Day 7 - 11 Amalgamation of Posts — Walking People Out of Poverty

Depart Warner Springs - Arrive Cabazon

As this is supposedly my rest day I’m feeling under a lot of pressure to get caught up with my posts, and would thank you all for your patience. I’m sure you were thinking I’d gone “missing in the mountains".

I am therefore combining several days blogs into one, which I’m sure after reading will make sense.

As planned the previous evening we met in the community hall had breakfast and departed around 6 AM. We left behind a motley crew of hikers who were strewn around the room. Happy Feet was comfortably ensconced on the couch, Gargoyle was tucked in the corner and another couple of people were spread out on the floor.

Little did we know at the time but this was probably the last we would see of Gargoyle and his friends. The departure from Warner Springs leads into the high country and there were lots of uphill sections in the heat which becomes extremely debilitating. It is shocking how much the heat can take out of you especially around midday and over the course of the next four to five hours it really is something. After a long grueling day we arrived at a huge water tank where we were able to refill our water bottles. This watering station is just up the road from Mikes Place, a trail angel. During my research I discovered that Mike’s Place is notorious for young people smoking weed and I therefore had made a decision not to visit. After we had finished filling our water bottles Tina, Slim and Anna decided they would go down to Mike’s to check it out and I agreed that I would be happy to sit and look after everyone’s equipment. Shortly after they went down the hill another group of two or three hikers turned up to fill their water bottles before descending to Mike’s . As you can probably well imagine water is an extremely precious commodity on the PCT and you have to constantly be on the lookout for updated water reports that are downloaded via certain websites. A little while later my “group” returned and they shared a very funny story that had unfolded shortly after arriving at Mikes. Turns out both Slim and Anna had partaken of the free ice cream (Tina does not eat dairy), and a soft drink. Tina had asked if I wanted anything, and knowing I like Ginger Ale was going to see what she could find. As an alternative she would bring back a Coca Cola. Turns out that Tina was talking with the owner and he thought Tina was looking for “Coke”, and he pointed her to a guy behind the bar and said he’s the guy to talk to about weed! The mix up was quickly corrected and everyone had a good chuckle.

After departing Mike’s we had a 2 mile climb up to the top of the mountain to Coombs Peak, and the extra 6 liters of water we each carried added 13 pounds of weight to our packs.

Day eight commenced like most mornings with an early start and we were on the trail by 5:45 AM as we had a long day ahead. As we were now in the high country there was a lot of climbing waiting to be done. By now I had a number of blisters but Tina, a.k.a. Medicine woman was taking very good care of me. The morning was going very well when all of a sudden we had a close encounter of a scary kind. Tina was leading, as she mostly did, and stepped down off a short ledge. No sooner had Tina done so that a loud rattle started up and at this point I too had stepped off the ledge, and there, less than 2 feet away from me, was one very angry rattlesnake. Fortunately I backed up slowly the way I came and then turned to see a 5-6 foot rattler! After a couple of harrowing minutes I slowly started back down the path but this time gave to snake a wide berth. It’s amazing how calm the snake was in comparison to myself. It became apparent to us all that rattlesnakes are defensive and not aggressive as some people point them out to be.

Later that afternoon there was a little rest area called Muir Woods that some enterprising local had created as a rest stop for hikers that included a toilet and outdoor shower, (inside a cubicle) and a picnic table and bench, which was occupied by a half dozen hikers. As I arrived I was greeted with “this will be one of the best days of your life”. As I walked around the table I saw what I thought was a rubber snake and the group were playing a game, that is until the snake moved and I let out a warning. The snake was a very young rattler but it certainly got everyone’s attention, especially those with no shoes on!

The afternoon walk was really hot and unfortunately we still had a fair few miles to go, but the heat started to dissipate the further we went which made it a little easier. We passed one very attractive looking campground which was occupied by only two hikers Evan and his wife Angela. There was plenty of space and the ground was very flat but as we still had a mile or two to go so we decided to forge on. We eventually arrived at our preferred camp site but found it already occupied by 3 other people, and it was going to be a tight fit to squeeze us all in. With a little bit of give-and-take we managed to accommodate everyone.

With a little bit of give-and-take we managed to accommodate everyone. Slim manage to find a spot next to Zak, a mid 20’s guy from Southern Oregon and Tina and I squeezed our tents in next to Hamilton and Bill. Anna decided to camp on a small space right next to the trail.

Day nine commenced with a departure at 5:15 AM which as we found out later was still an hour behind Zak. Within the 1st mile or so we reached mile 150 which means I only have another 1175 to go! The early morning took us down and around the mountain before we found a great site for breakfast. We had entered completely new territory in the form of numerous rocks and trees but the clearing we came to consisted of flat rocks with great views. We were in close proximity to the legendary Paradise Cafe, but there were two problems, the first being that the cafe is a mile off the trail meaning a two hour round trip, and the bigger issue was the cafe wasn’t due to open until 8 am by which time we had banked nearly 3 hours on the trail.

Due to a fire several years ago we had a detour ahead of us and after several hours of climbing we reached the summit and started down the Spitler Mountain Trail. The trail had a series of switchbacks which went down, down, down, down until we reached the desert. It was getting extremely late and we took the decision to camp right next to the trail. Due to the late hour we decided to cowboy camp as opposed to putting up a tent. This entailed putting down your tent footprint spreading your sleeping mattress on top and then adding your sleeping bag, or in my case a quilt made by Enlightened Equipment.

