PCT Thru-hike #6: Angels and Paradise
Thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail was a life-changing experience for Arthur and Jill. This is our story.
Follow the PCT thru-hike adventure from the beginning and hike with us to mile 2,650.
Who Needs a Gym?
Written by Jill
I woke up this morning to the sound of sprinklers — luckily they were across the yard and not near our tent! Tomtit and I packed up slowly while waiting for breakfast to start at the community center.
After having delicious eggs, sausage, and bacon, the Warner Springs sheriff showed up and offered rides to the post office! Tomtit went on the first run and grabbed our resupply box, but I’d forgotten to tell him to ask for a letter from my Gram. The post office also could not find another package of ours, so I jumped in the sheriff’s car for a second run there. Unfortunately they couldn’t find the letter or the package and I came back empty handed.
Tomtit had spread all our resupply food out on a picnic table, and it honestly looked like we were resupplying for a two week trip to Alaska rather than 4 days on trail! We haven’t been eating a ton of food (yet) and the amount we sent ourselves was extreme.
After we picked our favorite bits we gave some food to our fellow hikers and then put the rest in the hiker box. A hiker box is a box where one can leave unwanted items for other hikers to peruse. It’s a pretty cool system.
Tomtit checked the tracking number for his package and saw that the post office should have his stuff, so we walked there with our packs. He insisted the postal worker check again. He got his sunglasses and a few goodies from his mom and I got the letter from Gram!
We road walked a mile to rejoin the PCT and started hiking. The first six miles were beautiful and relatively flat. Then it got tough. Imagine going to the gym and getting on the StairMaster at two miles per hour for six hours. That was the next 12 miles for the day. I know the trail will get steeper and longer later on, but man this was one hell of a warm up.
There was a rattlesnake that scared the crap out of me. I didn’t know how loud their rattles could be!
Our goal was 18 miles for the day to the next water source (see a pattern?) and the last two miles were brutal. Longest two miles on the trail. We dragged uphill and came upon the sign for Trail Angel Mike’s place. I had heard of Mike from Facebook but I wasn’t sure what to expect. We debated going down the spur trail for a few minutes until we figured it couldn’t hurt to check the place out.
Best. Decision. Ever.
Mike wasn’t there, but two other trail angels, Tom and Mom, were there instead. They cooked us hamburgers and had potato salad and spaghetti and soda and beer! It was an amazing way to end the day. I was so overwhelmed by how awesome those two were, and Tomtit and I both put cash in their donation jar. We set up our tent in the yard and went to sleep full and happy. Thank you so much Tom and Mom!!
On the Way to Idyllwild.
Angels and Paradise
Written by Arthur
Before we woke up our trail angels had set out a heaping pile of pancakes and a steaming urn of coffee. Our spoiled group of hikers took turns feasting yet again, all the while the angels themselves were getting ready for a trip out of town.
We were all overwhelmed by their generosity. I could not believe how welcome they made me feel, and how well they had taken care of us. It was amazing.
Jill and I hiked with our friends Cashmere and Physio for a bit, then parted ways as our paces changed.
We hiked down to a spring, and next to it was a fire department water tank. We took turns refilling our water bladders and joined other hikers in the shade for some lunch. What was lunch? For me it was a double stacked spam and mayo tortilla sandwich with blueberry pudding (made from dehydrated milk and instant pudding powder), an almond snickers bar, and some ruffled chips.
Most of the day was downhill or flat, but the last few miles were uphill, and they were steep. With the downhill we sank to near 3000ft elevation, and then we started the climb to 9000ft. Yikes!
We made a handful more miles before dusk and settled on a boulder-filled campsite with 10 or so other hikers. A mere 8 miles more will bring us to Paradise Cafe, well known for having some delicious food! Any hot meal was welcome, especially if it lacked peanut butter or trail mix.
The breeze picked up, a storm was rolling in, and the coyotes howled. Time to sleep!
Water Sources Sure are Popular Break Spots!
Hitching to Idyllwild
Written by Jill
We woke to the sound of rustling tents and air hissing from mattresses. It was a little later than we usually get up, but we only had 8.75 miles to go to Paradise Valley Cafe. We were one of the last ones to pack up and get on the trail, so we ate breakfast while walking (easier said than done!).
The hike to the cafe was uphill, but real food can be an awesome motivator. We hiked just under a three mph pace, which was fast for us, and discussed what we wanted to eat. I was going back and forth between steak and eggs or an omelet : )
Tomtit and I ran into Cashmere and Physio after about four miles. They had hiked a 24 mile day the day before! We hiked with them for a bit, but they are faster hikers than us so we waved them on with a “see you at paradise!”. The rest of the miles seemed to fly by and before we knew it we were at the road. You can take a one mile trail to the cafe from the PCT that follows some power poles, or you can call the cafe for a free ride. We tried the number, but the driver wasn’t available. We then hustled down the cafe trail with growling stomachs. Finally the end was in sight!
We grabbed a table with Cashmere and Physio and ordered all the food. I got my steak and eggs, and Tomtit got two breakfasts (burrito and biscuits and gravy). Paradise Valley Cafe did not disappoint!
After finishing second breakfast, Tomtit and I had a decision to make. A section of the PCT was closed this year from the Mountain Fire and there was an unofficial detour which was mostly a road walk into Idyllwild. Cashmere and Physio had already left to complete the detour, but Tomtit and I chose to hitch from the cafe into Idyllwild. My plan was to make up the miles down the trail with an extra day somewhere.
