Post 5 - Sand, Snow, Streams, and Springs

Exploring the dynamic terrain of SoCal

Day 19

Hunger consumed us as we ambled our way to the highway crossing. Most of us were on our last ramen packets. The other group of international hikers had set up camp about a mile from the highway. At the same time, the group that was trailing us by a day had caught up. There was at this point a gathering of 13 hikers! We chatted briefly but we wanted to get some food and they wanted to get on with their day of hiking.

A nice lady who had driven up from LA to go on a short hike on the PCT pulled up to the crossing and offered us a ride. Big Bear is actually two separate towns, Big Bear City and Big Bear Lake. The city is actually the suburbs and the lake is the tourist-friendly downtown area with cute shops. A small ski resort crowns the village. We were dropped off at the shopping center between the two areas. The pizza shop we were eyeing opened in about an hour so we killed time by buying an obscene amount of snacks at the Dollar Tree. Hands down, this was the best place to buy food. I spent 25 dollars there and had quite the haul. We each ordered a large pizza and it was glorious.

Kenny is like that of an extremely friendly conservative grandpa that hosts hikers at his house in Big Bear. He keeps the politics at the door thankfully. The generous man welcomes large groups of hikers to crash on couches and inflatable mattresses in his basement.

The crew that stayed at Kenny’s that day included Caveman, Monica, Antoine, and the group that had caught up to us: Waterboy from Alabama, Arthur from Holland, and Miranda + Floyd from Tampa and North Carolina respectively. Waterboy was about our age and had just gotten his masters in leadership alongside bachelors in farm science. Arthur was one of the older hikers I had met, in his late 60’s yet in good shape. Miranda and Floyd were in their late 20’s and fresh out of the Navy. They had been stationed at Whidbey Island, which made them the closest hikers to me so far. We had a lot of fun hanging out at Kenny’s, swapping stories and tips on his sun drenched porch that afternoon.

Day 20

Big Bear itself was the largest and most sprawled town yet. After a grand breakfast of French toast, fruit, and bacon, our newly expanded group took the free bus to the village to run errands. We chose to take a zero day to hopefully avoid the last day of inclement weather for a while. While we were walking to the outfitters to pick up fuel and some gear, bright sunshine rapidly turned to hail paired with high winds. Miserable! Unfortunately for us the day we decided to visit the outfitters, they were closed to paint their store. Gutted, we separated to tend to our own town errands. Personally I had a package to pick up at the UPS store. My parcel hadn’t arrived yet and we slated to later in the afternoon. Great. After reconvening, some of us decided to have proper restaurant lunch at a Himalayan place in the village. We were treated to the best meal on trail yet, with plants of veggies and spiced meat. We then caught the trolley back to Kenny’s place and settled in for the evening. I went out in my own later to retrieve the package. My luck continued to run dry as the buses stopped running after I picked up my package, so I found myself on an unplanned hike through town with a full bag.

That day happened to be Kenny’s 63rd birthday and we celebrated together with grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. He had got a cake and several tubs of ice cream for dessert. A half inflated blow-up mattress gave me one of the better nights of sleep on trail.

Day 21

I had too much stuff. The package I got from my mom plus all of the goodies from the dollar store was too much - there simply was not enough room to fit everything. Mailing myself a package to the next town was my only option, as I was not about to throw away pounds of food and clothing. Kenny made us an amazing southern style breakfast with biscuits & gravy, grits, bone-in ham, scrambled eggs, and fruit salad. Shuttles to the trailhead commenced after we stuffed ourselves. I, however, had to take the trolley to the post office to deliver my package. While I was bummed to be behind my friends, I was glad to have a reasonable weight for my pack: 28 pounds to including food! (no water - I carry 3 liters which ends up weighing 3 kilograms/ 6.6 pounds). The others had packs weighing around 40 pounds.

My jaunt to the post office ended up taking a tragic 4 hours with the connections and walking taken into account. My first solo hitchhike went alright - a nice retired man by the name of Greg pulled out of the church in his red jeep and offered me a ride. By the time I got to the trailhead, it was already 1:00 PM. With headphones on, I powered through the day and met up with my friends before sundown. Upon the ridge above town, it was to be a cold night: 15 degrees Fahrenheit! To compound the discomfort, it was unreasonably gusty and we had to camp in snow.

Day 22

Setting off just after the sun rose, the snow was still icy. Skimming atop the snow, we made good time for the first half of the day. Eerie carbonized trees in a previously burned area contrasted with the blinding snow and cloudless blue sky.

On the other side of the ridge, we encountered a particular sheer traverse; this was the first time we were able to employ our ice axes for their intended purpose. Visualizing oneself losing a theoretically safe foothold to then slide hundreds of feet down an icy mountainside was a grim but reasonable thought at the moment. Although slow going, we all made it to the next flat section unscathed. A few hours later, crossed a reasonably sized river and the terrain miraculously transitioned into a rocky canyon (more importantly, snow free!) We took lunch at a large bench and marveled at the blindingly white mountainside across from us.

