4/18/20, mile: 286, elevation 6,581 ft.
This morning, I didn’t wake up to condensation in/on my tent. It was frost. Yes, it was cold. Cold enough to make it tough to sleep, yet you don’t want to get out of the sleeping bag, either. And why is it that when you have a full bladder, you feel colder? Too much blood going to the bladder control muscle?
I tried my best to get the rainfly defrosted before stowing it, then hit the trail around 8. Diego and SoCo were just getting up. I was hoping to make it about two miles to get cell reception to update my blog. Before I could make that, I met Anne. I swear we ended up talking for like 20 minutes, everything from my hike and her just getting a cabin in Big Bear, to…..politics. Why this is such a popular topic in the backcountry between strangers is interesting. Anyway, we had a really good conversation, though I’m sure everything she said was a bunch of Mularkey….
After that talk, I was really freezing. Enough so to wear my puffy while hiking. I gave up on the first cell spot just so I could hike more to get warm. By the time I find another, the sun was coming out and it was absolutely wonderful. I ate some food, made some calls, and updated the blog. But the view down on Big Bear still showed the evil looking cloud blowing low over the lake. It just LOOKED cold. I spent so much time there that Diego caught up to me.
Back on the trail, it wound around to the north slopes and into more snow. Some of this was deep and getting slushy, so no fun. Ever see trees hug? We are heading west and losing altitude, but this damn snow just won’t let go. Even after entering a burn area (where you’d think my sunlight would melt it faster), no joy. This crap was going to hold on to me.
The camp in mind is at a water source and has a picnic table. I arrived around 3 (amazing time for me), so I had time to warm myself in the sun, charge electronics, and generally relax. Being a weekend and close to National Forest roads, there were plenty of “people” noises about, including OHV’s, 4X4’s and guns. Nothing close, but it felt like some of my own adventures with my boys and friends.
I decided to spice up my rice side with vegetable soup mix, which turned out really good. Or maybe I was just really hungry and tired. And then right when the sun dropped, Diego showed up. I found out that he’s from Mexico, which is kind of a rarity on the trail. About 45 minutes later, in rolls SoCo, still in pain. It was rapidily getting cold, so I didn’t stay up and socialize.
Savior out.