Day 23
Quick 10 mile hike into big bear in the morning for a Nero (near zero mile day). 7 of us got a lift from Grayson into the big bear lake hostel in his Oldsmobile. met up with hot wing and Sam and played horseshoes. My horseshoe ability has not improved. Ate lamb shanks at a Himalayan restaurant with washout. I was told in was the specialty but it was nothing compared to the shanks at cafe Istanbul in Wellington.
Day 24
Himalayan did not sit with washout and i well. Battled through the morning and Ate at the grizzly manor inn. Cactus couldn't finish his pancakes. The owner called him a sissyass. We hitched out to big bear city. We got a ride from Jim back to the trail in an old Austrian pensgauer military vehicle. He gave knees some oranges (see action shot of knees throwing a orange). Nugio, cactus, washout and i camped on mt and had a campfire.
Day 25
Walked 17 miles to deep creek. Hot wing and Sam got a hitch from the only car on a dirt road to get beers from the local town. We drank the beer and had a campfire. Lost my iPod.
Day 26
Hit mile 300, and had scrambled down a slope to have a celebratoy swim. Got to the deep creek hot springs and soaked and swam for the rest of the day. A yoga troup had hiked in for the day. Stayed the night.
Day 26
Found a golf ball and had a throwing competition with Hollywood, Matt and Phil in a dam causeway. Hollywood won the competition. Shepherd was doing some trail magic and I had a hot dog and wine for lunch. Saw a note on a trail marker above silver wood lake campground addressed to Dave telling him to walk down the road off the trail to the campground. Assuming this was me I ran down the road to receive some personalized trail magic. Turned out it wasn't for me and I walked into a Canadian police picnic. Got a beer under a bridge from blade and I shotgunned it. Shit was cash.
Day 27
Walked to cajon pass McDonald's. I ate a big Mac. Tasted the same as a new Zealand big Mac. Dip picked us up and took us to his house. He has a pool and ping pong. We swam and played ping pong. I shotgunned a beer. Shit was cash.
Day 28
Zero day at dips. Cactus gave me a gear shake down and got down to 15lb (and ~7 kg) without food and water. Worked out how to call home on my phone. Called home.
Day 29
Walked the 20 mile dry stretch up the hill in the heat. Got mild dehydration but felt ok after drinking some whiskey and eating my ravioli at the end of the day. Great view at sunrise of the hills we had walked through the past few days.
Day 30
Walked to the highway and hitched into wrightwood. Resupplied, drank a couple of pints and got a ride from sleeping bear back up to the highway at 530. Walked fast up to the top of Baden Powell (9399 ft) to solo camp for the night. Found a tree root to sleep beside to block the crazy wind. Slept very cold after shaking down most of my warm (useless?) gear at dips. Decided not to camp on peaks until I get some warm gear back.
