2MoreMiles…

Bridge crossing Deep Creek

Day 23: (21 miles)
mile 307.4 – 328.4 / 3545 ft – 3356 ft

Up and early, actually having had a good night’s sleep (even with the late night “interruptions”) we were off.

Destination, Lake Silverwood a mere 19 miles away.  The trail was remarkably pleasant.

Elevation changes were stretched over several miles and the air was cool with overcast skies for most of the day.

Looking back toward the Hot Springs 6.7 miles

Once out of the Deep Creek Canyon area we reached the spillway protecting the Mojave River Valley. 

On we rolled through territory greener than we would ever imagine this area could be.

Looking back from whence we came earlier that morning

We have always wondered why anyone would live in this supposed “God forsaken area”, and now we see why…when it’s not hotter than hell. 

Whispy clouds drifted overhead as the miles clicked down (or up).  Along the way we had several snake encounters.

King snake

One which I don’t mind (cause they eat rattlers) and another that caused me to do the dreaded snake dance…again, and apparently “moon walk” backwards (according to Paul).  Once the rattler went on his way, so did we.  Paul believes my trail name should be “Dances with Snakes” or “Rattles” because I’m usually “rattled” for several miles holding my trekking poles out in front of me like divining rods tapping them together in an effort to warn snakes that we’re coming through…which Paul reminds me is a waste of time, because according to him my methodology hasn’t located a snake yet, which is true, but I feel better… or at least proactive.  I’m thinking “One Speed” could be my trail name, as no matter how hard I try (or don’t try) I always seem to average only two miles per hour…it’s becoming annoying.  And so goes the trek. 

Collecting water out of a slow moving seasonal stream to filter

We stopped at our 10 mile or so mark, napped a bit and watered up for the next half of the day which was warming to a comfortable hiking temperature. 

Alarmingly we have noticed what appears to be Poodle Dog Bush along the trail beginning near mile 319 reaching into the trail. We do our best to avoid contact with it and hope that will be enough…so far so good. The last couple of days we’ve been traveling in an unofficial group as we all end up at the major break stops and end points of the day.  Typically we take the lead in the morning and one by they pass us.  As they pass they ask, “How far ya going?”, we tell them and they’ll generally reply ” me too…see ya there”.  Today’s end game was the picnic area at Lake Silverwood.  After weaving along the hillside doing U’s and D’s (hiker talk for ups and downs) overlooking Green Valley, with small ponds and grazing cattle, the trail spills out just below the Lake Silverwood dam (pun intended). 

We take an unusual route which takes us through a construction yard and a sidewalk…haven’t seen one of those in a while.(one would think it more comfortable to walk on cement, as did we, however our feet preferred the dirt as it offers more “cushioning”).

  We walked along the shoulder of Hwy 138 for about a mile until it turned into lush vegetation and yes, trail magic. An ice chest with icy cold water. 

We sat on the cooler, took a 10 minute break, shared a bottle of water (there was only one more left) and checked the log book stored in the cooler.  To our happy surprise was saw that our friend Thayer who we had hiked with earlier (before I hurt my back) and Leon had come through only 5 days earlier , and Peru just the day before. 

Finally we were atop the dam and the trail that runs around the lake.  For some reason we thought the picnic area that we could see from across the lake was our destination, but as luck would have it when we arrived at the side trail to it and checked our mileage, we ironically had, 2 MORE MILES!  Our (my) feet were starting to speak in “tongues” again, and our stomachs were growling.  We passed the time and distracted ourselves from our feet prioritizing what we were going to do once we got to the actual destination.  Rather than set up camp, take our boots off, clean up then eat, we rethought our approach.  As we walked we first decided what, of what we had left, we were going to eat.  As we were ravenous, we decided on some interesting meal combinations.  Paul would have his freeze dried eggs with garlic mashed potatoes and a side of Knorr noodles with a granola bar for desert, and I would also have the freeze dried eggs but with chicken flavored instant rice with a king size bag of peanut M&Ms I had been saving.  Food settled, we decided we would eat before we did anything else, then shoes, then set up camp and if we had any energy left we would clean ourselves up.  We got to a point in the trail where we had to make a trail decision. Follow the trail or take a dirt road that looked like a more direct route to the picnic area where we could see thru hikers. Direct route it was. Thank goodness we took that route because we ended up getting into camp before a trio that had passed with about 1.6 mikes to go.  They had ended up at Hwy 138 and had to walk back to the picnic area.  They later remarked that it was the “longest 1.6 miles” they had ever walked.  Imagine their surprise when they saw that the “old farts” had beaten them.  For once we were not the last ones in!  As we dropped our packs on the metal couches (aka. Picnic tables ), we saw that a car had pulled up adjacent the picnic area and pizza was being delivered.  Was this a trail angel?  No, but close enough as “Beowulf ” had the presence of mind to order up 10 glorious pizzas, three of which were “extras”, as he knew other hikers would be straggling in (us) and hadn’t had the opportunity to place their order. So in the can went the original dinner plans as we joined the pizza party now in progress. 

