Day 64 – 31.8 km – Saturday 29.06.2024
Today I get up early again. I pack everything up and take another pleasant morning shower.
After that I leave the motel and take the bus to the top of town. I walk to a cafe to have breakfast there. On the way I meet a hiker who I still know from Scout and Frodo. We exchange a bit and after some time I set off because I’m getting hungry. Arriving at the café, I get a seat at the counter. Today I have pancakes with scrambled eggs and sausage, which, in contrast to my oatmeal, is a good change.
After eating and drinking enough coffee, I set off again. Since I still want to charge my cell phone and need WiFi, I’ll go to McDonald agains, although this time I’m only buying a cola. I meet the hiker from earlier again and we talk again for quite a while while my cell phone is charging at the socket. When it’s charged, I leave the fast food restaurant again and walk a bit forward to hitchhike back to the trail.
Another hiker joins me and after about 10 minutes a woman stops to take us at least to the next place. There she lets us out again and we stand on the road again and hope for a ride. Luckily, after about 5 minutes, a car stops here that takes us to the PCT. We start on the road around 11 a.m.
Since I still want to do a few miles, I start the day accordingly quickly. It goes uphill for a short time through the forest and then I reach Echo Lake, which I follow up the mountain for a few miles. There are many day tourists here and I can also make out some tents right on the water. Since it seems too cold to me for a bath, I just keep walking backwards.
Soon the path will attract a bit and I gain altitude faster. Again and again I have to overtake some of the day tourists, who have a slightly slower pace. After a saddle, it goes downhill for a short time on the other side, although I also come across small lakes here.
Then the next climb comes towards me again. This one is quite lengthy and I meet some PCT hikers who, like me, sweat. It feels like it goes uphill forever, although the landscape next to me is slowly getting better again.
After a long time, I reach a viewpoint from where I have a good view of Dicks Lake. Here I take a short breather. Some other hikers join me and rest for a moment before heading up the remaining meters to the Dicks Pass.
On the other side it goes down to the lake for a long time. I walk around the lake and then through the forest for some time.
After almost exactly 20 miles, I turn off and set up my tent in the forest. A little later Grace comes along, who is about a similar pace, I’m running. I’ve seen Grace more often in the desert, but then haven’t seen it again in the last few weeks before she reappeared at the viewpoint today. We have dinner together and then we go back to bed.
Day 65 – 43 km – Sunday 30.06.2024
When I get up at 6 a.m., all the other tents are already gone. While I’m drinking my coffee, some people are already walking past me on the trail. At around 6:30 a.m. I set off.
It goes straight through the forest and soon the path will pick up a bit. As I find out in between, one group saw a bear in the morning a bear on the trail, which I apparently missed. So I still have to wait for my first bear sighting in the wild.
After all, I’m making good progress in the morning and walk around again at more than 5.5 km/h and both uphill and downhill. Most of the time, relatively little happens and so I walk around relaxed. After walking downhill for a long time, I suddenly hear a clatter next to me. When I turn around, I can actually see a small rattlesnake between the stones next to the path. Since I hadn’t expected one of these copies here, I’m a bit shocked. But at least I can increase my rattlesnake counter again by one.
Then continue through the forest up and down. Only at lunchtime does the landscape change gradually. It goes up a mountain for a long time and I get a good view of Lake Tahoe. After that, it goes on and on, whereby the switchbacks appear very long again. Sometimes I feel like I walk a mile to the left and then again a mile to the right and further up the mountain.
After the longer and not very steep climb, I reach a small plateau. Since other hikers are already taking a lunch break here and I find a good place for a break, I decide to take a break here. After all, I’ve already completed almost 20 miles, even though it’s just 2 p.m. I eat something and lie down for 15 minutes. After that I’m on my way again.
It continues uphill and I continue on a ridge. The landscape is beautiful on both sides and so I enjoy running today. After a long time up, it then goes back down the mountain into the valley. The path leads me further and further down through the forest to a small stream. After crossing this, it’s on and off again before I reach the targeted camp. At first I thought about going on until the next one, but since it means an increase of 500 meters in altitude again and I have already completed 43 kilometers with more than 1200 meters in altitude, I prefer to stay here.
At the camp, I meet Grace again, who had followed me all day and walked past me during my break without even having seen me. Even today I’m having dinner with her and another hiker and then we all go back to our tents to sleep, as there’s a longer day coming up tomorrow.
Day 66 – 35 km – Monday 01.07.2024
Today it starts at 6:30 a.m. and I get to deal with a first climb directly. It goes uphill for a long time. Initially through the forest and then further up over rock.
Since I need the first two miles to enter, I’m pretty slow at the beginning. But then I keep picking up the pace and will soon be able to overtake the first hikers who left before me. As the height increases, I get a better view of the surroundings.
After a quick descent into the valley, it goes up again. This time for a significantly longer time and in the last few meters I’m pretty sweaty because I’m directly exposed to the sun here. Two young women who come towards me give me a few candy for the summit. Once at the top, I meet another hiker I first met at the camp the day before yesterday. Together we look at the beautiful surroundings. The view from up here is really beautiful.
Gradually the others here also come along and enjoy the view, visibly exhausted. Since it goes further up next to the path to the actual summit and it doesn’t look far, I climb the rocks for a moment and look at the surroundings from there.
Then I descend again and set off on the further way. Since I heard that we should give a free beer for PCT hikers in a ski resort not far from here, I quickly walk on to get there in the afternoon.
It goes down the mountain for a long time and the landscape remains beautiful.
In between there are a few smaller snow fields, which are also easy to do without microspikes.
