Beyond Idyllwild: The Summit and Descent

Idyllwild was amazing and we even met the famous Mayor Max! Max is not your typical mayor. He has 4 legs, talks with barks and wears a striped tie. The city runs smoothly, the community is tight-knit, everyone is happy, and he keeps his views to himself. Sounds like a great place to live!

At 10am we will hit the road, just steps from our door, to request a ride back to the Devils Slide Trailhead. But first we have to devour an entire tub of hummus, tortilla chips, bananas, and a Ravens Nest bagel (the best we’ve ever had) – oh and 6 cups of coffee – I’m in trouble. No Caffeine is already mentally halfway to San Jacinto, so we have to get a problem fast. Challenge accepted!

Having molded our feet into every thread of our old sneakers, we felt a sense of loss, leaving them behind. They gave us 180 miles of memories we would never have experienced otherwise. But as with life, we must move on and get used to the new ones that will take us even further, and in 24 hours they will be integrated and we will feel part of ourselves once again.

Within minutes, a lovely lady named Marilyn, a local to Idy (short for Idyllwild) stopped by and said, «If you can find a room, come in.» As a rescue mom to a cocker spaniel named Bella, she was happy to tell us the story of Mayor Max. The town of Idy held a raffle to raise funds for a temporary mayor who would last only one year, the only requirement is that you had to be a dog to win. Now, some 18 years later, Max (and the Maxes before him) have taken a political seat. He said the city is amazing and much better. I guess that’s why there will always be a dog in charge!

After a 2.5 mile climb up the Devil’s Slide trail, which wasn’t as bad as we had mentally prepared for, we took a quick break to pack up and grab a snack and picked up the PCT where we had left off just 48 hours earlier. It’s always good to take some time off, but it’s always even better to return to the forest where we belong.

After the freshly washed hiker smell dissipated, we slowly ‘sucked wind’ to the top of San Jacinto Peak at 10,834 feet, but not before passing by the cutest stone bunkhouse; At the time the CCC built it as a place of refuge, it was designated the tallest building in California. Born and raised at sea level, this was our highest summit yet. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we didn’t want to pass up. It was worth the effort and the views were our reward, but the detour reduced our daily mileage, leaving us with an 18-mile deficit to make up over the next four days.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with stunning sunny views of Cabazon and beyond, and a reminder that I have knees. It was rocky and only went down from here. At 6 pm, it was cold, so we decided to find a place to spend the night, prepare a hot meal and go to bed early. Tomorrow begins what we think will be a difficult descent: the 19 miles!

Our camp last night was perfect; It met our four main criteria: flat, calm, dry and protected from the wind. We are convinced that a small animal was lurking around our store, although we never glimpsed what it was. We woke up to the sound of birds and squirrels, to the bright lights of Palm Springs, which we’ve been watching for the past three days, stretching out below us.

There’s something surreal about being isolated on top of a mountain, only to have a whole new world illuminate below once the sun sets. After seeing those city lights for so many days, we’ve decided we definitely need to visit Palm Springs once we finish the PCT. Yesterday we also encountered many hikers using the tram to reach San Jacinto Peak; It’s a great way to connect people to the trail!

After breaking camp and 2.25 miles of PUD later, dawn moved with us as we headed down and out of the San Jacinto Desert.

This morning began a 19 mile descent, literally 19 miles straight down Snow Creek to the low desert. We have wished the best for our knees and are hoping for a less rocky descent than what we experienced last night. I later learned that some of our wishes came true while others were not fulfilled.

We love the early morning forest activity (huge pinecones, patches of snow, and pine needles under our feet). We’ll enjoy every moment before the trail opens to sizzling golden sand and a bustling I-10 in Cabazon.

The hike to Snow Creek was a relentless slog of endless switchbacks, narrow paths, forests, and rocky cliffs. The trail was littered with loose rocks that seemed to try to claim an ankle at every turn; In fact, it was quite dangerous.

In many sections, dense undergrowth hung over the edge of steep cliffs, leaving enough room to place one foot and «cross my fingers» to successfully move the other leg. It started out with the potential to be a day of cruising, but this is definitely not the time to «do the miles.» Honestly, it sucked! Watching I-10 stay just as far away after eight hours of curves was a mental game we really had a hard time playing, especially with the sun beating down on us.

The blended fragrances of California lilac, desert poppy, white sage, and yerba santa provided a temporary respite from our disdain for this section of the trail. My new shoes are faring worse: with only 30 miles left, my ankles are already tearing up and the rubber on the toe looks like a creature gnawed through it overnight. I will be arranging a replacement before they completely disintegrate.

Getting to Snow Creek and finding a water spigot felt like a luxury, but tent sites were minimal, so we ended up setting up on the side of the road. We spent the night tending to our blisters and preparing for tomorrow, but by the end we were too exhausted to even eat. We were completely cooked.

It’s hard to conceive that just 14 days ago we were hugging the southern terminus at Campo and now, 205 miles away, we’re happy to add this section to our «never want to do it again» list!

We go to bed to get up early; We are planning to have coffee at 4am and go for a walk at 5am to beat the heat. Wait, what am I thinking? Is ‘caffeine-free’ really starting to rub off on me? We have a 60 mile drive to get to Big Bear in three days, so I’ll consider that.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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