Well, got up today and realized right away this was going to be a tough day. I could hardly bend my knee it was so stiff. I got my gear together and At Home and GG were ready to take off. I told them not to be concerned about me and enjoy their hike and I’d try to meet up at the next campsite. The problem with today’s hike was that it involved climbing almost 5,000ft in moderate heat. ( Read at your own risk moment )… Before I got going I had to take care of business. Its a kinda funny situation. Even before I threw my pack on I couldn’t even take a step my knee hurt so bad. With a “deer in headlight” look, I scrambled to find a suitable private place. Not being able to bend much at the knees, I dug a hole in the sand with the heal of my shoe and took aim about 3 feet away. I feared falling backwards into the bushes and what I was about to create. I escaped unscathed… Whew!
Today I would be entering the San Bernardino National Forest. II put my pack on and within the first few steps I came to grips with the reality that lay ahead. This wasn’t gonna go good at all. It was like taking my first baby steps, not that I remember them. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “I might be out here for awhile”, I kept repeating to myself. After a few attempts of trying to walk I came up with a sort of hobble-hike. I was able to walk with a stiff left leg with an occasional bend thrown in. I started moving slowly first then a little faster trying to test my speed. At one point I timed myself. In the first hour I hiked one mile. The second hour the same. This was going to be a test of will for me to get to the next campsite. I had to stop for water a few miles up trail, but since I was walking so slow I didn’t realize I passed the last source up by a mile. Damn it!!! I took off my pack and unloaded the heavy stuff…food bag,clothes and a few other things and headed back down trail…Great. I walked about 1/2 mile when I remembered hearing water off the side of the trail. With my bad knee I walked down two short embankments to Mission Creek. I found a small waterfall and filled up 5 liters and drank 2 while I was there. FYI..1 liter weighs 2 lbs. Happy with my find I headed back to the trail and picked up my gear along the way.
Believe me, I was in a bad spot. I knew I wasn’t going to meet up with my buddies, so I was in this for the long haul, however long it took for me to get to a comfortable place for the night. I plodded along , feeling the pain increase as I went forward. The climb sucked, but it was better than going downhill. At one point on the trail my emotions took over and I started to think my journey might be over. With my eyes getting a little watered I pleaded to the “trail gods” not to take me off trail. Over and over I asked not to be taken off trail. As hard as this trail tries to beat you up, I didn’t want to leave the trail. This is a journey I want to finish.
I regained my composure and hiked the final few miles to Mission Camp campsite. I was relieved to see Kate, Color Wheel (really cool chick from Austria who I’ve hiked with before) and Unicorn with her dog Charlie. The feeling of being with total strangers and feeling like family is so hard to describe on this trip. It felt great to hear ” Hey Grinder” welcoming me as I walked up. We shared stories and ate dinner. There were so many trees to hang from but I was so exhausted I set up on the very cold ground.
A few other hikers showed up. It was great to see two up show. Coyote(Kett) and Baby Bear(Ben). Two awesome guys I met night hiking in the desert. It was about time for me to get horizontal so I hit the ground wishing I had those down pants.
I was only able to hike 10 miles in 10 hours with my breaks and water snafu. Not productive, but I’m only a day away from Big Bear Lake.
I didn’t take many pictures the last few days. My focus was solely on Big Bear.
Trail Love
A little beat up..
two feet wide... 