11 — Idylwild

Miles 138.9 San Bernardino State Park–151.8 Paradise Valley Cafe (12.9 miles)

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Rose: town! Burgers! Thorn: potential hot spots on my feet but leukotape prevented any blisters Bud: town! Burgers!

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Another 4am wake up. 6 miles to water. This time, it was a water tank maintained by a trail angel named Mary. No mud puddles. No funky taste. No clogged water filters. In a show of civilization, there was a shade gazebo and even a tiny lending library.

Then another 7 miles to Paradise Valley Cafe. Burgers are only served 11am—3pm, so we all were hiking as fast as we could to beat the heat of the day and the rumored “best burgers on trail.” The hike was predominantly uphill, but very varied in scenery. The previous week, it’s been long ascents and descents on the same aspect of a range for several hours; today, the scenery changed every 15 minutes as we plunged into canyons, struggled uphill, and walked across ridge tops. I put on some music and a couple of good podcasts and was there quickly.

Changing aspects frequently also meant there were more opportunities for shade. That, combined with a steady wind, cooled down our ascent considerably.

The burgers were worth it. A couple of us were a little sun dazed, so the food helped.

Our hitch into town was remarkably easy: a mom turned around her car and went out of her way to take us to Idylwild and gave us a whole watermelon, because her kids wouldn’t eat it (her son Caleb confirmed this).

We’re staying at the Idylwild Inn in a half cabin at the back of the property. It’s perfect. A one bedroom with a pull out couch, tv, and kitchenette. Because Angel and I have a reputation for snoring, we’ve been exiled to the bedroom (score!) while the others are taking the living room area.

After getting settled, taking a turn around town, everyone showering, and sending our laundry to the front office, we made our way to $1 taco night (which turned out to be $2 taco night). Since our clothes were in the laundry, we were wearing clothing from the hiker box and wind/rain gear.