Day 4 - PCT 2024
Trail Miles hiked: 10.6
Total ascent: 2,726.5 ft
Total descent: 1.007.9 ft
I had my first tent failure overnight. The wind was so strong and I didn’t use the big rock/little rock method. One of my vestibule stakes pulled out and knocked my pole inward. I was too tired and too cold to bother fixing it. Good thing, with the wind being so strong, there was no condensation in my tent! I love waking up dry. I had a better sleep last night. The extra pillow under my knees helped a lot. Guess I’ll carry the extra 4.5 ounces if it means a proper sleep. I still need to address my sleep system. I’m cold at night. Really cold. I might need to swap out my quilt. I slept in my thermals and puffy and was still shivering through the night. When I get to San Jacinto, in the snow, this might not work well. I’ll have a look for something warmer when I reach Julian.
I got up early and decided to break down camp and head on trail around 7:45am. The sun was just peeking out so I figured we were in for a sunny day. The earlier start the better. The morning started off lovely but quickly turned colder and windier the higher I climbed. It was a day of climbing into Mount Laguna. The first 8 miles of 10 were up hill. Mostly rocky terrain. The wind picked up and the higher I got the colder it was.
I tried to break for a quick late breakfast/early lunch at mile 37.8. I took my pack off, found a rock I could lean against and put my foam pad out for a seat. I was seated for a couple minutes before flurries started and the wind picked up again. I decided I better finish the climb before snow really started to fall. I finished the climb as quickly as I could without eating anything substantial all day. I had a couple of quick snacks but nothing major. I was thrilled when I reached Mount Laguna.
The snow was falling heavier as I walked to the lodge. Kyle managed to get a hostel room in the Tiny House Block, but I walked down to the lodge and rented a room for Krysta and me. The lodge owner let me pay and pick up my resupply box that was mailed there by Backcountry Foodie ($10 fee by the way but be prepared for them to upcharge you like they did me) but wouldn’t give me the key to the room. He asked if my roommate was a “boy or girl” and then said he wanted to go over room rules with both of us. I ended up waiting outside for over an hour in the cold and snow before I gave up waiting and asked for the key. It was helpful two other hikers showed up to advocate for me. Sort of bizarre. I’d avoid this place.
Krysta had already booked into the tiny house but gave her spot to Riley instead. Impulse and Air Drop and Jo and Dean also got a room in the lodge. We met up at the cafe and then had a fire in Impulse and Air Drop’s room. The lodge owner was pretty stern about the 2 person per room rule and tried to kick Riley off the property when he came to join us. He left but came back when the owner was gone. We shared a few cups of wine and walked over to The Outpost for an evening snack before turning in.
It was nice to have a shower and sleep in a real bed. Even if it’s only been 4 days.
Krysta broke the news to everyone this evening that she’s leaving trail tomorrow. She’s sad and we’re all sad but she has to go back to work. The boys mentioned trying to get to Julian in 2 days instead of 3 so I’m thinking our tramily might be officially splitting up soon as I’m unsure if I can pull big miles yet. I’ll have to see how my body behaves. It was good today. Maybe sleeping in a bed will help. The tramily has been really fun and I’m grateful for having them for support.
We’ve decided to get a later start tomorrow and all go out for breakfast before Krysta leaves.
