Day 5: I sat on a Cactus — Adventures With Samson-The-Bear

On 5/7 we did 16.9 miles to Garett Mountain and slept at 5,394 feet. On 5/8 We did 17.5 miles to Rodriquez Spring and slept at 3,257 feet. On 5/9 We did 21.6 miles to an abandoned jeep road and slept at 3,353 feet. On 5/10 We did 19.2 miles to Warner Springs and slept at 2,920 feet.

So we have not seen that many people on the trail. At most we will run across 5-6 hikers a day, which is a little surprising since there are supposedly 50 hikers staring each day. Most of the other hikers we meet we are passing because they have huge packs. It's not the same circus as I experienced on the beginning of the Appalachian Trail, but there is no way some of these people are going to make it up to Canada carrying the kitchen sink. There have been some hikers that have blown by us. In brief conversations with them, most of them have already hiked the Appalachian Trail and are now on the PCT and are putting in big miles early on the trail. As a previous thru hiker, it is easy to believe you are in better shape than you really are. The last time you were on a trail you were in peak physical shape; but desk jobs and lazy Sundays have taken their toll and it is easy to believe you are in better shape than they really are. Almost every hiker that passed us is now resting in Warner Springs nursing and injury, but more on that later.

There are a couple big differences between the PCT and the AT. First is the sun. Clara and I are both covered head to toe with sun protection. Being Irish I have a proclivity to drink and get sunburned. We joke that the goofier you look on the trail, the better your sun protection is (I look like I'm about to go on Safari and rob a bank at the same time). The intense sun is no joke and it is only going to get more intense as we move into the summer months and into even drier areas. Another big difference on the PCT is the vast views you can see. During the day we have turned around and still see where we slept a day and a half ago (25-30 miles). When we are on top of the mountains we can look across the valley and see the trail go up the next hillside which might be a better part of a day away. This makes judging distances very difficult. If you were on the AT and you saw a landmark, you might be 20-30 minutes away, on the PCT a landmark might still be a day away. Another huge difference on the PCT is water. The amount and quality of water you drink is very different. On the AT, I tried to drink from natural springs whenever possible and carried at most 2 liters of water with me. So far the most I have had to carry is 6 liters of water, but have capacity for 8 when going into the Mojave. I knew from the start of the trail I was going to have to carry more water, but the sources are a lot different. Several times we have had to take side trails down to a junction and pull water out of the cow troughs to get us to the next water source; it is what it is and that is why we carry water filters with us.

Ohh and in case you were wondering, I did in fact sit on a cactus... no it was not when I was going to the bathroom. I must have been tired from all the hiking and not noticed it, but trust me, it's better than caffeine for waking you up.

These cactus glow during the sunrise and sunset