Day 22 – to Bench Camp
I woke up nice and early to get my day going. To give you some context of where my buddies are, Jonathon and Collie did not fall victim of being town vortexed and were able to do a few more miles than me. Rainbow Carrot and Dennis actually took a zero to go to UCLA, where they recently graduated from, to visit some friends. So we are playing a little bit of catch-up with one another.
Big Bear lake from the distance!
So, at my solo campsite, I packed up and continued onwards into the thick of it. The beginning of my day was spent at 7,000 feet of elevation. The scenery was filled with Ponderosa Pines and lush greenery – different than the typical desert. It also had a view of Big Bear Lake which looked inviting as the mountains peered over it. I met a few day hikers who I chatted with. I met this older couple with aspirations of thru-hiking the PCT in the future. They told me that I was a fast hiker – i relished in the compliment as I don’t feel very fast but I will take it. This section was the most people I have seen throughout this entire trip. I also met a guy named band-aid who offered me a beer and to take my trash. Since it was 9am, i declined the drink but happily gave him my trash.
me and band-aid!
I got to my lunch spot around 1pm and sprawled out under some large pine trees with active dirt roads surrounding me. As I ate my hummus wraps, I watched various off- roading cars, like jeeps and trucks, play around me. At one point, a van pulled up right next to my lunch spot and I got a little nervous. Until the cutest dog ran out of the door and the owners who were a young couple actually got a little spooked when they saw me. They apologized in case they scared me and explained that they didn’t see that I was here and just wanted to let their dog spread his legs. I didn’t mind at all, and quite enjoyed watching a dog have the zoomies. After they left, another thru-hiker named Hannah came and joined. She offered me a kiwi which was delicious. The last treat this lunch spot offered me was a gopher poking his head out of his hole in the ground. It was quite adorable.
I got to my intended campsite, the Halcomb Crossing Camp at 6:00pm. There wasn’t a soul in sight but it did have nice water access and a soft dirt ground. I plopped a squat and thought it might be boring if I stayed as I was yet again alone and there was another campsite, Bench Camp, 0.6 miles from here. Once I got my 6th mosquito bite within a minute, I changed my mind – i thought it would be torturous if I stayed here. So I continued to hike.
It was a good thing I did because I caught up to Collie and Jonathon!! They were just lounging around when I walked into camp. It was so lovely to see them again. Eventually we heard some voices coming from up trail. They sounded familar and I was getting excited!! drumroll please… it was my friends!! Rainbow Carrot… And Stoke?
That’s not Dennis? Hm. However, I did recognize Stoke as he was the ridge runner for the PCTA I met on Day 1. At the southern terminus, Stoke was the guy who handed out PCT tags to every single hiker beginning their journey. He and his co-workers checked our permits and gave us a little leave no trace talk. I remembered him, however he did not remember me. I can’t believe out of all 2,000 people he met over a course of the last two months, he didn’t remember me. I thought we bonded. (BTW I’m being sarcastic – sometimes it doesnt read well over text lol) Luckily, after jogging his memory, he did remember that we bonded over the White Mountains as he used to work there and I have done a lot of hiking in that area. Unfortunately, his season as a ridge runner was cut short because of the trump administration (boo trump), and now he is just another thru-hiker.
view from the campsite!
Also, it turns out Dennis decided to spend the weekend in UCLA as he just graduated and felt like he wanted to have his last hurrah with his college friends. While Brooke, who graduated last year, was ready to do some miles. So, they advised a plan for Dennis to come back two days later and play catch up. (Spoiler Alert: Dennis managed to catch up in wrightwood by doing a 30 mile day, a 50 mile day and then a 20 mile day & he didn’t even zero after this challenge. shout out Dennis for being a frickin legend). We spent the evening chitchatting and catching up since we haven’t seen each other for an entire two days!!
Day 23 – to the Deep Creek Hot Springs
The next morning I was swarmed by mosquitoes. As I was packing up camp as quick as possible, i was swearing under my breath. If I wanted to be attacked by bugs I would have done the Appalachian Trail again. I couldn’t get out fast enough.
hit the 300 mark!
