Hikey Mike

Day 44 – 17 miles

Finally we had come to the final section of the desert. Things that had once felt novel and exciting, like planning out water carries and working around the afternoon heat, were now just frustrating. By this point, there was one common phrase that united every thruhiker you met: “F**k the desert”.

As had become habit by now, leaving town was always the hardest day, with full packs and consistent climbs as the trail regained elevation. Today was no different with a 5 day food carry, 4 litres of water to last 16 miles until the first water source and a 3000ft climb to start the day.

Finally reaching the water source after running out of water 3 miles earlier due to a hot morning, I was unimpressed to find that the stream was no more than a trickle down a rock, and so spent the next 15 minutes collecting a single litre

Reaching camp a mile later, we all decided to cowboy camp and were rewarded by a deer walking up to our camp and the best stars yet on trail, including a view of the Milky Way. The tranquility was slowly ripped away as what started as a light breeze at 9pm turned into a fight to keep our belongings by midnight. I made the stupid decision to lift my head up to tighten my sleeping quilt, but by the time I put my head back down by pillow had blown 10 metres into the woods. Not thinking, I stood up to collect it and watched my sleeping mat and ground sheet both get swept away. It took me 5 minutes to find all my things in the dark and a further 10 to get everything back in place, only possible due to help from Eyebrow who was also being kept awake by the wind. Thankfully the wind died down 30 minutes later and people finally were able to get some sleep.

Day 45 – 20 miles

Another day, another hike. Absolutely nothing happened today so instead I’ll share the routine that I’ve been following for the last month and a half.

5:30am – sunrise, wake up and roll over to go back to sleep

Somewhere between 6am and 8am – actually wake up and start getting ready which now takes 30-45 mins. Eat either a healthy breakfast of porridge or more likely some poptarts

Rest of the morning – walk walk walk walk

12pm to 3pm – stop for lunch, which is usually a cheese and meat wrap with a variety of snacks, and then if hot out take a siesta until the worst of the heat is over

All afternoon – walk walk walk walk

7:30pm – stop for the day an hour before sunset, set up the tent and eat dinner before bed at 8:30

Repeat 150 times and hopefully get to Canada

Day 46 – 23 miles

After deciding we weren’t taking enough breaks, the whole group agreed to take more breaks today and it paid off massively. Break number one of the day and part of the group came running in screaming about steak, a van had pulled up next to them and handed them two pre-cooked steaks and blocks of cheese out of their trailer. Lunch number one was a great success.

The afternoon was slightly derailed by the heat and so by 5pm we’d only hiked 13 miles before hiding under some Joshua Trees at a road junction to hide from the sun. A couple drove past and shouted out asking if there was anything we needed and we joked only if they had a cooler full of cold drinks in the back. The guy said give me 10 minutes and drove off. Eventually he came back with a cooler full of cold drinks and snacks, after a chat we found out they lived close by and wanted to start hosting hikers next year.

Reenergised, we made the decision to take an alternate trail along the road to try and smash out some easier miles and walk into the night. The six of us trudged into the night, walking through the ghost town of Sageland and getting into the spirit by filming a western, where I played the character of ‘rattlesnake’. Footage is going to drop post-trail but it’s fair to say that either it was an incredible performance or the trail was sending me insane; possibly both.

We managed to do a further 10 miles in the evening but with my shoes starting to fall apart, the soles of my feet were really starting to hurt and I suddenly got a sharp pain in my big toe, quickly finding out that I had a hole in my insoles on that exact spot. Suddenly done for the day with me unable to walk, we were looking around for a space to cowboy camp off the road when a car pulled up and asked if we needed a ride. Worried about how much further I could go, we accepted and for 2 miles rode in the back of a pickup truck in the pitch black to the closest trailhead, sleeping in a disused car park. Not a very high point.

Day 47 – 13 miles

Everyone was happy to wake up and not have a car parked on top of them in the morning, however there were signs of kangaroo rats including someone’s backpack straps being slightly nibbled, but that does seem like the lesser of two evils

It was still 20 miles to Ridgecrest where we would do our first ‘hero’, going hiking in and out of town on the same day, named after the bravery required to not stay in town for longer than a few hours.

The plan was to get there tomorrow morning which meant we could take it quite easy today, which was fortunate with the state of my feet. The first 6 miles was uphill along the road to get back onto trail, which we thought would be uneventful before we realised that there were cows roaming throughout the area. Despite an inbuilt fear of cows from mom, they left us well alone.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, only doing a further 7 miles once we reached the trail keen to rest as much as possible

Day 48 – 13 miles

Out of food and keen to rest, I got through the 6 miles to the highway at record pace and within 5 minutes of reaching the trailhead had managed to hitch with an elderly couple to take me the 40 miles into the town of Ridgecrest, built next to a naval research base. I enjoyed the history lesson from the couple, but was more than slightly concerned when they pointed to the mountains I was about to walk though and was told that the navy tested bombs up there. Not one to think about today.

