Day 13 – 4 Apr 19. Big Breakfast and Big Hills

Today 25.6 km (15.9 mi), Total Distance 264.1 km (164.1 mi). 6 hours 50 minutes (0755-1610 less one of the two hours at Paradise Valley Cafe)

This morning it was misty and my tent was wet from the mist. I dried the inside, had breakfast, packed and then dried the outside off before taking it down. The Duke and Duchess and a couple I did not recognise went past as I was taking the tent down.

The day started with a climb up out of the canyon then relatively flat for a while. I thought my tent getting wet was because I was down in the canyon but I saw the flats on the top were still covered in a heavy dew.

Visibility was limited off to the sides but it slowly cleared over the first hour of walking. It was cool but the hill walk had warmed me up, though I had my shirt sleeves down.

I passed the new couple as they were starting to cook a second breakfast. They were not going to the cafe as they were in a rush to get get to Idyllwild the next day. They were taking a strange route where they talked about climbing, descending then climbing and descending again with it being 20 miles. This was an alternate or parts of PCT I think.
I caught up to Carol, aka Late Blooming Hiker, and Debbie where there was “150” written on the trail. They were taking photos so I had one taken and took on of the two of them. I continued as they took more photos and chuckled when just around the corner was “150” written in stones.

Carol (Late Blooming Hiker) and Debbie

The trail was now weaving around on the tops of the canyons before a climb up and around a hill. From there the road was in sight and it was a quick descent.

There is a track that goes to the cafe and I saw Duke and Dutchess heading down that track. I kept going on the PCT straight to the road, crossed it and put my thumb out. Just as I did that a car coming from the way I was going pulled up too the carpark, dropped off some hikers and offered me a ride. Just as she was about to pull away another hiker emerged from the track so he jumped in as well. The driver seemed buzzed at giving hikers a ride and what we were doing. She has recently moved into the area and has just discovered the PCT. We offered to buy her a coffee at the cafe or pay petrol money and she refused saying it was fun picking up hikers.

The Paradise Valley Cafe had packs littered outside and inside was packed with hikers. I am surprised the whole place didn’t stink with all of us. I set my powerbanks to charge and sat at a table with Daniel and ordered coffee, 3 fried eggs, hash brown, bacon and bread. The coffee was unlimited and I kept getting refills. He even brought out a little jug of milk for me so I didn’t have to have the horrible creamer. I was very impressed at the service.

The breakfast was huge and I ate everything except one slice of bread which Daniel polished off.

Duke and Duchess arrived just as I received my breakfast and they looked confused at how I got there before them until I told them about the hitch.

Just as I was finishing breakfast Carol (Late Blooming hiker) and Debbie arrived and joined us. Various other hikers also passed by and stopped for a brief chat. It is definitely a neat community full of interesting, nice and helpful people.

Some older ladies at the table near ours were fascinated by the PCT and asking us and other hikers walking by questions. Then some older men sat at a nearby table and as a hiker went past they asked him a few questions and I cracked up at the reaction of one of them when the hiker, Steel Belt, said he was going to Canada. The mans mouth literally dropped open and his eyes widened as he took that in.

Daniel left and I started packing everything away. The waitress flled up my water bottles for me. I said my goodbyes then went outside to have a chat to Steel Belt, Just Awesome, Rainbow Sherbet and at the next table over the trail family I spent night 10 with.

I went out to the road and within 2 minutes had a ride back to the trail 1 mile (1.6km) away.

I met some new hikers who had just been dropped off my Uber. They took off as I applied sunscreen.

It was 1125 and I was back on trail, 2 hours 25 minutes after I left it.

The trail slowly dropped down into an area of trees then meandered through the foothills crossing different terrain like big boulders, cliffs, shrub, pine trees, other big trees. I was keeping my pace steady and enjoying the trail.Parts of it were rougher than normal and there were a couple of short steeper bits too.

I filled my water up at a little creek that was barely flowing. Shortly afterwards I caught up to a hiker who had started on 1 Mar. He had rain and then had to bypass the hills we were climbing due to heavy snow. He did the next desert section and is back to pick up the mountains he missed. 30 minutes later I saw a hiker coming towards me. He was leaving the Cafe when I arrived. Unfortunately he had hurt his knee and decided to turn back and go somewhere to rest it. Encountering these two hikers reminded me that luck has a part to play in completing the hike. You can be super prepared and super experienced but it only takes one misstep or one bout of bad weather to change the outcome of your hike. I passed a new girl as she was having a break under a big rock.

The trail now headed up the side of a large pretty valley and started climbing. The track was really rough here and I loved it. I still had good energy from my mega breakfast but the coffee was catching up with me.

There wasn’t really anywhere to get off track so I pulled over to the side of the track. I fluffed around getting out an electrolyte tab and putting it in my water to fizz while I then squatted just off the track to have a wee. Just before I finished the new girl came around the corner causing a rapid stop to my activity and frantically pulling up my shorts. I had misjudged how far behind she was. Oops.
Not long after I pulled my shorts up the guy form 1 Mar start also passed me. Thankfully I was decent by then.

Now it was a long steady climb from 1,650 m to 2,030 m (5,410 – 6,660 feet). The track was in good condition for most of it so I was in a good rhythm, looking down to the left at the desert. Nearer the top the trail went into an area of trees and there was a lot of storm damage. Then the last bit was a zig zag (switchback) up the steep slope to the saddle under Lions Peak. I was glad of the switchback as it was a steep climb.

From there the trail climbed along the ridge, sometimes on top, sometimes off the side. It was mainly open but there were some patches of shrub. It was really windy and I thought that was going to be an issue for camping. The trail passed under Pyramid Peak and dropped to the Ceder Springs Junction.

The climb up out of the junction was much steeper than PCT normally is and I was short of breath. I wasn’t sure if I was tired or it was the altitude but I hadn’t bothered to check what the height was. When I later realised I was up around 2000 meters suddenly I understood my puffing.

I was now ready to stop and was on the lookout for a camp spot. Guthooks showed a couple in half a mile that had comments about deadfall but when I got to them the whole trees were dead. A big fire decimated this area in 2013 and some vegetation is regenerating but these trees were dead and there was no way I was camping under them, especially with the wind so strong.

I carried on past the dead trees to where the live pines started. Now though the slope was steep and there were no suitable spots. Half a mile later while going over a saddle, and shortly after seeing my first little patch of snow, there were some possible sites.

Two men were just below the trail looking but I did not like that area so I continued another couple of hundred meters and spotted a clear flat spot about 30 meters off trail. One of the principles of ‘leave no trace’ that is practiced on PCT is to only camp on clear ground where you will not damage vegetation. I found a square of dirt, probably not recovered from the recently melted snow. It was just big enough for my tent so I quickly got it set up. The walls were still damp from this morning but the floor was dry so I started getting ready and by the time I was set up the walls were fully dry. I could hear the wind roaring through the trees above me but apart from the occasional gust I am wind free.

It was cold, 10 degrees C at 1630. I was prepared for a cold night which is not surprising at 2,165 meters (7,103 ft) above sea level, and where there are still patches of snow visible. Camping here sets me up to get to the snow line while the snow is still firm. Hopefully I will be over the highest parts before it warms up and starts getting soft and slushy.

Dinner was my usual potato and tuna and I was still a little hungry so I had some corn, nuts and lollies.

It is now 1845 and outside a mist has descended. It is going to be a damp and cold night.

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