Canadian couple driven to live and eat naturally. We're travelling the world taking on challenges that test us physically, mentally and emotionally. Visit www.naturallydriven.ca for more!
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Big Bear to Hiker Heaven Pics
Not sure how the quality will turn out, doing this from the iPod touch.
Monday 28 May 2012
May 2-4
What a weird day. Last nights's sleep was pretty terrible because of the insane wind, but we wanted to put in a lot of miles today. We didn't end up leaving our spot until about 7:15, which is one of our latest starts to date. We made it a few miles and took a break, made another, took a break. I think all of the climbing we did yesterday has caught up with us as neither of us had much energy. We made it to Guffy campground around 11 and decided to stay for lunch, and I even had a nap. After that it was another slow slog ahead, up a ski hill and around and to the highway. We crossed the highway and got water at the Grassy Hollow visitor center and moved on for another hour or so, before stopping at this nice open space with pine needles. Our day was over just before 5PM, definitely our shortest day yet. We still managed around 13 or 14 miles, but we needed to stop. Dinner was nice and relaxing, I was asleep at 6:30, Julia shortly after.
Two Opposite Days
May 25-26
Friday morning we woke up amongst the clouds. The altitude was appropriate and as rare as clouds are out here, we were walking in them for a little while. We were just at the base of the climb up Baden Powell and it was COLD and foggy. We thought for sure that the fog would clear so we had our breakfast in the outhouse of the parking lot there to escape the wind and cold. Once ready we headed out to hammer up the mountain, ~2700 feet up over 4 miles, some of the steepest climbing to date. We finally got up to the junction where we could go off trail for a third of a mile and summit, but we figured there was no point because the fog was so thick that we wouldn't be able to see anything anyhow so we trudged on. We didn't summit, but we were still up over 9000 feet and very exposed at times. The wind up there was unlike anything either of us have ever experienced, and it was very uncommon for this time of year. Cold, wind and fog, a bone chilling combination. All we were set on was getting down the damn mountain. As we descended, as long as we were on a certain side (can't remember what facing) it was bearable because we' were sort of shielded from it, but it was no fun going head on into it, or having it blow you literally into the side of the mountain. Our heads were down and we were just pushing through the wind when we came to a junction... We took the wrong turn and a little over an hour later we were down at the highway at Dawson Saddle. Damn. We didn't know what to do, but we weren't going to climb back up. We decided to walk the highway to the next place where the trail crosses it, which actually wasn't to far up, but the wind was still atrocious. After a while a car was coming from behind so I threw my thumb out just for the hell of it, and what do you know, they pulled over! It was a young couple from LA (Cassie and Johnathan) and they gave us a lift to the next crossing and let us out. They mentioned they were staying at some campground up the road that they couldn't exactly remember the name of. Anyhow, we thanked them profusely and refused anymore generosity that they were trying to thrust upon us. Once we got our shit sorted, we decided that our best course of action was actually to continue to walk the highway down to Buckhorn campground, the old, but still legal 'endangered species detour'. The detour was in place to protect a yellow legged mountain frog. The road walking wasn't too bad and the road wasn't too busy, so it was the right choice. Once we arrived at the campground, the instructions explicitly say to walk past campsite 25 to the Buckhart Trailhead, which would lead us back to the PCT. As some weird twist of fate, the inhabitants of campsite 25 that night were Cassie and Johnathan!! They were enjoying a campfire and we said a big hello from the roadway as we were walking by and they invited us to join them, so