Today was a day of extremes – extreme exertion and extreme rewards. We set our alarm for 5 in order to get to the Paradise Valley cafe with enough time to lounge before it closed at 3. When the alarm went off with no birdsong and no light on the horizon, we found it tough to get up and snoozed for a while. Finally the call of burgers and sodas lured us out and got us on the trail. It took us a while to warm up our muscles as we went up and down the rocky slopes. After a few miles we hit the Hiker’s Oasis water cache, where we caught up with U-turn. He was also looking forward to the food, which had made up about 50% of our group conversations yesterday. We didn’t need any water so we just signed the logbook and left a message about the GPS unit we found yesterday. Trail gossip spreads pretty quickly and we knew this would help us find the owner.
After the cache we set off into the rolling hills west of the town of Anza, which was visible for a log time. Inexplicably, we found ourselves back in Anza-Borrego state park for about the third time this trip. I don’t understand how we can be back inside its borders when we were hiking in it a week ago. This must be one large park. As the sun got higher in the sky the shade on the western side of the hills got smaller and smaller. Five miles out from the highway we thought we were in for some easier terrain based on our elevation profile. We could be there in two hours if the trail was good! Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. We seemed to wind up, down, and around every mountain that stood between us and the road. We would drop down sharply only to encounter the steepest, least shaded switchbacks we had yet seen. The thought of burgers went from imminent to taunting. It got hotter still. Finally it became clear that we were headed to the road, and none too soon – Keith had run out of water and the half liter I had left was warm as bathwater. Even with the rough trail we had made pretty good time with the proper motivation.
Reaching the Pines-to-Palms highway was a shock after so much wilderness. Cars seemed to be moving 100 miles an hour just feet from us. We walked in the ditch, as far from the road as we could get, and after a mile we entered heaven. The Paradise Cafe is super hiker-friendly. The waitress on the patio greeted me with a cheerful “Welcome to paradise!” as I stumbled up to the front. Truer words had never been spoken. After dropping my pack I wetted down my hair and washed the dirt off my hands at the hiker hose right out front. As I went to go sit down next to U-turn at the wonderfully shaded patio table I passed a man leaving the cafe who introduced himself as JJ, a trail angel in Idyllwild. He gave me his number and told me that he gives hikers rides to and from the trailhead and a place to stay if they want. I must have looked a little overwhelmed, because he assured me that the waitstaff would confirm that he was legit and not just some weird guy. So now we had a ride into town in a few days and I didn’t even have to open my mouth to ask anyone.
The next miracles were the ice waters waiting at the table, the cold diet coke that arrived astonishingly fast, and the menu itself. Most hikers dream about the Jose burger – with Swiss, guacamole, jalapeños, and bacon. Keith and I both arrived at the Gus burger instead – a bacon cheeseburger with two kinds of cheese on thick, crispy garlic bread. I can’t remember the last time I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and this seemed like a good time to start. While we waited for our food we signed the PCT hiker logbook the restaurant keeps. Redpod, another hiker we’ve been around the last few days, dropped by our table. He had arrived here earlier at the magic hour – that special time of day when you can order breakfast and then turn around and get lunch. As it turned out, Redpod was the owner of the lost GPS unit. We’re glad we don’t have to carry the extra ounces up the mountain to Idyllwild! Redpod is from Joplin, MO of all places and was there when the big tornado hit a few years ago.
The food arrived and it was delicious beyond all description. All the different flavors and textures and fat that we don’t get with our backpacking meals set our brains racing. We ate slowly, conscious of the fact that it was a lot of rich food at one time, and it was wonderful. I nearly finished the entire thing – all 1/2 pound burger – and only left a little on my plate because we still wanted to make some miles that afternoon. As we sat around digesting Alan walked in, followed soon after by Hope and Bunk. We also met Brooke, who had hiked with them before but backtracked up trail to the kickoff. Even though we only met this group yesterday, it already feels like we’ve known them a long time. We’re really looking forward to taking a rest day with them in town.
We had planned to stay through the heat of the afternoon and it gave us plenty of time to talk, laugh, and do some minor chores like laundry and refilling water. I even got the chance to recharge my phone. Keith called a place in Idyllwild and reserved us a room later this week. We’ve already gotten a lot of restaurant recommendations, if you can believe it.
Finally, there was nothing more to be done but wet down our hats and hit the trail. A nice woman named Rachel stopped on the side of the road as we walked along and gave us a ride the rest of the way – our first hitch! Her work sometimes does training hikes along this section of the trail, but “never the whole thing” as though it wasn’t a totally crazy thing to be doing. She said we had shown up during the hottest week so far, which I could believe after yesterday’s desert. I’d heard rumors that it was 100 degrees in Palm Springs. We’re glad to be heading into higher elevations!
It was really pleasant to hike in the relative cool of the late afternoon. The landscape had changed abruptly to become less desert-like and more forested and rocky, with lots of enormous boulders around every turn. We hiked along the gentle trail, lost in our own thoughts and listening to the wind hiss through the pines. Our target destination was only 6 miles out. This will make for a lower-mileage day tomorrow and a short jaunt into town the following day. The last three miles were pretty steep (as most of tomorrow and the following day will be) as we started the real climb. Even so, we were surprised about the speed of our pace, especially given that we were carrying 3 liters of water each. Before we knew it we were within a mile of our target. I guess the good food and copious drinks really gave us back our energy after the slog this morning. Its also a gratifying sign of how much stronger we’ve gotten. We reached the turnoff for the spring and decided to camp there since the trail down was a mile long with lots of elevation loss. We’re glad we filled up at the cafe. As we arrived the wind really picked up but we managed to find a pretty sheltered spot. One of the advantages of cowboy camping is not having to wrestle with a tent in this kind of weather.
Tomorrow is almost all uphill. We’ll probably need to do some off-trail miles to get water, so it’s good that we don’t have too many miles to make. We’re starting to feel the call of a day in town and have lots of gorgeous country to see between here and there.
– Posted from the PCT