PCT Trail Journal: Mile 56.2 t0 68.4 Overview

Wow super rough day. My feet are in terrible shape. Something needs to be done.

I slept ok. Not great but ok. It was chilly but I was warm in my tent. There was a lot of condensation and some frost on the inside of my tent. We were camped in a valley next to a stream. Exactly where they say not to camp.

This first part of the trail was super scenic. It was very exposed with excellent desert views. I loved this section. It was my favorite part.

Once starting, my feet were already hurting really bad. I stopped around 3 miles (1 hour) in and took a break. I let my feet air out a bit and just rested. The tape I put on my pinky toe came off and it was totally pissed.

I listened to the Good Life for a bit and just suffered through the pain. After another hour I stopped to go to the bathroom and take another break. I saw Condor and she recommended using two socks. I tried that and it made it way worse. There was a lot of space and my feet felt crowded.

The views weren’t as good during this section of the trail. There were a lot of shrubs and not as many mountains. The trail was also incredibly rocky and this was not awesome for my feet.

After about an hour with 2 socks on, I stopped again and took off the other socks. I’m so glad I did. That felt a lot better. Not good but better. This was about 6 miles in.

I thought a lot about going home to rest. Dip said I need to take it easy and heal my feet. I kept thinking about this. He’s right. That’s why I thought about going home a lot. I should just rest there. That made me feel bad like I was quitting. I don’t want to quit but I can’t walk on these feet anymore. They need to heal. Every step is so painful!

It started to feel like other parts of my right foot are being impacted (the bunion). Maybe because I was limping so much?

The trail started descending a lot and it got a lot hotter. There were more and more wildflowers. There was a never ending down and my knees were starting to feel it a little bit.

I ran out of water and stopped at a small stream before the big water source at the bottom of the hill. While filling up I met Meredith and Caleb and Meredith made me feel better. She offered a lot of help with my blisters. Like tying your shoes with a heel lock to prevent them from sliding around as much.

I descended to the big water source and there were a ton of people there chilling. It was a lot hotter and everyone was sitting in the shade.

Condor also gave me some KT tape and pad for my blister. It didn’t end up staying on but it was still nice.

The last 5 miles were painful. I was cringing from a lot of the steps. New blisters formed under the Compeed pads. Jeeze!

I booked the Stagecoach RV park for 2 nights to take a zero and figure out my feet. It is 8 miles to the road where I will get a hitch. On Tuesday I want to go to the outfitter in Julian. I am going to fix my feet.

Check out day 4 on the PCT.

Read my other Trail Journals

✨Day 4: Mt. Laguna to Mile 56.2

✨Day 6: Mile 68.4 to Stagecoach RV Coach

✨3 Things I’m Grateful For

1. My sleep system kept me warm!
2. Other people on the trail/ trail friends
3. Trail angels and their generosity

✨3 Things I’m Excited About

1. Shorter day (only 8 miles)
2. Getting to town to resupply and rest
3. Figuring out how to heal my feel

🌟How Was Today? Did I enjoy it?

Today was a rough day because of my feet. The compeed pads felt good yesterday but new blisters formed under them today. I definitely didn’t enjoy today as much as I could due to my feet hurting so much.

⛺How Was My Gear?

My sleep system was A+. My shoes are no bueno. They seem to be creating some terrible blisters. My sunshirt is perfect. I feel very protected.

💪How did my Body Feel?

Body was in good shape except my feet. Today was the point where I said I have to do something about my feet. This isn’t working.

🍴How was my food situation?

Food situation was ok. I didn’t have an official lunch but scored some chips from trail angels. I would have had a minimal lunch without that. I could have had oats or some cous cous though. The Mac N Cheese was blah. The noodles got super mushy again. Maybe because they are old?

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

Today was the day I said I can’t do this my feet any more. I am going to get to the RV park to rest for a day and make a decision about my feet. Here is what I am thinking:

1. Buy new shoes
2. Rest in Julian for a few days
3. Go home to rest

Read my other Trail Journals

✨Day 4: Mt. Laguna to Mile 56.2

✨Day 6: Mile 68.4 to Stagecoach RV Coach

Map for Hiking the PCT

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