Caleb got up early to drop Trailer Park and Rachel back on Coxey Rd. where they will hike mostly west and meet us in two days at Silverwood Lake. When he returns and says my name, it wakes me and Ravi. I will drop him near Doble Camp at 8 so he’s not missing miles. He’s worried about Kaito finding a ride from the hostel with his language barrier but Ravi got picked up by someone who spoke Spanish and he’s fine.
melty views looking north
I get gas on the way back to camp for the others, thinking I’ll save time, but it turns out the northern route (through Lucerne Valley) is faster than driving through Crestline to get Gert, Jessi, and me to the section of PCT we will hike. It would have been great to start at least an hour or two sooner but not everyone was on the same schedule.
Jessi cooling off
Caleb drops us off at Mile 314.3 and we plan to hike six miles to the hot springs, where we hope to see Trailer Park and Rachel. Jessi takes her shoes off for the water crossing. Forty minutes in, we see a snake and I’m unsure if we spooked it from eating the lizard or if it was already in a hurry. The trees down below, as we climb higher, are enticing.
Jessi makes a jump for the shade and I know she’s hot, but she’s also wearing the least, carrying the least, and coming from elevation, so we press on in the crushing late morning heat. We stop for water, but it’s evaporating from our hoses and bottles before we can consume enough, and though Gert is ever positive, I make the decision to turn around at two miles.
We climb up the sand of the first shade tree and Gert pours water on Jessi while we have a snack. Gert and I will make another dry crossing over the stream while Jessi hands over her phone and gets in. The walk back is in better spirits knowing we’ll be out of the heat soon. I’m glad we’re not the only ones who realize how crazy it is to subject ourselves to these conditions, daily.
Silverwood Lake
Caleb is tracking me and will be there waiting when we return at 1pm. He drives us to the day use area because site 37 is in full sun. We celebrate with oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwiches and cold drinks before the three of them jump in the lake. I’m able to get almost to my knees in algae that smells like fish farts. We set up our tents practically in another site, so we switched to site 38.
Jessi and dog
I’m ready for sleep and attempt to do so at 530 but the tent is in the warm light and I get too sweaty inside. I try opening the doors and lying down, but that doesn’t work either. I joined the table for dinner and Gert gave me his spicy rice and made another meal, even though that’s what Caleb was in the process of doing. I’m grateful to be taken care of out here and say hi to the neighbor’s dog when it comes over. As soon as there is a sliver of darkness on the tent, I climb in.
The toilet seems so far away, especially when the distance off-trail required is only 200 feet. Half of us are up early even though we agreed there was no rush today, so I go back to sleep. I’ll be up again soon jogging to the bathroom in sandals. Trailer Park and Caleb are great at being up early. My voice seems to get increasingly louder until everyone is up enjoying breakfast and conversation.
I drop Trailer Park and Rachel at 1045 about a mile from the PCT on Coxey Rd. It’s mostly dirt but has a paved portion, and then it gets worse. They will hike back to camp. The four of us (Caleb, Jess, Gert, and Jessi) will spend the day on the town. We start at the post office and pick up resupply boxes for us and Gert. We go to CVS to look for a certain nail polish color for Rachel and leave with four sparkly options.
Caleb, Jessi, and Gert at Big Bear Lake
We went to Big 5 looking for a coffee cup for Jessi and ended up finding a new hooded shirt for me in a shade of bright. The place looks like a fishing cabin from the outside, but Big Bear Sporting Goods has many treasures inside for outdoor enthusiasts. Jessi gets a cup and buys us stickers after we look through the binder of availability. Gert is always ready for a good cup of coffee and some mountain elevation.
Across the street is a Tea and Coffee Exchange where he not only buys us each a drink but a snack to go with it since it is lunchtime. Once our baked goods are devoured, we take our sugary beverages (part of a healthy hiker diet) to the boardwalk of the preserve we were at yesterday so Gert and Jessi can see the cooties. Young animals are cute regardless of the species.
old Fawnskin post office
Gert wants to check out the observatory, but the world’s largest aperture and highest resolution solar telescope is behind a locked gate. Its lake location minimizes image blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence. We drive further to Captain John’s Marina where a group of photo enthusiasts (the larger the lens, the bigger the interest) are on a hillside waiting for a glimpse of the bald eagles and their eaglets.
