Day 11 – 16.2 km – Tuesday 07.05.2024
In the morning I wake up and go to the laundry area. There I meet again an older Swiss, with whom I had talked longer a few days ago. Even today the conversation is longer. Like the others here, he came here from Paradise Valley Cafe and is almost 2-3 days behind me. After a while I go back and start packing my things. When I’ve finished everything, I sat down at the table with the others and start having breakfast. The group prefers to have breakfast in a café because they are taking a break day today. So I say goodbye to them. I will probably not see some of them so quickly because they are so far behind me and the distance is getting bigger and bigger. Nevertheless, I was very happy to see everyone again and spent a nice evening together.
When they’re gone and I’ve finished eating, I put the remaining things in my backpack. Unfortunately, when I go brushing my teeth and want to get my power bank, which is loaded in the laundry area, it is no longer there. I ask some people if they saw a power bank and also ask at the campsite reception. Unfortunately nobody can help me. Apparently one of them actually stole my power bank, which I’m really upset about. For financial reasons, hardly anyone will have done it, since it is only about $40, and otherwise it doesn’t make sense to me how you can simply steal a power bank.
But since I need electricity, I’m on my way to a hiker’s shop. I’ll wait there until it opens and then buy a new power bank. For a power plug I have to go further to the gas station. After this cumbersome beginning of the day, I sit down in a café, drink an Americano and upload pictures to my blog. Soon other hikers join me and I talk to them while I upload my pictures. Most of them are taking a break day here today and are therefore quite relaxed on the road. Around 11 a.m. I finally make my way back to the trail.
Since I’m not lucky with a ride, I need almost an hour before I arrive at the park entrance. From here it goes up the mountain for another hour and then I’m finally back on the trail.
Right at the intersection I meet other hikers. I’m talking to you about an alternative route that would lead over the highest peak in the area. Some think that it is not possible without spikes and pimples and certainly not at noon. Others think that with a bit of experience in snow and ice, it is certainly possible. But since none of them were up, it’s just speculation about what it really looks like.
Anyone who knows me knows that a short time later I’m on my way to the summit, although I’m not yet sure whether I should climb up today or stay further back to be able to use the frozen snow in the early hours of the morning.
At first it goes for some time through the forest to the crossing, where I turn to the summit. After that, the picture changes pretty quickly.
For a long time it goes slowly up the mountain along the slope over snow fields. Despite the midday heat, I can walk reasonably well on the snow, but I’m being slowed down noticeably. Again and again the path leads through bushes and finding the way is not always clear. Since it’s still too early to set up the tent, I decide to walk through to the summit and use a nearby camp for the night on the other side.
Again and again people come towards me from above, but I don’t see anyone on the way towards the summit. Over time, the path becomes steeper and also a little more dangerous. Further up there is one or the other place where an ice ax might make sense. At least it’s pretty steep downhill on the left and when I’m sliding here, it can end badly. I’m all the more cautious about running up these points and hitting my shoes in the snow to have a secure hold.
Soon I’ll have the most difficult thing behind me and just before the summit it’s quite relaxed. Around 5 p.m. I reach the summit at 3323m. At least that’s what my watch says. By then I’ve already had more than 1600 meters in altitude behind me and I’m all the more happy that I’ve reached the summit. The view is wonderful and I really enjoy the view into the distance. On the successful climb of Mount San Jacintos I treat myself to a snickers.
As I walk around the summit a bit, I find a spot where my tent might fit in well. I try it out quickly and in fact the tent fits exactly in the free space, which is well protected from the wind from three sides. On the only exposed side, from where there is no wind, I build a small protective wall made of stones to be on the safe side.
After that I cook a little evening and enjoy the view into the distance. Later I’ll watch the sunset, which is fascinating from up here. After that I go to sleep.
Day 12 – 29.8 km – Wednesday 08.05.2024
In the late evening I could hear the strong wind up here, but luckily I couldn’t feel it. Around midnight this wind also subsided and I was able to sleep well. It was a bit cold up here, but all in all quite ok.
