PCT Trail Journal: Day 14 Mile 146.1 to Paradise Valley Cafe (Mile 151.8)

On day 14 of the PCT (mile 146.1 to Paradise Valley Cafe), I woke up with a tent full of condensation on the inside. There was a layer of fog in the valley below. Everyone was wet. One guy cowboy camped (no tent, just sleeping on the ground) and was completely soaked. Lol.

I was thinking of waiting to let my tent dry out but it was town day and there was town food waiting for me!

My battery pack was dead so I traded bars for battery juice. This way I could listen to my book while hiking.

It was a quick and slow 6 miles to Paradise Valley Cafe. My legs were feeling pretty tired. I did 16 and 15 mile the days before. I kept checking on my watch how close I was and was looking every 0.03 miles. At least the trail had a lot of wildflowers and mountain views. There was a bit of up and down but nothing too serious.

I cruised into Paradise Valley Cafe around 9 am and ordered fresh squeezed orange juice and an omelet with veggies (and bacon). Later I ordered a cinnamon roll too 😋. Another bonus: I scored an inflatable pillow in the hiker box!

Hiker boxes are pretty cool and hit or miss. In areas frequented by hikers, there are boxes where hikers can leave stuff they don’t want or need anymore. One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure. You can find all kinds of stuff in there. Hiker boxes around post offices can be great because people send themselves too much stuff and then have to get rid of it. Then you resupply.

I booked an Airbnb in Idyllwild for me, Sanja, and Vista. Vista and I hitched into Idyllwild and went right to the coffee shop recommended by our driver. Plus we got a hitch in 30 seconds. Super good hitching karma!

We couldn’t check into the Airbnb until 3 so we chilled around Idyllwild. It’s an incredibly cute mountain town. All the buildings are surrounded by super-tall pine trees and it didn’t feel like a town.

I saw so many hikers from earlier on the trail before I stopped at Stagecoach.It was like a reunion in Idyllwild! So fun to see folks I haven’t seen in a while. Then we drank beer at the pizza place.

I was feeling really positive (I may have been a little drunk from starting drinking at 1:30 pm) and probably annoyed everyone by constantly saying:

“Guys, we have the best life.”
“We are so lucky!”

We arrived at our rustic cabin Airbnb and got cleaned up. I felt like a new woman! Showered and with clean clothes on. Vista said we are highfalutin’ hikers. Lol.

The plan was to get food delivered and chill out at the Airbnb. There is no food delivery in Julian 😢. We had to walk to the brewery. There was beer, chili burgers, and fun times with other hikers.

Two other hikers joined us for dinner and they only ordered small plates. They already had dinner and were still hungry so they went out for second dinner.

We went back to the Airbnb. I talked to my significant other. I accidentally put my phone on speaker right when he said really loudly, “Are you guys naked right?” Everyone laughed loudly and looked at me awkwardly. I was so embarrassed. He said he knows that we all only have one set of clothing. I can’t stop laughing about it. 

I slipped into my wonderful real bed with the softest sheets ever. It’s the good life when in town!

✨3 Things I’m Grateful For

1. Wildflowers
2. Town food
3. Cute mountain towns like Idyllwild

✨3 Things I’m Excited About

1. Palm Springs!
2. Rest days in town
3. All the town food

🌟How Was Today? Did I enjoy it?

My legs were feeling pretty tired and like I need a rest day. But of course today was a good day. There was town food!

⛺How Was My Gear?

I scored a new inflatable pillow in the PVC hiker box. Excited about that! All my gear is working well except the old things I need to replace.

💪How did my Body Feel?

My legs were sore climbing the up but otherwise pretty good! I think my hiking legs are starting to get there. I’m starting to feel strong.

🍴How was my food situation?

I definitely overpacked. Plus if there is town food I won’t touch my trail food.

🤔What did I learn and how will I action it?

I want to be more strategic about they number of days I pack. Instead of being like I’ll just pack 5 days, think about what I actually need.

Read Other PCT Trail Journals

✨Day 13, Day 12, Day 11, Day 10, Day 9, Day 7 & 8, Day 6, Day 5 , Day 4 , Day 3, Day 2, Day 1

Map for Hiking the PCT

Maps are fun. Plus you should always have a paper map.