I hiked out of Big Bear with Color Wheel a little late in the day. The weather had cleared up really nicely, so the hike up was really pleasant. I especially enjoyed it because I had my new shoes!! My pain in my little toe was a distant memory as we enjoyed 10 miles of easy elevation gain.
The next couple of days were challenging. We did an 18 mile day and followed it with a 19 mile day and a 17 mile day. At this point, those are solid "average" hiking days for me, but for some reason I felt like I had just hit a wall. I felt tired and listless walking down the trail. I ate and drank at every break but nothing gave me energy. My legs would ache angrily through the night, sometimes waking me up. One morning I wouldn't even get out of my tent the pain was so persistent. Color Wheel refused to leave until I got my rear in gear, so I crawled out eventually with some reluctance. My body was trying to convince my brain that I was incapable of going on because I couldn't feed myself enough to keep going. It almost had me fooled too.
That morning that I didn't want to get up was a turning point for me. Funnily enough, that day ended up turning to my best day on the trail yet. I got through the first mile slowly, and then suddenly it felt like I had taken rocket fuel. I shot down the trail. I felt I could have ran, pack weight and all, if it struck my fancy. Every break I took I would pace, tap my foot, anxious to move again. It was the most amazing feeling, to desire motion that badly. I'm still not quite sure where the high came from, but it lasted until Cajon Pass, and I've seen smaller bursts of it since. It doesn't seem to be reliant on any particular type or amount of food, or on the hiking conditions either. It can be uphill, downhill, hot, cold, a good day, a bad day, whatever. Suddenly I just fall into the groove and I know incontrovertibly that there is no place I belong more than right there on that 2,650 mile long, 1 foot wide patch of dirt.
So now I'm in Wrightwood, CA, staying with some nice trail angels and resting up before the next stretch!
The high points of this week included:
- an afternoon at Deep Creek Hot Springs, a smattering of naturally heated pools embedded in a cool green canyon stream, complete with slackline and rope swing
- a "beach day" at the mountainous Silverwood Lake, lounging on the sand and swimming
- relaxing and watching free movies at the Best Western in Cajon Pass with Color Wheel to sleep off our food comas
- watching Highway 15 recede away from us as we climbed out of the Pass
- waking up between two layers of clouds at 7,000 ft, just below the Baldy summit
- emerging into the frozen alpine world just before reaching Wrightwood
- staying with Leroy and Diane, the best trail angels ever!
The lows of the week:
- seeing the graffiti on the rocks climbing out of Deep Creek canyon
- litter left by hikers at Deep Creek and up near Mt.Baldy, more than I could carry out alone
- the lead-weight ache in my legs after Cajon Pass, thank you McDonald's and your empty calories
- dodging poodle dog bush on a long stretch through an old burn area (fires kill all the vegetation and then poodle dog bush, a nasty, furry-looking weed that causes a terrible rash, springs up and takes over the area)
- falling behind a bunch of our friends, hopefully we'll catch up soon!
Pictures!
Descending to Cajon Pass
Beach day at Silverwood Lake
It is when it's graffiti that distracts from the amazing natural beauty of desert canyons...
The incredible view climbing up to Mt. Baldy
Between two worlds
A little dose of sunshine before we disappear into the higher clouds
Frozen leaves
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