I get up at half past six and assemble my tent. Then I go to the other side and meet the first hike there, who got up at 3:30 a.m. to be up for the sunrise. On the other hand, I didn’t even have to walk 2 minutes, which surprises the hiker, but thinks it’s good that I slept up here. You don’t always have the opportunity to stay overnight on the top of a mountain, which is at least 3000 meters high.
Together we look at the sunrise. I’m still relaxing in a warm coffee, which is particularly good in the morning cold.
When the sun has already risen a lot, another group of hikers comes. Unfortunately they were too slow and missed the sunrise. But at least they made it to the top and they are very happy. After having had to serve as a photographer for some time, I set off again because I have a long descent ahead of me.
In the morning the snow is still frozen and so I can dismount relatively easily. There is no apparent path, but I just keep walking down the slope by feeling.
After a longer descent, I’ll finally get back on the actually PCT route. But here, too, I’m still out and about in the snow and in between I go through the bushes. The path is not always very clear, as the snow is over it and apparently everyone is trying to find their own way. Sometimes a track just ends somewhere in the middle of nowhere and I have to turn back. Somewhere in this confusion I then lose my water bottle with my water filter. But when I notice it, it’s already too late because it could be anywhere. I just keep walking through the snow.
At noon it gets so slippery that I slide down the mountain more like cross-country skiing. The very muddy matter slows me down to the point that I can do less than 2 km in an hour in some places.
I’m all the happier when I finally pass a camp where the snow stops. There I take a lunch break and eat something. I talk to other hikers, who are also very happy that they were finally able to leave the slippery snow behind. One of them actually lost a water bottle, which is probably somewhere next to my bottle in the bushes. Another hiker gives me some of his water-cleaning pills so that I can at least clean up my water until Big Bear, my next destination. So I save myself a cumbersome drive tomorrow and can continue to walk relaxed without having to worry about catching something in the drinking water, which is particularly important for the next section, since apparently some people had contracted the norovirus on the next few kilometers.
After that, it’s actually pretty relaxed for me and further down the mountain. For a long time I walk down like a serpentine and always get beautiful views of the surroundings.
In between I’ll reach the 200 miles mark, which I’m very happy about.
On the small paths, I can make much faster progress than in the snow and so I still manage to cover almost 30 kilometers. Actually, I wanted to keep walking, but after more than 2000 meters downhill, I don’t want to put any further strain on my knees and joints. So I turn off at a camp and settle down there.
From my place I can even see the summit I’ve been to this morning. After the meal I read for a moment and then I go back to sleep soon.
Day 13 – 37.2 km – Thursday 09.05.2024
I wake up on time again at 5:45 a.m., pack everything up and start running.
Only after a few kilometers did I sit on a stone and have breakfast while the sun slowly rises and illuminates the landscape.
After that it goes downhill for a long time. The path is not particularly steep and leads me most of the time along the slope from left to right and back again. The view is good most of the time and it is pleasant to walk.
At a water point I fill up my water again. Two people from Great Britain join me. They are considering going to the next Wallmart on the road that you can already see from here to replenish their reserves. I’m thinking about accompanying them, because the water isn’t supposed to be particularly good for the next few kilometers and I don’t have a filter. I decide to continue walking and then decide on the street.
The path to the street is quite long. First I walk on a tarred road and then it goes on in fine sand, which makes it difficult to arrive in advance.
Shortly before the road it goes under a bridge. I find some trail magic there again. After the long time in the sun, I am very happy about the ice-cold cola, which I enjoy in the shade of the bridge. While I’m drinking my coke, another hiker comes along and we talk for quite a while. But since he wants to take a break here today, I’ll be on my own again soon.
It continues through the hot sun and there is no shade to be found on the next few kilometers. So I’m pretty sweaty.
