Section 5: Onyx Summit to Agua Dulce
Day 24: Onyx Summit to Big Bear, 14 miles, 12 mile hitch, 6 mile hitch
I parked my car in Agua Dulce and got a ride from a girl who was heading to Big Bear.She had hiked the first 700 miles of the trail last year. She dropped me off near the Grizzly Bear Cafe where I enjoyed a giant pancake for breakfast. The ladies who were sitting next to me started up a conversation and ended up giving me a ride to the trail head. It's amazing how things always just work out!
And it didn't stop.
I decided to walk the full 14 miles to highway 18 that runs back in to Big Bear.
Just as I finished the 14 miles and changed into some dry clothes three thru hikers came down the trail behind me. I wasn't the only one crazy enough to be out in the snow storm!! And they already had a room for the night and had an extra futon that I could have!
I joined up with the six others at the Nature lodge in Big Bear for an awesome night of tacos cooked by Sky Walker.
Day 25: Big Bear to Cold Camp
We left Big Bear just after lunch and headed out to do a nice Nero day.
Awesome views of the desert.
More blooms!!
The clouds came in and it started to hail again, pea sized hail! It was crazy.
Near camp there was a big sign, "no fires" so we had a really cold night. Temperatures were definitely below freezing. This is Sky Walker (from Virginia), Morning Glory (from LA), Ed (from Oregon) and Pinky (from San Francisco).
Cold camp.
Day 26: Cold Camp to Creek Camp, 18 miles
Weather was amazing today, a little warm but the views were spectacular.
Beautiful walking! Mostly down hill or flat.
There is Mount Baldy in the distance! We will be there in two days!
We found a camp with a little dam and swimming hole. A few of us jumped in to cool off and rinse the last few days of dust off. It was glorious!
Here is my set up for the night!
Great fire and great company! This is Ed, Pinky, Morning Glory, Pizza Taxi (from Indiana), Banana (from Cape Cod) and Sky Walker. Pinky got her name because her toe nails are about to fall off her pinky toes. Morning Glory is a happy morning person. Pizza Taxi used to try to use pizza delivery cars as taxis when she was in college, and we had never heard of that before but apparently it's a thing in the midwest? Banana hikes in a yellow shirt and he also has a yellow pack, he hiked the AT last year and is only on trail for a few weeks just to check out the PCT. Sky Walker walks quickly up hill and his last name is Walker. Ed doesn't have a trail name yet.
Day 27: Creek Camp to Sand Bar Camp, 20.2 Miles
The scenery changed again and the weather was much hotter.
I hit 400 total miles on the PCT today!
Today I saw my first PCT Rattlesnake! I was coming around a corner and all of a sudden there was a massive 3.5 foot long jet black Rattlesnake shaking it's rattle like crazy and moving down the side of the ridge very quickly. I backed up and let it do it's thing. It hid in a bush and allowed me to pass but I wasn't able to get a picture, which is too bad it was a beautiful snake.
The trail followed this canyon and river for most of the day.
Lots more blooms and great green scenery. We passed a sign alerting hikers about a rare toad living in the area. The Arroyo Southwestern Toad is an endangered species of southern California. I had set my trekking poles and pack down near a little creek to check on my water level to see if I should pick up an extra liter and when I went to pick up my trekking poles something moved! I almost had a heart attack (this was just after the snake encounter). But it was just the awesome Arroyo Southwestern toad!!
So cool!!!
The trail passes by some hot springs. I stopped to soak my feet in the hot pool followed by the cold one and then hit the trail again.
The last eight miles were very hot and dry.
The trail dropped down below the Mohave dam spillway and crossed another creek. As I sat down to put my shoes back on, I decided the sand bar was a good enough place to camp for the night because I was tired and water was there.
This is Demi, the three Germans, Wes, Mamasita, and Frankenstein. The group from last night camped on the other side of the river from me. Frankenstein has had his ACL reconstructed with cadaver pieces three times and he has hiked the AT.
Day 28: Sand Bar Camp to Cleghorn Picnic Area, 15 Miles
Today was a long hot hike to Silverwood lake.
We jumped in and swam and spent a few hours at this beach to cool off in the afternoon.
Morning Glory found a pizza place that delivers to the picnic area and everyone ordered pizza. We had a great dinner sitting at a real table and eating ridiculous amounts of pizza!
