April 27, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 338.4) to Bushcamp (mile 357.2)

Miles: 18.8

“French fries and ice cream, French fries and ice cream!” Laurie woke up chanting with a smile on her face.

We are happy to report we did not blow away last night and actually slept very well.

Our friend Dave (Nemo) passed us around 8:15pm on a mission for chicken McNuggets and a McFlurry. It is amazing what starts to dominate your thoughts when you have spent 3 weeks in the woods.

We were on the trail by 6:45am powered by thoughts of reaching a milestone (I-15- the end of section C of California and McDonalds!). Oh, and weather is coming in too.

We got to McDonald’s at 8:15am, around the same time a large tour bus pulled in. It’s occupants made a beeline for the McDonalds and took over the bathrooms- “I guess I won’t be washing out my socks and underwear for a while” smiled Laurie.

We found an outlet to charge our phones and Laurie excitingly went to up to order her french fries and ice cream. Unfortunately McDonald’s doesn’t serve french fries or hamburgers until 10:30am- who knew?! I suppose the abstinence from McDonald’s fries will continue for another 15 years!

Laurie did get soft serve and enjoyed every bite!

We bought a new smart water bottle after Andy enthusiastically jammed a whole bunch of dehydrated lemons into one of our other smart water bottles. The lemon water was nice this morning but with the narrow opening we couldn’t get the lemons out.

Andy returned from the Chevron mini mart with a big smile on his face. He bought salt and vinegar Kettle chips and peach rings for Laurie. A true sign of trail love!

We hoisted our packs on our backs and retraced our steps 0.4 miles back to the trail. We proceeded to walk under the I-15 highway (Laurie holding Andy’s hand because it was a little spooky and dark) and out into trees on the other side. We walked under 2 railroad tracks and over 1 more.

We took some fun pictures in one of the tunnels under the train tracks – one of the joys of shorter mileage days.

We then started our climb. Fifteen miles and 4000 ft of elevation gain. The trail was gradual in some sections and steeper in others. We walked on nice wide trails for the most part and a few sections where erosion and rock slides left minimal traces of the trail. We walked on a knife edge up on a ridge and wide gradual fire roads. The only consistency was that we kept gaining elevation.

Once we started moving our aches and pains dissolved and we held a steady clip of 2.5 – 3 mph.

We were cruising along with Laurie in the lead when suddenly she yelped and jumped backwards. Hidden in a bush right next to a trail lay a rattlesnake. Thankfully he warned us of his presence but he was not happy. He continued to stare at us, tongue going in and out as he slithered away.

Not even 2 miles up the trail we saw another snake. This one more docile and sprawled out across the trail sunning itself. Since our encounter near scissors crossing (Mile 77) we have learned that rattle snakes only attack when coiled. This gave Laurie some peace of mind but did not stop her from squealing as she jumped over where the snake lay.

From there Andy took the lead. We decided that during the hottest parts of the day (and what we determined to be peak snake hours) Andy would lead.

An hour later Andy saw another snake. This one was black with a yellow stripe running along it’s side. It slithered away before Andy could get a picture and Laurie could freak out.

We stopped for an hour and a half lunch break to air out our feet. The wind picked up and it became down right cold!

We saddled up our backpacks and powered through the last 5.3 miles to camp. Laurie commented many times how pretty these mountains are. She never thought Los Angeles had mountains, let alone scenic ones.

We were delightfully surprised when we got to camp and found no one else here. Makes sense though. With inclement weather on the horizon most people must have pushed on another 10 miles to Wrightwood.

The forecast calls for a chance of showers tonight, wind gusts up to 35mph and near freezing temps.

We’re happy to be here though. We enjoy sleeping outside.

Laurie is doubly excited and has been looking forward to dinner all day. “Hey Laurie, what are you having for dinner tonight?”

“Macaroni and cheese!!” She’d reply like a gitty 5 year old.

After we ate dinner, we cleaned our dirty feet and watched lightning strike in the distance.

It’s 8:30pm now. We’re cozy in our tent and hoping our 20 degree sleeping bags keep us warm.

Time to brush up, floss and go to bed. Goodnight.

Tonight we are grateful for the warnings of rattlers and comfort food.

April 26, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 315.1) to bushcamp (mile 338.4)

Miles: 23.3

We woke up at our usual 5:45 and started hiking at 7:15.

The trail was mellow in the beginning, hugging the hillsides and meandering in and out of the sunshine.

We walked through bushes buzzing with bees, shady turns with bunches of poison oak and sunny patches with butterflies playing tag and lizards scooting out of our way.

Andy’s blister caused him pain but after 15 min the pain turned numb- as long as we kept walking. He had searing pain when he took weight off his left foot but after learning that the hard way he didn’t didn’t do it again. He is a trooper though, he just kept walking.

