May 22, 2017
Big Bear Lake to Holcomb Creek (Mile 285)
Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike: Day 18
Didn't leave the hotel until 7:30 am today, later than I would have liked. Alex and I walked for an hour until we got picked up by a woman who drove us to the trailhead.
My feet are significantly improved since soaking them twice in Epsom salts, enough so that I only felt it necessary to tape one of my toes this morning. The toenails that I trephinated are already separating, which I expect means they'll fall off sooner rather than later.
I walked 20 miles to mile 285, past a solar-powered outhouse (green energy doesn't make pit toilets smell any better, FYI), and stopped at Holcomb Creek alongside Sam, Alex, Colten, Justin, Ben, Tyler, Silver Fox, Newsfeed and a few others. A southbound section hiker came by with a giant mesh sack full of fun-sized chip bags. He told us he hikes the PCT in sections, bringing chips to hand out as trail magic for thru-hikers. My pack weighs about ten thousand pounds from yesterday's food resupply, but I gratefully took my Doritos to add to the calorie pile.
I listened to three more hours of Atlas Shrugged today while traveling over lumpy, rocky trail. Downside today was the lack of things to look at and severe shoulder strain due to my heavy, heavy pack. In addition to a massive food resupply, this section is dry and requires a heavy water carry. Upside is that, in my boredom and attempt to distract from what felt like my shoulders popping out of their sockets, I made good progress on my 53-disc audiobook.
Let's talk about butt acne for a second. Something I've never experienced before, it happens when you sweat all day, every day, and have no opportunity to wash the sweat off your body. I'm skeptical that anything can be done to remedy the situation. Even if I washed my butt, I would still be wearing the same pair of dirty, sweaty shorts every day and really doubt anything besides resuming a civilized hygiene regimen will do the trick. That's not an option, so I expect I'll be living with butt acne for the next four months of my life. At any rate, it's better than having butt poison ivy or butt poison oak.
Big Bear Lake
Photo Credit: Justin Cummins