This is Ed, Morning Glory, Pink, Pizza Taxi, Skywalker, Banana, Frankenstein and Mamasita (she's from Holland).
About twenty people camped in the picnic area, not sure of all their names, so many hikers!!
Day 29: Cleghorn Camp to Cowboy Camp Valley, 18.5 Miles
I love that cloud.
This was the 14 mile, very hot approach to the Cajon Pass McDonald's that was completely over run with hikers.
So many thru hikers eating so many calories!! I had a chocolate milkshake and some fries. They were delicious.
After McDonald's the trail drops below Interstate 15 and major railroad junction.
This was the beginning of a 28 mile dry section.
So green!
Just spotted camp for the night in the valley below!
Very hot afternoon even though we waited out the worst heat of the day at McDonald's.
We cowboy camped in a valley just before a 6000 foot ascent.
Day 30: Cowboy Camp Valley to LA View Camp
We woke up early to beat the heat on the huge ascent this morning.
That is Interstate 15 running through the valley on the left.
This is Heartbreaker he is from Stuttgart, Germany and has worked at the same grocery store for 20 years. He quit to come hike the PCT and doesn't know what he he will do after the trail.
Hikers hiding from the sun and taking a break from the huge ascent today. New people in this picture: Aunt Petunia, the Pope and his girl friend, Roller Coaster from Germany, an Australian guy and a guy from Oklahoma.
The trail runs three miles short of the summit of Mount Baldy (center peak).
A lonely tree.
There was a chance to summit Mount Baldy from the trail and Pinky and I decided to give it a shot even though it meant adding another 7 miles to our hike today.
The 'trail' to the summit ended up being very sketchy so we turned back after only going 0.7 Miles.
We watched the sunset over the Orlando Airport.
My wonderful hovering purple tarp in it's natural habitat.
Day 31: LA View Camp to Wrightwood, 5.5 Miles
We pulled a Nero day into Wrightwood to resupply. It was a popular campsite.
We took a group photo just before leaving camp. Road Runner took the picture for us. From left to right: Roller Coaster, Morning Glory, Full Rabbit (Me), Story Time, Pinky, Pizza Taxi, Ed, Sky Walker, Banana.
It was a beautiful mile hike to the junction with Highway 2.
Morning Glory had a friend who's Mom lives in Wrightwood and she offered to host four of the girls in the group. They live in a fantastic wooden high ceiling-ed cabin in the trees on the edge of town. We made a trip around town for some awesome french toast at another Grizzly Bear Cafe and to the post office to pick up resupply boxes and the grocery store to pick up more supplies for the night and some fresh things. Our hosts were absolutely magical and had soap and shampoo and towels ready for us to shower and dinner was already being made for us. Every time I think there is no way that people could be anymore gracious and welcoming and fantastic I keep meeting trail angels that continuously amaze me with there generosity and willingness to accept smelly hikers into their houses and families. We spent the afternoon playing with our hosts grand kids, talking with Morning Glory's friend, soaking our feet in epson salt baths and eating to our hearts content. There really are no words to express the gratitude I feel while sitting on a squishy chair in front of a fire place with four walls protecting me from the windy night outside and a belly full of corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, fresh salad, blue berry cobbler and ice cream. I even got to sleep in a real bed!
Day 32: Wightwood to Little Jimmy Camp Ground, 14.5 Miles
Today we got a ride back to the trail with Morning Glory's friend who was joining us for the night. It was a large ascent out of Wrightwood up to the summit of Baden-Powell.
We hit some snow and passed many out of breath day hikers.
This is a 1500 year old tree 0.1 miles from the summit and has apparently become the designated thru hiker pack holding tree.
The summit is at 9,406 feet.
The descent from the summit down to where we decided to stop for the night was amazing.
Beautiful day.
Little Jimmy was packed with thru hikers and weekenders, it was a bit overwhelming.
I met a guy named 'Bad Mash' because he didn't wait for his dehydrated potatoes to re-hydrate and he got sick, 'Action Jackson' a vegetarian chef from Manhattan, and 'Weta' a guy from New Zealand.
Day 33: Little Jimmy to Glenwood Boy Scout Camp, 17 Miles, 3 mile hitch
Today we crossed Highway 2 about seven times. Lots of up and down and around. This morning I met 'Clockwork' who poops at the same time every morning, 'Squirrel' who carries a squirrel stuffed animal on the back of her pack, and Hobo Joe who would ask PCT trivia questions and give hikers abba-zabas.
