I got back to Creswell yesterday, after another 1,000-mile drive on (mostly) I-5, with the added pleasure of a stop for a nice dinner at Ashland Springs Hotel Thursday night.

Noah called as I was leaving Ashland Friday morning. He was beginning the climb up toward Mount San Jacinto, at 10,834 feet the first major peak he’ll encounter on the PCT.

(And more detail on the trailside drama of the other day: Adam, the other hiker, caught up with Noah late in the night after taking the injured guy down to an area of cell coverage and calling 911. The cops arrested the other guy.)

Noah sounded good on the phone, like he’s getting a solid rhythm to his days. Feels like he’ll make it at this rate. (But look at the map: He’s barely made a dent even in California!)

Noah should be picking up his food cache at a trailhead outside Idyllwild today, assuming it hasn’t been trashed by animals or stolen by people.

Meanwhile, we’re surrounded by trail food here at home: Boxes packed to ship, boxes not yet packed to ship, and bag after bag of food that still needs repackaging for hiking.

Lisa’s headed down to California in another week to do her own stint of trailside support. She’ll enjoy being out of the rain as much as I did!

PS: Noah called this afternoon from high up the flank of San Jacinto. He slept in a windstorm last night that blew so hard it uprooted his tent stakes; he didn’t get much sleep, he said, after 3 a.m., and when he got up at 6 he had to go around and find various bits of gear the wind had scattered. Little things, like his backpack.

He found the food cache just fine from my treasure-map-style directions (“Walk up hill in a straight line just past the corner of the chain link fence, keeping the deep creek canyon on your right, for about 100 steps….”) and gorged himself on food right there so he wouldn’t have to carry it all back two and a half miles up to the trail. Probably tomorrow he’ll pass the 200 mile mark — 1/13th of the way there.