Had a kick ass day at KM with the homies. Woke up to a beautiful sunrise outside of Grumpy’s and headed there to wait til they opened. It was so nice knowing we were going to hangout there for a couple of zeroes. Grumpy’s opened and we all piled in to get in line for the hikers breakfast with unlimited pancakes. It was delicious with this huge ass pancake that I could not finish. My favorite part was the diner style coffee that’s slightly burnt with unlimited refills. Loved it. Overall great day of resupplying and getting ready for the Sierra. Fly even gave me a shakedown which was super helpful. He helped me pick out about 3 pounds of stuff to send home. Had some drinks with folks and saw some familiar faces walk into Grumpy’s that I haven’t seen in a while. Overall great day.
Made it to Kennedy Meadows! Craziness! So stoked to finally be here. This whole thing feels like a dream honestly. Stoked to have the desert behind me. So over it. And I never want to do that again. Super proud of myself tho, but holy shit nope. I woke up pretty excited and before everyone this morning. Packed up my shit and said bye to the desert. I made it almost to the meetings spot and the crew started to catch up. We decided the night prior to meet at mile 698 to get to 700 together. And we did it! Then we all hiked into Kennedy Meadows together. So wonderful. Just happy everyone was down and wanted to do it together. We made it to the general store and had our lunch and drank our drinks. So good. Ran into Tiger Blood and caught up with her for a bit which was nice. Then just chilled with the crew and pet all the animals that were around, which were a shit ton. I even saw the old crew Stretcgh, Anna, and Rocky for a brief sec which was sweet. And ofcourse they still decided not to take a zero. It’s incredible. Love then but happy with my decision. Made it to Grumpy’s at the end of the day and had a massive dinner and a couple of margaritas which really hit the spot. Now we are all camped here ready to chill for the next couple of days. Let’s get it!
Woke up at 4am this morning to get a hitch back into trail before the beat kicked in. Wasn’t super great getting up that early, but was able to get a lot of miles before it got really hot which was nice. Orange Slice, Tater and I set off. The trail angel picked us up and drove us to the trail head. It was a bit of a slog this morning with a heavy water carry and 6 days worth of food to get to Kennedy Meadows. I am so ready to be there! Took a rest at the top with orange slice. We saw a dude off the trail a bit napping and realized it was survivor so he came to over to hang. We chatted for a bit and then hiked to the water source when the heat really started to kick in. We laid there with tater and another big group for a few hours. Then fly and manfunk showed up. And also hazmat. It was a nice little chill spot. We watered up for the next dry stretch and hit the trail. We all met four miles later and set up camp. It’s a beautiful, cozy little site. I’m already looking ahead at tomorrow’s campsite and apparently you can see Whitney! So stoked to get there and see that. I may cry. I really like the folks in this group so we shall see what happens! It’s been fun hopping around a bit. I definitely want to hike with a crew through the Sierra just for safety reasons and also to have a kick ass time. Until then. Goodnight!
Woke up with no wind. It was awesome. Packed up camp and left around 6 to book it to Tehachapi. I kept debating on where I’d get off at because there are two different exits for Tehachapi. The morning was pretty chill and started to heat up. I came upon the first water source where a red umbrella magically appeared out of nowhere. Koolaid and orange slice were already chilling. I sat next to koolaid and he offered me some of his red apple. I took a few delicious bites while the rest of their crew showed up. We hung out and chatted about getting to Tehachapi. They all were getting off at the first exit so that’s what made up my mind. We snacked and headed off. A few miles later, a helicopter started flying all around us. I couldn’t tell if they were patrolling or what. Then i guess it spotted it’s target which was Lindy, a PCT hiker who was suffering from heat exhaustion. I saw her being airlifted up into the helicopter. It was crazy! She was hidden in a couloir so I ran just in time to see it all happen. I heard she’s okay and already wanting to get back out on trail. After that excitement, we hoofed it to Tehachapi where we easily got a ride. I ended up getting a room with orange slice and Tater tot and chilling with their whole gang. Was so happy to get to town and get ready for a zero.
