Day 41 - PCT 2024
Miles Hiked: 6.8
Total Ascent: 689.3 ft.
Total Descent: 1,171.6 ft.
Woke up to tons of condensation on my tent. It wasn’t windy overnight which was good because I slept better. Still woke up far too early. I have a cough and a sore throat, it’s not bad but annoying. I tried to get packed up but with such a wet tent, I decided to let it sit in the sun for a bit to dry out. It wasn’t totally dry but good enough. I didn’t want to wait around forever, especially knowing it’s trail town day. I’ve decided to spend the night in Hesperia. Uber goes from Cajon Pass to Hesperia for about $40 each way which is doable. Cajon Pass lacks the amenities (primarily a grocery store) so I wanted to be somewhere I could easily resupply yet still get back to trail quickly.
The hike was lovely. I didn’t see any other hikers until closer to Cajon Pass. My knee was tender but not nearly as bad as the past two days. I was worried about the hike down the ridge. There were a couple steep sections that my knee didn’t want to bend on but the pain wasn’t as bad. I stopped often to take photos and to admire the views. I didn’t want to rush down, especially since hotel check in wasn’t until much later.
I made my way down the ridge and through another lovely gorge before reaching the freeway. And there it was. The McDonald’s. PCT hikers dream of this. There’s even a McDonald’s challenge; only pack out enough food from McDonald’s to make it the 27 miles to Wrightwood. Sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen but hey, why not?! Having fast food so close to the trail is a complete luxury. And most hikers stop here. I wasn’t an exception although I didn’t eat anything. Having Celiac Disease is a bit of a drag on days like today but I’m actually a bit grateful that I can’t pig out on fast food. I had a large orange juice and hung out in the air conditioning with fellow hikers.
One of the guys I had camped with back at Deep Creek Hot Springs came in and told us that a bear grabbed his bag at 2:30am in the Silverwood Lake campground. He showed us his backpack and it was shredded on top from the bear's claws. The bear managed to get his food. His group decided to get out of there quickly and hike all the way to Cajon Pass. What a gnarly story! Especially since I saw comments yesterday on the FarOut app about a problem bear at that campground! A problem bear means a dead bear, unfortunately. I’m just glad the hikers were okay! Food storage is bizarre out here. We mostly sleep with our food. We don’t carry bear canisters until the Sierras. We don’t even carry bear spray.
Kathryn arranged to visit her family that live close by for the evening and her mother was driving from Scottsdale Arizona to join. Her mom offered to drive me to my hotel in Hesperia so that was lovely! She wouldn’t accept gas money either. I’m so grateful for her generosity, especially after driving 6 hours from another state.
I had a consult with Dr. Morgan from Blaze Physio at 8pm today. So thankful she fit me in. She’s sure it’s my IT band. Could be a number of factors. My ill fitting pack and ill fitting shoes prior to Big Bear, etc that was set off by my post holing incidents coming down from Big Bear. And so forth. It's stemming from my hips so I need to work on strengthening them. She recommended I take a zero, thankfully I’m already in a hotel so that’s not an issue, and to rest it. I’ve been given some stretches; the figure four stretch and the IT band standing stretch. As well as some strengthening exercises; side plank clams, prone hip internal rotation and single leg bridges. I need to take shorter steps with more glute activation while on trail. This isn’t hike ending so I’m thrilled! I’ve been really concerned that this was it. I have some work to do but I’ll do my best to improve!
So glad to have had a shower after 6 days on trail. And to do laundry! It’s the little things. Now to rest and take care of my knee and my cough.
