4/15/20, mile: 256, elevation 7,608 ft.
Oh those mice were like clockwork. Sun goes down, out come the mice. And the wind picked up. And my dinner of red beans and rice was taking too long. I was tired, cold and hungry. Grumpy Ron. Anything and everything that had touched food was hung from the ceiling. By the time I finished half of the not-quite-cooked-all-the-way-through meal, I sealed it up for breakfast and went to bed. And froze my ass off. The wind picked up and just sucked the heat out of my sleeping bag. I wound up covering myself with my tent body. It worked, but it was still a poor night of sleep. The only good thing about this location for me was looking out the window after sunset and seeing the lights of Palm Desert waaaay down there.
Though tired, I was still happy to be up early. Early hiker gets the firm snow. I didn’t even use the crampons, the slopes were never that steep. I still ended up postholing a couple of times, but I started to get the feeling that the tough stuff is done. The snow-less patches were getting bigger, and mountain homes were becoming visible. Once down at Cienaga Creek, it was pretty much done. Along this section is another PCT landmark that is no more, the Private Zoo. It used to contain lions and tigers and bears (seriously) to be used in the film industry. Now it’s just an empty compound. Soon after this, I was in need of a lay down and I found the most awesome clear spot under some trees with just the right amount of sunlight. Off come the shoes and socks (wet from the snow and slush) and rest away I did. Pac Man showed up soon after, leaving the cabin site after I did. We caught up on the trail section and talked about life, then off he went.
From here on out it was easy walking to the next camp, which also had water. I wasn’t alone for long, Mike and Red Meat showed up and told me their story of getting caught up in these mountains during the last storm. With no lodging available, they ended up going home to Red Bluff. They were just getting back on the trail. And soon after that, Lamb Chop arrived. And man was she a chatty Cathy tonight. She had been feeling ill the last several days due to a dosing error with her Aqua Mira water treatment chemicals. Today she was back to normal and quite excited about it. We had a wonderful evening talking, jumping straight into politics. And we’re both still in one piece. It was a really good talk which carried on to the next morning. It felt good to talk to a person again (more than an obligatory hello as you pass each other). I haven’t really done that in days.
Today’s hike, while tough early on, became easier and I sensed a change in the trail. I also sensed a change in me a bit. There’s been a lot of on-trail and online chatter about how un-friendly Big Bear due to Covid. I don’t have a specific mile or day in mind for getting off the trail (I have food to last another 2 days if I push it). I resolved to worry about that later. It’ll come to me.
Savior out