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Nature journaling on the trail

Hiker town

This is an oasis for hikers to get some break from the wind and heat

Check out details about this place on hikertown.com

Frozen mornings at cleef pct camp

Trail angeling at the pct southern terminus has been cold, windy and icy in the morning. Some days it has been below 30 and days of rain and almost snow

Hiking north on pct from Acton Ca

We are flipping around on the southern section of the pct to avoid the snowy southern ca section. The next long stretch that is snow free is the section from acton to tehachapi.

Our hiking trail family from Sweden, uk and Belgian

Famous joe of casa del Luna hiker hostel

Warner springs to paradise valley cafe

Many river crossing early in the morning

Water cache sisters – you have to share this resource at times with a rattle snake who also wants water too during this long waterless section

Super blooms starting to happen on trail

3rd gate cache to Warner springs

Another long day with limited water and warmer

Scissors crossing to 3rd gate water cache

We started the next leg climbing steep hills in areas with limited water supplies

Today we did some ultralight backpacking purchases for fuel and few items at two foot adventures in Julian. We visited a coffee houses and met with hikers and locals. In the afternoon we celebrated sailors birthday at moms pie with our new pct friends and trail family. Many Julian businesses offer free items or discounts and most local residents offers rides to hikers. A very pct hiker friendly town.

Breakfast table on Main Street in Julian

The birthday girl with her free pie that moms pie gives to pct hikers for free

A simple journal watercolor of the desert outside of Julian

Pioneer mail to scissors crossing with off trail in Julian

Today we started hiking at 6 am to get thru 24 miles of trail that generally lacks water for a long stretch. we arrived at the road for a hitch at 3:30 and arrived in Julian at 4 pm.

About 2000 feet of climbing and 6000 feet of descent as we climbed down into the hotter desert.

Lots of century plants blooming. A bee swarm right over the top of us. Sections of wildflowers coming out

A road crossing with water supply in a very dry section

Pulling out the umbrella for shade lower down the mountain

Looking back toward the mountains we just defended from

Next set of mountains to climb after zero in Julian

Day 3 Fred canyon to pioneer mail campsite

Today we hike 20 miles. First was a breakfast lunch stop at mt laguna pine tavern with our new hiking family. A fellow hiker who helped at the trail terminus paid for our breakfast as a thank you for trail angel work at cleef. We made a campfire that night but night time temperatures were below freezing that night at the camp.

Breakfast with our new trail family and friends

Very steep mountains trails along the ridge – cool at 6000 feet

Day 2 pct hike – MORENA lake to Fred’s canyon

This morning we had to wait for a new pair of shoes to arrive so we didn’t leave lake Moreno until noon. We hiked about 12 miles to camp with about another 15-20 campers.

Pct day 1

April 4th at 7 am we started our pct trek north. It was about 23 degrees this morning when we first hit the trail. It was finally clear and much less wind than the previous day but still cold.

Heading to Canada – only 2650 miles to go

Temperature at camp before starting hike

Green fields and wonderful vistas along the trail

Milkshake and burger at malt shop in lake Morena after 20 mile hike

Trail angeling at cleef

For the past week we have been helping to host hikers at the southern pct terminus. We help with the 6:30 to 8:30 breakfast and cook dinner for the 15 to 25 hikers that camp and start the next morning. On occasion we give rides and rescue hikers who need to get off trail or move up or back or escape weather or snow !