Day 46 – 7 May 19. Big Hill Day

Today 35.4 km (22 mi), Total Distance 1088.2 km (676.2 mi). 9 hours 45 minutes (0720 – 1705)

I was surprised that there was a tiny amount of condensation in my tent when I woke up. I thought the wind would have kept it away but apparently it had been misty. I later found out people who camped 1.5 miles along the ridge were saturated during the night from the mist.

The wind howled all night and was still really strong this morning. It was roaring through the trees but my little spot was nicely sheltered and I would only occasionally get a very gentle shake.

After I packed up the guy who arrived late last night came over to talk. It was his first day on trail yesterday and he was excited to have started. Unfortunately he was unable to get a permit so he was hiking from Walker Pass north and then would go down south after he reached Canada. I commented that it was a very strange place to start given the snow and he agreed. He was not sure if he would go through the snow and after questioning his experience I recommended he only do so if he found someone experienced to go with. It was nice to see someone so excited and new to the trail.

He was also asking if last night was cold as he was freezing and I said it was a relatively mild night. I wasn’t wearing a hat to bed and was not cold at all during the night.

I prepared for the wind before I left with my wind jacket on and my cap instead of wide brim hat. It was a little brisk but not cold enough for gloves.

The trail followed the side of a hill, just below the ridgeline. Of course it was on the side away from the sun to keep it cool. Then after coming out at a saddle it continued around the side of the next hill until arriving at another saddle. I had started warming up and took my jacket off, and switched hats just before the saddle.

Now the trail switched to the other side of the hill and I was finally in the sun. It was lovely and warm in the sun and as I came around the hill a little further some beautiful rocky hills came into sight.

As I came even further around I saw a line of almost cliffs which were amazing. The trail climbed for a while and the views just kept improving.

As I came over a spur line I met No ID. We chatted for a while. Her and her partner were taking there time enjoying the trail. I find it funny that the first few weeks the first question asked was had you done other trails. Now one of the first questions is when did you start. It is like people need to gauge themselves against others speed. I never ask this question as I would rather know are they enjoying the trail. She confirmed they were loving it.

She continued on as I was taking photos but I quickly caught up to her. Shortly after I met her partner who was called Chainsaw. I loved this name and immediately guessed it was because of snoring.

The trail now descended slightly in a really rocky area before climbing up to the saddle.

I took in the views to both sides of the saddle before starting the descent down. Once down the steep bit the trail followed along the base of the hill, over lots of dried stream beds.

There were patches of poppies here and lots of Joshua Trees. I passed the sign to Joshua Tree Spring as I didn’t need water.

The trail in this section was much rougher than normal PCT standard but would still be a VIP trail in New Zealand.

There was a short steep climb and I thought I was going into the valley with streams but I was one valley short. Instead I now faced a large climb to get up to the next saddle, significantly higher than the one I was on. The trail wound along the hill steadily climbing, with a couple of bits of steeper gradient. It took 40 minutes of steady climbing to get to the ridge.

Now it was downhill for a couple of miles, starting with a switchback and then just following the side of the hill. I made good time and stopped at the first stream that had water. Just short of the stream was a nice area for lunch. I found the perfect height rock.

First I went back to the stream for some water. I was planning an extended stop so I took my shoes and socks off to let my feet air.

I was later than normal for lunch and my stomach had been making noises the last 30 minutes but I was not overly hungry. I grazed on a variety of snacks, hoping I was eating enough. Apart from that one day of false alarm Hiker Hunger, I still have to remind myself to eat snacks during the day and force myself to try and have enough at lunch.

I filtered some water and put my poor dust encrusted socks back on. They are clogged with dirt where my sweat turns the dust into a dirt paste. I try and shake them out and break up the dirt but they need a good wash. These are still the original socks I started with and are only now starting to show some signs of wear. I am very impressed. Ice Breaker must have changed the composition of materials as in pervious hikes I only got around 500 km out of their socks but this time I am past 1000 km in a much more abrasive environment. At Kennedy Meadows these socks will transition to my bed socks until I find a retailer that sells Ice Breaker and I can get them replaced as part of the Ice breaker lifetime guarantee.

Now I had the big hill of the day of nearly 500 vertical meters (1640 feet). This started at a steep gradient, eased off and then went steep. It was constantly changing and the steeper bits were generally not too long, except one bit that really had me puffing. It took 1 hour 50 minutes to complete the climb and my legs were pretty tired by the end, the first time this has happened on trail. I recovered quickly though.

From the saddle I could see across the valley to where I was planning to camp, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) away. To get to it I had to follow the trail on the side of the hill up to the end of the valley, across the saddle and back on the other side.

The views from the saddle were pretty neat. I have lost count of how many saddles i have been over today but it feels like a lot.

On the trail coming back down the valley I actually saw people. I had been feeling like the only one on the mountain before seeing them. They were Cougar and Steady. They had camped 1.5 miles further along the ridge than me and were planning to go all the way down the mountain tonight to camp by Chimney Creek, a further 7 miles on.

I passed them and continued on the final 2 miles on a lovely trail which stayed relatively flat until climbing up to the saddle.

A few hundred meters on was the campsite I was aiming for and there were lots of trees so I was able to find a sheltered spot. I could hear the wind roaring through the trees but my tent was only getting the gentlest of breezes occasionally.

Once my tent was up Steady said hi as they continued down the trail.

I haven’t seen Cruise Control or Logan today. They had talked about doing three 24 mile days to get to Kennedy Meadows tomorrow but they must have stayed at the walker Pass Campgrounds as they did not pass my tent last night and I have not seen them all day.

When the sun went down it was cool enough to need a jacket but not cold.

It is pretty neat seeing I only have 26 miles (42km) to get to Kennedy Meadows. I will do a gentle day tomorrow and then it will only be a short morning to get there.

When I went to the toilet before bed I looked up and the stars were amazing. There were so many and they seemed so close.

At 2215 a hiker turned up and set up camp. Strange to be night hiking but I guess they are in a rush to get to Kennedy Meadows.

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