Day 16 – 20.2 km – Sunday 12.05.2024
Today I sleep a little longer because the shops probably won’t be open before 8. I have a short breakfast and since I run out of gas when I cook porridge, I just add the coffee. I dismantle my tent and walk to the road, which is only about 1 kilometer away.
That’s where I actually meet Raul again. He probably wanted to see a solar storm or something at night, but couldn’t see much. Since he was so tired, he just stayed in the car in the parking lot. Lucky for me, because he drives me directly to the supermarket in Big Bear, which is almost 15 minutes away from the PCT.
There he lets me out and makes his way back to possibly collect other people. I then shop extensively at the supermarket for the next few days. I make sure that I get enough calories together. Meanwhile, I probably have a consumption of about 3000 to 4000 calories per day. To meet this need is not so easy on such a hike.
After shopping in the supermarket, I walk to an outdoor shop. Unfortunately, there are no suitable water filters for me either here or in the other two. So I’ll buy another bottle of water tablets to be able to clean my water in the coming days. After that I sat in the Starbucks for a while, have a coffee and use the WLAN to update my blog.
When I’m done, it’s almost noon and so I’m still on my way to a burger shop around the corner to eat my first burger in the USA. While I’m queuing in line with the family business, I’m talking to a family in front of me who are so fascinated by the PCT that they really want to give me a beer. I gratefully accept the offer and a short time later I drink a cool beer and eat a delicious burger with fries.
After the meal I make my way back to the trail. At an intersection I try to hitchhike and after almost 15 minutes someone actually stops to take me to the trail. The former US soldier himself was stationed in Kaiserslautern for some time and knows the PCT well. After 15 minutes of driving, the nice man lets me out and I start around 2:30 p.m.
It goes straight up the mountain and it is very warm in the sun. After about 1.5 hours I take a little break in the shade. Just as I want to set off again, Astrid and another guy I forgot the name of. I met both of them almost a week ago, so people exchange ideas quickly. On the further way I meet her again and again and also get to see her interesting tattoos, which they had yesterday in Big Bear.
At a water point, I fill up my water again and then start looking for a place to stay.
In the forest I find what I’m looking for around half past 8 and decide to do cowboy camping again today, although it’s only about 4 degrees at night. As long as it stays dry, it should still work quite well. After dinner it’s already dark and I’ll go to sleep soon.
Day 17 – 40.4 km – Monday 13.05.2024
Today I had slept well without a tent. It was less cold than expected and no wind. In the morning I make breakfast again and then start running.
I quickly walk on the easy-to-go path through the forest. After a short climb, it goes slowly but steadily downhill. On the way I get a good view of Big Bear Lake and I’ll meet a deer, which quickly disappears into the bushes. Since most of the time is relaxed today, I quickly cover a few kilometers.
After a little more than 3 hours, I already managed the first 10 miles (16 km) and took a first break in the shade of a rock. After that I walk on and I’m more between bushes instead of in the forest. So I can feel the sun clearly and the running becomes more strenuous.
Soon I will meet a river that is more common today to cross. While I can still use stones and tree trunks for the first two times, I have to take off my shoes for the third time and walk through the water that is about knee-deep. However, since the flow is close to zero, it is more of a good cooling than a challenging river crossing.
Since it’s already 12 o’clock after that, I lie down in the shade of a tree and take a nap there while my feet dry. After about 20 minutes it goes on again. Today I meet a striking number of people.
Soon the landscape will change and I keep getting further into a canyon. There I follow the river along the slope and it goes up and down. At a small stream I fill up my water and then start looking for a campsite. After a total of 40 km I will find it. Since I want to sleep without a tent again today, I’ll cook something else to eat and then read something else.
Later, a group of people are added who set up their tents next to me. But the group is only on the PCT for two weeks, which you can quickly notice when setting up the tent, since it takes a little longer than most people here on the trail. When it gets dark, I lie down in my sleeping bag and soon fall asleep under the starry sky.
Day 18 – 36.5 km – Tuesday 14.05.2024
It starts today at 6 a.m. and I’m already looking forward to the Hot Springs (hot springs) that will await me today.
I only have breakfast after a few kilometers, where I have some views.
Then it’s about 5 kilometers down the mountain before I finally arrive at the Hot Springs at half past nine.
There are various pools that are filled with warm underground water. Actually similar to a thermal bath, just in the middle of nature. The canyon’s cold river flows next to it.
After a few minutes I sit in one of the warm pools. The water feels like 40 degrees and I notice how it relaxes the muscles. After such a long time on the road, it really feels like a day of wellness. I switch back and forth between the individual pools and in between I always go into the cold river, which is very pleasant. While I’m sitting in one of the warm pools, I’m talking to someone who came here especially for the Hot Springs. In addition to another 5 day tourists, it is otherwise exclusively PCT hikers who relax here in the water. After almost 2 hours in the various pools, all of which are differently warm, I lie down for 20 minutes and recover from the roller coaster ride.
