Day 21 (Mission Creek to Mile 242.3)

Start Location: Mission Creek

Finish Location: Mile 242.3

Daily Mileage: 16.

Total Miles: 242.3 Miles

Miles To Finish: 2417.7 Miles

Dave headed out early, knowing that he had a 5,000 foot climb that day. The scenery was pretty - but also saw some critters, including another rattle snake.

The day was quiet - and Dave did not see anyone on the trail. There was a nice little camp ground near a stream that Dave saw. He had lunch there and soaked his feet in the water. From there it was up, up, and up.

(More trail ducks - two ducks in a row.)

(A black and white tree - survivor from the fire - Dave calls it his Cruella tree.)

The plan was to meet the trail angels at Mission Springs, which was at Mile 239 - and arrived around 3 p.m. But there was no sign of them. He saw that the parking lot was closed and thought they might be nearby. But after waiting for a bit Dave decided to move on a few miles to a saddle where Heart Bar Trail and the PCT meet. It was a cold night and the wind was blowing.

What Dave did not know is that the trail angels tried to get to the road leading to the campground. But it was closed for the season and not open until May 15th. Not knowing what Dave needed, they loaded up their backpacks with food and were ready to hike the 8 miles to get him resupplied. They headed out - and even got a ride for about 1 1/2 miles from June, a very nice camp manager.

From there it was all uphill. About 4.5 miles in, Dave finally called, telling them he had moved up the trail about 3 miles. They came up with a re-supply plan for the morning. The Trail Angels then turned around to hike the 6 miles back to the car. Although sad they could not make it all the way to camp, they were happy they could stay inside in the warmth - as the temperatures plummeted to the 30's.

~Midget Trail Angel

Day 20 (10 Freeway near Cabazon - Misison Creek)

Start Location: 10 Freeway and PCT (About 1 mile east of Cabazon)

Finish Location: Mission Creek

Daily Mileage: 16.8 miles (on trail)

Total Miles: 226.3 Miles

Miles To Finish: 2433.7 Miles

After a day of rest, Dave was feeling strong and ready to move on.  But as he approached Cabazon in the car - he realized he somehow lost his maps AGAIN!  While it turns out he dropped them on the front porch on the way to the car, it simply meant a stop at Kinko's to print another set of maps.  But when Dave got back to the trail, he also found his old maps that he had lost going through Fuller Ridge. 

(Where Dave found his maps.
Obviously someone thought going without maps was not too bright.)

About an hour and a half into the day, Dave ran into Wolf Taffy. He was heading down the mountain to go home. He had accidentally started a fire on the south face of San Jacinto when his alcohol stove felt over during the high winds. He had done the right thing and turned himself in. But he felt horrible about what happened, and was worried sick about what would happen to him. He could not hike anymore and turned around to go home. The fire ended up being only a few acres - but resulted in the trail being closed for a day or so. Dave and the other hikers are hopeful that Wolf Taffy avoided anything more than a fine.

(Dave looking up at the windmills and San Jacinto - the mountain he almost climbed.)

A little after 2 p.m., Dave passed a young man sitting alone on a dry outcropping overlooking the river bed. He said he had shin splints and was taking it slow, but his face said he was "trail tired." Dave smiled with recognition. He's seen that look before - in the mirror.

(One of the many trail "ducks" marking the trail along the way.)

Dave camped at Mission Creek near a trail on a small rise just above the river and off the PCT trail. He met a young couple there, but headed in to avoid the cold as the sun went down.

(Dave's tent and pack - ready for the night.)

~Midget Trail Angel

Day 19 (Rest Day)

Daily Mileage: 0 miles

Total Miles: 209.5 Miles

Miles To Finish: 2450.5 Miles

After more than 200 miles, Dave decided to take a day to rest and get reorganized. 
 
~Midget Trail Angel

Day 18 (Castle Rocks to Cabazon)

Start Location: Castle Rocks (On Fuller Ridge)

Finish Location: 10 Freeway and PCT (About 1 mile east of Cabazon)

Daily Mileage: 21.5 miles (on trail)

Total Miles: 209.5 Miles

Miles To Finish: 2450.5 Miles

Waking up in the snow again . . . but the first priority was water. While some of the snow Dave put in his bladder had melted - there was much more snow than water. So Dave used some of the water to melt the snow - until his bladder was full with water.

The original plan was to hike about 26 miles to the wind farms. But the day started in snow again - slowing Dave and Ed's pace down considerably.

(Cool rock formation.)

Although Dave was set on water, at one point Ed needed more water - leading them to back track a bit to get some. But they both knew that they had trail angels meeting them at the 10 freeway crossing with water, gaterade, and food.

(Water along the trail - always happy to see it.)

Eventually, Dave came to about 4000 feet and a clearing in between the mountains.

(Looking back up as they had made it out of most of the mountains.)

By that time, Dave decided he would not hike the additional 5 miles from the freeway to the wind farm. In fact, he decided he wanted to go home - have a nice warm shower and sleep in his bed. The three plus days walking through the snow and climbing around San Jacinto had taken their toll and he was ready to sleep in his own bed for a night.

But along the way he saw some critters. 

Dave was kind of surpised by the color of the rattle snake, as it seemed to blend right into the brush.

He could see the little, itty, bitty cars on the freeway - and knew he was almost there. Meanwhile, the trail angels put on their best shoes (not) and decided to hike in the soft sand and wind to meet him.

(Jane trying to get the rocks and sand out of her sandels.)