What was originally a noisy cadre of people turned to a hush of chewing and mmmm’s, then laughter once we all realized how quiet it had gotten. 

The ranger came by as we were setting up for the food coma that was brewing.  Per the hikers that talked to him, we were fine sleeping on the lawn.  This made Paul happy as his pad’s valve had failed and was leaking to the point he would end up flat on the ground before morning…at least the ground would now be somewhat “soft”.  I remarked before we nodded off to sleep, ” Watch, with our luck the sprinklers will come on”, to which Paul replied, “Naw, the Ranger would have said something.”

Day 22: (19 miles)
mile 287.4 – 307.4 / 6430 ft – 3545 ft

We got up at 5am to “beat” the heat for our trek to the Deep Creek Hot Springs.  Luckily we did because it was hot, downhill and little available shade when needed most.  Out of the treeline we weaved following Holcomb Creek. 

The trail wasn’t too particularly difficult, just hot and gnatty (stupid flies in you face most of the day…made me unpleasant).  Bright desert flowers made up for the gnats though.

The first 10 miles ended with a much needed break and a good soak of the feet and legs in Deep Creek. 

The water was icy joint aching cold but refreshing.  The Russians (aka..”Comrades”) swam in the freezing water for quite some time. Apparently it wasn’t cold enough for them as previously they had shown us video of them swimming in ice laden lakes back in Russia.  With another 10 miles to go in the heat of the day we cameled up and loaded up on water before heading back out. 

We ran into the Temple family who were out on a hike showing their friends from Australia the sights. 

They were curious how far we had come backpacking and where we were headed. We talked about our journey and the PCT. They took our picture, and we took theirs and gave them a card so they could follow us on our adventure.  The rest of the way to Deep Creek Hot Springs was awe inspiring.

Imagine what this place would be like with LOTS of water.  We never knew such a place existed in our own backyard so to speak.

Walking along a narrow path with steep drops directly below to a hearty flowing river strewn with large boulders and deep and inviting pools of water with an occasional snake crossing your path and/or lizard playing “chicken” under your feet made for an exhilarating trek.  

We also passed the 300 mile mark as well.  As we were nearing our final destination, we engaged in a Mexican standoff (this is when nobody gives in) with a meaty rattler.  He was not about to let us go forward… and we (especially me) weren’t going anywhere with the fang end of that reptile facing the trail.  When we felt sure he wasn’t going to strike…that he was just posturing, we “snuck” by taking as wide a route we could without walking into another snake.  At least we were awake now for the last 2 miles. 

When we pulled into the Deep Creek Hot Springs , most (actually all… we’re slow compared to the rest of them, or rather I’m slow) of the other PCT hikers we had seen at mile 10 were already there taking in the sights and set up.  The place was “zooish” and Trail 6ish (a place were Naturist would gather in a place I last worked).  While it has piping hot pools with  chilly creek, there are things there you just can’t unsee.  There is a reason one should adorn themselves in cloth or even hides…some have more reason than others. Take for example the naked fat man who tromped through our campsite late in the evening wearing a headlamp, hiking boots and a backpack.  Pretty sure he wasn’t a PCT thru-hiker.  We did however score with an early evening warm bath.  It was nice to wash away some of the grime. 

As the creek water was a little questionable considering some of the probable “activities” that were taking place upstream, we, along with the other thru-hikers opted to replenish our water via a spring feed tributary running directly into the main body of water.  It was almost scalding hot…say at least 104 degrees, but it was worth it to have “safe” drinking water (we still filtered it), as the creek water in the area had been closed down the year before due to cholera… Yikes. 