After hours in the heat, I pass a house of a wind power company. Here the employees store things and have a small office. Kindly, there is a place in the camp for PCT hikers where there are cold drinks and even ice cream. So I’m sitting in the company’s warehouse for some time, eating ice cream and drinking coke. Besides me, there are two others. One is on the phone with his family and I talk to the other who lives in Washington but grew up in Oregon. So she knows some parts of the trail and will visit her parents who live near the path on the way. After a long time in the air-conditioned hall, I make my way back in the hot sun.
It goes straight uphill and I’m already sweating through again after a few minutes. On the other hand, it’s a little more relaxed downhill and running is very easy for me here. So I quickly cover a few kilometers before finally meeting a river.
Here I wash myself thoroughly and some items of clothing are also cleaned in running water and then hung in the sun.
While I’m waiting for my things to dry, I’ll talk to a runner who lives in the area and always likes to talk to hikers. He is really interested and can provide good information. At some point he sets out again and since my clothes are reasonably dry, I’ll continue to walk again.
It goes along the water for a short time and further back in the valley I have to cross the small river. I find a suitable tree trunk and can thus save my wet feet. Unfortunately, I only notice a few hundred meters further that I forgot to fill up my water and so I walk back to the river, only to fill my bottles there and then walk the same way back to the front. Since I have water for cooking and with me for the next day, my backpack weighs quite a lot and the next climb is quite exhausting. I notice that I already have 20 miles (32km) behind me.
Nevertheless, I continue to walk up in the evening sun, as I hope for a good place to sleep on the crest of the mountain. While the sun is already setting behind me, which makes the landscape look fantastic again, I keep walking up. On the way I meet again on a rattlesnake and have now reached 5.
The look back in particular is really fantastic today.
The first good campspots are already occupied, but further back I find a good place that shouldn’t be particularly big, but should be enough for cowboy camping. I descend from the path, spread my things and eat dinner quickly.
Then it’s already dark and I get ready for bed. From my sleeping bag, I can look into the landscape in front of me and see how the lights come on in one of the cities. Later, the stars above me become visible again and I sleep exhausted but relaxed.
Day 14 – 26.6 km – Friday 10.05.2024
I presented the alarm clock at 15 minutes to adapt to the earlier sunrise. So I wake up at 5:30 a.m., cook my porridge and watch the sunrise.
After drinking a coffee, it finally starts. Early in the morning it goes up and down slightly, but I soon descend from the slopes to a river.
There I follow the water up the mountain in the river bed. A real path is not recognizable and walking in the river bed is very exhausting.
Again and again I have to see where I can best continue running without having to constantly cross the river, which I only succeed in semi-wise. Again and again the space between the river and the rocks on one side becomes so small that I have to cross the river and get to the other side. Most of the time I find an overturned tree or large stones in the water that simplify the crossing for me. However, the shoes do not stay completely dry.
Since running on the uneven ground, which consists of sand and round stones, is very strenuous, I take a first break at 9 a.m. I haven’t really covered a lot of distance yet. Unfortunately, there is no improvement in sight either, because I have to follow the river for another 7 miles. The actual path was washed away by the water masses and is therefore no longer available. So I have no choice but to continue hiking through the river bed.
Around 11 a.m. I’ll take another break because I’m pretty exhausted. As I find out on my watch, I seem to have a resting heart rate of 46. Since the weather is also changing and my blood pressure is probably also in the basement, I decide to drink a stimulating, strong coffee.
After that, running is a little easier for me.
It continues up the river and in between I can at least increase my rattlesnake counter to 6. Due to the mild temperatures, the snake doesn’t look as fit and only moves very slowly.
At some point I meet Martin from the Czech Republic, whom I should meet again and again today and with whom I also run for some time. He finds hiking in the river bed just as exhausting as I am and together we try to find good paths further up. After what felt like an eternity, we finally arrive at a point where a normal path is said to be present again. We climb up the slope on the side of the river and after a short time through the bushes, we are actually back on a hiking trail. On the next opportunity we take a long break and it’s interesting to see how quickly you start talking about the relevant things in life on such a path with complete strangers.
