Considering I had 13 miles done by 10:15am and I was in town by 12:30, you’d think I’d have had the whole day to relax! But, as usual there were a ton of things to do in town: laundry, shower, resupply, organize gear, minor repairs. Luckily, the cute mountain town of Idyllwild, CA has everything a hiker needs within a short walk and the locals seem to lIke us sorry hikers!

This was my campsite this morning just after sunrise. My neighbor is Dudders from Hawaii (65 years old!).

There are fairly big mountains on the horizon we hiked off of yesterday that are completely socked in by low lying clouds.

This was an interesting Trail Angel water cache.

They have a Little Library me really like Thoreau.

If you zoom in you read about their inspiration.

The famous Paradise Cafe just a mile down the road from where the PCT crosses. Lots of happy hikers (Jeff and Radio).

We were able to quickly hitch a ride into town… thanks for the lift!

The shop pooch at Nomad Ventures. Apparently, a good hiker even though his legs are two inches long.

I was too busy to remember to take more pics of town…maybe tomorrow before I leave bright and early ?

It was perfect hiking weather today. Considering that this area can typically be scorching, most of today was in the low 60’s. This was especially convenient because there’s a 35+ mile stretch with no water on trail and only two sources within a half mile. Needless to say these cooler temps make the water situation much less of a concern.

The trail passed through all sorts of terrain. From creeks with big trees to desert mountains with tons of cactus and agave (still trying to figure out how you squeeze the tequila out?). The area pictured below was an interesting (and random) boulder field.

Luckily, the trail skirted a nice path in between these monstrosities.

One of the water sources for the day was compliments of a trail angel named Mike who has a property just off the trail and gives hikers access to his water tanks.

He also lets you hang out under the covered porch on his house with pop and beer for sale.

Later in the day the trail had gained about 3000′ and the clouds rolled in with temps in the 50’s. If you zoom in you can see Mike’s water tanks on the right side and his house toward the middle.

Ominous clouds but no rain today.

Lots of delicate desert flowers poking out of the rocks.

The trail has been lined with many flowers I don’t know the names of…

I think these are my favorite 🙂

It was great to wake up to clearing skies as the bad weather moved out last night. I gave myself a little treat when I went to bed…a pair of hand warmers in my sleeping bag! The best part was they were still warm when I started hiking at 6:15 and I used them in my gloves for a couple hours

Last night’s campsite just before I departed this morning. .

Some of the snow we got clinging to the higher elevations.

The first 100 miles completed!

This was a fantastic water source piped out of a spring (no floating bugs to worry about!)

We missed the superbloom in the Anza Borrego desert by a couple weeks..still pretty 🙂

Some remnant “blooms”.
The famous Eagle Rock…I just got lucky there was a hiker with an American flag on his pack to complete the picture.

The tiny town of Warner Springs has a community center dedicated to helping hikers as they travel through: bathrooms, water, wifi, snacks, and lots of helpful volunteers.
Here’s a happy hiker enjoying a $1.00 epsom salt foot bath.

A @cow showdown”…he gave me the stink-eye then moved out of my way.

Home for the night next to the Agua Caliente Creek.

The weather was just about perfect today. The sun was out with temps in the low 70’s. Time for bed now!

I started hiking this morning at 6:15 after a rainy night. A double rainbow is always a good way to start the day!

I hiked about 6 miles before reaching Scissor’s Crossing where I hitched a ride into Julian, 12 miles up the road. This is baby Charlotte, her parents gave me a lift.

Julian, CA is a quaint old mining town that has a lot of pie shops. Yes, that’s snow…brr!

The best of the pie shops is Mom’s Pies… she gives out free pie, ice cream and hot chocolate to all PCT hikers. This is a couple I met who are also from Denver…they are so happy because they are about to eat free pie (and out of the cold and wet)

Luckily, the weather was better by the time I got back to the trail. Some on and off drizzle but good hiking temps, especially considering this can be a 30 mile waterless stretch in what is often blistering heat.

By the time I got to camp it had been drizzling for a while, but I was mostly wet from walking next to all the wet vegetation. Putting on warm dry clothes felt great, in addition to throwing a pair of “hot hands” inside my sleeping bag!

It wasn’t my plan to start banging out such big mile days so soon. It’s the result of a combination of things:

1) The trail is super smooth and the climbs are very gradual which makes for fast walking. I don’t think I ever saw 3-consecutive miles on the AT that were as smooth as what I’ve walked so far (I don’t think I saw 3-miles like this collectively!)

2) I feel surprisingly strong. Even though the trail has been kind underfoot it’s still a lot of time on the feet and I thought it would take longer to adjust (it’s gotta be the shoes…Altra Olympus trail runners)! I’m also surprised the heat hasn’t taking a bigger toll. I guess all my defenses against the sun are working (umbrella, sun-sleeves, hat, scarf, etc).

3) Logistics have also played into my pace. Whether it’s pushing to the next water source or just not wanting to stop until the next bit of shade. All these things combined have made for the bigger miles. Especially, when you don’t have AT shelter to hang out at and pass some time.

