Agua Dulce to Tehachapi

The Saufley's have a great operation at Agua Dulce. My friends and I could cut down on weight by sending food ahead to hikertown and to Kennedy Meadows and some gear to Tehachapi. By gear I mean my tent, the forecast was nothing but sunny for days and so I took the risk of sending it forward. They have a mini post office in there. 

The hike out of Agua Dulce was beautiful. We started around 5:30 and saw sunset through the most beautiful part of the mountain, hiking until 12am or so.

Headed into Green Valley the next day we decided not to go to the Anderson's. We had already taken enough time in Agua Dulce so we were in the mood to move. 

From the ranger station there onward to basically HWY 138 there is a Powerhouse fire closure. I decided to walk the road to Lake Elizabeth and then catch the Aquaduct off of Munz Road. Made it into Hikertown that night after a very long haul, but we had water from the open Aquaduct the whole way. Hiking into the night to keep the temps and sun exposure down.

 Hikertown is cute and the right kind of dumpy for hikertrash. We hung out there until 5pm the next day. Ate breakfast and chilled out of the sun for our afternoon naps.

The section after hikertown into Tehachapi was the most boring. It is walking territory, not backpackers territory. Yeah sure you can cover major miles on road but the views which start being beautiful turn tedious after they haven't changed for miles. Wind mills look like dancing ladies and their humming purrs you to sleep until you have been walking by or around them for a few days. 

The best part about this section was night hiking with a close to full moon through the burn area. The white bark looked eerie in the moonlight. One tree was upside down, trunk up style, and we had to walk under it. How many times do you get to walk under a completely upside down tree?

Everyone got into Tehachapi and recouped in the Best Western hot tub. That thing heals. The Mediterranean restaurant in town, Petra's, really hit the spot. Most people crave pizza and beer, I crave Shwarma's and Coke. It was delicious and not super heavy.

Let me tell you I have been talked into a fried chicken meal by some friends of mine, worst idea ever. I'm sticking to my non fried foods (aside from French fries.)

Wrightwood to Agua Dulce

The hike out from Wrightwood is gorgeous and strenuous. It takes you up Baden-Powell, which is a beautiful climb. The switch backs are for days; they seem never ending but make it a gradual steady endurance race. My friends and I decided to summit, it's only 300ft off the PCT and totally worth it. Limber pines curl up everywhere making the views quite surreal. People don't know places like that exist. It's not tall enough to be considered a peak you would bag, but the 1500 year old tree and 360 amazing views make it well worth the effort.

From there the trail goes like a roller coaster until Little Jimmy Spring. 

This spring had seats and a pipe and a trough and a huge red cedar that you could stand in. I loved this water resource.

From there we started our long decent into the more arid regions. There is an endangered species closure, most people walked the road. If you continue walking the road past Three Points Campground down HWY 2 a mile you will reach the best burgers on the trail so far. Newcomb's Ranch has been open since World War II and does there burgers the right way, over a fire. Don't miss it, but call and check the hours. They close at 6pm.

We had a bit of a stormy day headed out of Three Points. The cloud cover was a relief, these sections through the burn areas are very exposed. From the ranger station, most people took the road detour around the poodle dog bush warning. My friend and I just wore long sleeves and pants and decided to do the trail. It was mostly avoidable and actually my favorite section of trail so far.

The mountains kept rolling and the wind kept blowing and we made our way to Agua Dulce.

I was happy to see the rocks popping up in the background, knowing these huge sedimentary rocks were a sign that the section was coming to a close. Let's just say I was pretty excited to see Vasquez Rocks.

My crazy friend and I decided to hike from the KOA (where we stopped for hot food, now serving until 8pm) to Vasquez Rocks. At 9pm making that day a 27 mile long walk around. The moon was bright as the temp was perfect. Two more of my friends hiked out at night and camped before the tunnel under the Hwy. We continued and got to see sunrise over Vasquez. Something I would highly recommend.

Big Bear to Wrightwood

I got into big bear just in time to miss a snow storm. It was nice to stay at the Nature's Inn instead of 4in of snow and 70mph wind gusts.

The Donut Shop by the laundry mat not only had amazing maple frosting donuts, but also had pretty amazing biscuits and gravy. It was easy to get from Big Bear City to the larger Big Bear Lake by bus.

Headed out from town I saw this amazing view coming into Little Bear Springs Campsites (cold and windy) after the crossing of Cougar Crest Trail. Look at them mountains. 

 The trail continues to Splinters Cabin area which has some pretty gorgeous views of Deep Creek. The trail follows the creek for many miles, it even heads to a hot springs. Get ready for lots of wang and a boy who lives there in a leaf thong who goes by Tarzan...i'm not joking. Despite the weirdness, the springs were relaxing and good for tired knees. We got lucky enough to have an empty spring area we could claim as the PCT section away from local drama. It was also a nice change of pace to relax and swim that day.

Leaving the hot springs, there was a bit of excitement after the rainbow bridge. A man got stung by something, had an adverse reaction and passed out. My friend ran to the hot springs to see if anyone could help, one person had a satellite phone and called for help. When the guy came to and could walk, we helped him hike out to the ambulance. This happened right near the spillway.

