This week’s milestone was getting more than halfway through the 700 mile desert section of the trail, as it continues to get hotter.
Since day 4 or so on the trail, I have been hiking with another woman, whose trail name is Stoplight and who is about the only other person I have met doing similar miles. This week we really stuck together, as there were some hot days and tricky sections on the trail where it was nice to have company.
After a few pretty lovely mountain miles outside of Idyllwild, up at nearly 9000 feet, we soon had to descend back to the desert floor. This meant a brutal descent of 8000 feet over 21 miles, with pretty much no rest for quads or knees. While most hikers we’d seen that day stopped a few miles before the bottom of the hill, Stoplight and I pushed on to the base so that we could hike across the long, exposed valley as early as possible the next day.
We soon learned that there was a reason that much of the valley was made up of a wind farm. At the base of the hill, we struggled to get our tents set up, and Stoplight’s actually blew away, resulting in a brief, tense chase across the desert. (Thankfully the tent was caught and disaster was averted.) The next morning we faced some of the strongest winds I’ve experienced outside of the White Mountains, crossing the valley into the next set of foothills. We also paid a visit to the offices of the wind farm, where they have set up a small PCT hiker lounge, complete with snacks and WiFi.
The next section of the trail had been talked up a lot and many people skipped it entirely. Last year, a storm washed out large portions of the 14 mile section of trail that follows Mission Creek. The worst damage was a six mile section where the trail was completely gone. Absent a real trail, the plan is simply “follow the creek.” Oh, and there are also rattlesnakes.
I actually really enjoyed this section, though it was hard work. I did fall into the creek early on and nearly lost a trekking pole, but Stoplight was a hero and managed to rescue it. We did the majority of the trail-less section in the evening and it was very pretty and felt especially remote. Well into dusk, we were sitting and taking a break, congratulating ourselves on our robust 2mph pace, when we suddenly saw a man who seemed to be nearly running up the creek with little more than a daypack. Otherwise alone in this canyon, this man truly seemed like a bizarre mirage. It turns out he is a thru-hiker, named Andrew, who has the world’s most minimalist setup and a very small backpack that doesn’t even have a hip belt. He does not have a tent or a sleeping bag or anything beyond the bare essentials. While our initial assumption was that we’d never see this man again, we ended up camped at the same spot and he seemed pleased to have met anyone else doing even remotely similar miles to him.
Sadly, we had to climb out of the creek, clawing back almost all of the 8000 feet we’d come down just two days before. The upshot at least was slightly cooler weather at the higher elevation. Everyone seemed to be having an off day, except Andrew, who we found again the next day and who apparently hiked 34 miles in 12 hours. We decided to skip staying in the next resupply town, Big Bear Lake, and instead just went in and out in the morning to get more food.
The next two days were pretty brutally hot and we employed a somewhat questionable strategy of waking up early, hiking ~22 miles before 1pm, taking a three hour break, and then hiking an additional 10-12 miles in the evening. Luckily both days we had a good break spot. On day 11 we got to break at a river beach that featured a natural hot spring. This is also a popular local day spot and known for being “clothing optional” so we met a number of colorful local residents, two of whom gave us their extra sandwich. (Their explanation for why they had an extra was that their third friend “got lost.”) The next day, we took a break at the famous “PCT McDonald’s” which is just off the trail and featured a full corner taken over by hikers. Some of the hikers had been there since 8am and made themselves fully at home.
When the worst of the heat had passed, we sadly left McDonald’s to start the long, 16 mile climb to Wrightwood. We finished the climb in the morning and managed to get into town by midday for a much needed break, shower, and laundry. We are fast approaching the most brutal section of the desert, crossing the Mojave, so likely more night hiking to come.
Hannah
Kelly, I was on the edge of my office chair between reading about the rattlesnakes, extreme weather conditions, treacherous terrain, and questionable characters you’ve ran into at the springs! Glad you had a partner to help with that last tough section of the trail. We are rooting for you back at the office, especially through this next Mojave section!