May 5th, 2022 by Jon
We woke up after a somewhat difficult night. I’m not sure why, but neither Singsong nor I slept very well. We usually sleep really well, so it was definitely a change from the norm. We’re pretty low on water, with only a liter each for the 7 miles to Guffy spring and campground, so we decided to eat our snack bars for breakfast and then take another break at the water source to cook oatmeal there. We ate, packed up, and got moving. We had another 5 miles to get to the top of the climb. It was a lot easier doing this climb in the cool morning and we had great views of the valley below and could even see part of the Mohave desert peaking out beyond the hills beyond the valley.
After 2 miles, the trail started to change again, and all of a sudden, it became filled with pine trees and the trail was covered in needles. The trees provided a lot of shade and I think it was more beautiful too. We hiked in parallel with a dirt forest road off and on for a lot of the morning as we climbed. We came to plenty of small flat parts where lots of tent sites dotted the landscape. Singsong and I talked about wanting to do trail magic after we do the PCT. It seems like a fun way to hang out for a weekend somewhere near the trail.
We finally reached the top of the climb and celebrated with big views in every direction. We could see Mt. Baden Powell now as well, which we will climb the day we leave Wrightwood. It’s a 4-mile, 3,000-foot climb with 38 switchbacks. Should be fun. There is a little snow on it, but nothing crazy. We were only 2 miles from the spring, so we kept hiking, and it was flatter now that we were on top.
We hiked a mostly flat, perhaps a little downhill trail to the campground before one last very, very steep 300-foot climb up to it. There were picnic tables, a pit toilet, and plenty of space to spread out. We put our stuff down, and then I hiked down a super steep path to a small piped spring where we could get water for our oatmeal breakfast and for the last 5 miles to town. Water collected, we enjoyed our second breakfast and chilled at that campsite for a good while because we felt like it. The nice thing about these shorter days (we only had 12 miles to town from where we camped) is that you can really take your time.
Once we were ready, we blasted out the last 5 miles to town. It was mostly downhill with great views down both sides of the mountains. We also passed by Big Pines Ski Area and it was interesting to see all the lifts and ski runs without snow on them. We made it down to the road and waited for a car to go by. Unfortunately, none did. Later, we would find out that a rockslide had blocked the road, so it was closed and no cars were coming through. Thankfully, a car left the trailhead and they had their windows down. When they went by and stopped before pulling out onto the highway, I asked if they were going to Wrightwood and when they said they were I shamelessly asked if they would mind giving us a ride. Thankfully, they happily agreed, and so we got a ride with John, Sierra, and their dog. It was fun to chat with them about the PCT, and they were kind enough to drop us off at the grocery store, right in the middle of town.
Feeling very fortunate, we decided to go inside the store to get lunch and we planned to come back later to actually resupply. I ordered a 12-inch sandwich at the deli, and she made 2 of them, printed a sticker that I had only ordered one, and handed it to me. This was a very cool town. When we checked out, the cashier pointed to the bins near the door and said everything in there was free to PCT hikers. There were granola bars, fruit pouches, some drink mixes, and Goldfish crackers, among other things. We took our stuff outside, sat at the picnic tables, and caught up with a couple from Denmark, Ramses and Natalie, whom we saw a few days ago. We were also given free ziplock bags from another hiker! We chatted and ate for almost an hour before packing up our stuff and started walking the 6 blocks to our Airbnb. We noticed the “Welcome PCT Hikers!” sign at the grocery store as we walked away.
We were about one block away from the store when a truck pulled over and asked if we needed a ride. We said we were just heading to our Airbnb, and he said he would take us, so we hopped in, and he told us he and his wife like giving rides to hikers when they can. He explained that they retired in Wrightwood and just play golf and hang out now, so they like doing it. We arrived at the Airbnb and thanked him for the ride before reuniting with Seabiscuit, Wilco, Rune, and Stealth. We enjoyed catching up and talking about the hike up from Cajon, and we just sat around on the couch waiting for our turn to do laundry. The Airbnb had laundry clothes we could borrow so that we could wash everything in one load.
A few hours later, with drinks drunk and more food eaten, our laundry was done, and we decided to walk over to the local Mexican restaurant for dinner. Elan joined us and it was nice to spend some more time with him. He will be heading to Chicago for his brother’s graduation next week, so he will be hiking out tomorrow. We’re hoping we run into him again sometime. We had a huge feast and a great margarita, then headed across the street to a local bar for another drink or two before making our way home, very tired and very happy. We’re looking forward to a rest day tomorrow to recover before hiking out Saturday morning.
