Last night was unexpectedly delightful; I stayed at Mike’s place!
Mike Herrera is an old PCT hiker who purchased a piece of land next to the PCT and opened it up to hikers. He doesn’t live there, but he had a couple who does. His well water is available, he allows people to stay in his “Bunkhouse” (a shack for the guys and an old RV for the women) with the overflow pitching tents anywhere. He’s been averaging 20-25 a night.
That would be enough, but Tom and “Mom” also cooked meals and provided soda and beers. It was hard to leave.
After a long 17 windy miles today we found a great batch of tent spots amongst the bolders. I say “we” because I’m in the Pack! There were 10 people when I arrived and another 10 have shown up since.
So much for being lonely. 😉
In actuality, I was by myself most of the day with a few people passing me and a couple I leapfrogged with. But we were all moving at roughly the same pace.
And it’s a great campsite less than 8 miles from the Hwy and the Paridise Cafe, which caters to PCT hikers. (Large portions of food). From there it’s on to Idyllwild.
Here are some pictures of Mikes place. The guy with the beard is a cliche for the old stoner guy. You meet all kinds.
So Many Mountains, So little Time 
That sounds like a really good couple of days!
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Totally cool, isn’t it amazing that there are so many people helping out others? That’s one of the beauties of life i think. Glad to hear that you are finding a little more variety of food than your own prepared rations, must help keep the spirits up. Foot much better i guess if you didn’t mention it.
Another wonderful day at the office for me. My coworker who has been like my big sister for the past 10 years is leaving tomorrow for another job. Happy for her, sad for me. I have to find a replacement for my support system.
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Michael, continue on! Love seeing the pic’s and hearing about the journey.
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Whoa! Everyone is bundled up like you are here in Wisconsin! Didn’t take a wrong turn, did you? 😉 Do you find it easier to keep a good pace when hiking with people? Do they help, or does it not matter, or…?
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Sounds like a great place to stop and rest! I notice that everyone in the photo is wearing trail shoes. Is that what most hikers are wearing instead of boots? I know trail shoes are preferred over boots for ultra-light backpackers, so I am wondering if that is now the norm. I’m making the move to trail shoes since my boots are too small, and a new pair just isn’t in the budget right now. Your thoughts on boots vs. trail shoes for a thru-hike?
My life out here in Virginia seems like a world away from my beautiful home state of California. Rather than taking a nice hike this weekend, I get to do some scout camping with my daughter and 12 other girls. It will be fun, but not my ideal way to get outdoors. Planning 2 small backpacking trips this summer….not easy with 5 children.
Hike on!
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Hi Kara. Most thru hikers prefer NON-waterproof trail runners. The reasons are lightness, breathability and ability to dry quickly. There will be many rivers once I get to the Sierras that I have to ford. What we don’t see much of is rain. Enjoy your camping trip.
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By the way….when you cross Interstate 10 just outside of Palm Springs, you will be less than a mile away from my parents home, my home before getting married. 🙂
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Hi Michael: Glad to see all is well with you on your long awaited PCT2015 adventure. I tried a little while ago to send you a note, but I see the comment # did not show an increase in number. I had some difficulty with using my trail name as a password. Enjoy your info and photos a lot. Marmot Dan is at Kennedy Meadows and Claire and Andrew are near you. Foot issues? Change your socks by mid day and shake out the dirt and rinse if possible and put on the clean one. Hang out the used sock on back of the pack and do this everyday It works! Watch the big miles hold off until you feel strong it takes approx. a month to build up your muscles in you legs and feet to do the 20 plus everyday. A good bunch of hikers begin having knee, shin splints, IT band, nerve damage under the feet, the first 30 days of their thru hike and this can set you back days or weeks off the trail. Have a great time at Trail Days. They pass out a lot of info and you make new friends.
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Mike’s never hiked the PCT. Lol.
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