Day 28 - Zero Number 2. 454.5 (0.0)

Woke up at 5 am... Needed to go pee, then I decided I wanted to eat my last piece of pizza. They have a scale here and it said I was 147lbs. That means I am down 10lbs from when I left Colorado. There are some here that have lost 15lbs. Spent the morning eating, cleaning gear, resting, stretching, etc... A lot of people went into town for breakfast. I stayed back with hopes of catching an early ride to REI. Unfortunately I didn't catch that ride till the afternoon. There were a lot of people wanting to go.

At REI I picked up some freeze dried food, a food bag, and hand warmers. I looked at a new backpack and would have bought it if they had it in my size... Probably for the best. I walked out of the store having only spent $50. I was proud of myself as I could have easily bought a bunch of neat gadgets I don't need (or want to carry). 

Back at Hiker Heaven, there was a whole lot of relaxing going on. It was awesome. 

For dinner the group went out to the local Mexican restaurant. I ate way too much food and I could literally feel my stomach stretching. I can use to calories. 

When we returned from dinner, the camp was setting up for a picture. We all lit up our tents with our headlamps and then went and stood around the fire.  Grabbed it off the pct class of 2016 Facebook page. 

Pretty epic if you ask me. 

Spent the rest of the evening organizing for a early morning departure tomorrow. 

Day 27 - Hiker Heaven! 454.5 (4.5)

The morning was simple. Packing up after cowboy camping is very simple.Only 4.5 miles to Agua Dulce, then a 1 mile road walk to Hiker Heaven. One of the highlight towns of the trip (according to my research). 

Just prior to Agua Dulce, the PCT goes through the Vasquez Rock picnic area. I will do my best to come back to this area tomorrow to climb it and take pictures. My mission this morning was to get to town. I was out of snacks and hungry. 

Arriving at Hiker Heaven was everything I could have wanted at that point. Setup camp then roamed the property to find where everything was. They have showers, laundry, Internet, outhouses and a relaxed atmosphere. This is the one place I planned a zero day just to relax at.

After getting situated, a few of us walk back to town to have some pizza. Ordered a salad, jalapeño poppers and my own 12", The Big Mouth, pizza.  On the walk back, a van pulled over and offered us a ride for the .7 left in the road walk. We had 11 adults in the van...

I spent the rest of the afternoon making phone calls, getting my laundry ready, and enjoying my time here. Also I took a shower! It had been 5 days since my last one. Made a beer/food run with ST and Riley, then the evening was spent hanging out with a bunch of hikers and updating this journal. Met both Buff, a older gentleman who's been on the PCT and other long trails throughout the world, and later So Hard who just earned her undergrad and is also living in Oakland. 

Day 26 - Birthday Magic. 450.0 (19.6)

Nobody was interested in leaving camp this morning. Even Early Bird (Formerly Alyssa) was not pushing out of camp before 7:00am. Today was Alex's Birthday. We all got up to sing happy birthday while he was still in his tent. We gave him a snickers bar with a candle in it.  The sun started to come out shortly before I started to pack up my tent. I left it up to dry out a bit, but the clouds started to roll back in so I decided to book it out of camp. I nearly ran the next 6 miles where the next water source was (at a Ranger Station) in just under 2 hours. Mainly to stay warm, but the trail also significantly dropped in elevation over these miles and running downhill is easier in the knees than walking slowly.  It was windy and cold, so I hurried to use the outhouse and refill my water. Back on the trail, it immediately warmed up as the sun broke through. I was hiking with ST and we both had to take off our warm jackets not a mile away from the Ranger Station. 

Around 11 miles for the day I stopped to dry all the things. My pack kind of exploded everywhere again (picture is after I packed most of my stuff away). Eventually I used my umbrella (first time of the trip!!!) because the sun was so intense.  Soon after I left, the group caught up to me. This also included a couple of Alex's friends who met him out of the trail, Reah and Lani.  

