Coming out of Idyllwild, we hiked 23 miles. It was our biggest day yet. That night we realized we hadn't bought enough food from Idyllwild to make it to Big Bear City. So we had to make a stop about five miles off the trail in Cabazon. The shitty thing was thinking about walking those ten miles extra. We got lucky and hitched a ride. The funny thing about Cabazon is that both of the two rides were from locals that lived only minutes away from the PCT yet neither of them knew about the trail! Literally, it was right in their back yard. After the Cabazon experience we got back on the trail about noon, which of course, is an unbearable time to hike in the desert, so we had to wait 2 more hours until some nearby clouds covered the sky.

When we started walking again, both of us could really feel the 23 miles from the previous day (15.2 miles of them were down hill). We just put one foot in front of the other. We've gotten to the point of crawling on autopilot until something difficult comes up. Which was like, for me, losing my sunglasses and anything that climbed or descended a few hundred feet. For James it was the sore on the back of his heel that his shoe caused. (Yes, I know mine sounds pretty lame, but in my defense, blisters and foot pain are just an everyday occurrence). But we worked through it. One foot in front of the other. I mean it is ‘just walking’.... Right?

At our 16 miles waypoint, we saw the closest thing to a river we have seen this entire trip. But first, we had to drop the extra thousand feet we had just climbed so we could reach it. Sometimes I swear the designer of the trail was into S&M or something. We made it to the bottom and then we saw it…..A piece of paper with our new favorite two words; "Trail Magic". Off this remote trail was Brian or "Buck-Thirty". He shared with us delicious hamburgers! Yum Yum! Trail Magic can really heal your soul. The next day, totally refreshed, we we're ready to hike on to Big Bear City. Thank you, “Buck-Thirty”, for your gracious gift.

Big Bear City has been a real treat! When we stopped to do our laundry we met some locals, Jeff and Michelle. They had a PCT sticker on their car and when we started a conversation about the trail, they offered to take us out to dinner! We had pizza and talked gear! It was so enjoyable. They showed us around Big Bear City, which is a beautiful mountain town! We had a blast and felt so lucky to have met them. When they hike the trail in the future, we will be their ‘Trail Angels’ in Oregon!

Yesterday was my Birthday and we ended up staying an extra day to let the weather pass. It sure was a memorable birthday. When resupplying at the local market, we were offered a ride back to our motel! The hospitality of this town is almost overwhelming. The lady who gave us the ride rescues wolves. She invited us to her home to meet them. So on my 25^th, I “pranced” with wolves.

We loved Big Bear City! It felt like home. We are sure going to miss this place. But, its back to walking!