PCT day 23 - 469 to mile 493

"You guys in Europe do listen to American music, you just six months behind" Nugget.

The usual routine today, wake up at 6am, put all the warm clothes on, bag up the sleeping bag and the mattress, get out of the tent. Coookie time! Start disassembling the tent, once everything is folded put it in order inside the backpack. Start hiking, first two hours hands in the pockets because it's cold and I have no gloves..

Around 11am I arrived at the road crossing leading to Green Valley, I didn't really have to buy anything substantial, but I was out of cookies (!) and it seemed like a good idea to stop here for lunch. On the way down the road (catching a hitchhike was unsuccessful this time) I met Nugget, a hiker from Los Angeles and I ended up walking with her all day.

She got her trail name from the McDonalds challenge, which was eating only McDonalds (there's one on trail in Cajon Pass at mile 341) for 24 hours, she bought 106 chicken MC nuggets, of which she ate 90. Well deserved trail name, she could still smell the whiffs of McDonalds today on the trail, I'd say she's doomed.

We visited both of the shops in Green Valley and chilled out for a bit, at one of the stores I also met Lothar, a youtuber I follow which actually helped me with my gear selection for the trail! And since Nugget also have a tik tok channel, I was surrounded by potentially upcoming hiking celebrities :)

After an hour we managed to get a return hitchhike to the trail and started walking again at 12:30. The plan was to split the remaining 38 miles to the next stop called Hiker Town, which will be the goal to reach tomorrow, and our plan was successful.

Overall a windy and surprisingly cold day, especially as the section we will hike in few days is considered the hottest on trail, so much so that it is recommended to night hike it.

Lothar and Nugget:

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