Written Thursday, 6 May 2021

I had a great night of sleep last night! For the first night in a couple a couple, I used my blow-up mattress. The previous nights, I was sleeping directly on my ground sheet played on the ground--not terrible, but, for a side sleeper like me, not the best either. Having my blow-up mattress was much better.

I was up around 0400, ate breakfast, got packed up, and was on the Trail by 0500, with the Big Bear trailhead in mind. Well, really what I had in mind was getting into Big Bear for food and beer!

My original plan leaving Idyllwild on Monday had been to hike about 20 miles a day and stop about 4 miles short of the Big Bear trailhead on Thursday (tonight), going into town in Friday morning. However, I made a little more than 20 miles each of the previous 3 days, putting me within a reasonable striking distance of the trailhead today, so an early arrival is now the plan.

As usual, in the dark at a campground where multiple trails come together, it takes me 5or 6 minutes and a couple tries to get on the right path, but I finally do.

Even with the headlamp for the first 45 minutes, the Trail is pretty easy to navigate, and as high up as we are, we get first light fairly early. Then the Trail becomes even easier. We do climb another 500 feet or so, but it's not a difficult climb in the cool morning and on fresh morning legs.

Reaching the top of this climb completes the longest single climb (that began all the way back at the lovely I-10 underpass) for northbounders on the PCT.

A couple miles down the Trail, I find Good Things, packing up next to the Trail. We briefly and quietly exchange good mornings (there is someone still sleeping in a tent next to Good Things' camp site) and agree to try to get together in town.

I move on while he is still packing, but I'm sure I will see him when he passes me.

Oddly, it's another hour or so before anyone passes me, and it's not Good Things but White Rabbit. I have no idea where I passed him. He wasn't the other (sleeping) hiker at Good Things' campsite. He was probably using some ninja Ranger camouflage magic while stealth camping.

Regardless, he's ahead of me by a long distance again soon, after we talk about trying to get together in town.

There are ups and downs on the Trail today, but after that initial climb from the cabin this morning, the predominant direction is down, but gently so. We are generally following the ridge lines of various mountains in the Sand-to-Snow National Monument and Dan Giorgino Wilderness. We run over the west shoulder if Onyx Peak and the rest shoulder of Sugarloaf Peak (I wonder how many places in the world are known as Sugarloaf).

I don't even bother to check my progress until 1000, and discover that I have already hiked 12.7 miles. Nothing to do but celebrate with a snack!

I get moving again by 1015, and the notice for the first time that things are really warming up. No clouds either, and we have mostly dropped below the beautiful pine forest we were in yesterday afternoon and earlier today. I feel like I am slowing down a little bit (and I probably am).

But I'm still moving at a reasonable pace. I think I'll stop for lunch at noon, but when I check my progress, I'm just 1.8 miles from the trailhead so I decide to press on without lunch. My stomach asks questions...

As I get closer to the trailhead, I start seeing some signs of civilization again, including a couple of pretty grand houses and a big, windfarm-style wind mill, all by itself.

I'm hearing increasing road/traffic noise, like cars and trucks moving at high speed, and before I even realize what is happening, the PCT spits me out into a parking lot next to a major highway (CA-18) at 1245, followed about a minute later by another hiker named Flaps, who I have been leap-frogging all week. Off to the left, under a tree, three hikers sorting through their resupply.

Holy crud, I covered almost 30 miles in under 8 hours. I'll probably never do that again! Seriously, on a day like today, with an early start, almost ideal trail conditions, and fairly moderate weather, 30 miles certainly seems doable, if I were so inclined.

I am not inclined.

For now.

Not sure where Good Things is. On any normal day, he would have passed me, but he has not.

Also, somewhere back there, at about Mike 265, I passed the point where we have completed 10% of the PCT. Yay! Only 2,385 miles to go!

Before I can even think about how I am going to get a ride into town, a car comes rolling up to drop some hikers on their ways back to the Trail. Flaps and I ask the driver if he would mind taking us to town, and he absolutely doesn't mind. Sweet!

On the way to town, the driver introduces himself as Spencer. He's from Philadelphia, and he came to Big Bear last fall to work at one of the local ski resorts (and ski, of course). After the resorts closed, he stayed to help a local hiker hostel with the busiest part of the hiker season, but today is his last day in the area. He's leaving for Philly (via Las Vegas) tonight. Most likely, we are his last shuttle. How lucky can you get (us, not Spencer)?

Spencer drops me right at the front door of my AirBnB. I've moved so much quicker than I expected, I have to sit on the porch for an hour before my check-in time!

At 1400, I retrieve the keys from the key box and by 1410, I have laundry in the washer, and I am taking the first of many showers, with hot water and everything!

I don't yet have a plan for my town stay, but that can wait

I will be safe, dry, and warm in this nifty cabin in Big Bear tonight.

Miles hiked today: 19.7 Total miles hiked: 266.1

Sea Otter Fact of the Day: Under sea otter's arms, their loose skin forms pockets where they often store rocks for bashing prey or maybe just a snack for later.