Day 5, April 22: Julian to Mile 60 to 62
Start: Sunrise TH - 59.5
End: Mile 61.5
Miles: 2.0
Ascent: 183 | Descent: 422
We had a very lazy day in the tiny home while we recuperated from the previous night and did laundry. My hiking shirt is clean!!! ..ish. For now. (Will be dirty again very soon.)
Laundry took a while to do and we didn’t have any real agenda for the day other than rest our feet. We dozed and chatted. Chimney Sweep called her parents, who are Dutch, and she had the most amusing conversation that flowed back and forth from English to Dutch, often multiple times in one sentence. She also called her friend who had hiked the Continental Divide Trail (another Mexico-Canada trail, through the middle of the country). She caught him up on her experiences and one thing she said that caught my attention was how FarOut is like Pokémon Go. FarOut is a navigation app for thru hiking that lists water refill points, tent sites, road crossings, and other interesting or useful features. It has been incredibly helpful in making my journey possible thus far, and I definitely agree with Chimney that it feels a little like collecting little water drops and moving your character along a path in a video game. 🤣
Once our laundry was done around 2pm, the five of us got a ride back into Julian and stopped for Mexican food. I wasn’t feeling great so I took my shrimp and carnitas taco plate to go in the form of wrapping it all up in a burrito to take with me on trail.
The rest of the group was going to stay in Julian another night and get back on the trail at mile 77, skipping miles 60-77. I didn’t want to do that as I want to hike every step of this trail if I can. So I decided to try to find a ride from Julian that day. Thankfully, after posting in a Julian PCT Trail Angles Facebook group, a woman replied and said she could take me back to the trailhead at mile 60!
After running a few last minute errands in town, including seeing the baby goats at the Olde Goat Soap Shop, and hugging my new friends goodbye (or rather, see you soon!), I hopped in a van with Morgan the physical therapist, her adorable golden retriever Honey, and another hiker Luisa, who Morgan was helping evaluate a possibly fractured foot.
They brought me to the trailhead snd the sky was dark and ominous. And it was cold… not exactly inviting hiking or camping weather, but certainly better than the previous stormy night. I hiked two miles in on the trail and set up camp by myself. The wind was blowing hard and I knew I was in for a cold night. I wrapped my down quilt around me as tightly as I could and fell asleep relatively quickly, despite the loud blustery wind.