we obviously did!! After a day like that, the warmth of a fire was so welcoming. Cassie has about a million and one questions about what we were doing and we loved answering them all, she sure did make us feel like superstars!! Once again, they offered us food and when an orange was offered up, Julia just couldn't say no. She loves her fresh food, so she happily accepted it. Another case of extreme generosity, the kind of stuff that seems so simple to the person offering, but is so appreciated by us hikers. It was around dinner time, so we said our goodbyes and headed for the trailhead. There was a little outhouse that was kind of out of the way, and Julia wanted to use it before we headed back on trail, but I said only if I could come in too, it was that cold and windy. We decided that the shelter, although smelly, offered excellent safety from the elements and so we decided it was an appropriate place for dinner. Ramen in pea soup, yay. It actually wasn't half bad!! The smell of the dinner temporarily overpowered the stench of poop, and so I made the very serious comment that we should just lock the door and stay in there for the night. Julia wasn't having it, so we had to leave. I was a little skeptical about finding a quality place to camp before it got dark, but nevertheless, we head out on Burkhart Trail for about a mile and a half before rejoining the PCT. once on the PCT, we looked at what was ahead and decided to check out Cooper Canyon Trail, about another mile up the trail. Once we arrived there we were delighted to see others already set up. No other thru-hikers, but families. Since it was a Friday, and the camp is only about a mile and a half from the highway, it was sort of busy. We found a small spot by the creek where we set up. There was a father with his daughter up on the other side of the creek and they offered to share their campfire with us, so again, we happily joined them. We chatted for about an hour with Scott and Ginea (?) sharing stories (he has hiked quite a bit himself and his honeymoon was a ten day hike in Yellowstone! Well that was it, probably our longest, most challenging, rewarding day yet.
Today we woke up and got out quickly, making it about a mile before stopping for breakfast. With Julia fueled, it was time to make miles. Today they flew by. The uphills weren't too challenging and there was tons of flat and downhill miles that we got into a great groove. Lunch was around mile 407. Chilly and cloudy. We called Annie and John
and CiCi and it was so great hear their voices, especially little Sierra. On a daily basis we impersonate her with a few of our favorite quotes, so it was great to hear her little voice for real.
After lunch we got lots of miles done and at a good pace, despite a lot of uphills. We both listened to our IPods - Julia listened to Tony Robbins and I was listening to an audiobook by Chrissie Wellington. Before we knew it, the trail spilled out onto a road that led us around the Station Fire Burn area, another official detour. An easy road walk led us downhill all the way to the Mill Creek Fire Station, where we were able to get water, clean up and use the washrooms. Just as we were finishing up, a gentleman drove up and hopped out of his truck to fill up a couple jugs of water. He was wearing a PCTA hat and do we started to chat with him. Turns out, he'a here to help clear out the poodle dog bush that covers a good portion of the next 11.5 miles of the trail. It was perfect timing, because we weren't sure exactly where to camp tonight, and it about 7PM by now. He said that everyone had been camping down the hill, by an outhouse in a field, and he was staying in a little pop-up trailer across the street. He offered us a hot drink and even a whole wheat pasta with a vege sauce! How kind! As we were chatting with him, a few more trickled down the hill and decided to stay here as well. How can you not, when Bill is also offering hot cocoa, coffee and oatmeal in the morning?!? We're probably in for another cold night, it was below freezing yesterday, and so I'm wearing ALL my clothing and we've zipped our sleeping bags together so that we can share warmth. An easy 35 miles to go to get to the Saufley's!
