Thursday, December 8, 2016

PCT, Section C, Miles 218-246

Ingrid and I joined Karen on a PCT section hike that covered miles 218-246 going north.  We started at Whitewater Preserve (elevation 2700'), near Palm Springs, and ended at Coon Creek Cabin, near Big Bear (evelation 8000').  Uphill the whole way.  Placing cars at both ends took awhile and we had a bit of an issue finding Coon Creek Rd because all the signs were plastic wrapped for some reason.  We got it done and finally started walking at about noon on Friday.  We had divvied the mileage up into 9 miles per day for a 3 day hike and it more or less came out like that with a bit more mileage on Saturday than we had on Friday or Sunday.

We anticipated seeing Big Horn Sheep because the ranger alerted us that there were "loads" of sheep out there!  Unfortunately, we didn't see any.  But we saw lots of sheep poop.  Winds were high the first day and the more we climbed, the colder the wind.  We hunkered down in the chaparrel to eat our lunch and snacks, trying to get reprieve from the wind.  I had a bra problem early on and had to disengage a strap and my right boob was flapping in the wind along with everything else. Ingrid and I fell into our familiar groove right away and were prepared for night hiking to make our 9 miles.  Towards the end of the day we dropped down off the ridge and back into a canyon out of the wind and into silence and calm.  Dusk was upon us and the crescent moon hung low.  We walked on into the full dark till about 6pm; so sad it gets dark so early.  We pitched tents in a narrow wash, barely fitting all three.  It was not as cold as we had anticipated so that was a pleasant surprise.  We toasted our honey bourbon and I ate my beef stew. 

The next day we started walking just after 8am.  We meandered through groves and grottos, little streams flowing here and there.  We looked at every pile of scat and animal print trying to analyze what types of animals were out there.  Bear, cougar, bobcat, deer, and quail were some of the poops and prints that we saw.  Ingrid and I are pretty good at lollygagging so we were definitely testing Karen's minimum pace of 2 miles per hour.  That means we were walking slow as per our usual.  There's just so much to see and look at!  The wind started kicking up again the higher we climbed and the canyon was dark even though it was only about 2pm.  We saw some pretty distinct cougar prints in a damp riverbed, so we stuck close together and continued to climb into the dark.  The crescent moon came out again as we were walking through a burn area and the vibe was eerie and silent.  Unnaturally silent.  We made camp in a grove of widow makers; I don't recommend that.  I used my hand warmers that night and was toasty warm.  My tent was pitched on a little slope though and I kept sliding down and climbing back up.  I don't think I slept till about 3am.  My brain wouldn't turn off.

On Sunday we started walking again around 8am.  The last water source was at mile 240 so we wanted to make sure and hit that. It took us a bit of walking around to find the water.  We initially passed it and then had to backtrack.  It was a spring that was tucked back into a grotto, icicles formed a barrier around the dripping water.  Soon we hit snow.  There was more snow than I anticipated.  Karen was lead so she got the task of breaking the trail and postholing through it first.  It's really tiring to walk through snow and I think we did the last 4 miles in it.  We had gorgeous views of the desert floor and it was a clear, crisp, sunny day.  What could be better!?

It's always a welcome sight to see my truck at the end of a backpack.  I worry about it the closer we get.  Will it have a flat tire, will it start, will windows be broken, will it even be there????

Then of course we got something to eat at a little diner and I had a bacon cheeseburger.  Surprise, surprise! Not.

In other news, I have applied to be a brand ambassador for Quest Nutrition and Blenders Eyewear.  Nuun Hydration applications open up on Dec 28 so I'll be doing that as well.  Crazy Compression is, of course, my first true love so if you ever need compression socks, feel free to use my 45% off code; CCA-TFernando on www.crazycompression.com.  It's good anytime!

Pictures for this trip are on instagram.  Find me under Tina Hikes.