“You deserve a break today, so get up and get away, to Mcdonald’s…they do it all for you!” That little jingle from the marketing machine of Mickey D’s was running through my head when I awoke this morning. I normally avoid Mcdonald’s like the plague, but honestly admit I was looking forward to some greasy food and two, or maybe three, hot fudge sundaes with nuts! 6:10 a.m. Doodlebug takes the lead as she is on a mission for breakfast. Remy and Heather are close behind, followed by me and Good To Go. Phantom and Nitro are slow getting out of their bags, and we’ve left them in camp on our quest to do 10.4 miles and get to fast food Americana before the heat sets in for the day.
The miles passed quickly, as did the time, and soon we had four miles left and were on top of a large ridge with amazing views down to the valley floor and then upwards to the steep walls of the San Gabriel Mountains laced with glistening white tops. I slowed down to enjoy the gorgeous walk with beautiful wildflowers in yellows, violets and whites with stark desert-like foothills in the distance and the snowy high peaks behind.
Just after 10:30 a.m. I was the LAST of our group to arrive at McDonald’s, just in time to get the first of the early lunches available. We have now been occupying the restaurant, taking the back three tables (one filled with backpacks and other miscellaneous gear) for over three hours. I started with a Big Mac value meal and a salad, then consumed two hot fudge sundaes, and soon, after writing these words, I will be back for more! There are 10 of us hanging out in the air-conditioned oasis waiting for the heat to abate before beginning our late afternoon climb (Brian, Pepper Man, Jump Back, Phantom, Nitro, Good To Go, me, Doodlebug, Remy and Heather). I have a full stomach, dirty and smelly body, but have now walked 342 miles and am halfway to Kennedy Meadows (beginning point of the Sierras), and I’m having a blast with a fantastic group of hiker trash (as we affectionately call ourselves). More later as the day’s events unfold!
Good To Go, Brian, Remy and Heather left McDonald’s around 3:45 p.m. I left with Pepper Man and Jump Back at 5:15 p.m. Seven hours in McDonald’s? Are you kidding me? It was so hot outside I wasn’t going anywhere until the sun settled some. The double cheeseburger I ate around 4:00 p.m. was upsetting my stomach a little as we did the road walk back to the trail. It crossed under I-15 then wound along a small creek to the railroad trestles where a couple of trains came by, as we hiked nearby, and blew their horns to say hello. I felt sluggish from the heat, yet energized by the calories and rehydration and set a moderate pace as Pepper Man, Jump Back and I began to climb. Eventually I lost sight of my hiker friends except an occasional sighting of Pepper Man, who appeared to be about a mile back after about an hour and a half walk. I stopped at the 6-mile point to wait for Pepper Jack and Jump Back. Twenty minutes passed, so I decided that they had stopped for the night. It was nearly 7:30 p.m., and I could see that the trail was going to be all up through steep, sloped mountains the next four miles. So, I began the ascent in earnest.
Though it was a full moon and our plan was to hike eight miles out, I soon realized the there may not be an opportunity to camp on the steep sides of the mountain, so I prepared myself for a night hike. As dusk wore on it became difficult to see the trail well enough to perceive a rattlesnake, so I got out the headlamp. At about eight miles, I found a note on the trail from Good To Go who said he and Brian were going to hike to the top to camp. The air was finally cool, and I could see well enough to stay on trail (one step off in places could prove fatal with several hundred or thousand feet to fall). Just after 9:00 p.m. I heard voices, then laughter, and I knew I had caught up to my trail buddies. Brian, Good To Go, Remy and Heather were cowboy camping a few yards off the trail in a small flat area surrounded by bushes. I quickly found a nook under a tree to spread out my ground cloth and sleeping bag and settled in for the night. Pepper Man and Jump Back showed up about 30 minutes later and had to settle for less-than-stellar ground to camp on. I had the radio headphones on and my eyes closed 45 minutes later (now well after 10:00 p.m.) when I felt light on my eyelids. I opened them to see Phantom and Nitro, who had just arrived from their night hike. We were out of camping space, so they set up for cowboy camping directly on the trail. The long day and evening were over, and it was time for sweet dreams as the almost-full moon illuminated the campsite from overhead.
Today’s mileage: 20.3 Cumulative mileage: 352.2 Today’s weather: Sunny and HOT! No clouds again and again! Smoggy! Low: 52 High: 100?
