Day 18 - 23: Of Bridges, Hot Springs, and the Cheshire Cat

Day 18: Since we don't have enough sleeping spots, I sleep on my sleeping pad, which turns out to be lucky. The past few nights, I had to inflate my pad once per night because it was losing air. Since it wasn't too bad, I thought it was due to the cool air. But when it happened again tonight, it was clear that there was a hole, which I found and patched in the morning. However, because I also caught a slight cold, I couldn't sleep well tonight. I woke up once, sneezed several times, my nose kept running, and my left eye was watering nonstop. For breakfast, we had French toast and scrambled eggs with leftovers from last night, prepared by Beans and really good. After that, we went into town for shopping. Natalie, Beans, and I were chauffeured through the city by Beans' friend Doug. Doug is a cool guy, and it's great that he came all the way from Los Angeles to spend time with Beans and us, even though he didn't know any of us. And then he even drives us and takes us back to the trail. Finally, at an outfitter, I finally get some sun gloves. By now, I have a tan line on the back of my hands from the straps of my trekking poles, and no matter how much sunscreen I use, I'm always on the verge of getting sunburned. At least I was able to solve this problem. Then we went to Subway and got sandwiches to take on the trail. We relaxed and covered about nine miles before setting up camp. I've eaten so much in the past day and a half that my dinner consists of an apple and a Snickers bar. It's cold, and with my cold, I'll probably go to bed soon. But it's not supposed to freeze tonight.

Day 19: Well, it did freeze. And apparently, my sleeping pad has another hole because I had to inflate it twice again. But I still slept pretty well. Today, the trail mostly goes downhill through open pine forests. Most of the time, we follow a river and can enjoy breakfast and lunch by the river. During lunch, I took the opportunity to search for another hole in my sleeping pad, but couldn't find one. If I continue to have problems in the next few nights, I'll have to replace it in Wrightwood. In the afternoon, I found the largest pine cone I've ever seen. I suspect being 'killed by a pine cone' should be listed as a possible cause of death on the PCT.

In the afternoon, we found a great spot by the river near our campsite for the night, where many other hikers were already. We spent another two hours here. Then we headed to the campsite, a former campground with a picnic shelter and restrooms. However, because the place had become so littered in the past and the surrounding area had suffered, the restrooms were closed, and camping was prohibited, except for PCT hikers. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful spot, and I cowboy camped in front of the shelter. Tonight, it's not supposed to be colder than 12 degrees.

Day 20: Today was a fairly eventful day on the trail. But first, let me give you an insight into how thru-hikers pass the time. Almost every hiker uses the app 'FarOut,' where you can download the PCT maps and navigate. The maps also include important points such as good campsites, shopping opportunities, or water sources. But there are also points that serve for orientation, such as cattle gates or bridges. Each hiker can comment on these points. In the case of the former, it's mostly information about how sheltered a campsite is, opening hours, or whether a water source is flowing or dry. This is very useful and important. But the comments on the latter are much funnier. For example, you can find comments on bridges like: 'Awesome bridge! Would highly recommend; it's a must-see. 9/10' (satchi13). And today, we crossed this bridge.

I lack the words to describe the greatness of this bridge, so I'll quote some hiker colleagues: - This bridge isn't too short as not to span the creek, nor too long so that it blocks off the trail. I believe its size is very fair. 10/10 - Too Clean - Aesthetically one of the best bridges in this region. Well-appointed and finely crafted using material of high quality. Matched in grandeur only by the chasm which it spans. - alpinemermaid - Sick bridge. 10/10 would chill here again. Also, nice little bench in the shade. Perfect height. Obvi a 10/10... - akerr315 - This bridge gives me wood. - lost&foundd But the bridge isn't loved by everyone: 'There is nothing fair about the size of this bridge...' (Catchup) So, today we had the honor of crossing this masterpiece. Just before that, we also crossed the 300-mile marker. And shortly after, we reached a highlight of the trail, the Hot Springs. They are located right next to Deep Creek. It was a true pleasure to bathe in the hot water and jump into the cold Deep Creek right from the pool. So, we spent about an hour here and talked to other hikers.

Afterwards, we continued following Deep Creek, which meant we didn't have to carry much water. We had our lunch break at the last crossing of the creek. Shortly after, the trail crossed a road at a small parking lot. Just as we reached it, a small colorful car pulled in, and a man jumped out. 'Coming from Mexico?' 'Yes.' 'Going to Canada?' 'At least that's the plan.' 'Wanna have some fruit? Apples, pears, banana, pineapple?' It was a very enthusiastic but funny and nice trail angel called 'Cheshire Cat' (the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland). The quoted conversation took about ten seconds, maximum. While we ate the fruits he offered and talked to him, his dog Stellar ran around us. After a while, we said goodbye and finally reached our campsite for today. We found a flat piece of grass next to a dry creek bed. Since it's not going to rain, I decide to cowboy camp again. Unfortunately, it seems like it's going to be windy again tonight. And during the day, the joint of my left big toe started to hurt. I hope it will get better in the next few days, but if not, I might have to take an unscheduled zero day in Wrightwood, where we are supposed to arrive on Friday.

