Section 4 - Big Bear City to Wrightwood View Photos May 10 18 miles. This was one of the nicest days of the trip. James drove me back to the trail this morning and I walked the viewful ridge above Big Bear Lake before dropping through cool pines down a valley with a colorful stream. Birds filled the air with flight and song and the air was warm and fresh. It was a truly memorable walk. I had a restful day off in Big Bear Lake. James, Cynthia's brother, drove up from San Diego and we spent the day hanging out and eating. He drove me around the lake and I fell in love with the area. Big Bear Lake reminds me of what I imagine Lake Tahoe used to be like. Yes, there are the usual ski slopes and fast food restaurants but there are also plenty of quiet cabins nestled in the pines and a low key feel to this alpine setting. We sat on the shore, stuck our feet in the water, and inhaled the view. In my haste to pack up this morning I left both the trail map and my pocket computer in James' car. I'll get the computer back next weekend when I see James in Wrightwood but I'll certainly miss both items in the interim. May 11 20 miles. I'm back to the land of lizards and snakes. I'm on the edge of the Mojave Desert after a long descent down beautiful Deep Creek Canyon. Deep Creek is a wild and scenic trout stream that carves a suprisingly large and steep canyon as it tumbles and turns its way out of the mountains. Shaded pools and small rapids make for perfect trout habitat. If only I had my fishin' pole... As the stream rounds the final bend before the Mojave it runs into the ghost Mojave River Forks reservoir and dam. Apparently the dam builders miscalculated the flow of Deep Creek and abandoned the effort. The earthen dam and concrete spillway lie mute and worthless while the stream flows out into the desert and sinks into the sand. I met "Meadow Ed" today. He's a balding, paunchy and jovial fellow renowned on the PCT as a "Trail Angel." He lives in Los Angeles but drives up and down the So. CA. PCT meeting hikers, helping with lodging, food, water, and general advice. I stayed too long but I'm glad I met him. There were hundreds of lizards on the trail today. They were like shooting stars, darting onto the trail for a few feet and then catapulting off into the brush. Numerous snakes were out sunning themselves too but, fortunately, none of them rattled. Tonight I'm camped on a sand bar in the middle of Deep Creek. I lost the trail and, after wading 1/2 mile downstream looking for the continuation, gave up and camped. It's getting dark and I'll find it in the morning. May 12 18 Frustrating miles. On the one day I really needed the guidebook I didn't have it and lost the trail 4 times. I spent 2 hours and many extra miles searching for the trail at road junctions, construction sites, and state parks. At Silver Lake I finally found a phone and called Cynthia to get directions from her copy of the guidebook. I hiked until last light and then camped under the brush right next to the trail. In starlight and soft wind I heard the familiar click of hiking poles and saw the flickering headlamps of Shirt and Packrat. I called out from the darkness and discovered that they too had lost the trail several times. And they HAD the guidebook! They walked on and I'm now alone but somehow less frustrated. I walked the edge of the Mojave Desert for much of the day. It's high desert here and at 3,000 feet. it's warm but not too hot. I stopped in Summit Valley at a small store just off the trail and had a microwave burrito, a quart of milk, and a Squirt. Larry, the proprietor, took a Polaroid of me and added it to his PCT hiker book. It was neat to see pictures of other hikers I know only through e-mail. Sven from Berkeley, another PCT hiker I've met several times on the trail, was there too and we chatted briefly before he departed. Tomorrow I cross I-15 at Cajon Pass and begin the ascent of the San Gabriel Mountains. May 13 25 miles--a new personal record. I could have walked further but ran out of light and had to camp on a steep hillside in a small, flat patch of dirt. There wasn't enough room for Shirt and Packrat so they donned headlamps and walked on. I managed to get dinner cooked and inhaled just as it went completely dark. I woke to cool, foggy weather this morning. I packed my damp bag and hit the trail by 7:30. I've been frustrated the last two weeks by the increasingly long process of bandaging my feet prior to the morning hike. Between packing, breakfast, and 40 minutes of first aid I seem unable to get going before 8. Yesterday, I finally figured out how to make a reusable heel bandage from molefoam and duct tape and it made a big difference to today's prep time. I made the 11 miles to Cajon Pass by 11:30. The fog was so thick I saw very little beyond a 30-foot bubble. Several times the trail ran right up to and along some precipitous chasms and it would have been easy, in a daydream, to walk right off the edge. Cajon Pass marks the start of the San Gabriel Mountains and the crossing of the San Andreas Rift Zone. The twisted and uplifted rocks are testament to the awesome forces of tectonic plate movement. The force of my hunger was, however, of more immediate concern and I looked forward to the classic 24-hour coffee shop recommended in the guidebook. As I walked up the street I noticed a brand new McDonalds and then, sadly, the boarded and closed coffee shop. Evidently, the Big Mac attacked and won. Returning to the McDonalds I found Shirt and Packrat and we "dined" for 2 hours before crossing the interstate and resuming the trail. 14 miles and 3,500 feet later I'm back in the pines at 6,500 feet. Tomorrow I continue the climb and walk to Wrightwood and a day off. May 14 13 miles--a short day. I caught up to Shirt and Packrat early this morning and we hiked together to the road above Wrightwood where we hitched rides into town and picked up our food boxes at the post office. After yesterday's long hike, today felt like a walk down the street. We hiked up to and along the 8,000-foot Blue Ridge of the San Gabriels with stunning views of Mt. San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) to the south, the Mojave Desert to the north, and Wrightwood directly below. The mountains rose like apparitions from the ephemeral mist that filled the Los Angeles Basin. There was a fire 2 years ago that burned up the south side of the Blue Ridge. We walked through several miles of charcoal monoliths until we arrived at the Mountain High Ski Area. Strangely, not one tree was damaged within ski area property. It had been 22 miles and 5,000 feet since the last water at the Cajon Pass McDonalds and we had long since run out of water. We finally found a small spring off the ridge and drank heartily. It was cold, clean, and immensely satisfying. I've had 3 meals since I got here 5 hours ago. Still, I'm not as hungry as I was coming into Big Bear. The sardines, bagels & cream cheese, wheat thins, cheddar cheese, and Gatorade-like powdered drink mix I picked up in Big Bear have made a huge difference to my overall mental and physical health. After 370 miles my feet are still sore and blistered but no worse than they were two weeks ago. I'm hopeful that they will turn the corner soon. Cynthia sent me new shoes (size 11) that should greatly help my cramped toes. I'm taking tomorrow off to rest my feet and fill my stomach. James is coming up again with his wife Jennifer and I look forward to the company. I'm having trouble collecting my e-mail from here so I apologize in advance for not responding. I'll try again from Agua Dulce next weekend.