Hello from Hiker Heaven (The Saufleys in Agua Dulce)

Well it would appear that I have made it another 200 miles since Big Bear Lake and am still trekking strong.  Of course it's hard not to feel energized when you've been eating ~5,000 calories/day (regardless of whether it's a trail day or a "zero" in town).  I started off from Big Bear Lake after cleaning my plates for the "Polar Bear Special" at the Grizzly Manor Cafe.  Me and another hiker about my age and size (Jeff) walked in hoping to fuel up before hitting the trail, and we were not disappointed.  Other guys twice our size couldn't finish this plate, but we each had no problem downing two massive pancakes, three eggs, three thick-cut strips of bacon, and what must've been a half-pound of hashbrowns (and let's not forget the coffee)!  Hiker hunger has set in, but I've managed to stabilize at my triathlon "race weight".

 From Big Bear Lake, the miles and the days flew by pretty quickly.  Other than seeing a bobcat and a few rattlesnakes, the first few days were uneventful.  Just as I was getting tired of walking through flat desert brushland, I turned a corner and found myself looking down a long descent to Cajon Pass (intersects with I-15).  Upon hitting the highway, I detoured to the famous (among PCT hikers anyway) McDonalds which was half-filled with other hikers.  I managed to save my money (and reduce pack weight) by sticking to my trail food, but it was good to rest-up for a few hours.  My sense of urgency to push on was somewhat diminished when I realized that I had bounced a box to Wrightwood on Memorial Day (I'd be stuck in town for two days anyway). 

 

After leaving the McDonalds, I started up a long ascent not realizing that the group I was hiking with had just taken a zero-day at the Best Western near the McDonalds (thus they were starting with fresh legs and a long rest while I had already put in over 15 miles for the day).  So we climbed and climbed with few breaks, but it was good conversation to learn about various odds and ends of thru-hiking from what I would consider trail veterans (one of the guys, "Little Budda", had hiked the AT plus the International AT and one of the famous trails in Spain).  On account of not finding any suitable campsites, we just pitched our shelters ON the trail to create a verifiable tent city.

The next day started off cold, and it only got colder as we climbed to ~9,000 feet to brave strong winds and a light sprinkling of snow.  Although the conditions were a strong disincentive to stopping and observing the scenery, it was interesting to look out over the mountaintops and frost-covered trees.  Although I was disappointed at losing an extra day in Wrightwood on account of waiting for mail and it being Memorial Day, extra rest never hurt anyone.  A local trail angel (retired teacher who now volunteers with the Forest Service) offered to take me into her home, so I had a warm place to stay for two nights.  It's amazing how people are so willing to open up their homes, give rides to/from trailheads, and/or provide food to hikers along the trail!  The hospitality that I've encountered in my short time on the trail thus far has definitely helped to restore my faith in the fact that there are a lot of good-natured people out there.  I was also able to slack-pack about five miles of trail on Memorial Day with a friend from LA who came up to visit.  

After finally leaving Wrightwood, I immediately began the ascent of Mt. Baden Powell.  I was initially planning to road walk around this section on account of the snow, but I decided against it since the 15 or so hikers ahead of me had no worries at all.  In hindsight, I probably should've listened to my gut.  There was quite a bit of snow going up, some of which was long and steep.  I was fortunate to start in the afternoon when it wasn't quite that icy, but it was still slow-going without the "proper" gear.  Nevertheless, I made it up with just my running shoes and trekking poles in one piece.  It was probably good mental preparation for the Sierras, and at least then I'll have hiking boots + microspikes and an ice-axe.

After getting the summit out of the way, the next few days into Agua Dulce were easy.  It was mostly downhill (although there was a lot of up-and-down) with a lot of crawling over fallen trees (burned during a wildfire in 2009).  So I pulled into Agua Dulce mid-morning today and headed straight to "Hiker Heaven", the home of the Saufleys (local trail angles).  Simply put, this place lives up to its name.  They've got cots and large tents in their backyard, an entire building with showers, kitchen, and computer dedicated to hikers, and laundry service (I guess they've recruited a few of their friends to help with the operation; volunteers actually take your dirty items and wash them for you the second you arrive here).  It's tempting to stay longer, but I think I'm ready to go for Tehachapi tomorrow morning.

The last item on my to-do list before leaving is to arrange for my snow gear to be shipped to Kennedy Meadows before I enter the Sierras.  I was talking with other hikers about whether or not we should detour the Sierras and return later, but it seems like the consensus is to go straight on through.  The fact of the matter is that everywhere got slammed with snow this year and there's nowhere to run.  Sure, we could skip around the Sierras - but we'd just hit snow somewhere else.  So I'm going to brave the Sierras during this high snow year since I'll at least have the company of the other thru-hikers.  After all, what's the difference between walking on one foot of snow and ten feet?  I'm not sure when I'll post again since I've only got one more stop before the Sierras, but I'll get around to it at some point.  Until then, I've got more miles to cover...