Wrightwood is Just Alright With Me

From Vince:

It's been another great 100 miles (I'm at trail mile 363 now)! From high in the San Bernandino Wilderness, I descended to an uncomfortably hot and smoggy Cajon Pass. There was a McDonalds half a mile away - it's been years since I've been there (as it should be), but wow, big mac and ice cream was great! I got there around noon with a group of hikers, and we all hung out for 5 hours, beating the heat of the day. This was probably the first place where there was absolutely no one who knew about the PCT (other than 1 or 2 employees), so I looked like a very dirty and smelly homeless guy. Definitely felt uncomfortable as people often stared with looks of disgust, but at the same time it was a good experience to know what it may feel like to be homeless.

From Cajon Pass, the trail climbed 5,000 feet into the San Gabriels. After leaving McDonalds, I hiked until dark but couldn't find a place to camp, so I just tossed down my sleeping pad and slept in the middle of the trail. The next morning I woke up at 4:30 entirely above the clouds, with just a few peaks rising above the clouds as far as I could see. I had 17 miles to go to where I could hitchhike into my next resupply location (Wrightwood), and I was craving pizza and beer so badly, that I didn't take a break and hiked all 17 miles (with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain) by noon. I ordered a large pizza so I would have leftovers for dinner, but ended up eating the entire thing in one sitting. And the Stone Brewery IPA was as good as it gets! I'm spending another night in town to give my feet a much deserved rest, but am getting really antsy about getting back out on the trail.

It's amazing how friendly people are in these small resupply towns. There are hiker specials everywhere. I got a free cup of coffee just for letting the local coffee shop take my picture to hang on their "OUR PCT FRIENDS" wall. Most stores have a "hiker notebook" where you can write messages and see when other hikers you've met passed through. Everywhere I've eaten I've had multiple people come up to eagerly ask about the trail. And if you see another hiker, they are instantly your new best friend. It's a really really tight-knit group, and I've met some absolutely amazing people. The first conversation pieces are always about your gear and how many blisters you have. I often spend a day or two hiking with a group of people, break away for a little while, then find some others to hike with. While being a solo hiker, I've spent less than half the nights by myself. I've hiked with many from the 20-something crowd, hung out a few nights with a really cool 50 year old Baptist Preacher, and have recently been spending time with a 60+ year old couple. Hitchhiking has also been great. I've found rides pretty quick, and have never had to wait for more than half an hour. Yesterday I found a ride from a couple in a minivan with 3 small children (I'd be pretty hesitant to pick up a dirty scruffy guy with my young kids in the car), and a few weeks ago a 75 year old woman breathing with the help of an oxygen tank picked me up. Many people demand that they drive you around town before dropping you off so that you know where everything is. Very cool!