At Mile: 178
Well, our bodies don't feel any better but we have been pushing on. Sometimes it feels like we aren't making any progress. The morning miles come slow because our bodies are stiff and it takes a while for our feet to remember how to walk. The afternoon miles are slow because the sun is too intense and we stop in any patch of shade big enough to fit us both. In the evenings we are tired and sore and hiking with the headlamps, which reduce our vision to only what is 6 feet in front of us, and that can be disconcerting when there are weird lizards and tarantulas hanging out on the sides of the path. Also, with the headlamps on, we become a target for all sorts of dive-bombing moths and other flying bugs, so we have to stop every so often to freak out about whatever has decide to land on our faces.
We picked up a box of food we had sent ourselves at the post office in Warner Springs, CA (mile 109.5). We had packed it before leaving with all the foods we thought we were going to want, but of course we were wrong. All the chocolate was no good, unless we wanted to tear off a corner of the package and squeeze the meltiness into our mouths (don't think I didn't try this-it was super messy and made me feel just a little ridiculous.) And all the salty crackers and snacks we packed are not what we look forward to when there are 32 miles between water sources. But really, we haven't even been eating that much at all. It is so hot and dry that all we want to do is drink, and eating has become a bit of a chore, especially for David. I'm sure the 'hiker hunger' will kick in eventually, and for now we are very much able to operate at a calorie deficit, but it has been surprising to find ourselves in a position where we are not looking forward to eating at the end of the day.
Also in Warner Springs we were able to take bucket showers and hand wash our clothes thanks to the volunteers at the Resource Center in town. They also had a little store with hiker food and cold drinks, which was very nice. Because we usually wouldn't hike very much during the hot part of the day anyway, we were able to hike eight miles into Warner Springs in the morning, get all our chores done, and then hike another seven miles out of town in the evening. Almost a full hiking day even with the town stop!
Getting a foot bath at the Warner Springs Community Center
Hiking out of Warner Springs
We were able to do something similar when visiting the Paradise Valley Cafe on the way to Idyllwild, CA. The cafe is a popular stop for hikers because it is only one mile off the trail and is considered to be one of the only reliable water sources in a long stretch of trail. We hiked 14 miles to a trail head, where the owner of the cafe picked us up and gave us a ride to the restaurant. We ate lunch, fell asleep under a tree (as one does), filled up our water bottles, and caught a ride back to the trail so we could knock out another 5 miles.
Waking up from our afternoon nap
The heat has backed off a little bit since Warner Springs and we have taken advantage of the cooler temperatures to get some rest. Cooler temps mean more available daylight hiking hours. All this dawn and dusk hiking has really worn us down, so it was nice to set up our tent in the daylight and wake up naturally rather than feeling the pressure to set the alarm and start hiking at 5:00 am.
And we made it to Idyllwild! It was a little tricky because 11 miles of the trail are closed due to a wildfire years ago, and there is a weird detour instead. A lot of hikers chose to hitchhike straight to Idyllwild from the Paradise Valley Cafe. Doing so would skip by the detour, but also 15 miles of original PCT, so we decided to hike it. And I am so glad we did. It was one of the prettiest sections of trail we have seen so far, even if the wind was trying to steal our hats and blow us off the path. The official detour was a little wacky with directions that included phrases like "take the lesser used mountain bike path," "walk towards the water tank seen in the distance through trees," and "duck under a locked Forest Service gate," but fortunately for us, some brave hikers had already figured it out and left helpful tips written in the dirt and spelled out in sticks along the trail.
So now we are at the Idyllwild Inn. We are clean, rested, and relaxing in front of a fire with a pizza. It feels fantastic.
Idyllwild Inn