14 May - Day 24 - Rolling along the San Bernadino Mountains

Highway 18 (Mile 266) to Little Bear Springs Trail Camp (Mile 285.4)

Total trail miles: 19.4

Charles here.
Great day today and we made very good time. The hostel piled 8 of us in the station wagon & our backpacks strapped atop - then took us back to the trailhead this morning. We didn't get there though until 9:30 am. Late!

But the trail was sweet today, undulating with the mountain landscape never losing or gaining lots of altitude all between 7600 and 7200 ft. Mixed conifer and oak woods all around but open and airy. Great views of Big Bear Lake to the south down below.

Bright sun, cloudless skies, nice breeze, not too hot. We chatted merrily as we hiked along feeling really refreshed without aches & pains. Sean's shin splints didn't cause him any pain to speak of, though his shin swelled a bit. Chris & I both had swollen feet & ankles yesterday, but today we were good.

Packs are loaded with too much food. Dang. We really wanted to improve on food efficiency. But we are experimenting with new foods. We have stayed stoveless & are trying to find foods we can enjoy. (Cooking wasn't any better.)

We hiked into a large area of National Forest that burned a few seasons ago. So interesting in a landscape of twisted curled and blackened leafless trees, under which carpets of wildflowers (lavender lupine, yellow wallflower, white and rose sandwort, etc). Again our conversations and our silent musings are punctuated with "Now you don't see that often" or "wowwwww."

Filled our water bottles three times today at fresh-running brooks. Sweet.

Sean's hamstring flared today - an old softball injury he jarred jumping down from the pickup that smuggled us into Big Bear the other night. This is the same leg with the shin splints. He's thoroughly disgusted and is considering cutting the whole leg off at the hip with his trusty ultralight pocket knife. We suggested he get some sleep and reconsider in the morning.

We're lying now at 7 pm under tall Jeffrey pines, the setting sunlight just firing up the tippy tops of the trees directly above us. These are the pillars of our grand bedchamber ~ what fun! Skies are clear and we are already in bed: feet washed in Holcomb Creek 25 meters from our sleeping bags, supper & dessert eaten, & a few swigs of tequila to boot. Life is good.

Sean and Chris setting up camp.

Tomorrow we cross the 300-mile mark. Woo-hoo!

G'night.


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