Day 9.5

Public transit...
Papa Smurf
New faces: Cyclops, Pacman, Ruth

So I ended up taking public transit around the closure. I called the Forest Service, asked them what the deal with closures was, and they gave me the rundown, which was that the PCT was closed from mile 238 to mile 251.8. Even though I was pretty sure I could hike through and not get tagged with the $5,000 fine (no one else has yet been cited, that I am aware of) it wasn't a risk I was willing to take, and the closure is there for a reason, so I ought to respect that.

That meant I could either take a fifty mile walk-around, or take public transit up to Big Bear and start at mile 251.8. I decided to do the latter. Some thru hikers call themselves "purists" and find it absolutely necessary to walk a continuous foot path from Mexico to Canada. Those are the type of hikers that took the fifty-mile walk around. I thought long and hard about the walk around, but walking fifty miles, most of which are in the desert and along highways with minimal shoulder, isn't what I am out here to do. I'm out here to hike the open parts of the PCT, and if that means I don't get to do a section this year because of last year's fires, I'll live with it.

So the rest of day 9 consisted of using California's dilapidated public transit system to get to Big Bear. Rabbit and I stuck together, and she had a resupply package at a Big Bear trail angel's (Papa Smurf's) house, so we bussed/walked there. Once she picked it up, we decided to spend the night there, along with Cyclops (who had been with us on the bus) and a few new hikers. Cyclops has a pretty amazing story - he had a stroke just over a year ago, and is still recovering in many regards. He still can't write with his right hand, but after the first 200 miles he is much more dexterous and confident than he was at the start, and is just picking up steam as he goes.

It was another pizza for dinner, some time playing with their cats and dogs, and then off to bed in Papa Smurf's homemade bunks. I made sure not to drink any water before bed, because those bunks were hazardous to climb into when fully awake. I can't imagine climbing down half asleep in the middle of the night...

Day 10: mile 251.8 - 274.9

Snot rockets are appropriate again
My legs aren't as tan as I thought they were
"What are you looking for?"
New face: Saunter

I managed to get out of bed without breaking myself, so that was a good start to the day. Papa Smurf made everyone eggs, chorizo, and potatoes and gravy. Comparing that to my coconut rocks and granola, no way could I say no. But the pizzas for the past two dinners, and now a greasy, fatty breakfast, was about all my body could take. I need to do a better job about eating well in towns.

I was the only one backtracking to mile 251.8 - the rest of the group was skipping ahead to 266, which is where hikers typically leave Big Bear from. So we said our goodbyes and were driven to our respective trailheads. I thanked Papa Smurf for everything, and was on my way.

About a hundred feet on the trail, I needed to clear my nose. Over the past day this meant finding tissue/Kleenex, making a ton of noise, and then throwing it away. But now that no one is around, it's back to snot rockets!! And man is that a convenient way to clear things out. Just takes a little practice to make sure you don't get boogers all over you. Which I have done at least once...

One of the better parts of my zero day was that I got to take my first shower since starting the trail. You should have seen the dirt that came off me... Unfortunately this also made me realize that my legs, which I thought were getting pretty tan, were actually not tan at all. They were just really, really dirty. So I was starting my day off with ridiculously white legs. That changed after they collected substantial dirt in the first five miles. I'll keep pretending that my legs are just tan...

Pinyon forests overlooking the desert. Feels kinda like home!

The scenery was pretty. Nothing spectacular, but very reminiscent of some of the pinyon forests that I hunt in back in Nevada, so there was still that nostalgic feeling. About halfway through the day I ran into four elementary school kids going the other way. They each had a ziploc baggie filled with what I learned were quartz crystals. Apparently there was a little quartz pile out here somewhere. One of the little girls asked me "What are you looking for out here?" and when my response of "Canada" confused her, she quickly started telling me how she was going to have her Dad make a necklace out of the quartz she had found. Then said Dad showed up, and the group went on their merry way. But that little girl posed an interesting question, and one that I'll think more about in the coming days.

The elevation was high enough that it didn't get too hot during the day, and I didn't have to pack more than 10 miles worth of water, so I was still able to rack up about 23 miles despite my delayed start. It's nice to be sleeping in my tent again. I only spent two nights with trail angels, but it's nice to be back in the hiking groove.

Day 11: mile 274.9 - 298.5

Preview of coming attractions
Creaky trees
More snakes...

