This morning Frank took me to breakfast, since I had provided fruits, veggies, and treats last night. We sat and drank more coffee than is probably healthy, while chatting about any number of subjects. Afterward I bid him farewell, packed up my veggies and hit the trail.
The hike took me up a ridge overlooking Big Bear Lake. The weather was not bad so far, so I changed out of my shell gear and into shorts and a t-shirt. At one point the PCT made a sharp turn with no warning. A trail continues straight at that point, but diverges from the PCT. I hiked on half a mile before realizing I was headed the wrong way. I went back to find someone had posted the PCT signs on the back side of a tree, so that they could only be read if you were hiking the wrong direction. I spent some time building a large stone arrow pointing the correct way.
The trail led across some hills that had been burned in the recent past. All that remains are charred pines. I thought I saw some Poodle-Dog bush, which is supposed to be worse than poison oak, but if it was there wasn't much and it was easy to avoid.
The trail eventually winds up in a river canyon with a bit more life. The charred pines are interspersed with willows, and the river is blocked here and there with beaver dams. I hiked along the boulder strewn side of the canyon, listening to bird calls from the willows and stepping over owl pellets. The trail then ascends to a field of burned pines. Here I heard the distant sound of the wind in the trees. The day had been breezy but here I felt nothing. Then the sound grew in intensity, from the rumble of a breaker to the roar of a tidal wave coming toward me. A moment of silence with barely a puff of air, then a wall of wind hit me all at once. A few seconds and it was gone again. It was a bizarre experience.
After a while the trail returned to the river, and eventually led to a sandy area by a small waterfall, where I am now camped. I found a discarded four person tent, which I attempted to rig up for the night. However, it is getting gusty and the tent was broken, so I am snug now in my own tent.
I intended to make 10 trail miles today due to the late start and heavy pack. I figure, with the veggies, I have 50 pounds. That did slow me down a bit, but I still made 17 trail miles. Add to that 3.5 to get to the trail and another mile when I took the wrong turn and my total comes to 21.5 for the day. The weight gets eaten up fast (tonight I had stew with all sorts of fresh veggies), so I should be able to make good time tomorrow, depending on weather.
Speaking of weather, somehow I managed to hike under blue skies all day. I looked back and found rain clouds closing in behind me, as well as in front of me. Strangely though, I hiked in a bubble of good weather. Let's hope my luck holds!
