Me, Low Flow (Czech Republic), Banana Bread (New Zealand) and Nathan (Germany) hitching a ride from Walmart. They all just had their first Walmart experience and were pretty amazed.
Silly Billy (a trail angel) offering hikers snacks, drinks, and professional pictures. You can check out his Instagram @hikertrashdumpster.
After summiting Mount San Jacinto (the peak in the background), we dropped into Mission Creek before hiking up to Big Bear Lake. This Mission Creek section of the trail was washed out in August 2023 from Tropical Storm Hilary so this section was very slow going. Lots of climbing over large boulders and storm debris.
Mission Creek washout.
Peaks outside of Big Bear.
Grizzly Manor Cafe in Big Bear Lake, a hiker friendly diner.
Resupplying. This is about 6 days of food.
Big Bear Lake Hostel. Note the huge tree growing through the front porch.
Inside the hostel.
Big Bear Lake and the surrounding mountains from the trail.
The pine cones seem to get larger the higher you climb.
300 down 2,350 to go.
One of the few sections where the PCT parallels the highway on a sidewalk.
Entering the Silverwood Lake area.
Sometimes it pays to follow the weird signs…
Dave “By The Way” and his mom. Dave decided to drive up to Silverwood Lake and do trail magic with his Mom for Mother’s Day. Dave got his name because his first attempt at the PCT was before the trail was very popular. He would be so excited to see other hikers that he would jump into conversation without introducing himself, causing him to end every conversation with “I’m Dave by the way”. It’s hard to describe how good cold drinks and hot food are after 20 miles of desert hiking.