Mission Creek

Mission Creek

Day 15

The Wildlands Preserve to seasonal water source

18.4 miles

5,600 gain

Waking up at 5:15 am to hike is exponentially better than waking up this early (or earlier) to teach classes. That was my thought this morning as Kevin’s alarm went off. We slowly got moving to start our day but first had coffee so we could take full advantage of the flush toilets at the nature preserve before we left. It was a successful morning.

Today’s hike is just one long climb up along Mission Creek. There are more trees offering shade than we have had in awhile. We have soaked our feet a few times in the cool stream and washed our shirts and hair. Before lunch we were pushing to a certain spot along the creek to get to before we rested. We made it with Kevin in high spirits loving the trees and the creek and I felt overheated and grumpy. Kevin is a saint. We generally time our difficult times and bad moods to not be at the same time. That works better for both of us!

Soaking our feet in the cool creek helped the inflammation in our feet

After a couple hour siesta, we started walking again. The trail continued to wind around a canyon, over the stream, through some bushes etc. The final two miles of the day were the steepest part. When we were already tired. We had to put in some music or a book and just pound up the hill. Camp had many mosquitos but only a few hikers. Early to bed for another day tomorrow. Today was hard and felt exhausting.

Two weeks on the trail!!

Day 14

Water faucet to Whitewater River Nature Preserve

12.8 miles

Today was somewhat of a shorter hiking day and it felt great! We started off walking with a group of other hikers to the I10 underpass. From there we attempted to get an Uber into town since it was a hard road to hitch off of. While we were waiting, two women who we had met earlier on the trail got dropped off at the road and we talked with them about their town stop. It ended up their ride didnt mind bringing us into town either and was the owner of a small backpacking company who had thruhiked in 2018. It is always amazing the connections we make out here on the trail!

Once in town, Kevin and I got our food for the next three days at a truck stop and then got lunch at Chipotle and In-N-Out. Hopefully we didn’t smell too bad to the other restaurant goers. To get back to the trail, a few of us split an Uber.

After a lovely siesta under the interstate, we began to climb away from town. We camped at a beautiful oasis with grass and trees! It is a nature conservancy that allows camping and has bathrooms and running water. The river bed near the preserve is mostly sand but has a small stream still running through it. The campground has many trees which offer shade and rest from the arid hills and climbs. The past two nights the wind had been howling so we will see if it keeps us awake tonight. The background noise of the frogs reminds me of the summer frogs in Michigan and falling asleep to them as a youngster! Before setting up camp we saw some big horn sheep far up the river canyon wall. Now just before sleep, we heard a rock slide they set off. It was not near us in anyway.

Day 13

A mile past North Fork river to the faucet,

18.3 miles

5000 feet loss aka down to the desert again,

We started this morning at around 5,500 feet with the cool brisk mountain air. As we steadily lost elevation throughout the day, it became warmer and warmer. We were gifted a nice breeze to keep things cool. A few days ago it had been about 100 degrees in Palm Springs so we were very grateful to have avoided that.

The high forest and coolness of the air was a small taste of what is to come in the Sierras. There were several points in the last couple of days where I was reminded of hiking around Lake Tahoe. I am trying to remind myself to enjoy each moment of the trail including the desert but I am also really excited to get up into the mountains!

Today’s miles dropped us out into desert terrain fairly quickly so we scrambled to find some shade as the day got hotter. We were grateful for a few large boulders along the way! We even took a siesta under a tree since we were able to do the miles today a bit faster than planned. Usually our pace slows way down when going downhill but the trail was graded very well and we could keep up our pace. Our knees were very grateful for the gradual descent!

The milestone of the day was hitting 200 miles! It is hard to believe we have already walked 200 miles! It is a gift to be out here! While some of the high points of thruhiking are the northern and southern terminus’ and the milestones in between, it is the journey that makes the memories and growth.

San Jacinto

Day 12

Spitler trail junction to campsite 1.3 miles north from North Fork of San Jacinto River.

19 miles

The day started out with a lovely sunrise. Our campsite was on a ridge so we could see the valley that holds Palm Springs to the east. The valley toward the west was full of clouds the entire day. It was so beautiful to see as we hiked.

Today was a big push over the San Jacinto range. We did not go to the tallest peak, San Jacinto Peak, that was off trail. Maybe we are boring but we don’t often do side trails. Today felt long enough in itself. We did about 5,200 feet gain in elevation which is our biggest day yet. Some of the trail was built into the edge of the a rocky cliff. There were quite a few blown down trees that we had to climb over.

Part of this section of trail has been burned recently and the effects of the burn can still be seen in dead trees and bare hill sides. There are a few plants we saw that are common in burn areas because the seeds lie dormant until the heat of fire opens them and those plants are one of the first to reproduce and provide soil stability. One of those plants are the puddle dog bush. Often talked about on trail because it causes a rash worse than poison oak, requires medicine immediately, and the effects last up to six months. We are trying to be super careful not to get it.

