Day 22

Today I woke up after a rough sleep. People were rude all night long and ran past our tents with lights, music playing, and loud talking. I had to put headphones in but I still woke up hearing club music in the middle of the night.

I left around 6:15am after a 15 minute soak in the hot springs. The trail followed the creek out of the canyon for a few miles. We came to a large rock dam and then entered the woods for a minute. Then the trail followed a road, but from far away, for the next 10 miles. I had planned to do 25 today but toyed with 34 to Cajon Pass for a room and some food. By 12pm I’d already done 15 miles and only sat once for a 10 minute break. I felt good though. The terrain was very very easy.

Hoops was going to do 25 also but I didn’t see him all day. The trail followed a large reservoir for miles. There was a side trail to a picnic area where I was going to stop for a break. Somehow I missed it and kept going and instead drank some questionable water that was flowing under a road. I’d done 20 at this point and kept pushing on. At 25 I stopped to get water but saw no camping options. I still felt good since it was only 4pm and thought maybe I could do another 9 miles to Cajon. I wanted to get extra water in case I didn’t make it. I stepped down to reach in the pools of water that were left from a once running stream and realized I would have to reach from a different spot. As I stood up I realized my legs and arms were wrapped with poison oak. I panicked, got out of the brush, and rubbed myself down with hand sanitizer. That sealed the deal for me and I decided to do 9 more to Cajon for a shower. I get poison anything so bad and I did not want it again.

I ate some fish jerky, an energy gel, a honey stinger waffle, and drank a liter of water and pushed on. The trail was still easy but it was now cold and very windy. So much so that it was knocking me every which way. I had to stabilize myself with my poles as I walked. Twice today my hat whipped off my head and I may have lost it but thankfully I bought a $6 little device called a “Kap Saver” from the gear store in Idyllwild. It clips onto your hat and then your shirt and saves a hat from flying away. And it did so for me and I’m thankful. I have plenty of extra HikerFeed hats but I want this one to make it to Canada.

As the sun went down the views were gorgeous. I could see for miles and miles. The sky was purple and everything around me was golden. It was still, yet loud with the highway and trains in the distance. Multiple times I laughed, smiled, and said out loud how thankful and lucky I was to be out here. I felt like I kept hitting a runner’s high because of the miles I was doing. Somehow my body didn’t feel in too much pain and it was a long, but mostly enjoyable stroll down to Cajon Pass.

I finally arrived around 8 when it was just dark. I walked and walked and felt sensory overload as dozens of cars drove by and people were about everywhere. I had a very scary few minutes of walking a highway overpass at night and trying to cross the road at night. No cars stopped to let me go. They zoomed past without a care. I made it to a gas station next to the hotel and ordered 3 burritos from del taco. They were gross but I didn’t care. I was hungry. I followed those with a king size Reese’s and king sized butterfinger. And washed it all down with a 28oz body armor. I took a shower and a long bath and passed out. I feel accomplished. 34 miles. A new personal record for me, beating my previous by .7.