I slept exceptionally well last night. When I woke up this morning, I was warm and cozy inside my tent. And I heard what sounded like raindrops hitting the rain fly. Hm. That sounded ominous. I peeked outside my tent to see that a cloud had descended overnight and we were in the middle of a frozen fog. Droplets of moisture were hitting my tent. And as I packed up my tent the droplets turned to snow. It was snowing!!
Before: Picture of the Vista outside my tent the previous evening
After: Picture of the Same Vista the Next Morning
Everything was soaked as I packed my bag today. I broke out my raincoat for the first time and used my rainskirt for its intended purpose (I’ve only used it as a ground covering when sitting on the ground so far). I affixed my umbrella to my pack and was ready to face the day!
Halfway is not convinced about the snow
I was a little apprehensive about leaving my tent but once I got out there it wasn’t so bad. It was actually kinda fun hiking in the snow as long as I stayed moving and kept warm. Halfway, Sevie, Elise and I hiked the remaining 1700 feet in elevation to a campsite at the top of the mountain and broke for breakfast. Elise made us honey vanilla chamomile tea – my favorite!!
Hiking in a misty snow cloud
A rare break in the clouds during our breakfast break
After that the trail was relatively easy for the remaining 8 miles to the junction with Highway 2. It started snowing harder and we picked up the pace. I hiked in the front for a while and played some music from my “workout playlist” on my iPhone to keep us motivated. Soon we were all singing along – it’s an eclectic playlist with everything from Abba and the Eurythmics to Meghan Trainor and Beyonce. And my absolute favorite song: “Everything is Awesome” by Tegan and Sara (yes it’s the one from the Lego Movie). That was fun 🙂
This way!
Hiking past a ski lift in the snow cloud
We made it to Highway 2 and quickly got a hitch with a gentleman who was test driving his new truck. He piled 3 hikers in the extended cab and 3 hikers in the truck bed and drove us all the way into Wrightwood.
Inspiration Point. It’s So Inspirational!
Hitching with a truck bed full of hikers
We first went to the Mountain Hardware store where I picked up my resupply boxes. They are a very hiker friendly store and even sold leukotape by the foot! (Hikers use leukotape for taping blisters – it’s magic!) Hikers were congregated out back sorting through resupply boxes and signing the register. They even gave out official PCTA pins!
Sorting my Resupply Box
After getting my packages the next order of business was lunch. Halfway, Elise, Sevie and I walked over to the Evergreen Cafe where they serve breakfast all day! Steak and Eggs? Yes Please! Â Dr. Pain met us for lunch – he’d been in town a couple of days and it was good to catch up with him.
The Streets of Wrightwood were Steaming when we arrived
We split a room at the Cedar Creek Inn and spent the rest of the afternoon running errands and packing for the next leg of our trip. I made sandwiches for everyone for everyone out of sweet Hawaiian rolls with cheese and lunch meat for dinner.
Evergreen Cafe
After dinner, Halfway wanted to take us all out for a celebratory drink. Last year when he attempted to hike the PCT, he had to come off the trail at Wrightwood due to a stress fracture in his foot. Now he’s hiked to Wrightwood again and this time he’s going slower and feeling healthy. Yay! We met our friends Jack and Alex out for drinks – the Australian brothers that I haven’t seen since Mt. Laguna. Halfway, Dr. Pain and I all started the same day as the Australian brothers and camped together on our second night. It was really great to see them again. Sadly, they’ve decided to end their PCT Adventure in Wrightwood so it was a bittersweet evening.
Jack (Thunder down Under), Halfway, Me and Alex
PCT 2017 Stats
PCT Day 32 – Monday May 15
Mile 357.2 to Mile 369.3 Wrightwood
PCT Miles Hiked Today: 12.1
Feet Ascended Today: 3190
Feet Descended Today: 1755
Current Elevation: 5945
Steps: 39230
For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail 2017 page:
Why did the Australians decide to stop?