Family Ties

Mile 77

“I’m so glad that you’re heading into the woods to kick your own ass.”

-Bridgette’s friend Julia 😂

Zero day today, no miles hiked.

We went into Julian in the morning thanks to a ride from Rangel the Trail Angel. Rode with 5 or so other hikers and went straight to Mom’s Pie shop. They do free pie for PCT hikers, it’s amazing what they do. I got rhubarb strawberry pie a la mode with a coffee and I was SO happy. We hung out with Super Noodz and PiBall at Mom’s until Auntie Liz, Uncle Richard, and Auntie Clare got there! They drove up from Pine Valley to see me in Julian which was really sweet, it was good to see them.

I visited the gear shop to look at shoes because I’m worried my shoes might be a little small. I already bought them in a larger size, but now that my feet are swelling from all the hiking and elevation, I might need an even bigger size. I wasn’t ready to drop money on a new pair, and they didn’t have the brand I was looking for anyway, so I decided to keep going and see how I do over the next few days, and potentially order a new size to Idyllwild.

My blisters are not great, but the one on my left foot seems to be getting better. The one on the right got worse, but I think in the next few days it’ll start callusing over. At least I hope so. I’m hoping the blisters on the bottoms of my toes start to get better too, not quite sure what to do about those honestly.

We’re heading out tomorrow around 11am. We have a 14-mile water carry with a 3600 ft climb, it’s gonna be brutal. I wanted to leave in the early morning, but Bridgette made the point that we don’t want to go too early because then we’ll need water for more hours of the day. Good point, B.

We’ll see how the day goes. For now, I’m laying in bed with the air conditioning on, and it’s absolute bliss.

Mile 86.5

I had a really tough day today… We left Stagecoach at 11:30am. I had been wanting to get moving around 7 in the morning, but everyone we were with was wanting to leave later. There was a long water carry (14 miles uphill to a water cache) and so the logic was to hike later in the day to avoid being out for more hours without water.

I understand this logic, but I would have rather hiked out in the cooler hours, taken a siesta in the afternoon, and then hiked in the late afternoon again to get to camp.

However, I was overruled. So we headed out around 11:30, and probably didn’t leave Scissors Crossing until 12. We had a two-mile, 1300 ft. climb right out of the gate, right at the heat of the day. And because of the water carry, it made it tougher (I was carrying 4.5 liters, but I probably should have brought 5.5). On top of that, we had just resupplied in Julian, so I had a full bag of food.

The first few hours were a slog, pushing uphill in desert heat. We took a few good breaks, and just kept on as best we could. B was doing much better than I was, I was really mentally struggling.

One of the nice things about today though was that we kept leapfrogging all day with a group we hung out with at Stagecoach. PiBall, Super Noodz, Mountain Man, and Kurt were all around today. It was fun because we could see the trail weaving around the mountains up ahead and behind us all day, so we would call out to each other, it was great. We’d see one another at breaks and joke around, and even though we all started at different times today, by the last hour we were all walking in a line to get to camp together.

It was a lot of fun to be in some great company, me and B felt really welcomed into their group.

There’s two others in their group, Ellen and Chloe, but we didn’t see them today. We found out from some other hikers that they ended up camping a half mile behind us, so hopefully we’ll see them in the morning.

It’s 4 miles tomorrow morning to get to the water cache. My plan is to leave by 7. We’ve been averaging about 2 miles per hour, so I should get there in a couple hours. Once I do that, it’s either 6 more until camp, or we could really push and go a full 10 more to get to the next water source. Will just have to see what we feel like doing.

I really started to miss Erich today too. Being in such a big group was wonderful, and I’m happy to be in great company along with being partnered with B, but I think being in a larger group made me quieter and miss the feeling of being with that one person out there who truly knows you and what you’re thinking, even when you’re silent. I love being out here and I even love being so disconnected from social media, etc, but each night when I get to camp I find myself looking to see if I have signal just so I can message Erich. I miss him deeply.

One last highlight to mention - the wildflowers this year are absolutely amazing. Everything is super green and in bloom and it’s just amazing. I love seeing all of the desert plants. Bridgette knows a lot about them, so it’s great to learn from her what everything is, what to watch out for, and what her favorites are.