After that I’m on my way again. It continues through the canyon before I encounter a larger dam that also forms the end of the canyon.
Here there is a small river to cross and then it goes first briefly through grass and then again along the slope through bushes for a long time. In the distance I can see some snow-covered mountains and I really like the landscape. Due to my long break in the water, I’m a bit late today. Since I still want to make my 20 miles, I hardly take longer breaks afterwards.
At a water point I fill up my water in the afternoon to walk another 5 kilometers. Actually, I wanted to camp in front of a larger lake. But since I can’t find a place there anywhere and it looks bad around the lake, I end up at almost 37 km before I stop at a picnic at the lake.
There I would like to spend the night next to a table under the roof’s shelter. So today I save myself the construction of the tent and despite my late arrival I have enough time to eat enough time and look at the landscape in front of me.
Day 19 – 45 km – Wednesday 15.05.2024
I slept well today too. In the morning I get up and have breakfast at the lake.
Then I start walking and it goes directly along the slope around the lake. Since a Mc Donalds is on the way in about 15 miles (24 km), I’m in a hurry to get there at lunchtime.
It’s been going quite relaxed for a long time and since it’s cloudy today, I can walk without much effort. I walk over hills through bushes and hardly take any breaks. Only after 10 miles (16 km) do I take a little break at a stream to fill up my water and eat my last chips.
Then it goes uphill again and soon I get a beautiful view of a valley in front of me, through which a highway and a railway line leads. After another short climb, it continues from above and down to the road.
There I can already see the long-awaited sign that leads me to the meal.
I’ve had the 0.4 miles quickly and so I’m already sitting in Mc Donalds shortly after 12 and eat a bigmac with fries and drink spezi. Besides me, there are many other hikers here who half occupied the restaurant. But I only see two familiar faces. Since he had problems, they came here by car yesterday and are waiting for the rest of their group. Since I’m not really full after the first course, I’ll buy 4 more cheeseburgers and I’ll eat them in a short time. There’s more coke and then I’m really stuffed. At least I should have refilled my calories a bit.
After about 1.5 hours I set off again in the midday sun. Today, however, running is quite pleasant. First it goes briefly along the railway line before I cross it through a tunnel.
Another climb follows and then it goes back down to a road. Here is the last filling station for water. Since I want to go a little further, but there is a long climb ahead of me, I take another break before I set off.
It keeps going up along the slope and the view is getting better and better. In between it rains for a few minutes, but it also stops quickly and I don’t get really wet. Then I start looking up for a place for my tent. Since the first places are occupied, I keep going up.
I don’t get past a seat until around 7:30 p.m. Unfortunately, there are already three tents here and I would have to squeeze somewhere in between. Luckily I find a suitable place in the bushes further back. I set up my tent there and then go to sleep pretty quickly. After more than 45 km I’m pretty exhausted.
Day 20 – 26.3 km – Thursday 16.05.2024
During the night I slept like a stone. Surprisingly fit, I wake up and notice relatively little of the 45 km yesterday. I get up, pack my tent and have breakfast while looking at the landscape in front of me. The clouds are still hanging low in the valley and so it looks wonderful again.
When I finally start running, it goes straight up the mountain. Today I have almost 10 miles of climb ahead of me before descending to Wrightwood. The ascent is pretty much stretching and since it’s only uphill, it’s also more strenuous than expected. At least I always get a nice view of the surroundings.
After about half, I take a little break and take a closer look at the low-hanging clouds.
After that it goes further up and gradually I notice the long distance from yesterday. Nevertheless, I continue to run without major breaks. At the top it’s a short walk through the forest and then I’ll meet the turn that leads me down to Wrightwood.
I follow the path downhill and arrive at the entrance to the village after about an hour. A woman who is driving out of the yard by car takes me in a friendly way to the center where I can shop. First I go to a hardware store where I get gas and finally get a water filter again. After that I go shopping in the supermarket and soon meet Pete and some other hikers who are sitting in front of the supermarket.
With a small group we go to a café where we get free coffee as a PCT hiker. After a while I’m on my way again because I haven’t had any lunch yet. In a restaurant around the corner, there are burgers again today.
After the meal it is already 4 p.m. I pack everything up and fill up my water in the supermarket again. I then make my way back to the trail with my full pockets.
It’s going uphill for a long time. The climb is really dragging on and I notice the almost 600 meters in altitude quickly in the evening. The extra weight of the backpack, which at least includes food for another 4 days, doesn’t necessarily help.
After about 1.5 hours I’m back on the trail. But since I’ll have a longer chat with a hiker, I won’t be able to arrive in a camp until around half past five. I quickly set up my tent there and go to sleep.
Survey
In the meantime I’ve made it to Wrightwood and thus actually up to mile 363. I’m slowly getting used to the country and the people here and making good progress. After the last long days, the stop in Wrightwood was a real blessing. In the next few days I would like to continue to Acton. I still have a long distance ahead of me, but I really like it here and so I’m looking forward to the other kilometers.
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