I wake up at 630 and am ready to go at 7. 

It’s hard to believe I’m passing through Big Bear already. 

Jeff and Jonathan disappear up the trail and I hike most of the morning by myself.  

The air is cool and calm. A cloud passes over the trail. It’s just cold enough for me to hike without my jacket. If I stop for a break I have to put on a layer. I take my time. My shoulders hurt today. I have five liters of water and a week’s worth of food in my pack. I try to eat a lot of it to lighten the load.

  
It’s neat to see what’s on the other side of the Big Bear hills. More desert. Jonathan said the next section really shows the effect the drought and fires have had on the land. It’ll be interesting.   

Indian paintbrush flowers dot the landscape. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in one place! I walk past a few Joshua trees. It’s weird to see those here. 

   
    
    
 I catch up to the guys. We find a small crate of hiker food and a water cache before the highway 18 crossing. Trail magic! We sit down for a break and enjoy a brief spell of cellphone service. A few cars drop off more hikers on the trail. It looks like most people going around the closure are picking up the trail here. We set off as a large group shows up to send off a hiker. 

The trail curves through a forest. My shoulders hurt pretty bad so I just focus on walking. I pass a group of ladies collecting plants. Jeff and Jonathan zip up the hill. I take my time. 

  
I find ‘Overstock’ up the trail! She’s the trail angel that gave me a short ride at scissors crossing. She’s hiking the full trail too. We hike together for a section before I move on. 

I find the guys taking a break and join them. Darn shoulders! Everything else is great. I guess if you’re a thru hiker somethings gotta be hurting. 

We head up the trail to a saddle then down into more forest. Jeff takes off and Jonathan and I hike together for awhile. We reach a creek and pass a handful of hikers taking a break. We have just 2 more miles to the next camp site. Jonathan hikes ahead of me and I eventually loose sight of him. 

  
I slowly make my way into the camp. I find the guys sitting at a picnic table!! What luxury! We make dinner and listen to music. I eat more of my fresh veggies, yum yum. 

  
It’s only 4:50. What are we going to do now? We setup our tents. I try to paint but it’s really cold out, even with all my layers. We all end up trying to get warm in our sleeping bags for the rest of the evening. 

  
Camped at mile 276.62 of the pct.

Miles hiked today: 17.27