After two days of sleeping in past 6, getting up with my normal 4:30am alarm wasn't happening. The frigid morning air didn't help coax me out of my sleeping bag either. I finally pulled the plug on my mattress, and was on the trail by 6:45.

I was in pretty thick trees for most of the morning, but things occasionally opened up, offering some pretty spectacular views of Big Bear Lake. Then it was back to the trees, until I rounded a corner and got an unexpected view of the trail-to-come. Just like that, I could see Mt Baldy (only a twenty minute drive from Harvey Mudd). Even though that portion of the trail is still two or three days away, it was exciting to see previews of coming attractions, and one of the mountains that I climbed many times at Mudd.

Big Bear. Apparently it was so-named because there used to be Grizzlies in the area?!?

The morning miles passed quickly - doubly so when I was hiking through a recent burn area while the charred tree trunks were making some pretty aggressive sounding creaks in the light breeze. I don't want to be in the wrong place when one of them come crashing down...

My lunch break came with the opportunity to soak my feet in the stream I had been following all morning. I think my legs and feet appreciated the rinsing (though now my legs are white again...).

What the afternoon lacked in trees and shade, it made up for in snakes. I guess they think it is their job to make the desert more exciting? This time there was at least some variety: four of the non-poisonous bull snakes and only two of the rattling variety. Still, enough to keep me on edge, and enough to take some of the fun out of walking. Don't these reptiles know they are interrupting my day dreams?!?

Didn't buzz at me, and never coiled, even though my foot was about six inches from him when I noticed him. He just sat there sticking his tongue out at me 😜

I had put in over 23 miles by 4pm, so called it a day. Tomorrow should be more desert, though I'm getting closer to the San Gabriel mountains. More nostalgia on the horizon!

I think the rain fly might go on tonight...

Day 12: mile 298.5 - 328.7

Frost
Trail magic!
Diverse geography
New faces: Dad, Ruby, Tom, Travis, Dang, Salisbury, Coppertone

Coldest morning of the hike, by far! One of those mornings where you pull your clothes into your sleeping bag to let them warm up for ten minutes before putting them on. And then you stay in your sleeping bag as you do your best imitation of a contortionist to get your clothes on without letting the heat escape. Then five minutes after you have your clothes on, everything seems back to normal. The frost on the nearby footbridge proved that I wasn't being overly sensitive.

Just as I was warming up, I hit mile 300! I can't tell if it feels like I have hiked more, or less, than that... The first ten miles of the day side-hilled a gorge formed by Deep Creek, and descended from the lush manzanita and pine trees to the dry sagebrush and cheat grass.

I thought I was cool. I forgot how many more miles there are...

Just as I was about to stop for lunch, I ran into some legit trail magic. "Trail magic" is the all-encompassing term for anytime a non-thru hiker does something kind for thru-hikers. It can be a day hiker handing out a cold beer to every thru-hiker she passes, or someone hiking ten miles on to the trail to leave a cooler filled with fruit and cold sodas. When the trail crossed highway 173, I had the fortune to meet Coppertone.

Coppertone thru-hiked the PCT in 2006. Afterwards he returned to Minnesota, finished up his career (retiring in 2010), bought an Isuzu van, revamped it into a camping rig that fits his dirt bike, bicycle, and hiking gear, and now lives out of his camper "hiking, biking, and doing the other important things in life". On this particular day, he had five chairs set up in the shade of a juniper tree, and was making root beer floats for all the passing thru-hikers. He also had cookies, pecan pie, carrots, and bananas. Quite the bonanza to come across in the middle of the desert. I stopped and met Dad (trail name, not my biological father), Travis, and Ruby, and we enjoyed cold root beer floats with Coppertone. Just the pick-me-up I needed on an afternoon where the temperature was approaching 90 degrees.

Sugar high in full-effect, I took off down the trail. One bee sting, a bowl of instant mashed potatoes, and one snake later I found myself pulling in to camp after another thirty-plus mile day. One thing that really stood out today was the diversity of scenery. From the manzanita and pine mountaintops in the early morning, to the sagebrush and rocky desert by midday, to the verdant shores of a lake by dusk, it's hard to believe that all just happened in one day. And I get to wake up and do it all again tomorrow :)

Day 13: mile 328.7 - 352.0

McDonalds
"Gettin' chicked"
Familiar territory
New Faces: Little Ant, Arland

It's either getting lighter earlier, I'm sleeping in later, or both. Didn't even need to turn my headlamp on this morning to break camp, and was on the trail by 6:15.

