9,000 miles
May 15th
Today’s mileage: 0
Another zero in Wrightwood. Honeybadger joined Armstrong, Hendrix, Six-2 and myself at Cheryl’s cabin. HB made bloody mary’s for us.
John Z. excellent channel shows some good video footage of this section and the days ahead.
May 14th
Today’s mileage: 0
We received some great trail magic this morning! Our luxurious Pine motel told us they were already full for tonight, so it was time to investigate other options. While Hendrix, Armstrong and Six-2 ate at a sushi place (whose existence here is shocking given how small the town is), I put on my pack and decided it was time to investigate the Methodist church camp in town. Rumor was they had a bunkhouse where hikers could rent a bunk for $10. It was quite cold already, and clear that snow was coming.
As I was about to cross the street, a woman named Cheryl hollered from her SUV, “Hey! You know a storm is comin’, right?” “Yep!” “You got a place?” “Nope!” “You’re welcome to use my cabin, hop in!”
Her hospitality was unparalleled. She told me she lived in Victorville and would be leaving today, but I was welcome to stay as long as I wanted. “Let’s stop and pick your friends up.” Which we did! Then she started pointing at any hiker in town and saying, “Do you know him? Does he need a place?” And I said I don’t, and she said, no matter, feel free to invite anyone you want. She implored us to help ourselves to anything in the fridge.
There was one downside. I asked her, “Is this within walking distance to town?” Because we all really needed groceries, and wanted a restaurant meal or three. And she said, “sadly, no.” Well, she underestimated our capability and drive, hehe. It was easily within walking distance, about a mile out. A pleasant walk in the snow too. She did warn of us that a mountain lion visits their backyard regularly though.
Thank you, Cheryl!
I was very much ready for a zero day today. We managed over 100 miles over the past 5 days. A couple of days were ideal and pleasantly surprising, and a couple were flat out demanding for multiple reasons.
Nice map that shows the journey so far. Notice how west the trail continues to head. Remarkable how close to LA we now are.
May 13th
Total mileage: 369
Today’s mileage: 22
Exhausted. Over 5k of vertical feet today with a 6 liter water carry. Had a coyote howling quite close last night while we all cowboy-camped. Claire said she saw it within 5 meters of me. Kinda spooky. I then heard it over by Hendrix in the chaparral and I wrestled with whether it was appropriate to wake him or not. It was meager sleep for the rest of the night, at best.
Most of today involved a very long slog up a ridge. Everything was exacerbated by my terrible chafing. Six-2 has had some suffering too of that sort. A day or two earlier, Honeybadger had recommended that we should go commando (no underwear). That would certainly get more airflow and stop the chafing. We both agreed to give it a try. Boy…was that a mistake, lol. I know, I know…why did we listen to a girl on this matter, given some fundamental differences…
There was a service road about 13 miles into the day and a wonderful trail angel showed up with his pickup truck, and some gatorade and snacks from Costco. He even had chairs. We unpacked our damp sleeping bags and took an hour siesta to let them dry. Some ne’er-do-well took this incriminating photo, haha.
We reached Highway 2 in the final hour of light and were again lucky to receive trail magic, this time from young schoolgirl Michela and her dad. They were kind enough to make Frito chili pies for all the hikers coming down. We saw a group push through on trail, skipping Wrightwood, even though everyone knew a snowstorm was coming.
A large pickup truck with 3 people and an extended cab offered us a hitch down into town, which we were grateful for. Otherwise, we were going to ride in the back of the truck bed of the trail angels when they left.
Very glad we reached Wrightwood before the storm. Snow is expected tomorrow and Friday, so it’s likely we’ll take two zeros. More details to follow.
Hendrix, Six-2 and I shared a modest room at the Pine motel, a tired place in Wrightwood. Here, Hendrix can be seen imposing his feet on the rest of the world. We enjoyed a huge pasta dinner in town and then visited a nearby saloon.
