PCT Day 15

Miles: 151.8 - 162.7

Photo: Mountain in the Clouds

Was feeling confident enough to put in some miles again! Breakfast, provided by Jeannine, was chorizo egg + cheese burritos. I ate three of them…and then took one for the road. I’m now 4/4 on bringing out “real” food after a town day. Gonna try to keep that ritual going throughout the whole trail.

Grumpy gave me a ride back to the trailhead and I started hiking into the San Jacinto Wilderness a bit before noon. What a complete change of scenery! It still has a desert feel, but it’s just so much nicer being on some exposed mountains with amazing views. I was constantly stopping to check out the views of Coachella Valley and the areas before Idyllwild. Probably my favorite section thus far.

There were a few exposed ridges where the wind was reaally intense. I always had to readjust my favorite hat to make sure it didn’t fly away. It almost happened once after Mt. Laguna so I like to be extra careful. Whenever the wind picked up I couldn’t help but smile just because it just reminded me of how ridiculous this whole experience is (in a good way). I was a bit worried about not being able to find shelter from the wind tonight, but the site I ended up at is making my tent barely move at all. Thank goodness for FarOut comments.
 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCT Day 40

Image
Miles : 0 Photo : Cottonwood Pass I took a zero in Lone Pine today to rest my Achilles enough for the next stretch. The following 65 miles of hiking include summiting Mt. Whitney, Forester Pass, and Kearsarge Pass. All amazing milestones that looked extremely daunting to me a few days ago, but by tomorrow I should be ready! In the middle of all my lounging around, I had a telehealth call with @blazephysio so I could learn more about the pain in my Achilles tendon. Apparently the Achilles tendon is much thicker than the post-tib meaning that I’m unlikely to run into any trail ending issues. That was pretty relieving to hear. Now I’m well equipped with knowledge on how to strengthen my feet, and reduce the load on the tendon so that I will be able to keep trekking on!
Read more

PCT Day 41 + Quitting + Tahoe Rim Trail

Image
Photo : Finished with the Tahoe Rim Trail    Miles : 0.0 - 174.0  I quit my thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. I actually quit at the beginning of July, but I didn’t want to post any updates publicly because of how embarrassed and ashamed I felt. I needed more time to process my emotions and grow confidence in myself again. I thought a good way to do that was to do more hiking! Over the last month, I hiked the 174-mile Tahoe Rim Trail. A 174-mile trail that loops around Lake Tahoe and overlaps the PCT for ~50 miles from south of Echo Lake through Desolation Wilderness. I really enjoyed making these blog posts while on the PCT, so I decided to make a new blog for the TRT. It is located here if anyone is interested . I guess blogging will continue to be a little tradition for each trip I do! Now for the reasons why I quit. When I was planning my hike of the PCT, my goal was to thru-hike it. To me, that meant going from Mexico to Canada in one hiking season regardless of skips, breaks,
Read more

PCT Day 37

Image
Miles : 716.5 - 730.8 Photo : Serendipity after the climb Much harder day than yesterday. The first 9 miles were a long and steep climb up to Olancha Peak.  During the climb, we took many breaks just like yesterday. The change in altitude is no joke as we’re all still getting acclimatized.  We eventually made it to the top though and were excited for a nice view on top of the mountain. The trail at the peak didn’t have a view as we were still in a forest, so feral_mike and dabenor went scouting for a good viewpoint and luckily found one! Such an amazing reward for the difficult day of hiking.  After that, we slogged it down to the campsite to have a fairly late dinner, all while sharing hilarious stories. The second day in the Sierras was a success!
Read more