Big Bear – Idyllwild – Day 150 – Tues Nov 21st

Day 150 Tues Nov 21st
Big Bear Lake – HWY 18 acres to Big Bear Lake – Coon Creek Cabin
2361.1 – 2408.7
Approx. 3606 ft ascent 2310 ft descent
19.8 Miles

We had a really successful + productive time in Big Bear and pushing those 28 miles on the way in, got us back on track.

Our alarms went off at 05:00 and we were up and showered by 06:00.

For breakfast we ate some sugary baked treats whilst we waited for Jay to arrive. All washed down with a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

Right on schedule Jay pulled up outside the hostel. It was great he was able to pick us up so early so we could get a nice early start back on trial.

Jay was such a dude and he kindly took us to Starbucks. Insisting on buying us a coffee before we got started.

We then spent an enjoyable 15 minutes driving back to the trail talking about all things hiking.

Jay was also a hiker and had completed the JMT. He was very interested in hearing all about our thru hike adventures + we all had a lot in common.

After saying our goodbyes Sarah and I left Jay at the HWY and hiked away into the mountains once again.
Our next destination is Idyllwild in 86 miles. Although in 50 miles we hit another possible town called Cabazon which offers milkshakes burgers etc.

After 33 miles we hit Mission Creek which has a really bad reputation. The trail is meant to be all washed out and super sketchy.
Both Fred and Smiles have already been through this section and been helping with Intel.
The trail was washed out after Hurricane Hillary. So there is no trail for 8 miles and instead you have to follow the creek bed crossing it many times.
Fred mentioned that he had to cross the creek 50 times or more. So we’re glad we’ve got our old trail runners strapped to the back of our packs + we have been saving them for exactly this moment.

On the lead up to Mission Creek there is also a proposed alternate where you have to negotiate a ridge line v’s following any trail.
By all accounts this requires some basic navigation skills and serious bushwacking.

Our plan is to try and arrive at the start of the ridge walk early in the day.
Then hopefully we should arrive at Mission Creek around lunchtime once it has warmed up a little.
The creek walk is going to involve walking over lots of slippery rocks and bolders which is a concern re. Sarah’s poor feet.

We are trying not to let all the fear mongering scare us too much and hopefully things won’t be quite as bad as we have heard.
Smiles also went through Mission Creek at night which is always going to be super sketchy.

Then once we have reached Cabazon we start the big 20 mile climb up to the top of San Jacinto.
Then there are only a handful of other big mountains left before the last push to the southern terminus at Campo.

By our reckonings we have around 18 days left before we are done and dusted and only a handful of trail towns left.
So we’ll do our best to try and catch up with any blog updates when we hit these trail towns. Providing of course there are no further unexpected interruptions or complications.
This also relies on there being a decent WiFi connection for the pic uploads, which isn’t always the case in some of these remote mountain towns.

Due to my increased sensitivity to the sun as a result of the antibiotics. Today I’m taking extra special precautions by using a zinc-based sunblock on my face.

Around 10:00 we’ve covered 7.4 miles and we stop for our first break.
We both polish off some oatmeal and chocolate croissants whilst sitting in the middle of the trail.

Reports in Far Out say the next 15 – 20 miles will be tough. Where we will be following a washed out creek bed for most of the day.
We filled our water bottles up from a natural crystal clear spring that flowed straight out of the mountain.
The previous sources smelt like pond and there were no water sources after this before we arrive at Mission Creek (approx 20 miles away).

The day turns out to be sunny and warm although in sheltered areas the ground is still frozen solid.

After walking past willows and long grasses I noticed another tick crawling up my leg. It gets the royal flick and we apply some deet to help keep them at bay.

Around 14:00 we stop again for food after we missed the underwhelming Onyx peak.
We had planned to stop at the summit, but there was no sign of any significant summit.
We pulled out my sheet of Tyvak to sit on. Tyvak is a white sheet of building membrane which we use as a hard wearing ground sheet. We figured we would spot any ticks crawling across this as they approached.

There is a cabin called the Coon Creek Cabin which is approximately 6 miles away and would take us to the golden 20 miles today.
This would be a sensible sheltered stop for the night and would also set us up well for the ridge walk and Mission Creek 2mw.

As we eat our lunch a couple of locals pass by with their German shepard + she seems very interested in our beef jerky.

They told us when Hurricane Hilary hit they received 10 inches of rain in just 24 hours. This is why so much of the trail got damaged.

For the rest of the afternoon we hiked through more washed out sections of trail, where rocks, sediment and tree debris had been deposited all over the place.

As the sun drops it starts to get really cold.
We are relieved when the trail takes us to the other side of the mountain where the sun’s rays still reach.

In this last segment of the day we also experience more problems with ticks as we push past the bushes and grasses.
Hopefully the deet and permethrin are doing their job in repelling them. Or at least stopping them from biting us.

Around 18:00 we arrived at the Coon Creek Cabin.
It was a large wooden structure made up of 3 main rooms. There were holes in the walls for doors and windows, but minus any doors or glass. So it was very much an open plan arrangement.
Despite this we felt that this would offer us some protection and it definitely felt warmer inside the cabin than outside, as temperatures started to plummet.

We decided to pitch our tent on the concrete floor using rocks to position the corners.
We thought briefly about cowboy camping. Although previous experience re. bugs and spiders have made me wary of camping without the protection of at least a bug mesh.
Particularly in these kind of old buildings.

Also because of the lack of windows and doors in the cabin, we went full bore and set the tent up with the flysheet. Slightly overkill, but at least it stopped any drafts.

Not long after we started to set up “Big Tuna” arrived and entertained us with his cheeky Australian charm.
His friend Myles also rocked up a few minutes later. The 4 of us spent an enjoyable evening sitting and chatting about our trail adventures.

We warned ‘Big T’ about ticks, which freaked him out a little. He inspected his legs and found he’d also picked 1 up.

It was certainly a great shout using the cabin for shelter and we felt sheltered and secure.

As we ate our Ramen Noodles we gazed out of the cabin looking out on the lights from the city of Palm Springs twinkling below.

We have a big day tomorrow with the ridge and Mission Creek which is causing Sarah some anxiety. So it was an early night for us.