Juan and Jessica gave me a delicious dinner at sawmill camp
PCT Day 34 – PCT mile 478.3 to Sawmill Camp (mile 498.2)
May 9, 2026
Total PCT miles: 19.9
Non PCT miles: 0.3
Total: 20.2 miles / 32.5 km
Total elevation gain: 4226 ft
Total elevation loss: 2418 ft
Steps: 45784
It was another early morning in a futile attempt to beat the day time heat. Up at 0400 and on trail at 0445. I could feel heat radiating from the ground as we started our first climb of the day. I felt tired and slow, my body aching from yesterdays near 20 mile day. But I pushed upwards and onwards… the miles certainly won’t hike themselves.
I reached the top of the first climb just as the sun was beginning to rise over the desert valley below. It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have seen in a long time irregardless of the fact that I would curse that same sun for the remainder of the day. I stopped briefly to take it all in before starting my decent to Lake Hughes Road. On the way down my ankles, calves, quads and hips were sore. I place at least part of the blame on my air mattres that slowly looses air overnight.
Kit Kat and oatmeal – a perfectly reasonable breakfast.
At the road there is a small water cache and a picnic table. All the caches I saw yesterday and this one were built by an Eagle Scout troop who never had any intention of maintaining them so that work has fallen on local trail angles. Fortunately there has been plenty of water so no need. But those sources will all soon mostly be dried out and they will be invaluable to hikers. I stopped here and had breakfast knowing every minute I stayed here the hotter the next climb would get.
The next climb was slow as I took breaks in as many shaded areas as possible. Coming across a spring i stopped and drank 2 liters of water. At the top of the climb I was rewarded by small group of trees that provided ample shade. I channeled my inner hiker trash and rolled out my tyvek ground sheet and took a short nap. Later an interesting older cyclist came by and remarked the whole area used to be covered with pine and oak trees. Most now long destroyed by various forest fires.
3ish hours later I decided it was time to start moving again even though I’m sure I could have spent the rest of the night there. I waked through a burn area with significant poodle dog bush careful to avoid touching it. Eventually I returned to pine forest and the glorious shade it provided. Over the last two days I’ve noticed a significant increase in bitting insects Which adds a whole new layer of fun and excitement to the trek. Fortunately I am carrying bug spray but I’ll also likely buy a bug net in the next town stop.
I reached Sawmill Camp around 1900 and came across two car campers. They offered me Carne Asada Tacos and I could not resist. Soon there was beer and cola as well. The food was absolutely incredible and probably the best meal I have had on trail. The generosity I have experienced on this hike has in some ways honestly restored some of my faith in humanity. Thank you Juan and Jessica for the food, conversation and making me smile.
Although it’s going to be hot tomorrow as well I plan on getting a full night sleep. I’m planning for a shorter day to better line up with Hikertown and not having to spend the night there before the notorious Aqueduct section.
PCT Day 34 – PCT mile 458.5 to mile 478.3 (Green Valley Fire Station)
May 8, 2026
Total PCT miles: 19.8 (Nero)
Non PCT miles: 0.2
Total: 20 miles / 31.9 km
Total elevation gain: 4019 ft
Total elevation loss: 3573 ft
Steps: 47133
It was an unreasonably early start to the day with my alarm waking me up at 03:45. I packed up using the glow of the red light from my headlamp and surprisingly did not leave anything behind. Ness and I were on trail by 04:30 with the rest of the group deciding to start a little later. The plan was to hike until it got to hot, have an afternoon siesta and then carry on. But instead we mostly just embraced the suck and hiked almost straight to camp.
The cool morning air and moonlit path was a great way to start the day and we made good time up the steepest climb of the day. Slowly the sky began to lighten and the sun started to crest the mountain peaks. By 09:15 I had hiked 10 miles and was feeling great.
Fortunately there were plenty of water sources and two water caches on this stretch which really helped keep the backpack feeling a little lighter and allowed for faster miles.
Going up the second climb of the day I briefly used my sun umbrella but eventually put it away because there were too many overgrown sections of trail.
We arrived at a memorial bench for Bob Kimmerly who was the visionary of the Leona Divide 50 where there was plenty of shade and seemed like a great place to take a break. Unfortunately there was a sick hiker using the bench so we stayed far away. There have been significant reports of Noro virus spreading between the town of Green Valley and Hikertown which is the section I am now in. With limited ability to wash hands Noro can quickly spread amongst thru hikers… let’s hope i can avoid catching it.