Then, out of nowhere we turned a corner and a large dam appeared- not more than 200 yards away. We walked alongside the bottom paralleling a road and then eventually started to climb up to the top.

We passed a cooler in the shade and Laurie squealed with delight, only to be disappointed when it was empty. Andy reassured her that in time we will walk upon trail magic.

We got to the top of the dam and looked down on Silverwood Lake. It is big! We walked around the perimeter for what felt like forever!

We spotted a covered picnic area in the distance and set that as a goal for lunch. The trail started to climb again so we dropped down to the beach to walk along the water to get to the picnic table.

We ate a filling lunch of cheese, crackers, salami (Andy had salmon) and carrot cake cookies while sitting on a picnic table. Oh, and we washed all that down a with lemon flavored electrolyte drink.

After lunch, we continued on around the lake and finally out across a highway and into the next set of hills. The trail was well defined and steadily climbed up and then down.

We ran into Buff, a 62 year old man from Humbolt. We chatted for a bit and then parted ways as Andy’s blister started hurting and we stopped to readjust the molefoam.

We saw Buff again as he was setting up his tent. We continued on with a mission to get further down the trail to make the next day more manageable.

We hiked on with sore feet and hungry bellies until we got past the power lines and to our planned camp.

Laurie started singing Christmas carols with hiking lyrics and other random songs to pass the time. We also had conversations about tattoos, kids, religion and whether we’d date one another again if we had a do over.

We arrived at our anticipated campsite but it was on the edge of a 200 ft drop. With a steady wind we got a little nervous and found another spot on the other side of the trail.

Andy cooked while Laurie set up the tent. We ate dinner and dessert and tried to figure out transportation for Friday when we anticipate we will be at Islip Saddle. Road closures, icy trail alternatives and possible inclement weather make it hard to plan. We don’t think we will have cell reception in the Angeles National Forest so we are taking a lot of time to figure out a reasonable plan.

Tonight we are grateful for blue skies and mole foam.

April 25, 2016

Bench Trail Camp (mile 294.7) to bushcamp (mile 315.1)

Miles: 20.4

We’ve hiked over 300 miles!! Yippee.

Last night it poured! We woke up to a crisp morning with some ice on the ground. Our hands burned as we disassembled our tent. Gloves would have been nice but they were neatly stored deep in our backpacks.

We hit the trail at 7:10. The cold morning slowed us down a bit. As Laurie poked her head out the wet rain fly at 6:45, all but 2 tents were already gone. “I guess we are the late risers around here!”

The trail left Halcomb Creek and settled high above Deep Creek. We traversed the steep hills on either side of the creek, watching it ebb and flow. At times it looked like a lazy river and other moments a fast river gradually smoothing out stones. Vibrant green trees lined the bank and served as a stark contrast from the dry, loose rock on the trail.

We arw both nursing blisters so we took our time making sure to air out our feet and socks during breaks.

We ate lunch at a small stream, listening to the wind whip through dry branches- causing us both to frequently turn our head thinking someone was approaching.

Around 1:30 we finally reached the infamous Deep Creek Hot Springs. As we arrived a group of teenagers were packing up. Dark clouds loomed overhead threatening and spitting but never letting loose.

We enjoyed the warmth of the hot springs all to ourselves. Andy dipped back and forth between the cool river and warm hot spring. Laurie lasted about 10 minutes before overheating and getting antsy to keep walking.

As we were leaving 2 regulars arrived (one was lying in his tent when we walked up but was waiting for the teenagers to leave before coming down to soak). The other was a man who hiked the PCT in 1994 and currently lives in his van. We chatted about potential camping, or lack there of past the hot springs and the weather.

We slowly climbed up the hill to meet back up with the PCT. The trail continued to climb but refreshed from the soak in warm water, our bodies felt good.

We crossed over a rainbow bridge and continued to walk on a neatly carved trail along the side of the mountain. As we got closer to the Mojave Dam the amount of grafiti increased.

Suddenly we turned a corner and there in front of us was the Mojave Damn. The brown dirt, rocks and cement is a stark contrast to the lush Deep Creek valley.

It is a little creepy walking by and near the dam. The trail turns to sand which makes every step harder.

We take off our shoes to cross Deep Creek and walk through a sketchy forest littered with toilet paper, bottles and more grafiti.

We pass a house with signs that read “Warning, no trespassing. Shotguns in use.”

The trail crosses a road and continues to gradually climb. Our feet are starting to talk to us so we look for potential camping spots.

We settle on a flat-ish spot out of sight from the trail. We set up our wet tent and Laurie goes about trying to clean it. She has not yet embraced the “dirt bag” lifestyle.

We eat dinner and watch as the sun slowly fades behind the horizon. In the distance we can see the snow dusted mountains of the Angeles National Forest.

In 2 days time we will be walking there amongst the pine trees once again.

Tonight we are grateful for hot springs and riveting audiobooks.