PCT 2023 - Day 47

The one with the French Back Road, the long wait, and driving at 7000ft in the fog!

📍 Location: Cabazon (I10) again!
💰 Money: $47 dollars for fuel. $10 for a cheeky MacDonlads breakfast.
🛌 Sleep: I ended up just crashing in the van outside a very posh country club! I slept ok although I did wake up mega early (3.30am) and then struggled to get back to sleep.

THE STORY SO FAR..

🌄 7am - I’m dressed but I now need a wee and I can’t really go outside! I’m parked by a posh Country Club on a quiet suburban road. I check Google maps and there is a MacDonalds just down the road! Perfect! I can use the facilities, have some breakfast and make a plan for the day.

🍟 8.30am - I enjoyed a sausage and egg McMuffin and a very large coffee while putting together my plan for the day. I’ve decided to drive to Cabazon and the I10 as I know it was very difficult to get a ride from there and the walk into the I10 underpass was hell! (Windy and sandy). It’s 2hrs from where I am now, so I should be there by lunchtime which is good timing. I need to fuel up the van with petrol (not diesel!) and then I’ll be on my way.

🏔️ 11.30 am - The drive was long but very straight forward. Wow! I’d forgotten how intimidating Mount San Jacinto is! This area is stunning with the snow capped mountain ranges and vast wind turbines.

🚊 As I’m travelling down the I10, about 2 miles from the PCT trailhead I spot a hiker who is walking along the train track to my far right. He’s heading in the same direction so I assume he’s walking back to the trail head. It looks like there is a dirt road that follows the train track. I take the next exit and see a small slip road that leads to the dirt track. I drive along this track with the trains going by on my left. Finally I see him in the distance. As I get closer I wave and he waved back. Pulling over I let the window down “are you a PCT hiker?” I ask. In a strong French accent he replies “yes, I am wanting to get to the I10, it’s about 3 miles from here”. He looks very tired. “I open the doors and tell him to hop in”. On the short three mile journey back to the PCT crossing he tells me his trail name is “Back Road”. He arrived at the I10 last night with no water and no food. He waited until 7pm for a ride but no one came, so he had no option but to walk to town (6.5 miles). The dirt road was safer than the Interstate above. He then had the bright idea of hopping on a train trailer just like a stowaway! “It was not so fast so was not dangerous” he reassured me. “I always find a back road on the trail” he says with a smile. I’m not sure where he slept last night. He was so excited to see me and so very grateful for the lift. When we stopped I gave him some cookies and a Gatorade. I thought he was going to cry with joy. He asked for a selfie and told me that this was his very first trail magic. That’s nearly over 200 miles with no trail magic. It makes me appreciate the magic I received even more. Plus, I know that there will be less hikers the more I travel South but even if I make a difference to one hiker then that’s a good day.

❤️ I remember this section being one of the most difficult to get a ride, so I’ll stay here all day and see who else turns up. I’m loving this trail angel life.

🚗 2.30 pm - I’m three hours in and sweating in the heat. I’ve not seen any other hikers since BackRoad this morning. I’m not good at just sitting around so I’ll go for a drive, find somewhere to buy a coffee and then come back.

☕️ 3.30 pm - I’m back and hopefully I haven’t missed anyone. I went to Starbucks, grabbed a coffee and ate some cheese & crackers with apples and grapes. I miss fruit!! I then had a drive around Cabazon as I went straight to Nitsy’s house the last time I was here.

⭕️ As I approach Cabazon retail park a panic arises within….. what’s that? A roundabout? Surely not? I’ve been moaning about the stop signs and have been telling everyone how much more efficient a roundabout is. My brain went all loopy as we are going around a double roundabout THE WRONG WAY! It freaked me out and I ended up going around it three times before I could get off!

🚆 4pm - I’m now back at the PCT trailhead. The trains going by are incredibly loud when they honk their horns. I remember Bloom telling me how terrible it was to camp in this spot as she didn’t get much sleep (I see what she means!). I text Bloom to say where I am and how on earth did she sleep here! She messaged back instantly and let me know that she was on a train heading North and the trail family have stuck together. Their next chapter seems to be going smoothly so far.

As I’ve got good service I search around for a good place to stay tonight and also make a plan for tomorrow.

🥱 6pm - I give up. I’ve been sitting here since 12 noon (with exception to popping to Starbucks) and I’ve not seen another hiker all day. I had messaged the local trail angel Facebook page earlier to say I’ll stay here until 6pm. I walk down to the underpass and leave two large bottles of water and some Gatorade. Hopefully that will put a smile on someone’s face tomorrow.

I need to buy some long trousers for the plane ✈️ next week as I was freezing on the way over and there is a Supercentre Walmart not far from here..

👖 6.30 pm - I skipped Walmart as I saw a sign for a massive store called “Ross - Dress for less”. It’s a bit like TK Max with branded clothes at reduced prices. I only want a pair of jeans for the flight so this will do nicely. I spot a nice pair on the rack at size 10 but they look huge. I googled “what is size 10 dress size in the US” and apparently I’m a size 6! I pick a pair of Rachel designer jeans (apt name) quickly try them on and they fit well. Done ✅. That’s my sort of shopping!

⛰️ Next stop is Idyllwild! I drive “Angelica” (the new name of my van) up the winding mountain pass. My ears start popping as we climb higher and higher. I stop a few times to take photos of the views. This is a very different experience than walking it, and I’m quite enjoying the journey. Once I get over 6000ft I’m suddenly driving through thick fog and visibility is poor. Angelica looks after me and her lights come on automatically. Together we weave our way through the fog, going no more than 20 mph. I’m nervous as there are no barriers and steep cliffs to my right. Eventually the road starts to make a descent and I realise that I’ve been holding my breath. The fog is lifting and I then suddenly I recognise “Black Mountain Road” where me, DinkyDi and Disco were dropped off a few weeks ago. This is the snow section where I lost one of my microspikes. Blimey, it seems like a lifetime ago!

🏕️ 8.30pm - I arrive at the Campground but it’s fully booked. Ah! It’s Saturday and it hadn’t dawned on me that there may not be any room at the inn. I drive around and then find a quiet corner in the car park of The Idyllwild Inn. I’ve got tinted windows so I think I’ll be fine here. It’s smack bang in the middle of town and I can hear music playing from the bar across the road. I’ve already seen hikers walking down the street with pizza which makes me smile. This is home for he night.

🌙 10pm - Air bed deployed, quilt set up and Jim jams are on. It’s Sunday and the bars are now closed. Snuggled up in my bed I finish watching the film about the kids stuck in the cave “Thirteen Lives” then I fall into a lovely deep sleep.

Night night.

Thanks for listening to my rambles.

Signing off.

Jukebox

Thanks to Paul & Soup for donating gas money for Angelica (the van). Also to Bev, Richard & Ann for their generous SHOUT donations (we have raised £1752 so far for SHOUT!) my goal is £2000 so if you can spare a few quid then please donate here:- https://mhi.enthuse.com/pf/julia-doherty-10e0dLeer más