The hike itself was absolutely fantastic as it followed the Deep Creek Canyon, leading us to the Deep Creek Hot Springs. The Deep Creek Hot Springs is a popular day hike where people come to swim in the heated pools. The pools are warmed by magma that is deep within the earth’s crust whose heat rises through the cracks and fissures of the rock. The hot springs also have a reputation for housing brain-eating amoeba. Since I still was dealing with the rashes and some other open wounds, I opted out of going in. But I did take a dip in the river which was so beautiful and less bacteria harboring. There was a lot of thru-hikers at the Hot Springs and somewhat surprising to me, a few of naked older men! Turns out the hot springs are bathing-suit optional! Unbothered, we hung out there for a bit of time swimming and eating lunch.
me and collie in the river near the hot springs!
I hiked the afternoon with Rainbow Carrot. She mentioned that she now has a three person standing tent all to herself so if I ever wanted to have a sleepover, I’m more than welcome. I laughed and said thank you for the suggestion, but I probably will stay in my own tent. Little did I know, I lied through my teeth because I ended up having two sleepovers with her on this dennis-less stretch.
Mojave Fork River Dam
As we walked to Highway 173, we passed the Mojave River Fork Dam. It was the second dam in the area which was created because the main dam in the area, the Lake Arrowhead Dam, was built on a fault line. (a fault line is where earthquakes happen). So if there is an event and it fails, the Mojave River Fork Dam is the back-up so the local towns don’t run out of water :). We eventually got to the trailhead at 5pm and went to the Joshua Inn. A very typical American dive bar located in Hesperia, California. Along with thru-hikers, their costumers consisted of motorcyclists and regular locals. The Joshua Inn offered beer, camping, and the ability to order pizza. Rainbow Carrot and I were greeted by a boatload of thru-hikers, including the Swedish Couple, and I was so excited to see everyone. Yay!! Thru-Hiker party!! We ordered pizza, painted more nails, and drank some beer.
free lunch getting his nails done!
As we were about to set up our tents, I looked at the hard ground and felt the relentless wind smacking my face. I sighed at my trekking-pole tent. Hard ground and strong winds is not compatible with my zpacks solo plex and my mind wandered to the previous offer from Rainbow Carrot about having a sleepover in her mansion of a tent. Teehee. I am going to take her up on that offer. And I am glad I did. We giggled until we got too tired and fell sleep to the sound of wind whistling through the dark sky.
Sleepover in the tent!!
Day 24 – to Arrowhead Lake!
I helped myself to complimentary coffee as we prepared to go back to trail. Alan, the driver for Joshua Inn, was coming bright and early at 7am. He was only able to hold 4 people at a time. So, I volunteered stayed back to finish my coffee as he drove Collie, Jonathon, Free Lunch, and Rainbow Carrot back to the trailhead first. We met Free Lunch at the Hot Springs and he became indoctrinated the painted nail gang at the Joshua Inn. Once they got to trailhead, I got a text informing me that two collared dogs came running towards them at full speed and I should proceed with caution when i began my hike.
the fuzzy beasts!!
Alan came back and drove me and a german couple to the trailhead. I had service and decided to call my dad. It was nice to catch up with him. Sure enough, while on the phone, the two fuzzy beasts appeared over the hill running at full speed, coming straight towards me. I begun muttering over the phone about how I wanted these dogs away from me and I needed them to chill out. They barked and barked as they followed me for about 0.25 miles. l tried to simply ignored them trying to stay on topic with the conversation I was having. Occasionally yelling “Go Away!!!” mid convo. Surprisingly, my dad was super chill and did not freak out of my behalf for the dogs. I later found out that the german couple used their trekking poles to get the dogs away. My approach was less aggressive but also probably less effective because the dogs didn’t stop bothering me until I climbed up the hill.
I eventually got to a beautiful lunch spot on Lake Arrowhead. I have been transported out of the desert and placed in a magical conifer forest with a salivating deep blue reservoir. I was so excited to swim. I was greeted by the first car crew at the lunch spot and immediately went towards the water. It was so hot and the refreshment of the dip revived me. I floated in the middle of the lake for a bit before swimming back to shore and actually say hello to everyone. I actually love the desert section of the PCT when it isn’t the desert.
lake arrowhead!
The car crew left the lunch spot first and I hung out for a bit making friends with the ducks. When I finally had the courage to peel myself away from this beautiful spot, I saw the German couple and chatted with them for a bit. And then I finally left.
