Mile 179 on Pacific Crest Trail: Bucket Laundry, Blisters & DeBenedetti’s Birthday

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Apr 25

Root Beer floats can come out of anywhere when your hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. And for Celia Peterson, TDHS Class of ‘19, this one magically appeared on her birthday in the desert of Southern California.

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., April 25, 2025 — TD Grad Celia Peterson and friend Jensen Douillard have made it to mile 179 on their 2,650 mile hike to Canada.

And one thing’s for sure. They never know what to expect.

“I feel like I needed this to be pushing myself,” Peterson said on Thursday, April 24 from the town of Idyllwild, Calif., an unincorporated town of 3,000 with a retriever for a mayor near the San Jacinto Wilderness. “We’re hiking everyday, camping and packing, but it is cool how everything is so different everyday.”

Jensen Douillard cleans out a shoe at Warner Springs Community Center northeast of San Diego. He and Celia Peterson received a food package for resupply to get them to Idyllwild some 70 miles north.

That ranges from the people they meet to the landscapes that change with each stretch of the trail.

The pair reached Warner Springs Community Center last Thursday, April 17 and were able to get a shower and washed their clothes using shampoo and buckets before heading on to Idyllwild.

Community Resource Center in Warner Springs provided a chainlink fence to air dry some bucket laundry.

The next day they ran into a funny little sign. “Mr. DeBenedetti’s 7/10 MI”. It offered camping, Wifi, Water, BBQ and a toilet and even a small swimming pool.

As water sources had gone a bit sour in the area - one cistern reportedly flavored by a dead rat - the couple took the leap and sought out Mr. DeBenedetti.

It was a good call.

His name was Mike, actually and it happened to be his birthday, the same as Celia and he was having a huge trail magic party for all who came.

Jensen and Celia dined on free bbq hamburgers, rootbeer floats, refilled their water and were able to get out of the intense sun in the shade screens of Mr. DeBenedetti.

Mike DeBenedetti pours a float for Celia Peterson at the impromptu birthday bash. That trail magic seems to flow once hikers let go.

Peterson said there was huge satisfaction in finishing a days hike, getting camp set and enjoying dinner to the incredible sunsets that perform at their tent door.

A light meal at the Paradise Valley Cafe on Easter provided the couple a boost and thousands of necessary calories. The Cafe is a PCT favorite.

Today was incredible, Peterson said, noting they were finishing some grueling elevation gains and both she and Jensen are battling some blisters.

Jensen’s pinky toe was so inflamed it grew to twice its size. “ET phone home Pinkie Blister” was the caption on his Instagram.

“On Tuesday we did 14 miles,” she said. “It was the hardest part by far.”

She said an elevation gain of several thousand feet combined with some poor trail conditions to really test her. She said a section of the trail had multiple downed trees in steep slopes and she had to remove her backpack to crawl under at some points. Snow also covered the trail, making it difficult to identify.

“The last four miles took so long,” she said, noting she cried at points because of the difficulty and soreness in her swollen ankle. “It was like nothing we had been doing. It was so hard, but so beautiful at the same time. You could see all of Palm Springs and the mountains - it was worth it.”