About a mile from the freeway he came upon a few trail angels, keeping him company for the last part of the day's hike.

(Dave just a short walk away from the end of a tough three days.)

Looking back on the mountain range he conquered, Dave was tired but satisfied.  He had made it through, and unlike other "thru-hikers" was not simply skipping a section that may have seemed a little too hard.

The PCT trail hits the 10 freeway about a mile east of Cabazon. There is a tunnel that goes under the railroad tracks and the freeway, but the car was parked just above off a service road.

(Dave and Ed guzzling a gatorade before Dave hit the car and Ed hit more of the trail.)

By the time he reached the car, Dave decided that being he was going to be home - he would take a zero day on Thursday and rest and relax at home. So from there it was a date shake from Hadleys and then Chile's for some protein and a few margaritas. (It was Cinco de Mayo afterall.)

After a day of rest, Dave will head back out - again thinking it will take him about 4 days or so to reach Big Bear!

~Midget Trail Angel

Day 17 (Skunk Cabbage Meadow - Castle Rocks)

Start Location: Skunk Cabbage Meadow

Finish Location: Castle Rocks (On Fuller Ridge)

Daily Mileage: 8 miles (on trail)

Total Miles: 1880 Miles

Miles To Finish: 2472 Miles

Tuesday was another very tough day on the trail. Dave encountered a lot more snow, making each step of the climb more difficult.

(Ed in the snow.)

Ed and Dave decided to try to make it to the peak of Mt. San Jacinto. But to add to the difficulty of just walking in the snow, there were navigational issues. Not only is it impossible to see the trail when snow is covering it, but Dave lost his maps and his GPS died. So they were now navigating by the book with maps that Ed had and had to use various features to figure out where they thought they were.

So when they hit a fork between two trails - they opted for the wrong one. And although they ended up climbing another 700 feet, they could only look at the peak and did not make it there themselves. It was disappointing, but Dave had a bigger goal to worry about.  And San Jacinto is not going anywhere.

So they continued on making it to Castle Rocks and were treated to the beautiful views in the valley below.

But Ed and Dave were not the only ones struggling in the snow.  They had come upon a few hikers - retirees.  And witnesses as one was precariously perched upon the snow, as his ice ax slipped out and went slidding down the mountains for hundreds, if not thousands, of feet below.

When they set up camp at about 8000 feet, it was not too cold, but they were still surrounded by snow and short on water. And Dave was really tired - as the snow trudging and navigating was starting to take its toll.

Dave decided to pack his water bladder with snow so that he would have some water and opted against a hot meal and simply ate a couple of sandwiches for dinner. With that, he was ready to go to bed - hoping that tomorrow they would finally be out of the snow.

~Midget Trail Angel

Day 16 (171.6 Miles - Skunk Cabbage Meadow)

Start Location: 171.6 Miles

Finish Location: Skunk Cabbage Meadow

Daily Mileage: 8.5 miles (on trail)

Total Miles: 180 Miles

Miles To Finish: 2480 Miles

After the snow course, Monday morning was back to the trail to start the ascent on Mt. San Jacinto and hopefully over the next few days make it through the mountains and out to the 10 freeway near Cabazon.

It was tough hiking, as the snow really slowed everyone down. The thing about the snow is you never know where you are stepping, not sure how much traction you have, and really need to pay close attention to what is going on. Otherwise bad things can happen.

Dave started the day with Ed and Fire Marshall - as Girl Friday and Zero had started about 30 minutes before them. By the fifth mile, they had met up with them, but Zero was dealing with a horrible headache.

As zero needed to just lay down and rest, Dave and Ed said goodbye to Team Far Sight for a while and continued on to Skunk Cabbage Meadow. Although Dave had camped there a few nights ago, they stayed in a different part of the meadow, much closer to the trail. It was a tough day and they only had more snow to look forward to tomorrow.

Dave was just beat as he crawled inside his tent to get warm and some sleep.

Out Damn Spot Out:  For those of you missing the map links with Dave's location, Dave's Spot died last week.  There was some technical glitch with it. Unfortunately, the not so friendly customer "service" at Spot was a little slow in responding.  Ironic, since the device is a safety device and Dave was encountering some of the most difficult terrain so far.  Once the spot is up and running again, map links will be available so you can see exactly where Dave is.

~Midget Trail Angel

Days 13-15 (Snow Class) and Big Bear Update

Start / Finish Location: Idyllwild - Snow Camp

Total Miles: 171.5 Miles

Miles To Finish: 2488.5 Miles

Before heading out on the PCT, Dave did a lot of studying and planning.  One of the challenges of the PCT is dealing with the snow - especially heading through the Sierras.  So Dave signed up for a snow class, and was joined by Jane and Fire Marshall from Team Far Sight. 

(Dave listening to instruction)

(Ned giving instruction)

The class was three days hiking and camping in the snow, learning snow survival and self-arrest techniques. 

(Dave setting up the tent.)

(Fire Marshall setting up his tent in the snow.)

It was very informative and well worth the time and effort.  But after three days off the trail - Monday morning will be time to hit the trail again!

BIG BEAR UPDATE: Dave had originally thought he was going to hit Big Bear by May 8th, and we know some of you were going to try to come hike with him over the weekend. It now looks like he will not make Big Bear until Tuesday May 11th. But the Trail Angels will still be there for the weekend. So let us know if you would still like to come up and enjoy beautiful Big Bear or whether you are available to hike with Dave when he gets there. Thanks for your patience and understanding - as things are always in flux!

~Midget Trail Angel