PCT 2023 - Day 12 - HIPPY CAMP.

The one with the squiggle, a weird hippy camp and a rather dangerous landslide!

📍 Location: MM114.9 to MM 131.50

🏔️ PCT Elevation 5572 ft
🥾 I actually walked: 17 miles
💰 Money: No money spent.
⛑️ Health: I’m filthy and my body aches but it’s all good. Everyone in our little Tramily are doing well.

☀️ Weather: Reached 36 today. It was not fun!!

🍲 Food: Granola which I love. I’m gonna some more of those. Tortilla with spicy tuna for lunch and a hot chocolate. I couldn’t eat my dinner as it was too spicy so I gave it to the man in the tent across the way. He has a massive pack but no food! He also had no spoon so I gave him my emergency one that I’d got from MacDonalds. I think I have a new friend 😂

💤 Sleep: not a bad night at all! I think these hot sweats are nothing to do with the weather and are more to do with the menopause as everyone else thinks it’s cold at night. Everything is sticking to me during the night so I may try and get a cotton sleeping bag liner. (I welcome any advice from ladies over a certain age).

🐍 Snake count: 4! I think we are out of the worse snake part now.

👨 People update: it’s been a strange day. Harry is having issues with his water hydration thing. Some people are walking on their own to work through some problems. People are out here for all sorts of reasons. Very similar to a Camino.

LEARNINGS:-
Systems and procedures make life so much easier! I’ve figured out so many things to make life easier for me on trail. Things like all spare bags go into my tent bag as I unpack which is then clipped around a pole. I have so many tips now. (Future video!)

THE LONG WINDED VERSION:-
🥾 6.40 - Disco Daddy sets off first and Di and I follow later. I slept ok so feel good this morning. Di is not quite her chirpy self as she is aching a bit, but it soon wears off.

💦 7.20 - Wow, these water crossings are a bit challenging. I dig out my tent pole so that I’ve got extra stability. There are no bridges or nicely laid stones, no, we have to cross the best way we can. The first one was the hardest out off all the river crossings today, but it was really good fun.

👋 9.13 - We pass the Jesse/Kodak/Handyman crewe and say hi. We can’t stop here like they are, so Di and I continue up the hill. We stop at an open vista at the top for a quick drink and to take photos of the views before carrying on. Looking at the map the trail double backs on itself, so I lead the way. 10 mins later we bump into Jesse and the crew. “How did they get in front of us?”. Then it dawned on me that we just walked down the hill rather than up the hill so did 0.3 miles the wrong way! How stupid!

🥾 10.49 - I take a break under a tree. Ive got my stride on today and feel great. The water source is shitty at this creek so I’ll keep it for emergencies only. I’m not up for drinking frothy gross water just yet. Six miles to go until Mikes place.

🦶 12.00. I’ve been walking on my own for some time and not seen a soul in a while. I’m drinking every time my watch pings “1 mile” and doing stretches. My right foot is sore and I really need to stop but I don’t want to sit in the blazing sun in the middle of this boulder-field. Finally, I see a tree that is offering a bit of shade, so I set up my little chair (love that chair!) and take the weight off my feet. I tend to the new blister on my right foot, reapply sun screen and eat a snickers bar. I hear footsteps and it’s DinkyDi. She’s caught up with me and is in good spirits. “Did you see that huge rock?” I look around. There are huge rocks everywhere. She then shows me a photo and yes, it’s a beautiful spot. She’s very excited to be walking through the boulders again. All I can think of is snakes (although I didn’t see a single one).

🤡 1.30pm - I’m on the count down to Mikes place. Eventually I see a hippy looking sign that takes me off trail and leads me to some huge water tanks. Taylor from the US is there. “Your friend went that way, down the steps” she pointed and I followed her directions. This place is super weird. It’s like a hippy camp / junk yard! As I’m walking through I pass old beaten up caravans, debris and rubbish everywhere and then I arrive at some buildings. It’s quiet so I walk around the building in search for DinkyDi. I see a set of rusty bench press machines (weird) and other gym equipment that is past it’s sell buy date. I hear voices and finally see my friends. Disco and Di and lying on their mats enjoying a rest. To their right is an old Cadillac classic car that has been spray painted to cover up the rust. To the left is a sword in the ground with a metal ladybird. This place is just full of strange things. I join them and then go to put my phone etc on charge. The Charing station is right next door to a huge skeleton that is wearing a hat!! Yep, weird. We eat, drink and rest in the shade for our siesta.

👋 15.51 I’m glad I stopped at Mikes place for a rest but I’m also pleased to say goodbye as it has an uncomfortable vibe. I wonder what Mike actually looks like? We go back to the big water tanks and fill up four litres of water each. There are no water supplies for 14 miles so this next section will be challenging. I’m delighted to see Amber & Harry as they traipse down the hill. It sounds like they have had a tough day. “Catch you later at mile 132 tent site” I say.

17.29 - Up, up, up! Switchbacks, rainbow mountains, and San Jacinto Mountain, this section is beautiful. This morning I was walking in a forest navigating rivers and now I’m climbing a mountain of over 5000ft. It goes on for hours!! On the decent I have my AirPods in but I hear a female voice shouting. I take out my AirPods and can see Di across the ravine. She’s waving at me. “Be careful on that next section ” she bellows across the canyon. “The trail has fallen away in parts, take your time and walk slowly”. I now remove my earphones and store them safely in my pocket. I take down my umbrella which limits my vision and take a deep breath before starting the dodgy section. As I clamber over fallen trees with sharp cliffs on one side I feel a little scared. I’m concentrating very hard but I’m also extremely tired as I’ve already walked 15 miles. My foot slips and I catch a branch to stop me falling. I then take a min and the words “if you trip, take a sip” are etched in my brain. I’m actually gulping water rather than sipping.

Slowly, slowly I make the descent and an hour later I’m at the foot of the mountain and so happy to see camp. DinkyDi and Disco are here but Amber & Harry never made it. I hope they are ok. I’m sure I’ll find out tomorrow. In the meantime, I wish you goodnight.

We have another 15 miles to do tomorrow so this is going to be tough.もっと詳しく