After that it goes uphill for a long time and I notice that running today exhausted me a lot. Because normally I would be fast on this path, but today I just need a lot of time for a little distance. The landscape looks very interesting here too, but today I see myself a little after arriving at the next camp.
Nevertheless, the way is nice and I have a lot of time to think. So it’s kind of strange that I’ve already hiked so much and I’m only really starting to think about life now and what is important to me and what isn’t. Maybe it’s the many encounters or just that I’m aware that I’ve already almost 10 percent of the way behind me and the end of my break is getting closer and closer, which sounds somehow suspicious, since I’m still over 2385 miles ahead of me and for most people the adventure has only just started has.
After a last section, where we have to climb numerous tree trunks, we finally reach the camp around 6 p.m., which I am very happy about after the exhausting 26 km. Just as I set up my tent, it starts to snow.
So I cook my dinner today under the protection of the tent and eat it in my small accommodation.
Since it’s still relatively early in the evening, I’ll read something again and then go to bed early after a hard day.
Day 15 – 41.2 km – Saturday 11.05.2024
The night tonight was really cold. In the morning I lie down until 6 a.m. because I can’t see the sunrise here in the forest and it’s just so comfortable in the warm sleeping bag. Then I get up, unpack my tent and have a short breakfast while talking to two others.
Since the next water source is almost 16 miles (24 km) away, I fill up water again at the stream and then start running in the cold.
In the morning, most of the time it goes through the forest. First uphill and then downhill again. The path is very easy to walk and, in contrast to yesterday, a real blessing. So I’m making good progress and covering a few kilometers in a short time. Running in the forest is pleasantly cool and the landscape is still beautiful.
In addition to the many great trees, I can also marvel at the snow-covered mountains in the area. In a place with a beautiful view, I sat in the soothing sun and take a coffee break. I can look at the path of the last few days. The white summit on the right is Mount San Jacinto, where I stayed a few days ago and the river bed on the left pictured, was the busy day yesterday. So it’s always interesting to see which route you’ve already covered.
Since trees keep falling on the path here too, I have to climb some of them or find a path outside.
Otherwise, relatively little happens today. I don’t meet anyone and the landscape doesn’t change for a long time, but I still stay beautiful and the trees, which seem very old, in particular, fascinate me every time.
The huge cones of the trees are also really impressive. Here is a picture with my shoe as a comparison.
Around 3 p.m. I reach the campspot that was actually aimed at. By then I’ve already achieved my daily goal of 20 miles (32 km). I take a break in the midday sun, eat couscous with tuna and rest a little. But since I don’t want to set up my tent yet, I’m on my way again around 5 p.m.
It continues through meadows and hills. In the evening, the landscape always looks different.
Shortly before the road that is supposed to take me to Big Bear tomorrow, I set up my tent around 7 p.m. and meet Raul, a Mexican who lives nearby. He gives me a few soft drinks and asks me a bit about the PCT. He keeps switching between English and Spanish words, but since I can also speak a little Spanish, I understand him anyway. The sweet drinks taste really good.
When he’s gone I go to the tent and write a diary. Just as I was about to go to sleep, he comes back and shows me that he brought dinner with him. He called his mother and she quickly put together a few tacos, which he then brought me. We then sit in the dark for two and eat the delicious tacos.
He tells me that he might want to run the PCT next year and that he often does this for hikers here. After the tacos, he gives me a delicious piece of cake that his mum also baked. I haven’t had that much good food for a long time and I’m amazed at the friendliness of the man again. He himself has never been on the PCT and doesn’t really know much about it. Nevertheless, he brings complete strangers drinks and food over. Around 9 p.m. he says goodbye and I go to my tent to sleep.
Tomorrow we’re going to Big Bear to fill up provisions and then set off again for 5 days.
Survey
Here’s a small overview of where I am right now. Currently I’m pretty much exactly at Mile 265 and have already completed 10 percent of the whole way, but still have 2385 miles ahead of me.
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