PCT Mile 189.3 to Ziggy and the Bear’s – 5-20

Because of the late night, heavy wind, and slim campsite pickings, Team Fire Closure camped in two separate spots. Bill and Wonky found a small, sheltered area near the summit, just big enough for their two tents. Elizabeth, Pathfinder and I hiked longer to get to a lower elevation, where it would be warmer and calmer.

By the time Elizabeth and I poked our heads out Pathfinder was gone. He is the type who wakes up early, breaks camp quickly, walks fast, and has everything organized ahead of time. He had already mailed 120 home-cooked freeze-dried meals to his resupply points. So, we weren’t going to be able to keep pace with him long-term. Wonky and Bill wanted to stick together, behind the main group.

We descended the mountain as planned. It gave us some nice views.

The trail on the descent took us past the 200 mile marker.

After descending all the way to the valley floor, we reached a windswept desert plain with winds so strong you sometimes needed to lean into the wind to keep from tipping over. The path was unclear at many points here, so rather than following a trail, we walked from one PCT signpost to the next.

The “trail” passed under Interstate 10 and its adjacent train tracks, providing us brief protection from the wind and sun.

Once under the Interstate, it was only a short ways to our destination for the night, Ziggy and the Bear’s house. Ziggy and the Bear are a couple who have been hosting thru-hikers in their backyard for many years.

When we arrived, the Bear had us sign in, took out pictures, and gave us each a Gatorade. It was slightly frozen, slushy, and delicious.

Later that night, Ziggy took up a collection from everybody to get pizza. The dinner table that night was a row of about 15 hikers in plastic chairs, each with a large Little Caesar’s pizza on their laps. There was very little left over. I ate my entire pizza, even though I wasn’t very hungry, and it wasn’t very good (I would still wake up hungry that night).

Team Fire Closure met up again, and discussed the plan for tomorrow. The Lake Fire Closure began in 10 miles, so we’d be off the PCT before lunch. We laid out our sleeping bags on Ziggy and the Bear’s back porch, and feel asleep.