After my longest day, we had another big day ahead. There’s a burn area just before Big Bear where no camping is allowed, and to get past it requires over 7000 feet of climbing in a little over 20 miles.
It was another hot day, but at least this one would have a lot of water. We were hiking up a canyon with a stream running through it. Everyone jumped from shady spot to shady spot, leapfrogging each other as we all took breaks.
While most of my group took a siesta. I decided it would be a good idea to hike through the heat. I would take it a few miles at a time, drink lots of water, and take long breaks.
At this point, my phone died and my solar charger mostly stopped working, so I didn’t have maps or even know what time it was. So I just kept following the trail. I met up with a guy who started the same day as me. He had flown ahead, but the trail seems to bring people back together.
After 25 long miles I made it past the burn and camped on the saddle between two mountains. I had an amazing view of San Jacinto Peak.
The next day, I had one task. Get to Big Bear. I woke up with the sunrise (no phone, so no clock) and managed to hike the 21 miles to the road by about 2:30 pm.
In the final mile, I ended up between a group of hikers that had hiked together the whole trip. Through the magic of the trail, we got a hitch in one car. The woman gave us a ride to Big Bear Hostel where I am currently sharing a room with 5 new friends.
I would have more pictures if my phone hadn’t died, but here’s one I took during a water break. In case you were wondering what a thru-hiker’s foot looked like.
Warning: It’s kinda gross
That blister happened on day 1 and popped soon after.