Snakes, Snow, and Sweat

Paradise Valley Cafe to Idyllwild

It is always amazing how the trail will provide. As we were standing in the coffee shop in Idyllwild at 7am discussing where in town would be best to catch a hitch down to Paradise Valley Cafe, Bob walked out with coffee in his hand and said ‘that car there is driving past PVC so any hikers who want a ride need to jump in.’ Amazing how fast you can move with a fully loaded back when fate comes calling  

The storm that socked in San Jacinto had cleared and the snow was melting so time was right to make the hike to the summit. After the compulsory breakfast at PVC of course. The next two days saw us course our way the 28 miles up the trail to the summit. We were greeted with a great sunset as a reward for the effort. 

The long walk to Big Bear Lake

The 17 mile descent from San Jacinto down onto the desert floor near Palm Springs took us from the coolness of the alpine zone to the scorching heat of the desert floor. It was the first real taste of what the desert can offer this time of year, and the sweat that flows from you can be measured by the quart (or liter). The walk from the water at the bottom of the descent to the shade of the I-10 overpass seemed like an eternity.

It was pretty surreal to walk amongst the towering windmills spinning quietly and efficiently in the warm desert winds. The irony of them creating renewable energy in the inversion as we descended was not lost on me and made for a surreal scene.

Luckily the wind farm company that sits adjacent to the trail is kind enough to open its doors to PCT hikers during office hours so that people can cool off and get water and some snacks. I had 3 ice cream sandwiches in 10 minutes if my memory serves me well.

After leaving the desert floor, we started the long ascent of Mission Creek. It was more like 14 miles of route finding or ‘cairn hopping’ as I called it. 

As we got to the top of Mission Creek, we were greeted by thunder snow. If you have not experienced lightning while it is snowing, it is quite a unique event.  The lightning flash illuminates all of the snow flakes just like a camera flash lights up every piece of confetti. 

The hike across the ridge line towards Big Bear Lake was a wet snowy affair and camp was a test of our gear and to some degree our grit.

By the time we walked off the trail towards Big Big Bear Lake, we were ready for a break and a recharge. Pancakes of course were the answer but only after the surreal experience of being picked up while walking in the rain by a red trolley that was formerly at Disneyland. Again, the trail provides.

Big Bear Lake to Wrightwood

After the recharge in Big Bear Lake it was several long days in the heat to reach the famous McDonalds at Cajon Pass. The thought of a chocolate milkshake can create serious ‘horse to the barn’ behavior with PCT hikers. The heat and the sweat loss during the mini heat wave after the snow was another hint of things to come. Luckily this stretch of the trail had many miles parallel to a creek or a stream. Swimming with all your clothes on serves a dual purpose – cooling off and quasi cleaning your clothes. Hope the fish did not mind the salt  

This section also allowed me to test one piece of gear I was curious about using – the shade umbrella. I can say hand on heart that embracing one’s inner Mary Poppins to avoid heatstroke is worthwhile and provides a whole new level of multi-tasking if the other hand has a walking stick in it. Just add wind and the battle begins.

All this being said, at mile 342 the magic and the reward occurred when the chocolate milkshake was delivered to my table. There was more joy though in watching one of my fellow travelers try her first McDonalds ever. The Big Mac never stood a chance. It was like watching a snake swallow a small animal. It must have been good because the smile on her face was huge. 

Now as sit in Wrightwood doing laundry and eating whatever is offered to me, I can’t help but think back to the last 200 miles and smile at the diversity of experiences and conditions that were thrown at us. It was pure magic and so much fun. Milkshake being the exclamation point. 

As a reminder, I am raising money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness while I am hiking. The hike has been amazing for my mental health so I want to use my effort on the trail to help others. Here is a donation link for NAMI if you would like to pay it forward:

https://donate.nami.org/fundraiser/6283303