Category: PCT CA Section D

I woke up with the birds at 6am with no particular desire to sleep in. I had 16 miles to Vincent Gap and the sooner I started, the sooner I’d be there. That didn’t mean I didn’t spend a couple of minutes doing an emergency glove stitch and some retaping of my toes. I hiked out around 8am.

I woke up at 6 or before, but didn’t really rush into action. All those jalapeños from dinner had some rushing to do, so I couldn’t go anywhere fast. But I did retape my feet, all hiking clothes out and on (wearing the other socks this time), and applied sunscreen before going down to the lobby to grab some breakfast items and coffee to go with the soda I bought from the vending for way too much. I checked out at 11am and called a Lyft.

Ilia picked me up a few minutes later and drove me up the Angeles Crest Highway to the trailhead. Surprisingly, this trip only cost a little over 30 bucks (plus tip). Ilia was a regular visitor to the mountains herself, and had hiked and ridden up there many times before. She even wanted a picture of the trailhead sign before she left.

I got started very early, taking a La Croix from the minibar to undry my throat, then making some coffee.

I walked to the convenience store around the corner for some fast breakfast. Then, after showering and packing up, I walked back again to buy a couple of limes and some candy to motivate me up the hill.

Nov. 14:

Obviously I didn’t prefer to spend three straight nights in Pasadena and two straight zero days off the trail, but I didn’t mind taking one day off if just for the sake of clean clothing. After all, I had been a long way and a lot of not clean places since the last time I had done laundry nearly a week before. So, following an early trip down the street to the grocery store, I booked another night in the motel.

Thanks to a lack of information, I made a poor decision this day.

A chill wind blew across the parking lot as I got ready to hike again. It was chilly enough to lose feeling in my fingers as I rolled up my mattress on the picnic table. I did the later parts of packing up, including removing my extra layers, in the foyer of the privy for the added wind protection.

I started decamping at sunrise, but before I left, Todd the caretaker came out to chat. He informed me that dispersed camping (as I had definitely done the night previous) was currently banned, and the next place that I could legally camp was Mill Creek. So that became my destination for the day.

I left camp at a relatively lazy half past eight for an easy three miles down to the road to Acton KOA. Of course I decided to stop in there. Why not? Real bathroom, camp store open, power outlet top up.