Dear AT: Oops…I Did It Again – PCT Day Hike

Oh, honey, it may seem like a crush; But that doesn’t mean he’s serious. britney spears

I’ve said it before: I have no presumption that I will ever hike or complete the Pacific Crest Trail. However, since my daughter moved to California two years ago, it seems that getting closer to the PCT will be more common. Two years ago, I cheated on the Appalachian Trail by day hiking a section of the PCT near Mount Hood in Oregon and then crossing the Bridge of the Gods. In December, Nightingale and I planned a trip to Palm Desert and Joshua Tree National Park. I looked to see how close I could get to the PCT, but it was a little further east than I wanted to drive. Then coincidence arrived! Nightingale is a Trekkie and wanted to visit the location of an episode of the original series in which Captain Kirk fights an alien called Gorn. The scenes were filmed at Vasquez Rocks, now a Los Angeles County park, near Agua Dulce. I downloaded a map of the park to get an idea of ​​how to best visit the rocks so Nightingale could recreate her Star Trek scene. And there, on the trail map, a portion of the PCT!

After helping Nightingale take some photos in her Trekkie t-shirt near the famous rocks, I headed out to hike a couple miles along the PCT. She headed to Agua Dulce and we decided that I would go part of the way to trail town and she could pick me up at the Cowboy Tavern. Instead of stopping at the tavern, Nightingale wanted to visit the Agua Dulce winery on the outskirts of town. Some wine and charcuterie is as good as ending a day of hiking with a beer and a burger!

Of course, this region is more desert-like than the section of the PCT I did in Oregon. And while interesting, I’m not sure I like the long desert stretches of the PCT. So now I’ll be looking at my first raise in the 2026 AT section!

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