Days 17 - 22
April 27 - May 2, 2021
Miles 179.4 - 266.1
After two zero days in a row in Idyllwild, I was feeling rested and ready to get back to the trail. We wanted as full of a day of hiking as possible, so we all woke up around 5am to be ready to go to meet our arranged Trail Angel driver at 6am. I had packed as much as I could the night before, so my morning was spent mostly eating breakfast and cleaning up the cottage. Then we met our driver, loaded up the car, and headed back to Humber Park trailhead. We hiked back up the 2.5mile Devil Slide trail to rejoin the PCT right where we had left it.
This was a very different trail than what we had left just a few days ago. The drizzly rain we experienced in town all day yesterday fell as snow up at this elevation. It looked like a wintry wonderland with the fresh snow covering the tree branches. We climbed higher up into the mountains and then took the blue blaze alternate trail to summit Mt. San Jacinto, the highest peak in this mountain range at 10,834ft and the highest elevation we had experienced on trail so far.
The snow on the ground wasn't deep and I felt strong as we continued to climb in elevation. We took frequent, short breaks to catch our breath, drink water, and eat a snack, constantly checking in with each other for signs of altitude sickness. Mocs, Sorority Steve, and I were the first ones to make it to the hut just below the summit. We dropped our packs inside and while they sat for a minute to grab a snack, I climbed the last little bit to reach the summit peak. A cloud had rolled in over us so there was absolutely no view, just a cocoon of foggy white. It was still really cool to have made it up here as this is the highest we have been so far.
The rest of our gang made it up to the summit. We hung out in the hut for a while, celebrating our accomplishment. I think I stuck around too long up there. I had felt really good before, but I started to feel really chilled just sitting and not moving. I should have left sooner, but I wanted to wait to leave with everyone else. I didn't feel great on the descent. I felt stiff and slow and my mind wasn't keeping up with my body. I slipped on the snow several times, feeling cold and withdrawn. I wasn't hiking very well. It took me a while to make it to our campsite for the night because I was moving so slow.
Walking along Fuller Ridge covered in snow with a steep slope on one side of the trail felt a little sketchy. There were some sections that looked like if you slipped, you would just keep on sliding down. Thankfully by the time I got there, I had been moving for a while and was warmed up again. Relief flooded me when I got to the campground. I eagerly set up my tent, although it took a while to find a safe spot as the trees were dropping large chunks of ice and I didn't want to be in the fall zone. I quickly changed into my sleep clothes and dry socks, made dinner, and then immediately retreated to my tent to warm up under my quilt. I am so glad I got the 0* quilt! Brr what a day back after a double zero!
The following day was wildly different. From Fuller Ridge campground, we dropped almost 7,000ft in elevation down to the baking hot desert floor. It felt surreal to think I had woken up cold with patches of snow and ice around the campsite. I hiked downhill for 16.5 miles and every step brought a decrease in elevation and an increase in temperature. The sun beat down hard and I drank so much water. Thankfully, the Snow Canyon Rd water faucet near the base of the mountain was functioning. There wasn't much shade, but we took a break and drank as much water as we could and filled our bottles. The next 4 miles were a doozy.
The trail followed a paved road for about a mile and a half. Then it veered off onto a trail that crossed the exposed desert floor. The trail turned into a sandy slog as we navigated across the San Gorgonio river wash. The sun felt merciless and there was a hot breeze blowing that offered no relief and made my umbrella useless. Trudging through the sand added to the challenge. I suppose this is what I, and many others, imagined hiking through the desert to really be like.
Blessedly, we made it the I-10 oasis. The trail passes under interstate 10, so while it may not look particularly scenic, this large concrete structure that offered cool shade felt like a paradise. And since it is so close to a car access point, there is often trail magic here. Not only did we find a cooler filled with ice and gatorades and cutie tangerines, but there was also a Trail Angel offering to give people a lift somewhere. Sorority Steve had discovered that there was an In-n-Out not too far down the highway. He and Slice took everyone's order and brought back burgers, fries, and sodas. Oh my goodness it truly was paradise.
We hung out there for a while, resting in the shade and waiting for the temperature to drop further. More people showed up and it was a fun time. We didn't want to camp there as the car traffic was loud and the train that went by frequently was even louder. As the sun dropped lower in the sky we hiked a bit farther to get to a more enjoyable campsite. People dropped off as they found small places to camp. I was feeling really good at that point and Steve and Mocs and I went the farthest. We found a nice spot and set up our tents.
This was my first 20+ mile day at 21.2 miles. It was primarily downhill, but I am still counting it as a win. A couple of my blisters came back with a vengeance. I didn't feel them while hiking, but when I stopped to rest I could feel them throbbing. I guess as long as I can still walk I can't complain!
From our campsite, we had such a clear unobstructed view of Mt. San Jacinto. It's wild to think that we were just up there only 14 hours ago. We came so far. The setting sun cast such a lovely pinkish hue on the mountains. It was so beautiful. And I felt truly lucky to be out here.
The trail stayed at a low elevation the whole next day. This meant that it was hot as hell. I walked along a dirt road for a short while and got to see the moon hang low in the early morning light from the sunrise. I passed by the Mesa Wind Farm. It was cool to see the wind turbines up close. Then the trail steeply ascended a drainage. Thankfully the sun hadn't risen higher than the hillside so it was still fully shaded. It was clearly evident that landslides have occurred here because there was a gate and fence that was completely buried in the ground save for the top 2 feet.
