Day 29: Record Miles

Cowboy camp under pine trees - Big Buck camp
Mile 397 - 424
Total 27 miles

Here is a picture of the beautiful forest close to where I woke up.

I had good breakfast on a sunny spot and chatted with Cleansweep on the way. Soon we reached the pretty 400 mile marker and a scout camp "Camp Glenwood" with good water. We also see the strange looking red plant. Thanks to help from PCT class of 2016 Facebook group, now I know its name. It is the "Snow plant" (sarcodes sanguinea), a parasite plant getting its sugar not by photosynthesis, but from the pine tree roots and from the fungi in the soil.

Shortly after the trail entered a burned area. It was probably burned several years ago and new vegetation was already growing from the roots of the burned oak trees. Lots of lizards could be seen on the rocks.

The trail came back into more trees and crossed a little stream. Resting under one of the pines I met two hikers Passport and Patches.
Passport got his trail name because he lost his passport on second day of the thru-hike and a only found out about it when a ranger who found the passport called him. Patches got her name because she got very sunburned and put patches to cover the scars. This is just an example how PCT hikers get their trail names.

After the little stream the trail started climbing again on the slopes of Pacifico Mountain, again traversing some burned areas.

Finally I found a group of pine trees with excellent shade for lunch siesta. An ultralight hiker "Ghost" shared with me some tips how to reduce size and weight of backpack. His backpack looked really tiny indeed.

The upcoming part of the trail went through beautiful mature pine forest and through burned areas in varying stages of recovery. From one of the burned areas a view opened up far north. The ridges on the far away horizon are already the foothills of the Sierra! But before getting there, the trail is going to cross a stretch of the hot and dry Mojave desert right under us.

A long gradual descent through mostly burned slopes with thick undergrowth and colorful flowers leads us to a strategic point: a fire station with water. The next reliable water might be 26 miles away. A big group of hikers gather around the water tap, filling up bottles, washing their feet and cooking early dinner. I am happy to join the friendly crowd.

After the fire station the trail goes uphill again towards Mount Gleason, one of the western outposts of the San Gabriel mountains. The forest fell victim to fire in most places, but there are spots in between where oaks and pines survived untouched. It is pleasure to walk through these green shady spots in the midst of black charred tree trunks.

Along the path appears a funny looking bush "poodle dog bush". According to the trail guidebook it can cause bad rash on the skin when touched.

The sun is hiding behind distant mountain ranges, and the slopes are extremely steep on both sides of the trail. Am I going to find a place to sleep?

Finally a side trail leads down to an abandoned campground called "Big Buck". The city lights of Palmdale and Lancaster can be seen below.
Today my total distance was 27 miles - 27 has been my maximum daily distance so far, reached on 4 days including today. The recipe for record miles? Good sleep and happy feet!