This is part 16 of the “Why We Hike” Series
Sunday, May 3rd / 11.7 miles / Elevation gain: 1353’
Barrel Springs to Agua Caliente
Given the fact that neither of us had slept well for the last 2 nights, we allowed ourselves a later start. We even didn’t get out of the tent until 8am. Between filtering water and spending some unhurried time in the daylight repairing Kelly sleeping pad we don’t get on the trail until 10:30.
The most brutal section of the desert is supposedly behind us with the upcoming desert broken into smaller segments. Leaving Barrel Springs we were treated to large swaths of rolling, grassy hills that eventually lead us to the San Ysidro Creek.
We took a mid-day break at the creek, filtering some water (the new filter is SO much faster the one I used the last time), eating lunch and giving Zach treats.
This is also the place we first encounter the hiker we called “Hiker Bum”. Unlike all the smelly hiker trash on the trail, this guy actually looked like a homeless guy walking the trial north. Apparently no one had been able to get him to say more than a few words so his story is unknown.
While on break here we also meet a south bound PCT section hiker who happens to live in the area. He asks us if we are going to Mike Herrera’s place tonight. I vaguely remember something in the guidebook but it’s way too far for us to make in half a day. He tells us that Mike is planning an epic Cinco de Mayo party for tonight but he is only there on weekends; too bad we will miss it.
Once moving again, we quickly reach Eagle Rock, which does look surprisingly like an eagle from the front and continue on to the beautiful Canada Verde area.
The trail along its creek made you forget you were in a desert with its deep lush forest. We emerged at the highway 79 crossing and made our way over to the hiker-friendly fire station.
Kelly sweet talked them into using their bathroom while I filled up some water bottles from their faucets, switched Zach over to his cooling vest and doused him for good measure. We spent a few minutes enjoying the plush grass under the shade of the massive oak trees in their yard. The desert makes you appreciate such things.
As we discuss our destination for the day it becomes apparent that Kelly is unhappy about how late our start was and how that will limit our mileage. She certainly is the “pusher” between us (hence the name “Go Go Kelly”!); I am hoping that I am trying to be a voice of reason and not just being an anchor. In this case I point out that we only have 30 something miles to cover over the next 2 days to meet up with our resupply, getting there early doesn’t do us any good. But more importantly my feet are swollen and I’m in a lot of pain, the price of the long day yesterday.
We settle on Agua Caliente camp, the descriptions in my guidebook (the PCT Atlas) are almost non-existent so we never know really what to expect unless another hiker happens to know. In this case it wasn’t too bad, we were hoping for a developed site maybe with showers but instead we got level ground next to a creek that I spent a glorious hour at soaking my feet.
Not long after we set up camp a group of hikers came in. Eden, Bobby, Stacy and Bernie filled out our little campsite for the evening. Bobby even played us a song on his ukulele, which had Zach doing that twist your head sideways, confused dog look thing. The best news was that the patch on Kelly’s sleeping pad was finally working so maybe we’d get some real sleep tonight!
The series continues here: Mike’s Place