PCT Trail Journal: Day 23 Mile 597.3 to 578.1

It snowed in the middle of the night. I woke up from the sound of snow sliding down my tent. That was a sign that mile 597.3 to 578.1 were going to be another cold day. And it was! 

I was completely dry inside and did my normal morning routine. It’s so nice having hot coffee in the morning inside my tent. I also love that trick of putting my clothes inside my sleeping bag when I wake up. It makes it a lot more enjoyable to put on my bra. Cold bras are the worst.

The trail was like a snowy obstacle course. There were so many blowdowns. I had to crawl on my hands and knees under one of them. I wonder what killed all those giant trees? I didn’t see signs of fire.

There was no one for 3 hours and then I saw Galileo, a friend! He asked if I want to sit and have a gossip. We talked and had coffee. He gave me food. I took his garbage. I told him about a lot of the stuff that had happened to me on the trail. He said I’ve been having adventures. Lol.

I started passing the northbound bubble and noticed how rough the hikers are looking. They are extra dirty, super sunburned/tanned, and their clothes are shredded. I thought, “Will I look that rough after 600 miles?”

I hiked another 5 miles to a campsite under windmills. It’s crazy how loud they are. Then the sun went away and it started to rain. I was bummed because I was trying to dry out my tent.

The rest of the day was up. so at least I was warm. There were more wildflowers appearing. 

Everyone was bundled up

A lot of the other hikers were all bundled up and cold. Part of the problem is that it hasn’t been just one cold day, it’s been 4 and it’s not really stopping. We were hiking in 80-90 degree weather and now it’s highs of 40.

I got to the last water source before Tehachapi around 3:30. I wanted to let my tent sit in the sun but it wasn’t out. Filtering 5 liters takes a long time. It was freezing and my hands went numb. I didn’t shut my water bladder all the way and it leaked. It was too cold to stop and fix it but it wasn’t leaking that much.

I had another 5 miles to my campsite and the trail was mostly up with small downs mixed in. It was hard with all that water. By the end I was suffering and just wanted to get to camp.

This section of the trail is on a dirt road. A dirt road with giant boulders. I finally made it to camp at 5:30. The sun came out a tiny bit and my tent and other wet stuff dried out. Thank goodness!

The Garmin weather report says it feels like 34. Brrrrrrr ❄️. I ate a quick dinner and got in the tent to warm up.

All in all, another cold day of hiking in the books. Looking forward to town day tomorrow and it warming up. I was thinking of only staying one night in Tehachapi but it will be good to take a rest day for my knee. Plus I don’t want to rush.

Read my PCT Trail Journal Day 22: Kelso Road to Mile 597.3

Read my PCT Trail Journal Day 21: Bird Spring Pass to Kelso Road here.

Read my PCT Trail Journal Day 20: Walker Pass to Bird Spring Pass here.

✨3 Things I’m Grateful For

1. Living in Phoenix where it’s warm
2. My Montbell jacket
3. That my tent kept me dry

✨3 Things I’m Excited About

1. Staying in a hotel in Tehachapi
2. Taking a hot bath
3. Being warm again

🌟How Was Today? Did I enjoy it?

It was really nice to run into Galileo. We sat in the sun for a long time and had coffee. Otherwise, today wasn’t great because it was so cold. The last couple of days haven’t been wonderful and I think it’s because of the cold.

⛺How Was My Gear?

My hands were numb when I got water and I didn’t shut my bladder all the way. Then it leaked. That was frustrating.

💪How did my Body Feel?

My left knee felt ok today. Not 100% but better than 2 days ago. By the end of the day my right neck/ shoulder was hurting badly (sharp shooting pain). I loaded up with water for a dry camp and that seemed to irritate it. It doesn’t like heavy packs.

🍴How was my food situation?

I rationed to have a perfect amount of food to get to Tehachapi on Friday afternoon without being too hungry. Galileo gave me granola and 2 Reese’s. It felt like a luxury. I had as much granola as I wanted at lunch.

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

I confirmed that I like being in warm weather. I can’t wait to hike when it’s warm again.

Read Other PCT Trail Journals

✨Day 22, Day 21, Day 20, Day 19, Days 15-18, Day 14, 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.