PCT Day 202

by

Bushcamp to Bushcamp

40.4 miles

Sobo mile 2386.9

Total mileage 5039.5

As I packed up my gear at 3am I noticed a chunk was missing from one of my molars! No idea what happened there, I guess it must have fallen out while I was sleeping. I grind my teeth at night, so that probably had something to do with it. Oh well…there’s no pain, so I’ll have it fixed once I finish the trail.

An hour or so later as I made my way through the canyon I saw a pair of eyes gleaming at me further down the trail. As I approached, the eyes didn’t move until I was nearly upon them. When I was maybe 5ft away my headlamp finally illuminated the creature who the eyes belonged to. It was a cat, a big ass cat! I found myself face to face with my first mountain lion!

Just as I realized what I was seeing the cougar flipped around and slinked off into the darkness, it’s large tail bouncing behind it. I spent the next hour looking over my shoulder as I hiked, very aware that I wasn’t at the top of the food chain anymore.

The sunrise was a welcomed sight as I made my way out of the canyon.

The trail was slowly bringing me up out of the desert and into the mountains towards Big Bear.

Today brings my total mileage on the PCT to 5000 miles! Nuts…

It was a long day of climbing, but it felt good to push myself. I spent the last few hours of my day hiking among pines as I made my way past Big Bear Lake and down to Highway 18, where I got an Uber into town.

After picking up some food at Von’s, I headed to the Motel 6 I’d stayed at with KP and Stretch nearly 6 months earlier. By the time I’d checked in and gotten myself cleaned up Paige had arrived! The timing had worked out that she was able to swing by on her way back to San Diego!

We went down the street to grab dinner at Sonora Cantina. I ordered my usual, chicken fajitas, while Paige ordered what she thought was tortilla soup (it was menudo). When our food came out Paige was shocked to find chunks of cow stomach floating in her soup rather than the tortilla strips she’d expected. Y’all should have seen her face…

The waiter was super cool about it all, and traded out her guts soup for meatball soup. We had a good laugh about it all as we dug in.

After dinner Paige dropped me back off at my motel and headed on down the mountain towards home, while I watched a solid 30 minutes of tv before succumbing to sleep.

P.s. One more week guys! I plan on reaching the southern terminus next Sunday, woot!

Cheers!

28 thoughts on “PCT Day 202”

  1. Holy cow 5000 miles, a big ass cat, cow gut soup, all in a day! Was good to see Paige’s smiling face. Wow only a week left it’s been a fun blog to follow and certainly will follow on your next journey!

    Hike on and be safe this week

  2. The “Light at end of tunnel (PCT)! Congratulations 🎉Job well done 👍Can’t wait to see you & hear some of your adventures in person 😘👍❤️🙏

  4. Only one more week? Man, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog since near the beginning of your hike. I hope you plan to do some post-hike posts to keep us updated on how you’re readjusting to non-trail life, and what you’re up to in general. Crush those last miles!

    • Thanks Scott! I’ve got all sorts of articles planned before my next adventure starts in early December! Cheers!

  6. I’ve loved following your blig: the photos are sensational. Continuing prayer coverage as you prepare to complete the final week. Hoping your transition to post trail life and living goes smoothly too.

  7. Congrats on your 5,000 mark!! Glad that mountain lion wasn’t hungry! Yikes! Nice to see your reunion with Paige too! Praying for you as you finish strong!

  8. Oh no, just one more week? This blog has been absolutely amazing. Thanks for that! be safe on the last couple of miles… because it’s not over until it’s over right? I guess after you being on the trail for 202 days now the big ass cat sensed that it might not be the best idea to stand in your way to the sourthern terminus. 😉

  9. Be safe and watch your steps. Shall we have a dentist on call?strange if all this experience ended up with a broken tooth! No more jerky I guess🎃
    Lv u G

    • I think Airborne is a week or two behind me, but not sure. I’ve actually gained quite a bit of weight back…SoCal is too easy!

  11. The Big Ass Cat just wanted to check out the 5000 mile man. The Animal Kingdom heard the news about your trek and you are held in high esteem by them.
    That also goes for all your many readers around the world.
    Well done Austin! 5000 miles, 200 days.

    That’s better than most wildebeests is it not!
    Congratulations Austin,

  12. Austin,

    I think I shared this quote with you early on: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ~ T.S. Eliot

    You are one of ‘those.’ I hope your last days on the trail are full of reflection with an eye for what awaits you around the next corner.

    Carry on.

  13. Awesome! I’ve followed this journey from the start and so stoked for you. I live close to campo and want to come out to see the final steps with a cold beers waiting. Keep us posted on the 28th timeline. Congrats man!

  14. Ha ha…you avoided the cougars at the hot springs only to encounter 1 on the trail! I can imagine the adrenaline surge when you recognized what those eyes were, jet propulsion on the trail for sure

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