Tues, May 24    Miles today: 25.3     Total so far: 264.3      So. CA section C

We were up by 4:45 am this morning, concerned about another day of hiking in heat, but brrrrr, we quickly knew we were back in SNOW country!  But I do like what I call the “snow smell” in the air–it’s very fresh and clean.  By sunrise we’d reached the headwaters of Mission Creek (at last!) and collected enough water to take us till afternoon. 

Man, I wish the camera were working!  The views we had today were stunning–everything from great, forested, sweeping mountain valleys with snowy peak backdrops (looked like Oregon!) to dramatic drop-offs into deep canyons. While we were eating breakfast, along came Dave, from Southern California.  Bill and I call him “Steady Dave” since he hikes slow but steady.  He began the PCT at Campo with his 26 year old son, who soon grew impatient at his dad’s slow pace.  So they agreed to split up, and the son is now way up ahead somewhere.  We and Steady Dave sort of leapfrogged each other all day.

Eventually we reached the famous (to PCT hikers) ranch for retired movie animals.  Sure enough–there was THE grizzly bear we’d heard so much about–but with a brand-new fence obviously designed to keep us hikers WAY back from his cage.

After that, for awhile, the PCT had to go on logging roads because of private property issues, but I thought it was very interesting to see the huge, full-tree-diameter thick planks that had obviously been made right there on site from trees that had been cut down.  I wished I could have seen the logging and “planking” equipment in action!  We mushed up and over Onyx Peak, then down, down to Arrastre Trail Camp where there was supposed to be water.  No such luck!  The faucet was posted “Closed to public use till may” and it was shut off.  We grumped about “Well, doggone, it’s May 24!!!”  A lady was there resting.  I think she said her name was Pam, but I was (and am) so tired that I’m not sure.  She was a fellow thru-hiker.  When she saw us going to the creek to filter some water, she asked if she could also use our filter, and when she found how light it was, said she wants one, too!  She’s hiking the PCT to lose weight (Goal:40 lb. less) and have adventures.  She was very friendly and cheerful.  Then along came Steady Dave, thrilled to see the creek.  “Water! Water!” he said, and got out his food and stove to cook dinner.  Bill and I had already eaten dinner, and were getting ready to leave, as was Pam, when we discovered that Pam was totally out of food, with 18 miles left to go before Big Bear City.  Both we and Dave tried hard to persuade her to take some of our food, but she refused all offers.  “I want to lose that 40 pounds!” was all she would say.

By now it was really late afternoon, and we headed out, enjoying the beauty of the trail as it went winding up and through various dramatic canyons–Arrastre and Balky Horse.  (What names!)  We had glimpses of blue Baldwin Lake far away among forests and meadows to our left, and to the right, it was rocky, cactus-y mountains and the Mojave Desert.    We were just going through a particularly “Western” looking area, with the low golden sunset glow casting long shadows amid all the subtle colors in the chaparral, when along came two ladies on pinto horses, in Western getup.  Talk about classic!  We almost expected John Wayne to come riding along the trail, too.  Oh, for a working camera!

We hiked till after sundown, and found a breezy, pretty campsite on a ridge among the pinyon pines and wildflowers.  Boy, are we tired!  It’s been a long day!  Boy, do our feet hurt!  But what an adventure this trail has been so far!  We are mega-blessed.

Monday, May 23     Miles today: 19.8     Total PCT miles so far: 239    So. CA Section C

It took us awhile to get going this morning.  Bill’s feet are swollen and blistered as a result of the horrendous heat yesterday.  I spent some time “doctoring” him, and also feeling MEGA-frustrated at not having a functioning camera.   The scenery here is very different from anything we’ve seen so far on the trail.  The hills are of red rock, very steep, with no trees.  They have a serious, brooding feel to them.  But the chaparral is blooming–the flowers are lovely, and one of them (not sure which) has an intensely sweet smell that carries everywhere on the wind. 

We did meet one young rattlesnake on the trail, trying earnestly to look big and fierce, but ending up looking cute and scared.  (We still gave him a wide berth, however!)  Soon we were at Mission Creek Canyon, and spent most of today in mile after mile of sweltering heat, in a narrow canyon with the creek roaring its way downhill and slamming from one bend to another, forcing the PCT to make OVER 20 fords! 

At the first ford, there was a log to cross on.  Bill of course, skipped right across, but I was scared.  So he came back, took my pack across, then I fearfully inched my way over.  When I reached the other side, I decided, “This is taking way too long.  From now on, I’m going IN the creek!”  So from then on as we wound our way upcanyon, Bill did every crossing on a log, while I simply waded across the creek, shoes and all.  The current of very strong and roaring, and ranged from knee deep to thigh deep, so I had to be careful, but it was still WAY easier for me than teetering and inching my way across logs–and a lot of those logs were really skinny!  Besides, wading in the creek helped cool me off!

On the bright side, it was so damp in the canyon that there were lots of beautiful butterflies everywhere.  And at noon, we were so tired from the heat and constant uphill climbing that we took a siesta in the shade of a big tree after cooking dinner.  It was a very welcome break!

Then we continued the climbing and the fording, admiring the awesome displays of what I call “desert candelabra” flowers–very dramatic towers (taller than me) of golden blossoms.  Finally we got up high enough (huff, puff!) that we were back “home” among pine trees, incense cedars and SNOW, so we kept on going till sundown.  We are camped at 7,600 feet, which means today we climbed 4,000 feet.  Whew, are we tired!  And the irony of it is that we began today in desert and finished back in snow again, when just the day before yesterday, it was the exact reverse!