We hit the Endangered Yellow Mountain Frog Closure and had to either road walk a very dangerous highway or hitch 3 miles to a trail that would lead us back to the trail. Roller Coaster and I hitched to bypass the closure.
I made a good size fire and everyone hung out for a while after dinner. Clock wise starting at about 8 O'clock this is Sage, Boy Drogo, Aunt Petunia, Banana, Kevin, Pinky, Party Log, Jerry, Sky Walker. It was a chilly night with great company and lots of laughs. Morning Glory says I bring "Fire and Logic" to the group, I think those are great things to be known for!
There wasn't much flat space so many people cowboy camped but I thought it felt a heavy dew kind of night so I set up my tarp.
Another wonderful day on the trail!!
Day 34: Glenwood to Mill Creek Fire Station, 18 Miles
Everyone woke up to a dewy sleeping bags and I was very happy that I set up my tarp. We dropped down over the course of the day into a valley that was slowly leading towards Acton.
There was Poodle Dog Bush all over the trail. Poodle Dog has little hairs that irritate your skin if you touch it. It's apparently a lot worse than poison oak. Aunt Petunia says we were "Doing the Poodle Dog Dance" all day to avoid it.
Poodle Dog is one of the first things that grows back after a fire.
I had to take a picture with the Rabbit sign!
We are getting spoiled by being close to accessible wilderness with all the pit toilets and picnic tables available the past few nights. Another evening filled with great times. Today I met 'Check Mate' an Australian who lost a game of chess in seven moves to his hiking partner, 'Garfield' who's personality is very much like a silly hungry cat in camp, 'Ultra Heavy' who's pack weighs about 75 pounds. and a few others.
There were black widows in the pit toilets and a road with rush hour traffic nearby, it wasn't the best campsite. But someone who hiked the PCT a few years ago showed up to give the group sodas, Gatorade and other trail magic. I forgot his name, but he had hiked the AT a few years ago and he had hiked with Frankenstein (who was also at this camp) on the AT a few years ago as well. He plans to do the CDT (Continental Divide Trail) in 2018 and have the "Triple Crown" of the hiking world.
The LA smog makes for nice sunsets in the Angles National Forest. I'm feeling good, ready to be on the trail full time. I will miss this 'trail family' I've gotten to know over the past week and a half when I make my next jump.
Day 35: Mill Creek Fire Station to North Fork Ranger Station, 17.5 Miles
There was more Poodle Dog Bush to contend with today. I ended up walking with Aunt Petunia for a few hours and talking about gear, food, and life and magically 6 miles of uphill went by without even noticing (except for the views of course).
Aunt Petunia and I both don't hike with head phones, which we have found is somewhat strange, a good amount of people listen to podcasts, music or books while walking. Aunt Petunia and I talked about what goes on in our heads while we walk and why we chose to hike without plugging in which was a very interesting conversation. I'm too rattlesnake conscious to ever consider that as an option and I also enjoy the blank thinking time. It gives you time to wonder about life's big question like "How much volume have PCT hikers added to Southern California solely from pooping and what would the equation to calculate that look like?" and "Will 3D printers ever be good enough to print living organisms and how would it effect society?" I sometimes try (with hilariously terrible results) to imitate bird calls and am working on learning to identify birds by their call (I have a bird app that is helping me with that one). Sometimes I try to think of absolutely nothing and just be present in that moment. And sometimes I get a song stuck in my head for days at a time. It was nice to meet someone else who also chose to hike with themselves, without distractions and have a good conversation about society and technology. (Between the rampant poop jokes we sometimes have good intellectual conversations on the trail! Woohooo!)
Another beautiful day for walking!
More flowers!
Down there is Acton, in another day I'll be down there eating ice cream!
So green!!
Looks like it's time for everyone to do some laundry... I haven't showered since Wightwood and I've switched to fresh socks once.
Another glorious sunset with new friends that feel like old friends.
Day 36: North Fork to Agua Dulce, 18 Miles
We got up before sunrise because Morning Glory had been able to check the weather and it said it was going to be a really hot day.
And it was.
I found some yellow flowers that I had only previously seen as orange.
Pinky, Morning Glory, Aunt Petunia and I stopped at the Acton KOA for ice cream and to take a break from the heat. We found some of the other hikers we had camp with two nights ago in the pool there that had done the full 26 miles to the KOA instead of stopping at the ranger station.