May 12th
Total mileage: 347.3
Today’s mileage: 19
Reached McDonald’s at Cajon Pass, on the Highway from LA to Vegas. Hendrix won the calorie count by diligently calculating his total calories at 3,200. I limited myself to a 2 cheeseburger value meal, four refills of soda and a milkshake. I was a bit intimidated by the 27 miles dry stretch we knew we were entering, and I was eager to do my first serious night hike (although that didn’t pan out). I left with Six-2, Hendrix, Armstrong and Claire. We made it 5 miles and called it a night at the last flat valley floor before a lengthy ascent.
Fearsome wind during this final descent to the highway crossing.
Hikers must then cross via a causeway beneath the highway.
I think Hendrix is doing his best blue steel or magnum look here.
EXTRA: Joe Brewer has an excellent video showing this stretch of trail from Cajon Pass (Mile 342) To Agua Dulce (Mile 454). I highly recommend subscribing to his channel:
May 11th
Total mileage: 328
Today’s mileage: 20
Here are the two warm spring pools that we were near. We used the one below the previous night.
Hot day, very low water, bad chafing, ugh :/. Legs are fine though. Poison oak all around too. Tough day. McDonald’s tomorrow at 342. One has never craved McDonald’s until one is on the trail and half a day away.
There was some stupid spray-paint graffiti on the large rock faces along this path, sporting swastikas and phrases like “art is not a crime”. There were also multiple precarious points on the trail, where one bad move and one would likely fall to their death. I later read that someone has died on this stretch.
A couple hiking south stopped us with trail magic of a strawberry or a tangerine. It was a very kind gesture, although one had to control oneself and not shake them down for 4 or 5, hehe.
A water cache in the middle of nowhere. All hikers are grateful for locals who maintain caches like this, although since you don’t know its coming, as a hiker you often are already carrying all the water you require. Sometimes in a situation like this, the garbage can above is as useful as the water.
My chaffing was so severe, I had told Six-2 to carry on, and that I’d catch him in the morning. But I missed the side-trail that branched off to the campground I was going to stay at, and instead pushed on several more miles to the formal campground, finding everyone just as it was getting dark. Met a guy named Armstrong, made chili, and cowboy-camped. There were huge frogs/toads that occasionally moved in the leaves around us.
May 10th
Total mileage: 308
Today’s mileage: 20
Today was our first siesta around an actual body of water. Hendrix and Six-2 can be seen in the photo below. This was the beginning of Deep Creek, a creek which the trail would follow for the rest of the day. Six-2 said, “This is as good as it gets! It doesn’t get any better than this!” It was nice to see him filled with such euphoria. Warm temperatures, cold water, feeling that you’ve pushed yourself physically and sharing it all with new friends.
I actually got in trouble with the above photo, hehe. Some other industrious hiker had designed this lovely piece in tribute to Mother’s Day. Well, everyone was taking photos in front of it and sending it to their mothers. I followed suit. Days later, when I finally spoke with my own mother, she told me how proud she was of it…that she had printed copies at Costco, had sent it to her siblings, had made it her wallpaper on her PC. I think I blew it when I told her I actually just stumbled upon it ready-made. 🙂 I guess I gotta step up on future Mother’s Days.
The afternoon was hot. We reached the famous Deep Creek Hot Springs with about 20 minutes of daylight to spare. Six-2, Honeybadger and I camped along the water’s edge. We were warned not to drink water near the warm springs, as there was a dangerous bacteria in the region. This area was all around quite dirty, with visible toilet paper strewn about here and there along the rocky shore. There was also a professional sign that said something to the effect, “No Garage Collection here, Please pack your garbage out!” etc. And immediately beneath this sign were two garbage bags filled to the brim with empty alcohol containers and other refuse. People had even left cardboard wine boxes tied to tree branches. Especially sad because this garbage was clearly from city folk who had road access to this place, and it would have been so easy for them to have packed it out.
Six-2 insisted we had to take a dip in the warm springs. So the three of us dared the pools in the cold dark night. The light from my headlamp glistened off small shiny flecks of metallic flakes in the water, presumably from its geothermal source.