As I walked, I wanted to play my audiobook so I reached down to my pocket to discover that my earbuds were gone! They must have fell out of my pocket without realizing. This made my afternoon hike way less enjoyable and it was too windy to hear anything even if I played music out loud. (I only play music out loud when I am alone to be respectful towards other hikers). Even though I lost my earbuds and had dogs practically attack me, I was still pleased with the afternoon dip, that it was still a great day. However the hike this afternoon was still very difficult mentally. The good news was for the last few miles I had strong service and called my brother. It was so nice catching up with him and his fiancé and that definitely made my day good again. My mood was very up and down.
the Lake Arrowhead Dam!
I got into camp, happy to see the fellow homies and being less than 10 miles away from Cajon Pass where the infamous PCT McDonalds lies.
Day 25 to McDonalds!
Oh ya, when I woke up this day, I only had one thing on my mind; Mcdonald’s.
Actually, I am not really a huge fan of this fast food chain but this place is infamous since it is so close to the PCT. This is where the “McDonalds Pack-Out Challenge” occurs. People pack out 2-3 days worth of food but only from the McDonalds Menu. Possibly unsurprisingly, the highly processed burgers stay quite good for a few days. However, we are coming up to our first fire closure and we’re not going to need more food than we already had. None of us tried the challenge.
I spent the morning hiking with Free Lunch and Rainbow Carrot. So many double-word names around me. We crossed paths with an awesome conglomerate outcrop that had a great example of normal grading. (at least from a distance haha).
the outcrop!
We got to the Mcdonalds at 10am – perfect for a breakfast then lunch combo. I ordered an Iced Coffee and a McGriddle. More hikers came by including Avocado, Emily and Pia. I haven’t seen them in a while! What a nice surprise. Another thru-hiker party!! Yay!! Then at 12pm, I ordered 6 nuggets and a quarterpounder. Living up to his name, Free Lunch ate my leftovers.
Us, at Cajon Pass!
Being a day out from the next town, Wrightwood, seven of us hikers decided to get cabin together and figure out our next moves to get around the Fire Closure that was coming up. Last year, the area experienced a devastating Bridge Fire that could have resulted in the disappearance of Wrightwood itself. But instead, the town was able to prevent it, just leaving some part of the PCT closed. (https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-09-23/bridge-fire-wrightwood-wildfire-protection-home-hardening). So the goal was to hike to mile 356.2 mile the next day and then walk Lytle Creek Road to Lone Pine Canyon where we can get a ride to Wrightwood to bypass the fire closures.
us in mcdonalds
We left McDonalds as a pack; the most hikers I have hiked around since ever? There was at least 9 of us scrambling to a campsite before mile 356.2. As we begun, the sky strangely turned dark and cloudy. There was no rain on the forecast and it appeared the terrain once again became desert-y. But then there was a flash of heat in the sky followed by a roaring boom right over the mountainside. Tiny rain drops landed on each and every one of us as we continue together. It was difficult to not turn around to the safety of the McDonald’s but we definitely were not in an area that was dangerous, so we proceeded. The hiking ended up being really fun! It was a change of pace with the rain.
at the water cache!
We all got to the water cache that was on the same road that will get us into town. I turned to the group of soaking wet hikers and proposed with enthusiasm that we should just get a ride from this location rather than the other. Since, the thunder that just clapped was in the direction we were going towards. And we were just going to do a pointless steep climb, just to go down it the next day. It felt like a no-brainer in my head.
The gaggle of hikers just blinked at me in response. Complete silence. I sighed. I cannot believe these guys actually want to hike the trail we came here to do. I guess I will continue.
group pic with loads of clouds!
I was correct, the next few miles were steep. Luckily the rain did stop. We were all planning on going to this campsite that could theoretically house multiple tents. However, this proposed site was from an old comment on Far Out that no longer existed. So we had to go further than we originally intended. Each mile that I did not mentally prepare for felt tougher than the last. Finally, I got to a spot where Avocado, Rainbow Carrot, and Free Lunch stopped. There was only one more campsite and the Swedish couple was behind me. I knew they wanted to also stop so I fluttered my eyes and asked Rainbow Carrot if she wanted another sleepover in her tent so we can save the last site for the buddies. She said yes! Bless our fellow campmates because yet again, we had a gigglefest within the tent way past hiker midnight (sorry guys!)
sleepover!
Throughout the day, I was texting my two friends from the Appalachian Trail, MorningDove and Landfill who live in LA. They offered to pick me up and come see me in wrightwood!! I haven’t seen them since the end of the trail in 2021 so I was so stoked to hear from them. So right before bed, I confirmed with MorningDove (Coo) that she would pick me up at the road at 10:30am!
Day 26 – to Wrightwood
I was woken up super early despite not having to leave the camp until 9am to get to the road on time. It is because Rainbow Carrot, Jonathon & Collie, and Free Lunch were going to get to town a bit earlier than when my friend who was coming. Avocado was going to take the ride with me. So I helped Rainbow Carrot dismantle the tent before going back in my cozy sleeping bag.
beautiful sunrise!
We didn’t leave until we absolutely had too and we still got to the road about 30 minutes early. It was such a lovely morning hiking with Avocado. She is an Australian woman with a strong sense of self and free spirit. Her career was in international humanitarian work and has lived all over the world. It was so interesting learning about her life. When we got to the road, a fellow thru-hiker was looking super stressed out and trying to call an uber into town. I told him that MorningDove can give him a ride into town and his body instantly relaxed.
Two minutes before MorningDove came, two more hikers, Bubbles and Mulligan, showed up also looking for a ride. MorningDove quickly became the local hero giving all these foot travelers a lift into town.
morningdove and driving the thru hikers!
When she arrived, it was such a happy reunion. We got lunch just the two of us and filled the air with countless stories and reminiscing on the good times on our AT thru-hike. After lunch, we went to the cabin that I was going to stay at with Collie & Jonathon, Free lunch, Avocado, and Emily & Pia. MorningDove came back with us and Landfill (Chris) joined too!! More happy reunions. Collie and Jonathon announced that they we were going to have a family style meal of the Swedish National Dish; tacos!
dinner with swedish tacos!
I spent the afternoon relaxing and trying to plan our next moves. The fire closure was being really frickin confusing. A few days prior of getting to Wrightwood, they expanded the fire closure that included Baden Powell (the second tallest mountain in the desert section), and many hikers who were a few days ahead of us skipped 88 miles to Acton. It was easier to get a ride to Acton than to the first access point on the trail. But there were also rumors that the trail was now open. With much back and forth with no real indication of the reality, we decided to make the decision the next day. We had a delicious dinner and drank wine as we enjoyed our town day. It was so special to see my AT friends and be surrounded by fun company! Also Swedish tacos are delicious!
Day 27 – Zero-ing in Wrightwood
I woke up with anxiety bubbling in my stomach. In Wrightwood, they offered free yoga to thru-hikers at 9am. If the section was closed, we would zero and then skip to Acton. If the section was open, we wouldn’t zero. We needed to figure it out before the yoga class since check out was at 10am.
Yoga w/ Lin and other thru-hikers
At 8am, I called the San Bernardino Ranger Station and there was no answer. We decided to zero and plus some of us (me) was a little hung over from the wine (sorry mom, sorry dad) so I was more inclined to zero anyways.
We went to a beautiful yoga session and then we went to the coffee shop that offered a free cup of Joe to thru-hikers. This town is awesome!! We finally got through with the Ranger Station who confirmed that the section was closed. Then someone else called the PCTA who confirmed it was open. Then we double check the website – the map said the trail was open but the official written document said it was closed. Well this is confusing.
me with MorningDove and Landfill that day prior!
Some hikers may have seen this contradiction as permission to do Baden Powell. I don’t blame them. However, I felt differently. I didn’t want to be in a closed section unless it was crystal clear that it was open. And I personally do not care about a continuous footpath or doing every mile. I am out here to experience. Our wrightwood group collectively decided to skip to Acton. Expect for Free Lunch who skipped 30 miles south of Acton because he got a ride with some other hikers. So we began making moves to put our plans in motion.
I spent the rest of the day doing my zero-day chores like resupplying, writing a blog, and other stuff. We went out to dinner to a brewery and all fell asleep relatively early. It was the most refreshing zero that I have had so far.
