DAY 13

Today was our first day of big elevation loss/gain as we approached San Jacinto. There was also a ton of huge tree trunks obstructing the trail that had blown down from recent storms. Both of these factors made the miles feel pretty long. There were more long dry stretches between water sources, and I ended up melting some snow for water at Apache junction rather than walking a half mile all the way down the hill to the spring. Encountered my first few patches of snow on trail.

DAY 12

Left Idyllwild around , a short 8 miles to a nice sheltered campsite. My pack felt super heavy with a full 6-day food resupply, my ice axe, and enough water to dry camp. 

DAY 11

My first Zero day! We made a big group breakfast at the cabin including eggs, pancakes, and lots of fruit. Did some chores like laundry, picking up a few odds and ends at the gear shop, and food resupply at the local supermarket. 

DAY 10

Stopped at Mike’s Place for a morning break and to refill my water. At Mary’s before hiking the last few miles to the highway, and then a mile on the road over to Paradise Valley Cafe. I picked up the ice axe I had mailed myself before catching a ride from Grumpy the trail angel into Idyllwild. I stayed in a cabin at the Silver Pines Lodge with 8 other hikers. We ate dinner as a huge group at the Idyllwild Brewery 

DAY 8

Enjoyed a pleasant morning stopping at Eagle Rock and hiking along the creek lined with huge cottonwood trees. Popped into Warner Springs for a few hours to try the famed sausage dog at the mini mart. 

DAY 7

It was very foggy and misty all morning, but it felt nice and cool for hiking. 

Took a long lunch break at Barrel Spring. Had a shorter day today, about 13 . camped at San Ysidro creek. In the last hour of hiking, I tripped and fell face first on the trail. I tried to break my fall with my hands, but still managed to smack my face on the ground resulting in a nose bleed and a scraped forehead.

DAY 6

I left town around 11:30 AM, but had some trouble finding a hitch to the trailhead. It was super rainy and cold, but eventually we were able to find a ride and start hiking by around 12:30. Despite the late start, I was able to crank out 14 miles to the water cache . 

The good news is that while I was in Julian, I was able to use some seam-seal glue on the hole in my sleeping pad and it fixed the leak.

DAY 5

Hiked the short 8 miles to Scissors Crossing this morning and got an easy hitch into Julian. Indulged in a big breakfast at the Julian cafe, and pizza and beer for dinner at Julian Brewery. It was great to shower, do laundry, and rest for the day. I met a ton of hikers I hadn’t encountered before at the brewery, which was super fun. I picked up my resupply package at the post office, as well as a few odds and ends at the 2foot Adventures gear shop. Not sure what time I’ll be leaving town tomorrow, but I need to sort out my sleeping pad situation. It’s supposed to rain in the morning as well, so I might head out later in the afternoon. I still need to go get my free slice of pie from Mom’s as well. I’m staying in an RV trailer with 4 other hikers—2 German guys, an Austrian guy, and a guy from Czech Republic. 

DAY 4

The sleeping pad did not hold up haha. Had to blow it up again every 2 hours for the following 3 nights. This was the longest day yet. 20.9 miles to a water tank and dirt road crossing around mile 68. The miles didn’t feel too bad (again, the cooler weather helped a lot), but I did develop a few more blisters. We wanted to push today so we could have a short hike into Julian the following morning.

DAY 3

The temperature dropped down quite a bit last night and today. My sleeping pad had a leak in it last night and I had to keep blowing it back up. The cooler weather made the hiking easy, and I cranked out about 9.5 mi to Mt. Laguna without taking a morning break. Stopped in at the cafe and indulged in some town food and take a long lunch. In the last few miles between mt laguna and laguna campground, the wind picked up a lot so I was happy to finally reach camp. I stayed with a bunch of other hikers at Laguna Campground, so it looked like a city of tents. I found the hole in my pad and patched it up, so hopefully it holds up tonight. 

DAY 2

Got an early start at 6:20–I wanted to get the ascent out of Hauser canyon done while I felt rested and it was still cool. Made it to lake Morena by 8:30 and was greeted by a group of trail angels giving bagels, fruit, coffee, juice, and more. Spent an hour or so before moving on. It’s hot again today, but affecting me less than yesterday (I think it’s because I’m drinking more electrolytes). There’s plenty of water in the streams and the desert is green and blooming with flowers. Taking a long lunch at Boulder Oaks campground to wait out the hottest part of the day.

DAY 1

Got dropped off at the terminus by a friend early Saturday morning (4/29) and began hiking by 7am. The morning went well and I got 5ish miles in before it started getting really hot by 10. The trail is quite exposed, so by mid-day I could only do 1.5 - 2 miles at a time without stopping to try to cool down and hydrate. Was grateful to have my sunbrella. Completed 15.4 miles and camped at Hauser Creek with several other hikers from all over the country/world.