We got a hitch pretty quickly from a very nice local man. He told us a little of the history of Idyllwild and the surrounding places — apparently parts of Bonanza were filmed here and Jimi Hendrix was inspired to write Purple Haze while hanging out at Timothy Leary’s nearby compound. Definitely some cool stories!
We had called ahead of time to reserve two nights at the Silver Pines Lodge for our first zero (a zero mileage day of hiking) on the trail. When we got to the room I was surprised at how cute it was! We got cozy right away and spent some time on our phones catching up with family. Then we did our laundry (the lodge offered to do it for free!) and met up with The Texans for pizza and beer.
We are excited to spend a full day here tomorrow to let blisters heal and to wait out the looming thunderstorm.
Looking Down from Mt. San Jacinto.
Mt. San Jacinto
Written by Jill
We woke up to our cabin being surrounded by fog and an 11am checkout looming over our heads. I thought we avoided the bad weather yesterday during our zero, but it seemed to be getting worse.
Most of our chores were done — dishes washed, clothes clean, packs emptied of trash. We left to get breakfast at a bakery. There was a sweet hiker box and I snagged a rain cover for my pack and a new trash bag to line the inside (keeps things dry if the pack gets wet).
After breakfast we went up to Nomad Adventures, the gear shop in Idyllwild, to discuss our options to get back to the trail. The man behind the counter recommended two options: Deer Creek or Devil’s Slide. We opted for Devil’s Slide. I bought a rain skirt while we were there because the weather still looked a little sketchy. Three hikers we met on the way out told us they were staying in town another night because they’d heard it was going to be windy and rainy tonight. We’d already made our choice to hike out. We were sticking to it.
Tomtit and I ran into a group of our friends who were piling into the back of a pickup to get a ride to the Devil’s Slide trailhead. “Can we jump in too?” The answer was yes!
The ride up was windy and cold, but definitely worth it. It was time to start climbing. 1000 ft up for every mile, for two and a half miles, dumping us at 8100 ft elevation. We walked through clouds, giving the forest an eerie vibe.
When we rejoined the PCT we found ourselves walking through a magical forest! There was an alternate route that goes to the summit of Mt. San Jacinto, but we had left town a little late and we didn’t feel comfortable going up with the approaching night. We just stuck to the official PCT, staying at a lower elevation, but we heard from others that the view up top had been worth the climb.
Our trail went up and down and up and down, which was exhausting at that altitude, let me tell you. After some hard climbing we reached our first water source of the day, a beautiful tributary of the San Jacinto River. Another four or so miles took us to a large campsite on the other side of the ridge. The clouds and strong winds blasting over the ridge were incredible! It was like a huge vacuum was sucking all the air and moisture from Idyllwild into the desert on the other side.
We were buffeted and slightly soggy by the time we rolled into camp at 7800 feet. We ate dinner with haste as we shivered in the unrelenting cold. The wet wind was ferocious. We quickly pitched the tent, scarfed down the rest of our dinner, and jumped into our sleeping bags to get warm. It took a long time for us to stop shaking.
Tomorrow we begin a 15 mile decent down from Fuller Ridge to the desert floor at 1200 feet!
Looking Back Up at the Storm Rolling Over San Jacinto.
Down Down Down
Written by Jill
Oh my goodness so much down.
We stayed in our sleeping bags an extra half hour this morning because it was so cold. When we finally got up I saw the trees above the tent had dripped all night from the clouds which boiled over the ridge. “No problem” I thought. “We’ll be in the desert today — we can dry the tent down there.” I also thought, “15 miles down, that’ll be a breeze!”
We got going around seven and right off the bat both of us were twisting ankles and tripping over rocks in the loose forest duff. We were definitely not taking the downhill seriously (dumb idea). A few miles in we sank below the tree line and the wind really kicked up. We were being thrown off balance by the wind pushing and pulling our packs. I was having a blast, and the view was just fantastic.
But it was the same view for seven and a half hours. Down and down we went until our knees were aching. Tomtit even twisted his ankle so badly that he ended up on the ground. Luckily it was more of a roll to protect his ankle and he was alright, if a little shaken up. Dark clouds formed as we walked, and the trail’s switchbacks would take us under them to be sprinkled on and then back to sunshine over and over again. The best sight in the world was the little drinking fountain at the base of Mt San Jacinto — it signified the end of the descent.
The ominous clouds moved in closer, but we only had five miles of flat hiking to get to a famous trail angel house — Ziggy and The Bear’s place in Whitewater. We had done one 20 miler already so we knew we could do it again, we just had to beat the rain. We hustled our butts along with Al, who we met on the descent, across the desert floor. Crazy wind pushed against us the whole way. The storm was here.
Just as we were in sight of Z & B’s, the skies let loose. The rain cover I picked up from the hiker box went on my pack and Tomtit threw on his packa (pack cover/rain jacket combo) and we practically ran the last quarter mile to the house. It poured. My windshirt was soaked through, but everything else stayed dry.
The place was totally packed — everyone wanted to get out of the rain. We were given a register to sign and told the rules of the house (clean up after yourself, etc) and then given hot drinks and a dry place to put our things. The number of hikers there was so overwhelming that Ziggy and the Bear couldn’t accommodate everyone for sleeping, especially since their yard and patio was flooded, but several people left to get hotel rooms which solved the problem.
Tomtit and I stayed in their outdoor shower shack room with another hiker, Roxanne, and we were warm and dry for the night. It was a great end to a long and soggy day.
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See more pictures from Arthur and Jill’s Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike by downloading the Adventure and The Pacific Crest Trail eBook. A print version is available as well. All sales help support Better Hiker.