We scored an awesome campsite away from the "masses"

Even though we had an “out of the way” campsite, the night didn’t quiet down till at least 2am as some loud late night “locals” came in with over laden backpacks and headlamps thinking they would have he place all to themselves…Wrong!  Too bad for them when all us thru-hikers got up at 5 to get a move on.

Day 21: (18.7 miles)
mile 268.7 – 287.4 / 6878 ft  – 6430 ft

Happy Easter!  Today was pretty easy miles…mostly flat and a gorgeous day to hike.

Big Bear Lake

We had a slight breeze, maybe 2 mph and temps no warmer than mid 70’s.  We hiked through high pines and burnt out hillsides and then down into a river canyon strewn with boulders, pines and we think maybe poodle dog bush.   (Poodle dog bush is supposed to be 10 times worse than poison oak and grows in burn areas).

One would think the burned area would be stark and devoid of visual stimuli but it was not.  We found ourselves comparing trees and their response to the fire.

Why one would expire and another would survive.  And why some that apparently survived later succumbed and parked themselves directly across the trail. Ah yes, the things we think about.

Nature's totem pole

Traffic on the PCT was semi congested compared to days past when we’d rarely see anyone.  The group we saw several days earlier caught up with us at mile 275. (Van Dusen Canyon Dr, 2.8 miles to Big Bear City)  “Why Not” is hiking with that group (she did the PCT in 2009). We also met “Wet Burrito” who had two different shoes on and “Dainty Fingers” from Bend Oregon…I’m sure there’s a good story behind the name but  didn’t ask why he took that trail name.  And best of all, just as we were about to start up again after a quick break, who should wander up but “Big Easy” and “Bull Dog II”.  We thought when we left Mt. Laguna in the blizzard that we wouldn’t see them again.  What a treat!  It was fun to catch up with them a bit and share some trail stories.  Alas we would not see them for long as they were heading into town for a Nero and a Zero.  Once we started back up, we could have kicked ourselves for not getting a group photo of us all.  We vowed that the next time we met up and talked with a PCT hiker we would take their picture. Not 5 minutes after we were on the trail we ran into a SOBO section hiker ” Bonanza” from North Carolina.  We chatted for nearly an hour sharing trail notes… What we should expect and what he should expect over the next 50 miles or so.  “Bonanza” has been working on completing sections of  PCT since 2009 from what “Why Not” said , and who she had met in 2011 when she did the John Muir Trail. (Why Not is a Triple Crowner) The PCT community is connected in so many unlikely ways.  What are the chances you meet up with someone from 4 years ago while walking the PCT in opposite directions?  Before we continued, I took “Bonanza’s” picture and gave him one of our blog cards.

"Bonanza" from NC

We continued on as “Bonanza” and “Why Not” had some catching up to do.  Along the way we met two more thru hikers, “Arizona”, who’s on a “walkabout” and “Willey” (there’s more to his trail name, but I can’t remember), he’s a Lifeguard for Ventura County and is only able to section hike until Memorial Day. We hiked with them for a while till the end of the day when we stopped and they continued on for another 5 miles. I was toast and didn’t want to wreck myself as things were going so swimmingly.  The sun has set. Dinner has been consumed.

We touched base with friends, family and our kids via the DeLorme. We are on this sandy knoll well above the slowly meandering Holcomb Creek to avoid the morning dew, and the darkening sky is filling with stars.  We are truly blessed.

Day 19: (19.1 miles)
mile 233 -252.1/5061ft – 8700ft – 8553 ft

The alarm went off at 5 am because we knew we had a lot of vicious uphill miles to go, and started walking around 6:15 .  We had a 3700 ft altitude gain in 7 miles.  At mile 235 we ran into Recon who was packing up and just about to set out; and Leisure Suit and Little Feet who were just waking and getting ready to continue their SOBO section hike.  We visited with Leisure Suit and Little Feet and they gave us a great account of what we had to look forward to. By mile 241 we had climbed from 5061 ft to 8115 ft.  A side note… When you’re hiking on the PCT we’ve been told that generally the grade is kept “low” so that climbs aren’t too “tough”.  However, this was like being on the stair climber at the gym for 4 hours…quite the thigh burner and achilles strainer.  We were rewarded at mile 240 (around 1030 am) with a picnic area with picnic tables.  Picnic tables are like couches or Lazy Boy recliners to us.  Usually on the trail we look for “comfy” sitting rocks in which to take the load off our feet for a few minutes. A bench or picnic table is almost a religious experience. We each carry half of a Z-rest sleeping pad for sitting on for “prolonged” periods of time as it helps guard against prickly and pokey things.  It might actually be the most used item we carry as it doubles and triples as a “clean” surface to lay our backpacks on, and to stand and change upon.

