PCT, Day 7

We had arranged a hitch from Julian back to Scissors Crossing at 8 in the morning. The lady who takes us does this run many times per day too. She says she has 95,000 miles on her car just from picking up hikers.

I start walking at about 8:20 am, carrying 3.5 liters of water. They have to be sufficient until we reach the campsite for today. There is supposed to be a water cache, meaning people dropped water there for hikers to take. There will be a donation box too, to make it feasible.

The landscape looks different again. It's still very dry, and I see a new kind of cactus. It feels like the dryness sucks all the water from my body. My lips crack, and there is no shade. I only drink when it feels necessary, and you can feel how easy it is to quickly feel dizzy or dehydrated. I carry 3.5 liters of water, but my body would love to get at least double the amount.

After a while of walking, I see my first rattlesnake. It lies right on my path. I slowly walk backward and look for Martin, who is not far behind me. I want him to see the snake. He said this morning, "I have the feeling I will see my first rattlesnake today." So we watch the snake until it disappears. It's slightly frightening. At one point, it rattles. Its bite is deadly, so we keep our distance. I made a video of the snake with its rattling, but I can't upload videos here. An hour later, there is another rattlesnake right on my path. I make a lot of noise and stamp my feet, but the snake does not move. There is no way to walk around. Finally, it moves into a bush, but I do not see it coming out. The bush is right next to the narrow path. I don't want to risk passing and getting bitten. After about 5 minutes and no movement, I quickly pass.

A little while later, I see a steel bottle next to the path. There is some writing on it, indicating that it contains water. In case one is thirsty, one could take some sips or, if one has plenty of water, fill it up again. That bottle is there for emergencies. It's a nice gesture.

It's now almost noon, and I am looking for some shade. I find a few centimeters and crouch next to a rock for 20 minutes. Then the small shade is gone.

I measure more than 38 degrees Celsius in the shade. Martin measures 64 degrees Celsius in the sun at one point. It is very hot. There are lots of lizards around, including one that can eject blood from its eyes.

Towards the end, I stop every 2 km. I am so glad when we reach the campsite. Since it is the only spot to get water today and tomorrow, there are many hikers lying under bushes, waiting for the sun to go down.

The water at the cache is rationed. I pick up the 3l that is the ration per person. I feel like I could drink all of it now but it has to last for the rest of the day and for tomorrow. After walking back up the steep hill to the campsite, I too find some shade and wait until sunset to set up my tent.

Waiting for the hitch out of Julian and back to the trail head;

The landscape today:

The rattlesnakes:

The emergency water bottle:

Huddling in a few cm of shade:

Found some more shade later:

Moving on I see a horned lizard. They are little dragons that can adjust their colors to fit with the environment and it is the kind that can shoot blood out of their eyes.

Finally I get yo the water cache and further down is the spot I use for my tent. Forgot to take a picture while it was standing.