Cabazon: Land of lizards, snakes, high temperatures, and...dinosaurs? This is where Section C officially starts. One might also say that it starts underneath a freeway, in a dusty tunnel underneath Interstate 10 where the only relief from the hot desert air comes from the shade of the overpass, and a few coolers of cold drinks left by those amazing folks, the PCT trail angels. Technically, we started the day where we left off the night before, on a bumpy road crossing close to the small town of Snow Creek. Our contingent was again three-strong, as Brett decided to join us once again for a stroll through the alluvial plain that emerges from the North face of San Jacinto peak into the Cabazon pass. At this point, following the trail becomes a game of finding the signs, as there are many washouts and other trails crossing the Creosote-filled plain. Reaching the I-10 after a short hour of walking, we came across the infamous "trail-magic" much spoken about on the various forums, mailing lists, and books about the PCT. After consuming some cool beverages (thank you Angels) and signing the register, we continued on. Brett bid us farewell as we continued onward to Cottonwood Canyon. The middle of the day was approaching, and both Oddball and I soon realized that the day was going to be not so inviting for hiking. The temperature was quickly reaching 100 degrees F and we decided the best decision was to retreat for a few hours to another trail angel's house to wait out the heat of the day. It was at Ziggy and the Bears hiker retreat where we met several other hikers doing the same. Ziggy and Bear are two trail angels who formerly lived in Anza and offered their yard and generosity to PCT hikers passing through. They purposefully moved to Cabazon to do the same, and now their backyard is once again a full-on hiker oasis complete with cold drinks, hiker boxes, snacks, and shade. The generosity of these people is amazing, and we thank them for providing a valuable stop on a hot day. Around 3:30pm we continued up Cottonwood Canyon and stopped at the Mesa Wind Farm field office. Here we were greeted by one of the workers who invited us in for some cold water and snacks. We did not decline, as the heat was still stifling and was not going to cool off until the sun set behind the hills. Watered and fed, we rested in the shade a while longer before heading up the canyon, passing the vast array of wind-turbines quickly spinning and generating power from the constant breeze created by the San Gorgonio Pass. Quickly gaining and losing about 1000 ft in elevation, we arrived at Whitewater River near dark and decided to camp at the former Trout Farm which is now a nature preserve. Benadryl was on the menu for me that night, after a generous bee offered up his life and stinger into my index finger before departing the wind farm that day.
After a nights rest, we continued up Whitewater Canyon and crossed the cold waters of Whitewater Creek. I doused myself in the cool waters in anticipation of another warm day. It was shortly after the crossing where we encountered our first official rattlesnake of the trip. Coming around a corner, I looked up just in time to see the four-foot long Red Diamond rattler sunning itself just a foot off the trail. It did not seem startled, as it did not rattle and just slowly crossed over the trail as to say, "Hey guys, don't bother me, and I won't bother you." We took a few pictures and continued up to Mission Creek, which to many is a long, hot slog but to us "desert rats," a welcome section with many great views of steep canyon walls and a constant-flowing creek in which to filter good water. Although the day was long, we were rewarded with a creekside camp in the shade of several large oaks and the first of many pine trees we were to be seeing for the next few days. Twist and Tailgate (formerly Seth) were already set up, so we turned the camp into a small party and spent the next few hours sharing stories of snow-capped San Jacinto and the past 100 miles.
