PCT Day 42 – PCT mile 587.5 to Landers Meadow Camp (Mile 610.1)
May 16, 2026
Total PCT miles: 22.6
Non PCT miles: 0.6
Total: 23.4 miles / 37.7 km
Total elevation gain: 5699 ft
Total elevation loss: 4190 ft
Steps: 52973
The new air mattress is amazing. Not waking up in the middle of the night to a semi deflated bed really helps improve one’s sleep. Over all I slept well due to being sheltered from the wind but the sounds of whirling wind turbines were certainly abundant throughout the night. I think today was the first time I hit snooze multiple times on this hike. My first alarm went off around 0430 but I didn’t start to get ready until closer to 0530. I probably could have slept for a few more hours which leads me to believe I likely should have taken a second zero in Tehachapi.
I made good time on the first miles of the day hiking 10 miles by 10:30. The landscape slowly changed from desert chaparral to pine forest. The winds still gusted but as I moved in the forest I was generally well protected from them. I think I’ve seen the last view down to the desert valley and they windmills they contain. From 10 miles onwards I struggled as my body protested and demanded more sleep. I took lots of small breaks and consumed more caffeine.
I finally reached Robin Bird Spring at 1300 thus ending my 20 mile water carry. For the next fee miles there are water sources. After that there are 2 water caches. Without those caches it would be over 30 miles until the next source in trail. Other than that the day was what it was. One foot in front of the other and try not to die.
Shortly after I passed the 600 mile mark on the PCT – that’s almost 1000 kms and nearing a quarter of the trail completed!
I ended my day at Landers Meadow Camp a few miles short of my goal. Here I met two hikers from Quebec and two from Oregon. This camp is accessible by vehicles and there were a significant number of them here. A large group was having their annual retreat. I was just about to start cooking a camp meal when one of them come over and offered me and the other hikers here the left overs. Burgers With all the fixings, chilli, watermelon, and cookies. They come here once a year and alway offer up what’s left to PCT hikers. I am grateful I got to partake this year hopefully they are not to loud tho.
I mean why wouldn’t there be a 10 commandments poster in the middle of nowhere. Delicious!
Walking up to a semi inflated air mattress is not my or anyone’s idea of a good time. But fortunately for some reason it never completely deflates and does maintain some semblance of comfort. Or maybe I’m just otherwise so generally sore I don’t notice the specific discomfort it causes me.
View from my tent this morning.
It was a later start today as I was hoping to give the rest of the group a chance to catch up. As a result I was treated to a magnificent sun rise view from my tent. I wasn’t looking to do too many miles today, just position myself close enough to Hikertown that I could do a quick resupply, have an afternoon siesta the start on the aqueduct section as the day gets cooler. The desert valley will be in excess of 35 C the next two days and no reasonable person wants to hike in that.
There are certain milestones on the Pacific Crest Trail that feel bigger than the number itself. The 500 mile mark is one of them. Not because it means you’re anywhere close to finished. Canada still feels impossibly far away but because somewhere along those first 500 miles, trail life starts to feel normal.
I reached the 500 mile marker just after 0800, only about 30 minutes after starting the day’s hike. I arrived alone, listening to I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers and, naturally, dancing my way down the trail. Honestly, there was no other acceptable way to cross that milestone.
A little while later Ness arrived, and the two of us ended up having a full-on dance party at the marker while The Proclaimers echoed through the desert. It was one of those ridiculous, joyful trail moments that probably makes absolutely no sense to anyone not out here, and somehow makes perfect sense to everyone who is.
I stayed there waiting for the rest of our group to arrive, hoping we could all celebrate the milestone together. By around 1030 though, the shade had disappeared, my water supply was getting lower than I was comfortable with, and the desert sun was quickly reminding me who was in charge. Eventually I packed up and continued north, leaving the others to hopefully catch up later down the trail
Five hundred miles down. Countless memories already made. And somehow, despite the exhaustion, sore feet, heat, cold, injuries and endless climbs… I’m still smiling while walking north.
I took my time the rest of the day going from shady spot to shady spot filling up water from a cement cistern in the desert. I am always completely amazed how quick the scenery turns from Chappell to pine forest to burned scared area. All day long I was accompanied by views of the desert valley below and it looks real hot down there.
I had to paramedic today and was able to help a fellow thru hiker who found themselves in a difficult situation. I stayed with them until they were later picked up by a trail angel. I’m confident they will be back on trail soon. The trail angel offered me a place to stay tonight but I declined opting instead to stick to the original plan. But I won’t lie it was hard to turn down the promise of a shower and cold drinks.
I was able to make it to the planned camp site – our group still split. Early morning scheduled tomorrow to beat the heat and hopefully enjoy some cold cola!
Mmmmm water – better believe I double treated this.
Today’s plan called for less mileage, a resupply and some town food. A pretty solid plan! I was treated to a brisk morning and beautiful colorful sunrise over Warner Springs Meadow as I walked towards town. This really is a beautiful part of the PCT.
