Sorry for the delay, folks. The limited cell reception I’ve had the last five days never coincided with time and/or energy to post. Emotions and fitness have been all over the map.
4/11/20, mile: 215, elevation 2,822 ft.
Well, that’s been enough time in town. I think I’ve blown over half of my month’s budget in 5 days. The weather was supposed to clear, but it was still lightly raining when I woke up. After yesterday morning’s shake up, I got to work to get my packages sent ahead and to get food shopping complete. I tried my best to eat all of the ingredients I bought to eat salads and fruit, and did an admirable job. But damn, those tubs of salad greens mix go a long way.
I arranged for an 11am Uber pickup (third Uber trip for me in 2 days!). It wasn’t a long ride, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of San Jacinto. The clouds had finally cleared and revealed the new snow. WOW! Now I’m really glad I got ‘er done. I arrived at the I-10 Oasis around 11:30, ate my last slice of pizza with a beer, and signed the log book. Also there, getting ready to depart was Lamb Chop and Pac Man. I also had a wonderful chat with a Riverside County Sheriff officer. Just when I was leaving a truck pulled up and out poured Matthew (I suggested B.O. as his trailname), Roadkill and his wife Goldilocks (I met them on Day 2). What a small world this is.
It was finally around 1pm when I departed north. Ummm, what happened to the cool weather? Warmest day of hiking for me yet, well into the upper 70’s. And for this section, there is no shade. Welcome to the desert.
Due to my sore knee and the late start, I didn’t have any grand plans of getting too far. When I looked at the map and realized I was getting to the point of steep terrain and narrow trail, I pulled off and found the best spot I could. Trying to save myself time in the morning, I chose to not use the tent, just cowboy camp. That was fine until midnight when I felt my sleeping bag getting wet from the marine layer of clouds that were billowing all around. So up goes the tent and there goes my night of sleep. The winds were all over; at times then knocked the tent walls to my legs. I stayed dry and warm, but did not sleep much. But hey, I got to see the moon rise at the same time!
Worst camping spot I’ve chosen yet.
Savior out.
So there are still people on trail? I mean PCT, besides yourself? Thanks for keep posting your journal. It’s a challenging section. Be safe.