Hack Your Pack's video: PCT Ep 05 - All The Rattlesnakes Cabazon to Big Bear 2017 PCT Thru Hike Hack Your Pack

Coming off of a successful summit of Mount San Jacinto, I was a bit over-confident in my abilities, and misread the guidance for getting to Cabazon for my resupply. This error ended up costing me about 4 miles of extra walking and a few hours. I was lucky enough to get a hitch into Cabazon, but on the way out, I caved and called an Uber. Choosing a resupply at Cabazon allowed me to do Jacinto with only two days of food in the pack, which was great. However, having to make my way to Cabazon and back was not great. The stretch North of I-10 is hot, windy, and apparently full of rattlesnakes. I almost stepped on one rattlesnake when I heard the rattle but failed to identify it as such. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t spook me a bit. However, by the end of this section, I’d encountered enough slithering critters that they stopped fazing me. I overnighted at Whitewater Preserve which was a charming oasis with shade and pools of ice cold water to soak aching feet in. However, the wind that whips down the valley is intense. I pitched my tent with rocks due to the ground being rock hard, and three times in the middle of the night I had to wake up and source heavier rocks because the wind knocked down my zPacks Duplex tent. The morning found the interior of my tent covered in sand and grit that blew in overnight through the mesh of the tent. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It took quite some time to remove the grit from all of my gear. I was worried that the grit would shorten the life of the Cuben Fiber gear (tent and pack) through abrasion, so I made a point of removing as much as possible. On the next episode, I head to Big Bear where I score some delicious terrible pizza and learn that there is little I won’t eat when the hiker hunger kicks in… including pepperoni pizza that falls face down on the parking lot of a K-Mart. Good times. Thanks for watching! I'm grateful for your support. If you enjoyed this video, smash the Like button so I know. If you have questions about the section, leave me a comment! For more adventures in ultralight backpacking: Website: https://www.hackyourpack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyourpack Twitter: https://twitter.com/hackyourpack Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hackyourpack Let's be adults and play nice with copyright (both yours and mine). Video is shot and edited by myself. Music is licensed from Artlist.io