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.