We resumed the trail in Warner Springs, where we took time to resupply and take 4-minute outdoor showers at the community center.
There is energy during the first few weeks on the trail, everyone is finding their rhythm and we feel the pressure to do more miles. Although this is something we have heard about, we feel this pressure more acutely and sooner than expected. Over the next few days we will have some discussions about our pace, how we are feeling, and how our bodies are adjusting to the trail. While Sarah is an ultrarunner and has done countless 20-mile days, I can count the number of 20s I’ve done on one hand and even fewer with a loaded backpack. Some of the friends we’d like to keep up with right now are 10 years younger than us and have much fresher knees. We agreed to slow down, stay out of the social game to get more miles in, and focus on how we feel. However, we are moving faster than expected and adjusted our meeting date with our friends Maria and Ben in Idyllwild. 
Water, water, water
After leaving Warner Springs, the trail circles around the water. We move from water source to water source, many of these are supplied by path angels since there are very few natural water sources in the area. The days are hot and long with heavy backpacks loaded with water. One afternoon we meet a trail magic cooler and Sarah and she enjoys her first Coca-Cola. He says he never liked it before, but today it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted.
Hiker’s hunger has found us
We continued advancing at a steady pace and camped a few kilometers before the Paradise Valley Café. That night, as we brushed our teeth, we heard the distinctive sound of the valley bass. We check the date and realize the music is Coachella bouncing off the mountain walls. It continues all night. The next morning we sailed a few kilometers and had a delicious breakfast at Paradise Valley Café. When my food arrives I can’t explain what happens: one minute it’s there and the next it’s gone. That night we made a breakfast burrito for dinner as we began the long climb to San Jacinto. During dinner we realized that Sarah’s hiker hunger had also struck as she stuffed half the burrito with salted pretzels “to make them crunchy.”
The next day is one of our hardest days on the road. We climbed all the way up to over 8000 feet in elevation. It’s been a while since I’ve been this high and I can feel the effects on my body. It’s a 16 mile water ride, the UV index is 10 and there’s nowhere to rest in the shade during the lunch break, so we just continued the long miles. The views are beautiful, but around mile 8, my left knee starts to hurt. It gets tougher as we go, until we finally reach the stream we were aiming for. We fill our bottles and drink greedily before setting up camp for the night.
Wild idyll at last
The day we were planning has finally arrived. We have a short descent into Idyllwild to meet Maria and Ben. It’s a quick trip up the Devil’s Slide trail, which is surrounded by towering granites and reminds us of Yosemite, and then a walk into town. The first order of the day is always food and coffee. There I discovered that my sore left knee has a large swollen lump. I book an appointment for the next day with the trail physical therapist, Blaze. She helped us prepare for the road and I want to talk to her before our next big challenge. 
Maria and Ben treat us like trail royalty. They are our own personal monitoring angels and we feel very cared for. They house us, feed us, and even dress us in Maria’s matching onesies while we do laundry. I meet up with Blaze and discover that I have some swollen fat from the great days behind me. I get a lot of KT tape, some stretching to do and the day and a half of rest has really gone well and I feel a lot better. We left Idyllwild feeling refreshed and ready for the next set of challenges the wilderness has in store for us.
The great fall
We climbed Devil’s Slide again to the PCT and climbed to 9,000 feet in elevation. I feel it now, breathless and heart racing. After a few more hours of ups and downs, we finally began the long descent. This 8,000 foot drop to the desert floor has been on my mind for months. I’ve been very worried about how my right knee will hold up to the constant downhill climb, and now I have to worry about the left one too. However, the PCT doesn’t suddenly do anything, and that night we cruised and meandered up to 6,500 feet. We continued down the huge mountain the next day. We can see the desert below almost all the time and it seems like it will never get any closer. By the time we reach the rusty pipe, my knee is pretty tired but I feel fine. I am very excited to have done this first challenge. I am very proud of the work done with all my PTs. We get water and then realize we are walking on asphalt for about a mile in the sun. This is the last thing my knees want. We moved forward only to reach a frustrating sandy trail to the I-10 underpass. As we trudge across the sand a train passes and Sarah gets the conductor to honk at us. It’s the most exciting thing for miles and we jump around waving like little kids. Finally we crossed the sand, under the road, and picked up the resupply that Maria generously left us from a trail angel. Includes new shoes for me that Blaze recommended. We stuff our bags and cover a few more kilometers before falling asleep exhausted. 
Mission Creek
The next desert challenge begins at a wind farm, probably the last place you want to be during a wind advisory. We tilt our heads into the wind and cover some beautiful but windy kilometers at dawn. We approach the Mission Creek section, known to be devastated in 2023 by Hurricane Hilary. We have heard a lot about how difficult this can be since there is no trail for several kilometers; We will be climbing a stream bed. We moved 2 miles upstream before settling in for the night. The wind warning is still active and I wake up at midnight to put up the tent canvas again, since the wind has torn it straight from the ground. The rest of Mission Creek the next morning is a delight for us. It’s a great change of pace to splash around in the creek, marvel at the changes the storm made to the land, and drink as much water as we want along the way. When we reached the switchback sections outside the creek, we took it upon ourselves to traverse the landslides slowly. The challenges of the wilderness continue after we leave the creek. There is no water for 18 miles. We loaded our bags with heavy water and headed out of Mission Creek.
From wet to cold
We are very proud of ourselves after four long days, we set our sights on a campsite not far away. However, the wind is not done with us yet. As we climb over 8,000 feet, the icy wind blows and covers the tree needles with frost that falls on us as ice. We walk faster to reach the chosen place and discover that it is windswept and too cold. Hearing about an abandoned cabin a mile and a half ahead, we basically run towards it as the sun sets in the sky. We arrived at the cabin, cold and tired from our long days. I set up the tent while Sarah makes some soup. We have not touched any of the water we filtered during this long journey. This ends up being our coldest night on the trail so far. The water bottle we have in the store freezes. We sleep with hats and gloves. In the morning we do the only thing we can think of to warm up: walk. 
Great Bear Motivation
After the long days our sights are set on Big Bear California. I have enough service to book us a cozy cabin with a hot tub while I’m away, and that motivates us to go 20 miles on sore feet.
We survived all the big challenges the desert has thrown at us so far and kept our mile pace consistent. We have crossed San Jacinto, Mission Creek, windless and waterless sections. We celebrated in Big Bear with pizza, beers and a real bed. 
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