Mile 98.0

So happy to be at camp right now. Did 11.4 miles and my legs and feet can feel it. However, there were so many good things about today. The morning was a lot of fun. Our group all left around a similar time and ended up taking a break about 3.5 miles in. We all just sat on the trail, ate snacks and joked around, it was great. Then we had a long stop at the Third Gate water cache where we hung out for several hours. Beyond the cache there’s a well, so we went to check that out and get more water. It was a little hard to find but once we found it it was pretty cool! It was a deep well with cold water, and we basically had a water party, we were so happy. This stretch of trail has been super dry with long water carries so far, so it was nice to dunk our clothes and heads in the cold water.

When I left the cache I had 5.5 liters which is 12.1 pounds... I’m still figuring out how much water I need, snd I think I could have gone with just 4.5, maybe even just 4. Because I had so much water, it really slowed me down. Also doing miles in the second half of the day is always harder.

Now I’m at camp with B and life is good again. Our campsite is kind of sloped but we made it work, and we did a lot of laughing since getting our tents pitched. I had spaghetti for dinner tonight and it was amazing. To top it off, I have service at this campsite and got to message Erich. I’m missing him a lot, and really hope I can catch him between his meetings tomorrow so we can chat on the phone.

Also, the wildflowers today were incredible. I feel really lucky that we get to see the super bloom that’s currently happening.

Mile 101.1

I had the best day today 😌 This morning me and B decided to take a “near-o”. It was 3.3 miles to get us to the next water source, which also happened to be right next to the road to a place called Montezuma Valley Market where we decided to spend the day. This is where I would need to resupply my food for the next 50 mile stretch. We originally thought we were going to continue on another 8 miles after Montezuma today and push all the way to Warner Springs so B could pick up her resupply package she had sent there, but instead we changed our plan! We were in need of an easier day, and sitting at the market, doing laundry, hanging with trail friends, eating good food, was just super necessary and sounded too good.

We love being out on trail and hiking, but this last stretch (just two days) had been really tough, at least for me. I’m so happy we took this day “off”.

When we got to the road, the trail family we’ve been leapfrogging with since Stagecoach was here, so we all rode in together to Montezuma. We spent the day hanging outside, we did one big load of laundry, aired out our gear, and Shortcut (Chloe) and B even got pack shakedowns from Mountain Man. We all sat around and watched, it was great entertainment and a good learning opportunity!

It was also at Montezuma Valley Market that I got my official Trail Name. I’d had a trail name given to me by my friends Patrick and Kennedy last summer, “Spice Trade”. I started the trail with that name, but was open to a new one if it came about. After chatting more with the group at Montezuma, we discovered that I’m the youngest of the group. So in that moment, my official name became “Baby Spice” 🥰

I got my 5-day resupply and then by 4pm or so we headed back to trail to camp at the water source near the road. We pitched our tents all in a row, it’s adorable. We’ve got Mountain Man hammocking, and then Super Noodz, Shortcut, Kurt, B, Me, and Ellen all in tents. It’s been an awesome group of people to get to know these last few days.

We had dinner all together and I muscled my way through dinner (I do not recommend the Mexican Quinoa Bowl by GoodToGo, lol). We all tasted it and no one liked it hahha

As the sun was setting it was a beautiful pink and blue, like cotton candy. Just gorgeous. The sun set and frogs all started to croak, I suspect they will all night. We were told we might hear coyotes howling in the distance too. Also, I saw a scorpion this morning.

I’m just really grateful for today. It’s making me feel ready and excited for this 5-day section coming up. Also, tomorrow we pass Eagle Rock!! I’m loving it out here.

OH, and one last thing -- today we passed 100 miles.

Mile 112.5

Wow, today was crazy. We woke up to rain and cold. Was tough to pack up in those conditions but got it done and got moving. Hiked 8.5 miles with minimal breaks because the weather was insane! Crazy wind, sideways rain, and cold. The terrain was super interesting though. We walked through miles of cow pastures weaving between hillsides. It looked like what I imagine Iceland to look like. Some Europeans said it reminded them of Scotland.

