PCT | Moving Towards Freedom

Day 95
July 22
mile 1476-1504.2
28.2 miles

I was still SO tired in the morning, but I had to get up and get going in order to make my miles for the day. Fortunately, the rash on my leg looked much better!

I thought the trail followed the direction that Half-way had headed toward last night, but I ran into him as I headed that way and he pointed me in the opposite direction, telling me there was a bridge over the river.

After a couple of miles, I came across ‘Runs with Elk’ sitting along the trail, taking a break. I was surprised to have already caught up to her, as the evening before, she told me that she was going to camp a couple miles past Ash Camp. I had asked her who else was in our vicinity, and she told me that Stryder and Frodo (two brothers from Florida whom I hadn’t yet met) were also planning on staying at Ash Camp, and that Cookie (also unknown to me) was about a half day ahead.
I started the nearly 2,000 foot climb feeling pretty good, and while taking a break, finally saw the two brothers. We passed each other back and forth over the next several miles. The day was growing very warm again, and more surprising than the heat to me, was the humidity! I thought California didn’t get humid, but in the past several days, I was proven wrong about that!
I reached the top of the climb and descended to Trough Creek while the brothers moved on. I needed both water and a break by that point, so I slid down the bank and made my way onto a large rock, surrounded by gigantic fronds.

I collected some nice, cool water and made myself an ice coffee, which I had now come to look forward to each day. Today, I was thrilled that my powdered milk had dissolved into it! It was the best ice coffee that I had had on the trail! As I was packing up, Halfway came along and also decided to take a break here.
The trail was extremely overgrown in this section and making my way through head-high foliage slowed my progress. I saw the brothers sitting around a fire that they had made just off- trail, cooking their lunch. I continued along, walking through forested trail, and then heard a noise on the bank of the trail to my left. It sounded like a mixture of human, bird, and animal wailing- a primal sound that I had never heard before! I looked up to see a bear cub scamper up a tree, while, what looked like a teenaged bear with matted fur slowly sauntered towards the tree. The older bear looked sick to me, but still screamed for the cub to climb to safety. I stood and watched for awhile. When the cub felt safe, it slid down the tree and scampered into the forest further away from the trail. This was my first bear sighting on the actual PCT!
About twenty minutes later, I ran into a couple of day hikers along the side of the trail. The man asked me if they were on the PCT or if the PCT intersected the trail we were on. I told them they were on the PCT! When I told them that I was hiking the whole trail, they were amazed and very excited. They asked me a few questions and then the man asked me if I wanted a turkey sandwich! “You look really skinny!” he said. I laughed. He told me the sandwich had tomatoes, pepper jack cheese… “Yes, please!”. I liked how easily I accepted things offered to me when on the trail. However, upon learning that they were planning on sharing this sandwich between the two of them, I suddenly felt like I was taking away their own food and pleasure. Les insisted that they would be fine sharing the half of the sandwich that they had kept. Patty agreed and said they had just eaten in town. We talked about my stomach illnesses and I learned that Les was a pharmacist and Patty, a nurse, in Mt. Shasta. They recommended I take as much acidophilus as possible.
They wanted to know if there was anything interesting to see ahead, but I told them, no, it was the same as what we were now seeing (trees, with the added overgrown trail!). They decided to turn back and go for a swim.
I stayed where I was and enjoyed the gift of the turkey sandwich.
After I finished, Halfway and the brothers came through. They were close enough that I could see that they did not interact with the nice couple ahead. After several minutes, a couple with fishing poles walked towards me and asked, “Are you the one walking all the way from Mexico to Canada?”. I smiled and nodded. I felt slightly bad that I got the acknowledgement, as well as the sandwich, but then again, I was the only one who was friendly to the couple and willing to chat! I felt happy with my openness and what I received as a result.
I passed the couple again and then reached a bridge spanning a deep gorge, which was listed as our next water source.

