Day 8-12: Mountain Valley Retreat to Idyllwild
Mile 101.2-179.4
After some much needed yoga and rejuvenation at Chery’s place, it was time to get back on trail. I felt fantastic on my first day back, cruising an easy 14 miles on generally flat terrain. Along the way I passed the appropriately named Eagle Rock, along with several beautiful meadows.
Eagle Rock
When I arrived in the tiny town of Warner Springs, I met up with a group of hikers I had met earlier in the trip, and we coasted to camp for the night. We talked about our plans for the upcoming days, and it was clear we were not all on the same page. Another hiker named Mac from Vancouver B.C. planned to push ahead with me, while the others intended to hike at a slower pace. Mac and I ended up staying together all the way to Idyllwild, and will probably keep going afterwards at least for the near future.
The next 2 days were long but rewarding. The first we managed around 20 miles including a long 2000 foot climb out of camp. The terrain for the day was typical of the desert so far, but the day was nicely split by a 3 hour long break at Mike’s place. We enjoyed shade and hot food seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and then were off to finish the rest of the day.
We had a goal in mind the next day: to get burgers at Paradise Valley Cafe, 17 miles ahead, before they closed at 3 PM. We had heard that Paradise had the best burger on the entire PCT, so this task was of utmost importance. We set off at a blistering pace and after making 5.5 miles by 8:15, we knew we’d make it. However, that didn’t make the day any less grueling. It was a decent climb up for burgers, and I let Mac surge ahead of me on several occasions. Eventually we got to Paradise Valley Cafe, ahead of schedule at 1:15. I got their sterling burger, and I’ll just let the picture speak for itself.
The burger lived up to every bit of the hype, and I also took nachos to go with me into the backcountry. This may not have been the best idea, but I have no regrets. It was just 3 more miles for the day as my body did not want to hike after that meal. Still, it put us around 20 for the day.
Over the next 2 days, we would be going through the San Jacinto Mountains. These are the highest mountains of the entire desert section of the PCT, so I was excited to get into some high alpine terrain. We gradually ascended into the mountains, staring into the Coachella Valley seemingly miles below. The day ended with a soul crushing 1200 foot climb with a pack full of water, but it was worth it for the uncontested best campsite of the trip. We were on a ridge, so managed to catch a sunrise and sunset.
Looking off into the sunset
Sunrise from the warmth of my tent
Perhaps even more impressive was looking down at night at the lights of Palm Springs. Unfortunately I had trouble getting a good picture, but looking down on the city lights gave us a view usually only enjoyed from the window of a plane.
The next day was into Idyllwild, but not before we tackled the most mountainous section of the trail so far. A mile into the hike we came across the scene of a tragic event. A year ago, a hiker fell trying to cross a steep snow slope and passed away. Due to unseasonably warm temperatures and quick melting, we were able to cross this section with ease. I could imagine how dangerous it would be with more snow, and was thankful we were in the position we were in. The next stretch was mostly ridge walking with fantastic views.
The back half of the day consisted of a lot of walking through snow. Fortunately, it was on gentle terrain with low fall consequences, though it was still a bit of a nuisance. That said, it did make for a pretty landscape.
From there, it was a quick descent off the PCT and down the Devil’s Slide trail plus an easy hitch (my first ever!) into Idyllwild. I got a ride from a super nice woman and her daughter, who coincidentally were staying at the same campground as Mac and I. The first thing I did? Grabbed pizza and a beer at Idyllwild Pizza Co. After a hot shower of course.
