Julia on day one, 5/25/24
Julia relaxing in Idyllwild at the Harmony monument
Julia is a 17-year-old from Seattle, Washington hiking the PCT during the summer prior to her senior year in high school. I was her driver on several occasions in Idyllwild and found her thoughts refreshingly unvarnished, colorful and succinct. She is by far the youngest PCT hiker I’ve met, and agreed to provide her story hiking one of America’s most awe-inspiring and challenging trails… I will be updating this column regularly for the next few months. HP
What did your first steps on the PCT feel like?
“It was crazy. It was May 25th, and it didn’t feel real. I felt like a tourist. I’ll be a real hiker when I get to Idyllwild, I told myself. Throughout the first few days I was utterly mesmerized by the PCT signs leading me on – it was so encouraging; the signs always appeared right on cue!”
The PCT is an immersion into the natural world, what are your early impressions?
“It was cool to see the landscape transition. The sparce community of Campo gave way to inaccessibility. No roads, no cars, nobody. Hiking is really hard. When I’m hiking, I’m thinking I can’t do this. My feet hurt so bad, and the bugs are menacing. But when I take a break or set up my pack at days end, the hike becomes surreal. The fact that I’m covering miles seems unbelievable – almost immediately I’ve forgotten about the pain, and how I got here. I get excited because the present moment fully imposes itself. I feel unlimited energy.”
Did managing your evening set up get easier over time?
“Honestly, my set-up is easy. I’m sleeping in a bivy which I call my coffin. It’s a mesh bag that offers bug protection. It’s the size of my sleeping pad. I throw in my sleeping bag, pillow, food [to protect from mice] and me. I leave my pack outside. Every other day I’ll heat water and cook something. I have a lot of dehydrated meals, grits, mac & cheese, Power Crunch Bars [the only protein bar I’m willing to eat]. I’m into Starbucks lemon loafs now and recently bought 3. I’ve packed out McDonalds and will often buy ready-made food from real restaurants and almost real restaurants, like Starbucks.”
High desert crossing – what stood out?
“Julian was a blast, I loved it there! I thoroughly enjoyed my free piece of pie from the Julian Pie Company while hanging out with my new friend Kae. It was very busy, for such a small town somehow it seemed full of activity. Then I realized I was seeing the same people over and over. My waitress was at the post office, I saw someone that drove me at the grocery store, everywhere I looked people looked familiar, it was a crazy experience. However, I did feel like a real grown-up getting my own hotel room for the first time!”
Little Bear Hostel & The Paradise Cafe
“A day’s hike north of Julian I stayed at the Little Bear Hostel. It’s owned by a very generous couple with a few kids and one particularly darling child; they open their home to PCT hikers. All the while, trekking north, I felt the charge toward Idyllwild, excited for a true hiker town experience.”
“But I knew this part of the trek wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the Paradise Valley Café. It did not disappoint; the PVC was great! I had biscuits and gravy with the people I met at Little Bear Hostel – and it was here that I first began to socialize with the steady stream of hungry hikers noshing on delicious meals.”
“I got a ride into Idyllwild with my lunch bunch. Steve was our driver and he showed us around town highlighting everything we would possibly need to know before dropping us at the Idyllwild Inn. Idyllwild was magical. So cute – it was seriously like a fairy town in the woods. I knew I’d feel like a real through hiker when I got to Idyllwild, and I did. The people were amazing. My first night I shared a cabin with a friend – and finally had a glorious bath.
“A San-Jacinto peak day-hike followed. San Jacinto Jon reports upwards of 60 downed trees strewn across the trail after hurricane Hillary and felt the need to get my bearings. What would crossing the mountain range entail if I pick up at mile 151 on highway 74?
It was eleven hours up and back to Hummer that day. The next day I took a zero. I had promised my parents I’d skip the Sierras to get home in time to start my senior year. The San Jacinto section seemed daunting, and I can’t afford an injury. Like some hikers I met, I decided to skirt the issue.”
Do You have a trail name?
“My trail name has become Sunflower, but I’m not married to it – because it refers primarily to my hat.”
Black Mountain to Cabazon
“The next day my trail mate Kae and I had a huge breakfast beginning with Bavarian pretzels, whipped cream and a pack of Belgium Mini Cream Puffs, topped off by a milkshake at Atomic Cow. I was ready! Holly picked us up outside Atomic Cow and dropped us at Black Mountain trailhead. During the drive she outlined her plan to follow my progress for a series of articles, but not without assuring herself I wasn’t a run-away and asking how my parents felt about my summer excursion. I said, I didn’t think they truly understand the massiveness. To that point my trail mate chimed, “I don’t think any of us do.” She wished us a safe journey, suggested I tell everyone on trail I’m being followed by the Idyllwild Town Crier and said let’s talk in a week. Kae and I then headed up the rugged nine-mile road. The desert would be daunting, I was grateful not to be alone.”
An intense heat wave followed us down Black Mountain into the desert for the two days it took to get to the White-Water trailhead. At White-Water there were all these signs saying Mission Creek, our access route to Big Bear, was closed and to be mindful of Red Algae when filtering water.”
Post-tropical-storm Hillary impacted Coachella Valley in August of 2023 causing massive desert flooding. The PCTA reports storm water decimated Mission Creek, and much of the trail through the White-Water Preserve is destroyed by landslides and newly created steep cliffs block the trail, it’s virtually impassable. Both riverbeds are described as boulder and debris fields. Hikers I follow who persevered on the trail describe all the above plus treacherous hiking in knee high stagnant water lasting about a mile due to blocked drainage.
After conferring with a Ranger for about 4 hours Julia and Kae hiked in blazing heat, back 10 miles to I-10 and caught an Uber to Big Bear. Julia is now heading to Wrightwood – we hope you’ll stay tuned!
[This article was written without the benefit of AI conjecture]
