Day 18: Mile 179 to 190
Today started with anxiety about making sure everything was ready to go for trail. Clare and I had a ride at 8:30am back to the trailhead, and until then, it was a mad dash to prep everything.
At the trailhead, I was still feeling anxious and my body moving slow after the zero. Our mission for the morning would be going up the Devil’s Slide trail, which would connect us to the PCT. Unfortunately, it was 2.5 miles long and about 1,600 feet of elevation gain. It did not feel great to put in so much effort on such a hard a trail that wasn’t even the PCT. I put on music to distract myself. “Blood on the Tracks” by Bob Dylan was first, one of me and Isabel’s favorites and a comfort album for sure. Second was “Bismillah” by Peter Cat Recording Co., recommended to me by my friend Talia. I enjoyed listening to music during this hike SO MUCH! “Soulless Friends” was a favorite song. It just put me in such a good mood and took me out of the grind. I was starting to appreciate the day much more.
The views of Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks were really impressive to me. They reminded me of Yosemite with their huge rock faces.
We celebrated when we finally reached the PCT! And of course, we snacked.
The day held even more climbing. It was slow and hot. But the views were just stunning. It would be our biggest elevation day so far.
We kept saying we’d make it an easy day with all the elevation. I guess we were feeling good and also motivated by hot temperatures in the valley tomorrow (100 degrees??) to push for extra miles for the day. Clare and I were shooting for a campsite three miles further than our original plan, which would take us night hiking for the first time!!! It made sense to get miles in when it was cool.
We crossed Fuller Ridge at sunset, which is a particularly hairy section that I was glad to have done in semi-daylight. And then we turned on our headlamps and set off into the night. It was terrifying, and yet also totally fine. We focused on the trail, but also on being silly to take our minds off of the darkness. We sang Les Mis songs and yelled at any sounds that scared us. And soon we were there! It was about 9pm, which was so late for us hikers, and I ate a no-cook dinner of granola bars. We cowboy camped to get us out of camp early in the morning.
Tomorrow, we will be waking up before dawn to hike. It will be extremely hot as we descend down towards the I-10 freeway. I’m feeling nervous about it, but happy we’re taking the necessary steps to be prepared. We won’t get much sleep but it’ll be worth it to try to stay cooler.
Day 19: Mile 190 – 205.7
After our night hike, I did not want to wake up when my alarm sounded at 4:00am. Alas, the thought of hiking in the heat of the day, which would be 85-95 degrees, was what finally got me out of my sleeping bag.
After packing up, we walked for a bit and enjoyed the sunrise over the Whitewater/Palm Springs area. I thought it was pretty cool to be able to hike through both the sun setting and rising in the last twelve hours.
Our last water source for the day was Snow Creek, and we enjoyed the shade of actual trees and dunked our shirts and buffs into the water to extend the coolness of the morning as long as possible.
Soon, it was time to descend into the desert. We had approximately 5,000 feet of descent to do that day, which meant we would see the forests of San Jacinto transition all the way down to the desert life of the San Gorgonio Valley. As much as it was about to hurt my knees, I really do love to travel big elevation changes and see how the plant and animal life evolves along the way.
Even though it was extremely hot out, this terrain was maybe the most abundant in life that I had seen yet. There were so many pollinators, birds, lizards, and I even spotted a few hummingbirds and a horny toad (which can shoot blood from the their eyes?!?)! The flowers were blooming and there was just so much life around.
When it got to be about 90 degrees, Clare and I decided it would be safest to stop hiking and take a long siesta. We found a bit of shade, and then she set up her ground sheet like a tarp to create a place to spread out under the shadow. It was a little wonky but it worked! I ate lunch, closed my eyes for a bit, and just enjoyed the view of the wind turbines in the desert.
It’s crazy how thru-hiking means you never get to stay in one place long. It was really wonderful to just sit and observe the area, and slow down to catch up on rest. It would be nice to be able to try to fit more time like this on easy days.
Once the sun crested over the mountain, we eventually got up to complete the rest of the descent. The views of San Jacinto from above were breathtaking. But the descent itself was grueling. It was really hard on my knees and feet to be walking down repetitively so much. And it just didn’t end! We could see the bottom but it just didn’t feel like it was getting any closer.
But the good news is that we hit the 200 mile mark!! I felt so incredibly proud of myself, especially after how tough the last few days have been.
