Pacific Crest Trail

I woke up well rested after spending a night at Canyon Creek Inn with Burnout, Valdy, and Bedazzled. The joy of a mattress and running water should never be underestimated.

While the views from the top of the mountain campsite yestetday were excellent, the winds that came after the sun went down weren’t and my tent was flapping around all night hitting me in the head when a strong gust came.

There was universal focus and drive among the group today. No debate on how far to go or where to break. The goal was McDonald’s.

I woke up from my sandy cowboy campsite along the river. It was perhaps my best night’s sleep on trail, though i got some condensation on my quilt. The 80 foot scramble up sheer rocks to get back to the trail was a good wake up call.

Today’s goal was all about getting to Deep Creek. The rumor had been going for days that there were some nice hot springs right on the trail, and we were fixing to find out for ourselves.

Bedazzled and I woke up to frozen condensation on our sleeping bags this morning after a chilly night. We scrapped it off with our fingers, which made them cold down to the bone.

Today we went into Big Bear Lake to resupply. We walked the .3 miles to the road and tried to hitchunsuccessfully for about 40 minutes until a nice dude in a huge truck pulled over and gave us a ride. It was his first time picking up PCT hikers.

We warned Hip (real name) that the site he chose was the poop site. Apparently, some asshole crapped in a perfectly flat tent site and didn’t even pack out their toilet paper. Since Hip doesn’t have a trail name, I was hoping he we would put his tent stake in one of the buried poop holes so I could name him Poop Stake. Unfortunately, he managed to avoid the hidden poops.

We broke camp from our river campsite at 4,800 feet and started walking up the valley. The next two days, we will be climbing up to the mountain town of Big Bear Lake.

The stay at Hillbilly Dave’s turned out to be a great time. Good people, a spaghetti dinner, and shelter over our heads during the overnight rain. Unfortunately, people were watching Harry Potter on TV after the sun went down, but I got my ear plugs and pulled my buff over my eyes and was good to go.

Today was a day of extremes. Extreme beauty and extreme conditions.

Today was going to be a big day and I was trepidatious since it would be coming off the heels of a rest day in town.

Three trucks drove by during the night, but luckily none pulled into the turn out or gave us any trouble. First(?) night as a hobo completed successfully!

I am writing this from the gravel shoulder of a pullout on a deadend road. It is 8:15 pm and I am sleeping here.

There was a rumor of pancakes at Mike’s, but we decided getting an early start was the smart choice. We were up and moving by 5:45 and watched the sun rise over the rolling foothills of the mountains we would soon climb.

B&B and I left Warner Springs Resource Center at 5:55 and began walking through the surrounding pasture. The cows were there to great us as the sun rose over the hills.

Today was a nice walk from Barrel Springs to Warner Springs, which included a stop at the famous Eagle Rock.

Putting up my tent last night and using earplugs was a good call. I was actually able to sleep, even with the wind!

I cowboy camped again last night and while the stars were beautiful, the wind was ridiculous. It was constantly blowing im my face and wipping my quilt around. Luckily, it was very cold, but needless to say I didn’t get much sleep.

I cowboy camped again and woke up in the night with stars draped across the midnight sky. The only sound was the wind rustling the brush. This campsite among the bolders was my favorite so far.

Last night I cowboy camped, which means I slept under the stars with no tent. The winds were strong so I figured I would get better sleep without my tent flapping around. I was right! I was also lucky enough to wake up around 2 AM and see the big dipper handing right above me.

Today was an early start and I was on the trail by 6:10 as the sun was coming up. There were nice purples and pinks in the sky, which was a treat as I hiked the first couple of miles. After a brief climb, I dropped down to a lowland and crossed a few creeks. There was high grass and old oak trees all around.

Surreal. To have thought about, researched, and planned for the PCT and then to be taking my first steps. My sister and her husband were kind enough to wake up at 3:30 AM and drive me from L.A. down to Campo, California, which is home to the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. I am grateful to have such a supportive family and I would be lying if I said I didn’t get choked up during the first 1/4 mile as I set off. Thanks sis and everyone!

The time to start my thru-hike of the PCT is drawing near. To think that in three days, I will stand on the border with Mexico, face north and start walking towards Canada, fills me with joy and excitement.