Guru Hikes

SUN

If I had to sum up the last 10 days on the Pacific Crest Trail into one word it would be SUNNY. In bold. All Caps. If you have not noticed yet, I have red hair, and skin that burns. Some people get one sunburn, and then don’t need sunscreen because they develop lovely tans that keep the sun at bay. I have no melanin. I burn, and then I burn again. My skin was burning even under a sunbrella and hat. I realized the sun reflecting off the desert ground and still had enough power to burn my face. So instead of wearing wretched sunscreen that I can’t wash off at the end of the day, I have resorted to this:

The Beauty of the Desert

The sun aside, the the hiking has been beautiful! The desert is much greener than the last time I came out to attempt the PCT, and there are so many flowers blooming! It is very hot, with almost no places to hide from the sun, but with my setup, I am able to hike throughout the day. There were some days that still needed siestas during the hottest part of the day, and I have done one night hike to escape the heat on at least one occasion. There is cold weather coming in the next few days, though, and I can’t wait to be able to hike easily in the afternoon.

A Night on Laguna

I have been cowboy camping most nights, i.e. sleeping under the stars. After a long day of hiking up Mt. Laguna on my fourth day, I set up my cowboy camp on top of the mountain. I awoke due to a gust of wind blowing through camp at around 2:30a.m. and was lucky enough to see the Milky Way just rising over the ridge and snapped this shot:

100 Miles

I hit 100 miles on day number seven. This is not my first through hike, so it did not feel as amazing as it has before. No real celebration, just a quick picture and then I kept on walking.

Open Pastures

After days of slogging through the desert, it was nice to have a little change of scenery. Coming off of an arid hill, I crossed a road and entered into wide pastures. I saw a few cows grazing and enjoyed the gentle breeze as I watched it play among the grasses.

Eagle Rock

Right as the sun was setting, and right in the middle of the pastures, I came across Eagle Rock. Eagle Rock was a beautiful stop along the way, and I set up my cowboy camp behind the Eagle. There was only enough space for one little ground sheet, but it was my favorite spot on the PCT so far. It was in prime rattlesnake habitat, but I didn’t see any that night. From there I quickly made it up and over the mountains and got a hitch into Idyllwild. And here I sit as I am running out of library computer time while I take a zero to wait out some weather. So happy hiking and I’ll see you on up the Trail!

To wander is only half the fun.