After recuperating our bodies and minds in Wrightwood for the last few days, we’re back at it.
This has been our longest continuous section yet. Over these last 200 miles, we have been slept through a snowstorm, summitted 2 mountains, crossed one of the world’s largest wind farms, and went through the eerie site of a recent wildfire in a thick fog.
Day 35, Wrightwood to Mt. Baden-Powell, 17 Miles
Leaving Wrightwood is a challenge, as to get back on trail, we have to take the Acorn Trail. The trail, and the approach to it, are 4.2 Miles and 2,200 ft of steep elevation gain back to 8,200 ft.
This little trail is exhausting enough that it has since become a refrain for us to say “at least that hill was not as bad as the Acorn Trail.” We ascended so quickly that we had the common altitude reaction of our lungs filling with fluid, making us wheeze as if we were smoking for the next few days.
Once back on the Pacific Crest Trail, we hiked to our next big landmark: Mt. Baden-Powell. Named after the founder of the Boy Scouts of America, it measures at 9,300 ft, and is one of the highest points along the entire trail.
We struck camp on Baden-Powell, aiming to summit tomorrow morning. This was one of our coldest nights yet, as temperatures dropped below freezing to 24°F. Unexpectedly, we woke in the middle of the night to find ourselves in a snowstorm. My tent kept us dry and warm through the night, and the landscape around changed dramatically under a fresh layer of snow and hoarfrost.
Day 36, Mt. Baden-Powell to Mt. Williamson, 13 Miles
Waking up, we found the forest covered in snow, branches thick with hoarfrost. Hoarfrost is when water vapor instantly freezes into ice, forming beautiful crystals upon whatever it is stuck to. The cold also brought in a thick layer of fog, decreasing visibility to maybe 30 ft for a large portion of the day.
Descending Baden-Powell, we approached the site of the recent Bobcat Fire, and began to encounter a ghostly landscape. Shrouded in fog and silence, the burned forest looked like the set of a horror film. It was beautiful in a way, but I’m glad that I’m hiking with a partner, as my mind would’ve filled in the blanks with such low visibility around us.
Day 37, Mt Williamson to Sulphur Springs Campground 19 Miles
Regretfully, we begin to leave the San Gabriel Mountain range today, as we transition to the true desert, and the largest we will encounter: the mighty Mojave.
But, before that, we had to bypass a longstanding trail closure. We walked along the CA Highway 2 and met the trail again a few miles later to not disturb the habitat of the Yellow Legged Mountain Frog. Save the Frog!
From the snow, we again met the chaparral and we camped at a location more known for equestrians. There were more horsepens than tentsites.
Genus Sarcodes, a parasitic plant that feeds off of fungi. 
Day 38, Sulphur Springs to Messenger Flat Campground, 24 Miles
What a day. This is by far our longest day in terms of mileage, as we hiked past sunset. As we pass from the site of one wildfire to the next, we walk along overgrown, unmaintained ridgelines of trail. We must have gone over about 50 large trees and walked through a field of brambles by the end of the day.
These conditions made for very few places to adequately camp, and when we reached our first viable site, it was along an active dirt road. I had a bad feeling about camping here, so we pressed on through the night, and we’re glad we did so.
Though the trail was unpleasant, we climbed a steep hill in the cool of the night rather than the heat of the day. We also hiked under the full moon, which was a blood moon as well.
Reaching our campsite around 10:30 PM, we set up to sleep in, as we had done many more miles than we needed to, and could thus go easier tomorrow.
If you remember back when I first saw a nightjar a few posts ago, I was thrilled to see a bird that I never thought I would have the opportunity to see. You can tell you see a nightjar ahead of you as its eyes reflect back red.
Tonight, we walked up to one, and were convinced by its camouflage that it was a rock. However, we were spooked as this rock suddenly took flight, almost right into us. What we thought was a rock that looked like a bird was in fact a bird that looked like rock.
Day 39, Messenger Flat to Acton KOA Campground, 14 Miles
Scorching heat today as we venture through the Mojave Desert. We reach the small town of Acton, and camp at a KOA where we can do laundry, have a shower and pick up a resupply to get us all the way to the city of Mojave.
