I was able to hit the trail at roughly 2:30 in the afternoon on Sunday. Starting at that time of day was not the most ideal to begin my trek on the Pacific Crest Trail but I guess it did set the tone for the next few days. So far, California has been hot with perfectly blue (cloudless) skies, which is nice at first but the beating sun starts to wear on you quickly.
I immediately recognized that I was in a climate much different from what I have experienced before. There are occasional trees or large shrubs but much of the first part of the trail is dominated by small bushes and consequently, rather impressive views. Even though there is not a large drop in elevation like on the east coast, you can see so far when there is not much vegetation obstructing your view.
The unfortunate side effect of the openness of the trail is the fact that as you hike you are always in the sun. There are very few locations that actually allow for some shade. The sun really started to get to me on the second day. There was a relatively steep climb out from a stream crossing and the sun was directly overhead. The couple hours it took me to make the climb was brutal. By midday, I hit a small country store where I realized I was probably suffering from a mild case of heat exhaustion. Luckily the store had the perfect cure for that.
After three hours of hugging my bag of ice I was ready to move on down the trail. The following day right around midday I came across a beautiful little stream with a deep enough spot to go "swimming." I stayed there from 11am until 4pm just to avoid the worst of the heat and sun. I found the day to be much better when avoiding the worst of the heat.
The following day I was able to improve the heat situation even further by purchasing a hiking umbrella from a small outfitter in the first resupply location, Mount Laguna. After a little fiddling around, I was able to figure out a way to connect it to my pack and hike along in the shade for almost the entire day. If the wind is too strong it doesn't work that well but then the wind usually keeps the temperature down. All in all, it is a vast improvement and allows me enjoy the incredible views a bit more as I hike. The following is a sampling of those.
Today, I encountered quite the lovely trail angel by the name of Deb. She was walking south on the trail handing out fruit and ice cream bars. While chatting with her and enjoying the treats she suggested that since the next 40 miles are a rough stretch of desert I should take the afternoon off. She offered to give me and Zoom a ride to her house, let us shower and do laundry, feed us lunch and dinner, and then bring us back to the trail in the evening. It was already a hot day so it seemed like a no brainer to me. What some people do for hikers is absolutely amazing. It feels great to be clean and out of the heat. Later today we will get back on trail and do some miles. We should be just outside the town of Julian, at mile 77, tomorrow morning. This should allow me to make it through the next 40 miles, which doesn't have any natural water sources, without too much of a problem. Luckily, in the heat your standards for acceptable water go down a lot.
The weather report has the temperatures dropping dramatically, starting Saturday, and staying that way for a few days. I am thrilled with the concept of highs in the 50's. There are rumors it might even snow! I can only hope. I will just make sure to stay on trail.
I immediately recognized that I was in a climate much different from what I have experienced before. There are occasional trees or large shrubs but much of the first part of the trail is dominated by small bushes and consequently, rather impressive views. Even though there is not a large drop in elevation like on the east coast, you can see so far when there is not much vegetation obstructing your view.
The unfortunate side effect of the openness of the trail is the fact that as you hike you are always in the sun. There are very few locations that actually allow for some shade. The sun really started to get to me on the second day. There was a relatively steep climb out from a stream crossing and the sun was directly overhead. The couple hours it took me to make the climb was brutal. By midday, I hit a small country store where I realized I was probably suffering from a mild case of heat exhaustion. Luckily the store had the perfect cure for that.
After three hours of hugging my bag of ice I was ready to move on down the trail. The following day right around midday I came across a beautiful little stream with a deep enough spot to go "swimming." I stayed there from 11am until 4pm just to avoid the worst of the heat and sun. I found the day to be much better when avoiding the worst of the heat.
The following day I was able to improve the heat situation even further by purchasing a hiking umbrella from a small outfitter in the first resupply location, Mount Laguna. After a little fiddling around, I was able to figure out a way to connect it to my pack and hike along in the shade for almost the entire day. If the wind is too strong it doesn't work that well but then the wind usually keeps the temperature down. All in all, it is a vast improvement and allows me enjoy the incredible views a bit more as I hike. The following is a sampling of those.
Today, I encountered quite the lovely trail angel by the name of Deb. She was walking south on the trail handing out fruit and ice cream bars. While chatting with her and enjoying the treats she suggested that since the next 40 miles are a rough stretch of desert I should take the afternoon off. She offered to give me and Zoom a ride to her house, let us shower and do laundry, feed us lunch and dinner, and then bring us back to the trail in the evening. It was already a hot day so it seemed like a no brainer to me. What some people do for hikers is absolutely amazing. It feels great to be clean and out of the heat. Later today we will get back on trail and do some miles. We should be just outside the town of Julian, at mile 77, tomorrow morning. This should allow me to make it through the next 40 miles, which doesn't have any natural water sources, without too much of a problem. Luckily, in the heat your standards for acceptable water go down a lot.
The weather report has the temperatures dropping dramatically, starting Saturday, and staying that way for a few days. I am thrilled with the concept of highs in the 50's. There are rumors it might even snow! I can only hope. I will just make sure to stay on trail.
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