Lions and Tigers and... DINOSAURS? Oh my!

Day 15 • May 2nd • Mile 218.6 [Snow Canyon Road to White Water Preserve] IN-N-OUT Happy Birthday Bex!!!!

Big day for me. Not very many miles, but a big day. Struck out into the dessert [like the chicken 🐔] to get to the other side with a planned stop in Cabazon along the way [on one of the hottest days so far]. Right off the bat we met with trail angels "One Speed" and "Just Paul" chillin' in their camper out in the middle of the desert. Offering water and cold drinks and fruit. Sweet kind people.

Walking on sand sludge made the first 5ish miles pretty difficult. I don't know how, but I daydream wandered off trail - I wasn't THAT dehydrated! Wound up in a bush before I thought wait a minute... Spotted a chrome dome and I was back on track. [The stretches across flat desert landscapes are ironically not as "straight" forward as the mountain switchbacks we've experienced thus far.] #loopymoment

Got to the bridge at Interstate 10 in plenty of time to enjoy the trail magic there...CHEEZ-ITS!!!! #cheeseisaluxury #mademyday

My friend Kat picked me up for the visit to Cabazon and we went to see the World's Largest Dinos. Awesome. Then I went to the post office to pick up my maps for this section and ship the microspikes ahead.

Kat, her BF John and I chatted over an IN-N-OUT Double-Double. Kat warned me that my expectations were too high and this was true. While quite tasty along with "animal style" fries and a strawberry shake... this was not a good choice before heading back out into the desert and 97 degree heat!

Soooo I did not do that. When my friend dropped me off resupplied and full to my heart's content I rejoined a group of hikers enjoying the trail magic under the bridge to wait out the heat of the day in the shade. Met and was blessed by yet another trail angel "Mama Bear" with the purple hair!

Hiked on when it was still hot, but bearable. Walked and talked with my sister until the signal dropped (love you Bex!) and it was then that we started to climb again. Saw a BULL! 🐮 so I tried to get a picture, but he was still far away and I sure didn't want him any closer, what with him pawing up dust and all! Hiked into the preserve with Kevin and Hannah from Portland just as it got dark. I was pooped, ate something and realized that was the problem. Now I am going to bed.

Song of the Day - One Day I'll Fly Away, Randy Crawford At midnight the sprinklers came on to water the trees at the preserve. I thought I had scoped out a sprinkler free spot to cowboy camp... Nope. Missed one. Gee I've not had very good luck with that! But rather than getting upset, I just moved my things and took advantage of the moment to give myself a good foot bath.

Day 16 • May 3rd • Mile 235.5 [White Water Preserve to Mission Creekside Camp] Shady Hikers This morning was beautiful and HOT. Spent the better part of the day walking and talking with Saskia (from Germany of course). It was really nice. We discovered that we have similar reasons for being out here.

Photo Cred: Saskia Haha

Stopped for a refreshing dip in the White Water Creek then continued on to a shady spot full of hikers by the next creek. We took another dip and had lunch during the heat of the day. Trouble is, the heat of the day is soooo long and I get antsy. I will get better at taking naps... one day. Now I am laying down to really rest and I'm looking at the moon. 🎶 Song of the Day - I'll Be Seeing You, Billie Holiday

Day 17 • May the 4th... • Mile 253.1 [Mission Creekside Camp to Couch] Couch Day a.k.a. "Hambone speaks the TRUTH!"

Today we climbed back up into the mountains, and tho that meant moving away from the creek we followed all day yesterday, I prefer it to bog and bugs. Our first great view of the day was reminiscent of the Blue Ridge! It was quite nice. I've been walking with Kevin and Hannah again. They were the one's who alerted me to bull a couple of days ago. #heroofthedaysavedmylifesavedmylife

At our lunch spot, inside a cool cabin, we decided that Kevin's trail name would be Hambone. I've enjoyed hamming it up with Hambone and Hannah, and we've had some REAL convos too. "Hambone speaks the TRUTH!" Walked right past some lions and tigers and bears oh my! The "PCT zoo" has animals who were once movie stars in cages along side the trail because they are not fit for the wild. Kinda sad really... saw beautiful bengal tigers and brown bears, but not the cowardly 🦁. I was going to push a bit further to set myself up for a shorter day into Big Bear City/Lake tomorrow... buuuut then we came upon a couch. Yep. There was a couch on the side of the trail. And while we were all lounging we discovered pasta and sauce in the hiker "box" beside the couch, so we decided to have a family diner together. Yum.

