Day 26-27: Big Bear Lake

April 30-May 1; Mile 266-281

Day 26

After the likes of Julian and Idyllwild, Big Bear Lake felt, well, Big. It was a two mile trek to the grocery store from where I stayed at the hostel, and there was an impressive variety of restaurants all within walking distance. I spent the morning taking care of town chores – buying groceries, organizing gear, picking up a package from the post office – so that I could spend the afternoon and evening lounging at the hostel. There was a sweet old dog named Yogi that lived in the hostel, whose lumbering, off-kilter gait mirrored the hikers who’d just arrived from the trail.

That evening Juniper invited me to play Hearts with her friend Bobbie. In the final round – when we weren’t passing any cards – I was dealt the king of spades, ace of spades, half the hearts, including four of the five highest-ranked hearts. If ever there was a time to shoot the moon, this was the hand to do it with. And then on the third trick, with spades as the suit and only low cards showing, Bobbie went last and played the queen. “What?!” Juniper and I both asked. “Is that the only spade you had?”

“I thought you had to play the highest card of that suit,” Bobbie responded. Well, that explained some confusing moves from earlier in the night. We had a good laugh, and then gave her the chance to play a different card. And for the first time in my life, I shot the moon.

Day 27

Four of us – Juniper, Goldilocks, Tinder, and I – piled into the truck of a kind local named Cathy and rode back to the trail. We reached the turnoff at 9:30, and the sun was already high in the sky. The path started out in a sparse, rocky desert, but thankfully it headed back among the pines before long. I came upon my third rattlesnake of the trip, and after glancing at me it politely vacated the trail.

Near Big Bear Lake the PCT veers westward, following the San Bernardino Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains until it skips across the edge of the Mojave and soars north toward the Sierra Nevadas. Yet as I looked out across the blue waters of Big Bear Lake, with snowy mountains towering in the distance and bushy green undergrowth all along the trail, I felt as if I had been transported north to Washington. There was even a talus slope to cross, something I was used to seeing back home.

After lunch I came upon a group of hikers gathered around a lemonade stand in the middle of the woods. One of the thru-hikers had used their day off to set up this refreshing surprise. I unfolded my foam pad and lounged with the group, sipping the sweet, cold drink.

With six more miles planned that evening, it was soon time to continue on, or else risk getting caught in the Lemonade Vortex. One of the hikers showed us where there was a spring trickling from the rocks in a grassy field, and we took turns crawling down to the outlet and filling our bottles.

When I reached my planned camp spot at 6pm, I was a bit wary. There was a forest road with fire rings and discarded bottles, and no one else was camped there. I did some stretches while contemplating going further, and then Tinder and DD showed up. They were headed another 2 miles to a different camp spot since they also weren’t excited about camping along a forest road. Though my feet protested mightily, I shoved them back into my shoes and limped after the two hikers. We made it about 100 yards before coming across Juniper making dinner in a clearing of pines.

“Actually, I think I’ll camp here. My feet are done for today.” They chuckled at my change of plans before continuing down the trail. Juniper and I chatted as I made dinner, and the nighttime chill set in as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon. It had been a long day, and I had to use my headlamp to write in my journal. It was the beginning of a new phase of the trip, where I would hike longer hours and bigger miles, and more of my nighttime routine would take place in the dark.