Not Shown: 100° heat
It was fun to talk with the locals here, especially one named Christie who is now retired, living in her towed trailer. She goes to campgrounds to which she is a member all around the state. She was happy to be out of the rat race and enjoying going around the state’s campgrounds. Not a bad retirement if I have ever heard one.
Day 40, Acton Koa Campground to Agua Dulce, 13 Miles
After a nice shower and laundering our clothes, we’re back at it. Air temperatures rose into the high 90’s as we are now properly in the Mojave Desert! After only a few miles, we took a break in the shade to let the sun dip and for less direct exposure. In the early evening, we reached our destination.
Before reaching the town of Agua Dulce, we passed an important landmark in scifi history. We passed by the Vasquez Rocks, which have been featured in too many scifi instances to name. Most famously and hilariously, it was the site of the Gorn fight from the original run of Star Trek.
Vasquez rocks, Some local wildlife chilled with us for a few minutes.
After the Vasquez Rocks, we walked into the small town of Agua Dulce to stock up on water, and, more importantly, to get some pizza.
Big Mouth Pizza. The best vegan pizza one can ask for on trail.
Day 41, Agua Dulce to Green Valley, 13.5 Miles
What started out as a hard day where I was exhausted and nauseous became a great day with animal encounters and a pleasant night hike. We did the majority of our miles after sunset to avoid the scorching heat we experienced during the day.
I encountered a very large gopher snake, which had me duck and cover thinking it was a rattler. Also had an extended encounter with quail and about every bird in southern California at the only watering hole in the area.
During our night hike, we encountered two kangaroo rats. Look up a kangaroo rat. They are almost too much to handle.
Day 42, Green Valley to Lake Hughes, 12 Miles
A nice day today as we ascended ridgelines thru the aptly named Green Valley. Though it is a profound mystery to me as to why there is so much life here, as the land is dry as a bone.
We notably passed the starting point of an ultramarathon: the Leona Divide 50 mile race. Famous ultrarunners such as Karl Meltzer and Scott Jurek, as well as Bob Berkowitz are past winners.
We then got a ride to the hikertown hostel, which is built up like a small Western pioneer town. We stayed the night here on a bed and under a roof as we got another resupply and prepared for an infamous section of the PCT.
Day 43,Hikertown to Tehachapi Wind Farm 20.5 Miles
This next section is infamous because it is essentially a 17 mile dirt road walk with no water and minimal shade as you walk by the Los Angeles Aqueduct. I actually found that its difficulty was overstated, and made for a nice hike! Even in spite of the fact that we went to sleep last night at hikertown expecting to get up early to avoid the heat, but instead, we were exhausted and left right when it was getting to be hottest part of the day.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Aqueduct
It’s an interesting bit of history, if you’re interested, especially concerning the California Water Wars.
After the Aqueduct, we found ourselves in one of the largest wind farms in the world, around the cities of Rosamund, Tehachapi and Mojave.
Day 44 & 45, Tehachapi Wind Farm to Mojave, 13 & 8 Miles
Today, we climbed 3,000 ft on a hot day. After 4 miles straight up, we reached the “bar and grill.” Here, a kind trail angel set up water, food, chairs and sun protection after a grueling climb. Once at the top, we were a bit frustrated to discover that the trail easily could have gone around these hills and remained flat.
Instead, we went 3k up and then 3k down. Now that’s just cruel!
Worth noting, we are very close to the Edward’s Air Force Base. Where we camped, we saw strange rows of lights moving slowly and silently across the sky. I can see why some ufo sightings happen, as if I had not known we were so close to Edward’s, my mind would wander in that direction.
The next day, we walked along an easier stretch of downhill trail with many Joshua Trees. This has been a great and fun stretch with a lot of surprises. With 200 miles behind us, we are grateful for the rest in Mojave.
By popular request, does anyone have any questions about what we’re doing? Gear, food, sleeping in the woods without a shower for weeks, (most) any question is fair game. I read all the comments, so just let me know, and I will try to answer them in future posts.
