Days 19-22: Big Bear to Wrightwood

Day 19
Trying not to get vortexed into staying in Big Bear longer, Sonya, Flame and I got up at 5 and took off for the trail. It was early on a Monday morning for this small town and there weren’t many cars on the road. After walking a mile and a half, we decided to wait in a Starbucks until traffic picked up and our chances of a hitch were higher.

We ordered our coffees and sat. An older man approached us, asking if we were needing a ride. He grew up here and always picked up hikers when he saw them. After finishing our coffees and chatting, we took off to the trail.

Today was a great day for miles. We were all antsy by the end of last night to begin walking and I was pumped to keep hiking. It was the longest miles we had done to date, 26!

Day 20

I was stoked for today, hot springs day! The Deep Creek hot springs were about 13 miles away from where we camped, so we got up a little later, taking our time and making coffee. Beave had given me a fancy outdoor pour over coffee from Idyllwild. It was so delicious!

As we all took off, I realized how hot it was getting. By 9:30, I was sweating hard and was thankful to see a full creek under the bridge. I heard my name yelled by Broken Spoon and another woman. They had stopped for second breakfast and a swim. The water was chilly, but felt good.

We passed over this creek a few times before getting to the hot springs. Each time, Broken Spoon and I jumped in. It was much later than we anticipated before we reached the hot springs. Since it was so hot, we had little interest in the actual pools of hot water, but did break with a large group.

The three of us continued on to find our home for the night. Along the way, there was a sign that Coppertone, the trail angel, was nearby. We got excited and rushed to the road. It was great to catch up with him and have a donut. He suggested a place to camp, as the next ridge did not have places to sleep.
The space was limited and I was pretty beat. I decided to cowboy camp with Flame. My first time doing this on the trail and my first time since childhood. Of course I was worried about waking up to a snake curled up next to me or lizards running across me in the night. However, I slept well and got to see the stars while drifting in and out of consciousness.

Day 21

I felt amazing today and practically ran along the ridge. Miles flew by and I stayed ahead of Flame and Sonya most of the day.

We met a guy, Roadrunner, who we leap frogged with and took a couple breaks with. We decided to push to Cajon Pass and get Del Taco. This made a 27 mile day for the three of us.

The wind was blowing harder than anything I’ve experienced. We stood on a ridge, leaning into the wind and didn’t budge. It was so crazy.

After eating, we didn’t want to hike more and the woman at the gas station suggested the dry creekbed at the underpass. We cowboy camped here, listening to the sounds of the highway and the busiest railroad ever. I swear the trains never stop running here.

Day 22