Our first real town stop! On Wednesday we made our sore muscles carry us 4 miles up the trail to Saddle Junction, where we took the Devil’s Slide trail 2.5 miles and 1600 feet down into Idyllwild. Thankfully the PCT stretch was more forgiving than the day before – even in small uphills we were going slowly. Not much gas left in our tanks. We saw our first patches of snow so far.
At the trailhead we got a ride from JJ, the trail angel we met earlier in the week. He not only drove us to our hotel but also ran us by the post office and gave us a quick tour of the town. I felt a little better about our struggles the previous day after he told me that it was known as a particularly tough stretch. He says that the locals here see thruhikers as one of the signs of spring. The lilacs are blooming in town. I wonder if this is earlier than normal.
We stayed at the super-friendly Apple Blossom Inn. They let us use their laundry so we could do our clothes while we showered instead of having to sit at the laundromat. We also got our first taste of news in a while. It’s so dry and much hotter than normal for southern California and already several fires have broken out west of here. It’s probably only a matter of time before we will have to deal with a fire detour and closed sections of trail.
The rest of our layover day and our zero the following day were filled with town chores (mailing, shopping, and cleaning our gear), relaxing (actually having some time to read) and eating. It was nice to be able to get fresh vegetables and juice. The only damper on our fun was my new camera, which seems to have broken within a month of buying it. I’m sure it will be fun to try and wrangle repairs from the trail. Considering how careful I’ve been with it, I’m pretty frustrated. At least we still have Keith’s camera.
Tomorrow we head back up to the mountains. We will probably take the alternate route to the top of Mt. San Jacinto. The next day we go over Fuller Ridge, which can be dangerous in a normal snow year but won’t be an issue for us. Then it’s all the way back down into the desert on our way to Big Bear. We had a great time in town but are ready to get hiking again!
– Posted from the PCT
Yay! Good to read from you! Keep the spirits up, the ebb and flow is wonderful to read about, feel like I’m there!
Love the trail-tag, let’s see if it evolves! You guys are in the right place and time because of excellent decisions, which should be your ‘other’ name. Tell Redpod hello for us (Dogger&Pi) and expect a beer when he gets farther north, hopefully GPS in hand. He’s a wise old young soul, that one. You guys, we may start a batch of brew and name it after you. Keep posting your hiking passes, too! So you’ve also met ‘the losers’; be sure and take some down time to get to know them. As long as I’m telling you what to do: take plenty of pix of those guys you meet and see for everyone out here ‘off slope’ to enjoy! And start getting pix of each of you and especially at mileposts! Many of us reading your posts are envious. Keep reporting stuff like blisters, flying insects, falling rock and rabid wolverines, the trail is getting crowded!
AND: Remember in the mountains: wind moves at sunset and just before daylight so be aware when setting camp as well as going around corners in the evenings. When you get up to Tehachapi in a few, the winds can be fierce so just know ‘that it isn’t all the weight Keith has lost’ if you see him blowing up hill ahead of you. Bend your knees and try to enjoy, this is what it feels like to fly.
As for the fires; all are well west of youzall and given the discipline and judgement of those on this adventure around you, there are less likely to be fires on the trail. BUT, if so, you’ll simply detour get to new and intriguing, rarely seen places. Ever the effing optimist.
Last thing. This is a moment to moment experience so be sure to stay in that moment and f~l~o~w with the ‘force’. Listen to your hearts, legs and feet and some of the *trail gossip* which is actually pretty good scoop most of the time as to stuff to expect. Speaking of expecting, “G” and I were certain you’d never make it past Warner Springs. He still is. But then he didn’t think you’d make it out of Moreno. You did both. “Don’t get cocky, kid!” (and name that film and who said it)
dogger
Greetings from WI. Wow, the change here in just a week. Last Thursday, I woke to 14″+ of snow and Friday to 2″ more. Winter was still hanging on. Now, the snow has all melted and the past few days have been in the 70’s. So, you didn’t miss much spring by leaving when you did as none of us had much spring. Its great to read of your adventures and see you wonderful pictures. I am amazed and very proud of both of you. Take care, be well. Karalyn
Thanks Karalyn! I heard about the snow; can’t believe you guys were still seeing it in May! Hope you get some moderate temps before the summer humidity really sets in. It has been really hot here at times, but at least it’s been dry heat. Glad to hear you’re enjoying the blog!