I looked down and wondered how on earth we were supposed to get down to the water! The others came along and had the same reaction! Half-Way started down the steep bank while the brothers stood looking at the water. I decided to follow Half-Way when I heard my name being called by Patty. She told me there was easier access to the water on the other side, so I followed them off the PCT. I wished I could spend more time with these nice people, but I had to quickly collect water and keep moving! We wished each other well and I headed towards the water. The rocks were very slippery and I ended up falling as I tried to collect some water. At first, I felt embarrassed, but then realized that the water felt very refreshing! I sat down in it again and poured some water on my head. I wished I had time to go swimming, but I was under too much time pressure. Instead, I would just look forward to a possible future visit when I could enjoy a secluded day out here with no stress of having to hike at least 25 miles per day.
I started up the next 2,000 foot climb and suddenly had a very immediate intestinal emergency! This illness still had its grip on me. I didn’t know what I was going to do about it. Feeling despondent, I continued the climb all the way to the ridge. No one else was around. As I walked along, I could see Mt. Shasta and then my first glimpse of the Castle Crags appeared.

I sat down on the bank of the slope and took in the views as I snacked. I was now several miles away from reaching the 1500 mile point, which was the first milestone that I had actually looked forward to. I felt like I was finally getting somewhere now! I hadn’t seen any markers since the 1,000 mile point and felt surely there would be one here!
It had already been a long day and my body was tired. I made my way off the ridge and back into the forest as I descended toward the highway, my energy waning. As I approached mile 1,500, I took out my GPS to make sure that I didn’t miss it. Unfortunately, there was nothing marking this milestone. I figured it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as I was all alone without anyone to take my picture.
I collected water at Fall Creek and kept descending, hoping to make it as far as possible tonight to allow for an easy morning. I passed a couple of possible camp sites and then encountered a strange man with a huge pack who was sweating profusely. He was headed in the other direction. I had a particular spot to stop in mind, as indicated on one of my Apps, but somehow I missed seeing it! I ended up having to find a makeshift spot, stepping over a huge log, and making the best of some uneven ground. I could hear the noise of the highway from where I was and was glad that I was not closer to the road. The mosquitoes were out in full force and I slept with my head net on again. The combination of heat and biting mosquitoes did not allow me much sleep at all.

Day 15
May 3
mile 179.4 –194.5 (plus 5 miles for San Jacinto loop)
22.6 (+5?)

I wasn’t sure what time I should try to get back on the trail. After spending an entire day in town yesterday, I was ready to get back as early as possible, but Muk Muk wasn’t going to be ready to leave until the afternoon, and Dr. Sole was coming to visit later in the morning on his way to help hikers at Paradise Valley Cafe. I wished he could have come by yesterday, but he was timing his schedule to meet Muk Muk’s. I was the first to wake up and head out for breakfast. I sat at the same table that I had chosen the day before and thought I was going to be eating alone. Then I heard someone calling my name. I looked up to see the guy who had driven me to the seamstress yesterday. Oh, boy… I had no choice but to join him at the counter. He wanted to know why I hadn’t come by the restaurant he was at last night. I told him that everyone else was set on getting pizza. He gave me his card and wanted my e-mail- not my website. At one point, he turned to the customers and said, “This is Wendy! She’s hiking the PCT.” An older man came over to chat and I started to feel a bit famous, even though I was only one of hundreds of people trying to hike the whole trail, and I hadn’t even hiked 200 miles of it yet! This little town was starting to grow on me! I paid my bill and headed back to the cabin to pack everything up. Muk Muk and UB weren’t there- only the guy who wouldn’t pay. I let him know I was leaving and he barely looked at me. As I headed back toward the center of town, I heard someone calling me. Muk Muk and UB were at the coffee shop, so I went up to join them. Then, Dr. Sole called Muk Muk, letting her know he had arrived in town. We went down to meet him and then returned to the coffee shop. We told Dr. Sole about the guy in our cabin and he became very protective of us! He said he would tell the owner to kick him and his stuff out and make him pay me. However, by the time he did that, the guy was gone… I was worried she would throw UB’s and Muk Muk’s stuff out! As I was waiting for Dr. Sole to give me a ride back to the trail, a nice lady asked me if I needed a ride and I decided to take her up on it, as Dr. Sole’s truck was full and he didn’t know where the trailhead was. Muk Muk and I said a teary good-bye to each other. She said that I was like family to her! And then Dr. Sole gave me a hug and a kiss on the lips (hmmm…). Kim happened to be in the same area and also wanted a ride back to the trail. Maeux, our driver, was so excited to take us back! She had a little notebook with all of the names of the hikers that she had given rides to written in it.
It was 10am by the time I got to the trail head. First I had to hike the 2.5 miles back up Devil’s Slide trail before rejoining the PCT. On the way up, two older passed me on their way into town and asked me what my name was. I said, “Sashay.” One of them said, “I like your hat, Sashay.” Thanks! I smiled and moved my head from side to side. My energy is always strongest leaving town, after having eaten real food, showered, and rested a bit!
I wanted to hike San Jacinto peak, so I took the side trail off the PCT, adding a few extra miles to my journey. On the way up, I came across several people on day hikes. One woman was stretching, which I thought was smart, and a couple of guys were taking a break in the same area. I decided to stop and chat a bit. When the woman found out what I was doing, she was amazed. “You should have a camera crew following you, girl!” she said. I told her that lots of people were doing this… “But not dressed like that!”.

