Days 5 - 7
April 15 - 17, 2021
Miles 41.5 - 77.3
I left early from Burnt Rancheria Campground where I had slept just outside of Mt. Laguna. Not even a week into this hike and already I had gotten to sleep at two nice campgrounds that both had flushing toilets and running water. I felt so pampered. When was I going to start feeling like the rough feral mountain woman my friends and family imagined me to become?
That morning I met and hiked with "Sunspot." She had earned her trail name for her penchant of always finding the sunniest places to take a break. During our talk that morning, we discovered that we had "met" already through the PCT 2021 facebook group. During my preparation for the trail, I heavily debated with myself about whether I should use my current Osprey pack, or spring for a lighter weight pack. Undecided, I reached out to other hikers through facebook seeking guidance. Sunspot apparently was one of the people who commented on my post, saying she had the exact same pack as I did and was also struggling with the same decision. We weighed the pros and cons briefly during our internet connection. It was so cool to see her in real life out here. I had decided to stay with my Osprey while she got herself a new pack. She thought the lighter baseweight was worth it. I had already replaced several items with lighter weight options and decided to stick with what I knew was comfortable and save my money.
We walked together for a while that morning, but split when she took a rest break (in a sunny spot of course). Lauren and Slice caught up and I convinced Lauren to do a short side trip with me and hike up Garnet Peak. It was such a beautiful view from up there. We looked northeast toward the Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness area and then further beyond towards Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The rows of brown mountains with their deep shadowed canyons broke up the flat desert floor. It almost felt unreal. Were these really just out here this whole time and I had no idea? I can't even begin to imagine what else I've been missing.
We hit the 50 mile point today. Someone had marked it in rocks making it easy for us to celebrate this achievement. 50 miles was more than I had ever backpacked in one trip. This felt huge. At the same time it felt like a tiny drop in the bucket. I was supposed to hike 2,600 more miles after this! I didn't even know how to begin to fathom such a number, much less what it would feel to walk that number in miles. I tried not to dwell on what I was supposed to do and just focus on what I had done, celebrating the little wins that each day brought. Hiking 50 miles through the desert sure felt like a huge accomplishment and I wasn't going to let the task ahead diminish it.
We took a break at Pioneer Mail Picnic Area. There were a bunch of other hikers here, some I had met and a lot I didn't know. We all sat on the grass in the shade of some large trees. It was a perfect spot made even more perfect when a couple drove up with drumstick ice creams and fruit popsicles to hand out to everyone. Bless the Trail Angels for they are truly good and wholesome people.
We hiked on a bit further and found our tentsites for the day. We had done about 14 miles today, which is so far the most we've done in a day! It feels good and I feel strong!
The next day, I hiked even farther with 17 miles. Although 2 of those didn't count towards my PCT progress as they were off trail to get some water. A dirt road that intersected with the trail led down to a piped spring. I took a break down there as the spring was next to a nice grassy spot under a shady tree. It was also near a pasture so I had to avoid the cow patties.
I got to see a lot of good birds today: Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, California Thrasher, Townsend's Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Nashville Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, and Red-tailed Hawk. I'm so glad I brought along my pair of binoculars. I had debated for a while whether to bring some or not. For a while I had decided they wouldn't be worth the extra weight, but less than a week before I left for the trail I changed my mind. I found a small lightweight pair that was inexpensive, but still seemed good quality: the Nikon Trailblazer 8x25 binoculars.
Hiking and birding seem like they should pair so readily, so why did I struggle with the decision to even bring binoculars so much? Besides worrying about the added weight - a good pair of binoculars can weigh a couple of pounds, I was concerned I wouldn't have time to bird. Birding is a very slow activity. I can bird for hours and still not walk even a full mile. Contrast this with hiking where I was trying to cover large amounts of ground throughout the day and couldn't spend the time going at a birding rate. I was unsure if only getting to bird a few minutes each day was worth the weight carry. But ultimately, I knew that not getting to view the birds out in these places would frustrate me and make me unhappy. After I found the small Trailblazers, it was a no-brainer decision to carry a pair of binoculars as my luxury item.
I also got to see a Horny Toad today! The more official name of these lizards, yes lizards not toads, is Horned Lizard. They are officially the cutest lizards that have ever graced me with their presence. They look like they have the grumpiest faces and can flatten themselves to a pancake. The one I saw today was a little smaller than my palm, one of the biggest Horny Toads I have ever seen. It was on the trail, but as I approached it darted underneath a shrub and out of view. I hope I get to see more out here.