Friday morning we woke up amongst the clouds. The altitude was appropriate and as rare as clouds are out here, we were walking in them for a little while. We were just at the base of the climb up Baden Powell and it was COLD and foggy. We thought for sure that the fog would clear so we had our breakfast in the outhouse of the parking lot there to escape the wind and cold. Once ready we headed out to hammer up the mountain, ~2700 feet up over 4 miles, some of the steepest climbing to date. We finally got up to the junction where we could go off trail for a third of a mile and summit, but we figured there was no point because the fog was so thick that we wouldn't be able to see anything anyhow so we trudged on. We didn't summit, but we were still up over 9000 feet and very exposed at times. The wind up there was unlike anything either of us have ever experienced, and it was very uncommon for this time of year. Cold, wind and fog, a bone chilling combination. All we were set on was getting down the damn mountain. As we descended, as long as we were on a certain side (can't remember what facing) it was bearable because we' were sort of shielded from it, but it was no fun going head on into it, or having it blow you literally into the side of the mountain. Our heads were down and we were just pushing through the wind when we came to a junction... We took the wrong turn and a little over an hour later we were down at the highway at Dawson Saddle. Damn. We didn't know what to do, but we weren't going to climb back up. We decided to walk the highway to the next place where the trail crosses it, which actually wasn't to far up, but the wind was still atrocious. After a while a car was coming from behind so I threw my thumb out just for the hell of it, and what do you know, they pulled over! It was a young couple from LA (Cassie and Johnathan) and they gave us a lift to the next crossing and let us out. They mentioned they were staying at some campground up the road that they couldn't exactly remember the name of. Anyhow, we thanked them profusely and refused anymore generosity that they were trying to thrust upon us. Once we got our shit sorted, we decided that our best course of action was actually to continue to walk the highway down to Buckhorn campground, the old, but still legal 'endangered species detour'. The detour was in place to protect a yellow legged mountain frog. The road walking wasn't too bad and the road wasn't too busy, so it was the right choice. Once we arrived at the campground, the instructions explicitly say to walk past campsite 25 to the Buckhart Trailhead, which would lead us back to the PCT. As some weird twist of fate, the inhabitants of campsite 25 that night were Cassie and Johnathan!! They were enjoying a campfire and we said a big hello from the roadway as we were walking by and they invited us to join them, so we obviously did!! After a day like that, the warmth of a fire was so welcoming. Cassie has about a million and one questions about what we were doing and we loved answering them all, she sure did make us feel like superstars!! Once again, they offered us food and when an orange was offered up, Julia just couldn't say no. She loves her fresh food, so she happily accepted it. Another case of extreme generosity, the kind of stuff that seems so simple to the person offering, but is so appreciated by us hikers. It was around dinner time, so we said our goodbyes and headed for the trailhead. There was a little outhouse that was kind of out of the way, and Julia wanted to use it before we headed back on trail, but I said only if I could come in too, it was that cold and windy. We decided that the shelter, although smelly, offered excellent safety from the elements and so we decided it was an appropriate place for dinner. Ramen in pea soup, yay. It actually wasn't half bad!! The smell of the dinner temporarily overpowered the stench of poop, and so I made the very serious comment that we should just lock the door and stay in there for the night. Julia wasn't having it, so we had to leave. I was a little skeptical about finding a quality place to camp before it got dark, but nevertheless, we head out on Burkhart Trail for about a mile and a half before rejoining the PCT. once on the PCT, we looked at what was ahead and decided to check out Cooper Canyon Trail, about another mile up the trail. Once we arrived there we were delighted to see others already set up. No other thru-hikers, but families. Since it was a Friday, and the camp is only about a mile and a half from the highway, it was sort of busy. We found a small spot by the creek where we set up. There was a father with his daughter up on the other side of the creek and they offered to share their campfire with us, so again, we happily joined them. We chatted for about an hour with Scott and Ginea (?) sharing stories (he has hiked quite a bit himself and his honeymoon was a ten day hike in Yellowstone! Well that was it, probably our longest, most challenging, rewarding day yet.
Today we woke up and got out quickly, making it about a mile before stopping for breakfast. With Julia fueled, it was time to make miles. Today they flew by. The uphills weren't too challenging and there was tons of flat and downhill miles that we got into a great groove. Lunch was around mile 407. Chilly and cloudy. We called Annie and John
and CiCi and it was so great hear their voices, especially little Sierra. On a daily basis we impersonate her with a few of our favorite quotes, so it was great to hear her little voice for real.