Total Miles: 566
Before writing about this section, I wanted to get a little time behind me. Though the trail was not too difficult, this was the hardest part of the journey so far for me, as I was hiking through an injury.
Despite this, we experienced some of our most beautiful, bleak and bizarre views so far here.
Day 25, Cienaga Creek Ranch to Doble Trail Camp, 18 Miles
After taking a rest in Big Bear Lake and enjoying some fine Indian and Thai food, we are back.
We immediately began a descent from the San Gorgonio Mountains into the high desert once again. Today, we lost 2,000 ft of elevation, going from pine forest to chapparal. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we go through at least two unique ecosystems within an average day of hiking here.
We camped on a cold, windy night at an abandoned equestrian campsite, with luxuries including running water and a composting privy.
With easier grade of trail, we began to feel comfortable getting in more miles each day without feeling fatigued. However, the trail here is very dry and sandy. This would prove to be my undoing.
Day 26, Doble Springs Camp to Little Bear Springs Camp, 17 Miles
Let’s begin with two issues caused by the coarse desert sand. First, the sand is wearing at the laces of my shoes, causing them to not cinch tightly and fray. Second, and much more unpleasantly, some of the sand got into my left shoe and the grit wore at my feet. Within a half hour, the sand took the first two layers of skin off of my left pinky toe.
I probably don’t need to explain why hiking 90 miles on an open wound is not the most pleasant thing that I have done! From now on, I would clean and bandage my foot twice a day so that it remained uninfected. Even so, it was painful to walk.
The next few days until Wrightwood were my first and hopefully only type 3 fun thus far.
Type 1 Fun-Fun to do, fun to tell a story about.
Type 2 Fun-Not fun to do, fun to tell a story about.
Type 3 Fun-Not fun to do, not fun to tell a story about.
Day 27, Little Bear Springs Camp to Cedar Glen, 15.5 Miles
This was a hard day. Hard to walk, and though the trail was easy overall, there were nigh countless downed trees to go over. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. At the town of Cedar Glen, after a grueling 3 mile climb, there was resupply and a famous veggie burger awaiting us. After the burger, we stayed the night at the Lake Arrowhead Inn for a night to relax and heal the injured foot.
Day 28, Cedar Glen to Deep Creek, 3.5 Miles
After a visit to the pharmacy for medical supplies, we went back down to Deep Creek. This is a 20 mile stretch of trail in a canyon where the Mojave River and Deep Creek run adjacent to the trail, making for plentiful water, pleasant temperatures and flat trail. Though things are about to get a bit surreal…
Day 29, Deep Creek to Hesperia, CA 14.5 Miles
As we pass through Deep Creek, we go by the most human impacted portion of the trail we have seen. It was hard to see many rock and cliff faces defaced and trash. In addition, we passed by an odd section where we passed by both a shooting range and about as many ATV’s as I have ever seen in one place.
It’s really an off putting juxtaposition after being in the wilderness for several weeks! After passing through a bit of chaos, we made it to a beautiful(and quiet) campsite shielded from the desert wind, and we earned a nice sunset.
Day 30, Hesperia to Lake Silverwood, 15 Miles
The Pacific Crest trail was designated under Lyndon B. Johnson as a National Scenic Trail in the late 1960’s. Today, we experienced two types of “scenic.”
First we passed through a “scenic” portion of “trail” that was a paved road bypassing a power plant, surrounded by industrial waste. Then, we crested a hill and reached the unexpected Lake Silverwood.
Though it was beautiful, the lake is unfortunately filled with toxic blue-green algae year-round. Prohibiting swimming and safe access to water for us.
As we go along, I improve my skills at bandaging my blisters, and hiking gets easier. Looking forward to reaching the mountain town of Wrightwood in 3 days and enjoying a long rest.
Day 31, Silverwood Lake to Swarthout Canyon, 14.5 Miles
However, today began as my most difficult day on the trail thus far, as I reached a breaking point hiking on my injured foot. With a late start, things luckily picked up from there.
