Stiff Arm- Days 8-10

Day 8

Warner Springs to Mile 118.5 ~ 9 Miles

Woke up with things to care of in Warner Springs before I was able to hit the trail. First being, take a foot bath... yes I said it, foot bath! At the community center they offer hikers a foot bath for $3. I think the price could have been $300 and my feet would have still been in the warm soaking tubs. While I was enjoying my pampering session a gentleman from the San Diego Tribune interviewed me for a piece he was doing in the paper. That was fun telling him about my experience so far and what it meant to have facilities like Warner Springs Community Center available.

Second on the agenda was to buy a container that I could cold soak food in. After the first week I have made the decision that I want to try to go stove-less. Hot meals just haven’t been tickling my fancy at the end of a long hot day plus I can save some weight in my pack by sending my stove and pot home. So for this next stretch I will be rehydrating foods like rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, oatmeal and dried veggies in water and eating them cold. We’ll see how it goes!

Last but not least I needed to go to the post office. I had a resupply box that I sent from home with 5 days worth of food. Problem was, I didn’t need it. I had plenty of food to get me to my next stop so I ended up bouncing that package up to Idyllwild. I also sent my stove and pot back home. Woot woot I saved about 19oz from my packs weight!

After all my errands it was smack dab in the middle of the day and it was scorching hot! So I decided to grab some food and head out around 4pm. This may have been the type of day I needed. Today felt like God giving me a stiff arm to the forehead and forcing me to slow down. So I’ll take the 9 miles I got in during my afternoon and night hike and call it a good productive rest day.

Day 9

Mile 118.5 to Mile 138.8 ~ 20.3 Miles

So I have been hearing stories of hikers dropping off the trail left and right. Either from injury, sickness or just not wanting to be out here anymore. Today one of those stories struck a little too close to home. I mentioned I have been hiking with Ondre and Jermey in my last blog, and we have continued to hike together on and off for the last several days. Enjoying each other’s company and pushing each other to hit miles. Well Jeremy has been battling an achilles issue and today the pain got so extreme he had to call it and come off trail. He is hoping a trip to the doctor and rest may bring him back on the trail in the future. Ondre and I pressed on and pumped out a big day with a solid night hike in Jeremy’s honor, since night hiking was his favorite.

I am again falling asleep under the stars via cowboy camping. I have actually fallen in love with it! I have only set up my tent 3 of the 9 nights I’ve been out here so far and weather permitting I think the trend will continue.

Day 10

Mile 138.8 to Mile 145.5 (Johnny’s House)

I knew I had a short day ahead of me due to the generosity of a fellow Rotarian! When I first announced I was going to be hiking the PCT Johnny was one of the first people to reach out to me and insist that I have a place to sleep and shower at mile 145. Today happened to be the coldest day on the trail, BY FAR. My short 7 miles or so into Johnny’s ranch was in the 40s & 50s with winds up to 40mph. When I arrived at Johnny’s I was welcomed with open arms and offered a warm shower and a place to take a wonderful nap. Later in the evening a few people came over, including my parents and we had a big lasagna dinner! It was so great to have a home cooked meal and hangout with wonderful company. I get to sleep in a real bed for the first time in 10 days and I’m beyond ecstatic. Johnny and his wife Jill were so gracious and made me feel like their home was my own and I’m beyond thankful! Tomorrow morning I know I have a treacherous steep hike up into the San Jacinto mountains but I feel more than ready to take it on!