We sat in the shade for an hour and decided to just do the rest of the miles to camp now instead of waiting for it to get cooler. As a result I was literally raining sweat but I also managed some pretty quick miles. Thankfully there were lots of shaded areas to get brief reprieves from the sun.
As I got the the road a day hiker offered me a cold Gatorade and it was very refreshing. A short walk down the road I am now camped at the Green Valley Fire Station (National Forest Services Fire Department). As it is right next to a road I’ll hear cars pass by most of the night. But fortunately I have earplugs and am exhausted so I’m sure I’ll sleep well.
My air mattress is no bueno. The patches did absolutely nothing. I had reached out to Sea to Summit yesterday by email and they responded today that they will replace the pad free of charge as there is a known defect with it. A lot of outdoor companies really do try to help thru hikers quickly when they have warranty issues with gear. If this all pans out they will certainly have me as a customer for life!
A first for me today – I got bit in the lip by an ant while resting in the shade. It was the last thing that ant ever did.
Even after a giant town meal, a shower and donning clean clothes I did not sleep well last night. The primary culprit for this gear failure – my air mattress has a slow leak. I woke up multiple times and had to put more air into it making for an uncomfortable and rather annoying night.
Today we are doing a proper “nero”. Loosely the definition of a Nero is when you only hike a short distance (usually under 10 miles) and is typically done before going into town or leaving town. Functionally, especially when leaving town it helps avoid vortexing ie spending way more time in town then intended. Some hikers have been known to vortex for days in popular trail towns. So the goal is to get everything done you would normally get done on a zero day with enough time to hit the trail and get a few miles in.
My first goal Of the day was to see if I could find and patch the leak in my air mattress. I got some dish soap and water, filled the mattress with air and started searing for bubbles. I checked around the valves- no issues, the bottom of the air mattress assuming I put a whole in it- no issuss, around the seem on the side of the mattress, again no issues. Finally I checked the top of the air mattress where I found two small leaks in the welds that hold the insulation in place. This is likely a manufactures defect and I have emailed the company to see if I can get it covered under warranty. I’m not sure how well a patch will do because of the locations but I suppose I’ll find out tonight.
Next was breakfast. The Serenity Oasis in Agua Dulce is located at the northern end of town and it’s a 0.3 mile walk to the 4 restaurants and only grocery store in town. I spoiled myself with their cheaper steak and eggs and I probably should have just spent the extra money on the good cut of meat. But it was still delicious and very filling. I then did my resupply at the grocery store. It’s 6-7 days until the next major town but only 3 days to a place that has a small market. So I decided to carry 3 days of snacks and 7 days of breakfast and dinners. This small town grocery store wasn’t optimized for hikers and also not cheap at 92$ USD.
Coming into town yesterday I noticed my trekking pole tip was done. Now I’ve had these poles for a while so it wasn’t too surprising. It is possible to replace the tips but it’s not the easiest thing to do. Fortunately Farmer John had replacement tips for sale and has done more than his fair share of them. A few minutes later and they were good as new.
The heat has officially arrived today and it was 29 degrees out. I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the shade or under the outdoor mist set up at the Oasis trying to keep cool and chatting with hikers. There were definitely significantly less hikers showing up here today than yesterday. It was really tempting to spend another night here but we stuck to our original plan.
At 1630 as it started to get a bit cooler out I started back on trail with Ness. The worst part about town is leaving because that is when your backpack weighs the most. We only hiked 3.8 miles before finding a decent camp site with the rest of the group joining later. We plan to be up really early tomorrow to hike as much as possible before it gets too hot then hopefully find a shady spot to wait out the worse heat of the day.
It was a warm but damp night resulting in a cool morning. But unlike the last few days the sky lacks clouds and the sun will soon be out and provide more than enough warmth. Our group of hikers packed up and were on trail in search of a sun bathed place to enjoy breakfast.
One mile in to the day we found just the place on top of a small ridge just above the trail. What does one eat for breakfast while on the trail? It seems everyone but me enjoys oatmeal whereas I tend to stick to smushed single packed muffins and pop tarts. I prefer not cooking in the morning as it takes less time but it’s also less nutritious. But two poptarts and a muffin are about 1100 ish calories and when Thruhiking calories matter. I’ve already lost over 15 lbs and my pants are looking baggier everyday.
The second stop of the day was just another 3 miles at the Los Angeles Camping and RV Resort. Located just 0.3 miles off trail we stopped here for iced cream and cold drinks before continuing on our way.