The first quick stop was Eagle Rock. So named because of its very close resemblance to an Eagle. I arrived just as the morning sun started to shine on it and was otherwise alone. This is a popular day hike and as I walked to town I was passed by about 80 of them hiking towards Eagle Rock. They were part of a group doing a fundraiser event for Children’s Make A Wish. They all smelled so clean.
Warner Springs gas station!
There isn’t much in Warner Springs. A post office, a gas station and a community center that has almost everything a hiker needs. Back in 2018 you could camp at the community center but that is no longer aloud. The post office and gas station are about 2 miles from the community center. I started at the gas station by devouring 3 hot dogs and some cola. Judy is a Saint and even though it was 8am was more than happy to whip them up for me. I picked up my resupply from the post office and bought a few more things from the gas station and made my way to the community center.
Sorting out my resupply! Food for the next 4ish days.
The community center has almost everything a hiker needs. They have a small store, showers, bucket laundry, charging stations and washrooms. I had my first shower in a week and it was glorious. Until this year they were bucket showers but they just had shower heads installed with nice hot water. I did my laundry and hung it on the fence and passed time chatting with other hikers waiting for everything to dry and stretching.
I left in the mid afternoon and did another 5 miles, finishing the meadows and starting the next climb. Technically today was not a nearo (day with less than 10 miles hiked normally as a result of spending time in town) but I’ll probably count it as one.
The weather is suppose to be cooler the next few days with a chance of light rain tomorrow and Monday. I’m looking forward to the cooler weather (not the low single degree mornings that come with it) and rain would certainly be appreciated by Californians.
When doing laundry a thru hiker typically wears their rain gear as everything else is getting cleaned.
The sound of air being let out of the mattress marks when a thruhiker has committed to getting out of bed, packing up camp and hitting the trail. Once the air has been let out there really isn’t any going back. You could continue to lie on the cold hard ground in your tent or I suppose you could refill your air mattress… but really once the air is out, there is no other option but to get at it.
I was hiking by 0600 am as the sun rose through the mountain valley. It was incredibly beautiful. The air was cool and the light clouds in the sky had me optimistic about today’s weather. The morning was mostly downhill on hard packed less rocky dirt so I made excellent time. Almost hitting 10 miles before 10 am. 10 before 10 is a common thruhikibg saying / goal.
I’m writing this but unsure if I will share this misfortune I had. Using the washroom in the backcountry for a deuce can be a challenging affair. Until this point including all 200 miles I walked in 2018 I have never had to do so on trail. First you must find somewhere private which is surprisingly not the easiest. We all share the same 2 feet of dirt trail and most of the time that’s the only path there is. This private spot must also have dirt loose enough to dig a “cathole”. This also can be challenging in this rocky landscape. Now fortunately I found just the place! Unfortunately I did not drop the bomb on the target. Even more unfortunate was loosing my balance and stepping on the landmine… ugh. Well I suppose I signed up for this.
Water cache at Scissors Crossing
I had been debating all day if I would go into Julian which is a very popular trail town or just continue to make miles. I need to be in Warner Springs (mile 109) on Saturday before the post office closes for my resupply box or I’ll have to wait until it opens Monday. I decided as long as the water cache under the scissors crossing bridge had water then I would continue on my way. The water cache here is reliably maintained and there are regular shuttles into town. I arrived to find plenty of water and a cooler with cold Gatoraid and beer. As much as the beer was temping i decided to stick with the electrolyte improving beverage. Many thanks to the trail angels that take care of this spot.
I filled up with 6 liters and headed on my way. The next few miles were all uphill and the clouds had given way to a bright sunny day. Fortunately the wind was strong enough to keep me relatively cool. I made slow but steady progress. Almost everyone must have gone into town because I didn’t see anyone else all day.
Don’t piss these guys off!
I had my second rattle snake encounter. Fortunately this time it gave me lots of warning! It was refused to leave its sunny spot directly beside the trail so I had to climb around on the right of it. Giving it enough space but still allowing me to keep an eye on its location.
After 21 miles my body said no more and I found a nice campsite sheltered from the wind.
One year ago today on April 8th, 2018 I set about to walk the 2650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. 18 days, 210 miles and 561731 steps later, I would be on my way into Palm Springs having ultimately failed due to injury in completing my journey. I’ve tried several times to write this final blog about my trip but it’s been a difficult thing for me to do.
I write this as I am spending 5 weeks exploring Southeast Asia. Traveling to this part of the world was my back up plan should for some reason I decided not to finish the trail. I didn’t follow through on that at the time but I’m here now and that’s what’s important.
Temple hoping in Angkor Wat a few days ago
I discovered the PCT one day while randomly searching the internet. I remember that night staying up way later than I should have reading all about it. I was intrigued and quickley became obsessed. I spent so many hour researching every aspect of the trail. Reading blogs, watching vlogs, maps, guides or any information I could feast myself upon. I told myself that I could find myself out in the wilderness alone for 6 months. I believed all my problems would magically disappear one forgotten step at a time. That I could forget the trauma, shed the depression and rebuild myself out of dust and tears into a better man. For a brief time it worked.
