Day 23 – 14 Apr 19. Down the River We Go

Today 31.7 km (19.7 mi), Total Distance 474.3 km (294.7 mi). 9 hours 20 minutes (0725-1645)

It was pretty chilly when I woke up, 3 degrees C! I decided to stay in my bag a little longer but finally forced myself to get up and warmed up quickly.

I was on my way a little later than recently but there was no rush as today seemed like a cruisy day. I knew there were two hills in the first 5 miles and then it was mainly downhill.

I barely noticed the first hill, just powering up, and warmed up quickly. I was looking for wildlife as early in the morning and later at night should logically be the best times. Sadly nothing was seen except for birds.

There was a beautiful bird that was bright blue when flying. It had a crest on the back of its head and they seemed to be flying in pairs.

At the top of the hill I could now look down and see Big Bear Lake and the town where I was yesterday. The two ski fields were also easy to spot and they had a good covering of snow. The lake was in sight for quite a while as the track followed along the side of the hill before dropping onto the other side.

This was now the north side and there were a few patches of snow. Good to get my snow fix for the day.

I was feeling pretty good except the inside of the ball of my left foot was a little sore. A few days ago I got a small blister which seemed to have healed but was sore today. I stopped and put a blister patch over it.

Today I was also a little more hungry and actually wanted to have some snacks during the morning. This is a good development as I am not keen on forcing myself to eat. As it was cooler I had some mini Snickers and a Cliff Bar. The bar was too sweet which is an issue with all the energy bars I am finding here.

I heard some voices when I crossed a road which I think were people running on the road. A bit further on 4 men came towards me. Judging by the T-shirts I think they are training for an ultramarathon somewhere.

The trail was in excellent condition with only a few patches of rocks. I was intentionally pushing my pace a little more than I have in the past as this is the final week of restrictions. Still a maximum of 20 miles (32 km) but this week I can push the pace a little.

Trying the Rain Skirt to relive my chafing

The trail emerged from the lovely forest into an area of devastation. A fire had wiped out most of the vegetation and the trail dropped through this stark landscape down to a stream.

Just before I started dropping a guy emerged from the bushes above the trail. He positioned himself in front of me and started walking. We chatted, or rather I listened to him talk, for the next 10 minutes. He was going slightly slower than I wanted but in line of my philosophy of being more social on this trail I stayed with him until he stopped to talk to 3 other people and fill up with water.

Back on my own it was a quick descent to the stream. Unfortunately it seemed that the vegetation quickest to recover from the fire were thorns and prickles.

Down by the stream I thought about stopping for an early lunch but as soon as I stopped I realised that it was actually windy and a little cold so I continued. While I was dithering about this decision the couple from the previous stream passed me.

The trail joined a road and crossed the stream. There was a junction and the couple turned left onto the first road. I continued until seeing a PCT marker and was on the trail. I tried yelling to the couple to let them know they were off trail but they could not hear me.

The trail was on the side of the hill above the road and the river. It slowly transitioned to an area of neat reddish rocks and then into an area of whitish rocks. I had lunch by a little stream. The guy from earlier stopped but when he saw I was finishing he carried on.

The trail had very small ups and downs until turning away from the stream onto an plateau. I passed the guy as he had stopped for a break.

The trail then met up with the stream and wound through some neat canyons and on narrow paths under cliffs. It felt like the Badlands from Western Movies.

Coming around a corner the couple were having a break and I joined them. They were from Amsterdam and this was their first long hike. They were good fun in their enthusiasm for the trail and making fun of themselves for their mistakes, like taking 8 days food for this leg. For the record I am taking 5 days thinking it will take 4 ½ days.

An Englishman joined us briefly, to have a smoke, the first tobacco smoker I have seen on the trail. He left first knowing it was 1.2 miles to the water and he was running low.

I left next and enjoyed the next part which had some trees for shade. It was really starting too warm up when sheltered from the wind.

At the river I filtered enough water for camp. Just before I left the couple arrived.
The trail crossed the river here and there was some rocks to hop across but one part was a little tricky but I managed without issues.

The next part of the trail was a bit rough from water damage reminding me of Mission Creek of a few days ago.

There was another crossing, this time with a log across. The log was a little slippery but I took my time and used my trekking poles for support.

There was a longer stretch of trail above the stream and then the final crossing using some spindly trunks across the stream. Surprisingly they held up and my feet stayed dry.

Now it was only a mile before the campsite I had chosen, just short of the 20 mile (32 km) mark. The last part went quickly, though my body was in shock as there was a slight uphill before dropping.

The campsite was pretty big and had a sign board with a map and a fire place.

I was the only one there and I wandered around deciding which was the best campsite. I was a bit worried about the wind but it didn’t seem too strong. I quickly set up my tent and got into my evening routine.

About an hour later the guy from this morning arrived. I watched him put up his tent and it seemed to take a bit of time. He had attempted PCT in 2017 and got as far as Tahoe so was practiced in the tent, I think it was just the design.

As I was eating dinner the couple turned up. I was trying something different for dinner. Instead of instant potatoes I was having instant noodles. I found some in the international section of the supermarket which had four times the calories as the normal noodles. I added some packet chicken with Ginger Soy flavour and the combination was pretty good.

Once everyone else was set up we sat by the fire talking until bed.

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