Then, one of the men asked me if I would like a kiwi! Wow! A fresh piece of fruit is the greatest gift to a thru-hiker! After having my picture taken, I continued up the mountain, passing a couple of other day hikers and making my way across the next snow patches. Finally, I reached the hut and the cone of the peak.

I couldn’t find a path to the top, however! I went around one side and started to make my way up some huge boulders. I could hear voices coming from the top, but couldn’t figure out how they got up there! I soon realized that I wasn’t going to be able to rock climb with my heavy pack on my back, so I retreated back and tried another side of the mountain. After what seemed an eternity, I scaled my way up a different side of the rocks and reached the summit! Kim and the day hikers that I had passed were on top. I threw down my pack and let out a big sigh. I couldn’t figure out how the guys got up there before me! After I had my picture taken at the top, one of them made a comment about doing handstands up there, which put an idea into my head…

I couldn’t do a handstand, but I could do an arm balance! I bent down and tried to do a crow pose. This was not a smart thing to do on an extremely uneven, very hard surface, with an abyss below that I could have easily toppled into! And after not having done an arm balance for several weeks now! I managed not to kill myself, however, and instead attracted interest! All of a sudden, I had an audience and several cameras on me! Very fun!

Before I knew it, I was joining them in their summit pictures, and then it dissolved into a modelling session!I was laughing so much!

I started yelling out my website and e-mail for them to send the photos to. (“And take your time because I’ll just be out here for the next five months!). This part of my personality rarely has a chance to come out, so when it does, it is the best feeling!
Sam, who had given me the kiwi, and his friend made it up to the summit as the others turned back and they asked me more about my hike. They assumed I had grown up backpacking with my family as a kid, but I told them that this was something I discovered on my own. They shared a couple more treats, including some pepperoni and cheese from Trader Joes’s (amazing!) before heading back down. Since I had a little cell reception, I took the opportunity to call someone from back home, who I hadn’t been able to reach since I was out here. While I was having a great time on top of the second tallest peak in Southern California, he was in a grumpy mood. We kept getting cut off, so I headed back down the rock scramble and made my way towards the PCT hoping that he would be able to find the same kind of freedom and happiness in his life that I had found out here. I collected water and then caught up to Kim who was still amused at the summit entertainment. I told her it was keeping me amused, too! She said she was going to start calling me “model”. A little ways ahead, I found Anastasia, Archie, and Joey (Leftovers), on the side of the trail having a snack. They were talking about walking all night until they arrived at trail angels’ Ziggy and the Bear’s house. We had a notoriously long, hot, waterless, never-ending descent into Cabazon before reaching this little haven. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hike all night but decided to hike as far as I could and do at least part of the awful descent when the sun wasn’t burning down on me. Kim and I hiked a bit together as the sun set. “We’re walking into the sunset!” I said.

The rocky terrain reminded me of Dragon’s Tooth on the AT. We separated into our own space as the light disappeared. This was the first time that I night-hiked on this trail and I really enjoyed it (until the elastic band around my head started giving me a headache)! I even got to take a break on a rock and look down at the lights of Cabazon. It was really peaceful and really pretty. As the miles wore on, my energy faded. I leaned my back up against a rock and took out the kiwi I was given. Unfortunately, it wasn’t yet ripe, so it was very difficult to peel and quite bitter. I decided it was time to look for a camp spot and luckily found a sandy spot right off a bend in the trail. I set up my groundcloth, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag and closed my eyes just after 11pm.