Idyllwild – Julian – Day 157 – Tues Nov 28th

Day 157 Tues Nov 28th

Idyllwild – Idyllwild inn – Humber Park trailhead – Cedar creek Junction

2475.8 – 2492.5

Approx. 5062 ft ascent 4764 ft descent

19.9 Miles

Stephen picked us up outside the Red Kettle cafe around 07:30. What a superstar!

On the ride back to the trail he told us about his chequered past and how he had found God and forgiveness.

He even held Sarah’s knee and did a little prayer hoping that her pain would subside and she would be able to complete the rest of the trail.

It was extremely kind of Stephen to run us back up the mountain. He kindly bought us a coffee to help kickstart the day + would not except any kind of donation for his help.

Who knows maybe Stephen was an angel sent from above. Only time will tell + let’s hope Sarah’s knee and feet improve.

Hiking up the mountain from Humber Park to Saddle Junction seemed to be a breeze in comparison to when we were going down it in the dark.

It was 2.5 miles and relatively steep with lots of roots and rocks to negotiate but we flew up it and it seemed to take no time at all.

It must be all that good food we consumed in town. By the time we left we were starting to become regulars at the Red Kettle.

We’ve been told the next section of trail going south features a lot of blowdowns and we should expect our speed to decrease to 1-2 MPH.

Also a lot of the water sources are not directly on trial and involve negotiating side trails to resupply.

This will again add on extra time and will slow us down.

Above 7500 ft there is still a lot of snow on trail. Less than what we received before Idyllwild, but enough to make us take care on some of the steeper sections.

By the number of footprints in the snow it looks like a lot of people have been out hiking over thanks giving.

Once back on the PCT we filled our water bottles at Tahquizt creek. Resting the bottles against frozen icicles which acted as a funnel as we filled the bottles.

It’s very cold here, we often find this in the valleys and draws that host rivers and creeks.

Although, both of us are slightly concerned it’s this cold in the middle of the day.

Let’s hope this is an isolated cold spot.

As we climb into bright sunlight it isn’t long before the snow disappears and our fears subside.

In the last section I managed to sunburn my lips. They have been sore, blistered and cracked + seem slow to heal.

As we start to descend from Tahquitz peak we completely lose the trail and it’s a tangle of buckthorn and fallen burned trees.

We end up making our own trail to try and find a route through this mess. Rock hopping and walking over the top of the spiky buckthorn.

We then spend the afternoon traversing an epic ridge.

Switching from north to south facing sides of the mountain the trail winds a path more like a rollacoaster.

The north facing aspect is still covered with a layer of snow and is a little dicey in places. Especially when we have to negotiate and hop over lots of blowdowns.

We could imagine this section being particularly sketchy early in the season, when there will be much more snow and ice.

But for today it offers us a playground and apart from the spiky buckthorn it’s great fun.

As the trail crosses over the mountain to the sunny side it’s like a different world + the temperature difference is more than noticeable.

As I mentioned the water supplies today involved a hike off trail. At best this was half a mile each way at worst a mile each way.

As we approach Apache Creek we had initially decided to push on to the next water source.

Although the trail is not clear and we end up descending down to the creek, instead of following the PCT.

This was not ideal as it meant we were both carrying 2L of water for the next 6.5 miles.

So we decided to cook early using

up the water required for dinner. Therefore lightening our pack loads and putting us back on track.

“Up there for thinking, down there for dancing”

As I was boiling up water for Ramen noodles we were joined by another hiker called Harold – Trailname “Bagbowl”.

Harold had already hiked the entire trail

From Mexico to Canada. On reaching the northern terminus he turned around and started hiking south again back to Mexico. This is what’s known in the trade as a Yoyo and doing this in a single year is more than impressive!

Harold was a funny guy and instantly likable.

It was interesting to hear about his travels and what the trail conditions were like heading north.

He also made a huge claim about how good the burgers were at The Paradise Valley Cafe. Stating they cooked one of the best burgers on trail, if not in the entire US.

As we finished our dinner the sun started setting in the distance and the sky turned blood orange.

The next section of ridge was even more narrow and rugged, which wasn’t ideal hiking it in the dark.

We could see the city lights of Palm Springs below and we were also blessed with a full moon. It seemed to burn orange complementing the city lights perfectly.

The trail then became really overgrown. Made even more challenging by the numerous blowdowns. Where we had to crawl over or under lots of fallen trees, whilst the overgrown branches pulled and snugged at our clothes and faces.

We’re going to be extra vigilant tonight with our tick checks. As it’s simply impossible to try and avoid coming into contact with all this overgrown nonsense.

The last climb of the day turned out to be a little more spicy than expected. It was very steep and seemed to go on forever.

Sarah did a fantastic job today dealing with her injuries and she seemed to either be feeling better or hiding the pain.

Maybe Stephen’s prayer is starting to work?

She’s also been super vigilant about doing her exercises. Maybe this is also helping?

The ridge starts to flatten out and we pass Harold cleaning his teeth on the side of the trail, already camped up for the night.

It looks damp and a little exposed so we say goodnight and that we will catch him at The Paradise Valley Cafe.

We hiked on into the night until around 21:30 desperately searching for a tent site.

Our prayers were answered and at the Cedar Creek Junction where we found the perfect spot. It was a flat and sheltered spot underneath the overhanging branches of an oak tree. There was even a bench seat next to the tree, so we had a seat for the night.

Because we had already had dinner earlier, it didn’t take long to set up the tent and get sorted for the night.

Both exhausted we jumped into our sleeping bags and it didn’t take long before we were cranking out the Z’s.