Day 11 (5/28) The Trekking Pole Incident

Today was supposed to be an early morning since Flip Flop and I had camped  very near (or on) the trail. It bYwas for one of us, as I woke up too the sound of my new friend heading down the trail to his rest day in Idyllwild. I was out of camp around 7:00, just after Noah came rolling in. He filled up on water as I stuffed the last few things into my pack, and off we went. Despite the increasing altitude, today was definitely less challenging than yesterday. The worst of the climbing was over and it would be mainly downhill later today. I parted ways with Noah at the Devils Slide Trail, which he had to take to pick up more supplies. I managed to skip this town stop by carrying more food from Warner Springs. Its a tough tradeoff - extra miles vs extra weight.

After saying goodbye to Noah, I set off to finish this mountain. It was another 20 miles to the base in the desert, but I was feeling strong. I pushed ahead and made really good time for most of the afternoon. I also ran into a thru-hiker from 1980, a guy named Larry who is an engineer at Boeing. He made me realize how easy I have it today; when he did his hike the trail wasn't completed yet, so he had to make his own way in some sections based on the guidebook recommendations. That had to be something else... Coming around the mountain I actually had to pull out my sandals to cross a creek that was flowing strong. As I sat on the other side drying my feet and re-taping my toes, I watched one couple do it barefoot and then a trio of men simply splashed across in their high waterproof boots. As I continued on I started descending the dreaded Fuller Ridge. Early in the season this was so snowed in that people were bringing ice axes or simply avoiding this section altogether. I wasn't concerned though, this was May 28th (my sister's bday - Happy 20th birthday Michelle!) so there should be nothing to worry about. I was wrong on that account. The ridge is covered in trees and is north facing, so despite the late date, there were still snow patches to be found. My trail runners do a passable job on snow, but they are less than worthless on ice. Because dozens of  people had walked over this snow in the last few weeks, there were icy footsteps in each snow bank.  I did fine going across, but at the edge where it transitioned back to dirt, the would be a two foot drop off the snow bank. Needless to say this was a bit dicey and I was relying heavily on my poles to stabilize myself on this position. At one particularly ugly looking patch of snow it was clear people had made a path around it by walling down the slope then back up after the snow. Well, that seemed pretty good to me, so I stepped off the trail to follow suit. Instantly my feet went out from under me as my shoes lost traction on the wet dirt on the incline. I jabbed out with my poles to catch myself as I have done numerous times before, but on this occasion it was insufficient and I went down on my rear. I came up laughing at myself until I reached down for my trusty poles. As I slipped they were lodged under my pack, and my fully loaded weight of 260 lbs was just too much. The lower section of one poles was bent at a 25° angle and the other at 5°. I was devastated. After less than 200 miles I was breaking gear. Well, not much I could do though but press on, so I sent an email home about ordering replacements and then I continued the trek, albeit at a slightly more subdued pace.

The next section was punishing, especially since I could no longer fully rely on my poles to support me on the downhills. Though it is only 4.3 miles directly to the base of the mountain, the PCT instead takes a 14 mile route. This may be related to the fact that over that distance I would descend over 6000 feet to the desert floor. Talk about a drastic change! This was also my first experience with high winds as a low pressure system brough in clouds and 35mph gusts. Despite the damage, the trekking poles were critical here as they allowed me to effectively brace myself against the wind without hunkering down on my knees. Progress was slower than expected and I soon found night falling with several miles to go before solid ground. Not wanting to make this a habit,  but I was forced to camp on the trail as it was the only flat (ish) place around. I found a great spot sheltered from the wind by a boulder and fell asleep almost as soon as I slipped into my sleeping bag.

Miles Today: 24
Total Miles: 201