Day 11

Idyllwild to Strawberry Campground (mile 183.3)

PCT Miles: 3.9 (6.2km)

Total Miles: 183.3 (293.3km)

We call a day like today a nearo. It’s near zero.

For some reason I didn’t sleep well. Maybe my body rejected the idea of me sleeping in a king bed on my zero. To compensate that I had raspberry ice cream and pizza for breakfast. I actually bought the ice cream because I want to use the cup as a container for musli/granola! Let’s see if it works 🙃.

After breakfast I sent a message on the “Idyllwild Trail Angels” facebook group asking for a ride to the trailhead. One guy responded within one hour (thanks Leo!) saying the he would pick me up at the inn at 11 and drive me to the trailhead of Devil’s Slide, so I can continue the PCT from where I left. Sweet!

The difference between packing up in a room or in the campground is that in a room you’re never sure that you packed everything. In the campground, you just look back and make sure there’s nothing left behind.

In the meantime, Hanne (a girl from Belgium who started hiking together on the first day with Clara, Max and Marie/Mary) texted me because she also wanted to go to Devil’s Slide. That was awesome because I was not looking very forward to hike up the snow-covered trail alone. Everything worked perfectly and Leo also picked her up. I hiked most of my short day with her.

As soon as we started we met a legend from the PCT, SanJacJon. It’s a guy that voluntarily climbs up the San Jacinto Peak every week to report the current status of the track. I literally watched his video (from April 18th) this morning where he reported the conditions of the Fuller Ridge, the trail that I’ll hike tomorrow. As a matter of fact, I decided to hike it tomorrow and not today because of his report.

Since the Devil’s Slide (2.5 mile long, 1600 feet of elevation) is not part of the PCT, both the hike down two days ago and the hike up are not added to the total miles hiked 🥲. At least this time I could actually see the path and even though there was a lot of snow, both of us didn’t use the spikes. We took our time to hike steady and slowly. It was a beautiful hike, even though the fog decided to show up at some point.

After arriving at Saddle Junction (where the PCT continued) we kept hiking slow, following the path on the snow until we reached 9000 feet of altitude. Even though I’m carrying food for 7-8 days, I don’t need to carry more than one liter of water at a time, since water here up in the mountains is abundant because of all the snow melting, so the weight of my backpack is ok.

Around 4pm I arrived at my campsite. Hanne kept hiking for a few more miles. I pitched my tent, had an early dinner (Pad Thai) and now, 17:44, I’m already ready to sleep 😴.

PS: I had a hole on the phone pocket of my shorts. I have a tiny sewing kit 🪡 with me and I made a beautiful repair myself!