Day 19 Today was a zero day in Big Bear Lake. Made pancakes for breakfast from powder provided by the hostel. Got on the scale as it was just standing there and looking at me in the communal area. I had been loosing a bit of weight up to the start of the trail, but had lost an additional five pounds during the trail so far. Took the bus to the nearby shopping center and…
Day 18 Today I was going to Big Bear Lake, an 18000 person city mostly known for its skiing activities during winter time. This time I was probably one of the first to leave camp, where in the end approximately fifteen people camped at that particular camp site in the middle nowhere, which was more than I ever previously had seen on my trip. The temperatures were pleasant and as with most of the other…
Got up at five am which apparently was late because I was the last one to leave camp. Today was cooler, which was nice and made it possible to move faster. It is sometimes easy to lose track of the altitude because of the constant gains and losses, so at some time I checked it and quite unexpectedly saw I was at 8500 feet = 2600m. That would also make foe part of the explanation…
Day 16 Turned out that I had pitched my tent way too near WC late last night and the door to the WC slammed shut every time someone exited. I got up late due to the exertions of the previous day. I was still very tired, but luckily that gradually went away before mid day. For once it had been a warm night, but the downside to that was my chocolate not resolidified. Squeezed a…
Day 15 Got up at 4:30 again and when the sun finally popped up it turned out to be a tremendously beautiful morning, so I took a lot of pictures. Passed a hiker by saying “Good morning. I ‘m sorry if I scared you” with him not hearing my approach. Later as I stopped to take pictures again, he passed me and stated “Ha ha! Leapfrog!” Well, most hikers are friendly and a few drops…
Day 14 Got up early, headed to the loo, and at the exact moment I flushed, the whole house started shaking. First I thought, what the heck is going on, but then realized that there was a small earthquake. Hiked out of Idyllwild and headed for San Jacinto Peak (10834 feet=3300m) which is an alternative to the stock PCT which circumnavigates it. I think that is the highest mountain I’ve ever summited. The views were…
Day 13 In hiker terminology, a zero is a day where you don’t do any trail miles. Instead you relax, buy food for the next stretch e.g. “resupplying”. I had bought slightly too little food for the last stretch, as previously stated, possibly because I am eating more food now. In hiking terms you get what is called “Hiker hunger” loosely defined as almost insatiable food cravings due to large energy expenditure associated with long…
Day 12 Due to a fire a couple of years ago part of the Pacific Crest Trail was closed, but an alternative for that section was provided. Ihad camped at the exact spot where the PCT closed. At 4:30 at the ridge where I slept I was surprised to see all the night lights of the distant surrounding cities. There was a weird distortion of the lights due to atmospheric fluctuations or something like that.…
Day 11 Forgot to set my alarm, so I slept in a bit. Luckily it was a short day with only 10 miles. Turned out to be a very warm day right out of the bat. Walked part of the day along a ridge line with quite a bit of elevation gain and loss. Waited out the midday heat at a ridge line under my umbrella with my feet under a white garbage bag while…
Day 10 I slept completely alone in my spot in the middle of the desert under the skies, and when I woke it was completely and utterly silent. Not a single animal sound. That was s very special experience. Started hiking at dawn, but it quickly turned out to be a hot day. In anticipation of getting to Paradise Valley Café and also because of bringing slightly too little food, I postponed lunch. When I…