PCT SOBO DAY 134 – A triple crowner

Day 134

Start: Campground, mile 2574.2

End: Campground, mile 2587.5

Miles driven: 13.3 miles

City day! We woke up while it was still dark outside and hit the trail before dawn. Below, we could see and smell the remains of a wildfire along the road, the orange flame retardant still staining the ground. We passed numerous brightly colored and interestingly shaped cacti before reaching the road.

Today in the city was going to be one of quick entry and exit. Our stop was the famous town of Julián. It took us a little while to get to the city, but we finally made it. Luckily for us, we arrived in the city around 8 in the morning. It was a Saturday, so we avoided the tourist rush and were able to sit down to a huge pancake breakfast. They were so big I couldn’t finish them all! But they were definitely delicious.

After breakfast, hordes of tourists began to invade the city. Julian is a pretty small place, but with everyone there on a Saturday morning, the traffic on the streets and sidewalks was non-stop. I wanted to get my free hiker coffee, but when I tried to get in line, the line was out the door and almost around the corner. There were too many people!

We found a quieter park square to lounge around and set it up next to the benches to relax and people watch for a while. A few minutes later, a special visitor came to greet us. Elyse “Chardonnay” Walker, the first African-American to win the Triple Crown, stopped by for a visit. It was great to meet her and chat with a trail legend. Of course, we had to talk about our crazy stories and our favorite parts of the trail.

After a while, we hikers refueled and had a quick lunch away from the crowds. Chardonnay took us back to the trailhead and waved us off. Back on the road!

We walked a bit, but Sun wasn’t feeling very well after the windy car ride, so it took him a while to catch up to us. When we were all together again, we continued up the mountain. It wasn’t long before the sun set and we were walking in the dark again.

I wasn’t feeling very well, so when we got to our water source for the night, I quickly filled up and headed to the dentist while the guys chatted with a section hiker camped nearby. It wasn’t long after that the guys entered the site and set it up. We were all pretty tired from the whole day, so lights out after dinner.

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

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