Day 13. 98 degrees

191 to 212.7
4/21/14

I started hiking at 5 AM to try to avoid the heat.  My favorite part of the day is still morning and watching the sunrise.

Another gorgeous PCT sunrise.

It was a tough day.  I descended from 7400 feet to 1337 feet.  In 98 degree heat in the afternoon.  Huge boulders in the shadow of San Jacinto peak made it gorgeous.  The trail was overgrown so I was glad I wear my tall gaiters, though I really wish I'd sewn them 2 inches taller because my legs got all scraped up by the brush.

The long descent.

I find downhills much more difficult than uphills, and I'd never done one this long.  Took breaks every few miles to massage anti-friction cream into my feet and happy to say no blisters yet.  There was a 20 mile water carry and I did well estimating my water consumption, arriving at the water faucet with about half a liter where I met Ninja Tank.

Water faucet.

Made it to Ziggy and the Bear's house by afternoon and it was 98 degrees.  No wonder I was going slow.  So nice to get there and be greeted with such hospitality. They have a great setup- foot baths, shower and gatoraid, and wifi.  Rinsed out my socks and also picked up my resupply box.  

Susan and Pathfinder at Ziggy and the Bear's.

It got crowded in the evening, so I decided to hike out around 7 PM and hung my hammock from the posts in a coral a few miles up the trail after dark.  No trees around and it was incredibly windy but at least I wasn't on the ground.  No good photo of the site but here is my tree strap attached to the post.

Hanging from the post in a coral.