Jay called to say he had been hiking through some very rough country, with no phone coverage and very little phone battery. (The guidebook mentions that the trail through the San Jacinto Mts. frequently had to be dynamited in order to build it on such steep slopes, and calls the trail down Fuller Ridge “torturous”.) Jay said there was a lot of snow across Fuller Ridge, and the trail was virtually impossible to find several times. Thanks to his maps, he knew the general direction, but found it extremely difficult to stay on the trail. It was a long, frustrating day.
After 25 miles on Sunday, he came to a road and decided to hitchhike to the nearest town. Someone at the trailhead told him the nearest town had no services, and he should hitch hike into Palm Springs instead. Just as he was trying to hitch hike the much longer route, a car pulled up with two local hikers. They took him to the nearest grocery store, waited while he shopped, then took him to The Bear’s PCT Hikers’ Oasis, a hostel hosted by two trail angels, Bear and Ziggy. It is those ‘coincidences’ that reassure me God is watching over Jay!
What a relief, eat something besides trail food, sleep with no worries about a collapsing tent, and (most importantly) connect with loved ones again! Jay said Bear and Ziggy were wonderful hosts, providing exactly what every exhausted hiker needed.
Jay was a little vague in the phone call as to exactly where he is on the trail right now. But it is enough for me to know that he is okay and now has a fully recharged phone! I’m sure he will be sending more news in the coming days.
-Sarah
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