Days 20-23 More Detours and Day Hikers

May 25-28 Days 20-23
Mile 313.5-372.5 Mojave Dam to Near Wrightwood
Day 20 - Silverwood Lake
Jenna woke up with a slight headache and our tent was slightly wet from condensation. Because of this we decided to sleep in a little bit while letting the tent dry. As Jenna's head began to feel a little bit better we packed up and started the days walk. After a few miles we met Craig (Moose) stocking a water cache. We chatted with him for a bit and got some much needed water. We walked on in the wind and cold all while Jenna had a small migraine. We were lucky enough to find another cache with fresh fruit, water, and hard boiled eggs! Nate was really happy about the eggs.




It was a beautiful, but cold, walk today and we ended up a little bit past Silverwood Lake to sleep.




Day 21- An unexpected Journey
We woke up to rain at our Silverwood Lake camp spot. We got ready for stormy conditions and began our journey to Cajon Pass where an infamous fast food restaurant awaited us. The hike there was very windy and cold.








When we finally got there it was extremely crowded with people traveling to Vegas using the restrooms. In the crowd we spotted Stone & Pika. We ordered some food and chatted with them for several hours. As the four of us were getting ready to saddle up and hike some more, in stumbled Diesel, Rich, Alex, & Tusk. We decided to just spend the rest of the day there with everyone.




That night we hung out with all of them and made several trips for apple pie and other food. We slept about 400 ft from the fast food chain in a grove of trees near to the busy I15 freeway in a places we deemed "bum camp".








It was a very fun noisy night.
Day 22- Big Stomachs Big Miles
Today we woke up, packed our things up, and headed across the street for some food. We ate and departed from our friends to begin the days journey. We all joked about how much food we had ordered and were all kind of disgusted. We looked around though and most other people in the restaurant had ordered the same amount of food... As we were hiking that day Jenna and I both felt groggy and sick to our stomachs. This went on for most of the day. It was the fast food we ate that morning. We simply cannot eat there ever again. The effect the food has on people is very real, in a negative way. As we approached the San Andres fault we saw a water cache with water and chairs. We didn't need a rest or water so we continued on.




We had to take another detour as there was poodle dog bush right on trail. The detour followed right along by the pct on a dirt road. As we made our way up hill we entered the forests of the San Gabriel mountains. After an hour of hiking more than we wanted to we finally found a somewhat flat spot to sleep.




Day 23- Wrightwood Done Right: Marlyn & Maureen
As we woke up today we realized it was memorial day and that stores in Wrightwood may be closed. We hiked the quick six miles from Acorn Trail ( where we slept) down to Highway 2. On our way there we met three other through hikers, Natalie, blaze, & Backtrack. Also, as we got closer to highway 2 we passed a couple going for a morning hike. They were very friendly and asked if we would like some sour gummy worms and pretzels. We graciously excepted these gifts and went on our way, it completely made our day ( up to that point). We made it to Highway 2 and met Lester trying to get a hitch in to town. We sat down with him also trying to get a hitch. After ten minutes with seeing only 1 car that same couple that gave us the treats came down the trail and offered us a ride in to town. We took the offer. As we rode with them we found out their names were Marlyn & Maureen. They took us to the hardware store to get our resupply packages and then to their house to get cleaned up and to have some lunch. Maureen made us a delicious salad and some amazing spaghetti & meatballs. We also drank lots of water, coffee, and juice. We got to do our laundry and take a much needed shower. This was actually the first shower we have had where we got real shampoo and conditioner. We got our packs ready to go with new food and water and Marlyn & Maureen
drove us to the hardware store (again) to get alcohol for our stove. They then took us all the way back to the trail. They were two wonderful, generous, awesome people whom we hope to meet again someday. We got back on trail and sat and ate the sandwiches that Maureen had made us. We wandered on down the trail till we found a camp spot.




It was kind of windy and we were not sure if we were hearing animals or if our imaginations were running wild. We will never know but something was walking by us.
One thing we have experienced on the trail is overwhelming amounts of generosity from people all over this trail. It is good to know that kind generous people still exist. On an unrelated note I (Nate) have lost 17 pounds to this point and counting. It is somewhat ironic because I am eating more than I ever have in my life.
It is clear to Jenna and I that the trail is changing us and helping us grow. We were unsure if this transition would we be apparent. The saying is true, this trail will change your life.
Live long & prosper,
Nate

Days 17-19 detours, day trippers, and due west part 1

May 22-24, days 17-19
Mile 266-313.5 highway 18/big bear to Mojave dam
Day 17- Nero in big bear
The trail between big bear and agua dulce has a few identifying characteristics that make it slightly different than what we have encountered so far. The first is a series of detours for various reasons ( trail washout, poodle dog bush, endangered species). The next is that for the next week or two we will be walking due west, not north. The trail follows the San bernardino and san gabriel mountains rather than heading north into the flat and dry central California. The last, which has probably affected us the most, is that the areas we are walking through (San bernardino mtns, silverwood lake, deep creek, Angeles national forest) are all close to road access and are very popular with locals. This means there have been swarms of day trippers and day hikers on and near the trail. Each of these things has affected our hiking already.




