Idyllwild – Julian – Day 160 – Fri Dec 1st

Day 160 Fri Dec 1st
Mikes Place Outbuilding – Spring and Tent site 5
2528.3 – 2554.1
Approx. 2362 ft ascent 3963 ft descent
26.2 Miles

We had a comfortable dry and warm nights sleep, despite waking up a couple of times to the sound of a rodent chewing something close by.

We had hung both our packs and food bags from the rafters as a precaution. And sleeping within the confines of our bug mesh we felt safe enough.

On leaving our cosy home for the night we realised half the roof was missing and the ranch looked even more in need of some help in the cold light of day.
We didn’t mind as this rough and ready shelter certainly saved our bacon last night.

As we back tracked along the side trial to the PCT the vegetation was thick with dew and moisture.

Hiking through the mist the sun slowly breaks through the clouds to reveal mountains clad in lush green vegetation.

With mist rolling off of their peaks Sarah comments how the mountains look like what you would find in a tropical jungle environment like Malaysia.

Normally you can see the trial as it snakes around the mountains and you can work out roughly the direction you’re heading.
Due to the amount of growth it now makes it hard to distinguish where the trail runs.
We’ve started noticing a new species of tree called a Redshank. It has fine delicate green leafs that hang in plumes from the main branches. They have a feathery reddish bark that peels off in strips, similar in colour to Manzanita.
Sarah comments on the aroma + I think it smells like urine.

Today we have 17.5 miles before we hit Warner Springs Community Centre.
We’ve heard whispers there is a gas station that serves very good hot dogs and this is a real motivator.

We seem to be moving at a good rate today and after a little up this morning we have around 9 miles downhill leading to Warner Springs.

We stop at the Agua Caliente creek for lunch before the final 5 mile push. It’s so nice to have running water right next to trail once again. As we sit on rocks and eat we can hear the babbling creek as it flows past.

In the last couple of miles we walk through grassy meadows reminiscent of landscape back home in Oxfordshire. The only difference is its much dryer and amongst these rolling grassy hills we find the occasional cactus, sage bush or spikey oak tree.

The meadow opens up into an expanse of rolling hills with brown grasses and cows angrily mooing in the distance.

We were both impressed with the facilities at the Community Center. Here we found shower stalls and a sink stationed behind the main building for laundry.
There was also seating underneath a gazebo, a charging station and WiFi.
The showers weren’t plumbed in so you had to take a bucket shower, but the water seemed warm.

We opted to walk the mile up to the gas station first as the thought of eating hot dogs had kept us going all afternoon.

It wasn’t long before someone stopped and offered us a ride.

On saying our goodbyes he passed his phone so I could show him our blog. In doing so we noticed some slightly “interesting material” from a previous google search. It was a little embarrassing need I say more….

The guy at the gas station was super kind and offered to make us up some fresh hot dogs. There were so many flavours to choose from, there’s always so much choice out here.
We went for a smoked boubon flavour and asked for 2 each. They lived up to all the hype and along with some other snacks + a couple of beers made an excellent dinner.

For dessert we had 3 chocolate bars, washed down with some Dr Pepper.
And then we were off hiking back along the road to the trailhead in the dark once again.

Technically you weren’t allowed to camp overnight at the Community Centre.
Although we did contemplate pitching our tent in the corner behind the building.

However, we needed to push on to get the miles in as we had only done 17 miles by this point.
As the sun had gone down the prospect of a bucket shower also seemed way less appealing as it had started to get really cold.

We hiked away from the highway through more meadows. Interrupting grazing cows milling about amongst the spikey oak trees.

It wasn’t long before we cleared tree line and we were hiking along grassy exposed ridges.
We also pass the famous landmark called Eagle Rocks. This is a rock formation that looks just like an eagle spreading its wings + is a significant part of Indian native culture.

We’ve been riding our luck for the last couple of nights finding sweet camping spots. I felt our luck was going to run out tonight as everything was once again damp and the ground saturated.

Sarahs feet were starting to hurt again, but we had no option but to push on.

Around 22:00 we pulled into a tent site next to a piped spring. We managed to find a suitable spot underneath an oak tree and made thee best of a bad situation.
The ground was dry and covered with fallen brown leaves. And at least we had the cover of the oak tree as some form of protection.

We set up the tent in record time and settled in for the night. Making a hot chocolate to help warm up.
We covered 26 miles today and were both happy that we had pushed on from Warner Springs.
We’ve now reached a hundred mile marker to Campo which is a significant milestone.
This may sound like still a long way, but to us it’s only around around 4-5 days.

We also have just under 25 miles to get to Julian tomorrow. It’ll be another long day in the saddle and it might make more sense to go in the following day.
Let’s see how we feel when we wake up tomorrow and whether we are able to get a nice early start.