The next morning, Mission Creek greeted us with frigid temperatures at 7,000 feet and a short climb to wake up our muscles. The challenge of the day was a long journey through water: 28 kilometers without any reliable source in between. So we braved the ice water and filled about four liters each.
My backpack weighed a ton, even though I had already eaten most of the food in this section. Fortunately, after the first three or four kilometers, the terrain became gentler and mostly downhill, allowing us to cover kilometers.
We made a great stop for lunch with views, crossing from one valley to the next and from one ridge to the next. During lunch, Nate joined us again. We chatted about cold soaks, trail cooking tricks, and swapped recipes, including my now-famous Laughing Cow Cheese Omelet, Tuna, and Spicy Fritters.
The trail flattened out a bit later and eventually led us to a pine forest near a water source where we planned to camp.
I then spent 45 minutes on the phone with REI about my fourth attempt at buying a new backpack. My beloved Gregory Deva 60 had gotten too big around the hipbelt thanks to faster-than-expected weight loss. For some reason all my previous orders were rejected. I suspected my French credit card was the culprit, although no one seemed able to confirm this.
At this point, I was getting desperate. With a full load of food and extra water, the weight was almost entirely on my shoulders and I knew that wasn’t going to be sustainable for much longer.
The good thing is, between talking to a very patient REI employee and being put on hold about every ten minutes, I developed impressive multitasking skills. I managed to stay on the phone while I cleaned, set up the tent, inflated my sleeping pad, organized food, prepared dinner, and took care of all the usual camp tasks.
When the call finally ended, dinner was almost ready. Unfortunately, there was still absolutely no guarantee that the payment had been made or that the backpack was actually shipped.
Nate joined us for dinner before walking a few more miles. Claire and I decided to get some sleep the next morning, since we only had nine miles left before we hit the highway and hitchhiked to Big Bear Lake.
The next morning was freezing cold again, but we had both slept well and felt completely recovered. When the alarm went off at 6:30 am we were already awake. The same routine as always: pack up camp, have breakfast, filter the water and hit the road.
Knowing that the town was ahead made the kilometers fly by. We covered the 14 kilometers (9 miles) to the highway interchange in less than three hours on an easy, mostly flat, downhill trail.
About a mile before we hit the road, we met Debbie. At first we assumed she was a day hiker, but she explained that she was actually looking for PCT hikers and handed us fruit bars and cereal.
The angels of the path never cease to surprise me.
To get to the town we had to hitchhike. As usual, I joked with Claire about our hitchhiking statistics, confidently predicting that it wouldn’t take more than ninety seconds to get a ride. To our surprise, when we arrived at the parking area, a driver who had just dropped off the hikers immediately offered us a ride.
Her name was Jennifer and we gratefully accepted.
Thank you Jennifer for the support, the cookies and the adventure at the POST office.
Not only did he drive us into town, but he also delivered some absolutely amazing homemade cookies. As if that wasn’t enough good news, it inadvertently solved one of my biggest logistical concerns.
I had been feeling a little stressed about getting to Big Bear Lake on a Saturday. Back in San Diego, I mailed myself a bounce box containing spare equipment, medications, snacks, and repair supplies, assuming it would arrive during the week. As it was the beginning of a holiday weekend, I had been told that the post office would be closed on Saturday.
That would have been a huge headache. I had no idea how I would ship the box to the next city, and there was no way I wanted to spend three more days waiting for it.
Then, completely out of the blue, Jennifer mentioned that she was headed to the post office.
«Wait…is it open today?»
«Of course,» she replied. «From 10 am to noon.»
I looked at my watch. It was 10:15.
Sometimes the path really does provide.
Not only had we gotten an instant trip to the city, but I could also take care of my bounce box without wasting any time.
Jennifer dropped us off at the post office. Claire headed out to buy new shoes while I retrieved my box. Opening an inflatable box feels a little like Christmas morning. Cereal bars, sunscreen, medications, small repair tools – suddenly everything seems exciting.
A little Christmas feeling.
I grabbed what I needed and sent the box to Tehachapi. Problem solved.
Then came another call to REI, which was much less successful. Long story short, my credit card was apparently fine, but the order still couldn’t be processed. So I canceled it and placed a new order directly through the Osprey website.
I’ll try number five in about a week.
Let’s cross our fingers.
Then came the classic city routine: lunch, calls home, laundry, resupply, hostel check-in, shower.
At the laundromat, a guy heard we were hiking the PCT and immediately offered us beers. Just because. PCT hikers really seem to attract random acts of kindness.
A pretty tasty beer (and electrolytes) offered at the laudromat
Back at the hostel, we checked into ITH Big Bear Mountain Hostel. Tohia arrived later, after a much longer day on the trail, and gradually several hikers from the “May 6 bubble” also showed up.
The hostel had a great atmosphere. Between the bedrooms, private rooms, kitchen, and huge common area with couches, tables, and a fireplace, it felt surprisingly homey.
It was also a crossroads of very different lives. Injured hikers. Hikers passing through, like us. Young travelers living in a van. Seasonal workers. A man had recently been evacuated from his home due to a nearby toxic leak and had no idea when he would be allowed to return.
The trail often feels like a bubble, but every once in a while you remember that each one carries its own story.
After spending some time chatting with the crowd, we called it a night.
The next morning was slow. We enjoyed a truly gigantic breakfast: yogurt, oatmeal, fruit, eggs, cheese focaccia, peanut butter, and egg muffins.
In the end we packed up and headed back to the trail.
Returning took less than five minutes.
Once again, the statistics on hitchhiking stood firmly in our favor.
The path was easy: mostly flat and downhill. At mile 275, we stumbled upon some trail magic in the form of cold drinks waiting in a cooler.
It’s hard to say no to that…
Later, a group of mountain bikers offered us some beers. We refused (I know, it doesn’t sound like me), but they insisted on giving us bananas.
It’s not a bad deal. Thanks again to them!
We pushed on to mile 286 and camped at Little Bear Camp, where several tents were already set up. Despite our late start, around 11am, we managed a 20 mile day.
The next morning, we woke up at 5:30 and followed the now familiar routine. We knew the day would be easy, with mostly flat and downhill terrain, and we hoped to reach Deep Creek Hot Springs at mile 308.
The highlights of the day came in two parts.
First, lunch next to a small river that we had been following for much of the morning. We sat on a sandbar and enjoyed one of those simple moments on the trail that somehow feels perfect.
Time for an impromptu laundry
Several hikers we hadn’t met before also stopped there, including Jillian, who showed us a video she had taken at Mission Creek. In it, a grizzly bear calmly wandered around camp at night.
The second highlight came when we finally arrived at Deep Creek Hot Springs.
We decided to camp nearby and enjoy a quiet afternoon after the day’s hike.
The only unexpected detail was that we were surrounded by a group of nudists.
Coffee time at the hot springs
Quite an interesting contrast to the frosty mornings we had had.
