So today was a short hiking day. I got a good night sleep in Julian, followed by a big breakfast of pancakes. Afterward, to give my body time to recover, my parents and I tooled around the town. It is a cute little tourist town, apparently known for their pies. I picked up a few supplies, along with some candy from one of the sweets shops in town. Along with all the food to get me to my next resupply in Idyllwild, this new gear substantially increased the weight of my pack. Not to mention this is one of the driest stretches on the entire trail, so of course I am full on water. I am probably carrying about 50 or 55 pounds now.
Actually, the weight hasn't been bothering me much. If I can just get my feet toughened up, and get rid of the heat rash, then I think this hiking business could be pretty easy.
The plan for today was to take a "nearo," or near zero mileage day. That should give my blisters and muscles time to recover. So, after lunch, my parents brought me back to where highway 78 intersects the PCT. Near the juncture there is a tree with dozens of pairs of old shoes hanging from the branches. Since my old running shoes were no good, and since I had switched them for a new pair from my resupply gear, I decided to add my old shoes to the landmark (picture included). At the tree we met some folks who had stopped to get a quick picture of the tree. We got to chatting and found out that he was an actor turned school teacher and she an artist. They were a fun pair, and he (Bruce I think though I'm terrible with names) asked for my blog so he could share bits and pieces with his fifth graders. So if you are out there and reading this, welcome!
Anyway, I grabbed a few pages out of my PCT guidebook since my downloaded pdf ones are a pain. According to the book I have a ways to go before I get any water. If there is a cache I should reach it by noon tomorrow. But if the cache is gone it may be a full day with only the water I'm carrying. Unfortunately it's just a bad day to take a nearo. My body needs it, but short days mean longer until water. I made about 5 miles today, and am currently camped in a dry wash high on the side of one of the San Felipe hills.
A few interesting notes before bed...
1. The PCT as approved by congress originally should have gone through the Vulcan Mountains to the West. These mountains are home to the town of Julian, and are lush because water is plentiful. In fact, it is the rain shadow effect of the Vulcans that makes the San Felipe hills so dry. The forest service didn't want to hassle with navigating around private land, so they said "hey, what are those ugly, brown, dangerously dry mountains over there? That looks much easier." As I am beginning to find, private land disputes are the cause of many irrational and frustrating detours.
2. There is a cactus-like plant called an Octillo that only blooms in the 3 to 5 days after a rain storm. I am super lucky to see them! They are plants with dozens of green stalks like tentacles, and have a pinkish purple bloom at the end. Apparently within days they will wither and turn brown until the next rain storm. They literally look like tentacled monsters coming out of the ground to get you. Coooool, somebody call the Japanese.
3. I just killed a tick that was crawling on my pants. Great, I was afraid I would miss them this trip.
That's all for now!
