Week 7: The Wrightwood Race

 Day 36 ( May 9 ): Another ###$ ZERO

Woke up with a bit of nausea. Nothing bad, didn't throw up. Had a couple cases of the runs. This afternoon, I got a call from the San Bernadino County Health Department, regarding the online Norovirus Survey I had filled out. Thank goodness I was keeping a journal, because I was able to give her pretty detailed information as to where I had camped, who I had hiked with, and so on. 

This Noro outbreak is worse than either of the two I experienced in '22. The outbreaks in '22 occurred at (more or less) fixed locations. This one is moving. It started at Mission Creek (mile 226) on May 2nd. As of today (May 9th) it has been reported on trail as far North as mile 280. There was even a report of several hikers getting Norovirus in Wrightwood (mile 363)!

The way the virus seems to be moving, makes me think that there is someone moving it along the trail. I know of one guy who didn't filter or treat any water along Mission Creek. Sure, he didn't get sick (at least not yet), but if he didn't filter or treat his water, how do we know he didn't spread the contamination ?

To be honest, I was seriously considering, packing it in, going home early, and staying there. To paraphrase a statement I made in my last entry: Darn it ! I signed up for a through hike, not a long walk through a Bio Hazard Area ! Then, I remembered, I have an Ice Axe and Microspikes I need to pick up in Wrightwood. My plan is to hike to Wrightwood, pick up the axe and spikes, then catch a plane home so I can meet my Oncologist on the 23rd. After that, we'll see. 

Day 37 ( May 10 ): Last Zero in Big Bear

Feeling better today. No nausea and no runs. Did my shopping and rested up. Tomorrow I return to the trail.

I'm not sure I want to eat what they're selling....

Day 38 ( May 11 ): Back on the Trail

I was lazy last night and didn't pack up, figuring it wouldn't take me too long to pack. Yeah, well it took me longer than I thought. It was 8:00 before I checked out. I missed the bus, so I ended up walking about a mile to Dennys for breakfast. After a big breakfast ( Note to self: Eat a bigger breakfast, these "drink the breakfast on the go meals" aren't cutting it. ) I crossed the street and walked to the closest bus stop. As I was waiting for the bus, a car pulled up and the driver asked if I needed a ride to the trail. Yes Please !! Boscoe dropped me and another hiker off at the trail and picked up 3 hikers and took them into town. 

I started hiking at 10:45 and it got pretty warm in a hurry. I had just taken a small sip of water from one of the bottles in my hipsack when I remembered something. I didn't decontaminate the water bottles that I carry in my hipsack !! CRUD !! Hopefully I won't get sick from one small sip.... I was passed by a cautious hiker who gave me two tablets of something like Aqua Mira (the one treatment guaranteed to zap Norovirus), which I promptly put in my drinking bottles. The recommended dose is one tablet per Liter of water, but I figure a double dose won't hurt any.

Now to treat my water....

I tripped on a rock and took a spill ( it happens ). After dusting my self off, I got up and started hiking again, Something felt wrong with my right foot. When I looked down, there was a small piece of stone sticking out of my shoe. Fortunately, it didn't hurt my foot.

A rather bedraggled Joshua Tree

 

The white color is from the pulverized quartz from the gold mines.
I wouldn't swim here....

Looking South across Big Bear Lake to the town of Big Bear.

I finally reached camp a bit after 6. The campsite was occupied by 4 hikers and 2 car campers who had driven up an adjacent dirt road in a pickup truck. I thought the hikers weren't to happy to see me ( like I was intruding in their space ), but as usual I had misread the situation. They were pleased to meet me (especially once I told them my trailname),  and we chatted for a while. They are Chris, " Popeye " ( a woman who got her trailname on the Appalachian Trail because she would eat spinach every chance she could), Radio, and " Just Ken ". Radio mentioned that there was a chance of seeing Northern Lights, and I told them than if I saw any when I woke up to "take care of business", I would wake them. 

I made a Ramen Bomb ( A mixture of Ramen, Instant Mashed Potatoes, and Beef Jerkey for dinner, but I could only eat a bit over half of it before my stomach started to feel queasy. Maybe to much potatoes.

15.1 Miles     7.5 Hours
2,224' Up       1,306' Down

Day 39 ( May 12 ): ( What it takes to be a "serious" hiker )    

Woke up at 3:30 to "take care of business". No Northern Lights. BUMMER !
I was packed and hiking by 6:30. I was planning on meeting "Team Popeye" at Little Bear Spring Camp at mile 285.6 for breakfast.

