No Place Like Camp

I know I’m super behind on social media, but with all the fires 🔥, I wanted to let everyone know we got off trail at crater lake and are in bend and are gathering several other hikers from our group at our Airbnb. 🏡

Thanks to our wonderful daughter, Maddie, for her flexibility in driving down 🚙and having many hikers join our family week.

We are safe and having a blast- now I just have to meal prep 🍽️and work on some of those social media posts🤣

While the decision to get off trail was ours and before the smoke turned, we are still deciding if we will hike any more sections after trail days (a big PCT festival 🥳next weekend).

Day 52-55 | 5/27-30
We hiked to walker pass where we hitched into the transit center and the free bus dropped us off in front of our hotel. With my feet hurting, we knew we would take a few days off and possibly jump directly to Kennedy Meadows South. We had a wonderful time with JD Rosehip and Kurt, a surprise run in with Sebastian after he dropped Anne at the airport to go back to Germany, and drinks with Robin Hood and Lolly!
Gnome went and saw a movie while I rested my feet and we ate at the amazing ! Ridgecrest was a great place to recoup and get ready for the Sierras.

Day 47-51 | 5/22-26
Ya’ll may have noticed that I’m super behind on posts 🤦🏼‍♀️ so let’s start grouping these to save my sanity!

Lots of early mornings to escape the heat, making critter friends along the way, and fighting wind as we hike up trail. Additional foot blisters have been plaguing me but trying to hike through.

Day 46 - 5/21
We woke up and all decided to be a bit more snoozy than planned.
We finally rolled out of camp a little after 8 and made our way down to the road where gnome jumped in a ride with 2 other hikers and Little Bear and I caught the next one.
We all went for lunch at a Chinese buffet and stuffed ourselves silly before taking an uber to the hotel.
As little Bear and I both had blisters on the balls of our feet by our toes, we laid on our beds with our feet up trying to make the pain and swelling reduce

Day 45 - 5/20

We woke up with Little Bear, said goodbye to our newest bunny friend, and headed back to the trail.

This was a section we’d skipped before, so every mile felt new. It’s funny how even after hundreds of miles on the PCT, you can still feel like you’re starting a new adventure.

After 6.6 miles, we reached the next water source. Running on very little sleep and feeling every mile from the past few days, Gnome and I decided the best thing we could do was listen to our bodies. What was supposed to be a short break turned into a five-hour nap. We eventually woke up, cooked some lunch, and felt like completely different people.

The rest of the day was one long uphill climb. We hiked through the afternoon and into a beautiful sunset before catching up with Little Bear. We found a huge campsite, spread out, and settled in for the night.

Day 44 - 5/19
A lazy morning at the hotel was the perfect way to ease back into trail life.

Cornbread and Little Bear picked us up, and we stopped for Mediterranean food on our way south to rejoin the PCT just past Hiker Town. We decided to skip ahead a bit and avoid the areas where norovirus has been causing problems.

JD, Rosehip, and Kurt Ubered over from Lancaster and met us at the trailhead. We all started hiking together, though the group naturally stretched out and came back together throughout the day as people stopped for water, snacks, or the occasional bio break.

Little Bear and I spent a while walking together before taking a break on one of the giant concrete blocks along the trail. Just as we were getting ready to head out again, Sprinter appeared with cold drinks and ice cream sandwiches. The timing couldn’t have been better as the rest of our group rolled in.

Then we heard a rumor of trail magic waiting at the next water source where a lot of hikers stop after their night hike. That was all the motivation we needed to keep moving.

When we reached the bridge and water faucet, the rumors turned out to be true. We were greeted with cold drinks, sweet potato hash tacos, and some of the best guacamole I’ve ever had. Trail angels have a way of showing up exactly when you need them most.

We sat around the fire swapping stories until we realized it was already after 11. Completely exhausted, we wandered over to a nearby dry creek bed, set up camp, and called it a night.

Day 42 -43 | 5/17-18
We started the day with breakfast before packing up and getting picked up by Cornbread, who drove us from Agua Dulce to Tehachapi, with a stop to pick up Little Bear along the way. We grabbed dinner together at a local pizza place, caught up on life, and made plans for the next stretch of trail.

After a great night’s sleep, Gnome and I walked to Walmart to pick up what we needed for the next section. We squeezed in lunch, then treated ourselves to massages at a place that seemed to be full of PCT hikers giving their feet a well-earned break.

The day wrapped up with dinner, then Cornbread and Little Bear came over to hang out at the hotel pool and spa. It wasn’t a day spent hiking, but these zero days are part of the adventure too.

Day 41 - 5/16
Greg was up before the alarm and hit the trail early. We knocked out the first mile to the parking lot where Karl ( whose family had given us Fran the gnome in 2020) was waiting—and he absolutely spoiled us. Breakfast burritos, donuts, Starbucks coffee, and orange juice… trail magic at its finest. As if that wasn’t enough, he hiked the next seven miles with us all the way to the tunnel under the freeway.

After a short break, we wandered through the incredible Vasquez Rocks. The timing couldn’t have been better because there was a car show going on. We took a little detour to the food trucks for agua frescas and açaí bowls, then enjoyed them with 20 Minutes and Sophie before continuing on.

Just when we thought we’d already hit the jackpot for the day, the local Women’s Club was hosting a free lunch for hikers. We happily devoured taco salad, desserts, and cold drinks. Before we left, they loaded me up with leftover goodies to bring back to the Oasis and even gave me a ride while Gnome and 20 Minutes walked into town.

Back at the Oasis, it was all about recovery—foot baths, showers, laundry, and catching up with a bunch of familiar faces. We wrapped up the day with JD Rosehip, and Kurt over a massive Mexican dinner.

Out of curiosity, Gnome and I stepped on the scale tonight. We’ve each lost right around 10 pounds since starting the trail. Considering how much we’ve been eating, it’s pretty wild to see just how many calories this hike burns.

Day 38 - 5/13
Another morning of breaking camp early—up by 6:40 and hiking before 8. We took a dirt road alternate today that saved us some elevation gain, which felt like a pretty good trade.

The trail kept things interesting with two rattlesnake sightings. I still get that little jolt of adrenaline every time I hear a rattle. On the less intimidating side of wildlife, I caught a squirrel hard at work burying nuts and managed to get a cute video before it scampered off.

Spent most of the day leapfrogging with Gator,and ended the day camped once again with Bofu, Scoobie, and Waterbed.