From here it was 11 miles to Agua Dulce the next town stop on the PCT. The temperature rose steadily until it reached 24 C but the steady breeze kept it feeling reasonable as I climbed the desert landscape. Town day meant there was only one thing on my mind… Town Food! And I was hiking with purpose.
I approached the tunnel that goes under HWY 14 and exited the other side in what almost felt like a different world. Here the trail goes from desert landscape to the Vasquez Rocks County Park and it’s famous rock formations. Many Hollywood movies have been filmed here. The rapid and unexpected change from desert shrubbery to rock canyons and tress was almost jarring. I was easily distracted from the trail and took lots of photos. While walking I noticed one of my trekking pole tips is broken. I know you can replace just the tip but I’m unsure how easy it is to do it. The hardware store has some universal fit replacements so maybe I’ll try my luck. Or maybe I’ll wait until I’m somewhere I can just replace them. I’ve had these ones for a number of years now.
Vasquez Rocks neighbors Agua Dulce and the PCT uses the roads to walk into town. This entire town seems almost like a movie set with various houses displaying numbers for production companies to call if they want to use the property as a filming location. Out on the PCT it’s easy to forget that LA is only 45 mins away. I walked into town and got a cold drink and waited for my friends to arrive.
We are staying at Farmer John’s Serenity Oasis on the north side of town. 30$ to pitch your tent, have a shower and do your laundry. There are probably 20 ish hikers here today. On a busiest of days Farmer John says he can have upwards of 60. With only 1 shower and 2 washers and dryers line up’s were the name of the game. I opted to wait until after we had dinner to accomplish these tasks and as a direct result was up past hiker midnight. Despite the line ups this really is an Oasis in the desert and a great place to chill and chat with fellow thru hikers (minus the questionable electrical work).
Dinner was at the Mexican Supermarket, which is the only grocery store in town. The food was some of the best Mexican food I have ever eaten and highly recommend.
Tomorrow we will do our resupply and head out sometime in the afternoon. The later the better as they are calling for 29 degrees.
Everything is damp or wet. It rained a lot last night considering the weather forecast was not calling for rain. On top of this I was again sleeping in a cloud. To make it worse it’s cold and I am cold.
I think one of the worst things about Thruhiking is putting on wet cold clothing in the morning. I am not carrying a lot of hiking clothing. I have one pair of pants, one hiking shirt (sun hoodie), two pairs of underwear and two pairs of socks. So when something gets wet it means embracing the suck of putting it back on wet the next morning and hoping the sun comes out to dry it out.
We set off around 0730 this morning still mostly encased in clouds. We found a “sunny” spot shortly after where the group decided to stop for breakfast. I was too cold to stop and continued on by myself.
Another miserable thing about rain is hiking the next morning when none of the trees, shrubs or grass has had an chance to dry. This is amplified when the trail is over grown and let me tell you today there were many long sections of overgrown trail. It’s basically like walking through a constant cold car wash. Everything I was wearing was wet with water sloshing along in my shoes.
I had enough of the abuse the trail was tossing at me and made my own alternate route. I came up to a forest service road that more or less ran parallel enough to the PCT and took it. That meant more mileage and more elevation gain but it was worth it to dry off just a bit for a while.
The road eventually brought me to Measenger Flats Campground where I planned to have lunch. The wind was blowing strong freezing me to my core. I ate as quickly as possible and continued on my way. From here the trail started to mostly descend and slowly the temperature began to rise. I think mentally the hardest part of all of this is that I could see the sunny valley below all day despite being trapped in or around the clouds.
I arrived at the North Fork Ranger Station and the more or less abandoned day use area beside it. The sun was out when I arrived with a strong wind. I took out my tent and sleeping bag to try and dry them out. Of course as soon as I did the clouds came back. The wind was howling and I was getting cold so I packed up and continued on my way.
Finally I was really starting to descend into the valley and the temperature began to really increase. For the first time today I felt warm… then too warm… the views as I decended were incredible. I arrived finally at Mattox Canyon Creek where I would be camping today. I guess everyone else had the same idea because there were a dozen or so other people all ready set up. Fortunately I found one of the few remaining spaces set up camp and got to actually dry out my gear.
An hour and a bit later the trail fam arrived Including Alligator who crushed an amazing 40+ kilometer day to catch up with us. Dinner was had (I ate two packs of Ramen noodles – a thruhiker staple) and plans for tomorrow were made.
Tomorrow is a town day as we will arrive in Agua Dulce for a much needed resupply day. It will be an in and out with no planned zero.
The temperature is going to increase significantly over the next few days. So I’m sure I’ll be complaining about the heat instead of the cold.
