PCT Day 31 – Watermelon and Strawberries

I slept well. The full moon illuminated our campsite like a porch light. It was almost embarrassing going to the bathroom at 2. I felt more exposed than during the day!

Dealer, Seven and I are ready to go at 6am. We have a plan that includes two water stops and dry camping on top of a ridge after 16 miles.

Before you continue reading, a word of warning. The scabs on my lips finally dropped off. (OK, I bit them off.) Furthermore, due to the constant application of Chap Stik, my lips are well enough for a smiley selfie. So here it is.

Early Trail

We begin by going down 2 miles to water. We don’t really NEED water, but cold water sure tastes good in the morning so it’s hard to pass up.

As we turn the corner at the end of some nameless canyon, I see one of the most beautiful views of the week.

The soil around here is like vermiculite. Except it’s tiny rocks. The organic matter in the soil seems to have dried up and blown away. Plants still find a way to grow in it though.

Most of the morning is spent going up and around Pacifico Mountain. The mountains in this area are arid. The vegetation is tough and scratchy. Pushing live branches out of the way as you hike is no small thing. The branches push back!

There is a kind of succulent that makes these enormous yellow stalk-like flowers. I hope a reader lets me know what they are. Seven calls them cell phone towers. They sure are beautiful.

As we get to the top of Pacifico Mountain, the land levels out and opens up. Large pines dominate up here.

Give me shelter

We are excited to head down. The climb was not that steep, but the scratchy bushes wear you down and it is getting hot.

We are shooting for some kind of flat spot with shade where we can eat lunch. The map shows a campsite, but when we arrive there, we find no shade. Instead it looks like a place where hikers go to die.

We finally find some shade right next to the trail under one of those scratchy bushes I have been maligning all day. Our feet are on the trail as our bodies recline on the slanted trail shoulder. The view is nice though. Palmdale is in the valley below.

I don’t feel very hungry. I have a Spam burrito and some chips. I drink a lot of water. Too much. My stomach is sloshy as we head down to the the ranger station at Mill Creek Summit. The station has a water spigot that hikers can use. It is our last water before camp.

I feel gross. I think the heat is getting to me. My calf is cramping and I start craving cold drinks. (Of course, I crave cold drinks 24/7.) Like a zombie, I walk right past the sign on the trail that points toward the ranger station and water. Seven calls to me before I get too far.

Magic par excellence

There are two people, a tent, a truck and some chairs in the station parking lot. Could it be trail magic? It is!! And the most amazing kind. Gatorade and beer on ice, salads, fresh fruit, salsa and they are just firing up the grill with chicken and beef for tacos.

These folks are Chris and Mary Applegate. Their daughter hiked to PCT last year, and they still come out in weekends to feed hikers. I am so so thankful. The cold drinks and food revive me.

Happy hikers

It’s two miles up to camp. The climb is 800 feet too, but we are so invigorated that the hike seems like nothing.

The trail seems to be celebrating our arrival with throngs of tiny red flowers.

Camp is nothing special. I have to attach one of my tent lines to a dead branch because my site is too small.

But the magic of the afternoon defeats all negative thoughts in camp. Best of all, there are strawberries and watermelon from the Applegates. Thank you dear people. Thank you.

• June 4, 2023
• Starting marker: 404.2
• Ending marker: 420.8
• Miles hiked today: 17
• Total PCT miles: 391