PCT Day 45-47 – Double Zero Ridgecrest (653.2) to PCT mile 669.9

May 19-21, 2026

Total PCT miles: 16.7

Non PCT miles: 0.0

Total: 16.7 miles / 26.9 km

Total elevation gain: 3576 ft

Total elevation loss: 3698 ft

Steps: 40042

There isn’t much to do or see in Ridgecrest and every place a hiker might need to go to is like a mile walk minimum. Probably a terrible place to double zero if it were not for the fact the hotel rooms were the most reasonably priced I’ve seen so far on trail. I was staying at the American Inn for 89$ per night and they took care of your laundry.

I had already taken care of my resupply yesterday when I got into town so I had nothing to do but rest and relax. Which was exactly the point of this double zero. Although I probably spent way too much time trying to get intel on the Sierra thus causing myself (hopefully) unnecessary anxiety.

Ness arrived in town around lunch on my first zero and the rest of the group arrived late the following day. It was a good opportunity to catch up and start discussing plans for the Sierra. I ate as much town food as I could. I have no idea how much weight I’ve lost but looking in the full length mirror that was in my room it’s definitely a significant amount. I believe my beard has officially gotten out of control and I have more hair on my head than I’ve had in years. I suppose I’m really starting to embrace this hiker trash thing.

For the first time the number of miles remaining in this hike starts with a 1. From Walker Pass it is 1996.8 miles to Canada! Wild. It’s crazy to think that in under three days I’ll be finally done with the desert section of the PCT and moving on to the Sierra!

May 21 – back on trail

Ness and I along with another hiker “Starship” were picked up by a local trail angle Scott at 0700 to be dropped of at the Walker Pass trail head. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Ridgecrest. Scott is an interesting man who has spent a lot of time in the mountains hiking and climbing. After a short detour as Starship had to drop something off we were at the trail head at 0800. We were met there by another group of hikers that we’ve been following for the past few weeks.

My hike started with some serious shin splits in my left leg. As rested as I was after the last two days I probably should have spent some time stretching. I took some vitamin I and took it slow with many breaks until the pain subsided. That took about 4 miles. The day started with a climb that minus the shin splints I was actually surprised how well I did. A few weeks ago I would have huffed and puffed the whole way and had to take probably more breaks. I can definitely tell my fitness is improving. The landscape was still primarily desert like with views down to the desert valley below including China Lake Naval Warfare Centre. I could hear fighter jets flying all day but never was able to actually see one.

Fortunately there are many more water sources on this segment of the trail vs the last. Soon I won’t be worrying about not enough water but rather their being too much and the raging Sierra rivers we have to cross. It was 11 miles to the first water source and we stopped and had lunch. There was a hiker there who was hiking only in foam sandals. My Achilles ached just thinking about it.

The second climb of the day was made painful by the heat. The temperature rose significantly while we had lunch and it was now 26 C with not a single cloud in the sky. Fortunately there was a slight breeze. I deployed my sun umbrella and took my time. We got to the second water source and decided to call it a day. There are 8 or 9 hikers camped here tonight Which made finding a spot challenging. There are also more bugs at this campsite than I think I’ve seen the rest of the trail. But I know bugs will get worse as I continue north that is guaranteed.

Tomorrow will also have two climbs and is again suppose to be 26 degrees. The good news is that it’s also warm in the Sierra so snow is melting. The bad news is we have to hike in the heat tomorrow.