PCT SABO DAY 129 – Before Sunrise

Day 129

Start: Campground, mile 2455.3

End: Campground, mile 2480.4

Miles driven: 25.1 miles

Today I woke up early so I could start climbing to San Jacinto before the sun came up. It was a perfect morning before dawn. It was neither hot nor cold outside and I had enough time to move forward before the sun hit me with full force.

I very quickly passed the 200 mile marker and found myself in «one-derland.» It’s almost time for the end of the journey! The morning sun slowly brought color to the sky, momentarily painting the distant mountains a dark pink before illuminating everything completely.

I climbed slowly and steadily, taking breaks quite frequently. I didn’t have much water with me, but I ran into some hikers along the way who let me know they had some water in the back of their truck and I was welcome. The only problem was that I still had a couple of miles left until I reached the trailhead where they were parked.

When I finally made it to the truck, I was beyond grateful for the water. It was a life saver! My energy was running low, but I now had extra momentum to get the last few miles to the top of the climb.

It was difficult to complete the last few miles, but I was very grateful to reach the San Jacinto River. I ate a long lunch lying on the floor and drank all the water I could stand.

I took it pretty easy the rest of the day, still a little fatigued from the big climb. Luckily, from that moment on everything went downhill. I ran into another hiker from the section, but otherwise the trail was quiet.

I walked until dark and set up my tent with a view of Palm Springs shining in the distance.

And that’s a day in the life of a PCT SOBO hiker!

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