…back to mile 240.  The other half of the reward was icy cold spring water which seeped and trickled softly through the roof of a small (4 ft tall and 4 ft deep and equally as wide) sodden cave, and  into a 25 gallon blue plastic barrel. (I forgot to bring my phone to take a picture and was not about to walk back to it to take one, so words will have to suffice) The secret to getting to this water required you to walk about a 10th of a mile from the picnic tables, past the metal horse corrals and down a grassy path to a marshy area, and Eureka! you see the half cave with the blue barrel. Next to the blue barrel was an empty Crystal Geyser gallon bottle that had been cut in half.  Paul used that to fish the crystal clear water out of the overflowing barrel. As we were living “dangerously”, as it was (no rain gear and our current wildlife encounters), Paul decided the water was “good enough” NOT to filter through our Sawyer Squeeze.  (We’ll let you know how we’re doing over the next couple of days.). The water was smooth and deliciously cold…at this point better than beer…well almost.  We filled our packs with 3 liters for the next 12 miles and drank an additional 2 liters of G2 each (won’t do that again…in one sitting) and had “lunch”. This generally means a ProMeal bar or Pop-tart…something like that. 

The group that we saw at mile 226 caught up with us and shared our table.

Once we finished our G2 and had changed our socks, we headed off to finish the last 12 miles of what was to be a 19 mile day to Onyx Summit, and a hitch into town. 

On top of the miles and elevation climb, we had several downed trees which do their best to fall directly across the tail at nearly their greatest circumference and required some navigation over or around.  We chose mostly around due to my issues with “gravity”.  For me, by mile 14, my feet and back were really “talking” to me…and by talking, I mean in “tongues ” (aka…colorful language). 

As we had less than 6 miles to go we decided to break it up into, you guessed it, 2 mile segments wherein we would get off our feet for a little bit and have a snack.  This worked perfectly, well as perfectly as it could, considering the only other option was to stop , and why do that when we were so close to our exit point to resupply.. and pizza. 

Show off...

With 2 miles left to go, we came upon cages and a holding area for exotic animals (Lions, Tigers, Bears and a Panther).  Odd place to have such an operation.  Just as we arrived at Onyx Summit we were greeted by signs posted by trail angels “Tiffany” and “Papa Smurf” offering rides and places to stay in Big Bear.  Food, laundry, internet and a place to lay your head were enticing.   We called Papa Smurf because we had heard Ziggy and the Bear talking to him about the water report.  He answered the phone and told us he would pick us up if we could wait 45 minutes.  We waited. One of his sons arrived just in time as the sun had set and it was getting cold.  We arrived at Papa Smurf’s house in Big Bear City to find 4 other hikers (Bambi-who hikes in his underwear… We think his trail name should be Captain Underpants, Nick- who hikes in socks and sandals, “Bambi’s” girlfriend – didn’t catch her name, and another young guy who was a fantastic guitarist).  We enjoyed visiting with them and swapping tales of the trail around the campfire.  We were treated to tacos, pizza, ice cream and cookies, a shower, camp clothes and a place to lay our pad and sleeping bag if we wished.  Since we had planned to Zero the next day, which meant sleeping in as long as we want…and all day long, and the others were going to be up early to get back to the trail, we decided, with the exception of the food, to decline the hospitality and elected to check into the Motel 6.  Papa Smurf’s oldest son Jim, graciously gave us a ride.  It was late (11 pm) when we checked in…too much fun talking, but worth the mileage we made today.

