The Second Hundred Miles

So, I'm writing this from the area known as the San Gorgonio Pass--Whole lotta wind farms here at the base of San Jacinto and San Bernadino Mtns. Whole lotta wind too...go figure. I left Warner Springs in the cool afternoon, and made it about 10 miles--ran into a few of my fellow hikers, pumped a load of water from a hillside spring, and slept fitfully. I don't think I'm stretching enough, which causes me to be cramped up during the night--about 3 hours on average before I'm able to fall asleep tossing from side to side in my bag (the silk sleeping sheet is a Godsend). The Weather had predicted rain after 2am which it was humid and cool, but no rain. Hiked in the clouds with a couple of other fellas from WA who brought their banjo and guitar along for entertainment. About noon this 2nd day out from Warner Springs, I was headed up toward the upper shoulders of Combs Peak (slightly over 6,000ft ASL) when the sleet started hitting hard...then rain...then sleet again...then SNOW! Big fat flakes of it for about half an hour. After this, there were a few thunderclaps that indicated by the timing from the flash I was within a mile of the excited electrons. This served to set my adrenal glands pumping out go-juice, as I was hiking through a burned out area (from the 2004 Cedar fire I'm told-might have the date wrong), I felt as if I was above treeline, and way too exposed. This inspite of the fact I love the thunder and lightening-I just don't like the prospect of being struck by it. I really didn't mind the rain by this point, since I was soaked to the point of squishing out muddy water from my shoes with each step...I couldn't get any wetter, and I would have clean shoes by the end of it, so nothing to do but hike it out. By the time night came, I was dry, and just under the threat of precipitation after about 21 or 22 miles.
The scenery was more of the chapparal, and high desert---Jeffrey/Coulter pines, Manzanita bush/trees, holly, poison oak. In the morning, I hiked out to hwy 74, and walked to the Paradise Cafe, ate some great food, and hitched a ride into Idyllwild to pick up and remail my bounce box and fill up on food for the next stretch. Ran into a bunch of friends from at Warner Springs who were chased off Mt. San Jacinto due to the substantial snowstorm that started the day before. Good times hanging out eating food, and listening to my sometime trail companions recount the horrors of hiking in the storm and with the lightweight gear we carry--or decided to forward ahead to lighten the load. Sang a bit of Karoke-One of my theme songs since a mountaineering trip I guided in 1993 at 13,660ft ASL for some folks from South Carolina. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones. ---You can't always get what you want...but if you try sometimes...you just might find...you get what you need. So true, and seemed applicable this evening--anyway, it was fun to sing it with some fellow thru-hikers on a cold night. Idyllwild is soooo supportive of the PCT---lots of trail angels, which amazes me the things folks do for PCT hikers from ensuring water caches in the middle of nowhere (like Jerrie and Mo--elderly couple who stock the Pioneer mail cache) to the nameless folks who obviously expend a lot of time, energy, and resources to help folks through this undertaking, that I am realizing every day, is much more difficult than I first thought.
Hitched back to the trail on hwy 74 on the next day, and traversed the San Jacinto over the next couple of days--Beautiful rejuvinating sub-alpine forest once above the chapparal and montaine. I would love to come back and just explore. Glorious--I could have been in Colorado or WA on some trail...similar to the High Sierra I'm told with the granite--but the High Sierra remains yet a distant dream. I slept fitfully, on top of the peak and shivered my self to slumber at 10,800ft ASL in my "20 degree" bag---I'm the human furnace, and I froze. Tuesday (27 May), I pounded down San Jacinto with views of the desert 9,000 feet below...long day of descending, and I was searching for the knee and ankle replacement shop at the base--there wasn't one at the end of 24 painful miles for my knees and feet...there was a spigot though, and that was gold! Tromped through some desert winds and thought I'd blow away---winds were at or above 60mph (40--foot is occ. blown into the other, 50--knocks you a step or so off, 60+ you're being buffetted around and fighting to walk straight and not be knocked over. Well, public libraries in small towns being what they are, I must sign off for now---perhaps more in another hundred miles. I'm getting new insoles here in the hope my feet will find some relief. Still constantly amazed at all the wonder there is in the natural world...and in people. Folks can surprise you at the most unexpected moments with acts of great generosity that may seem small, but are HUGE. unbelievable how good people can be.
More later---hopefully I'll be picking up the pace.
:)