After lunch we got lots of miles done and at a good pace, despite a lot of uphills. We both listened to our IPods - Julia listened to Tony Robbins and I was listening to an audiobook by Chrissie Wellington. Before we knew it, the trail spilled out onto a road that led us around the Station Fire Burn area, another official detour. An easy road walk led us downhill all the way to the Mill Creek Fire Station, where we were able to get water, clean up and use the washrooms. Just as we were finishing up, a gentleman drove up and hopped out of his truck to fill up a couple jugs of water. He was wearing a PCTA hat and do we started to chat with him. Turns out, he'a here to help clear out the poodle dog bush that covers a good portion of the next 11.5 miles of the trail. It was perfect timing, because we weren't sure exactly where to camp tonight, and it about 7PM by now. He said that everyone had been camping down the hill, by an outhouse in a field, and he was staying in a little pop-up trailer across the street. He offered us a hot drink and even a whole wheat pasta with a vege sauce! How kind! As we were chatting with him, a few more trickled down the hill and decided to stay here as well. How can you not, when Bill is also offering hot cocoa, coffee and oatmeal in the morning?!? We're probably in for another cold night, it was below freezing yesterday, and so I'm wearing ALL my clothing and we've zipped our sleeping bags together so that we can share warmth. An easy 35 miles to go to get to the Saufley's!
The Marathon - May 27
How fitting that on the day of the National Capital Marathon, my hometown race, Julia and I had our longest day, just shy of the full distance of a marathon. Today was awesome.
We woke up around 6AM and chatted with Bill from the PCTA as we ate oatmeal and drank hot cocoa and coffee. We talked about all sorts of things, especially teaching and he told us his wife's work involves music therapy.
After breakfast we packed up and headed up the road, opting for the full 10.1 mile road walk detour. It was mostly uphill, some flat, and then more uphill. It got monotonous. You don't have much to pay attention to when you road walk like you do when you're on trail. At one point we were walking uphill, heads down and just doing work, when literally out of nowhere, we heard and then saw this big animal (that looked like a deer, but moved differently) jump down from the hill to our right, only about 8 feet in front of us and then immediately over the edge on the other side of the road. We ran over and looked down, it was steeeeep.
I got a little weary because I figured something must have been chasing it for it to leap to it's death, but then we could see it way down below, and on its way back up the other side. Not sure what it was, an antelope? Gazelle? Are those possibilities out here. Can't imagine it was a deer. Wow.
So anyways, by this time we were already talking about lunch, but we wanted to make it to Messenger Flats Campground and be done this detour. That's exactly where we stopped for an hour and a half lunch. We each had mediocre calls home - satellite phone kept cutting out. After lunch we had 16 more miles to make it to our goal destination for the night, mile 444.3 and the Soledad Canyon Rd KOA. Our immediate goal was the North Fork Ranger Station. We put in our afternoon music / podcasts and smashed out some miles. They always feel effortless for a while and we can focus on something other than just hiking. A little while later after doing a lot of poodle dog dancing, we got down to the ranger station and filled up water. They have a cache there for hikers. We took a short break, but we both knew there were 8 more miles between us and a shower, and we wanted showers as it had been 5 days. These miles were slow. Some flat, then some downhill, then some climbing and then some downhill. Most people were
complaining about the downhills being hard in the knees, not me, but I do now have some minor blisters on each of my big toes. No big deal. About 2 miles before you reach the KOA, you can see it from way up on the ridge. It's painful. You switchback over mountains and go around others, seeing the campground come and go, knowing it's right there and all you want is to be there!! We arrived finally, and we came across Andrew from Australia who we hadn't seen since Idyllwild, and David and Britt who we met a couple weeks back. They gave us the run down on what's
what and we followed them to the office / store. $10 for the night, glorious. We made dinner and each took a shower.
After nearly a marathon hike (we'll get there) we were so happy to get to shower.
Oh, and tomorrow we have a measly 10ilrs to the Saufley's and Hiker Heaven. Another shower, laundry, Internet, resupply, fresh food, etc etc etc.
I missed being in Ottawa today, I love being a part of Race Weekend, working the expo and racing myself, but today was epic in its own right.
We woke up around 6AM and chatted with Bill from the PCTA as we ate oatmeal and drank hot cocoa and coffee. We talked about all sorts of things, especially teaching and he told us his wife's work involves music therapy.