Around half past two I actually arrive at the Ski Resort. There I meet other PCT hikers directly and sat down with a well-known hiker at the counter, who has already made sure that the European championship game Portugal against Slovenia is playing on the TV. I order a cheeseburger with fries to actually get a free beer on presentation of my PCT permit. This is even a 40oz (1.13 liter) bottle. After all, I get one with 5.3 percent and not like my colleague 8.1 percent. While we drink and eat beer, we watch the game.
After the penalty shootout, he sets out again and I sat down at ‘Second Dinner’, who arrived here during the game, and continue drinking with him on the beer. Later ‘Sinombre’ is added and we talk for a while. Apparently we’re all not used to drinking so much beer or the combination of hiking in the sun and little water is to blame, but after we’ve empty the bottles, we’re all a bit drunk. After a quick ice cream, we start walking again a little tipsy. It’s almost 5 p.m. now and I still have a bit of a route ahead of me.
It’s going uphill again and I get another good view of a lake in front of me. After that, it’s a relaxed downhill ride to a highway, which I cross through an underpass.
Then I walk briefly through the forest, fill up my water and soon turn off a forest path to pitch my tent a few meters from the trail. Since I’m still reasonably full of the burger, I eat a few snacks and then go to sleep directly because it’s already 8 p.m. again.
Day 67 – 45.4 km – Tuesday 02.07.2024
When I wake up and assemble my tent, there are a few other tents. In order not to wake up the sleeping ones, I give up my breakfast and walk straight away.
It goes slightly uphill in the forest and soon I will pass a rock formation with a beautiful view. Here I take my breakfast break and make my coffee.
After that, it continues uphill and I walk through flowers for a long time. The view is good almost all day today and I can see a lot of forest in front of and behind me.
In between, I’m going through smaller snow fields again today, but all of them are easily feasible without microspikes.
Since it’s going up and down more often today, I get some nice looks like this one.
After another longer climb, I take my lunch break and take a nap in the shade of a tree. Since the sun is quite warm, the coolness of the shade is quite pleasant.
After that I descend again and can see a bigger fire in the distance. The clouds of smoke are clearly visible and I’m glad it’s far enough away not to affect my hike.
Since I want to be in Sierra City for breakfast tomorrow, I keep walking in the evening. I won’t reach my targeted camp until around 6:30 p.m. Until then, I’ve completed more than 45 km again and I’m very satisfied with my performance today. Although there would be room for about 10 tents here, I’m alone in the forest today. I cook something for dinner and then go back to sleep.
Day 68 – 29.5 km – Wednesday 03.07.2024
Today I get up at 6 a.m. and have a quick breakfast to set off right away. Because today I would like to arrive in Sierra City in the morning to be able to have a real breakfast in a café. As the sun slowly rises over the mountain, I pack everything up and then walk off.
It’s a long time down the mountain. After a while I’m back in the forest and walk along the valley along the water along the valley.
In between I can cross the small river over a beautiful bridge. After that, a few more miles follow before I finally arrive at the road that leads to Sierra City.
Since hitting the road on the road with little traffic was not that successful in 10 minutes and it’s only about 1.6 miles to the town center, I just start on foot. After a few meters, someone picks me up in the car and drops me off in front of the town’s cafe.
There I go for a relaxed breakfast. Today there is a hiker’s breakfast, which consists of 3 eggs, 3 slices of bacon, 3 sausages, potatoes and 3 pancakes.
After the delicious meal, I’m really full and walk to the place’s shop. There I buy food for another 4-5 days and in the hiker box next to, I also find food, which another hiker apparently no longer wanted. Although the store is quite expensive, I stock up completely to hopefully make it to Chester (about 135 miles). Actually, after shopping, I wanted to start right away. But since it’s so warm at lunchtime (over 35 degrees), I’m still sitting in the hiker area for a while and drinking coke. Later I take a free shower in a public facility. There is only cold water, but with the warm temperatures it bothers me less. After that I go again to the cafe, which is the only restaurant here, and have a burger for lunch. There is also more ice-cold coke and when I’m done I’m on my way out of town again.
Luckily I’m taken straight from the first car and the nice woman lets me out again 5 minutes later on the Trailhead. From here I start again at 3 in the afternoon.
It goes straight up the mountain and in the hot midday heat I quickly get sweaty. Luckily, the path for the first time leads me through the forest, which at least provides some shade.
Later, however, it goes further up in the exposed area. In total, I have almost 1000 meters of altitude to overcome, which are really exhausting. After all, the landscape in the evening sun looks fantastic and so I keep walking up.
After what felt like an eternity, I reach the highest point of the path and pass the 1200 mile marking there.
Then it goes downhill again on the other side to a small lake. Even if I had actually planned to continue running, I prefer to stay here and set up my tent on the water. A few snacks from a nice camper who spends the holidays here (July 4th is Independence Day). Then I eat something quickly and go to sleep directly because it’s already after 8 p.m.
Overview
Here’s the overview map I’m at right now:
P.S.:
Incidentally, in the last few days it was July 1st, 2024 and so it’s actually been a whole year since I left my apartment in Jöhlingen and made my way to Santiago. Hard to believe that I’ve been on the road for over a year now. In total, I have already left more than 7000 kilometers behind and was on three continents in 8 countries. Hopefully there will be a few more kilometers and at least one more country 😉.
I really can’t believe it myself that it’s been such a long time. On the one hand, I see and experience so much every day, but somehow it seems to me that it’s only a few weeks. But today I realized with the calendar again how far I’ve come around.
After such a long time in nature and in a tent, I find it difficult to imagine finding a normal everyday life again and sitting in an office for 8 hours a day. But let’s see what the future brings.
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