Despite our late start, we hiked very fast in this section to achieve 15 miles. Near the end of the day, we reached a McDonalds and a Chevron, where we had our spirits restored by orders of fries and icees.
Day 32, Swarthout Canyon to Wright Mt, 14 Miles
We reached the San Gabriel Mountains and ascended 4,000 ft to camp at 6,800 ft today. An interesting and beautiful sight in these mountains is going above the clouds and watching them dance through the various summits and valleys.
We reached the town of Wrightwood the next afternoon, and spent 3 nights there resting my feet and our souls after a tough stretch of trail.
This section is a week behind me now. I went into this hiking knowing that I would experience some of the highest highs and lowest lows of my life. This was a difficult low point overall, but I’m happy that we pressed on. And I cannot express how good the Wrightwood food was.
In Wrightwood, we got new equipment, and I got new shoes. My first pair’s laces finally gave the day before reaching Wrightwood.
Total Miles: 363
Everything changes so quickly out here. In 40 miles, we came from a blistering desert to a roaring river, to again at 8,000 ft in the high country. We found an oasis in the desert and realized how dramatic the presence of water is to a landscape.
Day 22, Cabazon to Whitewater Junction, 9.5 Miles
Cabazon is a bleak little town that resides on a busy corridor of I-10 near Los Angeles. Its business stems from the large, opulent casino in the area and various strip centers for food.
It took us about 2 hours to get an uber out of here, and though I am grateful for the Chipotle, I don’t plan to visit again.
Returning to our hike, we were dropped off at the hottest point of the day. These were the most extreme temperatures we had found yet, often exceeding 95°. Due to this, we waited and took a novel approach to our hike thus far.
We hiked at night by the view of our headlamps. It was an amazing experience to see the desert come alive in the cool evening temperatures. After sunset, we saw toads, millipedes, spiders and a species of nightjar, a bird I never thought I would see. Often heard, the most common nightjar on the East Coast is the whip-poor-whill.
Another surprise came to us as we heard roaring water ahead of us from our campsite. The landscape changed again as we reached the Whitewater River.
Day 23, Whitewater Junction to Mission Creek, 14 Miles
Today’s section was the wettest we have yet encountered on the trail.
We forded a river, and came to Mission Creek. Coming from the snowmelt of the San Gorgonio Mountains, Mission Creek crosses the Pacific Crest Trail over a dozen times in the span of 12 miles.
The surplus of water came at a cost, however. All of these stream crossings broke the trail to such an extent that the only method to find your way forward were small stone cairns. With no trail to speak of, stone riverbeds, and footprints to nowhere from lost hikers before us, this was quite a task. I am immensely grateful for the excess of water, but I do not know if it justified the amount of bushwhacking we found ourselves doing.
Due to the heat, we took a siesta by the creek and cooked lunch during the hottest portion of the day, and hiked later into the cool evening.
Day 24, Mission Creek to Coon Creek Cabins, 15 Miles
I cannot say that I expected to be back at elevation so soon, but here we are at 8,100 ft. As we ascended into the San Gorgonio mountains, we encountered an unfortunately common feature along the Pacific Crest Trail: burns from wildfires.
It is eerie to hike through these places, as suddenly, all goes relatively silent around you. In addition, these areas are difficult to traverse with fallen trees and burned trail. It was 8 miles straight up as we gained 5,000 ft of elevation through this terrain.
After all this hiking, the funny thing was when we reached a viewpoint overlooking Cabazon, where we were nearly 40 miles ago! Pressing on, we reached one our oddest, and best campsites. The Coon Creek Cabins are historical structures built around a National Forest Service campground that, ostensibly, is abandoned at the moment.
I camped next to one of the cabins, as it was well sheltered from the winds. Mary actually set up her tent inside of a small cabin with a dirt floor, grateful for the extra warmth.
Exhausted from the heat, we reached Big Bear City the next day and spent the night in town. We truly felt fortunate as we encountered our favorite food. Big Bear had not 1, but two Indian restaurants!
Our next stretch is a long one, nearly a week to the mountain town of Wrightwood, nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Total Miles: 250