After breakfast we packed up and headed up the road, opting for the full 10.1 mile road walk detour. It was mostly uphill, some flat, and then more uphill. It got monotonous. You don't have much to pay attention to when you road walk like you do when you're on trail. At one point we were walking uphill, heads down and just doing work, when literally out of nowhere, we heard and then saw this big animal (that looked like a deer, but moved differently) jump down from the hill to our right, only about 8 feet in front of us and then immediately over the edge on the other side of the road. We ran over and looked down, it was steeeeep.
I got a little weary because I figured something must have been chasing it for it to leap to it's death, but then we could see it way down below, and on its way back up the other side. Not sure what it was, an antelope? Gazelle? Are those possibilities out here. Can't imagine it was a deer. Wow.
So anyways, by this time we were already talking about lunch, but we wanted to make it to Messenger Flats Campground and be done this detour. That's exactly where we stopped for an hour and a half lunch. We each had mediocre calls home - satellite phone kept cutting out. After lunch we had 16 more miles to make it to our goal destination for the night, mile 444.3 and the Soledad Canyon Rd KOA. Our immediate goal was the North Fork Ranger Station. We put in our afternoon music / podcasts and smashed out some miles. They always feel effortless for a while and we can focus on something other than just hiking. A little while later after doing a lot of poodle dog dancing, we got down to the ranger station and filled up water. They have a cache there for hikers. We took a short break, but we both knew there were 8 more miles between us and a shower, and we wanted showers as it had been 5 days. These miles were slow. Some flat, then some downhill, then some climbing and then some downhill. Most people were
complaining about the downhills being hard in the knees, not me, but I do now have some minor blisters on each of my big toes. No big deal. About 2 miles before you reach the KOA, you can see it from way up on the ridge. It's painful. You switchback over mountains and go around others, seeing the campground come and go, knowing it's right there and all you want is to be there!! We arrived finally, and we came across Andrew from Australia who we hadn't seen since Idyllwild, and David and Britt who we met a couple weeks back. They gave us the run down on what's
what and we followed them to the office / store. $10 for the night, glorious. We made dinner and each took a shower.
After nearly a marathon hike (we'll get there) we were so happy to get to shower.
Oh, and tomorrow we have a measly 10ilrs to the Saufley's and Hiker Heaven. Another shower, laundry, Internet, resupply, fresh food, etc etc etc.
I missed being in Ottawa today, I love being a part of Race Weekend, working the expo and racing myself, but today was epic in its own right.
Climbin' outta Cajon - May 23
We woke up in our king size bed at the Best Western at around 5AM and slowly got some stuff together as we waited for the 6AM start of the continental breakfast. It was the usual run if the mill stuff. Toaster waffles,
scrambled eggs, sausage, muffins, pastries, bagels, bread, cereals etc. I can't stomach a lot of that sort of thing, but I managed a bagel and some eggs. Julia had a bagel, some waffles, two cups of coffee and then took a bagel to have with the Nutella that we had in our room. There were about 8 or 9 of us hikers in there at one time.
We slowly packed up our heavy packs with 6 days of food and 3 liters of water and got ready to start climbing. We were at ~3000 feet and we'd be climbing up to around 7000 feet. Luckily there was a constant breeze for much of the day that helped keep us cool, especially since after mile 147.5, there's no water for ~17 miles. We had lunch at the cache and then around 1:30 we headed out to start some serious climbing. Not particularly steep, just constant and unrelenting. We only stopped for a couple short breaks as we were walking along the side of the mountains and then on the 4 mile poodle dog bush detour. After what seemed to take forever, we finally found a suitable spot to pitch our tent, and so we did. I cooked delicious ramen with pea soup while Julia set up the inside of the tent.