The Sunrise from my campsite. Since the temps were supposed to be more moderate I had a leisurely 6 am departure.

Most of the morning was spent hiking on a plateau through the Mt. Laguna Recreation Area.

The clouds were racing in from the west. Depending on the exposure of the trail it could would be cool and damp, then with one turn of the trail: warm and sunny. This area could see 4-9″ of snow tomorrow! Luckily, I will be at lower elevation, but will likely deal with some desert rains.

Not all water sources are created equal. The sign says “Non-Potable, for Horse Only”…and thru-hikers, apparently. The next water source is 18 miles away. At least it’s not blistering hot.

A whole new meaning for the name “Bug Juice” (zoom-in).

The weather is rolling in.

My feet never got this dirty on the AT!
Not sure how the dirt gets through my shoes and then my socks and does this too my feet?

I was up early this morning so I could be hiking by sunrise at 5:30am and get some cooler miles before the afternoon heat.

Here are some of the dozen or so tents setup at the PCT hiker area of the campground as I left tho AM.

Surprisingly green in the desert.

The first Trail Magic! Lori and Dave (sorry if I got your names wrong, it’s been a long day). drove 60mi from San Diego and hooked everyone up with cold coke, Doritos and oranges…hiker bliss!

This is Swiftfoot, she’s 10 and hiking the all the way to Canada with her mom and grandpa!

The whole family.

Departing our trail angel hosts and rockin’ all my sun-gear.

The hiker family with their umbrellas deployed.

We gained about 4500′ today and am camped at 6000′. Out of the desert and into the mountains…temporarily!

Surprised they needed to pass an ordinance to address this.

A gorgeous sunset tonight just as I pulled into camp.

Today was a long day. I was up at 4:15 and at the trailhead at 5:45…just after sunrise. The first two hours the temps were perfect for hiking but then it started to heat up in a hurry (prob 90’s in the sun by midday). I saw a handful of other hikers throughout the day at various watering holes.

The hiking was relatively easy aside from the heat. There climbs aren’t terribly steep and the trail is pretty smooth (dusty).

Here we are on our 4:45am departure driving to the trailhead with Trail Angel Bob. (Bob’s pretty proud of his hat).

Sunrise at the Mexican border.

The official PCT monument at the terminus.

Me and Bob (sporting his MAGA hat).

Hikers gathering with the border wall behind us.

The official trail register.

One mile done!

Desert landscape.

Crossing one of the few water sources today.

Surprisingly green.

My desert wear as it starts to heat up by about 9:30.

Lots of hikers hanging out at Hauser creek (Mile 15) waiting out the heat of the day before a very exposed (to the sun) climb. I got here around 12:00 and took a 6 hour siesta before it finally cooled down for the final 5 miles out of the canyon.

The exposed climb.

Perfect temps around 7:30pm as the sun set.

The sunset over Lake Morena. I camped down below at the county campground.

Department by from the Mexican border at 6:00am.
2650 miles to go!

This is my last day of civilian life for a while (i.e. regular access to bathrooms, showers, clean drinking water, etc.). There is a fantastic trail angel in San Diego named Bob that has been hosting hikers every year since 1999 and shuttling them to the trailhead about an hour from his house. He promises an early departure so we can start hiking in the desert at first light.

This is Bob’s house. There are about 6 other hikers here and four of us are heading out tomorrow.

There’s a great view and even a pool!

But the best part of the stay has to be Millie the cuddly golden retriever.

A lot of people have asked me if I’m “nervous”. Not really 🙂 Even though I plan to be gone for 4+ months and will hopefully hike 2650+ miles, the only way to get ones head around a trip like this is to break it up into manageable chunks. It’s is essentially a series of 3-5 day backpacking trips between resupply points and I rarely think ahead more than the next resupply location or two. My first resupply is just two days in at the Mt. Laguna PO. Then 4 days after that at I will be in Warner Springs and then a couple more days to the town of Idyllwild for a shower and some laundry. Do that a couple dozen times and I’ll be in Canada!

Time to go to bed…we are heading out at 4:45 tomorrow for the trailhead at the Mexican border (Campo, CA).

A couple days in sunny San Diego is a great way to gently ease your way out of civilian life 🙂 The PCT starts about an hour’s drive east of the city near a town called Campo.

This is a screenshot as I flew into to San Diego. The red line is the PCT and the actual trail was clearly visible on the ground throughthe plane’s window.

Hotel Z where I stayed offers free cruiser bike rentals (the main reason I chose the hotel). Cruisin’ through around Balboa Park and the impressive topiaries near the Zoo.

The very impressive rose gardens in Balboa Park (photo doesn’t do it justice!)

California is so progressive (and funny)…love it!

The famous Hotel Del Coronado.

Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach with everyone getting set up to watch the sun go down. FYI, when you are not on a cruiser bike Lyft in SD is awesome…it’s $5-$10 to go almost anywhere in town!

The sunset 🌅