Checked out of the Julian gold rush hotel at 5:30 and walked a short distance in a very very heavy wind to the post office to hitch the 13 miles to Scissors crossing where my day would start again.
hitching took over 40 minutes until an ex football coach named Tim took pity on me and off I went
A very immediate uphill climb for about 1600 foot greeted me warmly ( actually it was quite cold). The winds were so bad the night before that 1 couple had 2 tent poles snap, and they had to backtrack to Julian for repairs. Very sad.
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My energy and climbing stamina remains very strong (albeit slow), and no foot or blister issue exist yet. I unfortunately am continuing to trip on unappreciated rocks and other obstacles. Since there are places where a trip could prove problematic, this tripping and falling (or almost falling) needs to stop or this adventure will be at risk
I continued to meander up and around the area and was doing ok, but some back and and neck pain was starting to become a concern.
Some great views as the climb started. I was bundled up, and a marine layer was over Julian
At mile 91 I made it to the world famous 3rd gate water cashe. No other water exists for these 14 miles, and hikers really appreciate it (no showers allowed, as tempting as it is.
The water was located downhill about 1/2 mile, but without your pack it was ok. I brought up 4 liters. Met a bunch of very nice hikers who camped there (Vicki, Margaret, Gerrit and a couple others). It was still pretty windy which did affect your sleep, but the tent held up well.
I still had a few serious trips, which is a problem. Tomorrow I head into the Montezuma valley market and will stay at one of their miniscule cabins, shower, and do a hiker wash.
Tom hikes the PCT 