Our latest section continued north bringing us off San Jacinto Mountain, down into Cabazon, and back up into the mountain town of Big Bear Lake. This 4-day stretch beginning on May 22 covered trail miles 205-260 and ended at an Airbnb with new Seattle-based trail friends Adam and Amelia.
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Mile 205 – Water Faucet
Points along the PCT are often known by the campsite, park, peak, river, or intersection. This water stop and campsite is simply known as The Faucet where a faucet is attached to a pipe bringing untreated water from the mountain into town. We have had a few stretches with hot days where water is scarce. It’s amazing how quickly one starts to appreciate the convenience and reliability of water from the tap.
We started our day from The Faucet around 7am, and walked 4 miles along a gravel road and dry riverbed to an underpass beneath I-10. We checked out the hiker box and signature wall before catching an Uber into Cabazon with 2 hiker friends. We had been leapfrogging for the past 2 weeks.
We had been looking forward to breakfast/lunch in Cabazon for days. They have a Chipotle which is nearly the perfect food for loads of carbs and calories. The heat had us starting our days quite early so we got into town around breakfast. After a quick stop at the post office to pick up a resupply box, we went to a diner at the nearby casino where we had a sizable breakfast and maybe 2 hours of phone/power bank charging.
After breakfast at the casino diner, we made our way to Chipotle for lunch where we ran into a few more hikers, continued charging anything we could, then waited out the last of the afternoon heat at the library.
When the library closed at 6, we caught a ride back to the bridge over the trail. The driver essentially dropped us off at the side of the road with nothing useful in site. We crawled down the embankment to the trail and began our first night hike.
Back on the trail by 7pm, we planned for a 10mi hike back into the mountains for the 4-day leg into Big Bear Lake. Walking in the evening was such a nice change from the sun-baked afternoons. We had about 2 hours of sun, sunset, and twilight light before switching to headlamps for another 2 hours. We stopped walking around 11pm which felt super late after weeks of being in bed before 10.
Here is one of my most interesting finds. It looks like a bee+tarantula combo but I learned it is known as a Jerusalem Cricket which is neither from Jerusalem, or a cricket!?
With a series or really warm days behind us, we wanted to do the majority of our hiking outside of 11am-3pm. Each section offered varying possibilities for a mid-afternoon break but starting early was important. We got up around 6 and began our descent to Whitewater River.
We had our first decent river crossing with the force and depth of the water giving us a little more to think about than prior crossings. After another couple hours of walking we finally found shade under trees along Mission Creek where we stopped for lunch, water, creek laundry, and a nice long nap.
Kristi pulled out the Springsteen to get us into lunch
Mission Creek was a big surprise. After a number of hot, dry sections we spent the afternoon crossing the creek dozens of times. We finally had a fairly consistent string of trees providing shade for us as well.
We walked into the night again to try getting close to our 15 mile daily average, and making up for the long siesta during the hottest part of the day. We setup camp in a dry riverbed, ate a quick dinner, and fell asleep within minutes of laying down.
We maintained our streak of a new plant species every day. This section was especially diverse with wildflowers everywhere, and also a wide range of trees including multiple species of pine, juniper, and oak.
Our final push for the day was a 2mi climb at dusk. For 3 days we had been waking around sunrise, walking until lunch, resting for 3-8 hours during the day, and continuing into the evening.
Last day before getting to town for a resupply, rest, and all the other comforts of civilization. We woke at 5:30 and we’re on the trail a little before 7. It was another beautiful day with trees and wildflowers but short on water.
We found a single morel as we walked along Arrastre Creek. The heavy snow year is probably contributing to these Southern California morels which are more common in March and April.
We left the trail at mile 260 and walked 2 miles to the edge of town where we caught a free public bus on its route through Big Bear. When we arrived at the grocery store we immediately started seeing familiar faces from the trail including someone we hadn’t seen since meeting 2 weeks prior.
Groceries, laundry detergent, and a six-pack in hand, we headed to our rental cabin with Adam and Amelia. The shower barely got a break for the following hour as we all washed off 4 days of dirt, sweat, and sunscreen. Jeremy headed into town to track down a pinball machine he had been eyeing for the past 3 weeks and was greeted by this horrible sign.
Next he tried the Elks Lodge where there were reportedly 2 machines but found them both dusty and in need of TLC
He still managed to get a few games in on Bugs Bunny Birthday Bash.
Packing for a long walk across a range of environments, away from cell service, electricity, clean water, or shelter requires some combination of planning, purchasing, and tolerance. Anything you choose to add to your pack comes with a coat in terms of money, weight, and space. Those who prioritize minimizing weight are known as ultralight…
When researching the PCT there wasn’t much said online about the section in Oregon. Once we started getting within a couple hundred miles of the state, most of the talk was that Oregon is “flat & fast” – almost like a brief buffer between the spectacular scenery of Northern California and Washington. There’s even an…
Over the past 40 days and 40 nights I have been recording short clips of the trail to help capture the general feel of the trail. The terrain is wildly varied and can change with small differences in elevation, aspect of the slope, and of course in close proximity to water. Below is a recording…
Kristi pulled out the Springsteen to get us into lunch