The first thirteen miles took me through some pretty average desert (which I need to remind myself is a hell of a lot better than some pretty average city). I made great time, in part because I was anxious to get to mile 342, where you can find a thru-hiker friendly McDonalds that is less than half a mile off-trail.

I walked in just as the heat of the desert was beginning to make itself felt. AC has never felt so good. Tom (a British lad with whom I have hiked on and off the past few days) had just beat me there, so I sat down with him and a few other hikers. I told myself I wouldn't go too crazy on the food, and would use this as a chance to rehydrate, wait out the heat of the day, and be social. Two sausage McMuffins, two large sides of French fries, and one guacamole burger later, I was ready to hit the trail. But not after stocking up on six liters of water (27 miles mostly uphill to the next water source) and having a great time with the other thru hikers.

Tom and another European guy were a hoot to be around. One of my favorite parts of the conversation was when they introduced us to the phrase "getting chicked". Tom is a runner, and has run in everything from 5k's to marathons. Every time a woman passes him, he is "getting chicked". He is only doing a section hike, and was proud of not yet "getting chicked" on the trail. Some of us get a little competitive out here...

So in addition to the food, I picked up a new phrase. I finally managed to exit the conversation and make it out the door, after staying for about four hours (definitely the longest time I have spent in a fast foot restaurant...). I hiked the next 27-mile section (from McDonalds to Wrightwood) in late March when I was testing my gear. But I hiked it in the downhill direction. It was a lot cooler, and much greener, six weeks ago. The next ten miles were slow (maybe my body was still trying to figure out what the hell to do with all the junk I put into it at Mickie D's??) and I finally decided to find a campsite and call it a day.

Rain fly is on tonight because of thunderstorms to the north and west. Maybe I'll get to fall asleep to the sound of raindrops...

Day 14: mile 352.0 - 369.4

Scout returns
Wrightwood rocks
New Faces: Winter, S'more, Trigger, Rambler, Burnside

I did indeed get to fall asleep to raindrops last night. And then woke up dry! On the trail to continue the climb just as the sun was rising.

This part of the trail was definitely prettier the first time I did it (late March). It was greener, and there was more snow on the San Gabriel's. And I was going downhill, so it was easy to enjoy the scenery. I still got some outstanding views, but it was a reminder of how much of a difference timing can make.

The 17 miles to Inspiration Point on Highway 2 were done before noon. I had been looking forward to this because it was the first time I was actually going to have to hitch (it is 5.5 miles to Wrightwood). When I showed up at Inspiration Point, I saw a few other hikers who I had been leapfrogging that morning, and to my surprise, ran into Scout again!

Scout was the trail angel I stayed with in San Diego, and he was the one who dropped me off at the southern terminus. Turns out he was in the area to get some pictures for an article he was writing. He had just finished up, was heading to Wrightwood, and offered us a ride in the back of his friends pickup. Easiest hitch ever, I didn't even have to use my thumb!

How many hikers can you fit in the back of a truck?

I arrived in Wrightwood having made three new friends (Trigger, Burnside, and Rambler), and we proceeded to hit up one of the many hiker-friendly cafes. After salads and burgers all around (and more water than the hostess could keep up with) it was off to explore town, while Rambler went and got his recent tick bite taken care of. Wrightwood is known for being one of the most hiker-friendly towns on the PCT, and I can see why. The hardware store (sort of like "hiker central") has a PCT registry and list of local trail angels who offer hikers laundry, showers, and beds (as an alternative to the motels).

While there, I ran into Rabbit, Mighty, Metronome (for the first time in over one hundred miles), and Dad. It was awesome to see everyone again. They'll be a day down the trail by the time I leave, so I'll have to hurry to catch up.

I started calling local trail angels to see if any had open spots, and after a few no's found one who had a spot for tonight. She picked S'more and I up, did our laundry, let us shower, and put us each up in a queen-sized bed. The amount of dirt that came off my legs was disgusting... And the stuff under my toe nails? Gross. But I'm the cleanest I have been in 369.4 miles, and it feels great. Wrightwood is giving a great first impression.