A solid 16 or 17 miles today and we're both exhausted from carrying our heavy packs up 4000+ feet.
scrambled eggs, sausage, muffins, pastries, bagels, bread, cereals etc. I can't stomach a lot of that sort of thing, but I managed a bagel and some eggs. Julia had a bagel, some waffles, two cups of coffee and then took a bagel to have with the Nutella that we had in our room. There were about 8 or 9 of us hikers in there at one time.
We slowly packed up our heavy packs with 6 days of food and 3 liters of water and got ready to start climbing. We were at ~3000 feet and we'd be climbing up to around 7000 feet. Luckily there was a constant breeze for much of the day that helped keep us cool, especially since after mile 147.5, there's no water for ~17 miles. We had lunch at the cache and then around 1:30 we headed out to start some serious climbing. Not particularly steep, just constant and unrelenting. We only stopped for a couple short breaks as we were walking along the side of the mountains and then on the 4 mile poodle dog bush detour. After what seemed to take forever, we finally found a suitable spot to pitch our tent, and so we did. I cooked delicious ramen with pea soup while Julia set up the inside of the tent.
A solid 16 or 17 miles today and we're both exhausted from carrying our heavy packs up 4000+ feet.
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Big Bear to Boulders to Boobs 'n Balls to Best Western
We got to highway 18 and met Hamburger there, who had been trying to hitch for about 20 minutes already. Julia's enthusiastic jumping around got us all a hitch within a few minutes. A couple of dudesfrrom El Salvador in a white pickup with two brand new mountain bikes in the back. The three of is carefully loaded our packs in the back with the bikes and crammed into the backseat and we were off. It's only about 5 miles to get into Big Beat city, but Julia and I were headed to Big Bear Lake, another 3 or so miles down the road so we hitched again, and again it took only a couple of minutes until Carol, a nice lady in a Subaru Outback, pulled over and picked us up and took us right to the hotel. As has happened every time so far, we were able to check in early (~10:30AM) at the Best Western and that first shower is always oh do amazing. The dirt that comes off you is incredible. We both cleaned up and then took care of some of the usual town stuff. Resupplying, going to the post office, eating fresh food, showering again, etc.. We set-up a 4 day resupply that would get us to the Beat Western at Cajon Pass and a 6 day one that I mailed to that Best Western that would be sufficient to
Get us to the Saufley's at Agua Dulce. After that we had some very mediocre Mexican food at a place nearby the hotel. We both way overate and so we waddled back to our room and passed out. Friday was the day we were supposed to hike out, and we did, but not til pretty late as we stayed to watch the stage of the Tour of California. It was so worth it. I've never seen a pro cycling race in person before so it was great to be a part of the excitement. We also scored some sweet freebies, nutrition bars and stickers. As soon as the bike race ended, we hauled ass back to the hotel and grabbed our packs and set off for the bus, that would take us near highway 18, from which we could hitch back to the trail.
Well, it took a little longer than expected but we got a quick hitch (from the gentleman in charge at the Big Bear City post office! He got us back to the trail for 6PM, so we planned to hike a few miles and stay at Doble Trail Camp. It had water, a picnic table, water and some great company.
Saturday we put in some great miles. We set out early and made miles quickly, stopping a couple of times for breaks overlooking Big Bear Lake. The day felt great, but as we descended, it warmed up pretty good and I could feel the heat of the day taking it's toll on our energy levels. We finally found a great spot, a nook amongst boulders, perfect fit for our tent. We washed up in a creek about 100 yards away, made some delightful ramen and tucked ourselves in.
