PCT 2023 - Day 18 - 200 miles!!

The one with the deep snow, 200 miles reached and a forced cowboy camp!

📍 Location: Black Mountain Trail to MM 200.5

🏔️ Elevation 8868ft (never ending up!)
🥾 I actually walked: 17.1 miles
💰 Money: No money spent
⛑️ Health: After two days rest I feel great. I have a cold sore on my nose, but I have no muscle or feet issues at all. All good.

☀️ Weather: Blimey, it was cold in the snow this morning. My new gloves are working a treat but I do need to get some rain pants. It rained and was very slushy in places. Finally, we started the descent and it warmed up. By 5pm we were back in the desert with frigging snakes on the trail!

🍲 Food: Poached eggs on toast, snacks all day from nuts, fruit and chocolate. Tonight I ate a dehydrated meal which I think was a chicken pasta dish but not really sure! It tasted good though.

💤 Sleep: Slept like a baby in the cabin last night. Tonight we are cowboy camping so it will be a very different experience!

🐍 Snake count: 7! I saw a small snake today on the trail that slithered across my path. I didn’t even flinch this time.

👨 People update: Amber & Harry are taking an extra day in Idyllwild as Amber has issues with her feet. They are catching up with Jesse and Kodak who had a bit of a nightmare on the mountain in that storm last night. We will catch up with them in a few days.

THE LOND WINDED VERSION:-

🏬 I had a day off from blogging and doing videos yesterday. It was a good day of shopping (tourist stuff), but I also bought new gloves and some nail clippers etc for the trail. In the evening Harry cooked the most amazing mushroom and chorizo risotto and we were joined by Captain Cook. It was a lovely chilled out day.

🚗 We, (me, DinkyDi and Disco) were collected at 7.30am by a local trail Angel called Cindy. She’s lovely and refuses any monetary compensation. We all sign her little book and give her a hug at the trail head. Today we have 8 miles of hiking up Black Mountain Trail, in the snow, before reaching the PCT trail. It’s going to be a long day!

🧦 9.27am - The trail is beautiful and it’s not long before we have a break and Disco is putting on his waterproof socks! I’m stopped by a young man called GuideBook and he asked about my SHOUT cap. “I’m intrigued, he said, as the number 85258 is my house number!

🥾 11.54am The trail weaves through an amazing Alpine forest and the snow is melting and dripping on us. The walk is tough but it’s very pretty and we keep stopping for photos and videos. Finally, 8 miles are done and we have reached 7659 ft at the PCT junction. Yey! We are back in trail. It’s busy today. We must have seen at least 20 hikers and lots of new faces.

❄️ 12.14pm - We stop to put on our Microspikes as it’s now getting a bit dodgy up here. Disco gives DinkyDi and I a quick lesson on snow safety. We shorten one trekking pole (mountain side) and the long pole (cliff side!). It’s a bit scary. Disco explained that we should dig in with our feet and have three points of contact in the ground all the time as we traverse these ridges. We were all counting, 1, 2, 3, 4. It was slow going but we were safe and it worked. Thanks Disco.

⛄️ 12.47pm - Over the less sketchy sections, when my attention relaxed, I fell over numerous times. Good job the landing was smooth! We stop for lunch and I’ve realised I’ve lost one of my microspikes. Oh no! How did that happen? No wonder I was slipping all over the place! Note to self, but new spikes!

🏔️ We are now going down and the huge San Jacinto mountain is behind us all intimidating and covered in snow. The hot desert floor is in the distance which is saturated with wind turbines. We can just make it out. Disco daddy shows us a song he has in his Airbuds and starts dancing on the mountain. DinkyDi and I look at each other and then join in! We are all grooving away to “Star Night” by Wonderland. He’s so funny, we love him dearly. 5 miles to go!

🐍 15.55pm - bye bye snow, for now, and just like that we are back in the desert. We stop to remove leggings and waterproof socks. Omg! A snake! Just a little one which crosses the path in front of me at warp speed. I didn’t even flinch. Can you really get accustomed to things that quickly?

🎉 4.10pm - 200 miles! A group of 11 of us all stop to have photos taken at the 200 mile marker. I also somehow managed to convince everyone to do the Chandler Dance on video! 😂

⛺️ 5pm - We fill up 3 litres of water at a creek and we now have less than a mile to go for the campsite. It’s hot and tough on the knees as we descend down the mountain. We find the camp spot and it’s already full. The large group has passed us so we know the next site will also be full. Disco declares that cowboy camping is our only option. We are tired and exhausted as we have already walked 17 miles. I look at DinkyDi.., “cowboy camping it is then?” “Let’s do it” she says.

Wish us luck!Read more