- Date: 19th May 2023
- Pct day: 14
- Start: Mile 162
- End: Mile 176
- Distance: 14 Miles
- Start name: Cedar Spring
- End name: camp at mile 176
- Wake up: 04:30
- Start hiking: 05:20
- At camp: 16:55
- In bed: 20:15
Key moments
- woke up early to get a good start on the day - Beth was packed up super fast, we bumped into Adam and Amelia as we hiked out of cedar spring and we hiked together with them.
- It’s been really nice to hike with some other folks.
- lots of elevation today!
- The heat wasn’t so bad, we were able to get some good distance in, although I am used to having a big siesta in the middle of the day, so that was an adjustment
- This is the first alpine hiking of the trip, and we got some amazing scenery out of it! Simply stunning. I wonder if the Sierras will be similar to this?
- learnt some good tips for treating blisters in the back country (i.e., while out hiking) - namely, to try and keep your feet clean, and to swap socks out during the day, letting some other ones dry out and cool down. Also “flossing” your feet with a clean part of your socks, and if you need to drain a blister, to try and go from the side, and to use this stuff called “tincture of Benzoine”, which is antibiotic, but also sticky, so it helps tape stick to your foot
- Lots of fallen trees on the trail - so for once the trail wasn’t perfectly groomed, this reminded me of the Australian alpine walking track, which had heaps of tree fall and slower navigation around those parts. We were able to navigate fine but it is just different to how the trail normally is. A lot of people skip over this section, and while it was challenging, it was also the most beautiful for sure.
- we saw two rattlesnakes mating in the hiking path, they eventually kind of tumbled off of the path into a bush, entwined in each other. We waited until they got off track, and then hiked as far away as we could while passing them. They looked right at us as we did, it was a bizarre experience.
- The last two miles were in snow and we were already quite tired, snow travel really takes it out of you
- Coming across beautiful snow melt streams was just stunning
- Came to a nice camp site and decided to stop a bit earlier for the day, we were all pooped
- I didn’t think I’d be keen to do San Jacinto tomorrow, I was just knackered, but after some food and a bit of rest, my psych returned.
- It’s going to be a really busy couple of days, and I can already start o see myself looking forward to a rest day in Big Bear City, I’m also really excited about the possibility of a burger in the next town, Cabezon
Plan from here
- climb up San Jacinto tomorrow morning then hike another 12 miles out of the park to get to a good place to camp, and start making headway on he trip to Cabezon
Animals sighted
- hummingbirds
- Chickadees
- Squirrels
- Rattlesnakes (having sex)
Gear thoughts
- might need to swap out my elastic quick laces for real laces
Physical condition
- right blister returned with a slight vengeance , but I think it’ll heal up fine
- Got a bit of thigh chafe, not a huge fan of that, need to buy some body glide
Thoughts and Observations
- Id like to get faster at tent pack up and set up
- The dust in the desert is very mineral rich, so when your feet are dirty, they are also sparkling with trace elements of metals. Sparkle dust
- I briefly considered doing a resupply in a nearby city, Palm Springs, as Roy can take a Gondola from the top of Dan Jacinto into Palm Springs. But it was going to be $30 each way plus tax. And I’d have o share a gondola ride with a bunch of clean folks…which would probably hate that I sank so bad…also then you’ve got to try and go in and ou in a day, which could be really hard, srolll, it was fun to consider
Quotes of the day
- “oh that’s a nice Chafey bit, I haven’t chafed there yet” — Beth
#pct #pct2023 #pctclassof2023