We stopped in the tiny town of Warner Springs so B could pick up her resupply package. The weather had let up a little, so we ended up spending several hours at the community center there, just sitting outside airing our tents out and eating. It was nice to take such a big break and let everything dry out. Later when the sun started poking out, we took our socks and shoes off and put them in the sun to dry out. I laid straight on the concrete parking lot because it was so warm lol

After the community center, we got back on trail for another 3.5 miles or so to get to the next good campsite. The afternoon brought hints of sun and continued wind, but wow was it beautiful. There were wildflowers everywhere, all over the pastures. We felt like we were in The Sound of Music, and even sang it a little bit lol

After the beautiful wildflower area, we came upon a marshy spot we had to navigate and tried to keep our feet dry. We were mostly successful, apart from Mountain Man who got wet feet. After that, our path was blocked once again by 3 cows laying right on the trail! We walked around, giving them a wide birth, and went through the little gate on the other side as quickly as possible.

After that, we could either ford a river on some sketchy, slippery logs, get our feet wet, or take the road that went over the water. The girls decided to take the road (a two-lane highway), so we went up there and started running as fast as we could on the shoulder over the bridge before a car came 😂 I’ve never hauled ass so fast LOL

Once we got to camp, I was exhausted but happy. I realized I really hadn’t eaten much all day since the weather had been so bad, so once my tent was relatively set up I put my water on the stove to heat up. I had a dehydrated backpacker meal - lasagna. So good. I also made sure to eat more of my uneaten snacks from the day to get more food in me, and also so I wouldn’t have to carry them for the next few days.

I’m laying in my tent now. It’s pretty cold, I’m kind of shivering, but I’m hoping I can get warm soon and get some good sleep. We shall see!

Good day today, and I’m so happy to be traveling with this trail family.

Mile 122.7

I felt so good today! I accidentally overslept this morning, so was in a bit of a rush to get going, but me, Mountain Man, and Zip all set out together. We started off the morning with 6 river crossings over 3 miles. They weren’t difficult but weren’t easy, either. Rock hopping and trying to keep your feet dry. The second one was scary for me, I was afraid I was going to fall in. Mountain Man and Zip had gone before me, and they made it look not too hard. You had to take a really big step and put your weight into your trekking poles in order to get your foot to the next rock. It was my turn and it took me several minutes to work up the courage to take the step. Water was rushing below me and I kept imaging falling in. It wasn’t even that deep, maybe a couple feet, but it was a BIG step. I’m really glad Zip and Mountain Man were there, and in this moment Mountain Man was amazing and really encouraged me. I finally took the step and made it! Then I made my way to the other side. We all cheered and he said he was proud of me. I was proud of me, too. This kind of thing is one of the reasons I’m out here - getting out of my comfort zone and overcoming fear. Because at the end of the day, I knew I could make the step. In fact my legs were the longest of the three of us, and they both went across before me. The only reason I didn’t want to go across was fear.

A quote that I have had written down for a while is “Manage your mind.” You look at the facts of the situation and you know things will be ok, so it comes down to managing your mind and overcoming whatever panic or fear you have that is getting in the way of you physically doing what you need to do, and what you CAN do.

After the river crossings we had about 3 miles to lunch. It was a lot of uphill today since we’re still climbing out of the valley floor. Lunch was awesome, we took a long break under some shade and all put our feet up on our packs with our shoes off. A great feeling. We even ran into Super Noodz which was a great surprise, and all decided to camp together about 3 miles past that.

We left lunch and I felt amazing. I think this was the closest I’ve come to a “hiking high”. I was zoomin lol it was still uphill but not too bad, and the weather was great. Sun was out but it wasn’t too hot. Just amazing. The terrain was also really beautiful and different today with some pines mixed in to the desert flora.

We all had a great time at camp this evening chatting over dinner, and met a man from Switzerland named Simon who is also camped here.

Beautiful night with beautiful friends. The last few days since Montezuma Market have been some of my favorite on trail so far.