They flew past me at a break necking pace. I hurried along with the intention of going to the Acton KOA and getting some ice cream. When I arrived at a parking lot along the trail (mile 14), there was the group and a table full of good food. Raeh and Lani had brought a ton of food and beer to help celebrate Alex's birthday. It was a really good time. Especially after the 3 days of cold weather we just went through.  The entire time, we all joked that we weren't going to make it out of the parking lot and that we should just setup camp where we were.  After a few hours of relaxing, we were back on the move. Reah and Lani joined us for the night out. Our plan was at least another 4 miles. We made it 5.6, which was at an awesome seasonal creek bed. Cowboy camping tonight. Everyone made it to about 10:30 pm before crashing.  [wpvideo 4oeAZVr5]

Day 25 - Rain with a Chance of Sun. 430.4 (20.0)

I was in no rush to get up and hit the trail this morning. It still sounded like it was raining (though it really wasn't). I made breakfast in bed and looked at the topo maps for the day. The sun started to break through the clouds and I thought it was the best chance to stay warm while packing up. I opened my tent to an awesome view. Yesterday evening when setting up, the fog blocked out all views.

After walking a couple miles I finally had cell reception. It has been a while since I've had solid reception on the trail. I'm so busy and rushed in town that in forget to make them. I had a chance to talk to my brother and mom. But I was so cold by the end of those conversations that I had to run down the trail for a bit to get warm. Guess what? No more cell reception. After about 8 very quick miles, a rest area and water source was the stopping point for lunch and drying out some very wet gear (socks, shoes, tent). I took a nice long break so that my feet could rest. My left foot was feeling better, but still not 100%. I think it is hurting from a combination of long days, heavy loads, and worn out insoles. I should be able to pick new ones up in the next town. 

The next 6 miles were sunny and warm. I had a few good views of the flat desert below. But the area was completely covered with Poodledog Bush. This stretch is suppose to be the worst of the worst on the trail. In previous year, many hikers would take an alternate around this area because it was near impossible to get through without being exposed to the plant. 

Can you spot the Poodledog Bush?  This made this section difficult.

The last 6 miles of the day, I was still dodging Poodledog Bush when the weather rapidly changed.  The fog and wind were back, then it started to rain. I quickly put on my pack cover and rain jacket and nearly ran to the Messenger Flats Campground. I think my average pace was 3.5 mph for this section. Also there where Widow Maker warning signs everywhere.  When I arrived at camp, almost everyone else in the group was already setup. I was cold and caught a break in the weather. I setup my tent in, for me, record time. I think in less than 5 minutes I was in my tent changing my wet clothes.

I spent the evening staying warm, eating and writing this entry. Tomorrow it is suppose to be sunny and warm... I really hope the forecast is correct. 

Day 24 - Mile 400, Highway 2, Fog and Poodledog. 410.4 (20.2)

It was a standard morning for me. Wake up, eat, make some coffee and when the sun hits my tent, start packing up.  The first 5ish miles of the day were an alternate trail required due a long term closure of the PCT. This one caused by an endangered frog in the area. The alternate included a 2.7 mile road walk to the Buckhorn Campground which is the trailhead for the Buckhorn Trail. It wasn't too difficult of an alternate and the road walk was a nice change of pace (not going up and down large hills).  [wpvideo 6NfcMvjk] I missed the turn where the Buckhorn Trail connects to the PCT. Fortunately I only made it a quarter mile before I saw Leah and Anna walking the opposite direction. They had only walked a little further before it was obvious that they had made the same mistake. This type of thing happens often when walking alternate trails.  The next few miles were steep uphill switchbacks. ST and I leap frogged each other often as we alternated taking pictures of the clouds rolling over the hills. 

[wpvideo UPC0qg7P][wpvideo C3xKiSYH] At the next water source I ate lunch and filled up 5 liters of water. It really sucked to carry. My left foot was giving me hell for the second half of the day. I think my legs were tired and stiff.  Also, the trail end up crossing Highway 2 9 times (between yesterday and today). Some hikers walk the road instead of the trail. It saves only a few miles and you end up missing some of the views. 

It was pretty cold out and the weather was moving in. The forecast was for rain and wind today and tomorrow. This made it tough to relax and stretch. Every time I would stop, the sweat would give me a good chill. Mile 400 was a sweet achievement.  Missed it by a little on my gps. I wasn't going back though. 

I was moving very slow... 1.75 mph. Mainly from the pain in my left foot.  But the Poodledog Bush was definitely on my mind. The next 30 miles are infested with the plant. 

Eventually I reached the campsite and quickly setup my tent. The group and I were right under a large pine trees canopy. This didn't do anything for us. The moisture in the fog would collect on the needles and drop water. This happened all night. 

P.S. - Funny thing is, when I was walking around the next morning, the only wet area was under the tree. It didn't actually rain all night... It was just the damn tree.