Miles 54-77 Days 5&6

Day 5

Start 54 End 77 Total 22

I awoke to frost covering my sleeping bag and the tent I had laid out to dry. It was still so cold so I stayed in my sleeping bag for a while while I did my daily meditation and looked at the maps for the day. I realized that Julian had an American Legion where they let hikers stay for free on a cot on their patio. It was 22 miles away and mostly down hill so I thought I could easily make it. 

The sun had started to shine on bushes further down the dry stream bed I called home for the night, so I slowly started to sprawl my frozen items on the bushes in the sun while I eagerly packed up and ate breakfast. My things had thawed half way when I decided it was good enough and packed up and hit the road around 8:30. 

I had 7 miles to the next water source and was cruising along at a descent pace and got there around 11. I met another hiker there named Dagi, from Germany. Dagi was on a sabbatical from her teaching job. We talked a bit about languages and how difficult German was and she made an example of the word “umfahren” which means to go around something, but also to push something over and it dies. 

I filled up water that I would hope would get me through the rest of my 15.7 mile day. Generally 1 liter / 4 miles is good but I was hoping I’d go pretty fast for the rest of the day so only took about 3.5 L. Little did I know how hot that following stretch would be. Silly me. 

I left the water source and my shins were really starting to bug me. I was worried I’ve been doing too much too soon and that today would be another long and hard day. I sealed my fate though of having to make it to Julian as I did not bring enough water to camp that night. 

I made it another 7ish miles, engaged in my first audiobook “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy before stopping for a lunch break. Before stopping, I passed another hiker. When I stopped for lunch he caught up and introduced himself as Triple Whammy before hiking on. I took a wee stretch, food and electrolyte break around 2:30 and left by 3. I had 7 miles to go and told myself I could check my distance at 5 pm, it was all downhill so I was hoping I could sustain a 3pmh pace and when I checked I would have less then a mile to go. 

I quickly caught up to and passed Triple Whammy and listened to a few more chapters of my book and turned it off around 4:10, thinking I surely was getting close. I was pretty tired at this point and my feet were really hurting, and I was regretting not bringing more water as I was surely running low. 

5pm rolled around and I eagerly checked my mileage, disheartened to see that I still had 2 miles to go. The sun was really beating down on me and my tired limbs. The lack of water wasn’t helping either.

I put in my music and belted the songs that came out of it, boosting my spirits in the process for the final stretch. It was super easy trail at this point, very flat but it didn’t matter, I was exhausted. A mile passed and I made it to the road! But I still had another mile to go following the rod to get to where I could try to hitch to Julian. I was defeated and every step was painful

I made it to the crossroads and was over confidant that the first car that saw me would pity me and give me a ride. I smiled big and waved at each passing car as I stuck my thumb up but each one passed without slowing. 

A half hour later triple whammy appeared and I scowled, great now it would be even harder with two people, I said allowed. I can stand back or do whatever you want, I don’t want to cramp your style he responded kindly to me. No , no I said apologizing, I’m just cranky because it’s been a long day we are in this together now. 

Moments later a car pulled over, dragging something beneath it. An old man smiled and said he could give us a ride but there were a few problems. Problem one he said, was that he had hit something and was dragging it. We quickly assessed the situation and noticed there was barbed wire dragging beneath his car. We were able to get it unstuck and out of the way!

Problem 2, he says, I’ve been drinking and I like to go fast. Triple whammy asks him how much and he says just a little, his backseat littered with full and empty beer cans and liquor bottles. I’m going to San Diego he says, what for I ask. I don’t remember was his reply. Uhhh I think I’m gonna pass on this one, thank you though, triple whammy says. I am gonna go with him, thanks though! We close the car doors we almost just got in and he drove off a ways before pulling to the side of the road. 

Another few cars passed and then a woman pulled over and offers us a ride to town. She’s a local, and they love PcT hikers! She dropped me off at the American Legion and Triple whammy walked to his hotel. I got a nice cot on their porch and was able to charge up while I did some journaling inside. 

It was a cozy place but it being a bar it was a bit nosier that I would have liked when I tried to go to bed at 9pm. 

Day 6

Start 77 End 77 Total 0

My first zero day! The evening before when I hitched into town I got a message from my boyfriend, Nick, he said he was going to meet me in Julian the next day! Nick works remote and was planning on visiting me so he had been mt biking and traveling around Arizona. He was in Phoenix with a friend and it was only 5 hours away. 

In the morning I awoke around 7 and packed my things as they asked me to be gone by 9am. I stretched and mosied my way down to the cafe where I was to buy myself a big old breakfast. I called my parents and chatted with the woman next to me and scarfed down my delicious breakfast and as many cups of coffee as I could. After I felt I had stayed my welcome I headed out to get quarters to do laundry.

There isn’t really laundry in Julian but I got the intel from a local at the American Legion. If you wind your way through a few trailers at the end of a road there will be a run down building with laundry machines in it. I got some change and made my way there. I put on my rain attire and threw everything else in the laundry machine.

I walked around a bit, checked out the gear store and bought a couple of snickers and breakfast essentials to get me through until the next town. I then sat down in the sunshine and waited for my laundry to be done and Nick to arrive!

Nick got to town a bit after 12 and it was so nice to see him. It’s only been a couple of weeks but feels like it’s been forever. We embraced then I put my backpack in his car and we walked through town. I felt like such a normal girl walking hand and hand with her boyfriend with clean clothes and without a giant pack on her back! We got a drink and caught each other up on our last few days. 

There’s a bakery in town that gives PCT hikers a free piece of pie and ice scream so that was our next step. After that we went back to the American legion and I took a shower with the hose out back. Now both my clothes AND my body were cleaned. We walked through town a bit more, checking out all the local touristy shops before heading back to the American legion for another green beer and a round of darts!

We ate their corn beefed hashed dinner in honor of st. Pattys day and then drove back down to the trailhead where we slept for the evening. We would both head out to hike in the morning!

❤️Lioness