Mile 136.9

Big day today. We knocked out 14 miles and I am TIRED. We did 4.5 this morning to Mike’s Place, a water cache that is known to be a hiker vortex of sorts, but it was really run down. Kind of a bummer after the stories we’ve heard of it being such a great place. But that’s ok, we hung out there for a bit and ate lunch, and made the decision to do 10 more miles instead of our planned 8 in order to get us to the next water source. This would mean we wouldn’t need to carry as much water with us even though the distance was longer, because we wouldn’t need to dry-camp (camping where there is no water). We buckled ourselves up for a big afternoon and got to work. At the top of the climb out of Mike’s Place we saw the San Jacinto Mountains for the first time since leaving Mount Laguna. It was an incredible view and so gorgeous. We all sat and took in the view for a bit and then decided to call our families. I didn’t have any service so Super Noodz let me use his phone to call Erich! It was so nice to hear his voice and talk to him for a few minutes. I hadn’t talked to him since the evening after Montezuma. After that we pressed on for the last 8 miles as a group. It felt really good to move all together as a unit, and we chatted and joked as we went along. Every two miles or so we’d stop and take a butt break, eat snacks, and drink our rationed amount of water.

The last 3 miles me and Super Noodz pressed on a few minutes ahead and had a good conversation to get us through those last few miles. It feels good to get to know people so deeply out here. Walking and talking, you're able to open up easier and topics flow through so naturally.

Finally we made it to camp and it felt so good. This was the latest we’ve ever made it to camp (6:15pm) but damn I’m proud of us for knocking out those miles. An hour later the sun was set and we were eating our dinners all gathered near our tents. The stars started coming out, and it was magical. All of us felt so grateful to not only be here, but to be here with each other. We WALKED here… from Mexico! It’s absolutely crazy. Not only do I get to see and experience this, but I’m doing it by walking every day. It’s really an amazing thing.

P.S. Bridgette accepted her trail name today, and now goes by Ziploc (Zip for short).

Mile 149.0

I think I messed up my Achilles tendon today... I’m really worried about it. I pushed 12 miles after doing 14 yesterday. We had only planned on doing 8.4 today, but the idea of pushing further so that tomorrow would be shorter sounded too good. The extra 4 miles were tough but I was doing ok until the last mile. There were switchbacks of death that were so steep and brutal and climbed several hundred feet. When I got to the top I still had like .3 to go until I reached camp. I kept walking and then all of sudden I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles. I knew right then and there I fucked up. It’s been throbbing ever since. I’m laying in my tent and it’s been several hours now and I can still feel it. I took ibuprofen and I’m hoping it works some sort of magic over night, at least enough magic to get me the 3 miles to the road to town tomorrow. Tomorrow is a near-o with a zero afterward, and depending on how my heel is I might end up having to take another day. Im also definitely going to be getting a larger pair of shoes, or maybe get some insoles with better support. Honestly I had an ok day, but I’m feeling a bit uneasy now. At least just feeling very unsure about what is going to happen. Im worried I’ll be hobbling into town tomorrow...

Mile 151

I made it to Paradise Valley Cafe this morning! It was an incredible feeling. Last night I ended up pushing 4 more miles to get to a campsite only 3 miles from the road to town. It was just me and Super Noodz, and another woman from Germany who came along. It was weird camping without B! She and Mountain Man decided to stay at the last water source, about 4 miles behind us.

In the morning me and Noodz got packed up, and right as we were about to lift up our packs and get going, we heard Mountain Man call out! (We’ve been singing the Frozen 2 siren noise when we’ve been calling out to each other, it’s kind of become our “family callout”). We couldn’t believe it. They’d woken up at like 5 in the morning and left camp early to knock out those 4 miles before 7:30am to catch us. It was the best surprise and it gave all of us so much gusto to get to town! We were so excited to all be walking together again. It felt right. I’ve been so grateful for this little trail family this stretch. Each person has been such a gift.

As we walked those last miles to PVC, Mount San Jacinto got ever closer, and she was beautiful. Still covered with snow, we’ll be discussing tomorrow what our plan is for entering this next section.

When we got to the trailhead we managed to catch a hitch to the restaurant down the road. When I saw Paradise Valley Cafe’s sign, it was surreal. This was a place I’d seen many times in pictures and vlogs. Years of seeing it through someone else’s eyes, and I was finally there myself. Not only that, but I had walked there, 151 miles from Mexico. This was a big milestone, and we were all so proud and excited.

