Day 14 – Wednesday, June 7

PCT Mile 239.9 to PCT Mile 266.1
Day Total: 26.2 Miles

Today was our latest wake-up time, 7:00 a.m.

We packed our gear up and walked a quarter mile off trail to a spring where we filtered enough water to get us the 16 miles to the next water source. We didn't start hiking until a little after 8 as the water filtering process has taken more time than we anticipated.

We had vague ideas of making it to highway 18 and staying in the city of Big Bear Lake, but that was 26.2 miles away and, with the late start, we weren't sure if we could make it happen.

We started out around 8,000 feet and knew we'd stay pretty high most of the day, hopefully meaning cooler temperatures as well. After a couple of hours we made it 6.6 miles to the Coon Cabin. The cabin consisted of a few small buildings covered in hiker graffiti that would have made a pretty neat place to stay for a night. There we had a snack; sandwich thins slathered in peanut butter and honey.

The highlight for me, however, was the composting outhouse. Our cat-hole skills are pretty impressive but, much like getting gas on a long road trip, when a bathroom is available, you should make an effort.

Efforts were made and we were back on the trail.

Our goal for the day was to get into a flow while hiking, meaning hiking for two or three hours straight with minimal stopping. I think about it like the NCAA tournament championship game between UNC and Gonzaga that, aside from the outcome, was a terrible game. Every few seconds, it seemed, there was a whistle or unnecessarily long video replay and, consequently, the game lacked any sense of rhythm.

The same frustration comes from stopping to get a rock out of your shoe, putting on sunscreen, applying creams to help with chafing, snacking, filtering water, bathroom breaks, and even taking pictures. Yes, all of the things listed above are important, but we want to make a more concerted effort to do those things with as little disruption to feet on trail as possible.

One of the more sad and random things to come from our hike was seeing a grizzly bear. We spotted the bear as we passed a private zoo along the trail. The bear was pacing back and forth in its pen, clearly needing more room. From the trail we couldn't see any other zoo animals and kept going until we found an equally random item on the trail.

About 13 or so miles into the day there was a couch on the side of the trail put there by a local hostel with a small dumpster loaded with sodas. We both grabbed an off-brand Sprite and opted for the a seat on the ground rather than the couch. It was a nice surprise and the 40 grams of sugar made the next few miles fly by.

We made it to the water source around 3 p.m. and took our shoes and socks off while we ate our tuna packets and cookies. With 9.4 miles to Highway 18 and plenty of daylight left, we started talking about "when we're in town" instead of "if we're in town."

I was also aware that Game 3 of the NBA finals had a 6 p.m. Pacific start time and was trying to figure out if I'd be able to see the second half or not.

We scarfed down our lunch, did some backcountry podiatry, and loaded things up to get moving again. It seems my blisters have something of a low and high tide. At the end of each day they are bloated and pulsing; in the morning they are empty and feel like calluses. Not only should these behemoths have names, they should have already had their christening.

By about 3:45 p.m. we were moving as images of dominoes, showers, and TVs danced in our heads. The trail at times was covered in lady bugs (and gentle bugs?). We spilled out of trail at 6:45 p.m. and called the Vintage Lakeside Inn that a fellow hiker told us about – very reasonably priced rooms and they pick you up from the trail. We ran into three other thru-hikers there as well. One of their sisters lived nearby and was joining her brother for a few miles. She picked up the three hikers at the cabin we passed in the morning and they were getting a ride there to hike the 20 miles back to Highway 18 and her car.

The hotel sent Damon to pick us up and we couldn't have asked for a more pleasant trip into Big Bear Lake.

Once we got into town, Damon gave us a tour of the beautiful downtown before taking us to our room for the night. There we quickly found ABC and watched from halfway through the third quarter until Golden State's 11-0 run to close out the game.

Showers followed the game and we fell asleep. It was our longest day and our most enjoyable. Hiking all day was such a luxury.