Roadwalking - Mile 408 - 5/28

Woke up pretty late with the sub already beaming and got everything packed together and ready around eight in the morning. Recently I have been more sore, more tired, and less motivated to get up in the morning. I've coined a term for it, RTD, residual town dehydration, because when I'm in town I drink primarily coffee in the morning and beer at night thus super dehydrating myself for the duration of my town stays. It usually takes a few day of rehydrating to catch up so thus I feel this way.

After checking out the map and looking at the detour options, I chose the most efficient and shortest which was the road. It was a glorious roadwalk even including walking through a tunnel along Highway 2. I hiked the first half o the day along the highway then rejoined the PCT around mile 401.5. I planned on hiking until mile 411 where there was water but found a really nice spot at mile 408ish. Ended the day early, got a game of cards in after dinner and called it a night.

Out of Wrightwood - mile 386 - 5/27

After a night spent in a generous man, Bob's guest house just outside Wrightwood, I finally hiked out yesterday. Sidenote: Bob has the most awesome converted minivan I have ever rode in there's a picture at the bottom, he said it's his Mexican beach cruiser. After four steady miles I climbed up a few thousand feet up Mount Baden Powell. The mountain is very popular with day hikers, especially being memorial day weekend, and it was a busy place. My favorite part of the mountain though was the twisted and gnarly weathered pines around the summit. They are estimated to be 1500 years old.

Coming down the mountain was full of wonderful views and coincidentally enough I ended up running into Leti on the trail who let me stay at her place for two days in Wrightwood. What are the chances! I ended up camping by the roadside because today I have to do a detour for an endangered species of frog which includes a good bit of roadwalking.

Cajon Pass to Wrightwood - Mile 369.5

I spent the night in Cajon Pass with Spins looking into different options about what to do for her leg which (thanks to google) she figured out to be a stress fracture judging by the symptoms. The next morning Spins got a ride up to Wrightwood to see the doctor and I headed out with a couple of other hikers around noon after a small beer run and McDonalds fueling. Made it around five miles out of town and arrived at a water cache which was stocked full. This was clutch because without the cache it would have been a 22.5 mile stretch without water. At the cache we took a mid afternoon break and got in a game of rummy 200.
I felt really good hiking wise after the break and hiked another 6 or so miles to a camp spot and talked to Spins later that night on the phone. The doctor pretty much told her what she knew which was that it was a stress fracture in her tibia and that weeks of rest are needed for full recovery.

The next morning I was up and out of camp by 5:37 and hiked the 16 or 17 miles to Highway Two into Wrightwood by 11:45 in the morning. The second I got off the trail to the highway to hitch a car came by and picked me up instantaneously. It was quite possibly the quickest hitch I have ever gotten. I met up with Spins and a wonderful trail angel, Leti, who let her stay at her awesome place in town. We went out to lunch and then headed back to Leti's for the night. This morning Spins left to the PCT to hike the 28 miles from Wrightwood to Cajon Pass southbound, which she will split up over two days. I am planning on hanging around this great little mountain town today and tomorrow, and then hike out a mile or two to camp tomorrow night. Hiking down the ridge into Wrightwood had some beautiful views with sunshine on the mountains and clouds wrapped around the valley.

Cajon Pass - 5/22

Hiked the morning into Cajon Pass and found some trail magic at the road crossing then I ate McDonalds...then subway....then gas station food...then some beer....then more food and I'm spending the night at Cajon Pass. Up 6000 feet tomorrow out of this pass.

Silverwood Lake Area Mile 334.5 - 5/21

Started the morning going uphill after a good nights sleep and hiked seven or so miles until taking a snack break. The heat was pretty killer and I was feeling rather sweaty and salty by the time I got to my lunch spot.

It just so happens that my lunch spot was at a picnic area on Silverwood Lake, which is a damed up area in the desert mountains so the lake looked a tad out of place. There were already a good number of hikers enjoying the shade and water when I got there and promptly relaxed in the shade before taking a dip in the freezing lake. It was cold, but it felt so good...so good. After lunch hiked out and walked another eight or so miles until I found a nice campspot along the ridge putting my day at 20.5 miles. Watching the sunset again over the mountains before the stars come out never gets old. Tomorrow I hit Cajon Pass which has a McDonalds and a Subway so I will be stuffing my face.

