Mountains and Great Company

So the big question is:

“Shall I heave myself and my backpack up Mount Baden-Powell or should I better play safe and take the detour around it?”

Trail rumour has is that there is still snow up there but that it’s doable sans micro spikes.

I am sitting on my big soft bed in a cabin in Wrightwood. I hear voices outside on the porch and peak out to have a look.

“It is Felix and Andy!!”

The two great guys from Seattle whom I have bumped into a couple of times and hiked with in a pre-storm scenario. They want to only nero (hiker slang for making nearly a zero) in Wrightwood, but, I talk them into staying another night. So they do!

We have pizza and wine together and party a little in the cabin.

They also opt for the mountain rather than the detour. Hurray! So we will hit the road together tomorrow morning.

Hitching out of Wrightwood is a piece of cake, we are back on track.

Now. We tackle the mountain, whom I soon rename as ‘Mount Fucker’. It is just pure up up up up. We had our packs filled up with food in town for the next 5-6 day stretch, so they are REALLY extra bloody heavy.

And, you remember that I am now paranoid about not having enough water, so I log up 5 bloody litre up that mountain. Up up, huffing and puffing, but the view gets better! We cross a few steep snow patches, but it is not too bad aka dangerous.


(Yes! I do swear a lot on the way up..)

Huffing puffing some more and we are on top! The view is grand and there is even a US Flag mounted! It was definitely worth it.


Felix asks me to please apologize to Mount Baden-Powell for calling him a Fucker:

“Sorry Mr Mountain! You are not so bad after all! But you are high and steep!”

We make an obligatory peak selfie and head down on the other side.

But oh men, there is more up and down and up and down. I find it a tough section.
And it is so super cold as soon as the sun goes down. When I was preparing for the PCT, I read in blogs that hiker midnight is about 9pm. But that is apparently not true for the PCT Class 2017! Hiker midnight seems to be 7.30 pm, sometimes even 7pm. It is just too cold to hang out outside the tent.

Every evening, everybody seems to just have two huge desires:

Get some hot food cooked ASAP and get horizontal in the tent ASAP. So guess where I am right now. It is 7.15 pm and I am horizontal in my tent!
Freezing bloody cold out there again, and of course WINDY, as always!

So far, the PCT has not been a romantic hiking trip with warm summer evenings and friends chatting around the tents until it gets dark.
Nope! Too cold! Every single evening.
Today it is even colder! I would not have thought this is possible. My hands are cracked from the cool temperature.

We are hiking up and down again, doing our daily mileage. More desert views, more hills, and through more of burned areas again, which have their one awkward, sad beauty.

Despite what I had said in an earlier post (about how great it is to hike on my own) it is even greater to hike with Felix and Andy! We have a lot to laugh about and these two guys are just wonderfully good company.

Both love being outdoors, Felix can name almost all the birds we hear on the trail, and his big smile he has on his face almost all the time is just wonderful.

Felix loves his Bagel with Nutella for lunch, and Andy loves his protein shake. The guys are always hungry! It’s incredible!

Speaking of hungry…. Look what’s on the path here…. Only look closely if you can handle nature in action…..

13 replies
  1. Step into nature says:

    I remember this steep climb out of Wrightwood, it was even harder because the town is so awesome! love the people in this town!
    BP has some epic views and last year it was acutally quite warm, we were cowboy camping and stayed up until 8 or 9ish :)

    The next strechts is fun as well becuase you cross Highway 2 so many times. The views are even getting better until you reach agua dulce. Maybe there is still a trail angel offering ride from that ranger station i guess :)

    Have fun and be ready for hiker heaven, tons of hikers… i actually didnt stayed there since I have friends in this area but i heard its packed. If you think about going either to hiker heaven or to the anderson (casa de luna), do both. Anderson are awesome and you probably we!!!!

    Reply
    • Heidi says:

      Wow! It must have been awesome to camp up Mount BP. Haha, yes, we had to cross HW2 so many times! It was hilarious! Hiker Heaven was packed! It reminded me a bit of a refugee camp… ;)

      Reply
      • Step into nature says:

        Thats pretty accurate, how did you likes casa de luna?
        I read you latest post today, we guys are cruising ;) Did you had some tasty bread at the german bakery? So funny that they also think it looks everywhere in germenay like in bavarian/Switzerland :D
        In Washington is actually a town which is build like a small town in the alps, its a bit kitch but they did some good job. I had a great time there so maybe you will remember this when you made it so far, pretty sure you’ll will make it :)
        Enjoy the last bit of town before entering the sierras and be prepared for some epic view, long climbs, snow fields, wildlife etc etc :)

        Reply
  2. Carol & Jim says:

    Great to hear from you again …. we have been thinking about you! You are one strong lady!!! Hope you feet are doing better.

    Reply
  3. Bert says:

    Tolle Bilder Heidi..ich beneide dich um die Aussichten. Weniger aber um die frischen Temperaturen..wird schon..:)

    Gehts den Fussen besser?

    Reply
    • Heidi says:

      Hallo Bert! Danke für Dein Kompliment! Mit den Füssen geht es auf und ab! Und mittlerweilen ist es ja nicht mehr so kalt :)

      Reply
  4. Cristian says:

    All my admiration for your courage and for keeping up the good spirits. Best wishes! And enjoy the great adventure! I’m really glad for you (and a tiny bit envious too ;-).

    Reply

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