DAY 11-Planned to head out of Warner Springs early but I wait around for a friend I planned to hike the next section with. He has a hurt foot and is out of fuel so we are going to stay hiking together for awhile. The morning has brought his foot to worse conditions however and after talking to his Dad who is a doctor the decision is made for him to hitch to a town and give his foot time to heal and rest. So now at midday I head out alone again. I pass one man early on going the other direction and then no one else for the miles beyond. Another beautiful day with new terrain and a sky that is ready to storm. All afternoon and evening the clouds hold in the rain but cover the sky and roll in to meet me as my elevation rises. Large boulder fields covered with green brush and above me a ceiling of weather. I walk along quietly and finally as I day winds down I decide that I will make camp before it gets dark and wet. I find a clear spot in some bushes, it looks goods but I walk another half mile to a more open space in the boulder field wondering that there may be other hikers camping there or a better spot. Turns out there are no other hikers and limited places to tent up, all exposed so for rain and wind it seems a better idea to go back to the space I spotted before. I head back, start setting up camp, go to put in one of my final stakes and see right next to my text what looked like could be a fresh cougar print. Unsettling. But it's now later and by the time I break down and start hiking again it will be dark. I continue getting set up for the night but feel uneasy about it all. Ten minutes later I hear a sound, I stop what I'm doing and listen. Trekking poles-it's a hiker! I pounce out I the trail as he's trying to hike by. He's not stopping here to camp but he's out of water and hasn't rested all day so I offer him two of my extra liters and ask if he minds if I continue on into the night with him. It's agreed and I break down my tent and am packed up in 5 minutes. We hike on another 3 or 4 miles in the dark and make it to an off the grid house where the man who owns it let's PCT hikers camp out at his place. He's not home but other people are there and there is even some leftover food from dinner when we get there. We eat, we sleep, and the clouds finally let go of the rain they have been holding in all day.
DAY 12-I wake up to find that a friend I met at the beginning of the trail has also camped out at the trail angels house too, a lovely surprise, we chat excitedly and catch up on stories of our adventures. We wait out the rain until midday and then head out when it clears some. I hike with a small group today. Go until just after dark then stop for the day.
DAY 13-I hike with my friend Kellie today, most all of it in the rain! It's invigorating until you stop, and then it's just cold. We get to the highway where we can get up to Paradise Cafe, hitch to Idyllwild, or hike the reroute from the closed section of trail(on account of a fire from a previous year). At the highway stop we get a hitch from a guy named Devilfish who hike the trail last year and now is just helping other hikers out as needed. Me and Kellie split off as she decides to keep hiking the reroute and I head to Idyllwild, straight to the post office to finally retrieve my down jacket-and just in time as the rain has turned to snow and I'm about soaked threw from my miles today. At the post office I see other hiker friends and one says he's staying at a cabin across the way and I can head there of need be. With soaked cold clothes and a dead phone I head over with him from the post office(resupply box and a surprise letter from Belfast in hand...) to charge me phone and regroup. Then I decide to take a hot shower while the phone is charging. Then I find out that his hiking buddy had gone back out and wasn't making it back that night on account of the snow so I pay for his spot on the couch that night and finally relax into being warm and dry. I do head out eventually for a couple hours to meet hiker friends around town but tomorrow I get to see an old friend who is coming to visit and I'm very much looking forward to it!
DAY 14-I wake up at 6:30am even though I got to sleep inside a warm dry cabin. I wish I could sleep longer but my body is awake so I head out to walk around town and find some eggs for breakfast. Midmorning Jacob Belsher arrives with a posse of rad chicks and one big personality small dog in a purple polka dot hooded puffy jacket. We head out to Suicide Rock for a day of rock climbing. We walk through some snow to get there and then we have a great day of hanging out and enjoying the beauty around us. I get to climb a few simple routes myself, which I enjoyed, and am grateful to Jacob and my new friends for sharing their skills and supplies with me. We hang out until dusk then head back to Idyllwild for dinner, drinks, and time around the campfire. It's always a treat to be able to catch up with an old friend and appreciate that person as much or even more than you did the last time you saw them. To end my evening ever so pleasantly, Jacob lets me steal away Cinder the wonder dog into my tent for the night and she sleeps curled up next to me in my sleeping bag. So cozy and sweet!
DAY 15-Zero day two in Idyllwild. Task day. Laundry, gear shop, phone calls, etc.
Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and to all of the moms that I love out there!!
DAY 16-Finally headed out of town but only got about half of the things done that I had hoped to do. Gear shop didn't have what I needed, no blog update, my pack is still heavier than I would like and thought I would have that I sorted by the time I left town. I asked advice from someone with what felt like a 5lb bag but then realized that was the wrong decision as the conversation and advice just left me feeling worse. So discouraged, moral is low. I head out on the trail anyway, I start out hiking with others but then hang back to get space and hike alone. Walking through the solitude, peace begins to set in and I feel myself becoming more calm again. With my late start, I don't hike so many miles so tomorrow will be an earlier day. I stop before sun down and it feels good to not have to set up my tent in the dark. I have dinner with some other hikers and a delicious broccoli soup warms me up. Then we get the most gorgeous sunset and as it grows darker we can see lights from towns below. We aren't so far away from it all I suppose, but it feels like it to be back in my tent and on the trail.
