Big Bear Lake - Wednesday, May 14

To most this may not sound like an ideal morning, but for me it was a little slice of heaven. I awoke at 6am between actual sheets in a hotel bed. I rolled over and grabbed the Big Mac I had walked a mile and a half to purchase the night before and quietly opened it's cardboard contain so as not to disturb Sally sleeping next to me. After taking the first cold, slightly dried bun bite of this scrumptious mound of calories I tapped my iPad to life and began writing my blog, chronicling the past two days. With pillows (real pillows! Not shirts stuffed in a stuff bag pillows.) propping me up in bed I enjoyed my sandwich and my writing, especially because I knew a toilet was just a few feet away in the bathroom waiting for me when the need arose. Ahhhh. Trail towns!

When Sally rose at about 8, we discussed the days plans then alternated in the shower and bath. Sally stepped out to find a quick bite to eat until we could arrange breakfast while I sorted the food for the next 8 day-90 mile leg of our journey.

When she return we gathered our short shopping list and walked 3/4 of a mile up to Big 5 for some socks and a replacement mini-carabiner to hold Sally's pee rag on her pack (more about pee rags in an upcoming entry about pee and poop on the trail). While she shopped, I crossed the busy 5 lane highway that cuts through the middle of Big Bear Lake to the 7-11 to search out tortillas and cheese for our food bags. I returned with the required items, plus a Pepsi for my lady and a Slurpee for me. She had not found socks to her liking, but picked up an additional roll of Kinesiology Tape and her clip. We crossed the treacherous highway to McDonalds, but found our cravings and their menu did not see eye to eye so we headed back toward the hotel in search of better fare.

About 100 yards down the road we found the Grizzly Manor Cafe. The name was familiar as they are one of the Trail Angels that leaves water and soda on the trail. It is a small, local cafe very non-descript on the outside. Inside the walls are covered with stickers and pictures over white painted walls. It is one small room with the cook standing in front of his grill in the back and about 8-four person tables in the front. We were greeted by the owner, an outgoing gregarious man in his sixties who pointed us to a table and handed us menus from a patron who had just finished with them at the next table. He returned a few minutes later and sat at our table to chat and take our order. We thanked him for the water cache on the trail, then ordered eggs, pancakes and bacon to share.
While waiting we met the young couple at the next table and their 6 month old boy sleeping in his car seat, Ryder. It did not take long to realize we were surrounded by locals who adore this place and it's flamboyant owner. Lively conversations between the patrons, the cook and a waitress ensued with a lot of laughter and inside jokes. It was a welcoming, warm, upbeat and friendly place to eat. It put McDonalds to shame.

Our food was excellent and ridiculous in size (see photo). We ate all of it, but I paid a price for my gluttony for the next few hours.
Back at the hotel we finished packing and spent a few hours planning the next few weeks while making phone calls to arrange transportation and logistics. The plan is this: we take until Thursday, May 22 to complete the 90 miles to Wrightwood. Then three days to Hiker Town in Lancaster, 2 hiking and one hitch hiking and zero day. On the 26th we head out across the Mojave Desert for 40 miles to Tehachapi arriving about May 29. Sally rents a car and drives to Palm Springs to stay at her sister's house and help at Ziggy and the Bear's trail angel house while I hike the 140 miles from Tehachapi to Kennedy Meadows in 7 days. Kennedy Meadows is the start of the Sierra Mountains leg of the adventure. Sally returns the rental car in Bishop, rides the Eastern Sierra Shuttle Bus to Lone Pine and hires a ride to Kennedy Meadows from which we head out into the magnificent Sierra on about June 5. This gives us thirty days to hike the and enjoy the Sierra before we fly home on July eighth for two weddings. Of course, this is tentative and depends on many factors working properly so chances are huge it will change, but at least this gives a target to aim at.

By 2:00pm we were ready to hitch hike back to the trail head and put some miles down before dark. We checked out, thanking John, the manager for letting us delay our checkout time and walked out the front door to the highway to thumb a ride the 15 miles out of town. As I fumbled to get my "Hiker to Trail" sign out Sally began to stick out her thumb. Before she could fully extend her arm a woman in a red Suzuki wagon stopped right in the street, asked if we needed a ride and told us to jump in while traffic waited. I hurriedly flung my pack in on the seat and sat beside it while Sally opened the back hatch, threw her pack in and jumped in on the other side . . . And we were off. Quickest hitch in history. We did not even have time to stand still by the side of the road. Straight from hotel door to car door-non stop.

Her black lab occupied the passenger's seat as she was on her way to a vet appointment. We waited the 45 minutes while her dog was treated, then she drove us to a quickie mart for a pop (I was unbelievably dry-drank 44 oz in the ten minute ride to the trail head) then up to the trail head where she dropped us off. We gave her $10 for gas and many thanks.

It was 3:30 when we started up the trail. Sally's foot was giving her trouble, so we stopped and I applied the Kinesiology Tape to her ankle to stabilize it following instructions I had downloaded to my phone in the hotel room that morning. It worked beautifully. Sally motored up the trail with little pain in her foot or ankle. We made 7 miles, the last 1.5 by headlamp, while entertained by a spectacular sunset.

We set up the tent by the light of the full moon, had Top Ramen with carrots and celery for dinner (Yum!) and were asleep by 9:45 beneath the gorgeous full moon.