Highway 173 - Mile 314.6 - 5/20

Nothing short of an amazing day, it's days like today which makes the PCT a fantastic experience. It a late start from the gazebo and hiked on a desert ridge overlooking Deep Creek all morning until around 10:30 where I stopped at the hot springs for the next five hours. The clothing optional hot springs and swimming hole was packed with hikers and locals hanging around in the water enjoying the day. Took a quick dip then a nap and awoke to a familiar face, Busted Magic, a girl who I hiked around before getting off the trail who also took time off. A few minutes later a couple, Carpenter and Creeper showed up who I also met before taking time off so it was nice to spend the afternoon with old familiar faces. Did some rock jumping and some rope swinging to cool off in the desert sun and hiked out of the hot springs. Made it five miles to the Mojave spillway before losing the trail briefly in the sand only to find it a couple minutes later. About a mile or two after around the highway was some trail magic dinner, hot dogs potato salad baked beans and soda from three schoolteachers who section hike the PCT. We chatted and d the company and kindness for quite a while. I made it another half mike or so before calling it a night watching the sun set over the ridge and watching the bats flying overhead. Another tough day...someone has to do it though.

Splinter Cabin - Mile 298.3

Woke up this morning to freezing conditions so took it slow packing up camp. It was so cold this morning I had to bust the gloves out to get everything together. Left from camp around 6:30 and cruised for ten miles where I took a nice three hour ciesta from the sun. Got a nice nap, game of cards, and lunch in then headed out another six miles through a high desert ecosystem with a good mix of pine trees and cacti as well as plentiful boulders.  Being the weekend this section in the afternoon was super crowed with people out enjoying the desert backcountry from boy scouts to dirt bikes to off-roading there was all kinds of stuff going on around me. It was nice to follow a small river the last section of the day, it reminded me of hiking the AT; it was rocky shaded and you could hear water flowing which is something I'm not used to out here in the desert. All and all I ended the day crossing a huge bridge and am sleeping tonight at Splinters Cabin which is a gazebo, go figure but none the less it has trash cans and bathrooms so I get to enjoy the fine things in life for the night. 23 miles and change done for the day so I feel accomplished (and super sore!). Tonight feels like it will be warmer and there are hot springs to swim in tomorrow some of the best in California I'm told. 

Big Bear - Mile 266

Camped twoish miles outside of the two towns of Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake last night. The temperature lows probably got down to 30 degrees not counting the strong gusts of wind all night. Needless to say it was cold and I have a head cold so the boogers were plenty and sleep was not. I woke up hiked two miles and got a hitch rather quickly into Big Bear City, the smaller of the two for the most important thing a large serving of breakfast at Thelmas. After breakfast I did the usual town things over in Big Bear Lake resupplied food, showered, and did laundry. The tour de california ended or was going through in Big Bear Lake today so the place was swarming with bicycle enthusiasts, none of which were fond of picking up hitchhikers.  After a hitch from a eccentric gold miner, yes they apparently still exist, from the hostel I showered at to the post office, I left town in the best vehicle I think I have ever flagged down. Leaving town in an old eight wheeled search and rescue military vehicle was quite awesome from a wonderful guy who replenishes water around the trail near Big Bear. I got back on the trail around 4:40 this afternoon hiked around nine miles and camped by a Caribou creek at mile 275. For dinner I packed out cheesy garlic bread from an Italian restaurant.....it was delicious. Today was a perfect day an the next few look to be as well. I'll try to keep this blog updated as much as I get service/until I get distracted but for the meantime enjoy!

Palm Springs Onward

So I decided to start the blog post Palm Springs because after flying home for a wedding and taking a business week off I started fresh feeling again like I did t hike for the previous two weeks at mile 209. leaving Palm Springs sucked and was extremely challenging especially after not hiking for a while but made it to the town of Big Bear ready to kick the PCT's ass again. Some days can be so easy and some can be soo difficult all depending on the weather and terrain but I'm getting my trail legs back and enjoying the beautiful scenery.