The Trail Takes a Turn

"Hike your own hike" is a phrase often heard on these long hikes. And after 558 miles, it's time for me to hike my own hike.

We've been taking a break in an amazing trail angel's place in Tehachapi, CA. It's been a great relaxing couple days. My lower leg is starting to feel better, but I think it could still use a couple days off before heading back out. Tomorrow, Feathers and I will part ways and each begin the journey of "hiking your own hike".

One aspect of this trip that I haven't brought up yet is that the PCT requires a permit, which is a lottery system. I ended up getting a start date of March 9th from the Mexican border. That is an extremely early start date with pluses and minuses. So far I've been benefiting from the early start date.....cooler temps through the desert and relatively more water available. Now, I'm starting to see the disadvantage. We're very close to Sierras where, in the early season, can mean deep snow, ice, and dangerous river crossings. Winter storms can unleash on the mountains this time of year too. I've made the decision to go around the Sierras (for now) and head up to northern California where the elevations are not as high and the terrain is not so steep. My comfort and skill level in high steep elevations with slick icy snow is not very high. Hence, I'm making the decision to go up to northern California and start hiking north again. Hopefully I can return down south and finish the skipped sections. As far as Feathers, she did part of the trail last year and ended up stopping before she got into the Sierra's. She is going to try and go in and see what it has to offer.

As for me, tomorrow I'll jump on a couple of buses and a train and make my way to Sacramento. I have a couple friends there and look forward to spending a day or two with them before heading north. Hopefully in a few days my leg will feel up to putting some more miles on it.

After a day or two in Sacramento, I'll jump on another train and head to the northern California town of Dunsmuir. Here, I'll start back on the PCT and work my way towards Canada. I'm looking forward to seeing Mount Shasta and getting into Oregon. I'm also looking forward to pine trees again. The desert was a very challenging and enlightening experience, but the Pacific Northwest is calling my name.

I'll talk to you down the train tracks ....

Celebrating the 500 mile mark on the trail.