27th April 2025

It had rained all night and was still raining in the morning. But, having slept well, we both awoke feeling more positive about life on trail. We packed up and weathered the rain as we continued upwards, finally reaching the top of the pass and heading down into the valley. The rain let up and ten miles into our hike we took a break for coffee and lunch.

The next section of trail was dreamy as the path meandered through wildflower meadows. In the harsh wind these appeared to move like light in water, silvers dancing through the field. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, blues, purples, greens and yellows shimmering and moving like a river. We then saw from a distance the iconic Eagle Rock, recognisable even from half a mile away.

Soon we were walking by a creek and arrived at the Warner Springs Community Resource Centre. The hall had been turned into a hiker hub with bucket washing, hot showers, charging points and a small shop selling basic resupply. We got in and helped ourselves to coffee and left over spaghetti which we reheated. We showered outside and then proceeded to wash our clothes in a bucket. No matter how many times we rinsed them through the water remained dark and merky!

We met a few people we knew from trail, some of which we haven’t seen in over a week. One of them started to talk about the girl who’s tent was attacked by a coyote. News travels quickly on the PCT.

We camped by the creek next to the centre with intentions of returning again in the morning for coffee.