Warning from the official Deep Creek Hot Springs site, gulp:
“Do not drink the water!
The Hot Springs pools of Deep Creek contain a rare and sometimes fatal disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. The disease is apparently contained in contaminated soil and transmitted to the Hot Springs pools as the warm water flows through and over the soil. It is advisable not to submerse your head.
Due to the large number of visitors to the Hot Springs, human and organic pollution are increasing in the Deep Creek drainage. The highest Fecal Coliform counts are found in the Hot Springs area.”
May 9th
Total mileage: 286
Today’s mileage: 20
Us being goofballs. Sometimes it’s the silliest things. 🙂
We met two hikers in our hostel, Amy from Michigan and her French boyfriend, Fabien. They went down to the main drag in town to try and get a hitch. While walking en route to them, Six-2 and I passed a small antique shop, where a woman was standing on the porch. Six-2 began chatting her up, and I could tell he was in the early stages of attempting to Yogi a ride for us (planting the idea for her to offer a ride for us, don’t ask!) She soon offered to give us a ride. But she was playing a better game, hehe.
She asked first if we’d help move a dining room table to the porch. Of course, we were glad to. And then she asked if we would move a large dresser, which again, we were glad to. Then we squeezed into her car, and she was kind enough to let us scoop up our friends as well. She didn’t have a trunk, so we were filled to the brim, and to be honest, I had the best seat in the house as shotgun. But then the plan went awry. Just after she started driving, she said, “I’ll take you to Vons, that’s where all the rich people go and I’m sure one of them will get you to the trail. But first, let’s go see some birds.”
This was a bit of a headscratcher. But she immediately headed toward the lake, now taking us a couple miles off-course. All of us were thinking at this point we’d just have been better walking on our own to Vons if we’d known how involved this was going to become. She took us to a lakeside pier, and said the town had a couple of albatross(?) that we should go take photos of. I could sense the disbelief from the backseat, and I think Six-2 went so far as vocalize that, in essence, “he doesn’t need any photos of birds, he’s good”. I offered to jump out quickly, run to the edge of the water, and snap a couple of photos with my phone. I ran back and found our driver now on the phone, talking antique business for 10 minutes or so. Finally, she delivered us to Vons.
Six-2 and I let Amy & Fabien try to hitch, while we stood in the background. We figured it would be easier for the couple to get a ride, and if they had room, we could join. Well, we waited 20 or 30 minutes with no luck. Six-2 told them to stand aside and then he, with his desert hat and his mismatched racecar gaiters, stood on the edge of the sidewalk, and leaned his entire frame outward a good half-meter over the edge, hitching thumb extended. The very next car stopped.
You’ve heard of Trail Magic before. Well, this was my first case of…Trail TRAGIC. It was devastating. There was simply nothing here, save for this titillating sign.
Late in the day, Honeybadger caught up to Six-2 and I, and soon after, we came upon a curious creature, named Hendrix…who was carrying 3 containers of peanut butter and actively working on devouring his calories. He had a system down whereby he took a spoonful of peanut butter, and then washed it down with a gulp of water. Rinse and repeat. The four of us enjoyed hiking the rest of the day together, singing countless songs that mostly revolved around us knowing a single verse and the chorus. We would often begin a second verse…only to bail and return to the chorus for one final resounding time. We had another cold night in a valley with six or so other hikers.
EXTRA: Joe Brewer has an excellent video showing this stretch of trail from Big Bear Lake (Mile 266) To Cajon Pass (Mile 342). I highly recommend subscribing to his channel:
May 8th
PCT mile 266
Today’s mileage: 0
Big Bear Lake got roughly 3 inches of snow last night. We’re glad we’re in town. We intend to buy food today for 5.5 days to Wrightwood.
