Urban hiking.. a strange route to Wrightwood

The past 100 miles has involved more urban hiking and strange experiences than any other section so far. A few highlights include:

* Deep Creek Hot Spring - a clothing optional hot spring complete with rope swing, slack line, natural shower, and 8 pools of varying temperatures

* Silverwood Lake - beautiful from above and deliciously refreshing to swim in. It was, however, disappointingly polluted with heavily used beaches and mounds of trash from the fishermen and  Memorial Day motor boaters. I guess that isn't surprising in a state as crowded as California.

* A 28 mile day to reach Mc.Donald's fries and milkshakes

* Camping in a dry wash near the I15 overpass only to wake up in a two inch river of flowing water. Apparently the spring dries up in the heat of the day and starts to flow every night around midnight... surprise!

* reaching the 350 mile mark... halfway through the desert!

Beautiful sunset over Big Bear Lake - a nice fair well after several days in town 

1500 calories of ice cream in this little afternoon snack... apparently hiker hunger has hit!

Beautiful old stumps are evidence of the natural cycle of burns and regrowth

Tea time in the shade!

Nap time in the shade

Fun misty views as we had down toward Deep Creek

Easy creek crossings, thank you to hikers ahead of us who put the rocks in!

Found a bench on the side of the trail, can't pass up on the opportunity to take a seat in the shade.

Rainbow bridge crossing Deep Creek... clearly there are some hippie locals around.

A one mile dam which appears to be absolutely overkill. The creeks that run down on either side are no more than a few feet deep and I don't believe the spill way has ever been used.

More creek crossings with happily dry feet

Silverwood Lake, a welcome sight after several miles of dry walking along side the highway. It's amazing what a world of difference can be found on the other side of a ridge!

Wasabi Soybeans! My super fuel and the inspiration for my trail name (Wasabi)

Hannah's brilliant invention of putting a spatula on the end of her spoon... inspiration for her trail name (Spatula)

After 28 miles this sign was very VERY exciting

28 mile day to reach fries and milkshakes... our longest day yet!

Rather chaotic landscape created by movement of the San Andreas Fault

Sometimes walking through an old burn makes you think of pineapple!

The PCT cuts right through a ski resort... wished I had a pair of skis for the 2000 feet of descent

Hiker breakfast... ate every bite including the last sips of hot syrup!

Idyllwild to Big Bear City

The hike from Idyllwild to Big Bear City has been wonderful. Snow, sun, waterfalls, and wind turbines... once again a wealth of variety and interesting things to see. I hiked from 5,500 ft up to the summit of Mount San Jacinto at 10,800 feet and then back down again to Gorgonio Pass at 1,100 ft. Gorgonio pass is essentially the rift valley formed by the San Andreas fault and is one of the lowest points for the entire trail. As you can imagine it is a VERY hot and dry place. My hiking partner Hannah unfortunately got very sick and had to spend extra time resting up in Idyllwild so this has been a solo section. The solitude and freedom that come with solo hiking are beautiful things, but it will be great to meet up with her again in Big Bear.

Enjoy this photo journal from the past five days!

Leaving Idyllwild this sign gets hikers excited for the 5000 feet of elevation gain and large snow patches to come.

I was the first one to summit on Wednesday and spent the first half hour enjoying my private lunch spot

Low clouds in the valley accentuate the contrast between dry desert and luscious forest.

Summit picture after my friends arrived on top!

Took a shower in this little waterfall on the way down from San Jacinto.

Snowy San Gorgonio Peak was my reference for several days as I switch backed all the way down to Gorgonio Pass and back up the San Bernadino mountains on the other side.

200 miles. The second hundred went even faster than the first!

Surprised by root beer floats and shade in the middle of a very hot traverse toward highway 10 

Copper Tone is a trail angel notorious for his root beer floats in unexpected locations!

Wind farms, the South Pacific Railroad and Highway 10 were a strange sight after several days in the wilderness 

My typical set up when cowboy camping... looks messy but everything has a place around the tarp

The view from my little campsite - tucked up a little draw from Gold Canyon to get out of the wind

The rumor mill on the trail runs quickly so about 20 of us hurried to White Water campground for a free pancake breakfast!

The trail angel "Legend" has an eclectic truck named Gypsey

He let us borrow Gypsey for the day to take a side trip to Joshua Tree National Park

And here are the famous Joshua Trees!

Silly pictures with friends at Joshua Tree (trail names Burp, Wasabi, 68W, and Lizard)

Changing plant communities as we hiked north up Mission Creek

Finding beauty hiking through an old burn

It is a new perspective to hike through old burns and see the color and regrowth

Cedar trees!

Still looking at San Gorgonio peak but this time from the back side

Another silly example of trail magic... a couch and big bin full of treats on the side of the trail

Chuckwalla lizard 

Braid train after showers at the wonderful trail angels house: Mountain Mama and Papa Smurf'

Resupply from home, happy happy day! Shout out to M, D, and S... THANK YOU!!!