After a few take-your-shoes-off water crossings, we made it to our snow free campsite. An older, well-tanned man came in just after us and also set up camp. We got to making a small fire in the pit on site to dry our socks and shoes while the man told us a little about himself: he was from Austria and had been doing 20-25 mile days! (He had also started a whole week after us) His son had done the trail in 2017, another particular snowy year. I’d estimate he was in his 60’s; impressive.

Day 23

The Austrian was gone before we woke up - what an enigma of a man! We had a quick breakfast and we were on our way. The trail followed a deep canyon carved by a decently flowing river. Although there were a few blowdowns, the miles came much easier compared the the previous day in the snow.

Mile marker 300 greeted us not soon thereafter. A few hours later, the trail passed by a natural hot springs next to Deep Creek. There were plenty of non-hikers here but being in the middle of nowhere, they seemed more similar to us than the strangers in town. The Austrian was just leaving as we arrived. Demand for the small pools were high - they could only fit a few people. Some friendly locals welcomed us into one of the bigger pools. An interesting social factor of these remote hot springs is that clothing is optional! Unfortunately the crowd there that chose to partake in the fun were people that we really didn’t want to see naked.

After enjoying some hot water in the hot sun for about an hour, we took a plunge into the cold creek and hit the trail. Due to the steep sides of the canyon, there were not many places to camp. We took refuge on a sandy embankment under one of the bridges that crossed the stream.

Day 24

Flowers of all colors and shapes filled the canyon as we winded through the valley. The cool air and gradual descent made for one of the highlights of the trip so far. Distant mountains were framed by the shape of the canyon - we were going there!

At the base of the canyon, the landscape opened up before us. After a small detour to find an easier river crossing, we made our way alongside a hill that overlooked a rather flat and arid environment. The transition from such an idyllic canyon to a hot and dry hillside took us by surprise. Passing by a few large concrete walls and other industrial buildings, we began to gather that there was a large body of water being held back above.

As expected, the landscape changed once again as we climbed over the hillside that flanked us for the past few hours. What a view! A huge lake sat below a small tree covered mountain range. The trail meandered high above the irregularly shaped lakeshore for a few miles. We broke for camp at a picnic area on the opposite side of the lake, which was curiously devoid of people. Additionally the bathrooms were locked and the water spigots were turned off. We figured that the park was closed for the season and hoped that we could camp there anyways as there were no other campsites to be found. Having a pavilion and several picnic benches to ourselves was a luxury!

Day 25

Gurgling diesel truck noises woke us up before sunrise - the worst way to wake up on trail by far. A sheriff waddled his way over to the pavilion that we had taken over and began talking to caveman, as he was the only one not in a tent. His booming voice informed us that we were illegally camping on state property and that we had to pay a fine while also immediately leaving the park. What a bummer - the place seemed too good to be true. Caveman bit the bullet and hopped in the back of the truck to front the fine for us while we packed up our tents. Allegedly campers had been able to camp here in the past so we found it super lame that this year was different. No signage was posted anywhere along the trail or in the campground saying otherwise. Oh well.

On the way out of the lake, I was given my trail name! Due to the signature and very distinct footprint my shoes left, I was now known as Lugs. Lugged like an off-road tire, my friends could easily follow where I had been as basically everyone else on the trail used the same brand of shoes except for me.

In a few miles was the infamous McDonalds just .4 miles off the trail at Cajon Pass. I had misjudged how much food to pack out of Big Bear, and was running extremely low. A beautiful roller coaster-like descent made for a quick morning. I actually ran for most of the way there - I was so incredibly hungry! I ordered something like 4 sandwiches, nuggets, a McFlurry, a large fry, and a few apple pies. Wow, did I feel not good after stuffing myself with all that processed food. I relaxed and took in the picturesque sights bumper to bumper traffic of I-15 while the rest of our group filtered in. Since I had ran out of food, I took upon myself to attempt the McDonald’s challenge: pack out only food from the Golden Arches until the next town of Wrightwood, which was 2.5 days away. Waterboy also joined this challenge with me, with both of us picking out 20 cheeseburgers.

Laden down by the immense amount of calories we had just ingested, we only made it a few miles. A familiar face had coauthor up with us as we made camp for the night. Urban from Slovenia had stayed at Kenny’s the day that we had left. He was one of the first to hike up to the peak of Mt. San Jacinto, despite the closures!

The tunnel underneath the interstate was eerie, as it was flooded from all of the crazy rainfall as well as being covered with trash and graffiti. We slept relatively soundly considering our upset stomachs and the relentless stream of trains making their way through the pass. There must be a dedicated position onboard the trains just for honking their horn. Maybe they got paid by the honk, as they really really laid on the horn all throughout the night.

Day 26

A monstrous climb was ahead of us that day - we were headed back into the mountains again and that only means going up. Fueled by a few McDoubles, we ambled our way up the hillside. Temperatures as slowly risen the pst few days and without any shade whatsoever, the climb soon became quite difficult. Seeing the interstate become smaller and smaller in the distance put into perspective the scale of what we were doing.