Woke up with dampness in the air. It was the first time it felt humid on this trail. Was ready to see Hiker Town for the first time so that got me going. The crew left camp and started the climb. I had to slow down because my blood sugar felt low even though I had pop tarts. I really think I need to start eating more for breakfast. I pulled over on trail and took a break for a bit, drank some electrolytes, and ate some food. I felt better after 20 minutes so I got up and headed out. The walk was really nice. Ended up walking with Smokey a bit and we chatted. Super cool guy. He was telling me about being a forest fire fighter. I eventually made it to Green Valley where stretch and Rollercoaster were hanging out. This trail angel Drifter was a friend of smokies and had been waiting for him. They met on the Arizona trail, he’s also a triple crowner. Lucky for us, he wanted to feed Smokey so we got in on that too. He laid out a picnic of fruits, snacks, cold drinks, and even made us Mac n cheese! It was sooooo delicious. Such a nice guy. We chilled and said our goodbyes to hike the rest of the miles until the fire closure, which we decided to hitch around. We eventually made it to the start of fhe fire closure where Smokey showed up and his friend drifter again who again gave us cold sodas! This dude is awesome! We waited til our ride came at 4, went around the fire closure and back on trail to Hikertown. I was so ready to get there. We got there finally; the place looked like a nice shanty town with many random buildings painted to look like a tiny town. It was so cool. We rented out one of the RVs for 40 bucks total. I also ran into a bunch of folks I haven’t seen in a while. It was so nice. We decided to go to the market near hiker town. While we were there one of the tramily members changed their mind about wanting to do the LA Aqueduct at night and do it early in the morning instead. We had been talking about doing a little walking party at night with glow sticks and all that jazz for a couple weeks now so it took us all off guard. Everyone decided to do that and I was pretty bummed. Things change. Just kind of changed the feel of things. Wish something would have been said much sooner. Anyways, went back to the RV and passed out knowing we were getting up early.
Today was awesome. We headed out from the horse corrales at sunrise. Everyone trickled down the ridge line. Tigger caught up and we hiked the rest of the way to the KOA together. Rocky and Hazmat caught up with us right when we arrived. Stretch and Roller coaster were already downing some cold drinks. I heard that Sherbert and the gang were there so I went to say hi to all of them. So good to see them! And felt bad ass that I caught back up to them after being off a week. When I got back to the rest of the group, they let me in on the new plan of staying at the KOA for the night. I was absolutely in. I was secretly hoping everyone would be down. So we enjoyed. Rocky and I went into town to grab beers for everyone. It was sweet to get one on one time with her. She’s bad ass. We had lunch in town, I ginormous burrito that I was proud to eat with a side of margarita in a can. We ate and we were on our way. We were able to get hitches in some really nice trucks to and from town. We showed up with the beer and hit the pool. Was an awesome day with everyone and much deserved I think. Drank a bit, enjoyed the scene and meeting new folks.
Woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Sat up and realized Rocky made it all the way to our campsite. I thought I heard something move around last night, definitely thought it was an animal, but realized it was a human and tried to go back to sleep. Hit the trail at 6, it was a chilly morning, which makes for excellent hiking. Stretch and Odysseus sped up ahead. Rollercoaster and I hiked together on and off. We took a break at the Messenger Camp area which was really nice. Actually took a nap there. I love getting bigger miles in the morning and then chilling in the evening with a decent break. We met spirit and a few others there. We headed out and stopped at the North Fork Ranger Station where a bunch of folks gathered. Saw Tigger, Blue, Bonobo, Gamechanger and met Fire ball and her sister Cale. We ended up setting camp in these horse corrales. Currently laying in one all to my own cowboy camping on the PCT for the first time! I can hear the power lines above crackling in a white noise kind of way.
