Last night I got some of the best sleep that I’ve had in weeks. I fell asleep super early and woke up around 2 AM, thinking it was way later. Then got to fall back asleep for a while. My watch told me I got “great sleep”, and I would have to agree. It’s cool that I’m able to track all of those things on the watch now too. I made my hot mocha and slowly but surely began packing up.
The sunrise from my camp site this morning.
Then I was actually walking right around 5:15 AM. Which was perfect because I was heading up Baden Powell. So I would be getting up towards the top right as the sun was coming up. I figured the climb would take a little bit longer than usual. And there might be some snow up there to navigate around as well.
Some of the first patches of snow as I climbed the rest of the way up Baden Powell.
There was a little more than a mile left up to the top of the climb. And I was surprised by how much snow is still up there. Baden Powell is around 9300 feet, so that makes a lot of sense. There were melted out areas where hikers had gone straight up to avoid walking in the snow across the winding switchbacks that they couldn’t see. So I didn’t actually have to walk in as much snow as I thought I would.
Getting up to the top of Baden Powell held some exceptional views.
The views were incredible as I made my way up to the top. Baden Powell is a super open and exposed mountain, and the sunrise was at its peak as I approached. It took me a little longer than I expected to get up top because of all of the elevation and the snow patches. Once you get up top the trail sort of rides at that elevation for a while. I would descend a little bit and then climb back up again. Those first couple hours of the day were ridiculously beautiful.
Descending the ridge line off of Baden Powell. What a way to start off a day.
This was one of the best mornings on the entire trail so far.
When I was about 6 miles into the day, I went past little Jimmy camp. I knew there were toilets there so I decided to stop off. And I had just grabbed water from the Spring a few minutes before that. There were a ton of people at this camp because of how close it is to the trailhead. I couldn’t tell if it was maybe a Boy Scout group or some other group like that. Then I continued on down to the road from there.
Entering into the sheep mountain wilderness.
When I was about a half mile from the trailhead parking lot, I passed a couple day hikers who were going up. They let me know that there was some trail magic at the picnic table which they had left. Apparently they day hike a lot and like to provide trail magic to hikers. When I got to the picnic table, there was one hiker there and another hiker had just left. They had a huge plastic bin filled with muffins and other snacks. There were apples and oranges, hard boiled eggs, jugs of water, as well as a cooler with cold Gatorade and beer. This magic was even better than I could’ve imagined! I had a couple hard boiled eggs and packed out an apple. And chugged an ice cold Gatorade.
A trail magic apple! I didn’t even take a photo of the incredible spread down by the picnic table.
After that, I just continued on and had another few miles until the trail would cross highway 2 again. It crosses Highway 2 multiple times today actually. And in a few miles, the trail is closed going north because of some kind of endangered frog. So hikers have to walk along highway 2 for a handful of miles. The nice thing is that the highways closed on one end. So while there can still be traffic both ways because the people coming and going, the road is a lot quieter than it otherwise could be.
The trail was rocky and exposed through this next section, as I made my way to the frog closure.
When I began walking the road, I actually recognized everything immediately. I know in road walked some of the section before Wrightwood because the snow on Baden-Powell was dangerously high. It had actually snowed a lot when I was up north in Tehachapi. And right around the time that we got to Baden-Powell another hiker had been rescued off the top after being stuck up there for over 24 hours. At least that’s the story that I remember, obviously that was a few years ago.
It’s always fun trying something new out here!
For the life of me, I can’t remember if we initiated the road walk because of the frog closure. I guess there’s a really good chance that this closure was in place in 2022 as well. If not, I definitely walked this road either way. We must’ve walked it all the way to the next open trailhead where you could get into Wrightwood. It’s always a little bit tough to remember because this time I’m going northbound and that time I went southbound. But I saw one building and a rest area that I vividly remembered sitting at.
Honestly, I was pretty excited for some road walking today. Yesterday the road walking went really well. I’m probably going to shave off a couple miles today because the road is a lot more direct than the trail. And this is the route that the PCTA says you have to take. I’ve seen comments from hikers that they’re attempting to hike the red line. But at that point you’re just encroaching on an endangered species of animal. Which I definitely don’t have any respect for.
It was pretty hot by the time I started road walking, but it was still early enough in the day. I put some sunblock on my legs and kept it moving. I went by a couple hikers and had a bunch of cyclists pass by me going the opposite direction. All in all I probably had six or seven people on bicycle pass by me. And a bunch of hot rod type of cars and motorcycles went by along the road. I know those types of people usually love driving along the winding mountain roads.