The next morning started off with a moderatly-steep climb, finally getting back into the Scrub Oaks and Junipers marking the Upper Sonoran zone of the San Bernadino wilderness. Also encountered that day were some of the much-discussed Poodle Dog Bush. If you haven't heard of such a ridiculous sounding plant, well, neither had I until researching this hike. Apparently the plant thrives in recently-burned areas of Oak and Ponderosa Pines, which constitute much of the San Gorgonio and San Gabriel Wildernesses. Although these first encounters consisted mostly of dead and dying plants, the warnings of extreme rashes and painful blisters following contact with this seemingly gentle shrub had us weaving and ducking to avoid any contact with the prolific Poodle Dog. Climbing higher and higher, we bumped into two other thru-hikers, Robocop and Happy Pants, who were resting in the shade of a Pine Tree. Filling up on water from a cold spring, we continued around steep ridges that provided astounding views of the Coachella Valley as well as San Gorgonio Peak. Around mile 15 of that day, we came upon another strange sight. Hidden from sight not 10 miles outside of Big Bear City on Highway 38 is "Randy Millers 'Animals in Action,'" a property with many fenced cages housing animals very much not native to the San Bernadino wilderness. Think "lion, tigers, and bears...oh my!" The PCT passes right along the outskirts of this property and the animals are very much visible from the trail. Although not many seemed to be around that day, we did spy a rather large Cinnamon Bear and another larger Grizzly Bear lounging in their cages. Also surprising were the existence of huge paw-prints alongside human shoe-prints on the trail. Fortunately, it sounds like the animals get taken out for walks once in a while. We arrived at our destination for the day and crashed hard, looking forward to a short day preceded by two zero days in Big Bear.
The next day was a short one in terms of hiking. We took a quick pace out of Arrastre Trail Camp and didn't stop but once along the 10 mile stretch until reaching Highway 18. We were able to get a ride from Doug, the property manager of the Fawnskin cabin at which we were staying (thanks Mom!) to our residence for the next three nights. After getting the rundown on the cabin and bidding farewell to Doug, we quickly dropped our packs and headed to the North Shore Cafe, where once again, it was feasting time. A Reuben for Oddball and a hot Pastrami Sandwich for me along with some delicious corn chowder, we reveled in the feeling of being full of delicious non-trail food. My exceedingly wonderful girlfriend Erin showed up a few hours later, bringing with her many treats and beverages for the following couple of zero days. She had even brought home-made dough for a truffle oil and mushroom pizza that night! YUM! Oddball's girlfriend Jen came up later that evening and we all carried on in that tiny little cabin, enjoying having a warm place to rest while the wind whipped around the lake creating a very cold evening.
We spent the following couple of days in and out of the cabin and the town of Big Bear Lake, eating, doing laundry, eating, buying food items for the trail, watching movies and eating some more. At the end of the two days, I am almost certain I made up the calorie deficit I had created in the preceding four days of hiking. Although thats probably still incorrect. What a great diet plan: eat everything in sight, still lose weight. I should write a fad-diet book.
The morning of the 28th was crisp, clear, and without a breeze. Erin drove Oddball and I back to the trailhead, where Erin and I embraced one last time before heading out. This part is never easy. Although I do get the chance to see her once again in Agua Dulce, I would miss her dearly for the next two weeks. Back on the trail, we climbed along the Southern Ridge above Big Bear Lake, enjoying views of both the lake to the south and Lucerne Valley to the north. We passed a few day hikers, and wound up camping at Delamar Spring Junction. Aside from the sounds of guns going off, a few off-road vehicles, and the occassional howling coyote, the spot was ideal for camping.
April 29th: have we really been hiking for almost a month!? This was the question in my mind as I awoke that morning. We broke camp and hiked through a very long burned section that day. Although forest fire is very much a tragedy in most cases (albeit necessary in nature), we found some beauty in the vast spectrum of colors produced by the wildflowers in this section. Yellows, purples, reds, and oranges contrasted with the charred black of burnt manzanita and chapparal. 17 miles completed that day, we camped underneath a 90-foot steel and wood bridge spanning a fork of Deep Creek. I took a swim in the chilly water and spent the remainder of the night defending my dinner from the many ants crawling about our riverside camp.