Woke up and headed out with Stretch and Rollercoaster at 5:30 knowing there was a huge climb ahead. Stretch did his thing and Rollercoaster and I chatted and made our way up this 20 mile upward climb. It was totally fine just ALOT of up. By noon I was about over it and ready to be in Wrightwood. We took a lunch break by a log where I got even more sunburnt and was over it haha. It was a beautiful day tho. The whole walk was though the ridge line and trees once we reached higher elevation. Maria came to pick us up and we talked to her about the fire closure. She said a pct hiker received at 5000 dollar fine and that definitely validated our reason to not do it. She even said folks did not recommended the road walk because of the rock slide and blasting that was going on. So crazy to have all of this happening at once. I know other hikers who decided to do the closure and it’s disappointing. We made it to Wrightwood where Rocky and Odysseus were chilling at the lodge that we were staying at. Super cute house with books everywhere and little knick knacks. We decided to head out for Mexican and it was soooo good. I even got a peach margarita. We got back to the house and I was dead tired from hiking. The crew wanted to figure out how to get about to fire closure and resupply but I was too tired to figure that out so I went to bed at 8:30.
Today was beautiful. The ridge lines meandering through the hills to McDonald’s were beautiful. The sunshine was beautiful. The weather, beautiful. And the McDonalds digesting in my stomach, so beautiful. Woke up on the faux beach of the lake Silver something. It was a crisp temperature as Stretch, Rollercoaster and I started taking down camp. We saw that there were pit toilets .9 miles ahead so we each held in our morning poo until we got there. It was delightful. I can’t ever think of a time I’ve been so stoked on a pit toilet. That’s where we are now. We did our thing, hit the trail and they flew off up into hills. I took on the views, but wanted to get back to my audio book The Giver of Stars because it’s getting so good. The scenery was perfect for the plot takes place in wild mountains. I enjoyed it while walking fast trying to get to McDonald’s. I saw a few folks, Felix and some others. I finally strolled into McDonald’s at about 1 ready to feast. Stretch and Rollercoaster were already there. I went inside and got two cheeseburgers, McNuggets, fries, coke, and a hot fudge Sunday. Delicious. I even grabbed two more double cheeseburgers to carry out for dinner. I should have grabbed three. We chatted and sat under the shade of the tree outside McDonald’s. Felix and Odysseus showed up and joined us. I even ran into Jake from the first couple of weeks from hiking. It was cool to see a familiar face. We sat some more. I went into the gas station and washed my underwear in their sink. This is also where we’re at now. With a fresh pair of undies, Gatorade, and snickers, I was all set to go. We packed up and went 5 miles to the water cache, where we met Pablo and Odysseus. It was a super chill night hanging out at the watering hole. Sat there chatting until hiker midnight hit. Now I’m laying in my tent stoked to get into Wrightwood tomorrow, but not about the insane ascent to get there.
Today was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Started off waking up to 36 degrees, but a beautiful view of the river below. Grade 8, Ana and I packed up and headed out at 6:30 wanting to get to Deep Creek Hot Springs for an early morning dip. They both took off ahead and I meandered the eight miles to the hot springs as the day warmed up. It was amazing! Probably one of the coolest hot springs I’ve ever been too. There were a bunch of folks there, but it being the morning, the party hadn’t started yet. Ran into some other hikers and we got into the pools. I bounced back and forth between them all and took a dip in the river and a ride in the rope swing to cool down. There were all these little fishies swimming around too. Hung out there for about two hours and then headed back on trail for another 16 miles. For some reason the afternoon in my mind didn’t treat me well. For the most part, I’m a pretty level headed person, but y’a know, we all have those days. Old ways of thinking die hard and when you’re walking with yourself for hours on end, it’s hard not to creep back into the dark crevasses. I saw that I had service so I gave my mom and sister a call and I was very grateful. I love them so much. Overall, this journey needs to be taken one day at a time and everything can change in an instant.
Woke up to 26 degrees outside. It was so cold. I still can’t believe I was able to get out of my sleeping bag. It took one motivation but all was gravy. Grade 8, Ana, and I hit the trail. We leap frogged with Always and another hiker. Grade 8 and Ana hiked in front of me together and I trailed behind them. It’s incredibly how quick they are. The day gave us sunshine, snow, frozen rain, regular rain. We got all the seasons in one day. It was a pretty chill day overall. Plan on hitting up the hot springs in the am!
