Day 33, May 20: Mile 452 to 474
Start: Mile 452.2
End: Mile 474.2
Miles: 22.0
Ascent: 4249 | Descent: 2913
Well, last night was the worst cowboy camping experience I have had on trail yet. It was foggy and misted on us starting at 2:30am, which was definitely not in the multiple weather reports I checked. I didn’t get a great night of sleep afterwards because I kept waking up to feel the outside of my quilt getting progressively wetter, but thankfully I stayed warm enough and relatively dry inside.
Still, I started the day off pretty grouchy at waking up wet. We hiked the 2.3 miles to Agua Dulce out past Vasquez Rocks, which were so cool! I loved the cool rock formations and I wish I could’ve spent more time there.
Amazon and I made it to the Homemade Restaurant a little before they opened at 7am. When we finally got in and sat down, the service was slow but food was pretty good. I had a waffle with eggs and sausage and ordered a breakfast burrito to go, to eat for lunch and dinner on trail. They let us charge our electronics and gave us pitches of water to fill our bottles.
We started the hike out of town and there was a few miles of a road walk before a dirt road, and finally the regular trail again. I crossed under some large power lines that made a powerful buzzing noise. There was a long, annoying climb but thankfully it was breezy and not too hot. However, I was still in a grouchy mood and was feeling unmotivated to hike so I took lots of breaks.
I made it to a shaded spring that people had commented on FarOut that it smelled and tasted like farts. I never ended up smelling it or needing the water because I rechecked the app and a good soul left a comment updating the status of a water cache only 2.3 miles ahead. At the spring, there had been Amazon, a German woman named Bandit, and a Canadian guy named Jackrabbit. Upon hearing that the cache was well stocked, the four of us booked it there to the highway.
As usual, I was the last one to arrive and the three were there again. In a sunny spot nearby, I laid out my quilt, groundsheet and some other items in my pack that were wet. While those were drying, I napped against my pack in the shade.
It actually got a little cold in the windy shade, and I needed to keep moving to make the miles in a reasonable time, so after an hour that felt far too short, I filtered some water from the cache, collected my now-dry items, packed up and made my way back on trail.
The trail was relatively flat with some small ups and downs before another climb- thankfully about half the size of the morning climb. Still, I was feeling tired and very cold from the wind.
I finished the climb and then started the five mile descent to the campsite we were hoping to get. I put on some bubblegum pop music to drown out my heel blister yelling at me and cruised as best I could.
At one point, I saw a sign commemorating the male and female winners of the Leona Divide 50- a race many of my friends have run. It was cool to see some names I recognized, including Scott Jurek (who at one point, set the Appalachian Trail speed record), Karl Meltzer (widely considered one of the best ultrarunners in the world), and Jorge Pacheco (who I know from back when I ran ultras in LA. Jorge is a local legend, having won many local races). I snapped a picture and continued on my way.
I made it to camp with Amazon and two other girls, and the only spot left was a slanted one super close to some bushes, but I made do. I ate dinner in my tent because I was still feeling meh and antisocial.
My mood never really lifted entirely and I chalked the day up to a PCT loss- which is to say, not really a loss because it’s still incredibly awesome that I get to be out here. And I’m still grateful even if I’m grouchy. Hopefully tomorrow will be better! Night!