Warner Springs to Idyllwild

76 miles 4/11/18 – 4/14/18

Woke up a little later than normal and packed up, making the most of the bathroom and running water at the Warner Springs Resource Center before heading out guided by my headlamp. I made my way through a field before being greeted by the most beautiful sunrise of my hike so far.

The trail entered a wooded area and crossed a creek a few times as it continued up into the mountains with incredible views.

After a good amount of climbing the trail entered a boulder field with some pretty giant boulders, some of which provided some shade which was a nice break from midday heat.

I ended up at the key destination for the day “Mike’s Place”, where hikers could get some water and just hang out. It was an eclectic house tucked up in the mountains with all sorts of random things. There were hammocks set up, a porch to hang out on and even a dart board. I didn’t get a chance to meet Mike but the caretaker / cook was friendly. He said “I’m here to cook and make sure you guys don’t burn the place down”.

After an extended break I decided to push on even though hikers we’re more than welcome to camp at Mike’s. There was still daylight and I wanted to get a few more miles in. I heard that there was a windstorm coming and was hoping to find a spot a little more protected from the wind. All stocked up with water I climbed back up and over a ridge before I found a place to camp after another 20+ mile day. And the windstorm did arrive with force. My tent held up but was a little noisy in the wind, I was too tired to care and still managed to sleep well.

The next morning I continued to on as the trail dipped and climbed until I reached trail angel Mary’s place, an awesome little rest area for hikers with a water tank, picnic tables, a tiny library and the “Muir John”.

After lunch I hiked a few more miles and set up camp for the night. The next morning I made the short hike down to the Paradise Valley Cafe arriving just before they opened. They were nice enough to let us hikers in early because it was a bit cold outside. Fully fueled up on coffee and a giant breakfast burrito I tackled the beautiful climb into the mountains towards Idyllwild.

On my way I made a mile long, very steep, detour down to a spring for water. For some reason I felt that since the water was from a spring I didn’t need to filter it, a mistake that would come back to bite me. Due to a fire in 2013, which still has part of the PCT closed, I would have to take an alternate route into Idyllwild. I made my way to the junction and camped. The wind kicked up again and I had a rude awaking in the middle of the night when I experienced the effects of unfiltered water.

The following morning I struggled while following the detour into Idyllwild where I had luckily planned to take a day off.