PCT Day 3 – The Real Deal

A drink of water can change everything. Remember how it was as a kid when you would wake up after having a bad dream and your mom would come into your room. She would never just encourage you to go back to sleep. She would first get you a glass of water. Because after a couple sips, everything seemed much, much better.

Last night I woke up with my mind spinning and my whole body aching. I couldn’t get comfortable and I was worried that I might never get back to sleep. Then it hit me: you need a glass of water. I sat up, reached for the bottle of water outside my tent door and drank two or three long swallows. The water was cool. It eased my mind. I took two aspirin, looked at my phone until I got tired and went back to sleep. The rest of the night was much, much better.

Morning glory

From inside my tent this morning, I can see that the sky is glorious. But by the time I get my shoes on to step outside, the colors have faded. Disappointed, I turn back to my tent. But the sky is a flirt. “Oh, did you want to see this?” she says as she flashes her beauty again. I get this picture.

It’s time for my weekly selfie.

I try to take Keith’s portrait. He can’t take a proper photo. My brother is like that. It took him 50 years to learn how to take an ungoofy photo. I guess Keith never learned. So we go with the profile. Not bad, huh?

We break camp at 6:30. The air is cool and thick. The sun is still gathering her strength. The day is ripe with possibilities.

Cottonwood Creek

Our first task is to get some water. Cottonwood Creek is one mile away. When we arrive, the creek bank is muddy, and there are no stones or logs over which to cross. We don’t feel like getting our feet wet so we scramble up to the road bridge that goes over the creek.

The bridge was built in 1950. It has wooden guard rails. But best of all, it has swallows. These are cliff swallows. They have built mud homes under the bridge. Little baby swallows poke their heads out as mom and dad swallow go by. A video would have been better, but this will have to do.

The land around Cottonwood Creek is enchanting. There enormous gnarled oaks are surrounded by luminous grasses.

P-trail through grass

P-trail through grass with oak

Hollow white plastic posts are scattered everywhere in this area. They appear to be bug traps. Someone is doing a field survey, I guess.

Along the trail here is some king of grain. The seed head has four vertical rows. I wonder what kind of beer you could make from this.

The World beyond I-5

We pas under Interstate 5. The people passing overhead will not know about the swallows, or the oaks or the wild grain. Most would probably not even care. Too much of my life has been a drive-by experience. On the trail I have slowed to see what I was missing.

There is a campground near the interstate. Several groups of five or six people are spread out along the trail. Each group seems to have a guide. They are looking at wildflowers. I stop to talk to them (of course). I learn that the little purple flowers hanging from bushes along the trail are sweet pea. They are certainly snappy.

Hiking high

Beyond 1-5, the trail goes up and becomes very exposed. The temperatures are not even above 80, and yet it feels achingly hot. The sun is intense. I love this kind of trail though. We hike in areas like this until the end of the day. Here are some of my favorite photos.

As we look for a lunch spot we see this sign.

Unexploded ordinance? Stay on the trail? But there is a perfectly shaded lunch spot in the danger zone! Risking our lives for shade, we cross the danger zone to our lunch spot. We did not get blown up. Draw your own conclusions from this episode.

Crash and bloom

We limp into camp. I have not drank as much water as I should have today. I feel queasy in a way that reminds me of my past experiences with dehydration sickness. We set up our tents and I quickly mix a liter of water with electrolytes added. I slowly drink it and within 30 minutes I feel much better. That was close! I have to start drinking more.

As we get ready to eat, our German friends slide into camp – Hannes and Mika (yes I misspelled their names before). We have a great dinner together and make plans for our trip into Mt. Laguna tomorrow. I hope we see more of them. They are fun to be with.

• May 7
• Starting marker: 23.0
• Ending marker: 37.1
• PCT miles today: 14
• Total PCT miles: 37
• Question: What did the swallows name their new baby? Answer: Cliff