Flowing Water

May 19, 2016

Leaving Big Bear, we were gifted with cool temperatures, clear skies, and the shade of pines and juniper. Though it dropped below freezing at night, it made for efficient hiking during the day despite slow mornings. As we made the slow and familiar descent back to the desert, we came across a great surprise -flowing water! As we weaved around the banks of Holocomb Creek, it slowly grew in size as numerous tributaries made their contribution. By lunch we hiked 13 miles and were basking in the shade adjacent to the stream, enjoying the forgotten sound of moving water. We soaked our tired feet and washed our dirty faces before grudgingly leaving the best lunch spot to date. We followed the creek a few more miles before the trail diverged to the south, but we were not upset as we were destined for something greater -Deep Creek. As the light began to fade, we set up camp along the sandy banks of this “Large” and bountiful river, just shy of a 20 mile day.

The next day held even greater surprises, with rumors of hot springs not too far ahead. We hiked an ambitious 9 miles through the desert heat before arriving at an unmarked crossroads. Uncertain if the springs lay at the bottom of this steep canyon trail, we took our chances and shuffled down. With no one in sight, we thought we’d taken a wrong turn, but the trail was true. When we got to the bottom we found our personal hot spring waiting for us. A real treat, even in the heat, we bounced between the hot and cold waters steeped with lithium all afternoon. After the heat of the day passed, we hiked out and down the trail, only to find the “True” Deep Creek hot springs just a mile further. Packed with city folks, hikers, pets and trash, we viewed the party from afar and continued hiking. Shortly after, we ran into our first rattlesnake sunning himself in the trail. After patiently waiting for a few minutes, he granted us safe passage and moved to the side of the trail, never issuing his unmistakable warning.

From here we made our way to the Silverwood lake, where we spent another afternoon swimming in cold water. I developed a migrane here and we were forced to make camp early despite only hiking 12 miles. Eager to make up for lost time, we left very early the next morning headed towards I-15 through Cajon pass. Determined to beat the heat, we broke personal records hiking 17 miles before 12:30. As temperatures rose into the 90’s, we staggered into the McDonalds at Cajon pass not knowing what to expect. As we walked in, we found hikers crammed into every corner, backpacks wrapping around every table. A few families taking a lunch break from the interstate were scattered about, serving as entertainment as they tried to make sense of the highly pungent scene before them. We used up the gift card Mandalynn had recieved at Ziggy and the Bears’ then vowed to never eat fast food again. We waited out the heat of the day with other hikers in the shade of a gas station -hit with a wave of culture as humans driving to Las Vegas stopped for gas. Here a 5ft long gopher snake paid us a visit, though shortly after introductions were made, a local helped to relocate him to the creek nearby, away from the road.

As the sun fell we continued hiking into the dark, finishing with a 24 mile day. Unknowingly we spent the night right over the San Andres fault, dreaming of earthquakes. We were hiking again by 4:30 the next morning, making the slow 5000ft ascent up into the mountains around Old Baldy. Here we ran into our second rattlesnake, and as Mandalynn almost stepped on him before taking notice, it was hissing and rattling by the time we’d backed up to give it space. Eventually it allowed us to pass on its own accord, and we appologized for disturbing its rest. That afternoon we arrived at Guffy campground, the end of another 20 mile dry stretch. We were well recieved as a group of long distance trail runners allowed us to share their site. We enjoyed our second fire in over 3 weeks despite the relentless wind at 8000ft. As we needed to resupply in Wrightwood located in the valley down below, our new friend David let us drive his Jeep down the mountain to the post office and grocery store. As we pulled into town, hikers we knew from the trail gave us puzzled looks as we showed off our new ride. Driving around seemed quite strange, but zipping up and down the rough mountain roads was good fun. After we returned, Olga treated us to homemade soup and salsa. Presented with such hospitality, we could not refuse though the soup was filled with catfish, octopus and shrimp, things we do not normally consume. Nonetheless, it was very delicious, especially as it was the first bit of true home cooking that we’ve had since our departure. Refreshed from our zero day at Guffy camp, tomorrow we will summit Mt. Baden-Powell…