May 11 – San Bernardino’s Finest
After sleeping in, sorting out gear, catching a bus from the motel 6 back into Big Bear for breakfast, running around to the post office, grocery market, and hardware store for fuel, as well as running into other hikers and socilizing, we were later than we wanted to be leaving town. We loaned our data book section to Halftrack and Super Tramp to photo copy. Big Bear was not an easy town to get around in or to get things done in, or to get out of.
There was the half mile walk just to get to the right road to get back up to the trail. We generally have good luck hitch hiking. Today was slow. We waited for half an hour, which given a good location and moderate traffic was longer than we might expect.
A general word about hitch hiking. Getting to and from well known trails to small mountain towns is usually easier and safer than if you were on a major highway with an uncertain destination. And a woman or a couple get rides more quickly than a gruff looking single male hiker.
Still today was looking bleak until the county sherrif passed us going the opposite direction, pulled a u-turn and drove up to check us out. Once he determined that we were PCT hikers trying to get back to the trail and not some general vagrant bum type trash, one of San Bernardino’s finest, officer Follet offered us a ride.
The walk this afternoon continued as it was yesterday by contouring from side to side of the main ridge line offering occasional glimpses into the basin that holds Big Bear – the lake, the city, the ski resort – with weekend cabins for the wealthy, and then the other side whose view offered quite a contrast. the Mojave, with sand, Yucca, those “other world” looking Joshua trees and the dilapidated trailers of true “desert rats.”
The forest was again dominated by Ponerosa Pine and Incense Cedar alomg with patches of domintaed Mountin Mahogany, Juniper and Jefferey Pine.
Again we saw no othe thru hikers. In part, I think, the “bubble” is thinning out as hikers find their own pace, some drop out and the towns suck others in. In part, too, because we left mid day and are just a half step ahead or behind some others.
By 7pm we were back to about 7,000 ft and it was gettng very cold so we stopped at a very nice saddle and made camp, 14 miles for the abbreviated day.