Sunday was an interesting day. We woke up with the intention of having another big day, all in the name of making Tuesday as short as possible. We started out great and got in a good 10 or 11 miles by lunch time. It was darn hot and we took lunch down by Deep Creek just before the 300 mile mark. It was kind of uncomfortable because of the heat and bugs, but we stayed for a couple of hours. When we got to moving again I just had no energy and I literally had to lay down in the middle of the trail (good thing it wasn't busy!) for about 10 minutes or so, just to cool off. From there we basically went from shady spot to shady spot for the next hour and a half or so until we finally decided to sit and actually break. All day we were shooting for this natural hot spring, where we'd jump in and relax for a bit, have dinner and then put in another 5 or so miles. At around 4 or so, Carpenter and Creeper came around the corner, going southbound and so they stopped for a chat. They let us know what was ahead and that we are within about 20 minutes of the hot spring. They also warned of all the nudity going on there and how busy it was because it was a Sunday! Twenty minutes later, as promised, bits and pieces were out everywhere. No big deal, we just wanted to get in these hot spring pools and soak! Swim attire on. A good hour went by and then we made dinner, and then Lava Goat showed up and she said she was staying the night, and then we lost motivation to press on. Oh well, still 17 or so miles.
Monday was a good day. We left te hot spring before 6 AM and made it down to the dam around 9 I believe. We had a snack and played in this little spot where the echo was awesome. The trail for the next mile or so can get confusing, and the way we took yielded us both with full soakers, so we switched to walking in sandals for a bit. After the highway (138?) there's a great cache, but then a long, hot waterless stretch. We hammered away for a while, climbing and descending and winding. We tried to have lunch in a nice shady spot, but the flies were terrible, so we settled for a spot on an exposed ridge with a good breeze and we just used our umbrellas for shade. It was ok. After lunch we made our way down to the MF Spillway, got some water and then moved on. Shortly after that we came across a glorious sight,
a cooler. Too bad it was empty! Oh well, we've been so lucky so far with caches and trail magic. Right after the cache you climb up for a bit and then crest this hill that overlooks a big lake (Silverwood). You then follow round the outside of part of this lake, with many small beaches you could go down to, but we had our eye on this picnic area across the way, so we made that our target for dinner. When we arrived, a group of 4 guys that have been hiking together since the beginning were just on their way out. We stayed and had a nice dinner, filtered some water and bailed. The trail continued along the lake and the walking was so effortless, more or less flat and getting so much cooler as the sun went down. Once you get away from the lake and down towards a highway, it gets a little confusing where to go. Luckily another group of about 5 or so were hanging out underneath the highway, drinking beer and having eaten a pizza. Apparently they had been there for a few hours, staying out of the heat of the day that only fools would hike in! When they offered us a beer, I couldn't say no, so I hammered a 24oz MGD and joined them under the bridge for a bit. By the time we decided to move on it was nearing 8PM and getting darker. We went about a mile and then decided to stay at a little campground we could see from the trail.
Today was an early one. Up at 4AM, on the trail with headlamps on at about 4:45AM. Cajon Pass was about 12.5 miles away and we wanted to be there ASAP. We made miles quick and joined the underpass crew at around 6:30 or so. We took a couple short breaks, but we moved fast to get here. We arrived at the McDonald's at Cajon at about 10AM, had a couple cold drinks with the 20 or so other hikers and then made our way to the Best Western, checked in and cleaned up. We each ate 4 1/2 pound bean and cheese burritos from Del Taco, did a load of laundry, napped and just hung out.
We're ready for the next stretch. Agua Dulce and the Saufley's, here we come! And then Abby!!!
Get us to the Saufley's at Agua Dulce. After that we had some very mediocre Mexican food at a place nearby the hotel. We both way overate and so we waddled back to our room and passed out. Friday was the day we were supposed to hike out, and we did, but not til pretty late as we stayed to watch the stage of the Tour of California. It was so worth it. I've never seen a pro cycling race in person before so it was great to be a part of the excitement. We also scored some sweet freebies, nutrition bars and stickers. As soon as the bike race ended, we hauled ass back to the hotel and grabbed our packs and set off for the bus, that would take us near highway 18, from which we could hitch back to the trail.
Well, it took a little longer than expected but we got a quick hitch (from the gentleman in charge at the Big Bear City post office! He got us back to the trail for 6PM, so we planned to hike a few miles and stay at Doble Trail Camp. It had water, a picnic table, water and some great company.
