Cabazon to Big Bear – Heat and the SOS Button

I broke up this post and the last to avoid too long of an update. The four days it took to get to Big Bear from I-10 were a sobering reminder of the real danger that the desert heat can cause. I haven’t tried night hiking yet, but after the last few days I definitely will going forward. In addition, my attitude on when to use my satellite SOS button has changed, and I’ve learned that a true emergency might not feel like one in the moment. Here’s how the last four days went.

April 30th – Day 18

I got dropped off at I-10 a little before 11 am to resume hiking, and it was already incredibly hot, even in the shade. There was a larger group of hikers waiting out the heat of the day under the bridge, but it would be at least 5, maybe 6 hours before it would get any cooler than it was then. Pez, Heart and I decided that we didn’t want to lose a full day of hiking, so we headed out, slowly climbing up a gently sloping plain towards the mountains. The wind farms on the hills around us were completely still as we longed for a breeze. Pez joked that someone should call the engineers to get those things turned on so that they could make some wind for us.

Pez and Heart quickly got ahead of me. I could feel the heat of the sand radiating through my shoes, and I started to feel dizzy and lightheaded again, so 2.6 miles in I took a break under the shade of an old PCT sign. I had brought 3 liters for the 10 mile stretch to the Whitewater River, the first water source, but as I sat under the sign I realized it wouldn’t be enough and started to grow concerned. Maybe hiking in the heat of the day had been a bad idea. I got a text from Pez that 1.3 miles ahead at the Mesa Wind Farm office there was cold water and shade, so I pressed on.

When I got there I was impressed to find that the Mesa Wind Farm had built a shade hut for PCT hikers, as the trail passes through their property and next to their offices. They even left the office unlocked and invited us to grab cold water from the fridge and use their bathrooms. It felt like heaven. I decided that hiking in the heat of the day was definitely a dumb idea and decided to wait it out in the shade hut.

Also in the shade hut were Tiny House, Red Stripe, Dream Girl, Dirt Nap, Heart, Pez, Scotty, and Phoenix. The Mesa Wind Farm even had a passwordless wifi network for us called “PCT-guest”, so we watched videos in the shade for nearly 4 hours while we waited for cooler temperatures. Finally around 4:30 I knew I had to get going if I was to make it to the river before dark. I packed up and headed out. It was still pretty hot for the next hour or so, but it was manageable. After an hour of climbing the higher elevations, less direct sunlight, and a cool breeze finally started to make hiking more enjoyable.

Pez and I made camp about a half mile before the river in what we hoped was a site with harder ground and less wind. The sun was setting, but the evening was still warm enough that I didn’t need any extra layers. It was a beautiful campsite and I appreciated the PCT as I watched the sun set.

May 1st – Day 19

The sunrise was beautiful and the morning was warm, which led to a pleasant breakfast but did not bode well for that day’s hiking. I got up ready early and headed out. As I was leaving I noticed that mice had chewed the cork handles of my trekking poles for the salt. The damage to my poles was mostly cosmetic, but they chewed through one of Pez’s trekking pole straps almost completely. I was a little frustrated, but glad they hadn’t chewed through my $400 tent to get to my food bag.

The morning was warm, but not unpleasantly so as I climbed higher past the Whitewater River. Around 9 I got to a great rest spot with cell service and a fantastic view. I stopped to pay my rent for the month and took a snack break with Heart, Pez, Yaer, Danny, Wanderer, Scotty, Bowie, Foxtail, and Sourpatch. It was a great group that I’d leapfrog all morning and a really nice spot. One plus of the heat and the remoteness of this location was that even though it was a Saturday, we didn’t see any day hikers all day.

We entered the Mission Creek portion of the PCT, where the trail follows the creek bed for about 8 miles. Water is plentiful, but the trail is faint and most hikers get lost easily. We were no exception, and while rock cairns were numerous we quickly realized they didn’t always point us in the right direction. We made slow progress as the day heated up. It was definitely hot, but not dangerously so as the last two days had been.

Around 2 pm I encountered Pez, Sourpatch, Yaer, and Moonman stopped on trail. They had encountered another hiker who was experiencing extreme muscle cramps. He was laying on his back, and would periodically cry out in pain and clutch at his muscles, and not just his legs, but also his arms and hands. He told us that he had gotten extremely hot and dehydrated the day before, and while we had waited in the shade hut he pressed on and ran out of water. He said by the time he got to the river he had vomited about a dozen times. He said that while he felt better the next morning, he hadn’t been able to eat much of anything, but continued on anyway. Now, in the heat of the afternoon his muscles cramps had debilitated him. We tried to get him to a shaded campsite a half mile up, but he could hardly walk 100 ft before his spasms came back and he had to stop. We tried to get him to drink water, eat an orange, and take some vitamins and electrolyte tablets, but he vomited it all back up again.

When we finally got to the shaded campsite he was clearly in extreme pain, and we began to worry. I wanted to hit the SOS button on my satellite messenger, but he begged me not to and asked us to wait to see if the shade and rest would help him recover. He was concerned that he would be forced to pay for his own helicopter evacuation. I tried to explain that California does not charge for SAR calls, especially when the person being rescued was not doing anything irresponsible. As a fit hiker in his early 40’s with extensive backcountry experience, no one could accuse this hiker of being ill-prepared. Still, he wanted to hold off, so we set a timer for an hour to see if he’d improve at all.