Day 21: Today, we had Cajon Pass on the agenda, known for the famous, because it's the only one, McDonald's on the PCT. We had 22 miles to cover. We started at 6 am. After eight miles, we took a breakfast break at Silverwood Lake. Only 14 miles left, and it was only 9:30 am. We decided not to stop until McDonald's. My foot was back to normal after some Arnica ointment and an Ibuprofen the night before, my cold had improved, and as we set off, I felt ambitious and wanted to see how fast I could cover the 14 miles (22.5 km). In the end, I did it in four hours. At this point, I'm more than satisfied with this performance because although it was tough, I don't feel completely exhausted. Just as I turned into the road leading to McDonald's, I ran into Barry and Butterfly. I briefly talked to them, and then I continued. There were already a lot of hikers at McDonald's. It's interesting to observe that on the trail itself, you don't see that many people, and then there are these places where hikers suddenly appear in crowds. I haven't been to a McDonald's in probably ten years, but in that moment, the food was perfect. But shortly after, the familiar feeling set in that you're somehow full but could still eat. Perfect on the trail, but I won't need it again for the next 10 years. Since there's a lot of traffic at the pass with the highway and the railroad, we decided to hike another five miles. That way, we can already reach Wrightwood tomorrow, so I won't need to buy much food. The last five miles over a small hill range are beautiful during the sunset.

Barry and Butterfly were also planning to camp somewhere here, but we can't find them. I'm really glad that we did these five miles because even here, you can still hear the train whistles. Plus, we've completed 27 miles and our first marathon day on the trail. I'm very proud of our little group, we've been getting along amazingly well so far, and I'm really enjoying the time with them. Since we'll reach Wrightwood tomorrow in the late afternoon, the plan is to take a zero day on Friday and return to the trail on Saturday. We definitely deserve this break.

Day 22: We wake up early again and start at 6 am. We are basically in a cloud, but at least it wasn't too cold during the night. Today, the trail steadily climbs as we ascend into the San Gabriel Mountains. Since the trail is not challenging and there's nothing to see due to the fog, there's no real distraction, and I start thinking about myself, which, as usual, doesn't put me in the best mood. I briefly consider listening to a podcast or audiobook, but then I decide against it. After all, I'm here to figure out some things for myself.

After about nine miles, we break through the cloud cover and have a great view. Since Cheese and Gumby are in front of me, and at 10 am, after 11 miles, they still don't want to take a breakfast break, I decide to wait for Natalie and Beans. Beans is right behind me, and we take a break together. Natalie made the same decision, just three minutes before us. When she finally joins us, the three of us continue hiking together.

The trail continues slightly uphill until we reach Highway 2, from where we will get to Wrightwood. At the trailhead, there are two cars. Beans talks to the owners and asks if they can give us a ride to town. After a brief discussion, they agree. This hitch was probably the most dangerous situation on the whole trail. We raced down the mountain at 80 mph with a maximum speed limit of 45 mph. Definitely not a ride I would do a second time, but in that moment, it was exciting and fun. When we arrived in Wrightwood, we met up with Butterfly and Barry (now Sorry. Due to his Scottish accent, everyone who meets him for the first time has to ask him at least once what he said). The two of them rented an Airbnb for all of us. Wrightwood is also incredibly hiker-friendly. The Airbnb host comes by to pick up our laundry and wash it. In the meantime, we can wear the pajamas she provides. After a beer and a shower, we go to the Mexican restaurant in our pajamas. After dinner, we hang out for a while and go to sleep. I sleep with Beans, Natalie, and Sorry in a room with four beds. Before we fall asleep, we have an exciting conversation about relationships and the advantages of being the little spoon when cuddling.

Day 23: We spend a typical day in a trail town. We have breakfast together, then Butterfly and Sorry say goodbye and head back to the trail. The rest of us spend the day shopping, meditating, doing yoga, and just hanging out in general. As mentioned before, Wrightwood is also a great trail town. PCT hikers get a free hot dog at the local gas station, and at the local outfitter, each hiker receives a pin with the original PCT logo.

And again, today we have very personal and deep conversations about ourselves, politics, and all sorts of other social topics. Our whole group is just on the same wavelength, and it feels like we've known each other for much longer than three weeks. For dinner, we make spaghetti with meatballs because none of us feel like going out. Tomorrow, we'll be back on the trail early in the morning, and then we'll climb Mount Baden Powell, which I'm excited about as a former scout. This time off has been incredibly refreshing, and I feel absolutely ready to tackle the next sections of the trail.