The trail wound through the San Bernardino mountains. Shortly before 10am, we arrived at the Whitewater River. It was an actual river running through this hot and dry desert! There was a pool deep enough that we could fully immerse ourselves under the water. Logs crossing the river made perfect seats and allowed us to sit and get our legs wet. A large boulder on the bank of the river cast just enough shade. It was everything we needed. We stayed here for over 2 hours, enjoying the chance to rest and cool off in this heat with each other's company. Yet the urge to keep moving spurred us ever onward.
Another six miles winding our way through these low mountains in the oppressive heat brought us to Mission Creek. We took another break here by this smaller and shallower creek under the shade of some trees. We met a couple of other hikers who were out here for a good time. They had been there all day hanging out in their hammock and eating the whole watermelon they had packed out.
We pushed another 3 miles up the Mission Creek wash. This section of trail was very confusing and frustrating. The path would somehow disappear completely. People stacked cairns to ostensibly mark the way, except they weren't actually marking anything. It felt like a wild goose chase, crossing back and forth over the creek, searching for footprints that would show the way. There were some fun parts of getting to climb small walls as these cairns would inevitably lead to a dead end. It felt like we were following will-o'-the-wisps, folklore creatures that confuse and mislead travelers causing them to get lost. The trail just seemed to stop existing and we just had to follow the wash as best we could.
We finally made it to a good campsite and set up our tents. We made dinner and formed a stretching circle. I was relieved to be done for the day. It was just so hot today. And losing the trail up Mission Creek was frustrating. Also, my blister looks really red and bigger than it was. Although on the plus side, it still isn't bothering me when I am actually hiking, just when I am moving.
The confusion of Mission Creek followed us into the next day. We started early in an attempt to avoid the heat that ailed us yesterday. The moon was bright and some stars were still out. The sun rose gently, casting soft light on the wash. But its beauty didn't quite diminish our pain. We struggled to find the trail again, so then we searched for the best route up the wash. Even this task was challenging as a clear footpath suddenly ended at rock walls or cliffs or took us too far off route. At least we had good water much of the day along the small creek.
After several miles, the trail finally left the wash and became a distinct, easy to follow footpath again. It was all uphill; we gained over 4,000ft in elevation. But this brought blessed relief from the heat because even though we had to work hard to go uphill, higher elevation meant lower temperature.
Most of our crew made it up to Coon Creek Cabin, a group campground with cabins, picnic tables, and even a vault toilet. It was really cool to check out the cabins, but they didn't have any walls or doors so they were drafty. They also looked like they were home to rodents and I was not interested in the slightest at the idea of a mouse running across my face while I slept. So I found a nice spot to set up my tent. Mocs hadn't made it and someone reported that the heat made him feel unwell. He stopped early and was camping behind us. I was a little worried about him and hoped he would be alright.
The next day marked a new month, the first of May, and three whole weeks on trail. It was a great day with easy hiking in cooler temperatures. The trail just seemed to breeze by. We were supposed to pass a private zoo where we would have been able to see a tiger from the trail. But we met a couple out walking their three very friendly dogs and they told us that the zoo closed a couple years ago because the grizzly bear had mauled the owner's brother. They didn't say if the man had died or not. There would be no trail tigers for us, only empty cages behind a derelict chain link fence.
We stopped about 4.5 miles away from Highway 18, our access point into the town of Big Bear Lake tomorrow. It was still early in the day when we stopped. It felt like we should have just kept going, like we did for Idyllwild. But we still wanted to take a full zero rest day, and this way we wouldn't have to pay for lodging for the night. Mocs, now christened "Bushwhack," earned after taking his turn at leading us through the maze of Mission Creek, had caught up and was feeling back to normal.
I saw another False Wind Scorpion. It walked through our campsite just past me. These things kept finding me. I was excited I got to point it out and show everyone and prove that I wasn't imagining it. No one else had ever heard of them when I had recounted my original encounter of these creepy arachnids harassing me inside my tent.
Our nero day was such an easy walk to the highway. It was short, the weather was nice, and the trail was smooth. There was a guy in his converted bus at the road crossing, just waiting for hikers to take into town. What luck! He dropped us off in Big Bear Lake and we immediately went to Teddy Bear restaurant for breakfast.
We then walked to Holiday Inn where Slice had hotel points and was able to get a room for free and shared with us. Bless. We checked in early, showered, and did laundry. "Redline," a guy from Canada who had been hiking with this us shortly after meeting at Mt. Laguna, had a brilliant idea and used Instacart to do his resupply shopping. It was amazing. Not only did this save time and energy, allowing me to relax with my feet up even longer, but I saved money. Even after fees and the delivery tip. I felt more intentional with my resupply choices as I had to search for them, rather than just getting to grab whatever looked tasty off the shelves. This also meant I didn't overbuy food and wasn't wasteful.
We went out to the gear store and I bought some earplugs and more stove fuel. Then we walked downtown a little bit and got ice cream. Back at the hotel, we all relaxed and went down to the hot tub for a little while. We brought dinner up to our room and watched the tv show Naked and Afraid from the comfort of our plush hotel beds. It was another perfect day in town.
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