We gorged on their amazing breakfast, and I probably had 3 cups of coffee because it was warm and delicious. I picked up my ice ax which I had shipped to the cafe several weeks ago, and then we got a hitch with an amazing trail angel named Dennis who brought us to Idyllwild.

Idyllwild, CA is probably the first BIG milestone on the pct. Once you hit Idyllwild, it’s kind of “real” that you’re doing this. At least that’s how it felt for me. It’s also a large milestone because after mile 151 you start ascending into the San Jacinto mountains, with Mount San Jacinto as the peak. It’s a dangerous/sketchy section of trail most years, and since this year has seen record amounts of snow in California, we knew it would be a tricky section to complete. Technically on the map Idyllwild is mile 179, but you can hitch there from Paradise Valley Cafe in order to resupply. Our trail family is taking a zero tomorrow at an Airbnb, and we’ll discuss what our plan is for this upcoming section.

In Idyllwild we went straight to the gear shop. All of us needed at least something, and Noodz and Mountain Man both needed new packs. I picked up a bandana, a shoulder strap pocket, new insoles for my shoes, and maybe one other thing but I can’t remember.

Afterward, Blaze Physio pulled into the town center so I went over to talk to her. She’s a traveling PT who has thru-hiked before and does vanlife, so she’s traveling along the PCT this year helping hikers. She was able to squeeze me in between appointments, and we talked about my Achilles. It was really nice to talk to someone knowledgeable about the issue who also was a thruhiker and knew exactly what I was going through. I felt so lucky that she pulled into town right then. She worked on my Achilles a bit, and taught me some exercises/stretches to do periodically throughout the day as I’m hiking. She also gave me some silicone wedges to slide under my insoles, which lift my heels up more. They already feel better, so I’m hopeful this will help. Definitely ready to rest up tomorrow and not really walk at all. Even though we took a near-o today, I still ended up walking a lot around town.

I’m clean, my clothes are clean, we had vegetables with dinner. It was a good day.

Mile 151, zero day

I’m stressed and anxious and exhausted and homesick and hormonal all at once. I’ve been crying for the last hour or so, and I don’t even really know why. I think I really miss Erich, I wish I could hug him and see him. It’s been a little over two weeks now and it’s rough to be apart for so long. Especially while doing something so difficult. This experience has been so incredible and endlessly rewarding, but it’s also tough. And this is a large part of it.

I don’t want anyone at the house to see me crying but I know Noodz and Shortcut already know. Especially Shortcut because she came outside while I was on the phone with Erich. I don’t want to talk about it with anyone and I don’t want attention to be on me. Kurt even asked how my Achilles was this morning and honestly I can feel them both, particularly my right one which sucks because Blaze worked on my left one because the right one wasn’t bothering me...

It seems like everyone is going to be doing some errands today, but I just feel like curling up in a ball and laying in bed and not talking to anyone. Just watching movies and drinking water. Lol. But I know that isn’t realistic. I’ll at least go to the post office and send some stuff home. I might not resupply until later this afternoon or even tomorrow morning, after I know what our actual plan is for this next section. Mount San Jacinto is freaking me out, and I don’t know how to feel or what to want in terms of going through or around or skipping.

Im going to try not to wallow in the fact that I miss Erich so deeply, because that will make me cry. Hoping I don’t look too crazy. Might just go upstairs and organize my gear so I know what I’m sending home and what I need to clean, etc. That will be a better use of energy than wallowing and crying.

Mile 159.7

We left our Airbnb this morning in a bit of a rush, but managed to get everything packed up and the house cleaned before leaving. We had a communal breakfast this morning as well, and that was really awesome. I’m feeling a lot better today. I got the best sleep I’ve had on trail so far. Was really calm last night and fell right asleep, and slept all night. Thank god, I really needed it.

I was a little nervous about this next section yesterday and this morning, but after hiking out I’m feeling much better. Our plan is to just go up and see it for ourselves, and bail down a side trail if necessary.