Some bad-ish news, I've discovered that I did in fact chip a tooth... I first noticed while eating swedish fish in Idyllwoodle. Darned chewy candy! And it's pretty sensitive. I feel it when I'm just walking and smiling into the wind. And I like to smile. Smiling's my favorite! It's disappointing, but I am not going to fret about it... yet. We will see what my options are. I am hoping that all will be well. Song of the Day - Landslide, FleetwoodMac

Day 18 • May 5th • Mile 266 [Couch to Big Bear Lake] "2:30" Rolled into town around noon, mind racing yet oddly composed... thinking what was I gonna do about this tooth? After weighing all of the options, because that's just what I do, I decided a rest day would be good for me regardless. Found out that, wouldn't yah know (just my luck!), ALL of the dentists in Big Bear are at some sort of dental convention!! Fortunately, I got in touch with my dentist back home and he seems to think that I'll be alright and I ought not worry about it. Well O.K. Next order of business, it's Cinco de Mayo! There MUST be some kinda dance around here, no? No. *sad face* Ah well, ONE DAY.

["Yogi-ing" churros in Big Bear] Song of the Day - Safari, J. Balvin

Day 19 • May 6th • Mile 266 [Zero Day in Big Bear] SNOOOOW It's midnight so I'll keep this short and sweet. #towndayz Great time @ Big Bear Hostel. Great people. Understandable why the vortex... and there are other reasons currently. Like the wind howling outside. Lots of snow coming, but I'm planning to hike out tomorrow anyway. I figure, I'd better get used to it and I will have an opportunity to bail and hitch back to town within 10 miles... Nah!!!!! Song of the Day - Snow, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Danny Kaye & Trudy Stevens

Day 20 • May 7th • Mile 186.7 [Big Bear Hostel to Holcomb Creekside Camp] The Big Bear 🐻 When I arrived in Big Bear Lake with half a tooth missing, having skipped lunch to hitch, I was in no mood... The assumed "gentler" option to stay with a "Papa Smurf" in Big Bear City had been ruled out due to an unfortunate bout of "norovirus" so I considered my other options: Hotel or Big Bear Hostel. Hostels, while less expensive, are usually richer in community, so I chose to check that out first. And at Big Bear Hostel I met Sarge. If you haven't met Sarge on the trail you are missing out my friend. After some overwhelming hemming and hawing over whether or not I was prepared to stay one night, two nights or turn tail and race back up into the mountains. I finally came out with it. "You are too intense for me right now sir." To which the response was, "Wait, have you eaten? Go and get yourself a burrito at Teddy's." After that we really hit it off. I stayed two nights and I was so grateful for my experience there. The guy really takes care of his hikers. After a very beneficial rest day, I have decided to move on, despite all the "snow-mongering." That's really all it is. Sure there is weather coming in. Sure it won't always be comfortable out there, but I'm not here to be comfortable. It's funny, a trail friend and I were just talking about it... Town is nice, but strangely you begin to crave discomfort again. It's hard to describe, but another friend of mine puts it well. "There is real growth at the edge of your discomfort."

I am psyched to be moving again and positively thrilled to have scored a trail dress! It's kinda nice to feel like a "girlie girl" again. It was in the loaner clothes bin at the hostel and they let me keep it. BOOYAH. Canada here I come!

Song of the Day - Girl, The Beatles

Day 21 • May 8 • Mile 308 [Holcomb Creekside Camp to Deep Creek Hot Springs] Extremes! Wow. Today was vastly different from yesterday! We had snow yesterday and today all sun. This is a trail of extremes. What fun.

I hiked out of my camp with Brian today. He was the first of the "tramily" to catch me out of Big Bear. We walked and talked for a while until I decided it was time to call my mother. Stopped for lunch by a spring on a rock where I watched a lizard doing push-ups. #goofball So I wrote him an Ode: Mr. Lizard, basking in dappled sun, over-seeing the trail, fleeing each passerby, only for a moment, then returning again to his favorite spot.

🦎

Photo By: Florian Astor

After lunch I was reunited with everyone from the "Family Photo" on San Jacinto save one (Drew, Brian, Sophia, Flow, Kayla, Me) and we made it our goal to reach the hot springs that evening, but Drew and Kayla would get off trail to see friends in the area and I guess Brian stopped short, perhaps for a milkshake. 😂 [But before we were separated again we all got trail-magic-ed by a man doing trail maintenance who gave us lollipops and alerted us to look out for sodas and hotdogs in a solar cooker! So we reached the hot springs well fed and ready for a good soak. What a great day!]