Heading down Deep Creek Canyon was our M.O. for the last day in April. Although the Creek was full and flowing, we spent most of the day just looking at it from 100 feet up. Although the highlight of the day was the arrival at Deep Creek Hot Springs, a popular (clothing optional) destination for day-hikers and bathers. We picked a spot in the shade of a few trees and rested our weary feet. There seemed to be some activity in the nearby brush, which we both ignored thinking birds were busy scavenging day-hiker trash. As I was closing my eyes with my head resting on my thermarest, I heard another, much-closer sound and looked to my right. My eyes didn't focus immediately, but the quick movement of a small, black serpentine tongue triggered a reaction I can only describe as explosive. It was as if a hundred small catapults were placed underneath me and released at the same time, propelling me from my supine position to a fully alert defensive posture, with the only sounds coming out of my mouth being something like: "Aa-wa-wa-ahhhh SNAKE!!" And indeed, a rather large Diamondback had emerged from the bushes a mere 16 inches from my head, without so much as a rattle. Oddball and I both watched as this rather large serpent slithered its way around my tarp and sleeping pad, just flicking its tongue in and out, not seeming to care if we were there or not. It finally retreated back into the tall grass, only to be replaced by another, slightly smaller snake with similar markings. Our only guess was that there was a den in the brush I had layed near, and that they became interested in the stench of thru-hikers. I quickly moved my gear back to the spot in the sun, and the decision was made that our break was over. We packed up and hiked the remainder of the day laughing about the experience, and I remained extra-vigilent to say the least.
After camping nearby a small stream, we hiked along a not-so-popular section of the trail which included some road walking, and which brought us close to Silverwood Dam and Mojave Siphon Power Plant. We encountered a little trail magic and had some fresh apples before making the minor climb up to Silverwood Lake. The remainder of the day brought us a cool breeze off the lake, some great California Poppies, and finally to Silverwood Lake Campground where we made good use of the running water and available power outlets to charge our various electronic gadgets.
Wednesday, May 2nd. Visions of Big Macs and Quarter Pounders propelled us from our campsite to Cajon Pass and the I-15. Many a thru-hiker stops at this popular interstate exit to gorge themselves on cheap fast food before the climb up to Wrightwood. We followed suit and demolished a few burgers, fries, and ice cold drinks. I did something I would probably regret and totaled my calories using the convenient chart on the reverse-side of the paper placemat and found that my total caloric intake for the meal was ::gasp:: 2440 calories! But again, the PCT is the ultimate diet plan, and given the climbing we were about to do, I felt no shame. We decided before that this day was to be 23 miles, as there was a long section without water approaching, and we did not want to be without a water source two nights in a row. We huffed it another 12 miles and camped in the clouds atop a ridge that would have otherwise given us a grand view of the Cajon Pass and adjacent areas. However, we were just thankful that the wind didn't kick up and blow our tarp-tents off the ridge.
As the previous day was a rather long one, we opted to hike 12 more miles to Guffy Campground, and use the next day to hike the remaining five miles to Highway 2 where we would catch a ride into Wrightwood. We encountered more of the dreaded Poodle Dog Bush, and performed in our own seperate ways, what I later dubbed, the "Poodle Dog Waltz." This is a shuffle-like dance that requires much balance and skill, along with much cursing and shouting as you weave and twist your legs and feet around, all the while avoiding the bristly leaves and oily flower stalks. Its quite complicated, however a video demonstration is in the works.
After a restless sleep at Guffy Campround where the wind blew at (what seemed like) 50 mph over the ridge and made the trees roar with objection to the bending and swaying they had to do, we hiked 5 miles to Highway 2. We only had our thumbs to the road for 10 minutes when a fellow hiker and his dog persuaded a group of guys in a truck to give us a ride in the back of their pickup. We piled in the back and rode into Wrightwood while the wind assisted in blowing away at least some of the smell our bodies now produced after a week of hiking. We thanked the driver and proceeded immediately to the nearest diner to once again celebrate a completed section with an overabundance of delicious breakfast and coffee.
Mile 369.5. Wrightwood, CA. The perfect place for a zero day and to rest up before heading West, then North along the Pacific Crest Trail. Next stop, Mt Baden-Powell, then Agua Dulce and the Saufley's place.
We are continuing our efforts to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, and would ask if you have not donated, to please consider supporting this remarkable organization. Every donation is tax-deductible, and whether big or small is welcome in helping our brothers and sisters in arms.
https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/individual-fundraising/taskforcepct/
No comments:
Post a Comment