DAY 17-A 25 mile day! I head out early for a long day of hiking. Lots of solo time but pass and break with other hikers along the way. The last five miles are hiking across sand through a wind tunnel near a freeway, at that point I am ready to be done. There are more trail angels ahead, an older couple called Ziggy and Bear who let hikers sleep in there backyard, use their electricity, mail resupply packages to them if necessary. A hiker rest haven. After my long day, I cowboy camp in their backyard and get ready for more miles. I'm headed to Big Bear to meet up with the Hasteys but word is there is a snowstorm coming in so I'm hoping to hike fast and not get caught to much in the thick of it.
DAY 18-Scorpion attack!!! Okay so not really. But a close call! I caught one crawling into my back strap this morning as I was about to swing my pack on over my shoulder. After the scorpion was removed and relocated I headed out for another long day. Midday took a nap in a lovely location near a stream. Continued on until the very end of day then set up camp by another hiker from Washington. Nice day, nice walking. Though about music a lot and even sang some on the trail.
DAY 19-Woke up and had a later start on the day. In the early afternoon I stopped to take a break by a creek with some other hikers refilling water supply. We all chat about the great day, say how we shouldn't talk about it and jinx it, and then it starts to snow. I do love snow actually. But hiking in it all day and then trying to get warm and dry in a tent at the end of the day adds a different element to it. The flakes are getting bigger, coming faster, and sticking so I make myself stop layer up because it's just getting colder and wetter. I catch up to two of the guys I was chatting with earlier and they are both hiking in shorts without gloves and what looks like not a lot of gear. I find out each of them just have a piece of Tyveck for shelter. There is rumor of a cabin of some sort ahead but I suggest we stay together and then if they don't find other shelter they can share my tent. I figured a win-win as they won't freeze to death and the extra body heat would keep my small tent warmer. The day is finishing, we haven't seen the cabin, and I am getting ready to just set up my tent and be done for the day. Then in the distance we finally see the cabin. As we approach there are two cars and other hikers. It turns out the "cabin" is more just a structure with no windows or doors. It does however have a fireplace! And the two people inside to whom the cars belong, it turns out are a couple that came up a day earlier for a family reunion campout they are having. They've rented this structure but they invite all the hikers to stay and give hot coffee, soup, and their firewood, asking questions and listening to stories about the hike. People fall asleep in front of the fire which eventually dies out but the fact that we are dry helps us all stay warm. I sleep with my fuel and filter in my bag to be on the safe side of things with the cold weather. One of the hikers is traveling with a guitalele(6 string ukulele) and I fall asleep to music, pre-sleep conversations, and no questions to the randomness of concrete floor which I've found myself on for the night.
DAY 20-Everyone wakes up and starts packing up and cleaning the space to leave it as it was when we arrived. We pool some cash to give to leave in with a thank you note for all the goods which were shared with is yesterday evening. It's still snowing and people are making plans for where they want to want to hitch into Big Bear from. Some people are hitching off the trail a bit sooner because of the weather and I want to get all of the miles but then end up hitching out early too. I end up in Big Bear in the afternoon and have arrived a few days early as I'm set to meet my friend Ashley and her family here on Monday. I don't want my body to lose conditioning from the work I've done so far so at the suggestion of a friend I make plans to get dropped off up trail the next morning and hike back to Big Bear from the other direction.
DAY 21-Devilfish, the guy helping hikes with rides near towns, picks me up in the morning and drives me up trail. I spend the next two days hiking back to Big Bear uphill again and have two of my most enjoyable days hiking yet. The mind switch from hiking all the way to Canada to just an overnighter 32 miles back to Big Bear is a relaxing relief. I didn't think I was focused too much on the overall end point but the hiking today has been eye opening. Freed of any big picture I just enjoy my hike and look forward to seeing the Hasteys very soon. I confuse a few people by hiking south as it would be too early to see any south bound hikers yet but it's fun to pass hiker friends going the other way. One fast hiker who is always ahead of me found me sunning on a rock and eating a snack and was quite curious as to how I got so far in front of her and I tell her that I decided to start running the trail and it's really been a breeze. Still in disbelief she picks up me pack to see if it's still as heavy as ever, and it is. Finally I laugh and tell her I'm just going the wrong way for two days but that the turn around has been enlightening. We laugh and part ways hiking in opposite directions.
DAY 22-Nice easy morning break down of camp. Continue on to Big Bear. Ashley and Walter have booked their timeshare a night early for me so when I get back to town I already have somewhere to go. When I arrive I the evening and check into their place I am overjoyed and dance around in excitement-life of luxury tonight!!! A fireplace, huge bed with a cozy white duvet, full kitchen, and most exciting: a washer and dryer with laundry soap. I take a hot shower, shave my legs for the first time in weeks, then crawl into bed and eat a pizza. Life is amazing!
DAYS 22 & 23-Hang out time with the Hasteys!! Delicious meals and treats, hot tubbing, boating out on the lake, bowling, and more...fun times with Ashley, Walter, Kennedy, and Jackson! Thanks guys for everything!! So much fun and wonderful times...I think getting back on trail tomorrow might be a bit difficult. ;-) I'm thinking maybe I'll see if they'll just let me live at stay here and live at the condo...
No comments:
Post a Comment