January 23, 2020
- Route: Mile 88.8 (Anza-Borrego desert) to mile 109.5 (Warner Springs)
- Daily Distance: 20.7 miles
- Cumulative distance: 109.5 miles
The night was filled with a lot of bizarre thoughts and fears. After hearing the coyotes howling, I started to wonder what other animals were wandering around in the desert. Every time the wind kicked up and made the nylon of my tent snap, my imagination would run amok. Was that an animal? Were there mountain lions up here? Was I safe?
I slept very fitfully while worrying about these things. I suppose this is why we tend to feel safer hiking and camping in groups. When you are all by yourself, you feel more exposed. The dark only amplifies this feeling. All that lies between me and the wild is a paper thin layer of fabric. It may give the illusion of security, but is it really?
Fear is something you have to face head-on though if you want to wrestle yourself from its grasp. Each time my mind made its way to that little corner, I had to remind myself how that camping in wilderness isn’t any less safe than camping in your own backyard. There weren’t scores of predators waiting for me to close my eyes so they could pounce.
Still, it can be hard to feel better when you don’t have anyone else to refocus or distract you. So, I did the next best thing. I popped my headphones in and decided to listen to the soothing voice of Malcolm Gladwell and another episode of Revisionist History. And, as always, I learned something new just by listening.
SUNRISE
I was up for good around 5 am, and even though it was still dark, I couldn’t sleep. Hoping that I might get another hour, I tried to lay as still as possible and just listen to the sounds around me. It didn’t work. It seemed I was up for good. So, I unzipped my rainfly so I could watch the sun slowly crest the horizon. Then I fired up my stove to make some hot coffee and cocoa (a poor man’s mocha) to enjoy while I watched the desert sunrise show.
Laying there snuggled up in my sleeping bag, enjoying the quiet, a sudden wave of emotion swept over me.
This was my final day on the PCT!
As much as I wanted a hot shower and the comforts of my normal life, I’m going to miss this experience terribly. I feel like I’m just getting back into the hiking groove. This trail is something magical and I’m don’t want this hike to end yet. So I lay there in my tent much longer than I needed to just appreciating the moment and trying to hold it close.
ARE THERE MORE HIKERS OUT HERE?
Late yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to see another hiker setting up his tent near mile 88. I’ve only passed a handful of day hikers since I left the Lake Morena campground. And since I didn’t actually talk to the guy, I have no idea if he just popped on the trail for an overnight camping trip or whether he’s been just a mile or two ahead of me the entire way.
One of the things you learn while hiking a longer trail is that entire communities can be just a matter of miles apart. You can hike all day without seeing anyone and think you’re alone. But unbeknownst to you, someone else walking a similar pace can be just an hour behind or ahead of you the entire way. In fact, you may never know he or she were even there until you cross paths in a town while re-supplying.
As I began hiking this morning, I didn’t get a mile before I saw two more hikers standing outside a tent. Holy cow! Maybe, there really were a lot more hikers out here than I initially thought! When I approached, I could see the two women were in their late 20s. They were watching me draw closer, and made eye contact, so I stopped to say good morning.
It turns out, the two ladies were European – one was from the UK and the other from Poland – and they were on a winter vacation to hike in the US. They’d started in Big Bear (mile 266) and were hiking south to the PCT’s southern terminus where I’d started. I was impressed they opted to try such an ambitious section hike in a foreign country during the off-season. That some serious chutzpah! Good for them!!
Since they were headed toward Scissors Crossing this morning, I let them know there was several gallons cached there and the water spigot at Rodriguez Road was also flowing too. I assume they must be using Guthook to help them locate water, but I know it’s always nice to hear the current conditions from someone who recently visited the source. And with that, I bid them good luck on the rest of their hike.
A LITTLE NOISE PLEASE
The morning was shaping up nicely. About three miles in (near mile 91), there was a sign for water, but I didn’t need it badly enough to walk a half mile off-trail to the cistern. I still had plenty left over from Scissors Crossing, and decided to take my chances. There would be a spring around mile 101, and I was leaving the trail today. I didn’t need to stock up and carry extra weight.
The trail seemed to be carved into the side of mountains for most of of the morning, providing some great views. I was really coming to appreciate how the PCT didn’t feel the need to go up and over every peak like the AT. Instead, it, would wind around the mountains. This allowed you to look out at the scenery from a higher elevation, but still have a more moderate, walkable trail.
For some reason, I decided to zone out and listen to an audiobook for a bit before lunch. I’m not sure why. It’s funny how I will go entire days without listening to anything. No music. No podcasts. No audiobooks. But, then I’ll decide I need to drown out the silence and want to listen to something for two hours straight. So the morning was filled by listening to Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. I found myself enjoying immensely, and even had a difficult time turning off while I cruised along.
A SPRING
I arrived at the water spring near mile 101 around 11:30 am, and discovered it was situated in a nice grove of trees that blocked the sun. These seemed like the perfect spot to stop for an extended break. The water from the spring was pooling in a concrete trough that brought back memories of the gross water I’d had to collect from the horse trough two days ago.