For me, Ridgecrest was only necessary for one reason, food. Within two hours, I had completed my resupply for the next few days, stopped in at a bakery and headed for the all you can eat pizza buffet that the group had designated as our meeting point. Not the best quality food, but I even impressed myself with just how much food I was able to eat without even slightly satiating my hunger. The only reason I left was to run across the road to the cinema to watch Obsession, my second horror film of the week and well worth the $6 ticket.

A trail angel had agreed to drive us back to trail, but due to temperatures of nearly 40c near the trailhead we waited until 6pm to get back to hiking. A quick 7 miles and we settled down for dinner and rest before a big day tomorrow.

Day 49 – 26 miles

48 miles remained in the desert, and I was ready for them to be over. Reaching Kennedy Meadows would not only mean the start of the Sierras, but also two full days of rest, so I was keen to get there as soon as possible.

While the daily mileage had been steadily increasing the last few weeks, I was personally keen to push myself today to see what my limits were at this stage. A marathon felt like the next achievable goal, which would require 26.2 miles but unfortunately the only possible campsite would be at 25.7 miles, not quite the milestone I was hoping for but a good test nonetheless.

Setting off at 5:30am, the miles were coming quickly and easily with my body now well adapted to the terrain and acclimatised to the heat, with 15 miles done before stopping for lunch

Having eaten lunch by 2pm, I was in good time to hit the 26 miles well before sunset so I thought I would lie down for 30 minutes to wait out the worst of the heat. Waking up 2 hours later, my dreams of an early night were dashed.

We ended up hiking until 9pm, with 12 of us reaching the campsite after sunset. Other than some slight foot pain, I felt surprisingly good after the long day which was very reassuring as after the sierras, 25 mile days will become the new norm, if not minimum expectation. Luckily this was still well over a month away.

Day 50 – 22 miles

Exactly a third of the way through my planned 150 day trip, and the first major goal achieved. Entering Kennedy Meadows meant the end of the desert after 700 miles and the start of the Sierras, a 400 mile stretch through the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

We woke up still 22 miles away from this landmark, but everyone was so excited to get there that the day flew by. For the first time in this section, a large portion of the group ended up walking together all day, talking about our favourite (and least favourite) memories from the first 700 miles and what we were looking forward to up next

By the afternoon, the changing landscape was starting to show its first signs, with the trail becoming greener and magically, a river to walk alongside. After a month and a half of long water carries, this signalled the start of frequent cold flowing water, and in our excitement we decided to stop for a few hours for a swim to cool off

A mile outside of Kennedy Meadows, the group stopped to wait for everyone to walk in together, and as we walked in the bells began to ring along with applause and cheering. With most hikers hanging out on the porch with access to hot food and cold drinks, it is tradition to welcome every single hiker with a large applause, celebrating the ending of the first of five sections of the PCT. 25% of hikers that start the PCT don’t make it to this point, so despite still having almost 2000 miles to go, it is still a moment to celebrate.

Reaching the store, I bought two beers and a pint of ice cream, and all were finished within 30 minutes. The start of a very relaxing few days,

Day 51 and 52 – Zeros in Kennedy Meadows

Kennedy Meadows is a few wooden buildings in the middle of nowhere, so entertainment was very limited but the two days were needed for both physical and mental recovery. The time was filled with some of the largest meals possible, enough beer to recover lost calories and making use of the projector on the porch of the bar. I didn’t know what to expect from this hike, but 20 hikers watching Love Island was not it.

The other big reason for spending time in Kennedy Meadows is the need for new gear, with two of the four buildings in the area being gear stores. Not only did a number of items need to be replaced by this stage due to wear and tear, but new gear was needed for the snow covered mountains of the Sierras. A painful $600 was spent on new shoes, a new top, a new power bank, micro spikes for the snow and a few smaller items. Who said being homeless was cheap. Normally at this stage an ice axe would be required, but due to the almost historically low snow year, we’ve had it confirmed by a wide range of people that an ice axe would not be required this year, luckily one less thing to carry

The next section would bring about the hardest challenges of the trail, especially for someone who has never been over 10,000ft before in their life, a level I would reach in 48 hours time and stay almost consistently above for the next 2 weeks. Despite all of this, I wasn’t nervous at all, raring to get into the sierras and explore the beauty I’ve been told about since day one. Bring it on.