It was a beautiful evening to camp out under the stars and I woke up several times and was amazed at the night sky. Unfortunately at around 2:30 in the morning I noticed that ice had formed on the outside of my sleeping quilt which was not good, as my quilt is made of down which does not retain heat when wet, unlike a synthetic one. I managed to add an extra layer and soldiered on until I finally got up at 5:30 am, quickly followed by the rest of the crew. After breakfast we set off down the trail at shortly after 7am and within 20 minutes we reached the road that signaled the end of the desert. The Apple Canyon road would take us on a 3 1/2 mile walk through beautiful country before reaching Highway 74 when we said goodbye to Anna and Slim. It had been a marvellous adventure walking with these guys and Tina and I will miss them both, but we do hope to cross paths with them again further up the trail. Unfortunately, due to my schedule, we were not able to re-join the PCT with Anna and Slim, however we do believe we more than covered the miles that we missed on the detour and during the balance of the day. We now had to hitch a ride to Idyllwild which is a mountain community about a 2 hour drive from Palm Springs, and a place I’ve always wanted to visit. It must’ve taken a good 20 minutes before we got a ride with Darrell a retired deputy sheriff and his wife Barbara. The ride was very enjoyable and Darrell gave us a rundown of Idyllwild and the community. Whilst in town we had to pick up a couple of days of supplies and Tina discovered that we could get breakfast in the store and so we had scrambled eggs and toast and in my case I had bacon as well. I should also mention That breakfast included tater tot’s. Having two breakfasts reminded me of the Hobblt movies where they have breakfast one and breakfast two!!

After breakfast we moved up the street to a coffee shop where I could indulge and get a real fresh cup of coffee. Whilst there we bumped into a trailer angel who kindly agreed to give us a ride to the trailhead, and as it turned out it was a good job, as the road took us several miles out of town. The first part of our walk out of Idyllwild was a 2000 foot climb up a series of switchbacks and shortly after starting out met a Park Ranger who ensured we were ok to be on the mountain. It was also her birthday, and after a few minutes banter we were on our way.

We had devised a strategy to go slow and steady up the hill and this proved to be a brilliant move as we reached the top in just over 75 minutes. We now walked through a beautiful treed area of Pine Trees and after another hour or so we found a great lunch spot. We found a couple of nice big rocks on which we were able to throw our sleeping bag and quilt so they could dry in the sun.

After a short lunch it was time could be on the move again but we were very thankful for the privilege of enjoying such a peaceful surrounding.

After lunch we had a drop in elevation of over 1000 feet followed by another climb of, believe it or not, a 1000 feet. It was exhausting work and the last 2 to 3 miles always seems double the length!

We discovered arguably our best spot yet for picking up water, which was a small river high up in the mountains and the water was lovely and cold. I would have loved to a dip my feet into the water but time was pressing and we had to move on.

We still had several miles to go and with the sun going down we wanted to meet camp before it was dark. At this point we were talking about the need for safety and then it happened, I was rounding a corner and the footing was loose soil and scree, and the next thing you know I had tumbled forward. It turns out that my left hand hiking pole, as I was making the left turn, collapsed thereby causing me to fall. At this point Tina turned and came running back very concerned for my safety and asking if I was all right, I said I was fine except for the fact you are standing on my hand and I can’t get up.

I picked myself up, checked myself out, and discovered a slight cut on my knee and my left arm, and apart from that I was fine. It’s funny how an equipment failure can let you down.

We eventually reached our campsite and had just enough time to pitch our tents before darkness fell.

I want to stress how the last few days have been incredibly rewarding, although the hiking has been extremely difficult and challenging due to the terrain and the heat, we have been richly rewarded by the most amazing views which are almost impossible to describe. The night sky has also been incredible and it is amazing to me how very little of our solar system we see when back in the big city as opposed to what we have witnessed when camping high up in the mountains.

Day 11 is a very special day as we are heading to Cabazon and a reunion with our loved ones and a well deserved rest day in Palm Springs. We were on the trail by 6:15am and had about 9L of water between, us as we have been warned of the difficult conditions that we would encounter. Our plan was to leave early and cover as much ground as we could before finding a spot for breakfast. We would no sooner on the trail then we were met with incredible views of the windmills that litter the valley floor, these gave way to views of the Morongo Casino and the huge Premium Outlet Mall at Cabazon.

Our journey down the mountain took a lot longer than anticipated and we missed both breakfast and lunch as there was no shade to be had anywhere. This severely underscores just how dangerous this journey can be. We finally reached a water source at the bottom of the mountain and it was laughable at how poorly designed the faucet was. It was almost impossible to fill your water bottle and Tina and I were glad we had ample water left, we now had 3 1/2 miles left to go and set off down the road that would lead us to the desert where we still had about 2 1/2 miles left. Fortunately the signage was excellent but our progress was very slow and the time it was taking to reach our destination was frustrating. Each mile seemed longer than the previous one but suddenly we reached the underpass, and Tina was finally reunited with her husband Dave. I unfortunately still had to wait another couple of hours before seeing Liz.

Tina scanning the early morning trail.

The sign says it all.

Another great view.

And another.

The trail winding round the mountain.

Anna, aka Mustache.

Close encounter!

Our trail.

Cactus in bloom.

Early morning breakfast.

The view from our breakfast spot.

Pine cone heaven.

Another great view.

Tina and Anna striding out.

The view of the desert from way up high!

Yet another stellar view. You might be able to make out our trail.

Dr. Tina fixes yet another blister!

Early in the morning and faced with a 3 mile road walk.

My kind of country, big trees and wide open spaces.

Another amazing view.

And another! I hope you don’t get tired of seeing them as there are plenty more where these came from.

Yet another view.

Tina checking out the views.

The view Tina was looking at.

Looking down at the windmill farm from Fuller Peak as we started our climb down to Cabazon. We were approximately 6000 feet higher than the desert floor at this point.