Our second week on the trail was, once again, full of ups and downs. It seems as though that will be the norm for the next several months as we continue humping north.
Week two started and ended in the desert, but somewhere in the middle we climbed to over 9,000 feet and endured a couple days of frigid, snowy and terribly windy conditions. We took our first zero day and waited out the brunt of the snowstorm in Idyllwild - definitely the highlight of our week (read more about our stay in Idyllwild in our previous post).
Other highs of week two:
Paradise Valley Cafe. We almost skipped this godsend of a cafe. Good thing we didn’t, because I honestly don’t think we would’ve made it through the next section of our hike -Apache Peak - if we hadn’t first filled our bellies with that magical food. Burgers, veggie burgers, sweet potato fries, Coca-Cola, and milkshakes. Paradise Valley Cafe truly was paradise, and it was so worth the two mile detour!
I-10 Oasis. At mile 209.5, where the PCT passes under I-10, trail magic hit an all time high. There was a boatload of coolers filled with cold beer, Gatorade, and sodas. There were donuts, chips, clementines, Trader Joe’s chocolate bars. The list goes on. We sat under the overpass for several hours eating, drinking, and sharing trail tails with other hikers.
Family dinner. We closed out our second week on the trail with two of our best trailmates, Amy and Paul. We sat outside our tent on our sleeping mats, eating our freeze-dried dinners and sharing loads of laughs. We hope to make family dinner part of our evening routine as often as possible. Mealtimes are so much fun with Amy and Paul - they’re from the U.K. so they’re experiencing many American foods for the first time. Their reviews are hilarious. Paul has been raving about the different types of Reese’s for days now. We’re concerned he’s an addict.
Week two lows:
Apache Peak meltdown. After gorging ourselves at the Paradise Valley Cafe, we began our trek up to Apache Peak. We made it several thousand feet up before having to stop to make camp for the night. It had been our biggest mileage day on the trail, we were exhausted, and the temp was dropping rapidly. All we wanted to do was pitch our tent and crawl into our sleeping bags, but we were out of water and the wind was insane. Our only safe option was to drop a mile down into a canyon where we knew there was water and where we’d have some protection from the wind. So we thought. The wind whipped our tent all night. We hardly slept. When we crawled out into the elements early the next morning we were instantly struck by the frigid cold. We packed our things and headed up the mile long steep rocky hill back to the PCT. It got colder and windier with each step. By the time we reached the top, my hands were frozen around my trekking poles and the wind was so strong it was blowing me around like a wacky floppy inflatable arm man - only slightly terrifying when you’re on the edge of a cliff that is thousands of feet high. After like the fifth time of being bulldozed by the icy wind and having to cling to the ground for dear life, the meltdown began. There were tears, and there was some yelling. And throughout the day there was more of both.
Apache Peak obstacle course. Following the first meltdown of the day, the Apache Peak obstacle course began. Between a recent wildfire and the Gale force winds that frequently rip through the area, the trail was littered with downed trees. Massive Ponderosa pines. There was no easy way to maneuver around any of the trees. Sometimes we had to climb over them, sometimes we had to crawl under them, sometimes we had to scale cliffs to get around them. In several areas there was so much debris that it hid the trail. Whoever created GPS - thank you. We’d still be up there lost in the sauce if it weren’t for you. The downed trees, the hidden trail, and endless increase in elevation made for a helluva hike. We moved at a snail’s pace.
Apache Peak. This entire section was a frigid hell. Many hikers choose to skip this section due to the treacherous conditions that often rule over this area. Two years ago a young hiker, Trevor “Microsoft” Laher, lost his life on Apache Peak due to those conditions. While there were parts that were a wee bit sketch, we had it pretty good up there compared to what it could have been. But it was still a complete shit-storm, and we won’t be sad if we never see Apache Peak again.
Lessons learned:
Carry a nail clipper. Chris had to perform field surgery on himself. He had been suffering from an ingrown toenail for several days, which became infected (no surprise there - you should see/smell his feet). We cleaned his big toe as best we could, and then he went to work with his world’s smallest multi-tool, digging the toenail out from his toe. It was gnarly to say the least. But, hey, free healthcare.
There’s no such thing as level ground on the PCT. We’ve walked over 200 miles, and we think only about five of those have been on level ground. Otherwise we’re climbing up or sliding down. Our legs are certainly getting stronger, but they also hurt like hell.
Always have something to look forward to. The days spent solely on the trail can feel pretty tedious and they’re definitely exhausting. When you have your sights set on a short-term triumph, it makes the seemingly endless journey much more manageable. For us, short-term triumphs have included: a cold drink and a candy bar we packed for the end of long a day, I-10 Oasis and other areas along the trail known to be blessed with trail magic, and, of course, upcoming stays and zero days in trails towns where we know we’ll fill our bellies with an ungodly amount of food.
Week two ended at mile 213.5. There were many laughs, a few tears, and lots of memories made. We know there will be more rough waters ahead, but we’re certain the good times will far outweigh the bad, and in the future when we look back on the journey we’ll smile and laugh at the amazing adventure we had. We’re excited to continue our voyage humping north.
コメント