- Date: 17th May 2023
- Pct day: 11
- Start: Mile 152
- End: Mile 152
- Distance: 0 Miles
- Start name: Idyllwild
- End name: Idyllwild
- Wake up: 08:30
- Start hiking: NA
- At camp: 21:00
- In bed: 2130
Key moments
- it’s a town zero day, so a sleep in!
- Wearing earplugs are so good for sleeping - I slept so well.
- had a real person breakfast - pancakes
- got a bit sucked into the town vortex and didn’t quite get all my errands done of sending things back up the trail or whatnot
- It was really fun seeing other hiker friends in town! Like a little reunion
- Met the mayor of Idyllwild, Max III, a dog. Seriously, the dog is the mayor.
- Ate some donuts, had some vegetables, played a guitar in a store
- Was chatting to some other hikers and said “I’m a bit behind everyone”, and they were like “no you are not behind, you are just making a good decision to rest and go slow at the start”
- Did a resupply in a store - good god it is a bit taxing to orient yourself in a foreign store and find all the foods you need for a few days
- Decided to just resupply for 3 days of food back from paradise valley cafe (mile 152) to Idyllwild (mile 177). Then I’ll resupply in Idyllwild to Cabezon (Mile 209), where you can get an in and out burger, and then resupply to Big Bear city (mile 266), which should break up the food carry
- Watched a movie at the cinema! This weirdly made me homesick. I miss watching movies with my partner and doing normal life things with her. Maybe I cried.
Plan from here
- sleep in
- Send mail boxes
- hike 10 miles along the pct tomorrow from the afternoon
Animals sighted
- squirrels
- Max III, the mayor of Idyllwild
Gear thoughts
- got a pillow from Beth that she isn’t using anymore
- Going to try out closed cell foam pad I got in a hiker box before trying it out on trail
Physical condition
- good - but my left hip randomly hurt a bit.
- Right blister pretty much fine now, should be good to walk on tomorrow, and I’ll be taking some easy days over the next week so I should have a good amount of time for my foot to heal
Thoughts and Observations
- town days are expensive
- Pct hikers are so wonderful and nice, you get to know people so well, in such a different way
- This hike is going to be very long and I am excited, but I can see how missing family and friends is going to be a part of the journey
Quotes of the day
- “I’ve got to leave, I need to meet the Mayor” (the mayor is a dog)
#pct #pct2023 #pctclassof2023