As I approached though, I could see this water was far different. First off, there was no scummy green surface. And there was a pipe coming out of the spring so it was easier to collect water from the source. The pool of water was cool, and I quickly scooped a cup of it out and rubbed some of it on my neck and face to cool down. The sun was really warm today, and it felt good to wash the salt off my skin.
Although it was still early, I decided to break for my lunch here. I only had a bit more than 9 miles to go today and I had plenty of time before Keith would meet me at the trailhead. Why not lie back and rest? As I ate, a guy walked by in a large backpack and wearing a John Deere hat. He was much younger than the guy I’d seen setting up his tent last night, so I guess there really were quite a few people out here!
After lunch and collecting some water it was time to make the final push to Warner Springs.
BEWARE OF COWS!
Although the hiker that passed me during lunch had a solid 20 minute head start, I caught him in hardly any time. We chatted for a minute, and he shared that he was heading to Warner Springs after spending a few days in the mountains.
As I looked at him a bit more closely, it was evident that he probably was probably an outdoorsman rather than the typical long-distance hiker. He had on far too much heavy clothing, wore bulky boots, and his Osprey pack looked to weight upwards of 45 pounds. He was ambling rather than hiking. Plus, his John Deere hat seemed to be something he might actually wear back in his daily life, and not as an ironic, hikertrash fashion statement.
Shortly after passing him, the terrain changed from foothills to flat grasslands, and I pulled away quickly. This ground made for super easy hiking. I was making such good time that I called Keith and asked him to pick me up early. I’d easily be into Warner Springs by 3 pm this afternoon. My final day on trail was going to be a cinch.
After coordinating my ride, I was looking forward to the final waypoint of my section hike – Eagle Rock. This popular hiking spot is a large boulder formation that looks remarkably like an eagle silhouetted in the desert. It’s one of those sights that you see hikers posting on Instagram or their social media all the time. And not just PCT hikers either. Eagle Rock is only a 4 miles from the trailhead in Warner Springs, so it’s an extremely popular day hike too.
As I neared the hill where Eagle Rock is located, I had one final obstacle. Cows! There was a herd of them lining both sides of the trail, and they stood between me and where I needed to go. As I got closer, I hoped they’d move, but no such luck. They just stood there staring at me like I was an alien.
Now, I’ve hiked past plenty of cows in my day, but usually they are fewer in number. This herd was close to 40 head of cattle and they were all spread out. I didn’t want to walk between them, for fear I might spook one and start a mini-stampede – with me standing in the eye of the storm. So, I decided to just hike around them.
Unfortunately, the ground under this pasture and wasn’t nice and flat like it appears in photos. It was uneven and filled with depressions and holes where the heavy cows sank into the soft ground. And so, I was trying desperately not to turn an ankle and fall during this cross-country adventure. Meanwhile, the cows were staring at me with curiosity in their eyes the entire time. It was like having an audience.
When I finally detoured around the herd and got back on the trail I was nearly to Eagle Rock. It’s probably a rare occurrence to have this tourist spot completely to yourself, but I succeeded. Hiking here in the middle of the week in January seemed to be the formula!
THE END
The final few miles of my day were the hardest. My feet held up fine during this 110-mile hike, notwithstanding a few blisters. But my ankles are aching and sore, and I’ve was developed a bit of chafing on my lower back where the waistband of these pants is now rubbing. As the afternoon wore on I was sweating more and more, and the salt was stinging the raw and tender spots.
At the end of my hike, the trail paralleled a creek and large trees provided some much needed shade. Some of these trees must have been here for the better part of a century. Their limbs were giant! Once again, the biodiversity of this trail just amazes me. In the past 109 miles, I’ve walked through pine forests, beside cactus and desert scrub, across grasslands, and now amid these giant trees next to the river. The PCT really is rather spectacular.
As I approached the final half mile, I looked up to see two hikers walking toward me. It was Keith and Finn. They’d not only arrived early, but they were coming down the trail to meet me. Oh, it felt so good to see them. Although it was only five days, it felt like a lifetime since I’d last seen them.
Even better, Keith shared that he’d already stopped at the Julian Pie Company store in San Ysabel and bought two pies to celebrate my completing this hike. I couldn’t wait to dig in (though I’d wait until we got home and I had a shower first, of course!). Ah, what a perfect way to end this short journey on the PCT.
DAILY SUMMARY
HIGHLIGHTS
- That epic sunrise over the desert that shows exactly how beautiful the desert is this time of year
- Meeting two badass women hikers from Europe who are knocking out their own PCT section hike
- Getting Eagle Rock all to myself and not having to wait my turn to get a photo
- Celebrating with a slice of the most awesome apple pie ever!
CHALLENGES
- Bizarre fears about mountain lions wanting to eat me in the middle of the night
- Having to detour off trail to avoid startling a bunch of lazy cows
- Saying goodbye to the PCT after just 5 days