PCT Days 17-30: Banning to Agua Dulce
Desert Part 3: PCT Miles 209.6 – 454.4
I’m getting into the groove of hiking all day everyday and starting to feel like a thru-hiker now! Starting to hike longer days and the legs are feeling strong. The trail feels more like home than the towns. Going into towns is overwhelming and I have been staying just long enough to clean up and resupply before heading back out. Took my second zero on the trail at my cousin’s place, which was amazing and coincidentally lined up with Eid celebration. My appetite is growing and trying to eat as much as possible to not lose much weight. And I now have a trail name: Detour.
Day 17: May 1, 2021, 9.6 miles
After a restful and productive stay in Banning and my first town resupply, we hit the trail in the afternoon. Thankfully temps were much milder than yesterday. After an immediate 2k ft hot exposed climb, the scenery changed dramatically and it was stunning the rest of the day to Whitewater Preserve, where we camped. Today was a ‘nero’ (near-zero) where you hike a short day in or out of town.
Day 18: May 2, 2021, 17.8 miles
I’m quickly learning that what goes down goes right back up. After the big descent from San Jacinto two days ago, today we started back up. Climbed 5k feet total today with more tomorrow. Most of today was along Mission Creek, so didn’t have to carry much water thankfully. But the trail was quite tough to follow at times, resulting in a lot of backtracking and bushwhacking. We entered the San Gorgonio Wilderness as we head towards Big Bear. Mount San Jacinto still loomed in the background today.
Day 19: May 3, 2021, 20.7 miles
A long 20 mile day mostly through a burn area with plenty of climbing. I had my earliest start this morning at 6:15am after managing to pack up camp in just 45 minutes. I was moving _really_ slowly for the first couple of hours with a throbbing knee. Eventually it warmed up and I was back at my normal pace. My legs are definitely feeling like they have been working hard. I haven’t taken a zero day in almost 2 weeks and I am still feeling the long descent from San Jacinto a few days ago in one of my knees. It’s interesting that each day, I wake up feeling like an old man and as the day progresses, my body slowly warms up, feels stronger, and towards the end of each day I’m often flying down the trail. I remember the same thing happening on my bike tours.
Day 20: May 4, 2021, 10.4 miles
Cold morning. Broke my sunglasses. Short nero day into Big Bear City. Ride by trail angel Kenny and overnight at his house. Picked up packages from post office and received my 1st care package. Dinner & catchup with Greygoose & Truck who I hadn’t seen since Julian. Have completed 10% of the PCT!
Day 21: May 5, 2021, 8.9 miles
Today was the day I made a mental shift from ‘taking things one day at a time to see what happens’ to feeling like a thru-hiker with the goal and intention of hiking from Mexico to Canada! This was big step for me. It was prompted by really missing the trail while I was in Big Bear City. When I returned to trail, it was like home and where I need to be. Felt good to sleep in the woods again. Didn’t sleep very well at Kenny’s house. Had breakfast, got my sunglasses temporarily fixed at an optometrist office, packed up, and Kenny took us back to trail in early afternoon. This was the first town stop where as soon as I finished the necessary errands (resupply, shower, laundry, food, etc), I wanted to head back to trail asap. I was considering a zero day but there was just too much stimulation and I felt overwhelmed. The woods are my home now.
Day 22: May 6, 2021, 21.9 miles
Today I took my 3rd accidental detour on trail by missing a turn and headed down a different trail almost all the way to Big Bear Lake. The detour added 3 miles and 600 ft elevation gain to the day, the longest unintended bonus miles so far. Otherwise, today was a great day. Mild temps, mostly downhill, views of Big Bear Lake, and a great break soaking the feet in refreshing Holcomb Creek. Oh, I may have a trail name now. More on that tomorrow.
Day 23: May 7, 2021, 24.0 miles
What an amazing and eventful day! Longest day hiked so far. Crossed 300 mile marker. Swam in Deep Creek & soaked in the hot springs. Beautiful scenery all day! And, I now have a trail name! After yesterday’s extra 3-mile unplanned detour, hiker Dino Nugget bestowed the trail name “Detour” on me yesterday. After thinking about it, I realized it was entirely appropriate for me, not just for the detours I’ve taken on trail (so far), but also perfect to describe the past ~5 years of my life, where I took a major detour from ‘normal’ life, sold my home and most of my possessions, and started living a nomadic life. The PCT was meant to be a culmination of the past few years of nomad life. So, now I am Detour on the trail.
