May 1st, 2022 by Jon
We were already awake when the alarm went off. There was a car or speaker somewhere in the valley below that played music all night, and the bass made it very difficult to sleep. Thankfully, it was warm compared to most mornings, so we threw on our clothes and once again began packing up our things. After a breakfast of delicious oatmeal (no, I’m still not sick of it yet), we began hiking again. We were still high up on the side of a ridge, looking far down into the valley below. We hiked along hill after hill before slowly losing altitude over a small series of switchbacks.
We had hiked 3 miles already and arrived at a camp that was more developed than we were used to. There was a picnic table, a fire ring and grate over it, a little toilet, a water trough, and a horse pen. We took a small break there to collect and filter a liter of water for the next section, and happily used the pit toilets. Digging a hole for your business gets old pretty quickly, so we always try to take advantage of opportunities when they arise.
We continued onward and found ourselves hiking along a very loud creek. We couldn’t see it because of all the bushes and trees growing along its banks, but we knew it must be there. We also passed many small campgrounds where people were waking up and making breakfast next to their off-road vehicles. It seems like we are in the middle of a huge network of old forest roads, and the locals seem to enjoy a bit of recreation up in these mountains. It’s cool to see. We continued walking along a ledge 40 feet above the water.
When we got to the top, we could tell we were in the middle of a very wide valley. In the valley itself, there are lots of hills, and we spent the next 4 or 5 miles walking from hill to hill. This valley was pretty dry and it felt like a patch of desert floor even though we were up at 5000 feet in the middle of the mountains. Eventually, after a pretty monotonous couple of hours, we came to the edge of a hill and it seemed like the trail had met back up with the creek that we had left some time ago. We could hear it probably 200 feet below us. We walked along a ledge before coming to a small feeder creek that ran down the cliffside, perpendicular to the larger one below us. By working our way down to this smaller creek we were able to drop quite a bit of elevation and from there it was an easy enough time to get to the bottom of the valley.
The main branch of the creek was probably 15 feet wide and a foot deep in most parts. We were at 9.5 miles hiked for the day and it was only about 10:30. We decided to take a small break there to rest and eat a snack. I ended up having lunch basically because I was so hungry. Our cheese definitely hardened overnight and was holding up surprisingly well! We lay there for probably an hour talking, napping, or reading on our phones. I’m about halfway through reading Station 11, which was just made into a show on HBO. It’s been a good read so far.
We decided our next stopping point should be in another 6.5 miles, at Deep Creek, which is basically a river compared to the water sources we have had so far in the desert. We will be following it for the next 15 miles or so once we reach it. The trail getting there was very hot and rocky, moving through desert chaparral. It wasn’t great hiking, and there were tons of sharp plants that were overgrown, and you had to just push through them. Combine that with the fact that my foot has been bothering me, and it made for a grumpy couple of hours of hiking. Singsong and I had hiked together on and off today, but in this section, we were apart. I gritted my teeth and got through it, but it was definitely tough.
We finally came to Deep Creek where there was a large metal bridge about 60 feet over the water. When I arrived, I heard Seabiscuit call out from below. She had hiked down underneath the bridge and was sitting by the water’s edge. I made my way down and immediately threw off my pack and shoes so I could soak my feet and legs in the water. Sweet relief. The water was ice cold and it felt like heaven on my aching feet. I found a rock and sat there for a while. We contemplated actually swimming because the water under the bridge was probably a good 5 feet deep. But it felt pretty cold and then we would have to change if we wanted to keep hiking or else risk massive chafing hiking in wet clothes. Singsong arrived a few minutes later and we all enjoyed some cell service and more time to relax and eat more. We sat there for a solid hour before Rune and Wilco showed up too. We all talked about our day and debated hiking out a mile and a half to the road and hitching to town for some food. There was a popular burger-and-malt shop that would come pick you up if they weren’t busy, but we really just felt like relaxing, so we didn’t go for it. We stayed for another hour, falling asleep and doing more reading. Wilco tried to teach Seabiscuit how to juggle, but it’s hard when all you have are rocks, and they are different sizes.
We set out around 3:30 because we really wanted to get to that 300-mile marker sign. We hiked high above Deep Creek for a few miles before arriving at the signpost. We celebrated and took some pictures before continuing onward. Eventually, we came to a dirt road that led down to the water’s edge. It was a beautiful little spot by the water, and just across the creek, we found a few great campsites on the sand. We set up camp before making dinner. I think there are 6 or 7 tents here tonight. While we were filtering water, Seabiscuit discovered a hole in her water bag, so I covered it with my finger while she squeezed the water through her filter.
Tomorrow we plan to go another 16 or 18 miles to a water source and camping site. We will pass a hot spring, which sounds a little dirty, but we will probably check it out. We are trying to make good miles so the day after tomorrow we can have a short morning into Cajon Pass and gorge on McDonald’s breakfast. Should be a good time.
