PCT Day 18 – 23: Sunburn, road trips and mountain lions!

June 6 – 11

Wrightwood to Hiker Town, 224 km and 6,837 m.

Sizzle

At that beautiful picnic table outside the grocery store in Wrightwood, I sat with my shoulders burning. My searing burn stung me like attacking bees. Shirtless, I lathered myself with multiple coats of aloe vera lotion, grimacing and complaining. My consolation, a liter of ice cream and a watermelon. This distracted me from the waves of pain running through my back. Time passed and a small group of hikers began to accumulate. Some continued and passed through the city. Others, like my new friend Havos, were searching the Internet trying to find accommodation. He suffered from leg cramps.

In the end, we had a large enough group to justify going to an Airbnb together, which for $40 a night seemed like a good deal. This beautiful little cabin had the most charming decor I think I’ve ever seen. He had old skis converted into fences, benches and coffee tables. It had a large patio with a large rack of colorful pajamas that we borrowed while the housekeeper washed our clothes. We made the space homey with lively conversations, home-cooked cooking, and cold beers everywhere. It was amazing. While I hadn’t planned on spending a night at Wrightwood, I certainly don’t regret it.

Simplicity

I needed time to recover from my horrendous sunburn. I needed to spend twelve hours without a shirt or backpack, and sleeping for ten hours in a real bed was incredibly revitalizing. The small town of Wrightwood was a wonderful place because everything was within walking distance. They offered me a free coffee at Village Grind and then a free hot dog at the corner store/gas station. The hiker ride at the hardware store was excellent. They had a nice shaded patio, benches, phone chargers, a hiker box, and a cargo scale. They had everything a hiker could need, including stove gas and very sturdy socks. It really was a wonderful and welcoming place.

I found Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

Road trips

It wasn’t until noon when I stuck out my thumb and left town. There was a closed trail ahead, which meant I would have to walk a bit. I was feeling much better after my recovery day and it didn’t hurt as much to put on the bag, but I still didn’t feel very energetic. Fortunately, the 25 km of road that ran alongside the trail was also closed to cars and walkable. It was so gradual, so open and smooth. The views were fantastic. I have to admit, while the Baden Powell section of the trail had just reopened before I got there, I was still happy to just walk along the road. It was such a novel experience walking alone on a closed road with no cars. I really appreciated it so I continued. There were plenty of water sources and it wasn’t too hot.

The path here passes through a large burn scar. Much of the forest and infrastructure around the road was affected.

Once I got to the place where the road reopened, I headed back to the PCT. There was another brief trail closure ahead to protect habitat for the endangered frogs. I knew I would have to walk down the road again. Part of me wanted to go ahead and finish that section that night. But as soon as I got to the reopened part of the highway, the people of Los Angeles were driving sleek, fast sports cars down the road. They were driving way over the speed limit and taking those curves too closely. This presented quite a danger to me. I took the trail to the next ridge and set up my tent. I decided to get up early in the morning to try to avoid the traffic. Considering that the next day was Sunday, I was going to have to get up pretty early.

I love those sunset colors!

magic trail

At 5:45 am I was already moving along those 9 km of road before reaching the open trail. I ran into Greenman on my first break and had a nice chat. After pushing forward for a couple more hours that morning, I found a trailhead next to the road. There was a guy relaxing in his RV and he smiled at me from across the parking lot. He asked me if I was on the PCT and if Greenman supported me. We got to chatting and Nick told me his backstory. He had hiked the AT with Greenman and was there to do trail magic for us. When Greenman turned the corner, his face was priceless.

Picking up mylar balloons out of the way brings good luck. The flower spike on this yucca plant is at least 12 feet tall! and here I am peeling like a lizard.

Nick made us burgers and had a cooler full of cold sodas. Soon a small bubble of hikers appeared and we all enjoyed a nap together. The heat of the day was intense, but not yet completely unbearable. I walked until 9:30 pm that night. High on the ridge overlooking the valley, the lights of the city spread like a bright blanket over the desert. The next day’s elevation profile was pretty smooth and I did a good 48km day. On my lunch break I was able to start peeling my back. It looked like a lizard shedding its skin. Me and a new friend I met that day, Venom, ended up spending that night at LA RV Resort before Agua Dulce. It was a crazy place. How crazy? Well, the entire bathroom building wasn’t level and there was a toad in the shower. You get the idea.

great days

I was pushing to cover big miles. Considering my late start on the trail in general, I had been trying to get across Southern California as quickly as possible. One consideration was my overall schedule, another was the appeal of High Sierra. Plus, I wanted to catch up with a friend who had started twelve days before me. So I continued hiking around Vasquez Rocks and Agua Dulce with only a quick stop at the grocery store and a nap at Farmer John’s Hiker Oasis. After sleeping all afternoon in front of a cooler, I hit the trail again with Venom and covered most of my miles after 6 p.m. I was starting to plan a 24-hour hiking challenge along the Los Angeles Aqueduct section to Tehachapi. The hills along the ridge were full of beauty, from wildflowers to kangaroo mice and rattlesnakes.

Vasquez Rocks where Captain Kirk fought the Gorn!

mountain lions

The next night I was walking alone until late, around 10 pm. As the nearly full moon rose in the distance, I stopped to admire the view. The city lights of San Bernardino and Los Angeles shined below me. Then I noticed glowing eyes swaying from side to side in a bush twenty meters away from me. I thought to myself, «it must be a raccoon or something.» It then emerged, revealing its long, slender body and equally long tail. It was a young cougar! And he did something completely unexpected: he started slowly approaching me. As I closed the twenty- to forty-foot gap, I picked up a rock and threw it, shouting, «Hell no, cat!» He quickly dove behind another bush. I stood there staring at that bush for a full two minutes.

Throw another rock just in case before moving on. I turned and looked at the side of the hill behind me and noticed two more pairs of eyes. I was surrounded! Moving quickly without running, I continued walking while looking behind me every minute. The campground was about an hour’s walk away and I wanted to prepare to successfully make it to Hiker Town the next day. The forest on the ridge was full of huge, beautiful trees, and now I imagined big cats in them. But there were more feral domestic cats than mountain lions. I even had a scorpion cross my path, the first time I encountered one. The night walk alone was scary, but I loved it.

The beautiful flowers among the hills.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.