Not Cold Anymore!
I am oh so glad that I brought my sun reflecting hiking umbrella to the PCT! That was a hell of a smart decision! I feel sorry for everybody who does not have one!
We are walking through the desert again, but this time it is the Mojave desert. This is not the cute desert with cacti and beautiful rock formation anymore. This is the brutal kind of desert. Flat and hot.
HOT!
Oh my, such a difference in temperature!
Three days ago I was freezing bloody cold.
Two days ago we walked through a magic forest in warm temperatures.
And now we are in the desert again and it is H.O.T.
I carry my normal 5 litres of water. The water gets warm though in my plastic bottles, so it is not actually pleasant to drink. But it is water!
I am deeply impressed since the beginning of my PCT, to physically experience how oh so important water is. I always new that of course, but I never felt it so much in my body. Water will now always be precious to me, for the rest of my life!
Felix, Andy and I decide to hike into the night today. We hang out at the famous Hikertown here in the desert, get some shade, get some rest, have a footbath, have a wonderfully nice cold outdoor shower, and camel up (hiker slang for drinking lots of water before hiking, or Gatorade with strange colours if you are Felix).
It is 6pm, we start moving again.
Oh my! How wonderful it is to walk into the evening, into the colourful light.
The sun goes down, it gets cooler, darker, the first stars come out. We keep walking. It is time to grab our head torches.
And something else is different tonight. We walk on top of the aquaduct, which means there is no 40 cm trail here, but a sort of a road (with no cars on it). So for the first time we walk actually next to each other rather than behind each other. This opens up a whole new dynamic.
We can actually look at each other while we are walking and talking. And as it gets darker, we begin to sing songs. Well actually Felix sings songs, as Andy and I can’t really remember any lyrics!
We try to think of a song we all know.
“Silent Night!”
Here we are, hiking through the desert in May, in the dark night, with our headtorches strapped to our foreheads, singing a Christmas song!
Bloody awesome!
“Watch out!! There is a snake on the road“!
Good job we did not step on the thing in the dark!!”
We scare a super cute “kangaroo rat” and make her jump up high! Holy shit we are all startled, that cute little fellow who looks like a crossing between a mouse and a hamster can really jump high!
Alright, we have done 10 miles tonight, time to set up camp in the bushes next to the road. I am in my tent and gaze at the stars through the mesh of my tent.
Awesome!
I am so grateful that I can hike with these two guys. The PCT would not be the same for me without them. They are my trailfamily.
You see, it is not just about “hiking with somebody”! I rather hike solo than with somebody I do not really like, or with people who talk too much, or are loud, or miserable, or people who have a different pace than I or who do not want to get up early in the morning, or have no sense of humour … As a solo PCT hiker, I have had the chance to walk with different people so far. All little hiking groups have their own little habits and rituals, so I had glimpses into different ‘families.’
Those of you who know me personally know that I am only happy if I am with people I really like and that I get easily disturbed/frustrated by people I don’t feel comfortable with. So I am aware how lucky I am to have met Felix and Andy, and that they let me join their little hiking family.
I try to stay awake so that I can look at the stars a little longer and be a little more grateful a little longer, but I fail and pass out.
We get up very early this morning to make use of the cooler temperatures. There we go, through the flat, hot thing. It is now 8am and we already can’t walk without umbrella anymore.
The views are again stunning, as we walk through a huge windfarm.
The PCT is really and truly an amazing experience! Bloody hard work most of the time though, everybody is constantly in pain with some or several parts of the body.
Felix came up with a new definition of what PCT actually stands for:
“Pain Constantly Tolerated”
Yup! Exactly!
Speaking of pain: I have developed a few new blisters and have had a severe muscle cramp in my right leg which made me cry a bit while walking and thinking of giving up. My feet are generally decaying.
But on the whole they are still able to carry me many many more miles (I think and I hope).
Heidi, I’m so proud of you!!!
And I’m glad you found your trail family :)
Thanks Cindy! :)
Wow what an amazing experience. Go girl!! Ariane.
It is! Thanks Ariane! I will try not to give up!
I’m so glad you get to hike with Felix and Andy. They are great companions and singers. Nice to hear your stories.
Hi Betsy! Me too!! I am so happy and lucky to hike with these incredibly nice guys! :)
Heidi es ist so wunderbar was und wie du schreibst…was musste ich lachen bei der Vorstellung, wie ihr drei durch die Wüste wandert und dabei “Silent Night” singt ;-)), genial ! Auch die neue Definition von PCT ist zum grinsen, wenn auch bestimmt sehr zutreffend. Jedesmal wenn ich das über diese unerbärmliche Hitze lese werde ich schon beim lesen schlapp ;-) und drängt es mich doch eher in die Antarktis, als in die Wüste…Ich werde mir mein nächstes Ziel vielleicht doch noch in eine kältere Klimazone umdefinieren. Ich freu mich so sehr für dich hast du zwei so tolle Hikerfreunde an deiner Seite.Alleine unterwegs sein ist toll und oft wichtig , aber zwei solche Freunde an der Seite zu haben, ist ein Geschenk… Weiter so ihr drei ;-)
Drücke dich.
Danke Sandy! Meine nächste Wanderung wird auch irgendwo im Norden sein… :)
Stick with it Heidi. Loved reading your blog ?
Thanks Peter! :)
Ich hab den Eindruck das du deine Reise geniesst! Das freurt mich ganz besonders!! Klar wanderst du mit den zwei andern, du bist doch das Herz der Gruppe!
Jö Stefan! So lieb!
Wenn dich der Mut verweigert, übertriff deinen Mut!
Emily Dickinson & Sherryl Straye
Welcome to MOJAVE!
Go for it, Heidi, go…
Das hast Du schön gesagt
Und…hast mich mit dem Singen von SILENT NIGHT an einem Schüler von mir erinnert…der singt jahraus jahrein JINGLE BELLS…
Ich erzählte ihm heut morgen, dass derzeit jemand in der Wüste Weihnachtslieder singt…have fun and enjoy, egal was:-)!
Ja, so viel trinken wie man will und wann man will, das lernt man wirklich zu schätzen. Das war tatsächlich eines der Dinge, die mich am nachhaltigsten beeindruckt hat. Und zum Thema Trailfamily: Wir sind gerade mit unserer Trailfamily in Italien unterwegs. Nach drei Jahren ein kleine PCT Revival! Manchmal sind es also tatsächlich lebenslange Freundschaften! Liebe Grüße, Princess.