PCT 2007 Day 46 – Junction of CRHT Trail – Big Bear City

PCT 2007 Day 46

Day 46 / 5-10-07   Hotel
Junction of CRHT Trail – Big Bear City
23.3 miles; 265.3 total miles (11); 2100.9 trip miles
Clear, light wind, 70’s

Last night it got cold. I woke up about 1 AM because I was cold. I was trying to sleep with my feet up on my pack to help with the swelling but as a result my legs got cold, since there was now air below them.

We got up at 5 since we had an easy day. It was super chilly so getting ready to go was tough. I started the day with my winter hat, and two l/s shirts on. We made good time to Coon Creek Road which was 4 miles north. Along the way we met Bladerunner. It was funny, as I approached him he blew his nose, but I hadn’t seen him yet. I then saw his black shape and thought it was a bear. I quickly noticed the tent.

We had a short climb and then we descended to a dirt road which we followed for a while. We heard our first loggers while on the road. Shortly after that we came across an animal wildlife refuge. They had two bears (grizzly), three Siberian Tigers and one bobcat. There might have been more but that’s all we could see from the trail.
Next up we came across a car that had been driven into the woods and left. It was filled with a tv and tires. It somehow had its own two front wheels inside the car. Not sure who would drive it out there then take the time to remove the front wheels and put them inside the car.

Just up the trail I saw a bunch of water bottles and soda cans under a tree. I quickly assumed it was going to be all empties or warm as piss. When I got to the cache there was A&W Rootbeer and Sunkist, and it was COLD. We sat and ate snacks and enjoyed a cold one.

From there the trail climbed the side of Onyx Summit and we had views of Baldwin Lake (which is actually dried up). I stopped to, you know, and UB kept going. Some how I passed her pack which was on the side of the trail. She had to stopped as well then remembered she left her knife back at the sodas. She ran back to get it, a whole half hour. I thought she was in front of me and kept going. I didn’t stop until Astere Camp where I met Mauka and Black Snake. They hadn’t seen UB so I laid down to elevate my feet, in the hopes of relieving the swelling. A half hour went by and still no UB. Mauka and Black Snake left and said if they saw her they would tell her where I was at. It was lunch time now so I had lunch.

About 12:30 UB showed up from the South. She explained how I passed her and then how she had to go back fore her knife. We finished up then pushed on into town, even though we didn’t plan on it. We caught and passed Mauka and Black Snake and shortly after got to the road. Just before the road there was a cooler but it was empty. We got a ride in 10 minutes.
When we got to the Nature’s Inn, where we wanted to stay, we found out it was full. We did meet Geek who was under I-10 with us, Mr. Fusion, The Polar Bears, and Virgil.
We started walking toward town and went a half mile when this woman named Diane picked us up. She works at the local diner that is a must for thru-hikers. She is going to hike the trail once her youngest son graduates high school. She dropped us at the Motel 6.
Here we met at least 10 other hikers. It’s full of smelly hikers. I did laundry, showered, chatted, and then we went for pizza and beer. The pizza was 2″ high in the center with toppings. I finished 6 of the 8 pieces and had 3 beers. I need the calories so I went to town. We watched Jarhead on HBO and then slept.

Scatman 2011- I remember how good that Sunkist tasted!  Compared to the two days previously this day was a snap.  Even at 23.3 miles we finished with enough time to enjoy some time at the hotel and have a relaxing dinner.  Some times you get into town and you’re like a tornado.  You blast into town, do a dozen or so errands, eat, ship and pick up packages, and sleep, only to get up early the next day and leave before it gets too late.

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Scatman

Get out there!

You can check out my Appalachian Trail or Continental Divide Trail journals too!