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
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