One seriously stinky and stiff...like a sail, shirt

Day 20: (0 trail miles)

We are “Cowgirl” camping today. The difference between Cowboy and Cowgirl camping is where you get to put your boots.  Cowboy camping your boots are at eye level next to your bed and Cowgirl camping your boots fit under the bed.  While this Cowgirl would love five star digs, Motel 6 had everything we needed…bed (under which to park our boots), a shower with soap and clean towels, a heater and a TV to check on the rest of the world (nothing much has changed… they still haven’t found that darn Malaysian plane). We awoke to unique sounds coming from next door. It sounded like someone meditating loudly…an unlikely and oxymoronic combination…OOOOHHHMMM. ArrrOOOOHHHMMM.  This went on for about 15 minutes.  Maybe Papa Smurf’s wouldn’t have been so bad.  At least we got an extra hour or so of sleep.  On the list of things to do today were EAT, shop for next week’s food, EAT, rest our feet, update our blog (as we have some family members going through serious withdrawals), laundry, and oh ya, EAT.  The getting to fresh food for breakfast was a little tricky and required laundry to be done first thing.  Luckily Motel 6 has a laundry facility on site. What is tricky is the fact that we don’t carry extra “town clothes” and had nothing really to wear while washing let alone get to the laundry area (Motel 6 towels are quite small).  Paul being the trooper, volunteered and donned his “clean” long johns and sleeping shirt.  An hour and a half later we were sitting at the Lumberjack Cafe devouring a hearty breakfast. 

Next was how to get to Big 5 for fuel, Von’s for food (and a Starbucks Chai Latte) and CVS for KT tape (Pro).  Hmmm. Call Papa Smurf? Take the bus? Hitch hike?  Decisions. Decisions.  We decided to be adventurous and attempted a hybrid method…we would stand near the bus stop across the street AND hitchhike.  Which ever arrived first we would take.  5 minutes later we had our ride…hitchhiking!  We scored BIG!  A local guy “Chris” who was on his way to “burn some time” with his dog Sugar before he had to go to work at 2pm pulled over and offered to take us where we needed to go. (Wish we would have taken his picture). Chris essentially was our personal “town/trail” angel.  He was extremely gracious, exuded positive energy, and was wealth of information.  He’s an avid hiker as well and hopes to be able to thru hike the PCT someday.  We talked about the local area and terrain; his grandma who was a movie star in the “old days” who recently died at age 91 and played us a song she had sung on an old radio show;  His years on Kauai with his band; and his current and local gold mining.  Chris went so far as to wait for us at Big 5 and Von’s, make a side trip to CVS, AND take us back to our motel…expecting, and asking for nothing in return. People like this restore our faith in humanity. 

It also appeared that we outwitted Mr. Murphy and his wife Mother Nature by zeroing today.  While it rained for most of the afternoon we were tucked nicely in our warm and dry room. Booya!

The day finished off with a delicious 14″ pizza, beer and salad at “No Name Pizza”… We will definitely be back next ski season!

We ate so much today, I think my inny is now an outy. We can’t remember the last time we have eaten so much good food.  The truth is that you just can’t carry enough food (at least we’re not willing to carry the weight) to match the calories you’re burning. 

6 days worth of food

All packed up and ready to tackle the next 100 miles.

Day 18: (14 miles)
mile 219 – 233 / 2606 ft – 5061 ft

Once we walked out of the preserve the heat was already starting to rise. 

Leaving Whitewater Preserve

It was 7am and 70 degrees…so much for an early start. The trail was sandy river bottom and followed the contour of Whitewater River (looked more like a creek) which we crossed several times.  After three miles the trail turned inland (east) and as usual started to climb in elevation.  We topped off on a ridge line that rolled along for approximately 6 miles. 

There we ran into “Moose” from Huntington Beach who was trying to finish his SOBO (southbound) hike by doing it in sections.  We talked briefly and he updated us on our water prospects.  At mile 226 we dropped down into Mission Creek.  As we strode along the trail and were nearing the creek we heard a loud buzzing above us  that almost sounded like a jet airplane dive bombing us.  On the ground in front of us our own personal cloud appeared.  It appears that we were about to have another wildlife encounter.  If these were African bees we were screwed.  You’re supposed to run as fast as you can for up to 1/4 mile to avoid being swarmed and stung repeatedly, and the running part was just NOT going to happen.  Good thing we have the Delorme InReach.  As luck would have it, the bees continued on and so did we.  When we reached the creek, which was flowing strong, we filtered 4 liters of water and drank 2 more as we sat in the glorious shade.  5 minutes later another hiker, “Recon”, joined us in the shade and asked us if we had seen the giant swarm of bees. 10 minutes after that 8 more arrived.  After a while we left the group and continued on.