On day 17 we both woke up at about the same time. We felt wide awake, it must be at least 10 and we needed to get going for the day. We checked the clock: only 6:30. It's amazing what this trail does to your biological clock. We went to Thelma's for breakfast, which is one of the most popular places among hikers. It was delicious, our favorite yet. After getting some last minute food, showering, and checking out of the motel we went to Starbucks for free wifi. The wifi was terrible but we did get some rest and some much needed coffee. While we were there a girl named deserae overheard us saying we needed a ride back to the trail. She gave us her number and offered to give us a ride when we wanted it. She came back a little later and she and a guy named grumpy drove us back to the trail. So cool! Instead of taking a zero in big bear we decided to just make the day a really short nero and camp as soon as we found a spot. We hiked about 2.5 miles in and got settled in early. It was really great to be back on the trail. It was such a relief after being in crowded Big Bear.




Day 18- If a tree falls
We both really enjoyed the hike on Wednesday. We were still in tree cover and had great views all day.












We stopped for lunch with an awesome view of big bear lake.




In the second half of the day we passed through a section of trees burned by a previous fire. It was actually really pretty but there were some fallen trees to maneuver around.








At one point we heard a crack and looked over just in time to see a 100 ft. tree up on the hill fall over. We found a really cool spot to set up camp. We blended right in.




Day 19- 2 detours and a Gatorade
The morning of the 19th was really cold again. While Nates weakness is the hot heat in the afternoon, my weakness is the morning and evening cold. It is so difficult for me to get out of bed. We walked 11 miles and were immediately confronted with a decision: deep creek or no deep creek.




This ~16 mile section had a lot of trail and bridge washout problems in the past that made it dangerous for hikers, so an official pct detour was set up a couple years ago that includes a supposedly boring road walk. Trail maintenance has been working really hard in this area to make the trail safer and we heard from other hikers that the original deep creek section was safely passable so we decided no detour! We were glad we did because this section was beautiful. We walked next to a river all day and loved the views.








There is even an on trail clothing optional hot spring. When we got to the hot spring however, we found around 50 locals in one tiny area. As Nate and I both possess the (sometimes) curse of introversion, we walked past and were content to enjoy the trail in more privacy. About half way through the day we experienced what we think is the best trail magic so far. We had passed a bunch of trucks earlier that day and decided they were either locals dirt biking or trail maintenance crews. We noticed tire tracks on the trail which also reinforced our suspicions. After about 5 hot miles in the canyon we saw a huge trail maintenance group come around the corner. They were carrying about 5 wheelbarrows, chainsaws, gasoline, ropes, and shovels. It was a hot day and they looked sweatier than we were but they still managed to smile and talk to us. They were so excited to see thru hikers but I really think we were more excited to see them to tell them thanks for all they do. As they were passing one of them gave us a huge Gatorade. They carried wheelbarrows and worked in the heat all day and still thought to give us a Gatorade. Here is Nate on one of the bridges they restored with the Gatorade we got.




The second trail detour was for possible quick sand. This is only in wet years though so we also did not take this detour. We camped right under the mojave dam and were tired from the 25 mile day. There were people buzzing around and 4wheelers all night, but we still slept well.
As a side note, we have heard that a lot of people are skipping ahead to Kennedy meadows because the heat and desert are getting to them. We have found that the heat is annoying sometimes but we have been really surprised how little desert you actually see in southern California. We thought it would be walking through cacti and desert sand for 700 miles, but the desert sections are broken up by mountains. Because the terrain is so different everyday, we don't find it monotonous at all. Everyday is beautiful and we are still in awe that we are out here. We are loving every day!
-Be Free

Day 12-16 idyllwild to big bear

Mile 179.4 to 266.0- Saddle Junction/Idyllwild to Ziggy & The Bear to Big Bear City
Day 12- Summit of Mt. San Jacinto
Hello everyone! It has been an amazing five days with almost too much to talk about. On the morning of day 12 we woke up around 7 am at the Idyllwild Inn and went to the coffee shop to upload some new pictures to the media tab of our blog. Go check them out! We will post more slideshows for different sections of the trail (right now we are on the southern California photo album). After having a delicious cup of organic coffee and some coffee cake we got a ride to the Devil's Slide trailhead to make the 2.5 mile ascent back up to Saddle Junction and the trail at 9 am, which is about 3 hours later than we normally start hiking. On the way up Devil's Slide Trail we encountered Paint Your Wagon and Tombstone.




