Pct Day 10 – 12

PCT Day 10

The first half of today went quick. The trail started with a little ascent and then dipped down for about ten miles. The decent is hard on our bodies.

We spent some time chatting with Trevor and cutie (Lauren) at the first water source, Mikes place. That’s where some friends stayed last night. They had tacos and pancakes, but we were happy to eat the food we prepared and lose a few ounces off our back. A few miles later Rooster caught up with us and in a rare moment of kindness invited us to lunch.

We saw our second rattlesnake of the trip. This time there was no hissing or rattling, just a lazy snake meandering across the trail.

Our descent into the dessert was hot. Both of our feet swelled in the heat yielding blisters. Rachel’s knee and Achilles are giving her some trouble and my feet are in rough shape.

PCT Day 11

This morning was….wet. We set an alarm and got up early to beat the rain. The rain started about four minutes after we left camp and made for a cold and soggy ten miles to the paradise valley cafe.

We warmed our stomachs with chicken fried steak, coffee, and burgers. Tomorrow was supposed to be the start of our climb to Mount San Jacinto, but with the cold temperatures and precipitation we decided to bail into Idylwild. Our friend Abby found a quaint AirBnb for a few of us to stay in.

We spent the night swapping stories and enjoying showers and laundry. It’s not supposed to warm up for a few days and there might be more snow so we’ll spend tomorrow resting and resupplying.

PCT Day 12

The word of the day is zero.

Ze•ro – a day in which hikers hike no miles on trail.

Because of the cold temperatures and precipitation we decided to stay another night at our AirBnb with Johan, Abby, Lev, and Jason. It felt great to sleep in and enjoy non-instant coffee. We lounged around watching soccer and chatting until a “break” in the weather. That’s when we walked to Idyllwild.

This weather break included hail.

In town Rachel bought a knee brace and some KT tape and I switched out my Altras for Topos. Then everyone bought supplies at the market before we ate pizza and went to the brew pub. We still got in over 10k steps but it feels different on pavement and when those steps include walking to a toilet that flushes.

Lorraine is a trail angel in town and has us down for an 8am ride back to the trail.