Awoke after a warm and peaceful night sleep , felt well rested and recharged . Today Im heading for a little gold mining town called Julian . Its only thirteen miles , but the terrain is pretty inhospitable and its wise to stay fully hydrated all the way.
Im hauling pack down to a place called Rodregez Spring to top up my bottles . I got a gadget online called a Sawyer mini sqeeze . Probably the single most useful bit of kit i have in my pack . It can clean any water to a drinkable state , and out here that can make all the difference .
The Cactus are in bloom and their splashes of colour bring the mountains to life . I pass by hundreds of pink Beavertail cactus ,and so i get to momenterily forget my blisters ! A slinky black snake passing almost over my foot also helps me to forget my present mind and gives me a bit of a ‘Zen moment’ !
Rodregez Spring is pumping cold ,clean water which is useful really , theres nothing more on the map for thirty three miles . Whoooo ! Its going to be a hot one too .!
Ten miles on and i reach Highway 78 .Under a bridge a Trail Angel has left Trail Magic . A coolbox full of soda and beer , crunchy salad and about 100liters of cold water . Im blown away , but not so blown away that i miss out on my beer . Im loving the Trail Angels .
I wait on the highway for an hour and finaly I get a hitch from a Highschool teacher who walked the trail last year . I tell him im nervous about the high snow fall further up the trail . Its a month away but im trying to keep an ear open . He encourages me to walk through the High Sierras as he says “they are the jewel in the crown of the PCT” . He also says he will give me a lift at 6am tommorow back to the trail head .Happy with the Trail magic !!
In Julian im dropped off on the street outside Moms Pie Shop . They serve free Pie , ice cream and a drink to anyone who can supply a copy of their PCT permit . I comply fully :
Best darn pie i ever did eat ! Bluberry and vanilla ..
I find Julian such a pleasnat small town . A former gold mining town in the 1850s it is packed with pie shops, outfitters and beautiful wooden houses . A blessing to have a plate of Fish and Chips at Buffalo Bills , where im greeted like a homecoming prince and treated to hospitality that is ever so slightly unnerving .
I will sleep on a porch tonight and get back on the trail at first light .
Blister count : 13 ( one on the hand and two on top of blisters ) 16 total .
On the Pacific Crest Trail 