PCT 2023 - Day 30 - 28 miles!

The one with the 400 miles, a record 28 miles, and where is DinkyDi?

📍 Location: MM 396 to MM 427
🥾 I actually walked: 27.9 miles! My longest day so far.
💰 Money: No money spent
⛑️ Health: I feel great! No pains at the moment but I may feel differently in the morning!

☀️ Weather: Hot

🍲 Food: Not enough!

💤 Sleep: Slept quite well considering I’m still really hot and sticky!

THE LONG WINDED VERSION:-

🌄 6.13am - I woke up to a fabulous sunrise. We collect our rucksacks from the toilets (good thinking DinkyDi, bears are unable
to open doors!!), we pack up quickly and we are off! Bye bye campsite. You were a good one!

🏔️ 635am - The first section of the trail is all uphill. We reach Cloudburst summit with an elevation, 7018 feet and my heart is pounding.

👃 I notice that this is the first morning that I’ve woken up without a bloody nose. I’m not sure why I’m getting nose bleeds but they seemed to have stopped now.

🌲 We are walking through another gorgeous forest of Redwood and Pine trees. It feels so good to be back on the trail and away from the highway. After negotiating a few creek crossings we finally spot the 400 mile marker (well, DinkyDi spotted it as I walked right past it!). Photos snapped and high fives done for doing 400 miles, then we are off again.

🥾 DinkyDi is on a mission today. She is walking behind me but is right up close and I can hear her every step. I step to the side and ask her to overtake me which she does. We walk together for around 4 miles and then the heat is so intense that I shift into a lower gear and she is now way ahead of me.

🦁 10.36am - I’m 10 miles done and sitting under a huge Redwood tree enjoying some shade. I take my shoes off and wave goodbye to “Worthy” as he passes me. Looking at the map, I now have 4.6 miles of uphill, so I decide to stay here a bit longer and camel up, eat some snacks and get ready for the climb. DinkyDi is well gone now so I’ll be solo hiking this next section. Apparently there is a lot of mountain lion activity in this area so in need to be on my “A” game.

🌵 11.30am - I’ve sat here for nearly an hour and I really should get going! My end goal today is the Fire Station and it’s still a long way to go! I exit the forest and I suddenly feel very much back in the desert. I’ve decided that I really don’t like walking in the desert. The sand gets in your toes, the lizards make you jump, the snakes are around each corner and its frigging hot! I’m now hiking in an exposed area and the sun is beating down on me. I’ll put my umbrella up once I get to the top of this hill.

🥾 1:00pm I reach a crossroads. The PCT goes straight up! (Raises eyebrows) so my inquisitive mind wonders where the nice paved road to the left goes! I open my app and check out the map. Ah! It’s a blue route (an alternate trail that is also the PCT. It’s a bit longer but stays on the road which is currently out of service). This route contours the mountain rather than going up and down it. I have a battle with my subconscious. Is is cheating if I take the longer, but easier route? I know that DinkyDi would be following the main PCT but there is no way I’ll catch her up after my long break. This way I have a fighting chance. Decision made, and I turn left and head along the road.

⛈️ 1.15pm - I’m now at 14 miles into the track I can hear thunder. I’m so glad I took the road and I hope everybody is okay up in the mountain. I’ve only got another five or 6 miles left before I reach the fire station thingy, I’m looking forward to ordering pizza! (Apparently they deliver pizza there!).

🤩 2:20 pm, I’m taking a quick break and sitting on a stone looking out at the most amazing views over the desert and the forest. I can see the fire station below. It’s not that far, maybe 3 miles. “Ping” I suddenly have service and my phone is going off like fireworks, ping, ping, ping ping! I have a quick conversation Paul Coxon (walk leader back home) thanks Paul he doing a cracking job along with all the others who are supporting me whilst I’m away. It’s humbling to read the WhatsApp conversations and also makes me wonder if I’m actually needed in the business!

📱 I message Rachel, Matt and my mum and then I’m on my merry way again with a pep in my step.

🚽 Oh no, I need the loo, and not a number one. I’m on a dirt road with no bushes or trees to hide behind. What should I do? I’ve not seen a soul for hours, so, right there on the track I dig a cat hole and do what needs to be done. My little bidet is awesome! Just as I’m hauling my rucksack on my back a guy comes around the corner on a bicycle! Blimey, if he had turned that corner just two mins earlier then he would have had a shock! He chats for a while and confirms that the building below is the fire station. He continues on his bike up the hill and I skip down the mountain!

👋 3.00pm - Yey! Maddie waves at me and shouts “free soda!!” I make my way around the back of the fire station and see a sea of familiar faces and some new ones. Sketch is here eating pizza! He kindly offers me a slice. Im so tempted, but it’s covered in olives and I’m not keen on olives so graciously decline. I still get a big hug though which was great. Joey, Erica and a few others are here, but no DinkyDi. Im sure she won’t be long, I say to myself. No one else has seen her today. I grab a free can of ice cold coke and plonk myself down at the picnic table. A guy called Bobby is here (nice chap) and I also chat to a guy wearing a kilt called Dundee. (Yep, he was Scottish!). I decide to wait for DinkyDi and wave people goodbye. The only person left is Bobby as he is leaving around 5pm and doing some night hiking. My plan is to walk about 2 miles and then pitch up (unless DinkyDi has other plans when she gets here).

🥾 5pm - I’ve waited nearly two hours for Di, so I’m guessing she has either pitched early or she has bypassed the fire station. I’ve still got a few miles to do so I think I’ll make a move. Bobby left a few mins ago so I’m here on my own, and I don’t want to pitch in the dark.

⛺️ 6.10pm - I walk down to the next picnic area and cross the road. Looking at the map, there is another dirt road that mirrors at PCT but cuts out quite a bit of elevation. It rejoins the PCT at mile marker 421, where I decide is the perfect place to camp. The hike up is easy and I’m surprised how much energy I’ve got. I’ve already completed over 20 miles as I reach my spot. I get my little chair out and take a seat before I start unpacking. I hear a noise coming from the trail. “Hi Bobby” I say. He looks surprised to see me. “How on earth did you get there?” He asks. “I took the road, it’s an easy route”. Bobby takes off his pack and sits on the ground next to me. He gets out his map (he’s a paper map guy) and study’s it for a while. “Hey, that road leads all the way to the ranger station which is my goal for tonight. It’s about 14 miles”. “Sounds like a plan” I said and wished him well. 5 mins later I decide that camping on my own on the side of the road is perhaps not such a good idea. I put my chair away, haul on my rucksack and head up the road. I’m feeling full of energy so I think I may be able to catch up with Bobby. Sure enough, 20 mins later we are walking together and talking about everything and anything. He started his PCT in early March and has some great stories to tell. He worked for Google before retiring early to do the PCT. We chatted for ages and the miles just flew by. We spot deer prints in the sand and take photos of the amazing pink, purple and orange sunset. We turn a corner and I can see two tents pitched up. I recognise one tent “Worthy” but not sure who the other was?. It’s now 8.30pm and I’ve walked nearly 28 miles. “That’s me done for the night, thanks for the company Bobby”. “It’s my pleasure” he said, and with a wave he continued along the road. I pitched up as quietly as I could and Worthy popped his head out of his tent to say hi.

What a day. I’m still worried about DinkyDi as I’ve not heard from her. I sent her a WhatsApp to say that I hope she is ok and I’m at mile marker 427. I hope to catch her tomorrow.Read more