Other than that, though, the road was pretty dang quiet. And there were some sections which actually had shade because of the hill which you were following along. I was able to use this time to get some writing and video work done. Because the walking itself was pretty monotonous and mindless. The only thing that could’ve made the walking better is if I had had service.
I’ll be curious to see how much mileage this road walk actually shaves off. I’m having trouble figuring out where to camp tonight, because I think this blue blaze is going to be shorter than the red line. So I’m going to wait until I reconnect to the PCT to try to determine where I’ll wind up tonight.
After a few miles of road I reconnected to the PCT once more.
It wasn’t long before I made my way back to the trail and reconnected. Along the way I had passed a couple hikers, who now were up ahead of me! They had hitched the road walk back to where the trail picked up again. A lot of hikers are pretty opposed to road walking out here it seems. I could see how it could be a bit intimidating I suppose. At least until you give it a try!
Crossing over the 400 mile marker on day 12!
Once I got back into the trail it had really heated up. So I was glad to be off the pavement. Though the trail had absolutely no coverage. I walked for a mile or so and then crossed over the 400 mile marker. I can’t believe I’m here already on day 12. Time is really flying by. Not long after that I passed by a small cabin called camp glen wood. I walked over to take a look at it right as a truck was pulling up. It seems like the guys were working down the road, but using the cabin. I wasn’t sure if they worked there or what exactly the circumstances were. But they were super nice and asked me if I wanted a PB&J! Who could say no to that.
The cabin at Camp Glenwood. I barely even remembered this place from 2022. I imagine it was all closed up because of how late it was in the season going southbound.
I sat inside with them and ate a sandwich pretty quickly. I can’t believe that’s my 2nd trail magic of the day. What a treat! They gave me a clementine for the road and I thanked them for everything. Then continued on my way. Time felt like it was moving in slow motion after I left there. It was just one of those days. Maybe it was because I’ve stopped off a couple of times. I couldn’t be sure. But I only wound up making it another mile or so before I saw some people up ahead. They were standing around a picnic area and had a sign that read “trail magic”. I truly couldn’t believe it! What a day.
The afternoon was tiring and hot, but it was a great day nonetheless.
When I got up to the parking area I was almost in shock. There were a bunch of people who had come out together to support hikers. And two hikers were just leaving as I arrived. The guys running the small grill offered me grilled cheese sandwiches. Then they had a big bucket filled with drinks and ice. I grabbed a v8 and a Mountain Dew. What a combination. Then I ate two grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato. The guys running the show were really nice. One had hiked the PCT a long time ago with his wife. The other was a friend and it was his first time doing trail magic.
I’d never heard of the silver moccasin trail before! I wonder how long that is and where it goes.
I stayed there for a bit and then had to continue on some time after 1PM. I still had a far way to go for the day, I think about 18 miles for the day. It was about 16 miles to the last water source of the day. Then I’d probably go another couple miles past there to a tent site for the night. But for this next stretch of the day I told myself I had to get into the zone. And sometimes shockingly I can “zone in” better without music on. I just focused on a day dream and started working my mind around it. That’s one of my favorite things to do on trail.
Walking along a narrow ridge later on in the day.
Sometimes my brain can’t focus on a podcast or music. And sometimes I’m too aware of how long podcasts are, and that actually makes the time go by even slower. But a day dream can take on a life of its own. Then all of the sudden I look up and two hours have gone by. Maybe even more. I was deep in the zone this time until I eventually noticed some hikers up ahead on the ridge.
That’s another one of my favorite ways to pass the time by. I love to “reel people in”. It doesn’t always work on trails. I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly “fast”, as much as I’m consistent in speed and don’t really stop off ever. But having been hiking all year I’m at a bit of an advantage. So I can usually reel some people in these days. As hikers progress along the trail then that probably won’t always be the case.
The plants alongside the trail together were thick at times and super prickly.
I passed a whole lot of time trying to catch up to those two guys. They were quite far ahead so it must have taken 20-30 minutes. That bit of time flew by and gave me something to focus on. Eventually I came up to those guys who were two German brothers out thru hiking together. After I passed them there was only another mile or two to the next water source. Which would be the last one for another 8 miles or so. While I filled up my water those two German guys caught up to me. We talked for a bit as I sat there. They were both super nice! It’s so cool that they’re brothers out here together. It would be pretty epic to hike with a family member.
