It’s easy to get caught up in the culture of logging miles and keeping up with the core group of hikers you started with. For that reason, I was initially discouraged from taking a zero so early. However, I reminded myself that I hadn’t come here to feel pressured and rushed by the days and the overall experience.
My patience was rewarded when my Achilles injury I felt much better after resting. Plus, Julian turned out to be a lovely little town.
my kind of city
I spent my zero icing and elevating my foot, and exploring the little shops in town. Julian is known for his apple cake and cidertwo of my favorite things. I ate delicious food, went to the bookstore, and hung out on the main street looking at hundreds of motorcyclists pass through; I even received an invitation to come back and ride with a group of cyclists I chatted with. It’s like someone packed all my favorite things into this little one-block town.
Out of Julian and into the wind
After my mini vacation in Julián, I returned to the trail heading to Warner Springs. The terrain changed to a more arid desert, with giant cacti, less vegetation, and much more wind. At one point I received a wind advisory from the NWS that there would be gusts up to 65 mph.
The first night among the giant plants, I accidentally tripped over a cactus and spent 45 minutes pulling tiny spikes out of my leg with tweezers and a flashlight. I won’t make that mistake again.
The perpetrator.
Going down towards the valley near Warner Springs There was a three-mile stretch of relatively flat prairie, a nice change of scenery from the rocky terrain of the higher elevations. It was already late as I walked through the valley and the sunlight gave the grass a golden hue. It was very calm and one of my favorite stretches, so far.
In the middle of the prairie is a sacred rock formation aptly named Eagle Rockwhich turned out to be super awesome!
Reconnect with friends
I came to Warner Springs Community Center to resupply around 7 the next day and headed out with a group of 20 other hikers that morning. Spirits were high as we enjoyed the simple pleasures of showers, laundry, and hot coffee.
I met some friends with whom I had started the walk and told them the saga of my journey. Achilles injury and I showed them the cut of my shoe. They anointed me trail name ‘The Butcher’ and I accepted.
One, because it’s hilarious. Two, because it gives me some street (or trail) credibility that I was missing due to my small stature and bright pink backpack. And three, I’m very excited to introduce myself as The Butcher to strangers who take a chance on this hitchhiker. It’s going to be amazing.
A tale of fog and wind.
The views were beautiful as I headed out of the valley towards wild idyllbut the wind was brutal. As night rose and approached, the rocks turned into boulders and a dense fog He entered quickly, creating a disturbing but very interesting atmosphere.
It was difficult to find a suitable campsite protected from the wind, so I settled for a partially exposed one and suffered the consequences. TO wind storm I arrived that night when I felt like I was going to destroy my tent. Fortunately, it was not like that; the store material is Dyneemawhich, despite being very thin, surprises with its great resistance. However, I got very little sleep that night due to the strong gusts and howling.
Snakes galore
There aren’t many wildlife encounters during this stretch, except for a handful of snakes. I find their different personalities interesting.
- I came across a beautiful purple and red. pink boa That couldn’t care less about my existence. It took a lot of encouragement to get him to reluctantly inch away from the path, and even then he only moved the front half of his body and gave up.
- On the contrary, I barely hit my staff near a ground squirrel snake and was so terrified that she jumped and slithered as fast as possible. I felt bad for scaring him so much.
- I have only seen one rattlesnake. He made a big fuss, but then he too ran away and hid under a big rock. Only there was nowhere to go from there, so his rattle stuck out making noise at me as I passed by to give him room. It was fun.
Lazy boa.
Meeting a famous celebrity
I am currently in wild idyll resupply before beginning a challenging hike to Mount San Jacinto. Idyllwild is another charming mountain town. During my short stay I was lucky enough to meet Major Max!
Every other mayor should be envious of his approval rating.
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