Not soon after stopping under the first small patch of shade to have a few juicy burgers, we encountered snow once again. Although by the time we hit it in the afternoon, the snow has became slush. One particular cool corner led to a rather large stretch of shush. By far the biggest scare of the trip so far occurred here, as a few of us slipped down the treacherous slope a few feet, having to self-arrest to make sure we didn’t fall down the hillside a several hundred feet. Shaken quite a bit, we made camp on the other face of the ridge in the evening sun, thankful that we were still alive! Immense, snow covered mountains were to the south, with apparently LA right behind them. We could see the smog creep up from the pass, making for a dramatic sunset. One more day until town!

Day 27

Most of us woke up early to catch the sunrise. Since we climbed basically all of the previous day, there were no obstructions to our view.

Snow and all of its familiar difficulties were met within the first hour of the day. We only had a few miles until we reached the Acorn Trail, a steep route that went directly into the town of Wrightwood. However these miles came excruciatingly slow due to the snow. The eagerness to get to town made that morning a real drag. While crusty on top, the snow had remained soft underneath - we would posthole just about every step with the icy top layer cutting into our shins.

The Acorn Trail was the steepest path I had hiked on so far. Warm gusts of air blew on our faces as we made our descent down the slushy slope. Halfway slipping, halfway sliding, Antoine and I were the first ones to make it down to the upper suburbs. We made a beeline for the Mexican restaurant, where we ordered margaritas to sip on while we waited for our friends. Monica, Waterboy, and Urban joined us not soon thereafter. All of us ordered fajitas, as it was by far the most amount of food. They more than hit the spot.

After our satiating meal, we waddled our way over the the hardware store. Behind the back, the owner had set up a little sanctuary for hikers so that they had a place to hang out while they did their town errands. Inside the hardware store, they continued to cater to the hiking crowd with a large supply of everything that we needed, including shoes, freeze dried meals, and a free gas canister with every purchase. The grocery store and the post office were conveniently located next door to the hardware store.

Waterboy had coordinated with a hostel and they sent someone to pick us up. In the meantime, I picked up the package that I had sent myself from Big Bear. Everyone from the town was extremely kind and had many questions. At the grocery store, I got ingredients to make dinner and breaks for everyone, as I had let slip the fact that I knew how to cook.

The hostel was nothing to write home about, but it was all we could ask for. I made pasta for dinner and a hash for breakfast. Everyone was happy to have a home-cooked meal in their system.

Day 28

Back in Idyllwild I had made the decision to skip the Sierra Mountains this year. While they were likely not impassable, it would take a Herculean effort to get through in a reasonable time. Back in Idyllwild, I booked a train to get back home to Seattle at the end of April. Crunching the numbers, I had to average something around 18 miles a day in order to make it in time.

Unfortunately Caveman and Antoine were feeling a bit strained from the last stretch, meaning that they would take a day off to recover. I could not afford to take a day off, so I bid them along with the others farewell. Pierre and Ali were the French couple that we had caught up with just before Big Bear, and they had lagged behind in order to wait for an package to arrive. They were hoping to leave that day as well, so I set off with them. Even though I had only hiked with my friends for about a month, I’ll admit I was real sad to leave them behind.

Pierre, Ali, and I were ferried over by the hostel owner up as far as we could go until the road closure. We said our goodbyes and immediately got back to walking on slush. Only a few miles in, we made it back to the trail which crisscrossed the closed (and scenic) Angel’s Crest Highway. We agreed to just walk the road, as it was easier going than the trail which took its time meandering and undulating all over the ridge.

Our destination for that day was a parking lot just below Mt. Baden-Powell. Arriving in the early evening, we found our first group of southbound flip-floppers; they had skipped up to Tehachapi and came south in an effort to minimize their time in snow. Pierre, Ali, and I made fun of them privately as the idea of flip-flopping didn’t make much sense considering we were surrounded by snow. I had a great time talking during dinner to the other group and learning of their experience coming south. We set up our tents a bit away from the other group as we agreed upon an alpine start in order to conquer the mountain that was in front of us. My alarm was set for 3AM!

Mt. Baden Powell and the rest of the desert section will be concluded in the next blog post as I actually have been back in Seattle for a bit already. I would like to apologize for the ridiculously long wait in between blog posts. My excuse is that the aforementioned train ride I booked really put me on a time crunch and I had to bust out big miles for the past few weeks. It does sound lame but I had no time or energy to write this blog at the end of the day. I felt like I was either hiking, eating, or sleeping with not much downtime. However I have no excuse for the past month for not publishing this blog except for laziness, as doing nothing all day has been a real chore.

Thank you all again for your continued support, I’ve had a blast so far and I really can’t wait to get back on the trail in early June. I’m planning on starting in Truckee, CA which is past the Sierra but not yet snow-free unfortunately. This month long break will hopefully allow the snow to melt in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. So far I’ve been enjoying my break by eating a bunch of food, sleeping a lot, playing video games, and catching up with friends and family.

The next blog will come out shortly after this one, hopefully starting a consistent and regular schedule. Sorry again for the long break between posts. See you again soon!