Day 20 – Wednesday, April 30

Hello from Cajon Pass. I’m at mile 342 and things are going great! Most days I’m already hiking 20 or more miles. Before I get started, I need to back up to Idyllwild and tell you that not long after I made my last post, I met the Mayor of Idyllwild! Mayor Max is probably the nicest politician I’ve ever met. He’s a fine young man. They say in Idyllwild that they take their politics seriously! I love it…what a great mayor!

After leaving, I felt like I was hiking in Cascade Canyon of the Grand Tetons. What beautiful country I was in! I’m amazed every day that I can be in the heat of the desert in the morning and by mid afternoon I can be in the high country and snow. It’s pretty wild to say the least.

After leaving Ziggy and the Bear, a hiker hostel, we all heard that a winter storm was approaching.  I wanted to try to get to Onyx Summit (mile 252) and hitch into Big Bear City to dodge the storm. About fourteen miles before Onyx summit, we met Trail Angel Steve who was out on a pretty rough forest service road treating hikers with trail magic and advising them of the coming winter storm. After a couple of candy bars and a Gator Aid, he said he would meet us at Onyx Summit and give us a ride into Big Bear City. How sweet was that! Trail Angel Steve follows his wife up the trail. While “Steady” hikes, he spends his time doing trail magic along the way following her. Steady is already a Triple Crowner, having completed the AT, PCT, and the CDT. She is hiking the PCT again after having completed it in 1993. What a terrific couple Steve and Steady are! We had a great time playing the card game “Pit” with them in Big Bear City at the McDonalds.  That night it did snow about 7 inches up in the high country so we were glad we chose to stay in town.  We did enjoy hiking in it the next day.

Steve and “Steady” below:

Some additional photos from the past week:

Deep Creek and the Hot Springs

I first met “Coppertone”, pictured above, hiking into the Hot Springs at Deep Creek. He was in his birthday suit wearing nothing but a day pack, boots, and a hat carrying a shovel and working on the trail. Quite a nice guy, Coppertone thru hiked the PCT in 2006 and was giving back 🙂 in his own way. The next morning he was offering hikers root beer floats at a nearby trail crossing. He’s been living and traveling the county for the past four years in his vehicle pictured above. It’s very nicely equipped!

Hiking around Lake Silverwood to Cajon Pass