Days 10-12: Idyllwild to White Water River

General thoughts from the trail.

Trail etiquette?

By walking 10 to 12 hours a day, a person has time to reflect on a couple of things. We all have our opinion on what is acceptable and what is not, that’s how we are wired. On the way one of the things I thought about was passing a hiker. How close do you get until you say hello? From personal experience, 5′ is too close as I almost jumped off the path. Too far and you’ll have the soon-to-be-past hiker waiting for you to pass, and it’s not like you’re passing much faster. I have decided on approximately 20′ to give a cheerful greeting. What about tents and how close is too close? That one is harder. The Far Out app has tent icons that show hikers where there are good tent sites, and sometimes those spots are nearby. Other times they are more dispersed and many times the trail has such a steep slope that kilometers can pass before finding a semi-flat area without boulders. I thought it was funny in an area with several good sites that a guy tried to set up his tent 15 feet away. Some people don’t have personal space; Fortunately, it was too small for his tent and he found a much better spot 20 meters away. Oh, the first world problems I dwell on. Seriously, because I value my sleep so much, I feel a pang of guilt when I pack up at 05:15 knowing that despite my best efforts, I know I’m making noise and disturbing someone else’s sleep.

Day 10

Day ZERO

Marnie, Kea and I spent the day in Idyllwild resting, eating, resting and eating. We had breakfast at Momma’s Egg House and I had a delicious breakfast burrito. We did a little shopping, I got a massage, and chatted with other hikers I had met in Warner Springs. We went for pizza and stumbled upon Sponge & Jellyfish. They were also on a zero day. During that day I met Living Proof. LP was an experienced hiker with over 4,800 miles on the AT and was in town with a knee issue. We chatted a couple of times and the last time he received confirmation that his PCT adventure ended with a torn meniscus. Take care Living Proof and I hope you come back next year.

Day 11

20.8 miles or so

From Humber Park/Devils Slide to Saddle Junction at mile 85.5, elevation 6479

To the tent site at mile 197.2, elevation 4912

Up 4436 Down 5909

Camping: a crowded tent area

People I walked with: Cinderfella and Jay Dub

This day started with my lovely wife and I having breakfast at Red Kettle as they opened before anyone else. Marnie dropped me off at the trailhead and before long I was up the steep 2.5 mile trail in an hour and 5 minutes. The views were exceptional. Here are a couple of photos of Lilly Rock up close and far away.

Much faster than a couple of months before! The trail went uphill until I got to about 9000 feet and then I headed downhill. On the descent I managed to break a trekking pole. It’s a real shame as I use them for power, to reduce stress on my knees and for balance. I left him and he found a hole while going downhill. The strange thing is that I found out that I was missing both tips and that I had packed more than 8 inches of the pole with dirt/mud/water and my ultralight trekking pole was no longer ultralight! I found a sturdy pole that lasted me another 15 miles.

A stream where I collected water to filter.

During my hike I ran into some hikers I had crossed paths with, including Peter from Norway, who had come to Idyllwild to meet with Blaze Physical Therapy, the same physical therapist Living Proof was there to meet with. Fortunately for Peter his prognosis was a little more favorable. Take it easy with 10 mile days, change to better shoes, and skip the 20 mile downhill. His doctor’s orders were to walk the 10 miles to the tram and take it to Palm Springs! One person of humor was Side Quest, when I passed I told him that I am his antithesis since I am not doing side quests like the top of San Jacinto. That being said, I plan to go to Mount Whitney. The hike through San Jacinto was muddy and a little dangerous, but taking it easy everything went well.

The distant mountains are where I’m headed in a couple of days.

I walked with Cinderfella from Germany and Jay Dub from Los Angeles for a couple of hours. Jay Dub and I had a little bit in common having surfed in some of the same places, including Nicaragua. I should have gotten his number for a future surf trip. He did the PCT in 2008 and I think he was doing it again to relieve stress. I’m waiting for the stress relief part to start working.

Day 12

22 miles or so

From the campsite at kilometer 197.2, elevation 4912

To the White Water River tent site at mile 219.5, elevation 2480

Up 2966 Down 4592

Camping: tent site with another person “nearby”

People walked with: Blue Moon from Mass., Shack from New York and briefly «St.» Andrew and Shelby

This day started off well with little to no wind and perfect temperatures, not too cold and not too warm. I was going at a good pace and then I felt the presence of doom and, startled, I turned around to see Blue Moon 5 feet behind me with a big smile on her face. BM is an experienced hiker and a happy person. She’s definitely faster than me on the downhill, so it was fun to walk and chat with her going a little faster than I normally would. We stopped at the 250 mile marker, took photos, and walked together for about an hour until it was time for my break.

The stick served me well. What you can’t see is that 2,450 miles are marked on the other side of this monument for southbound hikers.

This lizard had such an iridescent glow in its darkness that the morning sun made it glow.

This day included an Uber ride to Cabezón Outlets to purchase new trekking poles and the obligatory stop at In and Out.

After returning to the trail, I walked with Shack for a while. He’s a smart guy who is capable of changing career paths and leaving work to climb the PCT.

Tonight I’m a mile from the White Water River. My first “river” crossing. Spoiler, it was only 10′ wide.

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