Holy crap! Today was totally unplanned, but awesome. Was not planning on doing 27 miles, but it just kind of happened. Woke up with Grade 8 and an older couple. Grade 8, Extra, Smile, and Ana headed out and I left shortly behind them at 6. It was a beautiful day! I was planning on doing maybe 20 miles and then getting into Big Bear the next day. I passed the private zoo which is no longer and saw the I famous wasteland sign. Was pretty cool! I ended up doing my own thing for lunch and then running into the Canadians around 2. They said Grade 8 and Ana were going to try and get to Kenny’s place that evening. And when I heard that my mind was set. I was toying on going the full send to BB and that was the motivation I needed. It was 2 o clock and they had a ride scheduled for 5:30. So I booked it and made it there just in the nick of time! It was awesome! And broke my personal record. The Canadiansshkrtky followed and use plus some other folks joined us at the Himalayan resto. It was delicious. It was interesting turning up at Kenny’s place and seeing the ginormous Trump 2024 sigh literally painted on his house. Ofcourse I instantly judged but the dude is awesome and so nice! Such a killer good guy. Had an awesome night with new folks and hoping to hike with Grade 8 and Ana and hopefully the Canadians once extra feels better. Anyways was a great day!
Ended up doing 19 miles today! Pretty stoked about. It was such a slog and so hot today, like holy crap. It wasn’t bad tho. And my feet held up! Woke up to a beautiful sunrise and coyotes in the distance. I didn’t sleep very well at all, basically waking up every hour for some reason. So 5 came rolling around and it was go time. In half a mile was the Whitewater River, which I kicked myself for not camping next to. For some reason I was just so tired and couldn’t go anymore. Ate my breakfast there and filtered water for the next few miles. Person after I person I met was literally an older dude so I kept telling myself I must be in the sad bubble. I met a group around my age after almost walking over them because they were hidden in the bushes, Anna, Grade 8 and two Canadians. I kept walking into the heat. I was also very proud of myself for stopping every hour and changing my socks. I was even able to soak my feet because we walked through a creek bed for most of the day. I lost the trail a few times, but eventually you find it again. It was a really long and hot day, but so stoked to be out here. I was going pretty slow towards the end so I plugged in some music and literally danced and sang all down the trail. Made it to camp with a few new folks. Hopefully going to do 20 tomorrow and short day to Big Bear. Still not sure if I’m going to stay in the town or not.
Woke up in LA with a nervous stomach because it was get Becca back on trail day! After getting ready, it was game on and the nerves subsided a bit. I looked at my feet and was stoked that they were all healed up and ready to go. I said bye to Sarah and Jake who have been housing me the past week and then I caught an Uber to take the bus back to Banning. Ubered from there to I10. The driver was a kick ass guy named Rick who wanted me to put his number into guthooks to help future hikers get back to trail. He was telling me of others he’s helped and one girl in particular who apparently is hiking on a broken ankle? Like wtf? Anyways we parted ways and I went under the bridge to prep. I passed one guy but didn’t catch his name. I whispered sweet nothings to my feet and we were off. I decided to only hike 10 miles today to get back into the swing of things and because I didn’t get on trail til 2. Made pretty good time to camp considering. The day was beautiful, cool and pretty windy. The time went by fast and I couldn’t get the BIA song out of my head. I didn’t pass any other hikers except the one guy until I got to camp and 4 other hikers walked by. Kind of weird not really seeing folks. Hopefully I’ll run into some more tomorrow. I got to camp around 5:45, which was nice because I didn’t sleep well last night and just wanted to eat a ton of food. I ate a huge salad, avocado, and some cheese. I’ve been looking at this remergence on the PCT as a second beginning of sorts. Feel like I started months ago and now have a bit more wisdom to carry forth with. Ready to make this my trail and crush it all the way to Canada. But first Big Bear. Hoping to get there by Thursday. Let’s see what happens.
