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.

April 24, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 276.6) to Bench Trail Camp (mile 294.7)

Miles: 18.1

We woke up to the sounds of woodpeckers knocking on the trees around us. Andy thinks that noise would make a great alarm clock tone.

The songs of other small birds joined in and a symphony filled the air.

Andy shuffled around organizing his belongings while Laurie relished the extra 15 minutes in her sleeping bag.

We packed up and were on the trail just before 7am. There was a chill in the air so we hiked quickly to get warm. The sun kissed our backs as we hiked high above Big Bear Lake, warming us once again. The lake is the lowest Andy’s ever seen. The drought is still going…

The last few days we have been proudly enjoying the fact that this is the longest either one of us has hiked continously. And, if we hike according to plan, we should reach and surpass the 300 mile mark tomorrow!

This momentous occasion could have given us plenty to talk about, but we didn’t talk much in the morning. And when we did, we were short and snappy with one another.

Andy thinks it’s because sometimes we don’t communicate what we want the other person to do. Instead we expect them to be mind readers and already know what it is that we want. This can lead to frustration (sometimes silent frustration) and cause a rift.

But by 3pm, we were ok again. We talked, expressed our feelings and moved on.

We walked through a large burn area and had to seek inspiration and beauty from the passing clouds, blooming flowers, their scents, rock formations in the distance and – if you’re Laurie – an audiobook.

At one point Laurie was hiking very quickly. So quickly in fact that Andy was caught off guard and had trouble keeping pace. Laurie is listening to Boys In The Boat, and got caught up in the excitement and suspense of a regatta.

Holcomb Creek was our companion today. We crossed it 3 times. Oh how wonderful it is to see running water in a creek!

Just before we got to one of two back to back river crossings, a dog ran toward us growling and barking.

“It’s ok boy, you’re ok” Laurie said to the dog with a very calm voice. (Laurie likes to hike in front and this is what scares Andy most – unexpected encounters with unfriendly pets or wild animals.)

A few seconds later man’s voice commanded his dog to relax and be quiet. It worked for a millisecond, then the dog started barking, growling and fake charging us again. Finally the owner came up to the dog, picked it up and walked by us. Another man carrying a heavy, large backpack walked passed, followed by a woman carrying a shotgun. They left their cooler in the middle of the trail for us to walk around.

Sunday in the mountains…

So far we’ve seen three shiny party balloons caught in trees. Unfortunately forests are where many of these balloons settle once released – intentionally or otherwise.

We reached camp just before 4pm. We hiked 18 miles on 9 hours, including breaks! We’re happy with that.

As far as we know based on our maps, app and word of mouth, this is the last tenting spot for at least 20 miles. So this became home for the evening.

About 6 people were already set up. Andy went over to the guys and was chattin with em while Laurie cleaned up and started “making home.”

We have a nice routine and division of labor- we put up the tent together then Laurie crawls inside to inflate the pads and unpack the sleeping bags while Andy gets water and makes dinner.

Andy’s left foot was bothering him today and at camp he found the source of the problem. Under the ball of his foot was a blister. He later noticed another one on his right big toe.

He’s not sure why he’s having these issues. He suspects it must be his new socks. They are the same brand but new and must be causing extra friction. He’s not happy and will wear his old socks tomorrow.

On a happier note, Laurie is finally over her cold. She continues to have blisters between her toes but they are slowly turning into calluses. It is nice to see her feet hardening.

We decided to eat in our tents tonight since the wind picked up and the temperature dropped.

Outside, the guys sounded like they were havin a good time. Then they all started caughing. Lots of people smoke on the trail. It’s a thing. The coughing outside the tent was met with coughing in our tent as sugar went down the wrong pipe while Laurie was eating candy ☺

It’s now 9:15 and Laurie is sound asleep, as are most of the guys here. Andy’s up though, listening to gunshots in the distance.

Sunday in the mountains…

Tonight we are grateful for bug and mosquito free hiking and our warm tent sheltering us from the wind.

April 23, 2016

Highway 18 (mile 266.1) to bushcamp (mile 276.6)

Miles: 10.5

We woke up snuggled in cotton sheets. It was refreshing to doze knowing that we had nowhere to be and nothing that had to be done. Well, not immediately.

We organized our backpacks and figured out the mileage for our next section. If we want to get to Islip Saddle by Friday evening we need to average 19.6 miles a day. That sounds a little intimidating so we came up with a backup plan of 15.6 miles a day and an exit point of Wrightwood. We will let our bodies (especially our feet) decide.

Andy’s family picked us up around 10 and we drove around Big Bear Lake looking for a place to picnic. Thanks again to Ed and Jeanie for hosting us!

We settled at the interpretive trail parking lot and sat down to feast. Laurie showed more self control than last week and didn’t eat herself sick. The food was yummy and we packed up leftovers to carry with us for dinner, and breakfast the next morning.

Then we sorted through our resupply boxes and planned our next 6 days worth of food.

With 2 liters of water each and 6 days of food our packs were heavy!

We got dropped off at highway 18 where one day prior Ed picked us up. Twenty four hours off trail and we were ready to start walking again!

Our plan was to hike 2.5 miles to a trail camp but we got there in just over an hour and felt good. Fueled by home cooked food and still full bellies we powered on another 8 miles.

We climbed up 1000 ft, dropped down to a creek and climbed some more. Most of the trail was bordered by pine trees. We walked through a boulder field, over soft dirt and rocky trail. It felt good to be moving again.

We reached camp around 7:15, set up our tent and promptly climbed in. We ate leftovers curled up in our sleeping bags.

It’s going to be a cold night – we’re camped at 7,717 feet – so Andy put up the fly for additional warmth.

Lastly, we’d like to thank you to everyone who has contributed to our town fund. We really appreciate your generosity and support. We continue to feel so lucky to have people cheering us on from across the country.

Tonight we are grateful for our community and full bellies.