The wind started blowing hard as the sun was setting. I can’t emphasize how much I didn’t want to be hiking anymore as I switched on my headlamp to finish the descent. We finally arrived to camp near a water faucet just after it got dark, and set up our tents while being pelted by bugs. I was so tired I didn’t eat dinner. It was 90 degrees in the valley where we were sleeping, and I was so hot and miserable. I did fall asleep to the sound of an owl hooting though.
The last two days were so difficult, but I was so glad to have Clare to tackle them with. It’s hard to keep pushing and keep positive when conditions are this rough, so I was happy that we could joke around and encourage each other.
Tomorrow we finish section B of the PCT!! I can’t believe how hard this one was but also how quickly and confidently we crushed it.
Day 20: Mile 205.7 to 218.7
It was another day of waking up well before dawn in order to beat the desert heat, but because of my two late nights in a row, I had an extremely slow morning. I did not feel good.
It ended up being a blessing because we encountered a very kind southbound (SOBO) section hiker who gave Clare and I information about the upcoming Mission Creek section, which suffered extreme washouts and damage. It was something I was concerned about so I was glad to have gained some insight into how to navigate it!
The sun had risen by the time we set off, walking on a road, which was so painful for my feet after yesterday’s horrible descent. Clare and I were singing and trying to keep a good attitude about it. It makes a huge difference to not be alone and hike around someone positive like Clare.
Once the trail became a trail again, we were treated to TRAIL MAGIC!!! It was an ice-cold cooler full of gatorades cached at the trailhead. It was so amazing to drink a cool beverage and put some ice in our hats and bandanas.
The rest of the morning was just walking across a flat desert landscape to reach the I-10 freeway. It was pretty desolate and hot, and not really my favorite type of hiking.
We passed below the underpass and I thought of how I used to live right near this highway in Mid City in LA.
Clare and I took a pit stop at Hiker Haven, a hostel in Whitewater. There, the host Kristin was so kind to us and gave us each a huge jar of Gatorade. We also hung out with her cat! I had to come here to charge my portable battery, which was a little unfortunate because every few minutes that passed meant that it was only getting hotter outside.
Because of the delay from charging my portable battery, we set out during the hottest part of the day. It was so brutal. This desert wasn’t like any of the others we passed through— it was just a brutal, sunbaked landscape. I stopped almost every mile to drink water. I took a shade break under an informational sign, huddled underneath it with other hikers. I just looked at the wind turbines. I tried to distract myself by coming up with questions to ask my hiker friend Rory about the turbines, since he worked in renewable energy.
Clare and I hit this awful climb that just went straight up. It was honestly the hardest and worst ascent of my journey thus far, and it was maybe less than 500 feet. It was the combination of the steepness and just how hot it was. I just locked in and forced myself to move forward.
Afterwards, we sat at the top and rested for a bit, just laughing at how ridiculous the PCT was and how difficult it can be. Despite it all, I really still wanted to be there.
After the crazy hill, the landscape totally changed to a desert grassland, full of canyons and shrubs, and I felt like I was on the beautiful PCT again. The weather was cooling off slightly, which made the last part of the day doable.
After such a hellish time, we decided to shorten our day by heading to the Whitewater Preserve, which promised a place to swim, a campground, and flushable toilets. There, we met up with the rest of the “boys” group Clare and I had been hanging out with in Idyllwild and prior to PVC. It was such a sweet reunion!!
I felt totally exhausted by the time we got there. I soaked my screaming feet in the wading pool and set up my tent under a tree beneath a giant cliff face. I made dinner and caught up on our friends’ adventures through the last treacherous section.
Everyone is on the same page about taking it easy tomorrow. No alarms, slow morning, and hopefully easy mileage. I was really feeling worn out, so it’s validating to hear that other people could also use the break. I’m looking forward to sleeping in and enjoying the Whitewater Preserve a little longer!!
The next things on the agenda are navigating through Mission Creek and ascending into Big Bear. It should be much cooler temperatures relative to this section. The heat was the real killer for the last few days.
All in all, things are going well. Even though it’s been relentlessly difficult every day for a few days, I’m surprised by how well my body is adapting and that I’m in good spirits a majority of the time. I look forward to finally getting into my tent at night, but not to quitting or getting off trail. I really love being here!
Thanks for reading and keeping up with me!
