PCT day 4 – Idyllwild

Zero miles (except the ones I walk around town)

Last time I had been to Idyllwild I could hardly walk. I went around town to see Doctor Bill the physical therapist here and to get an x-ray at the health center. The friendliness of the locals is basically the reason why I always wanted to come back. Well… apart from using every opportunity for resupply at the start of my hike to keep my packweight down. Did you ever get picked up by your physical therapist?

This time things are a lot different for me. I can walk around town and enjoy this cute little mountain town to the fullest. Breakfast at the Red Kettle, dinner at Fratello’s, a stroll to the outfitter of town… I even learned about Mayor Max and I got a fancy shot with him, don’t you think?

I feel good and apart from the normal hiker issues (a few aches and pains after many miles of climbing and descending) everything seems to be okay so far!

My second trip to the PCT started already in an awesome way. It turned out that some friends I had met in 2016 lived close to Palm Springs Airport and it seemed more than natural for them to pick me up and give me a home away from home for the first days.

Not only could I sleep in a more than comfortable bed to get over my jet-lag… Mary and Jim also showed me around the Palm Springs area and fed my upcoming hiker hunger. I think I gained an extra kilo in only three days! They drove me all the way to Paradise Valley Café where I had started my hike. It was hard to say goodbye to my dear friends and the only relief was the knowledge that I would get a second treat and see them again once I reached Interstate 10.

It seems like the trail has me back and the generosity of the people already outweighs all the bad I have seen on the news and experienced in my personal life the past three years!

It’s time to enjoy a little bit more of this mountain town and get ready for 1300 meters of climbing up to the top of Mount San Jacinto tomorrow morning!