The Desert: Expectations vs Reality

1)  The desert is NOT as flat, desolate or monotonous as we thought. In our first week of hiking we were surprised by the dozens of species of wildflowers, cacti, brush, trees, small mammals, reptiles, and insects. There have also been dramatic changes in ecotones, elevation, and weather. We climbed up to 6000 feet and watched the sage and cacti community morph into towering pine trees. Some days we suffered under the anticipated 90 degree temperatures but other days we have enjoyed mist and refreshingly overcast skies. We were also hit by a late spring snow storm with 20 degree temperatures and winds up to 50 mph. Needless to say, the desert has been quite the rollercoaster ride.

2) What does the Mexican border really look like? At the southern terminus of the PCT near Campo California, the border is marked by 10 foot tall grey-green metal panels. Each panel is numbered with spray paint to aid Border Patrol in reporting incidents. A 30 foot swath of brush has been cleared from the fence to create a long line of sight and to make it easier to track foot prints. Seeing the “infamous wall” up close as well as from high above on a ridge, highlights how arbitrary borders really are. The desert landscape on both sides of the fence is exactly the same. The border between countries has more to do with human design than any objective differences.

3) Thru-hiking is a very different experience than traditional “destination hiking.” When you plan a hike to a beautiful lake or mountain summit, it is easy to get wrapped up in the goal and forget about the journey. However, the PCT is nothing but the journey. Suddenly sketching flowers, stopping to splash around in a stream, and taking afternoon siestas are the goals. Small victories are the stepping stones to make the gargantuan task of reaching Canada more achievable. It seems perfectly normal to hitch-hike twelve miles into town to get free pie or sleep under a bridge because that is the only shade available. Most day hikers or weekend warriors want solitude but thru-hikers often seek comradery to balance out the unknowns associated with a transient life.  Whether it is a day hike to the Enchantments or a week-long backpacking trip in the Olympics, your car and warm bed are never too far away. In thru- hiking however, comfort is found in a bucket shower, fresh vegetables from day hikers, and a stocked water cache in the middle of the desert.  This adaptation to the thru-hiker lifestyle has come much more quickly and naturally than we thought!

4) The people hiking the trail are NOT all twenty-something athletes from the Pacific Northwest. In fact, many are international, ages vary from 10-72, and some have only ever hiked once before. We have tremendously enjoyed hearing the life stories and journeys from others on the trail. The experienced thru hikers and world travelers remind us that adventure is not something you do once, but should be a lifelong passion. There are solo hikers, couples, and even a set of identical twins with their little sister. Some people are just out of high school or college while another is doing a “three generations hike” with his daughter and granddaughter.  Everyone is here for a different reason but regardless it is an opportunity to reconnect with the natural world as well as with oneself. Some might even say it is a one-size-fits-all wilderness therapy.

5) Carrying 6 liters of water (13.2 pounds) is NOT actually the norm in the desert. In years past there has been a severe lack of water. However, California’s huge snow pack this year has eliminated the drought making water in the desert quite plentiful. This has resulted in the “super bloom” of wildflowers and flowing water in seasonal creeks that usually run dry. In addition to never carrying more than 3 liters of water, we visited Kitchen Creek Falls on our second day of hiking and spent an afternoon swimming in the endless pools of water and gentle waterfalls. This unanticipated oasis after a 90 degree day of sweltering hiking was both a luxury and a miracle. 

Ps. This post was written as an article for WenatcheeOutdoors.org but gives a fair view of my desert experiences as well.

Cozy campsite tucked away in the chaparral and beavertail cacti!

Sleeping out under the stars and wake up to this sunrise. Better hit the trail before 6:00!

Lunch break at a water tank!

Sunset at Warner Springs where many hikers stopped for bucket showers, laundry in a bucket, and a school fundraiser spaghetti feed

We found a tire swing to play on!

We found a tire swing to play on!

A horny lizard soaking up the early morning sun on the trail.

Out first rattlesnake on the trail, luckily he was happy to hang out in the bushes after being startled by a hiker 100 meters ahead of us... her coloring perfectly matches the red coloring of the granite rocks

A classic view of a chaparral landscape with coyote canyon, the Santa Rosa mountains and the desert divide we will soon traverse.

A fun day full of wildflowers, interesting rocks (granite, limestone, marble, schist, and gneiss) and spectacular views out over Palm Springs.

One of the high elevation ridge traverses we came across a group of bushes and trees entirely encased in ice!

Found a dead bobcat along the trail. Poor little guy must have gotten too cold.

More ice encased trees from the freezing fog and high winds.

Feeling welcomed to Idyllwild!

The sun is setting so it's time to crawl into my tent... definitely adapting to go to bed and wake up with the sun!