Day 14 - A Change of Plan

Mile 205 to Mission Creek - 21 miles. Miles from Mexico 226 miles

The day started with a 6 mile stretch across a stretch of desert to get to Ziggy & the Bear - a couple of Trail Angels who open up their home to hikers. I left early in the morning to avoid the high 30's temperatures only to be sandblasted by howling winds - no wonder they have hundreds of windmills through here. A typical day at Ziggy & the Bear

Sorry about the thumb but the wind was making it hard to hold the phone steady.
From this point people were hitching to Big Bear to go around the track closure ahead. Once again Ohio Joe, Bastian & I thought we would do the alternative - joined by Chicago Joe & Becks from NZ with Sebastian hitching on.
This meant a 10 mile hike to our first campsite. Looking back climbing out of the desert I was able to see San Jacinto Peak & some of the windmills

By this stage the wind was hurricane like blowing us up a steep valley. Also plans were changing - rumour suggested that the closure was not that official & we could pass at our risk. A quick meeting resolved we push on a further 6 mile towards the closure so after a couple of steep ridge ascents we dropped in to a beautiful campsite next to the running water of Mission Creek - a rarity out here. Got the best nights sleep so far Weta

Day 13 - From Snow to Desert

San Jacinto Peak to Mile 205 - 21.5 miles

That seems like a lot of miles but it's been all down hill - almost to 1000 feet after being at 10850 feet in the morning. From hard packed ice laden snow to a dusty campsite on the edge of the desert - this place is crazy!!!
The morning started with a beautiful sunrise as seen in this scene

After a few miles we were able to replenish our water at a mountain stream - Focus & two German girls busy here

The track down was beautiful in amongst the boulders & fir trees & sugar pines - the ones with missile type cones

Passed the 200 mile mark on the descent. Before then I got a view down in the desert where the rumble of cars of Interstate 10 & trains rolled up from the valley. The big building is a casino!!!

Anyway o.o better get some sleep as an early start tomorrow to start out detour of a fire damages section to Big Bear. Until then Weta

Day 12 - Climb Every Mountain

Idyllwild to San Jacinto Peak - 12 miles.

That doesn't look like much mileage but when you have climbed from 5300 feet to 10800 feet it's about going up - and singing Sound of Music songs as you do. We started off the trail & we are still off the trail by 2.5 miles rejoining at 186 mile mark tomorrow. The trip to the peak is optional. This kiwi from sea level started to struggle above 9000 feet with the altitude reducing me to a breathless mess at times. But we got there & what a view. From the coast near LA to the San Gabriel mountains in the north to Palm Springs in the east as far as the Salting Sea to the hills near San Diego. Remembering there are only 6 or so higher mountains in NZ, trying to do justice with pictures is not easy.

Rather than hike down we stated in the nearby cabin which had no heating & insulation. You can guess the rest.

Until next report Weta

Day 11 - Zero Day in Idyllwild

Zero meaning no hiking. Idyllwild, which I keep calling Idyllwide is a tourist town completely hidden under tall pine trees. Lots of arts & crafts shops & quite dear. This is the centre of town

So today was spent doing laundry, showering, catching up on the blog, getting resupplies etc.

What have I learned so far? It's colder than I expected. I've learned to live with being dirty all the time. There are lots of mountains in California. Squirrels are grey. There are lots of ants here. It's dry & there are very few creeks etc. Water is a constant concern. There are about 5 Kiwis on the trail & I met the first today being Becks from Porirua. And a whole lot more....

Trail names have been interesting. Here's a sample. Puck - carries an ice hockey stick as a walking pole. Lopsided - his pack tilts from left to right. Bourbon - he's from Kentucky.  Roadblock - big fellow from Texas with bigger personality like all Texans. Toehawk - from having a blister on her toe that resembled a mohawk. Yellow Beard - never urinate when therecould be an updraft of wind  :-).

Back on trail tomorrow. Until next time Weta

Day 10 - A Big Big Day

156  mile to Idyllwide - 22 miles.

Miles from Mexico 178 miles

Well actually it was 27 miles - our first marathon. The 178 miles is where the trail restarts. We started the morning by hauling our bodies up to 7000 feet to see this

Absolutely awe inspiring - the desert stretched before us with Palm Desert to the south & not quite  seeing Palm Springs to the north. Outstanding. We then reached the trail closure, dropping down a switch back track to eventually reach the main road to Idyllwide. The detour involved only about a mile of road walking so that was a relief although we stumbled in to a thunder storm about 5 mile out from town. A couple of grunts up hills finished us before arriving at 7.30pm - phew.

I did smile though. While walking down a powerline route I came across this

 A Taranaki gate no less!!!!

Zero day tomorrow so time to rest Weta

 

Day 9 - The Group Splits

Nance Canyon to Mile 156 - 15.7 miles

An early 5.45 am start on the trail after a peaceful night. Later in the day our campsite had these massive cones - who needs wood?

We immediately had a brutal climb out of the canyon for an hour - made  up by this biblical like shot of the sun emerging further down the valley

Most of the morning we were in cloud & misty rain. It was a tough morning with 12 miles of unrelenting climbs followed by drops. A Trail Angel with oranges drinks & a small library of books the only relief.
We lunched at Paradise Cafe with Geoff impressed with his ham steak

- only in America!!
Wild fires periodically close sections of the trail & one loomed between 162  & 178 miles. Two choices are offered - hitch to Idyllwide & restart at 178  or take the detour. Only 5% of thru hikers take the detour which now includes yours truly. Half the group chose to move on to Idyllwide while 4 of us set off for camp up the way. This would put us a day behind the rest. Hopefully we will reach Idyllwide the next day Weta

Day 8 - An Easy Day

Miles Place to Nance Canyon - 13.2 miles. Distance from Mexico 140.2 miles.

After our breakfast burritos & coffee we immediately climbed 600 feet to look at this view looking north

In the car distance is the snow covered peaks of San Jacinto mountains over which we ascend in 2 days. The trail runs to the right of the grid line of streets you see.
This was a relatively easy day in dry country with a break from the hefty daily mileage. Our last stop being out campsite in this canyon

Any earthquakes would have had us in trouble. Add to that flash floods or an ambush by outlaws.
By the way - the blue & orange fly the other day was a tarantula hawk. It hunts & kills tarantulas then lays its eggs inside - charming. Safe trekking Weta