Military jets were flying overhead today. They were much easier to hear than to see. I felt nostalgic as I heard their engines roar and saw them fly low through the valleys. My family goes on an annual camping trip to Death Valley National Park. We spend a week in Saline Valley, an oasis in a dusty desert. Jets fly overhead all the time as they do practice flights out there. Sometimes, we would use rocks to spell out "Go Navy" in large letters that the pilots could see as they flew by. They would always do tricks for us like barrel rolls or fly super close to the ground so that we could actually see the pilot wave to us. I don't think they saw me today, a lone hiker on a dirt ribbon, but I waved to them anyway. I missed the family camping trip this year, but the jets brought back waves of happy memories of them.
Day 7 on trail started very early. I camped again with the same small group of people that I'd been with almost every day so far. We woke up around 5:00 and started hiking around 5:30 while it was still dark. Getting to see such a beautiful sunrise while hiking was so amazing. Moments like this remind me how much of a privilege it is to be out here experiencing such beauty.
It was just over 5 miles to the road crossing to hitch into Julian. This was my first time doing a "nero." A nero day is a term for a low mileage day. It's a near-zero miles day. With only 5 miles to town, it would be a short hike. We aimed to get to town early and quick so that we could spend the entire rest of the day relaxing with our feet up. I was so excited for my first real town on trail.
There was a short descent and then a flat walk across the desert floor to Scissors Crossing, where the trail crosses Highway 78. Kyle and I got there around the same time and ahead of the rest of our group. I was feeling quite a bit nervous for my very first hitchhiking attempt. I was glad I didn't have to do it alone. Turns out I didn't have to do it all. A Trail Angel, who goes by "Rayngel," was already at Scissors Crossing, eagerly waiting to helpfully take hikers into Julian. Excellent.
Rayngel drove myself, Kyle, and another hiker we hadn't met yet about 20 minutes down a twisting road west of the trail to the small town of Julian. He generously offered charging ports for our electronic devices and sugary candy as a sweet treat during our ride. I gave him a tip as a thank-you and to help cover gas prices before hopping out of his car and into my first real town along the trail.
First, I went to the café, Regulars Wanted, for a hot apple cider. A friend, who had gone to school in San Diego and made frequent trips out to Julian, raved about the town's cider and politely insisted that I don't leave town until trying some. One sip told me she was right. Even just the smell wafting up with the steam from the hot drink was enough to make my mouth sing. Julian has a rich agricultural history with the first apple orchards planted in the 1870's. It's a small town well know for everything to do with apples. I enjoyed my hot drink with a pastry. By the time I finished breakfast, the rest of my friends had made it to town. I went to meet them at Julian Café where they were eating.
After everyone was well fed, some of us went of to 2 Foot Adventures, the outdoor gear shop. I picked up some new Spenco insoles - the Superfeet insoles I had been using weren't very comfortable, a pair of Injinji toe liners - I hoped these would help with my pinky toe blisters, and some resupply trail food that I wouldn't be able to find at a regular grocery store. I also replaced my useless mineral sunscreen stick with a small tube of regular sunscreen lotion. Then I went over to the small grocery store and picked up enough food to last me 6 days until my next resupply point.
Once all of my chores were finished, I joined up with my friends again and we went to the place that Julian is most famous for among thru hikers: Mom's Pie House. Mom's Pies generously offers thru hikers a free slice of pie, a scoop of ice cream, and a beverage. I showed the woman at the counter my Long Distance PCT Permit and in exchange she gave me a slice of pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a glass of lemonade.
I sat outside on the sidewalk and enjoyed this slice of heaven that was pure bliss. I love pecan pie on a normal day, but after walking 77 miles through the desert to get to this one? I couldn't have been happier. It was so good that I will definitely have to visit Julian again. It's about a 10 hour drive from where I live in the SF Bay Area, but after this I know it's worth it.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at the brewery with everyone else. I don't like beer much, but they served food and it was a great place to just hangout and relax. Every place of lodging in town was fully booked up for the evening; pro tip: don't get to the trail town on a weekend. But there is a small community, Banner, about halfway between Julian and trail that has tiny homes to stay in for the evening. We were able to book a place there for the night.
The Trail Angel Rayngel gave Kyle, Slice, Lauren, and me a ride out there where we shared a tiny home. We got to do laundry and take a shower. It feels great to be a clean human with clean clothes again. There was a nice picnic bench right outside the tiny house where we got to eat dinner together. I had eaten so much food today. After a week of walking all day and eating granola bars and goldfish, I felt like I could eat forever.
I had such a great town day. Julian, CA is one of the best places I've ever been to and is now one of my favorite towns. I wonder if other trail towns will be like this? It was such a sweet place and everyone was so friendly and welcoming to the PCT hikers. I loved that it was only a couple blocks long and could be easily walked. Part of me wants to go back and experience it all over again, but the other part of me can't wait to get back on trail, get some more miles under my feet, and see what else there is out there!
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