The trail all day today was great and absolutely gorgeous. The terrain was different as we were going up further in elevation, and I was happy to be out of town and on the trail again. Town can be really stressful and overwhelming, honestly. The trail is simple, even in its difficulty.

We’re at camp tonight with the whole trail family (7 of us total: Mountain Man, Super Noodz, Zip, Shortcut, Camp Daddy (Kurt), Girl Scout (Ellen), and me) along with several others including the mother and son we’ve been calling The Umbrella People because of their daily use of their sun umbrellas. Our plan for tomorrow is to hike another 8 or so miles and camp right before Apache Peak, which is the first sketchy section with snow. I’m not sure if I’m going to continue forward, or if I’m going to bail on a side trail, but we’ll just have to see.

Mile 168.5

Wow, today was the worst day I’ve ever had on trail. The first 4 miles or so were fine. All uphill but not too bad, and the views were great, but all of a sudden the day just took a turn for the worst.

We had a 1000ft descent over two miles, and during that time there were so many blowdowns I stopped counting. (A blowdown is a tree that has fallen on to the trail). Some of them were easy to step over, but others were giant and you had to crawl underneath, or climb awkwardly over. I got scraped up and it sucked. And a lot of them weren’t just the trunks, but all of the branches as well, so those were whipping you in the face and legs as you tore your way through.

My Achilles was hurting, I had a new blister on my heal that was throbbing, the terrain was tough, the blowdowns made it so not enjoyable, it was windy, there were no water sources so we were melting snow in our water bladders… at one point as I was going back UP another 1000 feet over another 2 miles at the end of the day, I just threw my backpack on the ground and started crying, for my first full on cry of the trail. I was so angry, and all I wanted was to be off of the mountain. I didn’t even care about summitting San Jacinto, so why was I putting myself through this???? The next stretch to come tomorrow is supposed to be traversing like 8 miles of snow field ridges, some with “no fall zones” (if you fall and slide down the mountain, there’s nothing to stop you like trees or brush for thousands of feet - deadly).

I told myself that this trip was to challenge myself, enjoy time out in nature, meet new people, see the beauty the PCT has to offer, and to have fun. Today, I got none of that, and the only thing I got was pushing myself towards a section of trail I didn’t feel comfortable traversing anyway. So why am I doing this??

At the end of the day, a quarter mile from camp, we came upon our first real snow traverse. There was brush and trees below, so it wasn’t super dangerous, but you still didn’t want to fall. I put on my micro spikes, and Susan from the Umbrella People helped me across since she has lots of experience with snow traversing. She literally traversed it herself, came back toward me, and walked all the way back with me, giving me advice as we went along. Truly a wonderful human being to do that for me 🤍

After traversing that, I had decided that was the end of San Jacinto for me. There is a bail-out trail .1 ahead of my camp (where I am now) and I’m taking it tomorrow morning. I’m going to spend tomorrow and the next day in town, and rejoin my trail family about 22 miles down the trail, which bypasses the sketchy sections (Apache Peak, the 8 mile traverse to Saddle Junction, the summit, and Fuller Ridge).

At the end of the day, I’m out here to have an experience that I want. Im out here for me, and for an experience that I’m looking for. I’m willing to take the time away from my “normal” life to be out here, but as soon as it isn’t worth it anymore, why would I continue to be away from Erich and my life back home which I truly love and value more than anything? Today made me feel like I was hiking these miles because I had to, and not because I wanted to. It made me feel like I was pushing myself toward a dangerous section that I wasn’t mentally prepared for.

There’s plenty of times on the PCT so far where things have been difficult and hard, and I’ve had to will myself to keep moving forward, but even those days are worth it in the end. Today was not like that. I want the PCT to challenge me and I want to overcome fear and overcome my preconceived perceptions of myself, but I also know when something isn’t serving me, and that was this. So I’m taking some time in town to help my Achilles rest up, give myself a mental break, and I’ll rejoin my Trail Family where I feel better about the trail conditions. I’ll miss two days of trail, but this feels like the right decision for me.

I’m so proud of my trail family for continuing on, and can’t wait to hear about how they felt about this next section. I’ll catch them again at Mile 190.7.