22nd April 2025

We both slept through the night, the first time since leaving the comfort of a bed. We had a two mile stretch through thick cactus bushes to scissor crossing, where there’s a road to the town of Julian; our first resupply stop.

We got to the trail head and Ghost, a trail angel, kindly gave us a lift to Stagecoach Campground where we could do laundry and shower away the accumulated dirt and grime. He then kindly came back to pick us up and took us into Julian, a small mining town with western style stores lining the main street. The town is famously known on the PCT for fee pie served with ice cream and coffee from Mom’s Pie. I mean really, how could we resist?

We picked up our resupply from the post office and regrouped with the rest of the gang at the American Legion. Here we repacked our bags, only just able to close them with the additional food! We then headed to The Brewery for pizza, enjoying every calorie offered. Another good find was The Julian Cider Mill, which offers a free bag of sweets and a cup of cider to all PCT hikers. 

The plan was to head back to trail in the evening and to begin our climb through the San Felipe Hills. Sadly, this morning I experienced sharp pain in the outside of my right shin and across the front of my foot. Drizzle kindly taped it, but the pain worsened throughout the day despite rest. I’m frustrated and fearful of its prognosis. I spoke with two hikers today who are leaving trail completely due to pushing through injuries. This was enough to convince myself to stay in town to rest up. 

A friend of ours was staying in town and let us sleep on the floor of his hotel room. We went back to The Brewery and watched baseball, cheering on his team, the Atlanta Braves. We then munched down on some food and played some cards. I also spotted the trail angel Patty, who we met on our second day, with her husband at the bar. I sat with them hearing their plans for their next lot of trail magic up in South Lake Tahoe at the end of June. Conscious of my burning leg, I hoped that this wasn’t a serious injury and that I’ld make it to Tahoe.