It was nice to camp near a water source for a change, but it made for a cold morning. It was hard to get out of our warm cocoons so we had breakfast in bed. Between cold mornings and camping around other people we’ve gotten good at changing clothes in our bags.
With 4 liters of water each (another dry day), we hit the trail towards Fuller Ridge. We wound through pine trees and boulders with great views to the west. The trail was much gentler than I had expected, with only a few steep switchbacks up to the ridge. As expected, the ridge itself didn’t give us any problems. We didn’t even realize we had crossed it until we started losing elevation on the other side. The only snow we encountered was on the switchbacks heading down. Still, in a year with normal snowfall we could easily see how it would be a dangerous obstacle to get past.
A few easy miles later at the trailhead we met a family with young kids out camping. They had the whole lot to themselves and it looked like they were having a great time. It made me a little nostalgic for the days of our family vacations. With no water or toilets at the trailhead, these people were pretty hardcore!
The rest of the day consisted of long, gentle switchbacks all the way down into the desert. As we started dropping down out of the mountains we were only 4 miles from the next water source as the crow flies, but the trail took 16 miles to get there. We lost about 5000 feet of hard-earned elevation. As we began down we ran into Carrie from Seattle, whom we saw briefly in town. We played tag all day. Now that her feet are healing she can really fly down the trail!
All day we had wonderful views if the desert floor, the town of Cabazon, and the wind farm east of town. I think Cabazon was the place where they filmed the part of the movie “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” with the giant dinosaur statues. As we progressed the pines and other trees disappeared, replaced by the now-familiar yucca, cactus, manzanita and scratchy shrubs. It was a little monotonous and a little frustrating to know that we were taking such a roundabout path…but I can’t complain too much about gentle elevation changes. We were lucky, too, that it was relatively cool with gusting winds. I got the impression that this section could have been much hotter. In previous years some hikers have needed rescuing from this stretch since they didn’t carry enough water out of the mountains.
As we headed towards our shady lunch spot the trail got progressively more overgrown. It was very sandy, too, and prone to eroding along the edge. This continued for a while after lunch. Between the trail and the wind, I managed to roll both ankles within a minute of each other and plant myself on my face both times. Luckily it was a pretty empty stretch so there was no one around to see. Eventually the shrubs cleared a little and we only had rocks to contend with under our feet. I saw my first rattlesnake today! I only got a glimpse of him though, since by the time I connected the buzzing sound with the snake he had retreated under a bush and all I could see was his black tongue. There will be other chances, I’m sure – we still have lots of desert to cross. Some time after that we passed the 200-mile marker. It’s hard for me to grasp that we’ve done 200 in nearly two weeks of hiking.
Finally, after one last gentle set of switchbacks, we reached the Snow Creek faucet. I was pretty sure I was done for the day, having broken the 20-mile barrier for the first time since Lake Morena, but there were trail angels 5 miles further along and it was hard to resist the idea of a shower. Carrie decided to go for it and after Keith arrived we talked it over and decided to try too.
It was a tough hike – flat over the desert floor, but very windy and hard to find our way in the dark. My right calf had been feeling tight since we reached the faucet and it was not happy walking through so much sand. Luckily we have GPS apps on our phones, or we would have had trouble finding where to cross under I-10. The last mile was the worst – I was at a real low and every stone I caught my right foot on sent pain up my leg. I was really gimping along.
As often seems to happen, we reached the trail magic just as we felt that we couldn’t go any further. Ziggy and the Bear’s house is another hiker oasis in Southern California. They used to live near Anza about 70 miles back (another tough and hot stretch) but have relocated here. They have a whole outfit for hikers – a canopied yard to sleep in, a shower, a sink to wash laundry in, port-a-potties, and FOOD. Even though we rolled in at 9:30 there was still someone there to greet us and show us the ropes. After a little laundry and a soda, we zonked out on our pads for some much-needed rest. Given how sore we are, I’m not sure we’re ready for consistent 20-mile days yet but I’m sure things will feel better in the morning. The weather is supposed to be cool for a few days with possible rain tomorrow. This will be nice since it means we don’t have to get going early tomorrow to beat the heat. After today, we could definitely use a lower-mileage day.
– Posted from the PCT
Location:PCT mile 211