For the two months leading up to my start on the trail I was so completely stressed that I was giving myself stress induced anaphylactoid reactions. I was getting episodes of hives, short of breath and dizziness pretty much every night. I didn’t figure out the cause until I started my trek and all the symptoms simply stopped. Prior to that I had made several adjustments in my regular life in attempts to find the source of these reactions. It’s only looking back upon that time now that I see what a huge ball of stress I actually was.
Just some of the amazing views I saw while on the trail
The trail was everything I thought it would be and so many things I never could have envisioned. There were days, hours or sometimes even minutes where i would run the entire gambit of human emotion. I laughed, I cried and felt the highest highs and the absolute lowest lows. Every day was a battle, every day that trail kicked my ass and everyday I both loved and hated it for it. It was the most alive I think I’ve ever felt.
11 days into the trail near Idyllwild at 7000 ft it was snowing with the strongest winds I’d experience so far. The snow was sticking sideways onto the trees in what I can only describe as what hell would look like if it indeed froze over. On this day, April 19th I fell, nearly blown off a cliff twisting my right ankle in the process. It hurt and swelled but at the time I was in denial as I wouldn’t fully appreciate what this moment meant for another few days. Fortunately I was able to get myself safely into town that night. Mother Nature laid insult to injury pelting me with hail for the last 30 mins of hobbling that day (it appears I failed to move this photos somewhere I could access on my phone)
Town is Idyllwild
After spending 3 days in Idyllwild resting I felt foolishly optimistic about my physical ability to proceed. Leaving Idyllwild the trail takes you up Mount San Jacinto to 10800 ft. As I walked the pain in my right ankle worsened… I took breaks, I took Tylenol, I took ibuprofen but the pain only continued to worsen. Slowly I began feeling pain in my knee and hip likely because of the way I was compensating for my injured ankle. Somewhere between 8000 & 9000 ft I realized my hike was done… I broke and I cried harder than I had ever cried before. It was like some torrential damn broke right there and then. In this moment I knew I had failed. I had spent the last two years preparing and I knew this could happen but in this moment realizing it was happening, that it has already happened was devastating. By the grace of whatever power exists, at that moment I had decent cell service. I called my girlfriend and I confessed that I would soon be coming home… and I cried some more.
I finished the day at the peak of Mt San Jacinto at 10800 ft. I was determined that i would at least make this summit. From here I could see Desert Palm Springs California and the airport that I would fly out of a few days later. I watch emerged in solitude as the sky turned into a multitude of reds and yellows as the sun set over the valley below. It would take me two full grueling and painful long days to reach Interstate 5 where I would be able to hopefully hitch a ride to my final destination. I listened to podcasts and enjoyed the scenery below as I descended the 10400 feet. My last two days were spent primarily alone with the exception of three US military vets who were hiking the trail together whom I occasionally leap frogged. My last night was spent alone wishing to be anywhere but here but not wanting to leave. On my last day I passed the 200 mile marker and it made me sad.
200 Mile Marker and the view looking back up at Mt San Jacinto from the desert valley.
The last few miles after descending Mt San Jacinto are in the desert valley outside Palm Springs. There was no shade and it was hot with the noon sun in full force. These were the most painful and difficult miles I have ever walked in my life. I would have stopped to rest but there was absolutely no where’s to find any refuge from the sun so I carried on. I wished for hot dogs… of all things in the world I wanted a hotdog. The mind is a strange place. My journey ended with my last steps on the PCT underneath a bridge with interstate 5 above. A well known trail angle “Mama Bear” was there greeting hikers with a big hug as they arrived. I collapsed into this complete strangers arms and cried once again. She offered ice cold drinks and of all things hot dogs to any hiker trash that passed by. Of all the meals I’ve had in my life, this meal I will remember forever.
I gave my brand new water filter and my air mattress to hikers that were having issues with theirs and got a ride into Palm Springs with my hero “Mama Bear”. She dropped me off at the airport where I rented a car, found a hotel room for few nights so I could organize my life and return home.
I came home promising myself that life would be different but I lied. I returned home and within a few weeks had dove straight into my workaholic nature. Every promise I made to myself I broke… every change I desired forgotten. It was tough returning home back to the life I’d ran away from. As the reality of it all set in I found solace in my misery, I was tired all the time, depressed and was either at work trying to hold it all together or hiding alone in my office falling apart. I fell into a very dark lonely painful place and I’ll always be grateful to my friends who helped me realize just how far I’d gone. There has been a lot of tough changes in my personal and professional life over the past year. Not all of them have I fully embraced. But I’m putting in the effort and trying to learn what I need to do to be happy for me. Trying to learn how to be be more honest with myself.
In the end I successfully attempted to do this absolute crazy thing. Something I’m still shocked that I actually followed through on. The trail was never going to fix me… I know that truth honestly now. I was and still am a broken person who is just trying to find his way. I’ve just got a better map these days.
Thank you to everyone who have supported me over the past year. Both during this crazy adventure of mine and the turmoil that proceeded it. Your friendship, guidance, support and love mean the world to me.
PCT re-attempt in 2020? We’ll see? For now I’m planning as many vacations as money and work will allow 🙂
Temple hoping in Angkor Wat a few days ago
Town is Idyllwild
200 Mile Marker and the view looking back up at Mt San Jacinto from the desert valley.
