Ian's PCT 2023 Thru Hike!

  On day 48 I started hiking at 6:30 am, trying to crush some miles before the heat. This section was quite exposed, and the trail surface was a soft sand that is annoying to walk on. I passed the 1000 kilometer mark, which seems much more impressive than 620 miles. At mile 630.8 was another water cache, I took a long siesta there before starting a long climb up the side of Skinner Peak carrying 4 liters. At the crest of a ridge, it opened up into an incredible view of the Sierra Mountains, the first sight of it on trail. Mt Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48, stood in the middle, everything covered in snow. The views continued for several more miles before setting up camp at mile 635.8 with an Australian named Alex, a total of 19.4 for the day.  On day 49 I went the rest of the way to Walker pass, with incredible views of the sierra all the way through beautiful forest.    The trail began descending down to walker pass and we encountered some amazing trail magic at the bottom!

  I spent 3 whole days in Tehachapi. It was a really nice trail town and Barbara and Richard were great hosts. They let hikers borrow bicycles to get around town which makes town days much easier. On day 43 Angel and Ian arrived in town after taking 2 weeks off due to injury. They brought tons of trail magic to give to hikers passing through, including a pizza oven and lots of fresh dough and toppings. I also slack-packed the 8 miles between Willow Springs road and hwy 58, leaving my pack at Barbaras. I jogged a lot of it and getting that section done will make the next water carry much easier. That night I watched the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie in a theater downtown, which was really fun. I found some new (ish) shoes in a hiker box (a place for hikers to drop unwanted gear/food), the same exact kind and size as my old ones. They seem to just be a few hundred miles more new than my old ones.  On day 44 Ryan, Alashua, and Carter all arrived in town after not seeing them in two we

  On day 39 it was time to hike the LA aqueduct. We spent most of the day at the Wee Vill Market, resting as much as we can and staying cool in the desert sun. We decided to hike the aqueduct at night in order to avoid the heat. Chris got the trail name “Clutch” due to his ability to secure rides to and from trail. He again worked his magic when we went back to the trailhead, securing a ride from someone in the parking lot. At 6:35 pm we started hiking and the air was cooling fast as the sun went down. I was hiking with Chris (Clutch), Went, Showers from LA, and Old Face from Philly. Showers and Old Face are some of the most extreme ultralight backpackers I’ve seen on the trail, with packs the size of day packs. Most of the aqueduct involves walking on some kind of concrete lid, with the high pressure water flowing below. Since it was pitch black we couldn’t really see exactly what we were walking on but it was a smooth enough surface that all we needed to do was just walk in a straigh