We enjoyed a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and then meandered over to a Walgreens and a Vons. We both bought $5 blankets to help augment our sleeping bags for the next several nights. We briefly stopped in to the main backpacker’s hostel. The guy running it definitely had a grudge against the hostel we were staying in. We both felt that our hostel was much better value for the same price. We returned again to Murray’s for another hilarious final night of karaoke. Being that it was Friday night, the place was slammed and it brought out all kinds of talent. One girl sang her signature song, Redneck Girl, twice…including with a wardrobe change. Another local sang his signature Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Lil Jon’s Get Low, much to the delight of the entire room.
I asked the barkeep if she could tell me what the question mark tap handle was. That was only $1.50, while the rest were typical $5 range. She said, “Why no…that’s the mystery beer. I can tell you, though, that it won a blue ribbon…”
May 7th
Total mileage: 266
Today’s mileage: 0
I’ve returned to the International Traveler’s Hostel in Big Bear Lake. This place is a great value for only $20. I’m the only one on a bunk in the bunk room, and the price includes two meals, laundry, showers, and a pickup from the trailhead.
I think I’m going to take another zero day today. That wasn’t my intention, but this last stretch really sapped my strength, and there is a cold front that has arrived, with snow expected tomorrow (Friday). It sounds like three nights should be in the mid- to high-20s, so it’s pretty tempting to try and wait it out, especially when this hostel is so cheap. And warm. Did I mention it’s warm in here?
I met a doctor on the trail two days ago, whose trailname is…wait for it..Doc. And I told him about how my legs have been super sore every night, waking me up a dozen times. He said it’s from overuse. That the muscles haven’t had time to repair and get stronger, that I need to really drastically reduce my mileage. I’m also a bit concerned about my right acchilles tendon, as it continues to be sore. It doesn’t look swollen, which is a good sign. But he highly advised me to take some time off.
BTW, 10% of the trail is done! hehe
I met Six-2, and hikers Honeybadger and Stretch at a Himalayan restaurant in town for lunch. We then returned to Murray’s again that evening for Round 3 vs. the Ironburger, and some truly terrible but awesome karaoke. Fellow hikers Fifty, Sweetums, Six-2 and Skyline are treating the saloon to their rendition of “Pony”. Somehow, I missed this song when it had airplay….
May 6th
Total mileage: 266
Today’s mileage: 13
Nearly froze last night. this quilt is not hacking it. Boiled water and drank Starbucks Via at 4 am. Snow is coming on Friday. I hope my friends get done before then. I’m 13 miles away from my first hitch and then a burger and beer. Can’t wait. This last stretch was my hardest yet. I think the lack of sleep is taking its toll.
Some of the first Joshua Trees of the trail.
I ran into Illegal and his hiking companion, who were happily slackpacking (hiking without packs) the stretch between the two trail access points to Big Bear Lake. They had stayed in town last night at trail angel Papa Smurf’s house, and Papa Smurf had kindly offered to drop them off this morning at Access Point A, so that they could hike to Access Point B, while keeping their heavy gear at his house. Such generous hospitality. They sang high praises about Papa Smurf’s house and said I could join them in the hitch down from the trailhead to Big Bear Lake.
Papa Smurf was very kind, calling his wife and telling her that he had the two previous hikers and also a new one (me), and to please put chicken and fries from the freezer into the oven. When I arrived there, it was clear that he had really opened his home up to the hiking community. There were probably 15 hikers milling about. He had coolers and fridges with soda and beer. I really appreciated his kindness. I also felt bad leaving, but there were only 3 bunks in the garage, so most hikers would be sleeping outside beneath a canvas awning. I really felt the need to get into a hostel or hotel room for the night, as I just didn’t want to be cold. So I troubleshot the host’s broken inkjet printer as a gesture of gratitude, made a $20 donation, and then politely left.
Rudy, one of the two excellent managers of the International Hostel drove over for free and picked me up. I got a bunk in a 4-bunk room by myself for only $20, which included a shower, laundry and two meals. There was even a little space heater just for me. I was never so thankful to be inside; dry, clean, warm and alone. I don’t think I even left the hostel for dinner. It was clear snow was coming, and I just hoped that my friends were doing ok out there.