Near the end of the day we arrived to the most beautiful water source we have seen yet! It was a cascading waterfall with plenty of water which was great because this is the last water for 19 miles. We ate dinner here and filled up on water as well as chugged a bunch to be hydrated for tomorrow. We headed out from the water with very heavy packs and started down hill. My knees felt about 100 years old with going down hill and having more weight. Hopefully these knees will make it a few more thousand miles!

One thought I had today was that the hike was both hard and we are also strong. Sometimes it can be easy to think that if something is hard/difficult, it is because I’m not strong enough to handle it. However, black and white thinking creates unnecessary dichotomies. Something can be difficult to complete and I can be strong to persevere through it.

Meeting people

Day 11

16.6 miles plus 2 miles off trail to collect water.

Hwy 74 (Idyllwild) to Spitler trail turn off

This morning began with a ride to the trail from a kind friend. Then we started hiking around 8:15. It was rolling hills at the beginning but quickly became more aggressively uphill.

Kevin and I had some good talks as we started uphill and it made the first miles fly by. I am always super grateful for our conversations and time together out here on the trail. I really love it and know this time together will be a treasure for the rest of our lives.

After a bit, we met and learned the names of a group of three guys that we had seen a few times on trail. I called them the three stooges, which Kevin later informed me could be found rude. I don’t know if I have ever seen the show so I thought it was just three funny guys and not three guys acting stupid. Well, sorry guys!

Then we caught up to another couple on trail whom we had met a few times. We then spent the rest of the day hiking with them and talking about life. This included a mile off trail to get water at a spring. I really enjoyed their company and conversation and it made the miles fly by.

Our campsite is perched just over the ridge of a saddle with good wind protection and an awesome view of the desert off in the distance. Tomorrow’s first climb is looming in the forefront of our northern view. We will climb up 5,000 feet of elevation tomorrow so I’m off to get some rest to prepare.

Our first “zero” day

Day 10- zero day

Zero trail miles because we rested in town!

Miles walking to the ice cream store: .4

We began the morning with friends in a home eating a home cooked breakfast! What a treat and luxury on the trail! Then we headed into town to finish our errands and got to see people we had started the trail with come into town. I had to find some dinner food at the grocery store and was super excited to find a new type of dinner. I got instant rice, a tofu soup mix, and dehydrated veggies. I will then add a protein packet I get sent to me in my boxes. Hopefully this will be a great new recipe for trail meals. Since gluten has been contributing to my eczema, I have been trying to find gluten free, dairy free meals to cold soak. Literally just put in my plastic jar with water, wait like an hour, then eat. So far it has been going well, just requiring creativity!

The rest of our day included shaved ice, (ice cream for Kevin), a nap, a long sit at the coffee shop, planning our trail miles, resting our feet, and eating dinner with a new trail friend!

The trail has a unique culture where you can walk into a trail town or watering hole on the trail and immediately have something in common with those around you. It isn’t weird to walk up and start conversation with people you just saw or sit with new people at a restaurant. A spirit of welcome could absolutely benefit the rest of our culture too!

Idyllwild, CA

Day 9,-

Nero into Paradise Valley Cafe

2.9 miles plus a mile road walk to the cafe.

A “Nero” is a hiker term used to describe a day where the amount of miles feels like a rest day. Usually at the beginning of the trail less than ten feels like a rest day. Further along the trail, if the terrain is not too aggressive then that number can change.

We intentionally hiked further yesterday to make today’s hike less. The three miles took about an hour in the early morning sunrise. The temperature felt great with the sun gently rising over the mountains. We caught up to a few fellow hikers we had met over the past few days and did the road walk to the cafe.

Paradise Valley Cafe is well known to hikers and was definitely worth the mile walk off trail. The waitress basically constructed a breakfast plate that catered to my aggressively needy eating habits which was wildly kind of her!

Kevin and I ate with some other hikers who had also done other trails we have and we had a good time discussing various events and landmarks.

The cafe is a common spot for hikers to hitchhike or get a shuttle into Idyllwild, CA. The four of us at the cafe called one of the trail angels aptly named Grumpy who arrived and gave us a ride into town complete with a rendition of his political, ecological, and educational views. It made the 17 mile drive up the mountain go by faster!

Once in town, we got into our resupply mode, picked up our box from the PO (thanks dad K), and I got my prescription for my face rash from the pharmacy. (My face believes it is intolerant to sunscreen).

