San Jacint-no

Written at mile 209 – Cabazon

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Up

Down

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Up

Up

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Down

This is not the latest Konami code. It is how to travel from mile 151 (Paradise Valley Cafe) -> mile 209 (Cabazon).  The first two days lull you into a false sense of security. “Oh, this climb isn’t terrible.” 500 feet gain here, 500 feet loss there. No big deal. Day three, there is a long ascent up of 3,000ft. In it, there is a sketchy section of five miles that has old and fresh rock slides. This five miles also allows a 8-12” wide technical terrain of trail. One side is a cliff up, the other side a cliff down.

There was a point where a southbound set of older gentlemen were coming my way. I stood off to the side while they attempted a fresh rock slide and then pass me. The first man thought one of the rocks was stable. It was not. He fell directly to his ass. We looked at each other with an understanding of how that could have turned out. He was so close to sliding down the mountain. 

After the rock slide area I danced to and fro amongst the boulderous mountain. Its jagged rocks were a perfect playground for the wind. I climbed higher and higher. Out of no where, and at only 8,000 feet, the trail turned pleasant. There were large pine trees. The ground was no longer snickering for my death, but merely a bouncy and soft welcoming surface for my sore ankles. 

I climbed another 1,000 feet to meet the junction to either continue the official PCT trail, or to go up to the San Jacinto peak. There were a few others there at the junction. My altitude sickness was kicking in. How did I know? I wanted to murder them all. The “grumbles” is a tell tale sign of altitude sickness. The cure? Going down. I chose not to summit San Jacinto. I went down. While the down was nice to have after all the up, it came with new ups. And downs. 1,000 feet here, 1,000 feet there. What surprised me was that those ups and downs were some of the most beautiful forest I’ve seen yet. HUGE pine trees. Boulders the size of cars. A small meadow or two. And oh my god, flat land. 

You may be wondering, what’s the last two days of this section? 8,000 feet of descent. Yes. Straight down. While that sounds nice, I have to manage my unproven quads and hams. They gas out after a bit and need their rest too. 

I’ve learned that each 5-7 day section of the PCT is unique in its challenges. Nothing is for certain and for SURE nothing is easy. Consciously, I know this “desert” section is the training ground for the Sierra.

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Walking to I-10, I could smell the exhaust from 0.25 miles away. Just before reaching I-10, I had a hard time breathing, even though the terrain was flat and easy to hike, and I got a slight headache. I guess emissions really are a big deal, and it pays to get out of the city to clear your system. 

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I’m not eating enough protein. I feel it big time. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been eating: 3 packets of oatmeal for breakfast; 1 packet of instant potatoes + instant beans + olive oil/salt/pepper for lunch; 1 packet of ramen with peanut butter and seasame seeds for dinner; plus snacks that aren’t nuts. 

My muscles are killing me because they aren’t repairing like they should be. Plus, I don’t think my brain is working as correctly as it usually is. This is less than ideal. 

This Cabazon resupply includes: nuts, beef jerky, and meals that have packets of salmon. 

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I’m losing confidence in my quilt. I’m sad to say that, as I made it over COVID. I’m sentimentally attached to it as it has traveled with me and been a comfortable cocoon, protecting me from the cold nights. 

There has been one night in particular when it got below freezing that my feet were on the cusp of being uncomfortably cold. To be fair, I have a slightly higher tolerance for cold feet than most, and I like to think my cold feet are doing wonders for their inflammation. And, I know that’s probably not a good thing to have repeatedly. I’m keeping an eye out for when this happens. If it happens enough, I’ll pick up a new quilt.  

I’ve been surveying other hikers of what brand quilt they’ve been using. They graciously allow me to touch the quilt and see its features. One person I was telling my tale to said I might have been cold because I wasn’t eating enough that day. They also claim that for them, they instantly warm up if they eat peanuts! I’ll be keeping an eye out for that next time I’m cold. 

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In other gear news: I have a love hate relationship with my Nitecore battery. I absolutely love their headlamps. I own four. While I LOVE the idea of their batteries, it seems they aren’t held up to the same standards as their headlamps. Their batteries are incredibly lightweight, and enough battery to charge my phone, watch, and headlamp. This is simply not happening. While I’ve been sleeping with all my electronics (and my water filter) so they won’t loose their charge, this Nitecore isn’t cutting the mustard. This is my second battery from them and the first was even worse. I think it’s time to say I gave them the ‘ol college try and move on. 

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It turns out the weekend I’m writing this, is Cochella. I’ve been hiking near where that is being held. The cheapest hotel on this Friday/Saturday is $300. Luckily, I’ve timed my descent into Cabazon for a hotel stay on Sunday, which affords me a $150 stay at a Quality Inn. Yes, it comes with a breakfast, and Yes, I’ll be eating everything they give me. I’m expecting a bagel and maybe a waffle if I’m lucky. 

What bums me out is that Hiker Haven is closed this weekend due to Cochella. I was really looking forward to staying there. I had heard of this amazing place before I started the trip. Oh well. This whole trip has been serendipitous and there will be something amazing coming in my future. 

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I’m late to the party when it comes to Pepperidge Farms. I’ve decided to taste test each of their offerings over this trip. So far, I’ve tried the Manatauk and Nantucket chocolate chip cookies.  First off, these are excellent and you can’t go wrong with either. The Nantucket offers a nice sea salt where you can actually taste the salt. 

Please weigh-in in the comments for what I should try next. PF has a lot of products…and not all offerings are offered at every store at an amazing offer. There. I did it. A sentence with each tense usage of offer. Thank you.