We hadn’t expected to have a very cold night, but we woke up with ice beads on our sleeping bags. This was a surprise since we had both been toasty warm all night. We got going a little later than normal since we needed to dry our bags out a bit before cramming them into our packs.
We climbed gradually over the course of the morning and made good time through the desert scrub – at least, until we hit the poodle dog bush. We knew it was going to be bad later today because of the burn area we’d walk through, but we didn’t expect it this early on. It took quite a bit of maneuvering to get through it without brushing up against it. After a few miles of unpleasantness, we transitioned into a more open, pine-filled landscape and the going got easier. We had great views to the north over the Mojave we would cross in a few days. The rest of the morning consisted of a pleasant dirt road walk as we took the detour around some trail damaged by the huge Station fire in 2009. We chatted with Rabbit along the way. He started at the border before us but hikes fewer miles per day than a lot of folks. This is refreshing since so many people push to do big miles.
After a long, increasingly warm descent we arrived at the Mill Creek fire station. There we found water, an outhouse, picnic tables, and electrical outlets – all the comforts of home. Although we were the first ones to arrive, along with the Germans, it didn’t take long for others to show up. We cooked lunch and had a nice long break. This also gave us the chance to dry our bags out a little better. By the time we finished our chores and left, there were about 15 hikers hunkered down in the shade.
The rest of the day would involve more road walking. The miles after the fire station were heavily infested with poodle dog bush and most hikers took a forest road that closely paralleled the trail instead of the trail itself. After our experience this morning we decided we would do the same and we’re glad we did. As we started up the road we could see that the hills around us were absolutely covered in it. Unfortunately, the road we were on was paved and not dirt – it’s ironic that we cross so many dirt roads but the one we actually walk on for miles is paved. It was pretty brutal on the feet and knees, especially since we were loaded up with water for another hot dry stretch.
It wasn’t all bad, though. The road was a steady grade up and we had great views. We put on our headphones for the first time, knowing we would need some distraction, and listened to music. We could even get some radio stations to come in. Eventually we passed a monument to the firefighters involved in the Station fire, including two who lost their lives. We signed the journal left there and thanked them for all they do. Without their efforts we would be walking through much more burn and we would have many more detours. Immediately after that the road took us through a burned out prison. This was super creepy and I was glad to be hiking with other people. It looked like the set of a zombie movie, or every post-apocalyptic video game I had ever played. We kept joking about the impending ambush. It was easily the most menacing place we’ve seen yet on the trail.
The day ended, as it often seems to, with a climb as we went all the way to the top of Mt. Gleason. Being on a road helped but not that much. We passed a communication tower at the windy summit and finally started heading down. Seeing the sign for the campground felt like a victory, but we still had a mile to go. Thankfully the road at last turned to dirt so it was a little easier on our sore feet. It was getting cold fast as the sun set and we were glad to get to camp and crawl into our bags. Something about the road walks really takes it out of us, even though it should be easier terrain in theory than the trail.
– Posted from the PCT
Location:Pct mile 430