The laziness of being off trail has gotten to me. I have tried to be religious about keeping up my blog, because I am normally pretty lax about that sort of thing. Unfortunately, after a few days off the trail I let it fall by the wayside. You haven't missed much, though, and today I head back out onto the trail, so here is what's new...
First of all, it has come to my attention that some people are following along on Google Maps and Google Earth. The PCT is usually well marked in these maps and, using the terrain view, you can often get a good sense of what the land looks like where I am. The elevation is harder to tell, so I would like to provide a link to Halfmile's (his trail name) PCT maps. They are available at http://www.pctmap.net/download/p/mapdl.html as a free PDF download. These maps not only have the PCT marked, but they also have elevation (sorry, it's metric) and more interesting they have Halfmile's notes on trail conditions. Most hikers use these maps because they give water sources, resupply notes, and other miscellaneous gems. So for all the armchair PCT enthusiasts it's worth checking out. I will also try to get a bit more specific on my location (i.e. road crossings, landmarks, park boundaries, etc.) so that pinpointing my location is a bit easier.
So here is the plan of attack for the next day or two: Erin is driving me out to where I left off, and we should be there around noon or just after. This is Pine Canyon Road a few miles west of Three Points for you maps gurus. From there I am hoping for a solid half day of hiking - maybe 15 miles. I plan to take a couple hours of rest to eat, change socks, etc., then continue hiking overnight. A night hike is appropriate for this section because much of the route is hot, exposed, and flat. I believe that my course runs parallel to the California Aqueduct for about 16 miles, so hiking by moon/starlight and headlamp shouldn't present much of a problem. After a short rest in the wee hours of the morning I hope to push on through the day tomorrow before finally crashing tomorrow evening. Ideally that means 15 miles today, 25 overnight, and another 20 tomorrow. But like many endeavors, once you get on the trail the plan is the first thing to go out the window, so we'll see what happens.
I must admit that sedentary life has gotten a bit of a hold on me. It has been good to see friends and family, and to have showers, meals, and a bed on hand. I did worry a bit last night about my ability to jump back into the hiking, since it feels like I've been off trail for a month by this point. I feel sluggish and out of shape already (mostly because I have been sitting around and eating everything in sight). I'm sure my body hasn't forgotten how to carry a load though, so I'm counting on instinct and muscle memory to carry the day.