It was really great seeing them again and chatting for a little bit. We decided to take the alternate trail up to San Jacinto peak at 10,834 ft, the second highest peak in sourthern California. This alternate route bypasses 4.5 miles of the "official" PCT but adds 6.3 miles. We thought the extra miles were well worth it.




When we dropped down off the peak we were a few miles into Fuller Ridge. We hiked the rest of Fuller Ridge out of San Jacinto State Park to a place where we were allowed to sleep. By the time we found a somewhat level place to sleep around mile 190 it was nearly dark and we were completely exhausted. We threw our tent up very quickly and got in bed almost instantly. We only covered about 10 PCT miles this day but by the time we hiked the peak and the 2.5 miles up Devil's Slide trail we had hiked about 15 miles uphill. The experience was well worth a low mileage day.
Day 13-down down down to mephisto's cafe
The morning of day 13 was the coldest yet! We both hiked with pants, hat, gloves, and a puffy from 5 am till about 9 am. The entire day of hiking was on modest to steep downhill terrain (very hard on the knees and ankles). From the place we camped to our next water source at Snow Canyon the distance as the crow flies was 4.5 miles...the pct covers this in 16 miles and drops over 6,000 feet.




We saw two rattlesnakes on the way down. One was very grumpy at us and rattled for a good two minutes. The second snake was, medium in size, and right in the middle of the trail, and did not really care about our existance. We made it down the trail, across San Gorgonio Pass, and to Interstate 10 by about 3:30 pm. Jenna compared the walk from the snow creek faucet to the interstate as being similar to walking across the Sahara while giving someone a piggy back. Another hiker said that hell must be someone sticking you on the top of fuller ridge and you having to walk all the way down to the pass just to be put back up on fuller ridge again.




Beneath the interstate is a place known as "I10 Hiker Oasis". While we were walking underneath the pass we saw a man filling up several coolers. It happened to be DNA who is the trail angel who stocks this cache. We chatted with him a bit while we rested up. In the coolers there was Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, water, and Coors. There was also a cooler there from another local trail angel, Lake to Lake. We have met her and Warner Springs Monty on the trail before. We sat in the shade for awhile drinking some nice cold beverages before we did the last mile to Ziggy and the Bears hiker house. It was a funny stop because we kept making jokes about drinking beer under an overpass.




At Ziggy and the Bear's we met a gentleman named Tim and both got steaming hot foot baths. This was an amazing turn of events for the day! Ziggy and the Bear got us salad, ice cream, a foot bath, and a wonderful place to stay.




Later in the evening we sat outside with Ziggy & Bear and chatted with them, Tim, and Alien March. It was a wonderful evening and was greater than anything we could have imagined.
Day 14-Mmmmmm coffee!
We woke up at Ziggy and the Bear's house to cereal, orange juice, coffee, and fruit. It was very delicious and was a great nights rest. This was a low mileage day due to the heat in the area. We hiked most of the morning through a wind farm and eventually got to whitewater river. We took a siesta here and dipped our feet in the ice cold river.




We hiked a few more miles but stopped early because we were tired and getting frustrated with the hard day.
Day 15- First poodle sighting
Today was a beautiful walk through a canyon most of the morning. We entered San Bernardino wilderness and entered the mountains. There was a lot of poodle dog bush in this section. Poodle dog bush is a dangerous plant that causes symptoms more severe than poison oak and can cause blistering on the skin.




It was a great day and we camped with an amazing view of the mountains.




Day 16- Lions Tigers & Bears
Today we woke up from our beautiful camp spot in San Bernardino mountains and continued hiking the pct. A few miles into the day we came across animal cages that house lions, tigers, and bears used in movies.




They were really cute but it was sad to see them all in cages. After hiking a few more miles we encountered some trail magic. Along the side of the trail was a couch, soda, oranges, and bubbles.




We hiked at a pretty fast pace today in order to get to big bear lake. Right before highway 18 we passed mile 265 which means we are 1/10 of the way there!




We got a ride from the trail to Big Bear City from dede, a girl starting the trail soon who happened to be right where the trail crosses highway 18 and also saw stone and pika on their way back to the trail. This was the first time we have seen hikers since we left idyllwild. We got our packages from Big Bear Hostel and then went to stay at the Motel 6. We ate at a cozy little restaurant called Lumberjack Cafe. It was a great little town but we will not take a zero here. We will get a few things done tomorrow in town then head out tomorrow afternoon on our way to wrightwood.
Cheers,
Nate

Days 7-11

Mile 112.1- 179.4 meadow north of Warner springs- saddle junction/idyllwild

Day 7- cold morning, hot meal!

We awoke on may 12 to a completely soaked tent from condensation. This was the worst condensation we have had yet. It was extremely hard to get up because everything was wet and the morning was very cold. When we finally did get up and packed the tent up we found two scorpions underneath.



