#maconthepct

Pacific Crest Trail Day 47: I make it back to Red’s Meadow (the bus is running now so no need to hitchhike - however, now I’m out $8) and meet back up with Pumper (@bound_away) whom I lost in the mountains a few days back. We hang out at one of the picnic tables (i.e. PCT hiker lounge) and procrastinate leaving while I finish the remainder of my adult beverage carton I brought in from Mammoth. . Red’s Meadow is a stop for both PCT hikers and John Muir Trail hikers and it’s interesting to see the differences between the two categories of hikers. Typically, you can tell based on the gear, the dress, and the general level of filth (although most people appear to be impressed with my apparent level of cleanliness - I think it’s just my @bluffworks shirt that keeps me looking fresh). A benefit of having JMT hikers on this stretch of trail is that many of them have packed WAY too much food into their resupplies and many end up leaving a rich hiker food bounty in the hiker boxes (basically a box of free stuff for hikers by hikers). . We are approached by a JMT hiker carrying a large orange bucket (his resupply) who offers it up to us as the extra food he’s not going to take. I make out with what’s probably close to $50 in food that, despite it being completely unnecessary for the next stretch of trail and essentially just extra weight, I can’t just walk away from. I gorge myself on rice cakes and Pop-Tarts before it’s time to start hiking. Yosemite (the next kind of resupply stop) is only around 40 mi / 65 km from Red’s Meadow, so we’ll be there tomorrow (hopefully). Whatever miles we do today will just help to lessen the hiking burden tomorrow. . We don’t make it too far and 13.73 mi / 22.1 km into our afternoon it’s time for camp (and expensive freeze-dried meals courtesy of the JMT). See you tomorrow yo sem ite. . Day: Mammoth Lakes to PCT 919.9 via Red’s Meadow Day's distance: 13.73 mi / 22.1 km Day's elevation gain: 3,099 ft / 945 m #Sierra #PCT

Pacific Crest Trail Day 9: I wake up to discover that it's snowed all night and that it's still snowing (YAY almost June!). Fortunately, the snow lets up and gives way to the morning sun shortly after I leave the refuge of my tent. . There's a lot of fresh snow on the ground - deep enough to cover most of my shoes - which should make today's hike across and down Fuller Ridge (the next section of trail) an exciting one. Nothing like hiking in wet and freezing socks. . I'm making fresh tracks in the snow for the first five hours of my morning before coming across another set of footprints; the trail is surprisingly easy to follow. I have no snow gear but it proves unnecessary as there's really nothing sketchy. The PCT generally operates at a very gentle slope when climbing and descending which helps when the trail is covered in snow. . I finally make it through the winter wonderland and down the 8,000 ft / 2,500 m of decent to a much different world than I began in this morning - mildly warm, dry, and filled with wind turbines (so much wind). This is Cabazon. .  The trail crosses under Interstate 10 and I consider calling an Uber to take me to the casino (and buffet) just west of the trail, but I decide to hike another hour and camp instead. I've made a huge mistake. . Day: Deer Springs Trail to Cabazon Day's distance: 30.39 mi / 48.9 km Day's elevation gain: 3,523 ft / 1,074 m #Cabazon #PCT

Pacific Crest Trail Day 7: Today was one of my worst days of hiking on record. Not measured by miles hiked, but instead by the amount of frustration endured. Although there is blue sky in a couple of these photos, they do not accurately tell the story of today. The weather today was 90% miserable. Below freezing temperatures, unrelenting wind, waves of rain and sleet. No bueno. I also managed to break my phone (I've gotten a new one - should probably get insurance), drop my camera in the mud (then had no way to clean or dry it - rain etc.), and get off trail (I eventually managed to link back up). . I always tell people that thru-hiking sucks and if they expect it to be all puppies and rainbows, they are gravely mistaken. I could see it in the eyes of a lot of the people whom I passed the first two days, "What the hell did I get myself into?" . If you're considering a long-distance hike, remember that Instagram photos and cheery progress reports tell only a piece of the story. The other part of the story, the pooping in a hole in the freezing rain and the butt chafe that follows the rest of the day, is lesser told by just as real. Day: Paradise Valley Cafe to Idyllwild  Day's distance: 31.1 mi / 50 km #Idyllwild #PCT