Braving the desert heat: a month of monitoring

We left Big Bear loaded with food and new shoes. We do a few short miles in the afternoon and watch the moon rise from our campsite while eating macaroni and cheese and homemade dehydrated BBQ chicken. It’s so nice to have our own meals in this section! The next day we continued past Big Bear Lake and found ourselves next to a beautiful creek. This is a great relief from the heat and that night we can swim in a deep sand pool. The trail approaches Deep Creek Hot Springs. They are the only hot springs on the way and we planned to stop there for our midday break. During the day we walked along Deep Creek. It’s a bit winding as we can see down the canyon towards the cold water, but we are high up in the sweltering heat. We passed the 300 mile marker and it seems surreal to have walked here on our own two feet.

Deep Creek Hot Springs, or Not

The day becomes increasingly hot. I can feel myself burning even though I’m wearing protective layers and sunscreen. By the time we get to Hot Springs, after 15 miles, I’m dehydrated, sweating, and burned. I don’t want anything to do with hot water. We take a dip in the cool stream and it is very refreshing. We lay down in the shade, had lunch, and then left Deep Creek without having touched the hot springs.

Great days ahead

We began to challenge ourselves by adding more miles to our days. We stretched into our 20s and hung out there for a few weeks. We get up early and walk as much as we can in the morning and then take a nap before doing the afternoon miles. It allows us to avoid the heat but makes the days long.

A little fried chicken?

One night we set up cowboy camp in a small spot next to a dirt road. We are very excited to see the sunrise and sunset. It looks like it will be a perfect evening. That morning, around 1:30, some trucks pass by our place. They are on their radios by land. It wakes us up but we roll over and go back to sleep. At 3:45 in the morning I am woken from a deep sleep to “A LITTLE FRIED CHICKEN, COLD BEER ON A FRIDAY NIGHT…”, some ground vehicles driving with country music blaring. It scares me and I wake up in a panic. I don’t sleep well the rest of the night.

McDonald’s great race

When we wake up the next day we are not well rested but we only have one thing on our mind: getting to McDonald’s. I haven’t eaten McDonald’s in a long time, but today I want a breakfast sandwich. I don’t know what time McDonald’s stops serving breakfast, so we hurried 10 miles to get to Cajon Pass. It feels like we are running through the Lord of the Rings landscape as we race through the hills. Finally we reach the road where there is a sign that says: McDonald’s 0.3 miles. We run down the street and arrive to find the McDonald’s full. There are hikers and normal people alike. The parking lot is full and there is chaos inside. We ordered our breakfast and looked for a seat, immediately overwhelmed. It is noisy and getting from the trail into this environment is a little difficult. We get our food and are so enthralled with the hot, fatty foods that we order more. This is a mistake. Our stomachs can’t handle McDonald’s and we quickly realize it. We charged our devices and took a sip of oversized iced coffee before heading next door and purchasing fresh fruit from the stand next to the gas station. With the cars, chaos, and bellyaches we have now, we decide we’ve delayed too long. It’s time to get back on track.

In the middle of the desert

This section goes through some tunnels before returning to the sweltering trail. We stopped briefly at the water tank to fix our blisters and then climbed higher and higher. These last few kilometers really wear me out. The heat, the lack of sleep, the swollen feet, everything gets worse and I crawl uphill. It’s worth it when we get there; We are 350 miles away, which is halfway through the desert at a beautiful campground shared with several tents. We have a cute little neighborhood on the ridge, and we are rewarded with a wonderful sunset and then the most beautiful inverted sunrise the next day. It lasts all day as we cross the ridge and descend towards Wrightwood.

Wrightwood

Wrightwood is a great little town. We stayed at an Airbnb that rents room by room for hikers. The hostess is called pajama mom because she leaves us pajamas to wear while we do laundry. We change into our pajamas and walk into town, order a pizza, get some fresh salad, and take it back to the cabin, laughing as we go. The city is very friendly for hikers. There are plenty of options to refuel and we even do a yoga class to stretch out sore muscles.

Baden Powell in a sock

When we get back on the trail, our first goal is to climb Mount Baden Powell. They drop us off at the trailhead, which is obscured by clouds. We began our approach and felt like we were back in Washington, walking through gloomy forests with plants covered in ice. This is the theme of the day as we don’t see the sun until the next morning.

We climb endless switchbacks to Baden Powell and the dew turns to frost which turns to snow. We reach the top and understand the true meaning of «footwear».

The frost ice covering the individual pine needles is super clean.

We took some pictures, signed the trail log, and began our descent. The day is so strange because we are looking at nothing but the inside of a cloud. Time seems not to pass. We reach Highway 2, which is largely closed due to landslides. We decided to walk along the road since we will not have views of the trail. The road is dark and deserted, covered in clouds. We went through two tunnels, which are even creepier. We camped in a gated picnic area next to the road for the night. The next day we found that we had pitched our tent almost on a cliff that we couldn’t see due to the cloud.

walk down the road

Our first road hike was a prequel to the road hike necessary to avoid the trail closures in this section. Luckily for us the highway is closed and the road is a nice change of scenery.

We go on and off the road, ride 400 miles on the PCT, then get back on the trail and find the most beautiful spot to watch the sunset. This marks our 30th day on the trail, a month already among hikers.

Pushing towards Fresh Water

We begin to lengthen our days by longer and longer kilometers. Our next destination is Aqua Dulce. We strive every day to arrive half a day ahead of schedule. The miles are hot on our last day before reaching Aqua Dulce. There is a 10 mile stretch we need to complete after lunch that is dry, exposed and seemingly endless. I have never dreamed so vividly of a cold glass of lemonade dripping with condensation. We finally reached a tunnel that runs under the highway and there we found a cool respite with other hikers. When we mustered enough courage to exit the tunnel, we walk through the beautiful Vasquez Rocks as the sun sets.

Although it is cold, our ride along the roads of Agua Dulce is a bit jarring. Our destination is the Oasis on the outskirts of town, but first we stop by a small grocery store. We went in and got some chocolate milk, blueberries, and Gatorade. We head to the oasis where we discover that, once again, Sarah has acquired poison oak. He showers quickly, but the damage has already been done to his legs and they swell again.

We took a half-day break in Agua Dulce, did some laundry, and received a Mountain Mama meal package from our friend Celina. We’re excited to try these since our home supply won’t be replenished for a while. We rehydrate and prepare ourselves internally for the next section.

We’ve been hearing rumors that Norovirus is making its way down the road. In Agua Dulce the rumors begin to gain more strength as more and more people around us talk about being sick. I wash my hands constantly and try to avoid touching anything communal, and we take some hydrogen peroxide to disinfect our things. The next section has several water tanks that we will have to be very careful with to avoid the virus.

Our first month on the road ends with 400 miles behind us. Next up is the aqueduct and the big hot days!

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