Stats

Start: Swarthout Canyon – Mile 347.2
End: Wrightwood – Mile 369.3
Elevation Max: 8,356
Elevation Min: 3,499
Elevation Change: 5,607 up & 2,043 down?
Average Heart Rate: 126
Walking Time: 6 hrs 43 minutes

The Walk

Cowboy camping was a bad choice. I woke up at 10:30 pm to a sleeping bag covered in water droplets. It must have already misted. The zipper side of my sleeping bag was damp so I squeezed against the other side and went back to sleep.

Fortunately it didn’t get to cold. Probably in the 40s with low wind. And while mist continued off and on throughout the night, my sleeping bag wasn’t soaked. I was damp, but warm.

I was excited to see 6:30 so I could get out of this mess and start moving. I packed up and then walked over to Zeddie and Dory. They were packing up. We chatted and planned to hike together for a few miles this morning.

Around 8 we got started. We were climbing to Wrightwood. Or at least part of the way. It was 17 miles of uphill then 5 miles of rolling hills. I wasn’t sure if I’d go all the way or camp just before.

After 3 miles of walking I decided to try and push for wrightwood. My gear was wet and sleeping in it didn’t sound fun. I could also dry everything out during a break with the sun and breeze in about 15 minutes.

All morning The trail followed along ridges with beautiful views. The sky was clear today. Back to the normal Southern California weather. It was cool and cooled down as we got higher. A perfect day to hike.

As the day went on the mountains got closer and closer. It’s crazy how much the scenery can change in one day of hiking. The desert is officially blooming and I saw colorful flowers along the way.

Around noon I decided to eat some lunch and plan out my day. I was only 11 miles from Wrightwood. So I decided to take a quick lunch and keep moving. I didn’t even take time to dry out my gear.

A few miles later soft pine needles covered the trail and I was surrounded by their crisp smell. The mountaintops were at eye level and I had almost climbed 6,000 feet! My legs were tired. But I was so close.

Near the peak, my old friend snow started to show up. For a few miles the snow was hard/icy and wasn’t too annoying. But on the north side of the mountain it turned into piles of slush. I gave up on dry feet and walked / skidded right through them.

Snowy peaks loomed just above me for that last few miles. It was a beautiful, cool section of trail, but I was happy to get to the highway. Time for a hitch into Wrightwood! I put out my thumb and waited. The first car, a sports car, revved it’s engine as it drove by and honked. Not the best start.

I saw a colorful van come around the corner and slow down as it approached. No freaking way! It was Cheshire Cat. The guy who gave me a pear a few weeks ago! Bandit, a Southbound hiker, was already in and I hopped in the back with Stella the lab. Nothing quite like an excited dog after 22 miles of uphill hiking!

At town we went to the hardware store and asked about places to stay. It was $150 for a hotel room or I could hitch back to sleep in the trail. They also mentioned a list of 10 trail angels to call. Bandit and I started calling.

Our very last option was Chris. I thought I’d either be back on trail to camp or get a $150 hotel room, but he picked up! $20 bucks a night to have a bedroom, bathroom, and laundry. That’s perfect.

Bandit and I walked to his house and were blown away by how nice it was and his hospitality. Once we got cleaned up Chris drove us to a restaurant, then picked us up later on.

I didn’t have any expectations for Wrightwood to start the day. But it ended up perfectly. Feeling thankful for all the trail angels. Tomorrow will be an easy nero day. I’ll hang out in town, resupply, and watch the bulls game before heading out for a few miles in the afternoon.