6/8/2023
Section: Mile post 285.6 to 307.9
Distance: 22.06 Miles
Moving Time: 09:14 hrs
Elevation Gain: 1,314 ft
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Today’s stage shared it’s time along the banks of 2 rivers - Holcomb creek in the morning and Deep Creek in the afternoon. Both were some of the largest flowing rivers we have seen to date.
Amanda and I slept in again this morning. Didn’t mean to but I continue to notice that, without a puffy and only shorts, the mornings are especially cold which does not encourage early rising. By the time we had risen, eaten and packed, John had been gone for an hour and a half. We started the day tracing Holcomb creek as it wound its way east. The trail left Holcomb creek about a mile in only to rejoin its banks a few miles later. Amanda and I talked a bit as we hiked but after 6 or 7 miles fell into our own thoughts.
The day warmed and we left the banks of Holcomb creek and headed over a small saddle. Just before leaving the creek we encountered a number of nests inhabited by large, dark black bumble bee looking insects. We later identified them as California Carpenter Bees. They looked pretty nasty and we hurried past a number of their nests throughout the day. They always seemed to be located in some dead trees.
After crossing the saddle we dropped into Deep Creek and wound along its banks for a long while. At one point Amanda stopped suddenly in the path just before stepping on a large garter snake. The snake seemed unconcerned even when Amanda tried her tapping trick. Finally she went around the snake and it did seem to wake up as I passed it and slithered out of sight - I think it must have been how bad I smelled. We made our way on through a number of blow-downs. Amanda snaked out another ultra-lighter’s Essentia water bottle - this makes two left behind now on the trail.
We stopped at a beatufully made bridge over a small gorge that dropped into Deep Creek. We had 5 miles to go and it was 5 pm. At our rate that was looking like a 7 pm arrival at a hot spring camp site that we really wanted to get to. “It will be totally worth it babe,” i said as we departed. An hour on we came across John’s tent with John himself sitting on a rock overlooking a confluence of Deep Creek. We talked for a bit - John wasn’t feeling up to the 2 extra miles to the hot spring but said he would see us the next day. We said goodbye and as we were crossing the feeder stream someone shouted out “Is that Amanda!!” I looked up to see Old Chris (Still feel bad that that is his name) coming over to say high. It had been almost 2 weeks since we had seen him but he had waited an extra day in Big Bear for his wife, Cathy, who was now hiking with him. He smiled and we fist bumped and talked for a while before he said he didn’t want to keep us and that we should keep on going.
The last 2 miles were excruciating but we eventually rounded a final ridge and ran into 3 girls coming up from the hot springs. Looking down I saw a number of tents and knew we had found it. We dropped down to the campsite and found a spot. It looked like 2 other unfamiliar PCT hikers and about 4 day hikers were already there. We quickly dropped our things, grabbed a towel and headed for the hot spring. There are a number of warm pools at Deep Spring but we saw one that was uninhabited and dipped in. The water was perfect. We stayed for the better part of an hour soaking our beat up lower limbs. I transitioned into the stream a few times for some hot-cold treatment but eventually hunger got the better of us.
Back by our tent we consumed 2 ramen packets a piece and I put down some bagged tuna before, nearly comatose, we stumbled to bed. Long day but a great way to finish.