The trail paralleled Mission Creek for several miles and we collected water one last time to be ready for the next days haul.

Our goal was to make it to 235…we made it to 233.  Tired and fully spent, we cowboy camped (as if we had any other choice) under a star filled sky, dozing off while watching the satellites crisscross the night sky above us.

Day 17: (9.6 miles)
mile 210.8 – 219.2 / 1608ft – 2302 ft

Monday evening the decision was made…the back is ready to go back to the trail.  Prior to loading up our resupply we conducted a minor shakedown of our “essential” items.  We left at home some items that were “nice to have” but that we are pretty sure we can live without.  Nothing major…with the exception of dumping our tent in favor of an MSR E Wing tarp and for now our rain gear.  Yes we are tempting fate, and daring Mr. Murphy.  Even if the weatherman is only 50% right, we should stay dry and fairly warm.

Ziggy and the Bear

We left from Ziggy and the Bear’s Trail Angel extraordinary hospitality near 9am after our son dropped us off this morning.  Ziggy and the Bear (retired Navy guy) have been hosting PCT hikers since 1997.  As of today a 100 hikers have come through their gate this season.  The most they’ve had in one season was over 700, but average 4-500.  This year however they expect close to 800.  They have a unique and actually efficient system of registering hikers that drop in. You’re assigned a number based on how many have already come through (Paul was 54, as of last Thursday night and I am 95 as of Tuesday morning). They write your trail name, if you have one, and your number and you hold it in front if you like a booking photo while they take a digital picture.  (In the “old days” they used a Polaroid camera.)  Your photo goes into a log that has information that you filled out (name, where you are from, email or blog address, trail or group name and so on).  If you complete the PCT you get a red star by your name. We’re shooting for that red star.  After two cups of coffee and great conversation with Ziggy and the Bear it was nearing 9 am and 70 degrees.  It was time to test the back and get on the trail. 

We meandered over a soft sand trail as it began to climb in elevation. The hillside was forested with windmills barely moving in the breeze.  We stopped at the Mesa Windmill farm office and were treated to air conditioning and ice water.  After a brief rest, a change of socks and conversation with three Russian section hikers we ventured out into the oven.  The temperature had already risen another 10 degrees in the short time were watering up.  The desert temperature topped out at 92 degrees…not to bad.  Paul had me lead so I could set the pace for the day as we were only going to go 10 miles.  As the trail traversed the hillside, Paul followed about 6 feet behind, and saw the 4 ft rattlesnake before I did, which was too late as I leaped, screamed and high stepped quickly past it as it practically lay across the trail.  Paul yelled, “Geez Dee! How did you not see that?!”. I actually did see it but it didn’t register until too late. Here’s how my thought process went… ‘Hey what’s that black stripped thing in the trail? It reminds me of Bettlejuice. Ya when he was a snake with rattles on the end…rattles on the end! SNAKE! Shit! (This is where I leaped and scampered). The darn snake was not phased and posed for a picture with Paul. 

The snake even let Paul pass…quickly. I promptly elected Paul new trail leader. Now I was the one walking 6ft behind which still was not helpful as no sooner had 10 minutes passed but another snake (this time smaller and green) graced me with its presence.  But this one thought it funny to wait for Paul to pass and launch itself across the trail directly under my feet wherein it was everything I could do NOT to step on its tail.  (A least I know my heart is pretty healthy because both time would have been a perfect opportunity for a coronary.). Once I recomposed myself and Paul stopped laughing, we continued down the trail on super high alert…like that was going to help.  The terrain differed from last I was on the trail. Rocky terrain turned to ancient river bed and sandstone cliffs.

