Day 21

For all intents and purposes today was a nearo, as I walked 8 miles only 3 miles of which were on the PCT itself. I am camped in the first snow free patch of dirt at Mile 376.9. Many things contributed to this shot day: the vortex of town, good conversation with new friends, waiting for a 30 minute ride, a grueling five mile road walk, and the fact that going any further would mean summitting Mount Baden-Powell at the absolute slushiest point of the day…

I slept in today until 8, a task aided by the fact that I was alone in the master of bedroom of someone else’s Airbnb. I lounged around and ate a few bites of Ben and Jerry’s before we ambled down to breakfast at the Grizzly Cafe. I had a luxurious three eggs, hashbrowns, two slices of bacon, two sausage links, and two pancakes. This did not set me up well to rapidly accomplish my chores and get on the trail fast.

Eventually I shirked the temptation of a zero day and got my ducks in a row. I quickly found a trail angel willing to drive me around the closure in an hour and a half, so I killed the time by eating a few more spoonfuls of ice cream and chatting with some people I met a few days ago who just made it to Wrightwood. Finally Jedi showed up and drove us as close to Vincent Gap, where the fire closure ends, as he could. Waiting for us at the closed Big Rock Creek Road were several of one if the other passengers friends. A truly ragtag bunch, they were drinking beers and sitting in the sun. I think I was offered booze, hash, cigarettes, and mushrooms just while I was lacing up my shoes. One of them convinced the guy who rode up to me to receive a mullet from his Swiss Army knife scissors, the second one he had given that day.

This was my cue to leave. I began the slog of a road walk in the hot sun upbeat but, as no one knows better than Sam Fine, I loathe a road walk with every bone in my body. Fortunately I was able to bang it out quickly and, aside from an emergency roadside poop with two spectators, without incident.

Once at Vincent Gap, I was so happy to be done road walking and back on the PCT that I had someone take a photo of me at the first trail sign I saw.

Then I began my ascent up Baden Powell. The slushy conditions were tough and slow going, so I decided to find camp early and put off my summit until dawn tomorrow when conditions are hopefully much firmer.

I started listening to Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac on the climb up, a book I haven’t read in several years. I won’t write more about it right now except that I’m finding the high alpine environment both a beautiful and terrible place to hear about the terrific poetries and subtleties of the ecology of his Wisconsin farm.

======== Postscript:

Shortly after writing this, blue skies turned to thick white soup with less than 20 feet of visibility. Fearing an unexpected storm (and partially because my cowboy camping streak is over) I pitched my tarp. A solid way to warm up for bed :). Irritatingly, my phone camera totally cuts through the fog, making this seem like a fool’s errand.