Woke up to an overcast day, booked a good 15 miles with Joe, the guy I camped with the night before. Everyone asks me all the time if I'm doing this alone, and the answer is 99% yes and sometimes no. This is mainly a solo thing, but there are others that you run into that are attempting the PCT as well. Joe is a good example. Like me, hes doing this alone, but since we're often within a couple miles or an hr of each other a lot of the time well camp or hike together. He's a 59 year old mechanical engineer from Washington, and a pretty interesting guy. I learned today that he voulenteered for the Vietnam War when he was 19, but it ended while he was in Basic. He ended up doing LRRP, or long range reconnaissance patrol, which I think is damn cool.
The day went on descending through the desert mtns without much event until we set up camp roughly 6 miles from Hwy 78, where we would have to hitch into the little old mining town of Julian for food.
That's when I made a stupid mistake and got lost for a half an hr.
We had set up our tents in this little canyon in the shadow of Granite Mtn. There was absolutely no signal, so I walked up to a ridge a hundred yards away to try and make a call while Joe settled down to make dinner. As I was walking away from my tent the sun was a half hr from going down and I had thought to grab my headlamp, but I wasn't going far. I even thought a second time that I should go grab it but I felt fine.There was nothing so I continued walking on looking for signal. I finally found it but it was only barely enough to send a text and by then the sun was going down so I turned around to head back to camp-except I couldn't see it.
I walked back up the canyon- and nothing. No tents, no Joe. I felt incredibly stupid for not grabbing my lamp as I maybe had ten mins left of usable light. I made my way back up to the ridge and looked down on both sides, and couldn't see anything. I walked up slot canyon after canyon, and nothing looked familiar. I decided the best thing to do would be to head back in the direction of the PCT, intercept it and follow it back until I found camp. I did that and found camp in less than 15 mins. Turns out, I had originally been in the right canyon, I had just gone around a bend and hadn't noticed. I was incredibly grateful to be back in my tent as by then the sun was down. I also felt like a total idiot. I mean here I am hiking border to border with no major navigational issues and I get lost two mins from camp. Ego aside, it's really that easy people. One or two stupid decisions ( like leaving my light and not looking back enough) and that's that. You're lost.
Really, I was ok and the worst that could've happened was a cold night spent and no meal, all within a couple hundred yards of camp. It is a reality check though, and a reminder that every little thing out here has a consequence. Let your attn slip for one second, and youll pay for it. :)
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