We stuck to the plan only did 10 miles…just in case.  The first night we spent the night at the Whitewater Preserve. It a nature conservancy onsite of an old trout farm. Yes, a trout farm in the desert.  Seeing the size of the trout in the two pools, I would give anything to catch one of those guy in the wild.  When we checked in with the “ranger” to camp that night, we must not of looked and smelled hiker trashy enough cause he made a point to remind us that we had to keep our dog on a leash, generators were not allowed and we had to cook with a gas grill. Phew! Good thing we lightened our load before setting off this time.  That night was my first experience with “cowboy” camping (aka. No tent).  The night was warm, the wind was gusty, and the moon and stars, while beautiful, were seriously annoying… especially the full moon. It was like having a spot light (think Hollywood premier) over us the whole time. It did however allow Paul to see, and shoo away the raccoon who had decided to pat me on the head as he was trying to get into my pack.  At the time I thought I was dreaming about when my daughter would sometimes sleep with us when she was little and would rub her tiny little hand allover my face.  (Note to self…when cowboy camping wake up immediately and yell or throw something if that “dream” occurs again.).  We eventually got some much needed shut eye and the next morning were treated  to Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with our coffee as a herd of big horn sheep made their way down the cliffside.  A truly amazing sight to see. How they pick their routes up and down the vertical landscape is mind boggling.

Trout pond...sheep on the cliffs

Enlarge the photo to see the sheep

We counted over 20 in the herd. It appears that wildlife encounters may be this week’s theme. We’ll see. In any event , while certainly a treat for us, it was keeping us from getting a move on so as to “beat the heat” or at least a few hours of it.

Day 11: Paul (Paradise Cafe – Idllywild to mile 187 = 12 miles)
Dee (300 ft)

So Paul is off making great miles. As I have the phone and he has the Delorme InReach we have been able to maintain some degree of contact via text and email. It appears that the youngster Ally (Alison) has spurred Paul on to do mega miles. She is like the energizer bunny, and per Paul rarely takes breaks. They made 25 miles the day before and “cowboy” camped (slept on a mat, no tent) by the 74 and then breakfast’d at Paradise Cafe. During this leg water sources were sparse and Paul regretted passing up the Tule Spring water source for the Mile 140 Guzzler cistern… it was pond scum green water, but water is water and it filtered “ok”.

The cistern

Luckily Paul did not have to actually drink the water as there was an unexpected water cache at mile 143,

Alison at the water cache

and another mile down the trail with Coke and fruit!

Trail Magic at its best! After a hearty breakfast at the Paradise Cafe (Paul said he gorged on an omelet, toast, hash browns…the works!)

Cindy, at the Paradise Cafe told them to go across the street and wait at the blue sign and they’d be able to get a ride all the way to Idyllwild. They didn’t have to hitch for too long, as Paul said it only took two minutes. They, got a ride from “Mike” in the back of his pickup.

First stop was the library where he was able to email me. There he met up with Thayer as well. After that, Ally needed to replace some of her gear with more hiker friendly apparel.

On the way to the outfitters, Paul ran into Dee’s old boss from State Parks, “Don”, who is working as a search and rescue volunteer with the local Sheriff’s Department, and was participating in a training exercise with his dog who has had several successes finding/tracking lost or missing people. Paul (the ever jokester) when Don asked where I was, initially told Don that he had “traded” me in for a “newer model” gesturing toward Ally, and then told him about my back injury. Funny Man you are. It’s good to know that we have friends who are in the search and rescue business, but then you sometimes would almost rather die, than die from the embarrassment of having to call them for help, since for the most part we know better. (This does not mean that we would not call for help in a life-threating event…we’re not that prideful) This is what motivates us to plan ahead and stick to the plan. Once the town errands were done, Thayer took a different route (Tahquitz Valley Trail) and was not planning on summiting Mt. San Jacinto. Paul and Alison got a ride to the Devil’s Slide trail from “Michael” (who was a masseur in Idyllwild….Dee could have used his services, Paul told him).

Apparently, the Devil’s Slide trail lived up to its name and kicked Paul and Ally’s butt, so much so, that summiting Mt. San Jacinto was now completely off the table. The sunset, however made up for the arduous day.

They cowboy camped for a second time, this time ON or rather IN the trail.

Paul is now rethinking us (him) carrying our 3 lbs tent. He said it was 33 degrees, but he was warm and dry when he woke to Thayer, who walked up on him, and jokingly chastised him for sleeping inside the San Jacinto Wilderness area without a $5 permit. Thayer as well was unable to make it the additional few miles out of the Wilderness area, and also had slept on the trail a 1/4 mile behind them. Fuller Ridge was next on the menu.

ANd now for my lovely day…