Day 39, Desert Magic

Part 1, The Desert, Day 39

Desert Magic

Miles: 20.62

PCT Mile: 663.89

Last night around midnight I thought I heard a car door slam, but wasn't sure, because of the wind. This morning, I woke up at 5am and there was a truck parked right outside my tent and footprints around my tent. Super weird. That's what I get for camping next to a road. It was very cold, windy and foggy when I packed up, and my tent was soaked, so I threw it in a trash bag and took off.

The sun was wrestling through, which made a near fallout effect. 

I was struggling all morning with the decision of hitch hiking to town for more food, or hiking on. I'd be at the highway in 2.5 hours so I had to make my decision before then.

Hikers aren't the only ones using the trail:

I was concerned that I hadn't brought enough food for 8 days, and I was also concerned about the snow in the Sierra, about being ahead of the group of hikers I'd gotten to know, and my aching back, shoulder and of course, my feet. The downside of going to town was that town = spending money, and it was a 37 mile hitch. I decided that the right decision would come to me when I reached Walker Pass Campground at the bottom of the mountain. 

As I got closer to the highway, I saw a tent with a bunch of flags in the campground. The flags were PCT Bandanas...Trail Magic! 

I've barely experienced trail magic since I'm far ahead of the herd. Today was some great and much needed trail magic. It was provided by three PCT old-timers, including Meadow Ed, a legend on the PCT.

He welcomed me and gave me some fruit. I also had a burrito, pb&j, and some cookies. It was a good get for a hiker low on food!

I ate all this for breakfast hoping that I wouldn't need to use my food until dinner. What I realized today, though, is that my appetite has grown big time and that what I've been eating just won't cut it anymore. I filled my water, refilled my bleach, threw away my trash, and stayed there until noon. I also dried my tent in the sun:

About 6 hikers were there, and we sipped beers and listened to Meadow Ed tell story's about the PCT back in the day. What really made my morning was when a motorcycle with a side car pulled in with these dogs in the side:

Wow. This dog.......

Has a mustache!

I don't even know what to think. These people probably never had children. 

The trail magic was pretty sweet and it helped me make the decision to hike on. I didn't want to be in some town 37 miles away, I wanted to hike. For once, it was sunny and hot, so I started out. I went up for a long while, but it was beautiful.

I'm in a transition from the desert to a forest / mountain environment, and it's a joy to witness. 

I spent a huge chunk of my morning at the campground, and now that I was hiking, I was excited to be so close to Kennedy Meadows. My body is wearing down during this long and tough stretch. I feel the need to break more, so I'm doing that often.

Somebody made this camp spot into an awesome fortress:

The trail passed through to the other side of the mountains and the views were breathtaking: 

I took another break; my feet hurt so bad that the pain is all I can think about sometimes, and each step is a chore.

After the break I walked on and I was really dizzy. It made me nervous since I was on a thin trail very high up. I felt like I would pass out, and the feeling lasted about an hour. I think it's because I've been rationing my food and not eating much lately, so I vowed to make it to Kennedy Meadows soon. I can rest and zero when I get there, but for now I need to hike. 

Between the low food and foot pain, it's easy to feel down, but I quickly reminded myself where I am and how lucky I am to be here, and my smile returned. It's all about keeping a positive attitude out here. 

I must say, it is so exciting watching the terrain change the way it is. I feel like I've earned this and what's to come from my time in the desert playing the water game. Speaking of water, all the big carries are over for now, but I needed water from Joshua Tree Spring. 

The water report says this source is loaded with uranium. That won't really bother thru hikers though:

My whole night was made when I looked in my meager food bag and found...an Extra Dinner!!! I thought I would go hungry, but now I think I'll be ok! Sweet relief. I made an awesome dinner; mashed potatoes with bacon bits and cheese. I'm camped in a meadow above the radioactive spring:

The sunset over the mountains is just crazy!

The end if the SoCal desert is 2 days away. It's crazy how fast it's gone and all I've learned. I'll be able to reflect on the desert when I'm resting in Kennedy Meadows, but for now, I have work to do.

Thank you so much for the comments, I love them! Keep it up. I try and respond ASAP, but I need a strong cell connection to do that, so I'll respond when I can.