PCT Map Miles 63.7
Miles Hiked 11.0
Elevation 3,865
Miles Hiked Today 11.0
One year ago, I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. I only hiked 52 miles before I heard a loud pop and then went down. I had torn my left ankle tendon, and it was the end of my hike. Today, I returned to the Pacific Crest Trail and the Pioneer Mail Picnic Area where I stopped last year.
I got up at 2:30 AM and caught an Uber to the Tampa Airport for my 6 AM flight. With a stop in Phoenix, I made it to San Diego after seven hours. Becky Lutes, a Julian based trail angel, picked me up and dropped me at the trailhead at 12:15 PM local time and I was off hiking.
The plan was to only go 7 miles since it would be a long day including travel time from home. The trail turned out to be pretty easy. Mostly it was a descent into a valley. The day was not without some drama. Less than two hours into the hike, I tripped on a rock and went down. It was my left foot! That’s the one with the torn tendon. Fortunately, my boot took the brunt of the hit, and there was no ill effect concerning the ankle.
I got to my intended campsite at 3 PM. That was really good time! Not so good was the campsite. It was very windy. There were other hikers there considering it, but we all agreed to move on. Another campsite was reached an hour later, and it was windy and no better. The other hikers and I decided to move on. We finally reached where my tent is now. It’s not as windy and even a little warmer. I put on four more miles than my plan, but it turned out to be a good decision.
