Start point

Whitewater Preserve, mile 218.5 and 0.6 miles off trail

End point

Mission Creek tent site at mile 235.5

Miles hiked

17

Wilderness area

Sand to Snow National Monument

San Gorgonio Wilderness

The day on trail

Who has two wet feet and crossed a creek at least 28 times?

Someone else.

Kidding. It’s me.

We got a really late start because of how late we went to bed last night. It was rough. I don’t think I started hiking until about 10:30am.

Immediately, I had to cross back out of the river, which apparently is “impassible”. Oops. 😉🙃

That explains the kids yesterday. But if you know what you’re doing and have the right equipment, it was perfectly safe. Just challenging. Some people didn’t have the skills though, which is scary. There are stories of hikers before me that morning falling and losing things. I found one of their trekking poles floating in the water and carried it out to try and find its owner.

About a mile and a half after the first river crossing, just to get out of the campsite, there was a second one. This one was really raging. Luckily I had run into Sera at the trailhead outside of the campsite. We were able to make a small human chain for some stability. I faced the current and leaned on my trekking poles. She came into the water at the bank, where the current was gentler, grabbed the sides of my pack, and we side stepped in unison after I found purchase with my poles. It took us two tries to find a good spot, because water up to my thighs is almost to her hips. The joys of being short, I suppose.

But the method worked and we did great.

I sat down on the rocks after the crossing and dried my shoes, socks, and underwear. I also filtered some water and drank up while I waited. Laura, from the campsite, and Big Tuna came and crossed, too. They both did fine, though looked like they almost lost their balance.

Today’s route has an infamous climb up Mission Creek, with a fabled 28 river crossings. But that wouldn’t start for a few miles and dry feet are happy feet.

I kept going, solo for a bit.

The plan today was to go about 15 miles and camp just after the last river crossing. After the late night, late start, general tiredness, elevation gain, river crossings, and whatnot, that’s a hefty day. It’s doable though.

I start the hike and it’s feeling good. I love a climb and the scenery is just great.

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There were a few areas with little red flags on either side of the trail.

I don’t know what they’re there for. Every time I step over a line of rocks, a stick, or between flags all which cross a trail, I like to imagine it’s a step into an alternate universe. A multiverse thing. That that step was a delineating choice and it changed my world and the world of the other Minstrels in different universes. Did they put on a podcast and learn something that they pursued? Did it fulfill them or did it exhaust them? Did they trip and get hurt? Did they meet someone on trail?

What sorts of worlds are beyond the barriers we can barely perceive?

Weird trail thoughts.

I kept going.

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The trail soon started winding its way up Mission Creek. It really was beautiful and covered so many different kinds of terrain. Sandy river runoff was at the bottom, forest was at the top, and between it all was rock, mud, desert, forest, woods, and whatever else you could think of.

We started hot enough that I hiked without a shirt. It got cool as we ascended.

Around 3 pm I ran into Laila and Alpha. They told me the group wanted to continue to a tent site two miles after where we’d planned on. I was not happy about this because the trail was super difficult to follow and the extra time commitment would have us arriving late.

This particular part of trail has a few years of PCT trails built around areas that are safer to travel, but they get washed out as the snow comes and melts. They also get blowdowns from trees and other debris. This means the trail is very easy to lose and there’s a good element of route finding just to follow the creek up where it’s safe, then get on trail when you can find it.

Not only was it a decent mileage day with a decent climb, the trail itself was difficult to follow.

Layla continued on, Alpha needed to check her feet. I hung out with her while she did and we continued on. It was a lot of route finding. We ran into Big Tuna and talked a bit. Then continued on as a team. Tuna stopped at a nice looking site around 4:45, and we went on.

We saw Shark and Half Pint a bit further. I asked them if they lost a pole — they hadn’t.

It was getting dark when we ended up seeing Laila and Nightcrawler. We went onward into the San Gorgonio wilderness.

We all made the final push to the site, getting there around 9:20 pm.

As much as I like the people in the group, I’m not a fan of how they plan their days or hike. I’m not really happy with how today went or last night went. I think I’ll have to move on from them soon.