The marina’s ramp entrance is blocked but the men standing outside the shop let us know there is public lake access further west (also east, but they might charge there). Trailer Park has reached camp and is enjoying pickles and cookies and I respond to his photo with a picture of brother and sister in matching attire with Gert on the small boat dock. We touch the cold water which wouldn’t be an issue for these non-chickens to jump into on a warmer afternoon.
We drive to the Big Bear Discovery Center where they offer guided hikes, have taxidermy animals on display, and sell stickers! I find a Woodsy Owl one that matches one of Trailer Park’s tattoos and have to get it for him. We return to camp and wait for Rachel to arrive. She left Doble Camp an hour and a half after us this morning. I will take her and Trailer Park into town to pick up Ravi. He walked up to a parking lot from the park, so I honked to get his attention.
We apologize for our behavior to the guy minding his business on the stairs as we laugh about Ravi looking the other way. While they are exploring the wonders of Grocery Outlet (and cheaper food prices) I will get Caleb a pair of camp shorts from Marshall’s next door. Ravi, like any other teenage boy, is always in need of a shower and laundry.
Caleb
I throw the rest of our clothes in the wash with his while they walk through Dollar Tree for random goodies. A guy outside the laundromat offers to sell me a $40 walking stick and I let him know I would need two, but his is thick, heavy, and doesn’t collapse, so I will keep the ones I have. Rachel doesn’t feel like having Caleb cook like he did last night when Trailer Park brought food to camp, so she offers takeout instead.
Maggio’s pizza will bake us two large – one meat, one pineapple to go with vanilla cupcakes and fresh blueberries for Ravi’s birthday dinner. We didn’t know that he didn’t know how to eat pizza and have a laugh when he gets more than sauce on the table and himself. It’s a good thing he didn’t paint his own nails. I let Jessi paint mine and was thrilled to have a matching sparkly shade of purple with Caleb while the others let Rachel use all four colors.
Lieutenant Sparkles and Junior Sparkles
The rest of the evening has us in giggles as the guys aren’t used to anything on their nails, which is why I usually only paint my toenails now, so they are acting dainty until they dry as they go about planning for the next two days – finding water sources and packing food. The splash of color causes a distraction and forces a pose. I’m glad we could find a group also willing to wear matching rainbow bracelets.
For this reason, I will tell the two sites across from us at 1030 that, “There are quiet hours because not everyone is on the same schedule.” My voice is a bit raspy from all the smoke as other campers let their fires pretend to burn out instead of drowning them, by law. Some hikers bring earplugs to block sounds that come with camping in groups, especially with the possibility of snoring and loud sleeping pads, but others prefer the noises that come with nature.
Gert and I leave camp at 610, and 15 minutes later, I stop to take my jacket off. There’s a trail saying, “Be bold, start cold” for a reason. My jacket is so efficient that I go from feeling warm to struggling to get it off before it cooks me. I’ll take a lot of spider webs to the face and my right pole is streaming with them. This hike is beautiful and enjoyable and we don’t have to focus on our feet.
California flannelbush
We keep expecting to be passed by Trailer Park or Rachel and stop at a stream where we both see a mouse, just not the same one. We stop for a snack at 930 and Trailer Park catches up. He tells us that Rachel stayed behind to call her sister and wasn’t sure about Lyric. I led the three of us through the increase in day hikers and the mountain biker who had to walk his ride over the rocks. It’s a three-mile hike from the PCT to our spot in Serrano Campground that we reach before noon.
The woman at the booth recognized me and gave us the hangtag for the site. She held onto the one Caleb would need when he arrives with his sister, Jessi, from the Ontario International Airport (the one in California as the province in Canada has many, but they prefer to call theirs Moosonee and Muskrat). They will reach camp with cookies and Gatorade before Rachel.
The push-button showers are the closest I’ve come to the prison version. You have to lean into the button and the water sprays into your soul and over 85% of the room. I’m not able to scrub much nor do I want to. I turn around as long as my patience will allow because I know I need a good rinse and then I can return to our camp for a live episode of MASH.