Day 24: May 8, 2021, 24.5 miles
Today felt like an inspired day where I was being pushed forward effortlessly. Normally it takes my body an hour to warm up when I start in the morning but today after a good night’s sleep, I was energized from the first step. So beautiful walking alongside Silverwood Lake as well as the final climb and descent to Cajon Pass. Cajon Pass has the distinction of having a McDonald’s right off the trail. Of course we took advantage of that plus a burrito from a nearby taco truck. We got a hotel room to clean up and rest before tackling the big climb tomorrow.
Day 25: May 9, 2021, 15.3 miles
With a belly full of burritos and McD’s, it was time to leave Cajon Pass. So we started climbing back to 8k ft once again. This was a dry stretch ahead so I loaded up with 5.5 L of water, which was too much, and also packed out a giant burrito for dinner. The climb felt tough with the extra load in my pack. Alas we reached an amazing secluded campsite with a beautiful view. The burrito was the best thing ever!
Day 26: May 10, 2021, 16.3 miles
Today was an eventful day. Hiked above the clouds all morning to mm 369, where I got a ride from a passing trail angel to the town of Wrightwood. Picked up a care package from Mom, containing CHAI and my fav Indian snacks. Yummmm! Ate another huge burrito at a Mexican restaurant (3rd burrito in 3 days).
Right after Wrightwood, there was a fire closure due to 2020 Bobcat fire. Hikers had to either get a ride around the closure or do a 22+ mile roadwalk along the highway to get around the closure. I was originally thinking about staying in Wrightwood and walking the highway the next day. But plans quickly changed. Another hiker Tristan and I were using a trail angel’s Jeep to drive other hikers around the closure. During the drive, I realized a 22 mile road walk wouldn’t be the best decision for my legs/feet. When we got to the other side of the closure to drop off the other hikers, I decided to hop out and continue on, instead of heading back to Wrightwood and having to find a ride the next day back to the same spot I was currently standing.
So my footsteps are now disconnected due to getting a ride around the Bobcat closure. But, there are 2 more fire closures ahead, the Lake Fire closure in a few days ahead and the Lionshead closure in Oregon, so I was expecting to have disconnected footsteps on this thru-hike. My plan is fill in these gaps in the future after the closures are lifted.
Day 27: May 11, 2021, 14.3 miles
Hot day, big climb, big descent, long breaks to hide from the sun, overgrown trail, short day overall, and my favorite camp site so far on the trail. Sunset on one side and sunrise on the other from my tent.
Day 28: May 12, 2021, 23.6 miles
Wow, 4 weeks done on the PCT! I was the last one to leave camp (as usual) as I wanted to enjoy my morning chai. Today consisted of an overgrown trail for 10+ miles, lots of tree blow downs to crawl over/around, poison oak and poodle dog bush (also very poisonous) to avoid, a sharp climb, and then a massive decent (6k feet total elevation loss). Camped at Acton KOA, where tons of hikers were hanging out. Another great day in the desert with amazing views. Longer day than planned as I was excited and motivated about the next couple of days.
Day 29: May 13, 2021, 10.1 miles
A wonderful day! Today entailed a short hike through Vasquez Rocks, which were featured in numerous movies and TV shows including Star Trek, MacGyver, and more. I hiked until Agua Dulce where I got a ride from Sundown and his wonderful fiancé to Northridge to visit my cousin and her family. Coincidentally, today is also Eid, a special holiday involving lots of eating. So I celebrated with family, ate an embarrassing amount of goat biryani (my most fav meal), and slept well on a comfy bed. It was a special day and I was so grateful and content. Taking a zero day tomorrow to rest, get organized for the next stage, and spend time with family (& of course continue to eat amazing food).
Day 30: May 14, 2021, ZERO Day
One month done! After ~3 weeks since my last zero in Julian, I finally took a well deserved zero day at my cousin’s house in Northridge. It was such an amazing day with family, food, and rest. Besides the usual town chores of laundry, resupply, cleaning up (including buzzing my head), etc, there was a lot of eating today. Breakfast was nihari, another of my favorite Pakistani dishes. Lunch was goat biryani from yesterday (always tastes even better the second day). Dinner was In-n-Out: double-double animal style with extra pickles & chopped chilis, animal style fries, & a neopolitan milkshake. And kulfi (creamy Indian ice cream). And mango gelato (& I could easily have kept going). Hiker hunger is real. The zero day was so amazing with great quality time with family. I feel rejuvenated and ready to hit the trail again!