Then we got connected to some friends’ family who offered their home, showers, and laundry to us! What a huge relief and blessing. Often each place in town charges five or ten dollars for laundry or showers which can add up after awhile. We stayed with them for a day and greatly appreciate their hospitality! One of our favorite things about traveling and hiking is connecting with friends and meeting friends’ family who host us! The people make the hike what it is!

Lunar Eclipse

Day 7

A week on the trail!

Warner Springs to Mike’s Place (a random house in the middle of nowhere that looks like where people get murdered but really is a nice persons’ off grid house who lets hikers stay in their lawn)

17.6 miles

We had a slow morning waking up and going to the community center to get water and eat breakfast. Kevin had a headache but it quickly went away with some ibuprofen and coffee. We then started hiking over some flattish fields and cow pastures. We followed a creek for a mile which was really nice and shady. At the last water stop by the creek, we soaked our feet in the cold rushing water which felt amazing. I wish there were more places to do that but alas…we are in the desert.

My feel have been sore and I have a few blisters. Specifically on the sides of my heels.

From the last creek stop, we started climbing for basically the rest of the day. As it grew hotter, we stopped by an off trail spring. I got a bit freaked out because there was a snake in the spring box and instead of skittering away it climbed a tree near the spring. I thought we had left the tree climbing monster snakes in the south East but apparently not. It was a garter snake so not venumous but i still found it to be nastier than the nastiest thing you can think of.

After we got our water and found a shade tree away from the spring, we hung out for about three hours during the hottest part of the day. Siestas are amazing and I really appreciate not having to hike when it is so hot. Kevin says he was born into the heat and it doesn’t bother him as much. I mean, he was born in August in South Carolina so he obviously is more experienced than I!

We got to camp by 6:30 pm which felt great and gave us time to get water, eat, and take care of my blisters before watching the lunar eclipse.

I think I will always remember watching a lunar eclipse with a bunch of other hikers, on the property of a person who allows pct hikers to stay and also drink his water. The water part is great because otherwise it would be a 17 mile stretch without water.

Tomorrow we also have long times without water and hopefully my blisters will be better!

Eagle Rock!

Day 6

18.1 miles

Third Gate Water Cache to Warner springs

Since we got into camp so late last night, we slept in til 7am then got started with our day. We did ten miles by noon and the owner of Montezuma Valley Market came and picked us up from the trailhead so we could resupply at the market. I was very happy to find foods I could eat at the market and foods I don’t usually find elsewhere. We hung out there with some people we knew until 5pm. It was really nice to do bucket laundry (literally washing clothes in a bucket) and spray off with the hose. I could also have a telehealth appointment for the returning rash on my face. The last couple of years I have been getting a rash in my face every time I use sunscreen. This doesn’t work well in the desert. I suppose I will be wearing a face covering when hiking instead of getting a rash from sunscreen.

After we got back to the trail around 5pm we quickly got to Eagle rock. It is a Super cool rock formation that looks like an Eagle. We watched the sunset with other hiker friends there which was beautiful over the fields of cows and mountains in the distance.

Then we night hiked about five more miles with four of our new friends and stopped just outside of Warner Springs. We will get water there tomorrow and head out for another day!

I am hoping my blisters will begin to turn into calluses soon and that we can keep having long siestas in the middle of the day! It really makes the longer miles seem not as far and helps our bodies recover a bit.

27 miles!

Day four

Garnet peak trail junction to Scissors Crossing- 27 miles

It was another chilly night up on the mountain but the trees around us provided a great wind break so we still got great rest. We got started hiking at 5:45 am in preparation of the longer day of hiking we wanted to do. Since the terrain seemed docile on the elevation profile, we figured we could push to the Scissors Crossing underpass and possibly go into Julian if we got here earlier than planned.

There was one day on the AT where we did 27 miles. It was in Vermont and we had arrived to a shelter only to be greeted by DNR rangers who were searching for an aggressive bear. We kept pushing forward to get away from the Bear, hence the 27 mile day.

So here we were trying 27 miles on day four of this trail! The day began with some wind but incredible views as we sidelined some rocky type mountains. Everyone talks about how the first section of the trail is desert, but I feel like the Laguna mountains don’t get talked about often! They are so beautiful. Most of the day was spent descending from the mountains into the plateau.

At each water stop, we checked in with each other to make sure our bodies were not getting hurt or injured from a long day of hiking too early on. Each time we reported maybe a sore toe from just stumbling on a rock but nothing major. At the end of the day, we both felt grateful and proud of how strong we felt throughout the day as well as humbled by the opportunity to be out here again.

When we made it down to the legendary rest spot under the overpass, we met a trail angel whose name is ‘Ghost’. He gave us a great history of the area, tips on avoiding snakes, and how to stay hydrated. He promised to meet us back here again in the AM to drive us into town for a hot breakfast at the diner! Once again, the trail provides.