April 20th, 2022 by Jon
We awoke to the sound of wind howling outside our tent, and we groaned at the thought of getting out of our tent. There is some bad weather coming to San Jacinto on Friday so we strategically made that our zero day. Apparently, the mountain could see a bit of snow! With the way the miles work until town and the timing of everything, we have a pretty easy few days of lower mileage to get into town. Mileage aside, though, today was tough. We had two massive climbs and the wind was blasting the mountain to the point where Ajia and I almost lost our footing a few times. Hats were completely out of the question and for the first time, I wore my sweater all day because of how cold the wind made it.
We packed up in the morning and the first thing we noticed was that Nicole was already gone! We were all cutting it pretty close with our water, but I think she had the least. We knew where we had said we wanted to camp tonight so we weren’t worried. We ate a bar for breakfast because we still don’t have any fuel. Once packed, we set out continuing the climb we had started the day before. The wind seemed to nip at us the entire way up, but as we rose higher, we could see for a long way off. To the northeast, we could see Palm Springs and the rest of the desert valley below; to the southwest, we could see the green paradise valley. It was a nice contrast. The plants around us changed as well and more dry pine and taller brush made an appearance.
We got to the top of our first climb and began hiking along a ridge for a long time. It was the first time in a while that our hike was on top of the ridge and not just high up on the side of it. It made for excellent views, but was also kinda spooky when the wind really gusted. Soon, we came across the cutoff for Cedar Spring, but we didn’t need the water quite yet. With how far up we are, all the water sources are down steep trails off to the side and it takes quite a bit of work to get down to them. We wanted to get 9 miles in before hitting Apache Spring later on.
Soon, we came to a pretty meadow on a large hill, which had a serene feel. It helped that it was kind of a bowl and so the wind wasn’t so bad in there. We walked through it and then up and out the other side. When we got to the top, we could see we had hiked the entire mountain we were on, and we had to hike down to the saddle that connected it to the next one. It was a 1100-foot drop in less than two miles, a very small flat spot, and then 1400 elevation gain in just over two miles. Even writing it like that makes me mad. That little chunk took an extraordinary amount of effort. The switchbacks seemed endless and the grade of the trail was so steep and hard. We struggled our way down and back up.
When we were near the top Ajia cried out behind me. She was limping and said her foot felt like it was on fire. We sat on the side of a very steep hill next to the trail and she took her shoes and socks off to find that the blister in between her big toe and pointer toe had burst. I was pretty sympathetic because I had one a few days ago there and it was not very comfortable. Part of the blister had burst, but some fluid remained. We decided to clean and drain the rest of it, then I cut a special piece of tape in the shape of a capital Y to protect it for the rest of the day. Once we caught our breath again, we kept hiking.
When we got to the top, we had reached the trail junction for Apache Spring and we needed the water. The trail itself is only a half mile down, but its 600 feet of elevation loss. That’s a lot for just half a mile. I got to the junction first, and there was Nicole lying in a bush! It’s a common thing on the PCT to keep yourself in the shade or out of the wind. She had just come back up from the spring, and when I asked her how bad a hike it was, she just laughed and said, “Terrible.”
I sighed, knowing that was going to be the answer and began taking everything out of my backpack. We plan to camp in a few miles, and there is a creek 6 miles after that. I decided if I took everything out, Nicole and Ajia could watch it all and I would go get 6 liters of water so Ajia and I could each take three to dry camp with and make it to the next source.
The hike down wasn’t too bad, but it was very steep which filled me with dread for the hike back up. Eventually, I got to the bottom of the trail, and there, dug into the ground, was a small 3×3 trough with water just bubbling out. The trough made it easy to collect. With a deep breath, I began the journey back up. All I have to say about it is that I was out of breath to the point where I was leaning in my hiking poles, struggling to catch my breath about 5 times on the way back up. I had to stop so often. Finally, I got back up and made it back to the bush where Ajia and Nicole were waiting. Ajia promised a shoulder massage, which felt like a pretty good trade.
We collected ourselves for a while longer and had a snack before setting out on the last 1.7 miles to camp. There was a moderate, quick climb and then a steady descent to a ridge that was protected by a rock wall nearby, and there really wasn’t any wind when we got to camp.
I would like to note that during those miles we passed by mile 169.5, where two years ago a hiker named Trevor slipped on some late-season ice and fell to his death. The mile marker serves as a memorial and a grim reminder of what can happen to anybody out here. It also reminded Ajia and I to think about our own situation and don’t be afraid to turn back if we need to. Rest In Peace, friend.
When we got to camp, there were a few groups already there. Fortunately, we found a large sandy spot that hadn’t been taken yet and managed to squeeze Nicole’s and our tents into it. Our tents were about 2 inches away from each other but we made it work. We had service when we sat about 20 feet away from our campsite, but not actually in our tent, which was kind of annoying. We texted a bit with people back home and I had a good phone call with my brother Andrew who is gearing up to join us in the Sierras. He got a permit for the end of May, so we are hoping the time works out so that we can hike together. We will see!
Over the next hour, 4 hikers we knew came to join us, Jenna, Woods, Reroute, and Don. It was great to see them. We had just finished dinner when they arrived but we hung out together while they ate. They plan to also spend time in Idyllwild and we made plans to have dinner together while in town. Our other plan is to watch Moana with Nicole because she hasn’t seen it yet.
We have about 8 miles of hiking on the PCT tomorrow before a 2 mile side trail to get to a trailhead near town. Hopefully we can hitch in, but if we can’t, it’s only a 2 mile road walk which wouldn’t be too bad but it would be nice to get a ride. Going to bed very full and happy.
Was on the edge of my seat in reading about one of the more challenging days so far. Good going. Love the pics too.