Leaving there I just pushed on for the next we hours, heading to the next water. Which would be the last one for the night. It was hot out but not too terrible. After only another mile or so I passed a sign for trail magic. The 4th one of the day! It was clear that the people were camping out for the night. And it looked like an incredible set up. I was already 30 miles in for the day and it would have been incredible to end the day there.
Leaving the mill creek fire station, my last water source of the day.
At this point I knew I would be getting to camp right around 7:30PM most likely. So I didn’t want to stick around too long and burn more time. I spent alot of time at trail magic today already. The ladies were super nice and had some adorable dogs. One of them was massive and looked like Beethoven. It slobbered all over me while I chatted with the ladies briefly. They gave me a soda and I took it on the road.
Leaving there was a little hard. That was one of the first moment on trail where I was fully bound by my long term plans. I’ve been working out alot of math today and things seem to be fitting together pretty perfectly. But doing 38 miles today is the only way to set myself up to get into Agua Dulce tomorrow evening. I’d rather not do too many extra miles tomorrow if I don’t have to. And missing out on 8 miles today would make a huge difference when it comes to that. I’m happy to be out here doing what I’m doing though. This is just one of those times where consistency is more important than enjoying the fun of trail magic. I have to live with that.
I cruised on past there and got fueled up by the soda. The next couple of hours were nice and easy. The trail followed along a sandy ridge line through a narrow stretch of pine trees. Then eventually I got up and onto a higher more exposed portion of trail. After that I began descending down toward the fire station.
My shin started to feel a little sore around then. I knew I just had to slap a piece of KT tape on there and it would be completely better. But I was so sweaty and covered in dirt that the first piece didn’t stick. When I got down to the water source I cleaned my leg and wiped sanitizer on me to dry the area out a bit. But I knew it probably still wouldn’t stay. KT tape works best if you put it on an hour before any exercise. That way it can really get stuck on there.
At the water source there were a couple hikers sitting and filling up. One guy was named Fast Cash and recognized me. He asked some questions about the calendar year and was super nice. Plus he was also planning to camp around the same area. So it looked like we might be at the same site for the night! He headed out of the water source a little bit before me. So I spent the next half hour trying to catch up to him. I wanted to walk and talk with him for a bit. His pack was really small and he was out doing a section hike. I figured it probably wasn’t his first rodeo and was curious about his past adventures.
After a while I finally caught up to him and he moved to let me pass. But I didn’t want to get out ahead. I just wanted to hang out and chat all the way into camp. That sounded like a wonderful way to end the day. Fast Cash was such a delightful human and I so enjoyed those next twenty or so minutes. He’s completed the triple crown but we’ve actually never hiked any of the same trails during the same years. I always love how that’s possible and it intrigues me. It’s such a small community and world out here. Yet sometimes you get to meet someone for the first time, even after you’ve both spent so many years out on these trails.
We pushed on to the next tent site together and discovered about 6-7 other hikers there when we arrived. But there was plenty of room for all of us on top of this sandy hill. I could tell that it was going to be an incredible spot for the night. The sun would be setting right out front of my tent. I feel spoiled recently with some of the spots I’ve camped at. The last few in particular have been some of my favorite camp sites to date. This one was exceptional though. I just so happened to set my tent up in the perfect location to frame the entirely of the sunset from my vestibule.
Enjoying the most incredible sunset, right from my camp spot.
I sat outside my tent and made dinner. Then got to talk with Fast Cash for the next hour or so. And man, was that some of the best conversation that I’ve had in ages. We talked about deeper portions of thru hiking and this life style. Thoughts and feelings flowed that you could only share with someone who has walked the same path over the years. It was really interesting to share feeling of selfishness and solitude out here. This lifestyle is so incredible, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything at the moment. But it is a very unique life. One which brings you far away from friends and family, and deeper relationships in those realms.
It’s so purely selfish and free. Selfishness doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When you walk a path that is feeding your soul and making you more happy than any other could. But none the less, those feeling often surface. And aren’t ones that many hikers often speak of with one another. It felt like such a privilege to share those thoughts with him. I felt so grateful to be right there in that moment. There was no place else in the world that I would have rather been. What a marvelous way to end off another long day on this journey.
After everyone turned in for the night I did the same. Then did my stretching and got situated for the night. Before moving on to a bit of writing and video work. I didn’t do it all, but knew I’d likely have time over the course of the day tomorrow. This trail has been enabling me to be a bit more productive during the actual hiking day. Which is a blessing all its own. I’m going to get another fantastic and long nights sleep tonight. The last few nights have been some of the most restful of the whole trail! Other than my late night up in the town of Cajon Pass.
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