Day 15 Flipping Up but Back on Trail

 The more we have both thought and prayed about this decision the more we feel it is absolutely the right one. A few other groups have tried to go up over an alternate route at San Jacinto however, that causes you to miss about 50 miles of trail. Additionally, what should be a one day hike is taking 4-5. Even if you were successful at that, you will encounter the exact conditions two days later going into San Bernardino mountains. 

Taking a two week flip forward and then coming back we hope to reset the season closer to what it really should be with packed and consolidated snow. 

We are going to start the trail 300 miles north of our last steps at mile 451.1. We came off trail at 151.8.  Even the way we are coming off trail and returning to trail seems planned. The trail location we are flipping to is a half mile short of an exact 300 miles seems to be one of those God “coincidences“.

We will be looking for transportation from Ridgecrest back into Idyllwild in about two weeks. If anybody has any connections we would be grateful. Of course we would pay for gas for the trip.

We got a ride fairly reasonably priced from Idlewild to Highway 14. We pulled off literally on the side of the Highway, got out with our backpacks and are re-joining the trail. It took just less than three hours to get here and back to walking. A quick shout out to Steve for the ride thank you sir.

We started back on the trail going underneath Highway 14 via a drainage tunnel. We are already rewarded with a PCT sign, and some amazing rock formations which continue down the entire trail on both sides of us. As we entered the tunnel, we met a couple locals, Omar and Verna who were hanging out.

  

Some of the new flora is the Royal Willow, Fremont Cottonwood, and Giant Ryegrass

As we climbed up from the stream, a little higher in the valley I came across Yucca, and some Black Sage

We are definitely starting to see more evidence from the rains and increased moisture we have had this year.

It’s amazing to think that Vasquez rocks park is less than a mile north of the freeway. It seems to go through nowhere, and the PCT goes right along side of it

The yellow, flowered bladderpod, and California Juniper grow right up next to the rock

After Vasquez rocks the PCT does a road walk right through the middle of the high desert town of Aqua Dulce

We stopped at serenity’s oasis, another trailer angel, who opens up their property for hikers. It is arguably one of the nicest toilets we’ve seen on the trail, and it’s an out house, he has a pretty nice shower as well.

From Agua Dulce we climb up into the hills above where I saw Menzies’ Baby Blue Eyes, golden fields and Buck Rush

Came upon a little bit of interesting trail art

Tough long, uphill push but rewarded with an amazing view

We found our campsite on top of a saddle with an incredible sunset.

Today’s miles 11.5 total hiked miles 163.3, (PCT, Trail mile 462.6 due to flip)

Week two weight picture

Pre hike

Two weeks in

Day 14 Decisions and Bummers

Zero day. Woke up to heavier snow than we had expected. It’s 11 AM and I’m still laying in bed. I’m looking at the window at Snow continuing to come down. 

Ryan and I had a serious talk this morning about moving forward. It is no longer a standard through hike. To move forward through San Jacinto, which still has a closed portion of trail, would not be hiking, It would be winter mountaineering. We would need more equipment, more food, our speed would be reduced, and the danger level would be higher than we are willing to take.

We have found a local ride service and our plan is to skip forward to the town of Agua Dulce at mile 454.5 and continue hiking north to Ridgecrest at Mile 652. From Ridgecrest, we will drop back down to Idlewild complete San Jacinto north back to Agua Dulce, and then jump back to Ridgecrest to continue through the Sierras.

Our hope is that the 2 to 3 weeks we travel Aguadulce to Ridgecrest will give the San Jacinto and San Grogonio mountain ranges time for snow to melt and compact. 

The decision is made with a very heavy heart, for we both want to have a continuous foot path on the through hike, however, this truly is an unprecedented and historic year with snowfall. I’ve always felt I’m a little too rigid and unflexible in my plans and I know this is one of the things God is working on in my character.

We dropped off clothes at the laundry mat then got lunch at the lumber mill restaurant in Idlewild. It was delicious. We are now heading to the outfitters for more food, annd to look at winter gear,  and then the grocery store.

Current snow conditions at 2:30.

Snow finally stopped at around 4 o’clock. Picked up some sushi to go for dinner got back to our lodging, preparing all of our food for the next five days and hitting the bed much later, how much busier than I wanted to be today.

Today’s miles zero total trail miles 151.8

Day 13 Heading to Our First Zero

Woke up this morning to some dark clouds passing overhead. It did give some beautiful color to the morning sunrise. We are expecting a storm to push in today. We hope to get to Idyllwild before it hits but time will tail, heading out at 7:30.

The desert apricot is a plant we have seen earlier in the hike. This one has sported many more flowers. 

We continue climbing up in to the high desert, of course, with more amazing views, and we caught the sight of a rainbow in the distance 

We came across some trash on the side of the trail. It was a mylar balloon up here in the middle of nowhere. Ryan stuck in the back of my pack to carry out. It was a Dora the Explorer (I think) birthday balloon. He made sure that it looks like Dora is taking a hitch. 

You guessed it another pipe gate 

Mary’s oasis, it’s just a quick place to stop alongside the trail. Mary is a local Trail angel who has set up this area in the very corner of her property. She provides water some tables to sit at and even a small free library. There we met Stripes, Squats, and Skittles, From right to left in the picture.

Beautiful field of poppies, all along the trails 

High on top of one of the desert mountains is this lush green Little Valley with rugged steep rock faces on the other side of the ridge

Impressive view of eroded cliffs along the trail side

Another reminder of how far we’ve come, the 150 mile mark

This is rumored to be the ranch of red skeleton

Paradise Valley Café is a another one of the PCT iconic stops. 1 mile from the trail. It is rumored to have one of the best burgers on the trail. It is pretty good. The brownie sundae was good as well. The place is packed with hikers coming in off the trail, most of them holding up for the storm.

Many places have trail registers for hikers to sign. Paradise Valley Café has one as well.

From Paradise Valley, we received a ride from a Trail angel named Grumpy who brought us into Idyllwild for our zero stay. A zero day is a day we do no hiking at all, we just recover. We will go to town for resupply, do our laundry, eat a lot, organize our stuff, make our future plans, and just lay around. Just as I got to our room it started snowing. It will be a cozy place to hold up for the next day recuperating.

Today’s Miles’s 11.7 total trail miles 151.8.