Section 02. Warner Springs to Idyllwild

To my astonishment my stay a Warner Springs was extended by a day due to wet weather. It rained for the entire day and no one seemed keen to continue. It was also considerably colder and there were reports there was snow lying on the trail just outside of Warner Springs. Had someone predicted this a few days earlier while I struggled  under the sun in the San Filipe Hills i would have thought they were in a fantasy.

When i left early the next day most of the days hikers were packing up. Initially my route took me across the dew laden grasslands of the valley floor for an hour before it got to the northern edge of the bowl. Here in the fertile soils carried down by creeks from the hills above were some huge Live Oaks, many were probably saplings before the Pilgrim Fathers.

It was now time to climb into the hills again and head north, initially up the Agua Caliente Creek and then  onto the shrubby hillside. The dominant shrubs again were the feather like Chamise, with its characteristic shedding reddish bark, the Eastwood Manzanita, with their small pink flowers which were covered in bees and the Scrub Oak with its small holly like leaves. These 3 bushes all grew to a maximum of 10 foot  and dominated the hillsides. High above on the ridges and hillsides were pines and on the glades between them recent dustings of snow still glistened in the bright sun.

As we climbed I chatted with other hikers which made the time pass quickly. Most seemed to be heading to “Mike’s Place” a so called Trail Angel who provided a campsite and some food for donations. It seemed most were keen to spend the night here and see how Mike lived. It was only 17 miles from Warner Springs and I needed a few more to get to Idyllwild in 3 days.

We reached Mike’s in the mid afternoon. I filled up my water containers, cooked my supper and hung around for a good hour. I could not see why Mike’s Place had become somewhat fabled. Old cars hid under sun-bleached  tarpaulins and the dusty yard and plywood house were as ordinary as the Scrub Oak which surrounded the place. Perhaps it was the promise of a giant BBQ of chicken to feed the herd  which clinched it.

I had been quite surprised so far by the lack of environmental awareness by many hikers. Sure everyone followed the Leave no Trace principles but a carnivorous orgy of 25 chicken was lost. As a  rare vegetarian in this age of extinction i had set myself apart. I ate my dehydrated Thai meal filled my water and headed off before the feasting started.

I walked another 5 miles that evening, over a pass and down the north side as the shadows lengthened and the greens became vibrant in the sunset. I was on a ridge here and hill upon hill  were stacked up to the horizon, ever bluer in the distance.  The moon was strong tonight and i had the chance to to further but came across some good campsites and took one before i got too ambitious.

In fact the next morning i discovered I had been over ambitious none the less despite the second wind at dusk and my legs were tired. So much so much of the herd who stayed at Mike’s Place caught me up by midday at the sulphurous Tule Spring, the main water source that day. That afternoon as we skirted round the rural hamlets of Anza the scrub became drier and Cactus became more prevalent. The usual Prickly Pear and Beavertail were everywhere and it was nice to see the characterful Barrel Cactus make an appearance again. I walked as a group of three that afternoon as the hot sun reappeared, but with animated conservation the miles flew by and soon our trio has arrived at small glass fronted bookshelf and water cache called Walden. It was a shrine to Henry David Thoreau from a previous thru-hiker who lived locally and maintained this leafy homage in the desert. Most of the herd stopped here but I still had another 8 miles to go.

I set off in the late afternoon, like the previous day, and got a second wind as the temperatures cooled. I enjoyed these late afternoon hikes the most and the distance flew by easily. I climbed a flat hill, descended into a ravine and zig-zagged up the north side to reach a plateau. The east side of this plateau fell away sharply in an ever eroding landslide 200 metres high. The trail followed the lip of this escarpment through tall Chamise bushes and large feathery spires of the Soaptree Yucca flowers.

Passing milestone 150 the path skirted a mountain in the last of the days warmer sun before descending to the pines forests along beside highway 74 as the shadows started to lengthen. A quick mile hike west parallel to the highway through the Ponderosa Pines led to the Paradise Valley Cafe. Although the cafe was closed the hiker friendly owner provided a water hose so hikers could camp nearby.

It seemed the majority of the herd would come here tomorrow and then hitch up to Idyllwild as the official PCT was closed for 10 miles here due to a forest fire some 5 years ago! That seemed a bit lax as there was a few alternatives which were good. My alternative was to hike the 8 miles to Lake Hemet and then a further 8 along the May Valley Road into Idyllwild.

The first 8 were generally on horse or bike trails beside the highway. Sometimes 400 metres to the west. Occasionally one had to walk on the verge of the quieter highway, perhaps for a quarter of it. For a big chunk in the middle it went on horse trails through a cultural landscape hidden amongst the pines. There were many small ranches, retired hobby ranches or homesteads where owners kept anything from  rustic solid ponies to thoroughbreds.

From Lake Hemet the rerouted trail climbed the May Valley Track round the edge of the fire damaged area before climbing into the pine and oak forests again. Here I saw a skunk in a glade. I watched fascinated as the beast scurried round in the grass after insects. It was a small animal but was perhaps a member of the Mustelid family like stoats and wolverine. It certainly had an air of confidence which Mustelids have. It was unperturbed by me although held its tail aloft ready to spray should i approach.

The final stretch to Idyllwild was a joy. I walked through more large pines, oaks and huge cedars along a track which soon became paved as i reached the edge of the town. Now a eclectic mix of cabins appeared as the track became a street. No two cabins were the same and all looked characterful. I wove through them for 2 miles until i reached the artisanal centre of Idyllwild. It had a  Bohemian Liberal feel to it and a confederate flag would look very out of place. Checking into the Idyllwild Inn I had noted the places I would visit the next day. I anticipated i would enjoy my day off in this quaint town. The room was sumptuous, decadent  even, with a double bed, a bath and  log fireplace. I would need my day off to rest my feet for the next 9 day, 170 mile, stretch to Cajon Pass, my next resupply box.

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