I met Marin Hinkle today, the mom on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I believe everything happens for a reason, and this is probably why this whole blister thing has happened. Day seized.
Was a very chill day. Mood was still a bit gloomy, but nothing a few Handmaid Tale and Shrill episodes couldn’t fix. Had a lot of supporting phone calls from friends and family. Made a plan to go to LA the next day to hang with my friends who took me to the trailhead. Very grateful for them and their couch. Crazy to think originally they were 3 hours away and now they are only 1! Ready to chill and eat a bit more.
So today started off on a high, feeling good and ready to bust out these 19 miles to N and Out. A pretty iconic stop on the PCT. I got going with Tinkle and said bye to Lost and Found, Olaf, supplies and another female hiker. It was beautiful walking above the clouds, looking below at the desert floor with the wind turbines fluttering in the wind. I began A Giver Of Stars and it took me down the mountain for most of the morning. Super into this southern ass book. I passed by Koviet, Jake, and Soft Spot. We caught up for a bit. And then I ran into Hot Mess and Lindy. Then another hiker named Hoss. Everyone was saying there’s a big crew ahead. This climber I met yesterday Eddy, was also still on trail and we ended up hiking together all the way to the water fountain. He’s a super nice guy and he told me about his life here in California and his mountain adventures. When we got to the water fountain, the first water source in 20 miles, I met up with Goblin, Lemming, Teva Jesus, and Susanne. We let Lemming know about his brother and he had no idea. He was pretty upset, as anyone would have been and he started tracking his brother who was moving 2.5 mph. Which is pretty fast for someone with a bum knee. Hopefully that means he’s alright. So we relaxed there at the fountain for a bit and I took off my shoes to see that my allergic reaction was back in full force and was not going away anytime soon. It was so disgusting and hurting pretty badly. I kept going back and forth on what to do. Everyone at the fountain said it looked pretty bad and goblins friend even had the same issue. Goblin messaged her friend and said she had to stay off of it for a little bit and just let it do it’s thing. Which I didn’t do originally... Tinkle and I hiked out to Eddys car and he offered to drive me to urgent care, which was extremely nice. I was so bummed. Today was probably the saddest I’ve felt on trail because I want to keep hiking but this damn reaction won’t go away. So we went to urgent care, and the doctor I saw was a complete asshole to top it off. Just a very arrogant guy, who wore his mask below his nose. From the beginning he was like well I’ve never heard of this leukotape, I’m an outdoorsman and I just use moleskin. He even had the nerve to say next time, make sure you just use moleskin. Like okay dude. He just wouldn’t listen to me when I kept saying it was an allergic reaction. And he was very condescending when I told him I’d been to the doctors a few days before and received a steroid shot. He’s like oh well since you’ve started your own process then tell me what you’d like to do. At this point I’m just so frustrated with the situation and tried everything not to cry in front of this asshole. So I ended up getting another steroid shot and a few topical creams to put on the blisters. I went to Walgreens and it took forever and for some reason my insurance wouldn’t go through. So I had to call my insurance and that took forever to figure out. And then I couldn’t get one of the prescriptions because they needed the doctors permission, which doesn’t make sense and that could take up to 3 days. So I just left without that one and went to N and Out with Tinkle and finally landed in our hotel room. It was just a long ass day and I was having to accept that I needed to stay off trail probably for the rest of the week. I cried a lot. I had some really good friends reach out and I talked to my mom and sister on the phone for a while which helped. Having Tinkle here was really comforting too. I’ve looked forward to this adventure for years and I’m only a few weeks in and this is what’s happening. I know things happen for a reason and I need more patience with myself. I just can’t wait to get back out there. All the familiar faces will be ahead of me considerably now which makes me sad but I’ll be in a new bubble when I hop back on. Hopefully it’ll be alright. I know folks are already in tramlies and such, so hopefully I’ll be able to jump into one of those. It’s still really only the beginning.
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