Start point

PCT intersection with Lake Hughes Road, mile 485.8

End point

Horse Trail Camp, mile 508.1

Miles hiked

22.3

Wilderness area

Angeles National Forest

The day on trail

Today is Rafael’s birthday!

It was a beautiful morning. It got a little chilly last night, which is normal for sleeping next to water. At least it didn’t frost. But the weather is shaping to be a little misty today and it’s a touch sprinkly this morning. It’s nice because it’ll be cooler, but I love sunlight.

We took off with the plan to meet at mile 499 and hit 500 together. Everyone got off to a faster start than me, but I figure I’ll catch them because I probably won’t take much of a break.

The climb out of the little valley Lake Hughes Road sits in was really interesting. There were all these little caves that were super intriguing. I wish I had the time and energy to explore them or play in them.

• 

• 

• 

It was just a climb to get over the initial hill. The weather was oscillating between sprinkles, mist, and just general overcast skies. It was really pretty and, at the same time, a little gloomy. It took a lot of energy to keep going and not just be lazy.

It’s weird. I love hiking and walking, and I don’t have anywhere to go. But sometimes when the weather is like this I just want to stop and be lazy. But what would I do? I don’t have Netflix. I don’t have service. I don’t have a computer or TV. I just want to be lazy and stare at nothing.

But staring at nothing doesn’t get me to the meeting spot and I have others expecting me. Plus I have miles to hike for a soft goal we have for Piñacolada’s birthday Friday. Today is going to be a big day and I’m really excited for it, and that’s what I remind myself of when I’m tired from the gloomy weather.

Continuing up, I entered a burn zone. Burn zones in this area invite poodle dog bush, which I’ll expand on later. But there were fields of this dangerous plant.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Fields of it. Ick.

But between a couple fields of the dastardly PDB, I ran into some friends from my first two weeks on trail, Pamela and Henry!

It was so amazingly refreshing to see them. I’ve missed their energy and enthusiasm. And Henry is just the warmest guy. Pamela is the perfect companion with her authenticity and matching warmth. Running into them is always delightful.

Just past them was a piece of really washed out trail. There was a steep gully between the sides of the trail with an effective not-a-bridge made from erosion abatement measures between them.

The fields were striking though. I loved the grass against the burned area.

I ran into Rafa shortly after and he was struggling. It was his birthday and he’s like me, he loves the sun. It was a struggle for him with the gloomy weather and the threat of overwhelming snow in the Sierra waiting for us all after. He had been considering switching over to the Arizona Trail to escape the snow and gloom.

He just needed a friend. He needed someone to listen to him. He already knew not to make a decision on a bad day. It was also really good to know I wasn’t the only one worried about the snow and struggling with the weather. We’ve started pushing bigger miles and we’re a good few days out of town, so we’re all starting to feel a little worn down. We can still continue, though it’s still a physical feat to do so.

Soon, we reached where Sinead and Piñacolada were taking a break. I sat down and had a couple tortillas with peanut butter. We all caught up for a bit and talked about plans for the mile 500 marker.

One interesting note is that the trail has changed so much over the years that the original 500 mile marker, had it even survive the last fire, was off by a few miles. Someone had put rocks down to create a new mile 500 monument. The unofficial rock markers are delightful. People coming together to enjoy these moments and achievements, building something that isn’t needed for survival but rather wanted for posterity, warms me up.

• 

• 

Playing around with everyone is always fun, and it was rejuvenating to have some moments of frivolity.

Re-energized, we moved onward. And we needed that energy. The fog and mist hid so much of the trail. It was kind of creepy, and I was definitely startled when a guy I didn’t see said hi to me.

• 

• 

• 

• 

One other hazard of the mist and other plants, is it hides these.

• 

• 

See that Dr. Seuss looking motherf****r?

That’s poodle dog bush. PDB if you want. I’ve talked about it a bit but it’s time to get into it (the facts, not the actual plant)

When it blooms it smells like the worst weed your granddad smoked in the 1960s. The kicker though, is what it does if you touch it. Take poison ivy, multiply it by poison oak, then add the blistering of a 2nd degree burn. That’s poodle dog bush. And it takes people off trail for medical attention.

It hides under other plants, it grows over trail, and it’s as harmful as its name is cute.

Poodle dog bush is more feared than rattlesnakes and bears, and rightfully so. You can’t fight back against a plant with your fists. You can’t hide food from it. It doesn’t warn you when you’re close. It just grows, doing it’s plant stuff, photosynthesizing sunlight into energy and an oil which can only be described as botanical hatred.

And we had fields of these to walk through, maneuver around, and dance between.

It’s exhilarating.

Finally, though, after so much walking. After getting through fields of poodle dog bush, after walking past water sources that had no water, I got to horse camp. And this is where my style of hiking can surprise people. Despite Sinead leaving before me. Despite her hiking faster. My tendency to take fewer, shorter breaks got me to camp a good 15 minutes before she did. Though she was struggling with the weather as well.

Camp was nice. There was a water source about 1/4 mile away, with an incredibly steep slope to traverse. The water was worth it though. It was clear — really clear, and sediment free. It filtered easily and beautifully and had almost no coloring from tannins.

From there we utilized the metal fire ring at the campsite and a picnic table. We caught up a little over dinner and a gentle campfire and went to bed.

Hello, 500 miles.