He emailed me and said that everything is ok. We are all relieved everything worked out fine in the end.

The hike around Silverwood Lake was beautiful and the hike to Cajon Pass was unreal. 

We all met up at the McDonald's on I-15 and ate some food. We also all got dumb after eating that crap. Some people even had to take a nero; that food makes you slow. I went with fries and a McFlury. That went down fine, but then later I added a chicken sandwich and that hit me with laziness.

I had heard the climb 5 miles out from McDonalds was long and hot so I did it at night. Rolled out of Cajon Pass around 4, got to the top and to a flat spot after the jeep road just after dark. That made the climb pretty easy. It's amazing what not having the full power of the sun will do.

The rest of the up and around until Hwy 2 was beautiful. Guffy Campground had good water and as long as you tucked yourself out of the wind, a good soft bed. I love pine trees, their needles make for the best sleeping.

Wrightwood is the most hiker friendly town yet. It is small, walkable, jolly, and Cinnamon's Bakery has the best sandwiches ever. Don't let the name fool you, they do have good pastries and muffins but there is a guy there named Steven who takes meals, like BBQ pork, coleslaw, and cornbread, and bakes them between two tortillas to make a pocket. I wish everyone could eat one, so  good, I'm still dreaming about going back for one. Aside from that there are some awesome trail angel's there. Wendi really pulled some strings to find a ride for a friend and I to get back to the trail. It was a great experience. 

PS. The Pines Motel is cheapest, very convenient, and will do your laundry for you. 

Idyllwild to Big Bear

Coming out of Idyllwild refreshed and with new shoes (switched to Salomon XR Missions), I headed up several thousand feet from town. I wanted to summit San Jacinto and even though it was cloudy, it was very worthwhile. 

The sky cleared over patches of sky allowing me to see the desert down below. After the peak it is a down hill, a very long 21 miles of nothing but down hill.

The group I am hiking with decided to break it up into two days so we could give our knees a break. That meant a dry camp off of Fuller Ridge. It was a brutal next day of exposed terrain with no water. Some of the people ran out before they got to the water fountain below. The benefits of hiking with a group are you can always scrape together some water so we all donated a little and got them to water thirsty but alright.

The views were gorgeous. Exposed could be PCT code for the best views you can get. I knew it would be beautiful, but this is beyond what I expected. 

I stopped at Ziggy and the Bears for a Gatorade, coffee, water, and to sign in the log. I am hiker #222. The section from the wind mill farm to first mission creek campsite was reminiscent of the Sound of Music. I can't even explain how nice it was to see that much running water in one day. 

The campsite above Mission Creek was cold. I'm glad I had my 15D bag. The next day I camped right before my personal record for the farthest I have walked. Then the next day walking into Big Bear, I passed my record with some amazing views as prizes.

I got into Big Bear just before the snow storm and waited it out in town with fresh donuts. Yum.

From Campo to Idyllwild

Everyone had told me that the hill up to Lake Morena was the first PCT challenge. I didn't find the climb all that hard, but 20 miles in the first day is no joke. I got into the campground and pretty much collapsed with all my new found friends. No one thought the first day was easy. It's the first day of big sun and desert heat. 

I loved taking an afternoon rest under a tree and then walking a bit and coming to the hill. The area had some beautiful yucca plants that were flowering and the wind was sweet with sage. 

The next day coming out of Lake Morena I followed a crew of turkey's. Two males were all fanned out and showing their feathers. There were a lot of bunnies in this area too.

All the climbs were long, I feel like the PCT is an endurance race. It's not as steep as east coast hiking but there also is no goal in sight. You hike up a moutain and down a mountain on the AT, but on the PCT you meander for long distances. It is a different head game.

The views are what surprised me the most. Everyone told me it was the most scenic but no one described to me how literally ever mile was gorgeous. The heat, sun, and water are tiring but I can't be sad yet. Just look. 

I love seeing the flowers in bloom. It is a lot less desert-like than I expected. 

But there is a mountain coming out of scissors crossing that is long and hot and  there is no shade. Definitely glad it was windy that day. 

The terrain goes back to brush as you climb up into Idyllwild. There was hail up above so I went to paradise caffe and hitched to Idyllwild.

Day one

Southern terminus! I was afraid of the too much sun, waterless stretches, and feet. Well my outfit keeps me cool and protects me from the sun, the water is alright as long as you plan, carry extra, and are ok with the extra weight, and my feet hurt. They probably will continue. I'm thinking of getting an insert at the next gear shop and maybe switching my shoes if that doesn't help the blisters on the bottom of my feet. 

The Day Before Departure

Life is movement. I have unpacked and repacked my life a few times a year every year since graduating college. I enjoy sifting every item into growing keep or donate piles. The hardest part is never getting everything together, it's the little stuff that is hard. Like today, I have to take down my maps. Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain NP; all fond memories of 2013. They made my room feel mine and now I have to sleep here one more night but the walls will be bare. Onward to the next adventure, with no shortage of maps.