Day 15 – Thursday, June 8

Big Bear Lake, PCT mile 266.1 to PCT mile 275.0
Day Total: 8.9 miles

We checked out of Vintage Lakeside Resort two minutes before the 11:00 a.m. checkout time, after enjoying the TV, wifi, and indoor comfort for as much time as possible. 

We walked into the cute village of Big Bear Lake and found a coffee shop to sit and catch up on Internet things, like email and banking, over a tasty croissant and cinnamon roll. We did laundry and I got my hair cut by a woman also named Kelly who enjoyed hearing about our hike so much that she told me I didn't need to pay for the haircut. People can be so nice!

After lunch we walked to a sporting goods store to see if they sold replacement metal tips to Stephen's trekking pole, which broke a few days ago and the plastic has been wearing away every since. They didn't have the right thing, so he has to continue to use his nubby pole. He called the pole company and they're going to mail him a new tip, which we'll pick up at a town near mile 440. 

On the way to the sporting goods store a nice woman pulled over and asked if we needed a ride back to the trail. We hadn't even had our thumbs out, and unfortunately had a few more errands, but it was super cool of her!

We bought four and a half days worth of food at the supermarket to get us to the next town, Wrightwood, in about 100 miles. Lots of tuna, Snickers and peanut butter sandwiches in our future. 

Leaving the supermarket, I decided to say goodbye to the huge straw hat I had bought for $9 in Cabazon a few days back. While the hat was fun, and provided excellent shade, it was too big for my head, so it fell over my eyes and obscured my vision. The brim was also so big that the back side hit the top of my pack, knocking it off my head. If it was windy, it didn't stand a chance. So, I left it behind and will continue with just my baseball hat. 

Outside the supermarket we walked 100 steps to the stoplight and Stephen made eye contact with a woman in a pickup truck, stuck out his thumb, and she said jump in. It was the quickest hitch in history. She said her son picks up hikers all the time, and she always wanted to help. She drove us past where she lives and back to the place where we got off the trail last night. When we got there, we saw Damon, the guy who had picked us up last night, and he joked that we should stay another night. 

The trail was beautiful tonight, gently winding uphill through forest. The temperature perfect. We didn't get started until 5:30, but we covered nearly nine miles before it got dark and we called it a night.