Day 31: Victory Lap

May 31, 2015 (6th Re-Ration – Santa Clarita)
Sawmill Campground (498.5) to Hwy 138-Santa Clarita (517.6)
19.1 PCT miles today
530.6 miles total
Today’s Elevation Gain/Loss: + 2,809 ft, – 4,758 ft

We made it! After 12 days and over 200 difficult miles, we were beyond relieved to climb into Mama Bear’s car when she pulled into Hikertown this afternoon. We woke early this morning and got on the trail by 6:30, every creature comfort acting as our motivation. Even though the first 10 miles or so were all uphill, they flew by, and we were actually surprised when we came upon our water source at Horse Trail Camp. We stopped to refill and eat some snacks, and then had another surprise. A nice man came upon us and actually knew who we were!

Glenn is a hiker from Santa Barbara who wants to hike the PCT next year and he found this blog through the PCT website. He had hoped to run into us out in the desert and chat “trail”, and we were happy to have the company. We walked (downhill now) back to his car and discussed gear, weather, and Poodle Dog Bush, a previously unknown plant to Glenn too.

When we parted ways, Pickles and I still had about 7 challenging, hot miles to go. Even though we could see Hwy 138, the trail took us on a crazy up and down winding route, presumably to avoid private property, and it started to feel like we might never reach my mom. So, to make it go by faster, we started to trail run. We had run a short bit of downhill in the morning and it felt great, so now we decided to run all the downhill portions and only walk on the uphill. Despite the crazy heat, for some reason running felt great. It was nice to feel like we were actually getting somewhere, and it actually stirred up a nice breeze all around us.

We arrived at Hikertown completely and totally expended. If we hadn’t known we were being picked up, and if we didn’t have Six Flags and a zero day on our mind, we never would have pushed so hard. Fortunately, Mama Bear pulled in literally seconds after we arrived and we desperately chugged the Gatorade that she had brought, sat down in the car, and blasted the A.C.

This afternoon and evening has been like a dream. We checked into a Hyatt room (Mama Bear is an employee and there happens to be a Hyatt right next to Six Flags) and immediately showered and then relaxed poolside. This evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner and now I’ll be calling it a night nice and early. Tomorrow is our big day at the theme park, and even if it’s not relaxing, it will certainly be a nice change from our daily hiking!