- Date: 2023-05-31
- Pct day: 26
- Start: Mile 329
- End: Mile 347
- Distance: 18 Miles
- Ascent: 3730 feet
- Descent: 3546 feet
- Start name: picnic area below trail
- End name: Swarthout Canyon
- Wake up: 05:15
- Start hiking: 06:15
- At camp: 18:00
- In bed: 20:20
- Where I slept: tent
- Shower: yes
Key moments
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woke up early - there was some reasonably hectic snoring while we were cowboy camping. One of my earplugs fell out and rolled somewhere into the darkness while I was asleep and I was left vulnerable to a sonic snoring assault.
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Somehow I found that hilarious rather than depressing and managed to have a pretty good sleep I think
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At least the person snoring slept well? That’s good for them
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We all packed up and got moving by 6 or so
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I saw Juley - my Korean friend, he started the day with a lollipop after breakfast, and we took some photos together, I took the first photo of him on trail that wasn’t a selfie of himself. After a little while he zoomed off as unstoppable as the wind.
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the light in the morning was glorious - lots of cloud cover and sunbeams shining through onto Silverwood lake, as we climbed higher to a ridge line walk, the wind buffeting us, and my right foot letting me know that there definitely was a blister there. Owie
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Owie, man blisters suck
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Chopper had arranged with a local trail angel (to remain anonymous) to pick us up and give us a shower and laundry and take us to in n out. I finally would get another in n out burger
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This meant I would forgo the walk on trail to the McDonalds on trail in exchange for any favourite burger and a shower and laundry
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Pretty easy trade
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Our Trail angel gave us loaner clothes and we changed into them and put on a load of washing
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While our washing was on we each took turns having a shower and then our angel fed us some leftover pizza and gave us cold sodas, and helped us clean our water filters, and replaced some gear for us - snaps was the same size shoe as them and the angel was injured so just gave Snaps a nearly brand new pair of Altra Lone Peaks, and wouldn’t take any money. Amazingly kind.
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our Angel drove us to the in n out.
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I got a 3x3 animal style with fries well done and also animal style. That’s a triple cheeseburger with special sauce basically and loaded fries. And a vanilla shake. And a Dr Pepper.
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I felt very very full
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Our angel drove us back to their place, we repacked our bags and they took us back to the trail.
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Well, to the McDonald’s
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I tried to work out the best resupply strategy before settling on a potentially horrifying order of about $44 of McDonald’s. this place isn’t cheap anymore
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Why would I do this? It’s called the McDonald’s resupply challenge. You each only food from McDonald’s from Cajon Pass to Wrightwood, about 30 miles.
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I ordered the following:
- 13 cookies
- 2 quarter pounders
- 2 fries
- 20 McNuggets
- 2 McDoubles
- An apple pie
- A strawberry cream pie
- An apple frotter
- A cinnamon roll
- A blueberry muffin
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That’s going to be all I eat, alongside a bunch of ketchup and Mexican style salsa (from McDonald’s) until I get to Wrightwood.
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Ugh. I’m not sure why I’m really doing it except to say that I did it.
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we met up with some other hikers at the McDonald’s, Diamond Dave, Lucky Marcela, and Jodi and Jonathan. As well as two other hikers we hadn’t met before - Switchback and Android
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lucky Marcela is a bit older and reminds me of an auntie, if I had an Eastern European auntie. She calls me “her rainbow”, as I’m wearing a lot of colours.
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She gave me a hug the other day when we saw each other at camp after a few days of narrowly avoiding seeing each other. In trail time that’s like just missing out on seeing friends over the course of a few months
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Anyway the point is that Marcela gave me a hug and it reminded me of a hug from Mum and that felt pretty special
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It’s the people on trail, man.
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So we set off from McDonald’s back on trail for about 6 miles, walking under an underpass and a tunnel and a train track. Actually two tunnels.
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I was hiking with Chopper and Snaps, and having a great time
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As a train got closer to us, Snaps made the “honk the horn” motion and the train replied. Man does that ever not feel good
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The trains here were enormous, carrying shipping containers 53 feet long (an unusual size), stacked two high, with 5 engines at the front, and 3 in the middle. These trains wound through a section of the pass that was flattened and carved out through mountains. And also right next to the trail. Quite the sight!
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I got to chat to my partner while explaining the wonder of this train to her, it’s hard to explain but I just got really excited by the train
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Chopper and Snaps give the people they meet trail names that they refer to them as privately, apparently mine was “friend”, because I was their friend straightaway. A potential trail name, they quite like it on me.
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I’ll see how it goes!
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We got into camp and here they have a water cache that is topped up by locals very regularly, at Swarthout Canyon. We are lucky to have it - without it, it would be a 22 mile water carry. Now it’s about 16 miles. Thank you, fine folks.
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it ended up being just me and Chopper and Snaps at this campsite, our friends must have hiked on a bit further
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We had a really nice chat over dinner together, while I ate 20 McNuggets and some fries and a couple of cookies for dinner.
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we talked about all the other hikers we’ve met and traded stories. Hopefully we can cowboy camp another time soon - it was cloudy tonight and the threat of rain seemed real.
Plan from here
- an apple pie and a strawberry and cream pie for breakfast . Ugh.
- About a 17 mile water carry to just outside Wrightwood
Animals sighted
- lizards
Gear thoughts
- I really should contact therm a rest or REI to see if they can help me patch my current mat or get a store credit - it lasted about 10 days on trail before getting a hole. I guess you really do need to be careful
- my sleeping bag is great - it is the “feathered friends flicker long wide 20F”, so it’s super comfy, and one day I will find the right sleeping bag for me that’s super light while also being warm and roomy. Or I just take it and know that 800g is still plenty light
- my shoes have big old holes in them, I’m looking forward to new ones, that have about 450 miles on them
Physical condition
- ankles feel a bit stiff, which is new for me
- Right blister on the hall of my foot - potentially reappearing with a mild vengeance
Thoughts and Observations
Some of the bad things
- getting blisters bloody sucks. They zap your energy and you want to pop them but you need to be careful they don’t get infected
- I think I’ve found a great group of folks to hike with but my blister might put me off trail for a day back in Wrightwood, in order for it to heal up properly. But it’s encouraging to meet so many cool people.
- While you’ve got time to think during the day as you hike, doing this hike is work. It’s fun, a lot of the time, but it is also something that takes up a lot of time, and I hurt in some random places, like my ankles, me knees, my feet, my hips. My abs. My neck. my left wrist?
- Not all at once, it’s like they are all collectively on a schedule of being niggles for an hour or so each
- My tent smells like McDonald’s, not in a good way.
Quotes of the day
- I don’t think my feet should be allowed out in public. They are disgusting. — Chopper
#pct #pct2023 #pctclassof2023
