Kennedy Meadows.
I walk quickly through the landscape, which is now increasingly characterized by trees and rocks. Actually, I wanted to build a longer break, but in the end I’m still attracted by the prospect of eating something delicious and in the end, and apart from a short drinking break, I also go through the remaining 8 miles.
In between I’ll pass the 700 mile mark.
After that, I’ll walk on quickly and get closer and closer to my goal.
A short time later, shortly before 2 p.m., I reach the turn-off to the General Store, a small shop here in nowhere where I would like to stay overnight. Just as I get to the street, a man stops and asks me if he should take me the last few meters with me. A short time later I sit in the car and drive with him to the parking lot. He lets me out there and I go straight to the small shop to buy a coke and a few snacks to at least get some sugar at least quickly.
Later I take a shower and pick up my package, which I had delivered here. After 700 miles on the PCT, I get new shoes, an ice ax and microspikes for the Sierra. So I should be equipped again for a while. The old shoes, which I already had with me in Portugal, kept more than 1200 km and did a good job. There is also a fast-charging power bank and a new socket adapter.
After unpacking everything, I buy a cheeseburger, chicken nuggets and a beer. After the last exhausting days, it tastes extremely good.
After that I sit with other PCT hikers for a long time and we talk about different things. Funnily enough, I’m sitting at the table with two people, both of whom were bitten by a rattlesnake and had to go to the hospital. In contrast to another hiker who really had problems, they both ended well and they were able to leave the hospital on the same day.
Since I’m still hungry in the evening, I’m eating another big burger. Around 8 p.m., all the hikers disappear into their tents again and I fall asleep quickly.
When I reached Kennedy Meadows, I actually left the desert completely behind and will be out and about in the Sierra Nevada from then on. Since my body also lets me feel the stresses of the last few weeks, I’m going to take my first day off here tomorrow and so I’ve been sleeping in again for a long time.
Day 36 – 0 km – Saturday 01.06.2024
So today is my first day off. So I stay longer and sleep out. Around 8 a.m. I set off for breakfast.
Like everyone else, I have pancakes. The portions are huge and yet I eat breakfast in a few minutes. I’m sitting with some other Hikers and we’re planning the next few days.
After that I wash my laundry and rest a little while the clothes dry in the sun.
Later I drive a few kilometers further to another camp, where I buy my food for the next few days in a small shop that specializes in hikers. This time I planned for 3 days. After that I eat a delicious cheeseburger with a few well-known faces before I drive back to my campsite.
I repack the purchased food so that it fits in my bear canister, which I have to haul around with me from now on.
After that I repair some holes in my tent and make it fit again for the next few days.
When I’m done, I sat back in the common area and talk to other people. I try to upload the pictures to my blog, which I can only do with the unstable internet connection.
In the evening I eat another double cheeseburger (my fourth burger in two days) and drink a beer with it.
So I end the evening with the others here.
Tomorrow I would like to have breakfast here and then set off again.
Survey
Here is a short overview of my previous tour.
In the meantime I have actually reached Kennedy Meadows. So I finally survived the desert and stand at the gateway to the Sierra Nevada.
In the desert I experienced a lot and found it a very nice section on my trip to Canada. On the over 700 miles (1126 km), I saw and experienced a lot. In addition to rattlesnakes and barren desert, there were also beautiful cities and nice people.
After starting in Campo, on the border with Mexico, I had to get used to the desert a little at first, but then I was able to find my way around quickly. Both the water supply and the rattlesnakes (9 pieces) or the mountain lion couldn’t stop me.
In the end I made it here in 35 days and covered an average of 20 miles (32 km). This is just the track on the PCT. If I add the routes to water springs, roads to the cities and sleeping places, I get 1171 km, which corresponds to a daily average of more than 33.4 km per day.
From now on I continue through the mountains, which has new challenges in store for me. With new shoes, ice axes, microspices and bear canisters, I’m on my way back to Canada. So it remains exciting.
Leave a Reply