Saturday we put in some great miles. We set out early and made miles quickly, stopping a couple of times for breaks overlooking Big Bear Lake. The day felt great, but as we descended, it warmed up pretty good and I could feel the heat of the day taking it's toll on our energy levels. We finally found a great spot, a nook amongst boulders, perfect fit for our tent. We washed up in a creek about 100 yards away, made some delightful ramen and tucked ourselves in.
Sunday was an interesting day. We woke up with the intention of having another big day, all in the name of making Tuesday as short as possible. We started out great and got in a good 10 or 11 miles by lunch time. It was darn hot and we took lunch down by Deep Creek just before the 300 mile mark. It was kind of uncomfortable because of the heat and bugs, but we stayed for a couple of hours. When we got to moving again I just had no energy and I literally had to lay down in the middle of the trail (good thing it wasn't busy!) for about 10 minutes or so, just to cool off. From there we basically went from shady spot to shady spot for the next hour and a half or so until we finally decided to sit and actually break. All day we were shooting for this natural hot spring, where we'd jump in and relax for a bit, have dinner and then put in another 5 or so miles. At around 4 or so, Carpenter and Creeper came around the corner, going southbound and so they stopped for a chat. They let us know what was ahead and that we are within about 20 minutes of the hot spring. They also warned of all the nudity going on there and how busy it was because it was a Sunday! Twenty minutes later, as promised, bits and pieces were out everywhere. No big deal, we just wanted to get in these hot spring pools and soak! Swim attire on. A good hour went by and then we made dinner, and then Lava Goat showed up and she said she was staying the night, and then we lost motivation to press on. Oh well, still 17 or so miles.
Monday was a good day. We left te hot spring before 6 AM and made it down to the dam around 9 I believe. We had a snack and played in this little spot where the echo was awesome. The trail for the next mile or so can get confusing, and the way we took yielded us both with full soakers, so we switched to walking in sandals for a bit. After the highway (138?) there's a great cache, but then a long, hot waterless stretch. We hammered away for a while, climbing and descending and winding. We tried to have lunch in a nice shady spot, but the flies were terrible, so we settled for a spot on an exposed ridge with a good breeze and we just used our umbrellas for shade. It was ok. After lunch we made our way down to the MF Spillway, got some water and then moved on. Shortly after that we came across a glorious sight,
a cooler. Too bad it was empty! Oh well, we've been so lucky so far with caches and trail magic. Right after the cache you climb up for a bit and then crest this hill that overlooks a big lake (Silverwood). You then follow round the outside of part of this lake, with many small beaches you could go down to, but we had our eye on this picnic area across the way, so we made that our target for dinner. When we arrived, a group of 4 guys that have been hiking together since the beginning were just on their way out. We stayed and had a nice dinner, filtered some water and bailed. The trail continued along the lake and the walking was so effortless, more or less flat and getting so much cooler as the sun went down. Once you get away from the lake and down towards a highway, it gets a little confusing where to go. Luckily another group of about 5 or so were hanging out underneath the highway, drinking beer and having eaten a pizza. Apparently they had been there for a few hours, staying out of the heat of the day that only fools would hike in! When they offered us a beer, I couldn't say no, so I hammered a 24oz MGD and joined them under the bridge for a bit. By the time we decided to move on it was nearing 8PM and getting darker. We went about a mile and then decided to stay at a little campground we could see from the trail.
Today was an early one. Up at 4AM, on the trail with headlamps on at about 4:45AM. Cajon Pass was about 12.5 miles away and we wanted to be there ASAP. We made miles quick and joined the underpass crew at around 6:30 or so. We took a couple short breaks, but we moved fast to get here. We arrived at the McDonald's at Cajon at about 10AM, had a couple cold drinks with the 20 or so other hikers and then made our way to the Best Western, checked in and cleaned up. We each ate 4 1/2 pound bean and cheese burritos from Del Taco, did a load of laundry, napped and just hung out.
We're ready for the next stretch. Agua Dulce and the Saufley's, here we come! And then Abby!!!
Thursday 17 May 2012
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