Days 3 - 8. Storms, Rattlesnakes and Magic. Miles 42 to 151

As the wind battered the cabin and the rain and snow bounced from the roof I was very grateful for the rustic cabin in Mt Laguna. As the rain turned to drizzle and the clouds begin to clear I headed out for a relative late start. I was rewarded with ice covered trees against a blue sky and tiny shards of ice being blown from the pine trees which had collected the sleet and frozen on the pine needles.

Traveling through almost Tahoe like forests to more open grassy hillsides with views to the desert below we passed the 50 mile mark to camp along with around 10 other hikers in a wind shaded spot. With temperatures dropping to near freezing overnight I was comfy under my -7C quilt although condensation was on both the inside of the tent and over my quilt in the morning - not exactly what I was expecting in a dry desert environment.

The trail to Scissor Crossing passed through mountain passes and open meadows, beautiful and easy miles despite the heat of the day. Scissor Crossing gives access to the town of Julian but more importantly it was my first experience of ‘trail magic’ where locals leave supplies for hikers - a cold Gatorade and bag of chips (I passed on the beer) were great after a hot hike but more importantly there were jugs of water meaning I didn’t have to go into town for resupply and could continue hiking. Half a mile further I encountered my first rattlesnake. It went to move as I approached which is the only reason I spotted it. Two more miles of hiking led to an area in the dry rocky landscape that was perfect to pitch my tent and watch the sunset. As I lay reflecting on the day as the sun went down a humming bird hovered, feeding off one of the many vibrant plants.

First Rattlesnake sighting, not a great pic, wasn’t keen to get too close.

More mountainous desert terrain dropping to open meadows as we passed the 100 mile mark. A good time to reflect on what an amazing experience the PCT has offered already and also on the fact I’m holding up pretty well. A little (lot) dirty, a little smelly (stinky) but no aches, no pains and no blisters. Loving the miles but trying to keep days under 20 a day for now so my body can adapt and planning on the odd rest day.

Call me cynical but I wasn’t expecting much from ‘Eagle Rock’, these things usually require a lot of imagination but this was pretty spectacular.

Eagle Rock

Logistics can be confusing, how long to the next water source (can be 20+ miles), how reliable is it, where is the next resupply town/store. Easter weekend threw in an unexpected twist with the cafe that was holding a resupply box I’d sent myself first saying they were closed Easter Sunday (the day I planned to be there) then saying they were just open 8-noon. It all worked out perfectly, an early start and I’d covered the 10 miles to get there by 10.30. A few people I’d met and camped with before were already there and a couple who’d got up at 4am and hiked 17 miles to get there for a burger arrived shortly after me. An amazing spinach and feta cheese omelette with a large side of avocado and a strawberry shake hit the spot. Located my resupply box which contains food for the next 6 days as well as my micro spikes (like mini crampons that go over trail runners) in case I need them for the climb up Mt San Jacinto. But the biggest bonus of the day is the Airbnb I booked directly across from the cafe - super cute cabin, hot shower, laundry and the sweetest dogs. It’s the simple things.

Feeling slightly lazy with only 10 miles covered today but I’m sure my body is appreciating the break and I’ll be back on the trail early tomorrow, next resupply Big Bear Lake hopefully after a summit of San Jacinto.

Thanks for all the comments, for some reason I can’t reply to them but I am reacting - more pics, rattlesnakes etc!!