We hiked 11 miles before taking a break under the shade of a boulder and drying out our tent and sleeping bags.





In 3 more miles we came to mike herreras house. He lives about 0.2 miles off trail and has a huge water tank that hikers rely on to fill up water. Bud and tumble told us that he was cooking dinner and providing beer, tequila, and a place to rest for hikers. We wanted to do a few more miles and were going to get back on the trail when mike himself drove up. He was really nice and said he was making beans chicken potatoes and cookies and told us to come eat a hot meal. We decided it sounded to good to pass up and stayed there for a few hours with Aaron, buffalo, twinkle toes, voodoo, and David and the food was delicious.



We all (besides aaron, who stayed at mikes to rest an infected blister) hiked 2.5 more miles to some really awesome camp sites on a ridge (I posted a video of this site).

Day 8- another day in paradise

Before we went to bed on the 12th we noticed that we had 23 miles to go to a place called paradise cafe. They have a reputation for being very hiker friendly and having the best burgers on the trail, so even though they are a mile off trail many hikers choose to go there. We decided to get up earlier to give ourselves enough time to make it by dinner if we wanted to. We were hiking by 5:30 before anyone else that was camped with us was even up. We did a quick and beautiful 11 miles before 10am and stopped at a little creek for water.






Paint your wagon, bud and tumble, and John and Ben (a father and son) were also there and we hiked on and off with them all day. We really enjoyed this group of hikers. They all are out here for the experience and love of the outdoors and hiking. We all talked about how glad we were that the trail is not crowded for us. Most thru hikers started a week before we did at kick off so there is a huge group of hikers about a week ahead of us. We have heard that there are problems with people finding camp spots and having enough water at caches and we are glad to not have to worry about these problems. After our water break we hiked to hikers oasis cache and luckily there was water because this was the hottest day yet.


Someone's thermometer read 97 degrees. The hike to paradise cafe was really hot but somehow manageable by the thought of a real hand washing and food! Nate and I had to search all day but we finally found a place with cell coverage where we could call our moms for mothers day.



We made it to paradise by dinner time and were happy to get the food. They even gave us free avocados and oranges. With the 23 miles to paradise, the mile walk back to the trail, and the mile walk away from the highway to camp our total distance for the day was 25 miles.

Day 9- pine trees and wind

With the long day on the 13th and only 30 miles to idyllwild we decided to get up later on the 14th and started hiking a little after 7. The scenery was the most diverse yet. We started hiking in big boulder fields, which turned into exposed windy ridges, and finally dropped into a canyon where we saw our first pine trees!









While we were taking a break lake to lake and Warner springs Monty came around the corner. They had been doing trail magic and were section hiking for a few days. They were really nice and it was great to meet people so important to this community. We did hear a bit of bad news though. Apparently, the awesome community center that Warner springs got together for hikers this year was not met with all optimism. Some of the parents did not like their kids hanging around us hikers near the school in the town. I was surprised by this because i also heard that the school raised enough money from hikers this year that they don't need to do anymore fundraising the whole year! He suggested that we write letters of thanks to the school and community so that they will keep doing this in the future. We were really impressed by the people there and think writing them is a great idea. If anyone else stayed there and wants to write letters of thanks leave us a comment with your email and I will send you the address to send them to. We ended our day at fobes saddle. It was a great looking camp spot but unfortunately it was so windy that we didn't get any sleep. We laughed all night still and kept joking that when we woke up we wouldn't be in southern California anymore. Little did we know that the next day would really feel that way.

Day 10- "this will be the death of the hobbits"

The morning of may 15 was very cold and the wind had not died out from the night before. We even needed our puffies on. As we started out the morning on steep uphill with wind that pushed us backwards and made it difficult to even take one step, i told nate that i felt like we would soon need to make the decision to either head for the gap of rohan or down to the mines of moria. That became an ongoing joke all day and we kept yelling through the wind "this will be the death of the hobbits". We leapfrogged with John and Ben and lake to lake and Warner springs Monty all day. The terrain was steep but we loved it. It was so pretty and it felt like we had completely left southern california behind.






We reached our highest elevation yet (8600 ft) and entered the San jacinto wilderness. We got to saddle junction (mile 179.4) around 1 and took the 2.5 mile devils slide trail to the trailhead. John and Ben gave us a ride to idyllwild. We immediately took showers, ate, and slept.

Day 11- a zero in idyllwild

Today we took a zero day and made a few minor gear changes, sent a little home, got our box at the post office, got a few groceries, and ate a lot to fatten ourselves up.



Tomorrow we tackle more steep terrain and can't wait to get back out there.

-Jenna
Be Free

Mile 129- camp spot may 12

Camped with 4 others. We describe our spot as an REI brochure cover!

-Be Free