After an hour the hiker had managed to keep some water and a Tylenol down, and his pain spasms became less frequent. The nearest road was almost 8 miles uphill, but he said that because he had felt better that morning, he believed he’d feel better the next morning, too, and would be able to hike to the dirt road where we could call for help. Sourpatch, Moonman, Yaer, Pez and I agreed to help get him to the road to get him help. Pez and I played tent Tetris to get our tents next to the ill hiker, while Sourpatch, Moonman, and Yaer set up camp on a nearby hill.

May 2nd – Day 20

Sourpatch, Yaer, and Moonman met Pez and I before six at our campsite to help get the injured man out. The 8 mile uphill climb would be challenging for any hiker, and this man hadn’t been able to keep food or much water down for days. Still, he said that he had eaten some Cheez-its in the night and felt better, so he wanted to try. Moonman and Yaer took turns carrying his pack as well as their own, and our group of six made slow but steady progress up the mountain for about 6 miles.

About a mile from the road the ill hiker took a turn for the worse. His cramps returned, his pulse was elevated and wouldn’t come down, and he stopped drinking water. He called that mile the longest of his life, but we eventually all made it to the dirt road. When we got to the road we realized that no one had cell service to call 911. Sourpatch and I ditched our packs and ran about 8/10 of a mile to a trailhead with a half dozen cars, where we flagged down a truck that was leaving. We hopped in the truck bed, which had been converted into a camper, and headed back to where the rest of the group was waiting.

The hiker was in rough shape when we got back. We loaded him and his pack into the truck and the driver promised to take him to a hospital in Big Bear for treatment. As he drove away, we felt confident that we’d done the right thing by not calling for SAR, saving Forest Service resources and potentially a lot of money for the hiker we helped. We truly believed that all he needed was some rest, an IV with some fluids, and time to recover before he could be back on trail. We were wrong.

I unfortunately recently got word that the hiker arrived at the hospital in Big Bear and his condition was much more serious than anyone believed. He was suffering from a combination of ailments, including extreme dehydration and organ failure. If we had waited much longer to get help he would have died. I feel terrible. In hindsight, we should have absolutely pressed the SOS button for a helicopter evacuation the first day, but we really thought we were doing the right thing by not pressing it at the time. The organ failure was reversible and doctors don’t think he will suffer long term complications from this, but his recovery will be long, and his time hiking the PCT, at least in the desert heat, is probably over.

We all took a long lunch break near a spring and some picnic tables after getting the hiker to Big Bear. I told a story about how when I was a kid, fire ants infested my room one night and I woke up to them crawling all over me, and ever since then I’ve had an intense fear/hatred of ants. Not 10 minutes later, my prime lunch spot, which was the envy of everyone around, was infested with ants and I jumped up to shake them off of me. Moonman recommended the trail name “Fire Ant”, because wherever I go, ants seem to follow. I liked the name; it felt strong, so I accepted. I will hence forth be known as Fire Ant on the trail.

The rest of the day was uneventful as the trail wound it’s way through the mountains towards Big Bear. Pez and I passed an old cabin that a lot of PCT hikers planned on staying in, including Foxtail and Moonman, but we heard that there were mice, and after our encounter a few days earlier we decided not to risk it and moved on. I went 17 PCT miles that day, with a lot of elevation gain, plus the additional mile or so running on the road, so it was a big day.

May 3rd – Day 21

The morning was freezing and I decided a third early morning in a row was not in the cards for me. I slept in, but the morning didn’t warm up much, so eventually I sucked it up and started hiking. The trail in this portion is relatively flat and very pretty, winding though mountains on the way to Big Bear.

Pez and much of the group from the day before planned on staying in the Big Bear Hostel that night. I wanted to join them, but realized that because I had already spent plenty of time in Big Bear before I should probably take the time to head back to my hometown and pack some resupply boxes. That way I wouldn’t have to take a few days off later on in the week and fall behind the group. I texted my Dad and he agreed to pick me up at the intersection with Highway 18. I’d pack my boxes the following day, and then meet back up with everyone at the trail the morning after.

It was really nice hiking in a portion of forest that felt familiar. The day had finally warmed up and I had a great hike down to highway 18. When I got there my Dad was already waiting for me, and was making friends with some of the hikers there. He’d offered to give them a ride into town, but a hiker shuttle arrived before he got the chance. I guess there’s quite the hiker support network in Big Bear. We headed down the mountain to my hometown. Highway 18 crosses at the PCT 266 mile mark, so my Dad reminded me as we were driving that I was 10% of the way to Canada. And it was my 3 week trail anniversary. Awesome!

May 4th – Day 22

I went shopping and put together some resupply boxes to send to a few of the more remote locations further north. The cashier probably thought I was nuts with the type and quantity of food I was buying. I bought out all of Big 5’s mini isobutane containers, ordered a few things online, and even made it to the post office with 10 minutes to spare. Tomorrow I head back to Highway 18 and start the next stretch to Silverwood Lake and the Cajon Pass, which are some of my old stomping grounds. I plan on taking advantage of cool mornings and evenings, taking a lot of mid day siestas, and being careful to always drink enough water.

Until next time,

Megan