6/9/2023
Section: Mile post 307.9 to 326.4
Distance: 18.49 Miles
Moving Time: 07:43 hrs
Elevation Gain: 1,822 ft
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Today’s stage continues to wind along the banks of Deep Creek Canyon traveling north to the border of the San Bernardino National Forest and then west to the Mojave River Dam. From the dam, the path transitions to the banks of the West Fork of the Mojave River, heading west. In its final miles, today's stage diverges from the Mojave River and traverses southwest towards the Cedar Springs Dam and Silverwood Lake. The stage today ends on the banks of Silverwood Lake.
I woke up before my alarm clock. Not quite early enough before my alarm clock to actually go back to sleep - which is the worst. What woke me up was an extremely loud bird in the tree right above us - so, in a way, I did wake up to an alarm clock, just not the one I intended to. Wanting to get an earlier start on the day than previous stages and take advantage of the warmer mornings here at the lower elevation, Amanda and I both got up and got going without too much delay. We ate 2 packs of Quaker Instant grits on a big flat rock a few paces from our tent. We added some shredded Sharp Tillamook Cheddar for extra protein and washed everything off with boiled water afterwards. The two other girls who we camped nearby were already up and out as we put on our packs and headed off.
The morning was pretty uneventful. The trail in these stages winds in and out of drainages as it attempts to keep the elevation profile steady. “For the Horses,” I keep reminding Amanda. The day was starting to warm as we passed a day hiker on his way into the Hot Springs. He gave us some pointers on crossing Deep Creek just after the dam - evidently it was pretty deep. We thanked him and told him to enjoy the hot springs. After another 45 minutes or so the valley in front of us opened up and we could see out to Hesperia, Calfornia and the great flatness east of the Sierra.
The trail turned southwest and headed down to the dam, which was smaller than I had envisioned, looking on the map. We crossed a large spillway and then proceeded on the trail behind the dam proper. At this point we caught up to the two girls who had been camping next to us. I realized they were the same two girls we had passed on day 18 when we spent a good hour soaking in the river. We all looked at the deep crossing. The water wasn’t running fast but it looked to be 4 feet deep in some places. I took the first shot at it, wanting to let my feet dry on the other side. It came up to my waist but was passable and very refreshing. On the other side I tried to follow the day hiker's advice but think I had misunderstood his info on the exit point. I decided to just pick the one that looked best. On the other side I filmed as Amanda went and then the two girls. All made it across just fine but one of the two fell in shortly after entering,
On the other side we talked to them for a while. They were Eva and Kayla from Ontario and they had started April 13th. These last 4 or 5 days were all they had left to complete the PCT from Campo to Kennedy Meadows. From there they were thinking of heading to Northern California to give the Sierra some more dry time.
After drying off we said see you soon to Eva and Kayla and headed up the trail in our sandals, intending to walk our feet dry. The girls had told us they were hiking with some section hikers until one of them got bit by a rattlesnake which made us suddenly a little nervous walking through the tall grass in just sandals - like shoes would make any difference. 10 minutes later we pulled over at a campsite on the river and changed out sandals for shoes. I moleskinned a small blister on the right side of my right foot as the girls passed us and we headed on.
The trail eventually departed from the river and began winding along the outer edge of the San Bernardino range, again attempting to stay flat by entering and exiting every drainage we came across. We passed through the Deep Creek Hot Springs trailhead and got some Trail Magic, a clementine each from a weathered looking trail angel named Copper Tone. He told us he loved being a trail angel and used to do a lot more but takes it easy nowadays. We thanked him for the clementine and kept going. As we headed back up into the hills Amanda and I discussed what we were going to get at McDonalds tomorrow since the Cajon Pass McDonalds is a real bright spot on the trail between Big Bear and Wrightwood. Amanda is getting 2 McChickens and a McFlurry - though, Copper Tone mentioned that he used to do Root Beer Floats and that could be done at Mickey-D’s if one ordered some soft serve and got some fountain root beer so, we will see. We also agreed that we were craving Cinnamon Rolls and Old Fashioned Donuts, weirdly enough. I’m sure it won’t be the last thing we crave on this adventure.
Along one of the many dips the trail made into the hills, we startled some chubby Chukar. They ran along ahead of us, unsure how to get off the trail for a while before flying up into a tree to get out of our way. We carried on and crossed a stream. As I looked down I saw a little garter snake in one of the pools actually hunting water skimmers. It would swim underneath one and then strike up to the surface to grab one. I had never seen a snake do something like that and tried to get a video with my GoPro but scared it back into a bush before i coul get a decent shot.
Down trail we came to another river crossing and stopped here to eat and refill water. The girls from Ontario caught us and passed again as we ate. Amanda’s parents’ resupply had come with two new electrolyte packets - Liquid IV and Skratch Labs. I have decided Liquid IV and LMNT are the best - Noom and Skratch are not my fav’s. After lunch we traveled up the path more. Shortly out of our lunch break Amanda stopped and bent over a particularly sluggish Regal Horned Lizard. These guys are always the slowest lizards, sometimes not getting fully out of our way on the path. This one didn't even move. Amanda gave him a light pat on the back and said “Good lizard,” before moving on.
We continued to zig and zag in and out of drainages before the trail finally dumped us down to flat ground as it wound through a series of government utility buildings behind the Cedar Springs dam. We wound through barbed wire fences for about 30 minutes before the trail cleared the west side of the dam and climbed up the hills hemming in Silverwood Lake. As we crested the small ridge, the lake came into sight. We clamored down the other side and, again, began winding in and out of drainages, this time facing the lake. Along the way we were nearly attacked by two dogs, a German Shepherd and, a little while later, some other, smaller mutt before the owners finally came up to call them back - which we both deeply enjoyed. “Love being in a State Park,” I said to Amanda with a grin.
Another mile of walking brought us to a picnic area where there were a few hikers already sitting at a table. We dropped our things and ate a quick snack. The other hikes eventually left as they had only gotten a few miles in and were eager to hike on. We said goodbye and then started our evening choirs. Tonight we had good ol’ Idaho Potatoes - thanks Sandy - and found a secluded spot to set up the tent before winding down for the night.
I know this was a long one for you readers but I have a picnic table to write on!
