Day 14- My First Real Mountain

May 16, 2016

Idyllwild to Stealth Site(181.3) ~9 Mies

After a few days in town I feel pretty well rested. I had really hoped we would get an earlier start, but unfortunately we didn't start hiking until noon. Most of the group had to wait for the post office to open at 9, so I took the opportunity to watch another episode of Game of Thrones. We got a ride back to where we left off on Saturday. After some very difficult and exhausting miles we made it back onto the official pct. During those grueling miles we gained roughly 5,000' of elevation over 6 miles. This was by far the hardest day I've had on the pct, but I loved every minute of it. The terrain doesn't resemble the desert anymore! 

Waiting for our ride

Outro and the sign say it all

Reminds me of the Guillotine in VA

 An actual forest with some shade

The trail didn't start out extremely steep, but it sure ended that way. We decided to finish up the alternate and we took another alternate so we could summit a peak with a fire tower. The view made it worthwhile. 

View from 10,000' 

Evac taking it all in 

We still had a long way to hike and another mountain to climb. We really wanted to watch the sunset, camp, and watch the sunrise from San Jacinto, but with our late start today there was no way that was going to happen. I struggled to make it to camp before dark. 

We didn't come across water all day and that became a problem once we got into camp. Hawkeye and Warren were kind enough to walk 2 extra miles round trip to bring water to everyone. They were the heroes of the night. Everyone is cowboy camped at about 9,000'. We are looking at a 1,800' climb tomorrow morning. It is pretty cold out right now. I guess I'll find out how warm my sleeping bag keeps me. 

Snow covering part of the trail

View back to the fire tower peak

Sunset

Spaceman getting warm with his spaceman helmet 

Enjoying the moment 

photo credit: Warren 

"Every great journey, race or adventure encounters obstacles that drive tough choices. Nature, terrain, Murphy and temptation all get a vote. Staying true to your overall goal and character is the surest path to success because if you quit, cut a corner or enable an excuse now, how do you know you'll ever stop?"

- Anthony Fleming 

"Try to make sound decisions that prevent you from getting squished by a car"

- Anthony Fleming

Day 4- Weather Delay With A Nero In Mt. Laguna

May 06, 2016

Mt. Laguna(41.5) to Desert View Picnic Site(42.6) 1.1 Miles 

Today didn't exactly go as planned, but I've learned to quickly readjust my plans. The AT taught me that there are somethings that you just shouldn't mess with, cold temperatures and rain. When I woke up this morning it was pouring down rain and freezing. Brian and I turned on the weather channel and what we saw didn't look promising. Check out at the motel was at noon so we decided to play it by ear. We went to the front desk to see if the room was even available for the night and then headed down to the outfitters to look at some new gear. I decided that I should probably get some rain pants. I've never hiked with them before and that lead to some pretty miserable days. I found a pair that only weighs 3 oz so I decided to pull the trigger and buy them. I feel pretty confident hiking through the rain now. Brian has been having some feet issues so he bought a new pair of shoes. This is the first outfitter that people come to on the trail and they do killer business. People were dropping thousands of dollars to reduce their pack weight. It was amusing to watch. By the time we got back to the room it was still raining heavily and the temperature was around 23 degrees. We decided to take a zero day. 

After looking at the trail map we discovered a way to get in a little more of the trail today. It wasn't much, but it made me feel productive. Once it stopped raining we walked back to the trail where we got off yesterday. It was a very pretty walk along a ridge with spectacular views. 

Ominous skies

View of the desert floor

On the way back to the lodge we meet a nice couple from the Yellow Deli. The Yellow Deli is the unofficial name of The Twelve Tribes. They are a religious organization that has communities all over the nation. When I hurt my ankle last year I stayed with them while I recuperated. I'll never forget their hospitality and kindness. They offered us a place to stay tonight and a hot meal, but we had to decline. 

It's going to be cold and rainy again tomorrow morning, but we will press on. The sun should come out tomorrow afternoon. The forecast for the next week and a half is pleasant temperatures with no rain. I'm looking forward to this next section. We will be going through the high desert with a lot of stunning views. 

"The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day."

Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat