PCT Day 23 – Roughin’ It

The freezing temperatures never materialized last night. Instead the wind died down and the temps stayed in the low 40s. I slept better than any previous night on the trail.

The real world

However, the morning went differently for Keith. As I was preparing for the day in my tent, I could hear him on the phone. Keith has recently bought a cabin in Georgia. It is a vacation retreat which they also can rent when they are not using it.

There were problems with the first rental, and Keith was on the phone with the property manager.

The other day I was talking with a fellow as I collected water from a creek. He had hiked there with his family to enjoy the creek, too. We were talking about long-distance hiking.

He said, “It must be nice not having to worry about anything but hiking, eating and sleeping.” I said, “Who is like that?” It’s true, especially for older hikers, that our connections at home do not cease when we hit the trail. If we are lucky, we have spouses like mine who take over our responsibilities for a while. But in the real world, life still goes on, and sometimes it affects our life on the trail. Like today, with Keith.

Goals

We are about 60 miles from Cajon Pass. We have four days to reach it. It would be nice to arrive early on the fourth day. Hiking 17 or 18 miles a day would allow that to happen. Keith’s foot is still bothering him, so we may have to limit our daily miles. We shall see.

Above the creek

Shadows are long as we depart. The valley below is shrouded in darkness.

We will spend the early part of the day walking west down the canyon that harbors Holcomb Creek. Above the south side of the Canyon is the ridge that separates us from Big Bear Lake. Butler Peak (8535) and Crafts Peak (8564) are the tallest mountains on this ridge. There is still snow up there.

We are still in the San Bernardino mountains. Peaks in our area are all between 6500 and 7500 feet.

It’s Memorial Day weekend. The weekend warriors are all out here. The mountains are crisscrossed with roads used by dirt bikes and jeeps. Not 20 minutes goes by that some kind of off-road vehicle doesn’t pass close by.

Tink told us that these purple flowers are called Lupine. She said they smelled like grape soda. It was grape soda all day long.

The trail above the creek is very pleasant. The path is wide. The bushes that line the trail are like manicured hedges.

Holcomb Creek

Creeks are fine as long as they keep their distance. But creeks that insist that you stay near, invariably force you to cross them over and over. Mission Creek was that way. And now Holcomb Creek is threatening to do the same.

Keith and I cross a couple times with dry feet because the creek is small and we find good rock and log crossing combinations. We feel pretty good about ourselves. On our third attempt, the trail goes along a rocky overgrown path next to the water. We know from the map that another crossing is coming, so we begin to look for prospective crossing points.

We find a path that might work. The creek is 30 feet wide here. The crossing we have picked is a combination of matted brush, dead logs and boulders. We strike out for the opposite side. I slip once, going up to my thigh in water. Keith makes it over with both feet dry. Not bad.

Except the trail, which we expected to be nearby, is nowhere to be found. We check our maps. We have crossed way too early. We are stuck in a thicket of blackberry bushes and saplings. The only prudent choice is to cross back over!

This is too much. I just plunge into the creek with both feet and struggle back to the other side. Keith does the same. With both feet soaked, we agree to hike 2 miles to the last crossing before trying to dry our feet. We have wasted 45 minutes.

I am pretty mortified by this dumb move, but it can’t be reversed. We put our shoes out to dry with and break for lunch.

Post partum blues

The rest of the afternoon seems depressing. We wasted so much time on the creek. Furthermore, the trail after that is rotten. These nice hedges we had in the morning are replaced by overgrown bushes the reach out to scratch you or tear at your clothes and equipment. Keith had to untangle me three times from bushes that I didn’t properly push aside.

I hate this kind of hiking. It’s frustrating because I can’t speed up without fearing that I will snag a strap, loose a sock, tear my umbrella or tent…ugh.

Deep Creek

After 16 miles of hiking we come to Deep Creek. It has an amazing bridge over it. There are cool campsites next to the water under the bridge.

I have had enough today. I had hoped to hike more than 16 miles but it was not to be. I tell Keith I am done and we go down to camp. It is pleasant by the creek. The rushing water is calming. There will be more hiking tomorrow. But for now there is dinner and rest.

• May 27, 2023
• Starting marker: 282.6
• Ending marker: 298.5
• Miles hiked today: 16
• Total PCT miles: 269