I covered the 4.3 miles in 1 hour, 45 minutes. 2.5mph ! Cool ! Granted a lot of it was downhill, but still that's pretty good for me. When I got to the camp, I  didn't see any sign of Team Popeye, so I refilled my water, used the "necessary", and starting hiking. About half a mile from the camp, I caught up to Team Popeye as they finished their breakfast. They had decided to avoid regular campsites (at least for eating) while Noro is on the loose. Probably a good idea...

Chris and Popeye are partners, and usually Chris leads. Popeye says that if Chris doesn't lead, she will quickly outdistance him. Chris says it's because her longer legs give her a "Mechanical Advantage". Team Popeye quickly left me in their dust once we started climbing hills. My explanation is that the Killdeer is a low altitude, medium speed bird, and I am like the bird I am named for.

Chris and Popeye on the move.

I finally caught up with they as they napped at Holcomb Creek ( mile 292.6 ). Getting there was a bit tricky because I had to figure out where to ford the creek (which was flowing fairly fast and knee deep)
to continue along the trail. Being the nice guy that I am, I made a stone arrow to point to where to ford the creek.

Holcomb Creek: Ford # 1

 

Chris and Popeye prepare to ford Holcomb Creek. Again....

Popeye fords Holcomb Creek

We resumed hiking at 1:15 with the goal of reaching a " Piped Spring " at mile 295.9. As usual, Popeye and Company left me in their dust. I reached the " Spring " a bit bit before 4 PM. I didn't see the Spring at first, but that was OK, because there was a stream nearby that we were able to draw water from. As we filtered water and rested we were joined by Phoebe ( her actual first name ) from New Zealand. Phoebe and Popeye had met before and started chatting. Popeye has had surgery on both ankles ( she had a bad injury in the White Mountains on the Appalachian Trail ) and Phoebe has also had some surgeries. I asked if having a major surgery was a prerequisite for being a "serious hiker" and everyone laughed. Then Ken pointed out that my broken bones meant I qualified. Thanks, I think.......

One of the locals was watching us as we rested...

As we left, Popeye noticed the " Spring ". It actually is a pipe sticking out of the ground in some grass. The water flow is really slow though...

We hiked on towards Deep Creek Bridge ( mile 298.5 ). Earlier, I had thought of going into Lake Arrowhead for the night. There is a side trail that leads towards Lake Arrowhead from the bridge. By the time I got to the bridge, I was too tired, and my knees were too sore to hike the 3 miles to the Cedar Glen Malt Shop to get a ride to Lake Arrowhead. Oh Well.. 

17.3 Miles    10.75 Hours
728' Up        3,858' Down ( Downhills, especially steep ones are hard on the knees )

Day 40 ( May 13 ): I Meet Another Trail Celebrity

It was cold when I woke up ( one of the problems with camping near moving water ), so it took me a while to get packed up.

None the less, I was on the trail by 7. I covered the first 7.5 miles to where the trail fords Deep Creek ( mile 306 ) in 3 hours, 45 minutes.

An important milestone. It's even in the right place.

I passed Team Popeye about 1.5 miles before the ford as they rested. They had camped in a pavilion on the side trail to Cedar Glen Malt Shop ( they didn't go to the malt shop though ). 

Some of the engineering work needed to keep the trail in place.

Notice how the tree grew from behind the rock.

One of the potential dangers on the PCT: Rockslides

Early morning light on Deep Creek from the bridge

 I rested by the creek and ate some lunch before putting on my Kayak shoes and fording the creek.

The blue stuff on my knees is KT Tape.
Really good for bracing joints

Hikers fording Deep Creek

Turning on the "Hiker Air Conditioning"

Near the Deep Creek Hot Springs ( mile 307.9 ) I met a woman who is as "famous" on the trail as I am: Lion Tamer. Lion Tamer got her name when she shooed a Mountain Lion and her cub out of a campsite. I don't know if I could do that... Lion Tamer was going to the hotsprings to meet a friend. 

I had miles to go, so I kept hiking. About a mile past the hotsprings, I decided to take a "shade break", something that you should do every once in a while to avoid heat injury. As I rested, I was briefly "buzzed" by a female Hummingbird. Cool !!

At mile 313, I crossed the Mojave River Forks Dam which is a flood control dam completed in 1974. The area is dry at the moment, but I gather it can fill with water quickly if there are heavy rains. I don't know why, but for the last few years, I thought it was an incomplete hydro power dam. A local tribe used the area for centuries and it is home to an endangered frog species.

I reached Highway 173 ( mile 314.3 ) a bit after 5, and called for a ride to the Joshua Inn. The Inn (more of bar actually) allows hikers to camp on their property for $5. They even provide a shower (another $5) and outlets to charge our electronic devices. The only drawback is that it is VERY windy late in the evening, which makes setting up a tent ( and to a certain extent sleeping ) somewhat difficult  until it gets totally dark and the wind dies down.

15.7 Miles    10.25 Hours
1,385' Up      2,848' Down

Day 41 ( May 14 ): Blackjack !!

I woke up at 5:30 and had breakfast and packed.

All packed and ready to hike

I was dropped off with 4 younger hikers at 7 AM.  The 4 youngsters quickly outdistanced me ( no great surprise ), but I was able to maintain a 2 mph pace in spite of the uphill climb.

As I took a shade break ( I try to take a shade and water break about every hour ), I was passed by Team Popeye. That was weird. I thought they left the Inn before me. I guess not. I would pass and be passed by Team Popeye for most of the day.

About 10 AM, Liontamer caught up to me. She had camped near a creek crossing east of the highway last night. We hiked together until we got to the powerstation at mile 324.3, where we stopped for lunch in a nice tree shaded area with a pleasant breeze. As we ate, we traded trail and life stories. 

Liontamer hikes past Team Popeye resting under tents.
The dam holding back the water of Silverwood Lake is in the background.

Once we started the steep climb a bit past the powerstation, Liontamer left me in her dust. Like I said, I'm a low altitude, medium speed bird. I am what I am. Deal with it. After a 0.5 mile steep climb, I reached the top of the hill and had a good view looking down on ( manmade ) Silverwood Lake.

I was soon joined by Team Popeye and I hiked with them ( except for Ken who blazed ahead ) until we reached a picnic area just off the trail at mile 328.1 about . The picnic area has two things I wanted to use: A genuine bathroom and a tap with clean, potable water. Team Popeye and I had been discussing where to go from the picnic area. The two options were to either go further or to camp at a Hike / Bike Camp area in the park. When I came out of the bathroom, I didn't see any sign of Team Popeye, so I decided to hike further along the trail. Yes, I could have camped in the park, but I had three reasons why I decided not to. 
1.) The campsite is a mile off the trail
2.) There is a $10 fee to camp there
3.) There has been a Black Bear seen in the camp area.

I figured that I had to hike the trail miles anyway, so I might as well keep going forward. When I left Silverwood Lake Park, I was aiming for a tentsite at mile 333.8, which was 5 miles down the trail. I was carrying an extra 4 Liters of water, because I didn't know the condition of the one stream at mile 333.1, and I wanted to make sure I had enough water to last me until I reached Cajon Pass tomorrow. 

It turns out, the stream at 333.1 had plenty of water, so I drank some of the water I had carried and refilled my bottles. Unfortunately, the tentsite I was aiming for was occupied, so I  had to hike another 1.7 miles. I was able to find a nice tentsite at mile 335.3 just as the sun was starting to set. I quickly set up camp, cooked dinner, and went to bed.

21.5 Miles        12 Hours
2,815' Up         2,375' Down

Day 42 ( May 15 ): Making a Pass

When I woke up a bit after 5, there was condensation on the inside of my tent. WHAT ?? I wasn't camped near a river or lake and I had left the vestibule doors open for ventilation! Oh, well. It wasn't too bad, so I wiped down the inside of my tent, packed up and started hiking. I was on the trail by 6, and started making good time. Because I had hiked an extra 5 miles yesterday, I only had to hike 6 miles or so into Cajon Pass. Most hikers look forward to Cajon Pass for one thing: McDonalds. The Cajon Pass McDonalds is only 0.4 miles off the trail. A mere stroll to a through hiker. Why do most of us like the Cajon Pass McDonalds ? Simple. It delivers a lot of calories and fat ( you might not need the extra fat in your diet, but we do ) in a quick hurry. Even better, we don't have to cook it and they also allow us to refill our water bottles from their drink machines. No we don't refill them with Pop, water is good enough. 

The morning was cool and misty with fog in places. The mist and the light made for some interesting photos.

It isn't every day you get a shot of a powerline that looks cool.

The one good thing about dewy, spring mornings: dewy spiderwebs.

About halfway to Cajon Pass ( about mile 341 ), I met Hootie and " Stinger " from Arizona. Hootie is definitely a " Rare Breed ". He is a 9 year old Carolina Dog or Carolina Yellow Dog. One of the newest breeds recognized by the AKC. The Carolina Dog looks like a typical backwoods mongrel that you would find roaming the hills of rural North Carolina. The Carolina Dog is actually a pure breed that predates the arrival of the Europeans to North America. The Carolina Dog's closest relatives are the Australian Dingo and the " Singing Dog " of New Guinea. There are some biologists who think the Carolina Dog and it's relatives are the actual ancestors of the modern domestic dog. Stinger is very committed to Hootie, and they only hike when Hootie feels like it, and only as far as he wants to go. Stinger is planning on taking 1 or 2 Zeros at Cajon so Hootie can rest.

Stinger and Hootie. Notice the "boots" on Hootie's paws.

Hootie rests while Chimney Boy ( Singapore ) and Stinger (Arizona) compare notes.

Monument dedicated to the Santa Fe and Salt Lake Trail which was created in 1848.

Yes. I got a few kicks on Route 66...

I made it to McDonalds a bit after 9. By early afternoon, the place was almost completely overrun with hikers. Hootie and Stinger were there, tucked into a corner. At one point, I counted 20 hikers, sitting, eating and talking.

A hiker gets ready to go back on trail. Notice the McDonald bag. She Intends to hike to Wrightwood (30 miles) eating nothing but what she bought at McDonalds. Not for me...

About 1 PM, I realized my phone battery was almost dead. " No Big Deal." I thought. "I'll charge it from my battery bank." ( there are no plugs in the McDonalds ). Then my battery bank went dead. So I plugged my phone into my second battery. But it went dead with my phone battery at 15%. No way was that going to last long enough to get me to Wrightwood. So I made a reservation at the Cajon Pass Inn. Walking to the Inn a mile away was a little interesting as it required the crossing of the offramp from I-15. Some running required.... Pick you crossing point carefully.

A heavy BNSF freight train travels west through the pass.

6.9 Miles            3.25 Hours
689' Up              1,184' Down

Day 43 ( May 16 ): Leaving Cajon

I woke up, charged my electronics, checked out of the Inn, and walked to McDonalds.

Traffic gridlock on I-15

Team Popeye was there when I arrived at 7:30. The general consensus is we will hike as far as we can, while we can. Today's hike is going to be a long, hard, uphill slog.

Members of Team Popeye head out for the trail.

I had a big breakfast ( 1 Steak, Egg and Cheese Bagel meal and a Sausage Biscuit with Egg ) before heading out at 8:30. My first goal was to reach the water cache 5 miles ahead at mile 347.3. In addition to the climb, the other challenge to the 28 mile stretch between Cajon Pass and Highway 2 near Wrightwood, is water, or the lack of it. there are only 2 places in this stretch where you can get water. The water cache at mile 347.3 and Guffy Spring at mile 364.4.

Lark Sparrow

Getting to the the water cache isn't hard. The challenge is to figure out how much water to carry for the remaining 22 miles. The usual recommendation is 1 Liter for every 4 - 5 miles you are going to hike. Keep in mind, unless you are a much faster hiker than I, you probably won't be able to hike the whole thing in one day, so you will need to carry a little extra.

A monument dedicated to one of the first people to cross the pass.

About an hour after leaving McDonalds, I had to make an emergency pit stop to go #2. It came out mostly liquid. Uh Oh... I hope that's not Noro. I also stopped to photograph a train crossing the PCT. 

A BNSF freight heads East through the pass. The "culvert" in the center of the photo is actually a tunnel for the PCT. It is tall enough for a horse and rider.

Sullivan's Curve. A famous trianwatching spot in the pass.

A bench dedicated to the man who created the water cache.

I reached the water cache a bit before Noon, ate some lunch and started filling my water bottles for the long slog ahead.

Part of the 80+ gallon Water Cache. If this seems like a lot, remember that 6L is almost 3 gallons.

9 lives and his Ukelele

As I rested, I was joined by 3 hikers: "9 Lives" from the UK who hikes with a Ukelele, "Al" ( short for Alexandra )

, and "Madness" who took his name from a Rock Band. I rested and ate until 1 PM. I hiked out with 6 Liters of water, 5 in my pack a 1 in my hipsack. I was worried that the extra weight might make my shoulders sore, but I found that if I stopped every hour or so, they didn't feel to bad.
I left first, but was eventually passed by everyone else ( surprise, surprise... ).  At 3PM I passed a hiker resting in the shade under and umbrella.

Up and up and up I go.....

Looking down into the pass.

When "Madness" passed me, he told me that the hiker I had passed, had decided to go back to the water cache. Evidently, he hadn't carried enough water. I made it to my goal, Lytle Creek Road ( mile 356.2 ) a bit after 5. "Al" was already there, waiting on friends. she took one tentsite, and I took the other. I was thinking of Cowboy Camping, but there were too many bugs around, so up went the tent. There are some plants real close that look like Poodle Dog Bush. We'll see if I start itching in the next day or two....

14.4 Miles        8.5 Hours
3,993' Up         748' Down

Day 44 ( May 17 ): The Wright Stuff...

Woke up at sunrise and started packing ( after taking some photos of course.. ).

Al watching the sunrise

I managed to hike the 7.2 miles to the Acorn Trail ( an alternate route that goes into Wrightwood ) in 4 hours, arriving at 10:30. Not bad, considering it was mostly uphill. Along the way I was passed by Liontamer. 

When I reached the junction with the Acorn Trail, I rested on a nearby bench. As I rested, I met 5 hikers coming up the Acorn Trail from Wrightwood. There is no way you can convince me to hike the Acorn trail. It is a 4 mile, very steep trail. Going to town, the steep downhill is murder on the knees (I know because I hiked it down in '22), and going up, the climb will be very hard going.

I continued on to PCT, heading for California 2,  another 6 miles ahead. For the next 4 miles, I encountered several patches of snow. Most of them were easily hiked over or avoided, but there were some that made me wish I had my microspikes with me. I was able to cautiously make my way through the snowpatches, some of which were on the edges of steep slopes. Definitely not the best way to get to the bottom of the mountain..... I met a fellow hiker in town later who said she had put her spikes on.

I eventually reached Highway 2 and breathed a sigh of relief. A kind woman gave me a ride into town after dropping off a hiker at the trailhead. I thought she had a very Posh, British accent, so I asked her if she was from the UK. Nope ! Born and raised in California. Teach me to guess where people are from. She lives in the Wrightwood area and likes to give hikers rides to and from town. I asked her if she had a trail name yet. She doesn't, so I gave her one: Posh. She seemed to like it. 

Posh dropped me off at the Post Office, and I went in to check on my Ice Axe and Microspikes. I decided to ship them up to Kennedy Meadows ( I really hope I don't need them for Mount Baden - Powell in two weeks....). Becky at the Post Office found my package and rerouted it to the General Store at Kennedy Meadows for FREE !

I then started walking to the motel I was staying at. A kind couple gave me a short ride ( the Post Office is only a 10 minute walk from where I stayed ) to the motel. Once I got my room key, it was time for two important things: a Long, Hot Shower and DINNER !! After my shower, I walked into town for dinner. I wanted STEAK !! I didn't get steak in Big Bear because Norovirus took me out, so I was determined to get steak today. The first restaurant I checked didn't open until 5 PM when I checked at 4:30, so I walked to the next one. The Yodeler was open, and they had a Steak Dinner special that would start serving at 5. Fortunately, they weren't busy, so the cooks decided to cook my steak early. OH YEAH !! It was a large meal, Big steak, Cheesy Potato, Garlic Bread and a Salad that would almost qualify as a meal in it's own right.

My hiker hunger hasn't kicked in, so I only ate the Steak, salad, half of the Garlic Bread and part of the potato. 

13.1 Miles            8 hours
3,068' Up             1,965' Down

May 18 - 19: Going Home

On Saturday the 18th, I woke up early, packed up, checked out and walked to the Grizzly Cafe for breakfast. A Trail Angel named Mary said she would give me a ride to the Metrolink train station near Acton. I was a little worried because I hadn't heard from her is 24 hours. It all worked out and she picked me up at 9 AM.

She was taking 4 other hikers to Acton, so it worked out. She dropped the hikers off in Acton and then she dropped me off at the Palmdale Station. I bought my ticket at the station kiosk and waited for the train to arrive at 12:20.

The ride into L.A. Union Station was fairly smooth and traveled at a decent speed. I even slept part of the way. We got into the station about 3 and I caught a bus to the Hyatt hotel at the airport. I had some "runs" in the night, but nothing serious.

I woke up before my alarm on Sunday and quickly dressed, packed, and checked out. I was just able to catch the bus to the terminal. The check in process was the usual process of "Hurry up and wait".

We departed on time and for the most part it was a smooth flight to Detroit. We must have had a tailwind for most of the flight, because we arrived almost 30 minutes early. My good friend and neighbor Karen, was totally surprised when I texted her to say we had landed. she was just leaving to pick me up ! No rush, so I got my pack and had a late lunch. Of course the traffic at Detroit Metro Airport was insane (when isn't it), so it took Karen a while to get to where I was waiting. No big deal. I wasn't in a hurry. I was glad to get a ride that didn't have me transferring my pack from vehicle to vehicle to vehicle. Even better, we had a good chat along the way. Thanks for picking me up Karen !!