It was another tough day. We started early, getting up at 5:17am and beginning our hike at 6:08. We pressed upwards, then back down to the first crossing of Mission Creek by 8:00a.m., some 5.5 miles. It began to get hot and the trail tread became difficult due to numerous crossings of Mission Creek and several soggy washed out areas as well as high, grassy areas. We heard two rattlesnakes in nearby bushes today and encountered one on the trail around mid-morning.
At 11:00am we found some cottonwood trees near the creek and the trail and called it quits for a few hours. I cooked a meal in hopes of getting some sodium in my body. Water is tasting bad to me at this time and I’m having to drink liters and liters of it all day just to try and urinate maybe once or twice a day. My plan is to add Gatorade to my daily intake after we get to Big Bear City to add back additional salts and electrolytes. All morning I felt nauseous, a rare occasion for me and I suspect a combination of mild heat exhaustion and dehydration. We all lounged under the trees until 4pm, having to move several times to stay in the relatively cool shade next to the water with a stiff breeze blowing.
Finally, around 4:15 we resumed hiking and continued the all day climb until reaching a nice shaded tree canopied campsite around 6:30pm. All three of us were drained form the day’s hike. We crossed Mission Creek 26 times today, in all cases crossing on small diameter logs that gave us the opportunity to display our balance beam skills over rushing water. I’m still feeling rough tonight with nausea and hope to sleep it off overnight. Tomorrow will be challenging with another 2500 feet of elevation gain after today’s 2500 feet gain to our 6,100 foot campsite. As I write (8:15pm), Jewel Thief and Piper have arrived and are joining us in camp. I’m looking forward to getting to Big Bear City in two days. Another night of cowboy camping with no rain in sight. We didn’t even see a cloud today.
Weather: sunny, low 64, high 88. Today’s miles; 15.0; cumulative 235.0.