Caleb is helping Jessi perform first aid on Gert’s infected blisters, and if she hadn’t thought what was coming out was so gross, perhaps I’d have a picture to share. I can tell you the size of misfortune he and Ravi are willing to put up with is ridiculous. I’d still be limping in the shade somewhere begging the squirrels to bring me food while my wounds healed – or at a medical clinic!
photos by Gert
When Rachel is cleaned up we will go with Trailer Park to town so we can do laundry and get groceries for the evening. It’s $2.50 to wash and I forgot to bring Caleb’s stuff and half of mine. We ran the dryer for a bit but agreed to hang our stuff upon return. Trailer Park decides to treat us to grilled chicken, salad, corn on the cob, and asparagus among the many other foods we will consume.
Jess, Jessi, Caleb, Gert, Rachel, Trailer Park
A hiker’s hunger is like a group of teenage boys who have been outside playing all day and forgot to eat. People give me a hard time about the amount of food I’m able to consume off-trail while also claiming I eat like a bird. Out here, we eat to keep our muscles and faces from disappearing. Dinner was delicious, and Rachel got dessert. We climb into our tents at 830.
Caleb and I sleep in. It’s already 9am when we’re making breakfast in the room because the hotel does not offer it as pictured and advertised. We grab Gert and drive back to Hiker Haven to pick up Trailer Park and Rachel who will nap on the way to Onyx Summit Trail. They will hike from here to Doble PCT Camp, 14.3 miles, and Gert will go with them, even though he was supposed to take a zero-day.
Rachel, Trailer Park, Gert
We drive to the Stanfield Marsh Wildlife and Waterfowl Preserve because I have an affection for a good boardwalk. We walk across two that connect a paved bike path and, on our return, get to see a mother coot with her cooties (grade school made this seem like a negative thing). We watch for a while as we’re in no rush. We spend the rest of the afternoon driving around.
Welcome to Big Bear
We go to Serrano Campground but they are booked for the night. We go across the street to the day-use area to get water and the woman seems confused, “You didn’t go to the store?” We let her know we already have bottles, we just want to refill them. She points us back across the street and they let us use the waste station for RVs to get potable water.
We drive to one of two spots where the PCT crosses the road near here but leave after encountering crazy, hoping he’s not here when our trail friends arrive. We drive back to the campgrounds to ask about reserving the next night as we want to use tents at an RV site and the woman says she’ll be working again tomorrow, so we can stop by.
view near Doble Camp
We drive out to where the group will be camping because Caleb sees two spots on the map and wants to be sure where we’re going. We find it, a picnic table and ADA-compliant bathroom minus its door, and return to the pickup site as Gert messages me. He and Trailer Park are waiting, so we take their bags and they’ll do the other two miles while we stay back for Rachel and drive her closer.
on the way to camp
There is already someone sitting at the table when we arrive. Caleb and Rachel set up their tents, and when the guys arrived, we went back to the car for their bags and the King’s Hawaiian bread and salty watermelon whiskey we picked up earlier. Usually, we get two loaves, one for me to eat on the way home and one for later. Tonight, I will cut it into eight pieces to share.
As we start dinner we learn more about this young man who turns out to be another kid who’s just 18 from Arkansas named Lyric. His dad hiked the first week with him and his friend was in town with an injury. He’s got spirit and already knows to tote plenty of water through the desert, so he’s also known as Hydro, but Lyric is so unique. He plans on going a few miles further than us tomorrow, just not starting as early.
The thing about hydration is that it runs on its own schedule. Many a hiker attempts to drink enough during their activity and some chug water whenever they come across a source but we also drink lots before bed. This leaves me stumbling in the dark, under the moonlight, but still asleep to find a tree. Rachel and I set up our tents on a slope so we slept like we were falling on our sides.
Trying to right myself from this falling position, I trip over one of her tent lines and luckily don’t land in the dirt. We talked about start times, and I still don’t want to hike in the dark, but I will break down camp before then. Trailer Park is up singing a Christmas tune for our 430 alarm. My body wants to sleep for another four hours, at least, but this mountain won’t descend itself.
