My Body is Breaking: Days 5-7

Day 5

Mile 59.7 to Scissors Crossing ~ 17.4 miles

Today was... challenging. My body is just really mad at me and to be honest I can’t blame it. Every step I take is a constant reminder of the aches and pains this hike has imposed on me. My feet throb, my left inner knee has a sharp pain, my right hip aches and my shoulders burn. My trekking poles have gone from supports to crutches. I told myself I was going to listen to my body but it’s telling me things I don’t want to hear.

The reason I pushed harder today than I would have otherwise was because at mile 77 the trail intercepted Highway 78. This meant if I was able to hitch hike I would be able to ride into Julian, a town 12 miles off trail. I pushed my sore, achey body 17 miles and found myself with my thumb out waiting for a ride. This was my first hitch hiking experience so I was a bit nervous. Car after car drove by and blew right passed me. After about 15 minutes a blue Suburban pulled off to the side to offer me a ride! They asked if I was going to Julian and I hopped in.

There is a pie shop called Mom’s that gives PCT hikers a free slice of pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I partook. Then I found myself at a restaurant called Carmen’s. Carmen, the owner of the restaurant, opens her doors to hikers after hours to sleep on the floor. She also has a washer and dryer and lets hikers do laundry. It blows my mind the generosity of this woman. I had such a rough day and getting to spend the night in Julian totally changed that. I would have never thought I’d ever say this, but I’m about to fall asleep on the floor of a restaurant and I’m so pumped!

Day 6

Scissors Crossing to Mile 96.5 ~ 19.3 miles

I woke up off the floor of Carmen’s restaurant and headed down to the local market. My knee pain had gotten so bad that I needed some ibuprofen and a knee wrap to continue on. On my way back from the store I found a breakfast place that was serving all you can eat breakfasts for $10... yeah I devoured. Once I got back to Carmen’s I debated on staying in town to rest my knee and feet but ended up getting antsy and wanted to get back on the trail. I hitched back to the trail and started my hike around 11am.

It was a brutally hot day on the trail. Mid to upper 80’s, no wind and this stretch had hardly any shade. I hiked pretty much the whole day with Ondre, from the Czech Republic and Jeremy from Florida. Both great guys and it’s fun to chat and push each other to pump out the miles. Not 3 miles into the day we run across a rattle snake! It was just to the right of the trail and I saw it coming from about 10 feet away. It slowly coiled up and we drew near and stared up at us. It was just as curious about us as we were it! It really was a beautiful moment.

After hiking about 14 miles in the brutal heat we stopped and ate a big dinner and decided it would be better to hike some miles at night when it would be much cooler. So we waited for the sun to set then we headed out on about a 5 mile night hike. After a 19 mile day/night, my knee is mad at me, and I am ready for sleep.

Day 7

Mile 96.5 to Warner Springs ~ 13 miles

Today was a beautiful day of hiking. My eyes had constant entertainment between the vast green meadows and trickling streams. Who would have thought there was such beauty in the Southern California desert? Well the miles south of Warner Springs had it!

I am spending the night in Warner Springs and they have a community center that allows hikers to camp in the back lawn. I was able to take a bucket shower and wash some of my clothes which feels amazing! Now I am trying to decide if I want to take a zero day here in Warner Springs tomorrow (zero day means no hiking), or push on. My body is in shambles but my competitive edge and eagerness to be on the trail is taking over my mind.