PCT Day 206

by

Paradise Cafe to Warner Springs

43.3 miles (1 off trail mile)

Sobo mile 2543.1

Total mileage 5195.7

I was more than ready to get moving when my alarm went off. Real estate near roads makes for brutal sleep conditions. After a mile road walk I was trucking my way up the PCT by 4am.

The first mile of trail was newly groomed and looked great. Paige had been out there a few weeks earlier with a group of trail maintenance volunteers smoothing things out. Their hard work made life easy for me as I hiked through the darkness.

The sun rose as I made my way through desert hills of sage brush and cacti.

A bit before 8am I reach Muir Woods, a neat rest stop and water cache maintained by a awesome local trail angel.

I filled up my bottle at the water tank there before pushing on into the desert. I had a few hours worth of climbing until I’d reach my next water source on a trail angels property called Mike’s Place.

The day ended up growing rather toasty, so the climb up was a bit rough.

I reached the water tanks above Mike’s Place around 2pm. Apparently he was hooking hikers up with some hot dogs, but I was in a hurry to get down to Warner Springs to meet a buddy, so didn’t have time to check it out.

I pushed on down the mountain feeling strong.

Just as I approached Warner Springs I was treated to a pretty sweet sunset. I haven’t been awake for one of those in a while…

Once I reached Highway 79 I spied this owl chilling out on a power line as I waited for my friend Jason to arrive. He was the buddy I’d missed yesterday in Idyllwild who was now driving down to hangout with me tonight!

When Jason picked me up we headed down the street to Santa Ysabel to grab some grub at Don’s Market.

We had a great time catching up at a picnic area near the market munching down dinner. I hadn’t expected any of this, so it was a great way to end one of my last nights on trail!

By 9pm I was fading fast, so Jason brought me back to Warner Springs where I bunked up at the community center. Thanks for the awesome night Jason! There two other hikers already there from Montreal who I chatted with for a bit before crashing.

Cheers!

20 thoughts on “PCT Day 206”

  2. Austin, I think your readers can tell you’re feeling better (and perhaps gaining back some weight) from the recent tone of your blog. It’s reminiscent of your NOBO trip, where every post seemed to be very upbeat and positive.

    110 miles in 3 days, so Pioneer, Kitchen & Campo? Jeez, I feel like such a tool in comparison when I was giving myself attaboys for doing it in 4. lulz

    • The trail has definitely been good to me this last month. Been putting lots of weight back on and feeling terrific!

  3. Counting down the days/hours. Looks like you will have a welcoming committee. May I be one of the first to say “looks to me like a job well done”
    Lv u and very proud🙃. Gram

  5. Where are you aiming for tonight? I will not be able to make it tonight, but I’m free in the AM. Was thinking of heading out on the moto for a ride. I’m not a 3 AM person but if it’s possible to plan it, I’ll drop a cache for you at a trail crossing for you to pick up. There’s likely only going to be a few left. Lemmie know!

    • Hey Jay, I’ll be camping a few miles south of scissors crossings. Some trail magic would be rad, but no sweat if it doesn’t work out. I’ll be at Mt. Laguna drinking beer that night!

  6. Was Julien aka hikerjuju one of those sobos from Montreal you met?

    Man you are booking it. He left a month before you and you’ve caught up

    • Hmmm…I haven’t met anyone by that name, but I pass a lot of people sleeping when I’m hiking in the early AM.

  7. You sure are pulling big miles lately. I’m impressed and grateful that you somehow still find time to update your blog. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I’ll be bummed when it’s over. I hope you will continue to update the blog when you get home, especially about any post-trail depression or other “re-entry” issues. And, you’re plans for the next hike?

    • It’s been fun having so many people following along, so it’s worth the time! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it! I’ll spend a month writing summaries and gear reviews before heading to Antarctica and then Chile, so more adventure to come!

  8. Funny, we still don’t know what you sound like. Ever thought of becoming a Youtuber or is a simple blog more your thing?
    I think this format is in many ways superior to a vlog series. More/faster entries, easier for readers to peruse and more thorough.

    • I plan to start uploading to YouTube once I’m off trail. It was just too much work to handle video editing on trail. Stay tuned!

Comments are closed.