Gert admiring the view
I’m the last to pack up my tent. Ravi didn’t bother to set his up. I’m a slow eater, and yet as soon as the last swallow hits my stomach, my brain says it’s time to go so I can keep my legs warm, and Gert is ready, always seemingly so. We are the first to leave camp ten minutes behind schedule. There are a lot of large rocks and beautiful trees along the path.
We are seemingly making good time among the manzanitas and pines that provide shade while looking out at the desert below, which is our destination for the day. We passed a tree that was hollowed out and two rocks – one looked like a dinosaur back, and the other like the smiling shark from Finding Nemo, Bruce. We come across a pine cone as big as Ravi’s head and let his youth carry him in front of us again.
There is a note for Ottie, left in the gravel under a rock, for the “one tiny disgusting puddle” that is 0.1 miles down a dry stream bed. Leave no trace but also don’t leave others stranded, so the note stays in hopes that Ottie isn’t relying on such a measly source. Some hikers get lost, and others skip the summit, and the time of day can influence the state of the water – frozen, flowing, fled.
The fence lizards and one California sister butterfly are enjoying the sunny rocks as our legs take a beating from fighting the urge to take a shortcut – jump off the edge and let gravity have us – as the sun starts to cook us. Rachel finds a rock to climb under and Ravi succumbs to the power of the sun and lets it soak in. Gert and I find some much-needed shade by noon but it’s not enough to nap under, so we must march on.
Ravi with pinecone
An hour later, we are putting our foot next to the 200-mile stone marker (only to count three others). Another hour and a bush has grown over the trail so people have just gone out onto the rocks around them. This trail is definitely not for the faint of heart as a quick escape is just one wrong slip away. Rachel prefers to let her legs do the storytelling, so she will leave a message on them when she passes here.
Another hour of desert views, and I’m changing my socks as my feet seem to be getting squishy, and the blister size would be the balls of my feet. They are glad for the fresh wool which quickly absorbs the collected moisture, but when they find out our day is only 3/4 done, they begin to scream out in defiance. This isn’t the first time my feet have hurt, but at least I’m not in flats, so I keep going.
Jess and Gert in the shade
Out here, I don’t have much choice. Soon, my feet are on fire, and I push another mile. The pain shoots into my shins which feel like they are splintering. By the last mile, even my hips seem to be inflamed. I gave Gert a bag of trail mix for sticking with me, and again carrying my tent, as I told him he could leave me under this shade for the elements.
Out of the group, I had the most water, so they rushed to the next source – a rock with shade for four. I collapse in the dirt on two sets of trekking poles in the sun and am quickly offered an umbrella and a bag of water (thanks, Rachel), but Gert helps me up into the shade on the other side. We arrived after 4pm and Ravi and Kaito were already or still there. I have signal and let Caleb know I will be awhile.
With his woman in distress, Caleb and Trailer Park come to the rescue with cold Gatorade. I’m not going to sit around and make them road-walk a mile, so I get back on my feet to meet them. Caleb takes my bag and the guys go on ahead. When Rachel and Ravi catch up, they slow their pace to stay with my hobbling. Gert was worried that the heat got me, but only the constant pounding on my delicate legs wore me out.
Jess, Ravi, Kaito
I get to the car at 5pm. It has been a long day and I sit with my bag in my lap in the backseat because Gert’s height has earned him front-seat passenger status. Trailer Park wants burgers and navigates us to Five Guys, but the only way to get there is by parking in the mall lot and walking across the fancy shopping plaza (over $5,000 bags and shoes) to the food court where only Gert gets a salad.
Caleb, Gert, Trailer Park
The woman who took some of our orders asks Caleb why three of us got enough food for five people and he lets her know we hiked 20 miles today, so we are starving. We drop Trailer Park and Rachel off at Hiker Haven (PCT hikers only) where they get fresh fruit, entertainment, and a spot on the garage floor for $20/night (more for a room) with Ravi and Kaito.
Gert, Trailer Park, Rachel, Jess
Gert wants a room so he can soak his tired feet (we didn’t know how “tired” they were at this point, but there’s a reason he was fine with me slowing him down). We get a hotel in Banning and Gert will use our address as the clerk doesn’t know how to process his passport or other IDs. Caleb runs me a bath, scrubs me, and then tries to talk to me once my head hits the pillows. I was out.
TheJessicaness 