Lift

Today I’ve decided that elevation agrees with me. I thrive a whole lot better in the mountains than on the desert-floor. Yesterday evening I was aiming for a specific campsite, but that one was already pretty crowded by the time I got there. So I decided to make for the next one at 1.4 miles further. It was a pretty tough climb at the end of the day, but this morning I realized I’d carried my tired self halfway up the mountain! So the rest of this mornings climb to the top of the crest was very manageable. Relieved that the temperatures dropped significantly at higher elevation, and the grind through steaming desert would be over for a couple of days I found myself really enjoying the hiking today.

The trail led me through a burned forest area, for which it was advised not to camp there (I had camped just before). The charred skeletons of the trees are called widow-makers, and are a hazard because their burned branches and stems can come down anytime.
The major part of the day was easy hiking with several climbs and descents, but nothing extreme. The area was mainly green pine forest, with occasionally rocky trail. My legs felt fine, and today I did not need the extra support on my ankle, so I left the elastic band off. I was in no rush, because I would split 30 miles over two days. Catching a break in the sun I made up my mind on which food to save for the final miles into Big Bear Lake tomorrow.
Nearing the end of the afternoon, I was headed to a lower elevation campsite which would take me approximately 10 miles from the highway to BB-Lake. I arrived at 1700 and the place was getting pretty crowded with already five or six other hikers pitching their tents.

According to my interactive maps there would not be an appropriate site to camp within the next 9 miles. I’ve often found however that the information is not always entirely accurate, and decided to see if I could get a few more miles in and find some nice shelter along the way. As expected, within the first half hour I passed plenty of other decent sites, but this would mean hardly any extra progress, so I pushed on. Of course this was the time for the PCT to share her sense of irony, because after that, I would not come across a decent camping spot for miles. The landscape changed into rolling hills, which looked pretty at dusk.

Finally around 1930 I found a nice good site, but by then I’d done far more miles than I’d hoped for. Fortunately today’s profile was gentle, and now I have only 4.5 miles left to get to the highway from where I’ll try to hitch into town. I guess I’ll try to sleep in tomorrow morning. Tonight’s dinner was something else for a change. At the previous resupply in Idyllwild, Jimmy had send himself a large resupply box and had way too much food. So I took a Paleo-meal off his hands. It was a chicken-veggie mix, with no processed items in there. It was not bad, but I imagine it tastes better hot (since I’m hiking stove-less, I had to cold-soak it).

Right now the sun is setting, there’s some dogs barking in the distance (we’re close to civilization again, and there’s some farming going on around here) and I’m ready for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is town-day! Hot meals and reuniting with the first hiking-crew (Natalie, Jimmy, Thad & Mark) ! I’m looking forward to it!

Sun is sinking down
And now all I can see
Are the planets in a row
Suggesting it’s best that I
slow down
This night’s a perfect shade of

Dark blue, dark blue
have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I’m here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue, dark blue
have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
Well I’m here with you
I said the world could be burning,
Dark blue

Dark Blue – Jack’s Mannequin