PCT Thru-hike #4: Trail Names
Thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail was a life-changing experience for Arthur and Jill. This is our story.
Follow the PCT thru-hike adventure from the beginning and hike with us to mile 2,650.
Mt. Laguna
Written by Jill
Today was a hit and miss kind of day. We woke up early to the sound of a million birds and hit the trail to finish the climb to Mt. Laguna. A beautiful alpine forest greeted us after the first few miles — the first pine trees we’ve seen!
The trail cruised into the town of Mt. Laguna where we were looking forward to a hot meal. Unfortunately it was Tuesday and the restaurant was closed — bummer! We bought a few snacks and a new sleep shirt for Rt at the outfitter and then headed to the general store up the road.
John was at the counter and was extremely friendly! Right off the bat he offered to charge our electronics and showed us around.
The store had a nice selection of hiker food and after picking up some more snacks we lounged on the front porch with many other hikers.
After an hour and a half of sitting we finally got going with a plan to hike until the next water source in five miles. The road rejoined the PCT on a trail called the Desert View trail, and we quickly discovered why. The trail gave us spectacular views of the desert floor far below.
About 3 miles in Rt’s knee suddenly became very painful to walk on. He was visibly limping on the downhill, so when we came to the road leading to Laguna Campground we made the decision to stop early for the day. The campground offered overnight camping to hikers for $22 a night with 8 people allowed per site. We left a note at the fee station telling other hikers which site we were staying at and that we had plenty of room.
Half an hour later three hikers we had met at the general store came strolling over with three more on their heels! We had a full camp site with a great group of people. It definitely made the decision to stop early seem a better one. There were showers at the campground. We were able to rinse our smelly bodies and dirty clothes. I am really glad we took it easy and had the chance to hang out with some cool hikers.
We chatted with the others about the trail and tried to figure out trail names for each other. Enduro already had his name. Three guys from Texas were hiking together, so we called them The Texans for now. Rt gave Lorelei the name of Cashmere because she had a cashmere scarf, and her husband the name Physio because he helped Rt with some physical therapy for his knee. I accepted the trail name of Bushtit. Don’t worry, it’s just a bird!
Mmmm… Livestock Water. What better place to hold a hiker gathering?
Trail Names
Written by Arthur
Our camp awoke to a chilly morning. At breakfast Physio offered me the trail name of Tomtit, to match Jill’s name of Bushtit. Physio is from New Zealand, and apparently there is a little friendly bird there called a tomtit. So now we are known as the Tits!
Breathtaking vistas of both mountains and desert filled our day, but they were not the only excitement. We ran into new and old friends again and again as hikers converged on water sources. We filtered water from a cistern and a horse trough today, and both tasted better than we assumed they would!
My knee was acting up yesterday, and today the pain had just about taken me down. All of our camping buddies from the night before had advice to give, and it was great! Many of them had suffered from knee issues in the past, and they gave me valuable advice from stretches to massages to brace recommendations.
The advice paid off today, because just as I was about to buckle from the pain Jill and I took a break and worked my knee back into shape. Although I was still suffering from IT band pain, I was able to make my leg work again and power on for another four miles. My muscles were not accustomed to this much walking. I had to strengthen my endurance.
We set up camp in a canyon ridge, tucked into a nook just short of the ridge’s peak. Tomorrow we plan on hiking downhill to the highway and hitching a 12 mile ride over to the town of Julian where we will grab a motel room. We will be able to wash our clothes and eat a hot meal for the first time in a week! We are so stoked!
Want to start from the beginning of the hike? Click here.
See more pictures from Arthur and Jill’s Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike by downloading the Adventure and The Pacific Crest Trail eBook. A print version is available as well. All sales help support Better Hiker.