We left after the ice cream and snacks so we wouldn't get sucked into the "vortex" of the place (pool, more snacks, green grass to lay in, chairs to sit on, flush toilets, etc).
We walked through the Vasquez rocks area, which was pretty neat and was apparently used as a set in Star Trek.
Aunt Petunia and I both got lost for about 5 minutes in the Vasquez rocks area because the signage was pretty bad and there were trails leading everywhere.
Eventually we found our way to the trail and made it into town. We got to the grocery store and I ran in to get some juice (I had a craving for coconut water and guava juice) and a van from Hiker Heaven came by to pick up hikers. Hiker Heaven is an amazing place. The Suafly's turned their back yard into a place for hikers to spend the night in Agua Dulce. It has the van to town and to the trail and to REI, laundry, internet, computers, kitchen, shower, mail room, loner town clothes and shoes, hiker boxes filled with food and gear and shoes and clothes, a fire pit and lots of open space to pitch your tent. It's run with amazing efficiency and they have thought of everything, it is truly hiker heaven. Pretty much everyone I had met in the past two weeks was there and then some. Most people were spending two nights and spenting a zero day there to rest their feet and resupply.
Day 37: Hiker Heaven to Hiker Heaven, 7 miles
I saw a California King Snake (I think). It was huge!
Day 38: End Section 5
I drove my friends to breakfast in town and then dropped them off at the trail head and headed home. It was sad to not be continuing with them but maybe I'll run into them again down the trail sometime, crazier things have happened. I'm definitely ready to hit the trail full time now and can't wait to get back out there!
I am now at 550 Miles, just over 20% of the trail completed! Next step is the long haul to Canada!
Day 24: Onyx Summit to Big Bear, 14 miles, 12 mile hitch, 6 mile hitch
I parked my car in Agua Dulce and got a ride from a girl who was heading to Big Bear.She had hiked the first 700 miles of the trail last year. She dropped me off near the Grizzly Bear Cafe where I enjoyed a giant pancake for breakfast. The ladies who were sitting next to me started up a conversation and ended up giving me a ride to the trail head. It's amazing how things always just work out!
All day.
I decided to walk the full 14 miles to highway 18 that runs back in to Big Bear.
Just as I finished the 14 miles and changed into some dry clothes three thru hikers came down the trail behind me. I wasn't the only one crazy enough to be out in the snow storm!! And they already had a room for the night and had an extra futon that I could have!
I joined up with the six others at the Nature lodge in Big Bear for an awesome night of tacos cooked by Sky Walker.
Day 25: Big Bear to Cold Camp
We left Big Bear just after lunch and headed out to do a nice Nero day.
Day 26: Cold Camp to Creek Camp, 18 miles
Day 27: Creek Camp to Sand Bar Camp, 20.2 Miles
Day 28: Sand Bar Camp to Cleghorn Picnic Area, 15 Miles
Day 29: Cleghorn Camp to Cowboy Camp Valley, 18.5 Miles
Day 30: Cowboy Camp Valley to LA View Camp
It was a fun slack packing side adventure even if we didn't get to the summit.
Day 31: LA View Camp to Wrightwood, 5.5 Miles
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| Waiting for our ride to town |
Day 32: Wightwood to Little Jimmy Camp Ground, 14.5 Miles
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| Full Rabbit, Pizza Taxi, Pinky, Morning Glory |
Day 33: Little Jimmy to Glenwood Boy Scout Camp, 17 Miles, 3 mile hitch
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| Eating snacks above a cloud sea is a good way to be. |
Day 34: Glenwood to Mill Creek Fire Station, 18 Miles
Day 35: Mill Creek Fire Station to North Fork Ranger Station, 17.5 Miles
Day 36: North Fork to Agua Dulce, 18 Miles
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| Tunnel under pass under Highway 14 |
Day 37: Hiker Heaven to Hiker Heaven, 7 miles
Today I walked the 7 miles (4 on trail, 3 off trail) back to my car and drove it back to Hiker Heaven so I could help drive people to town, trail and REI for the day.
Day 38: End Section 5
I drove my friends to breakfast in town and then dropped them off at the trail head and headed home. It was sad to not be continuing with them but maybe I'll run into them again down the trail sometime, crazier things have happened. I'm definitely ready to hit the trail full time now and can't wait to get back out there!
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| The trail is full of awesome people. |
