Tarantula! – The walk

Days 105-109, Wrightwood to Big Bear Lake. October 26-30, 2025

Path Angels

People who help hikers without asking for anything in return are called Trail Angels. As I walked north, I thought it was a little funny that hikers seemed to expect trail angels to appear or provide magic on the trail. I always felt like it should be a surprise. A random act of kindness. But as I move toward the desert, I think I understand it. They have been pampered by the generosity of the desert locals. In Wrightwood, for example, the local hardware store maintains a list of people who are willing to take in hikers. I texted one of the people and she immediately picked me up and took me to their ADU, which was set up specifically for hikers and came complete with lotion, various first aid supplies, feminine hygiene products, a Theragun, and a foot bath (with Epsom salts). This is in addition to the basic bed and shower. She also did my laundry, made me dinner and breakfast, and even brought me hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows and a gluten-free brownie for dessert on a cute little tray. And then the next morning, he dropped me off at the trailhead. What a lovely experience! Who could top that?

Now I understand why hikers might complain about having to pay for similar services further north.

Tarantula sighting

This time of year is supposedly mating season for tarantulas and I was very excited to finally see one cross the trail. How creepy! And it arrives just in time for Halloween!

Deep Creek Hot Springs

Another highlight of this section is reaching Hot Springs along Deep Creek. I arrived on a Tuesday at noon, hoping there wouldn’t be so many people. It wasn’t that bad and there were maybe 10 people there, all men and most of them were completely naked and not at all shy about it. Intimidated by all the penises around me, I walked in wearing a sports bra and shorts. It is a fantastic hot spring with clean water (the water came out of the ground a few meters away and ran into the pool). A deep stream runs adjacent, and you can easily slide from the hot spring into the stream (deep enough to swim in) to cool off. It was a very hot day, so I spent more time in the cold water than in the hot water.

To Big Bear Lake to resupply. What a cute little town! I arrived pretty early, so I did laundry, had my coffee, and watched the new Springsteen movie. And of course, a big bowl of mint ice cream and some fudge from the candy store.

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