PCT Day 14 – All Aboard the Magic Mountain Bus

Started: 09:15 @ MM 210.8 – Ziggy and the Bear’s (Elevation 1,519ft)

Finished: 16:15 @ MM 266.1 – Big Bear Hostel, Big Bear Lake (Elevation 6,794ft)

Water: Drank 1L and bottomless coffee
Food: Oatmeal, Banana, Eggs, Hash Browns, Sausage, Toast, Pancakes, Ice-Cream

Wildlife: Whole bunch of tweakers and wack jobs at the San Bernardino Transit Centre!

Health: 0 Blisters. 1 Food Baby

So today we had to navigate our way around a 50 mile section of the trail that is closed as a consequence of last year’s forest fires. The much anticipated storm was making its presence felt and the desert was still busy blowing its tits off when 8 fully ripened thru-hikers squeezed themselves into a soccer-mom people mover and set off for San Bernardino. Compared to my pace over the past 2 weeks, cruising along the freeway felt like we were moving at lightspeed. In no time we were at our interim destination and even more quickly we fell victim to the plethora of food emporiums! 

 After second breakfast we hung out at the San Bernardino Transit Centre, a true hotbed of tweakers and wack jobs. We looked (and some smelt) like a bunch of hobos, so I guess we blended in quite nicely. The magic bus arrived and we all piled onboard. The journey was a constant up hill climb towards Big Bear and to my absolute horror the snow made a reappearance! 

 Tonight we are staying at a hostel in Big Bear and tomorrow we will slack pack the section of the trail from the closure back towards Big Bear. It has been a really challenging week, not just because of the weather, but the closures and de-tours have made things feel very disjointed. Both myself and my fellow hikers have lost motivation as the momentum of the first week has faded. Everyone is looking forward to getting back out on the trail and back into the groove. Not a bad time to be reminded that it’s not just about putting the miles in … it’s about the fun we have along the way too!