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April sees Garry well on his way ...
Tuesday, April 1
I rode 26 miles and I walked upon a new friend who I have named "Fang".
He was not happy to see me and coiled and shook his baby rattle, which was attached to
his tail. Both of our hearts were racing at the same rate as we negotiated who got to
pass on the trail. We finally agreed that he would go his way and I would go mine.
The girls did not participate in the negotiations and were wary for the next 5 miles.
I stayed at Boulder Creek that night.
Wednesday, April 2
I stayed at Mt. Laguna. I woke up to find sleet and freezing ice
on my tent and the ground. It snowed the next night.
Thursday, April 3
It hailed ice cubes. The girls were shivering for the first
part of the morning. I rode beside sheer cliffs and at one point Gwen's pack
saddle slipped totally under her belly. (The was due to an altercation between
her and Ginger.) I had to completely remove the pack saddle and re-saddle her
while she stood perfectly still on a trail 1 ½ feet wide, with a sheer cliff on
the right. That night I stayed near Cuaymaca.
Friday, April 4
I rode 18 miles and I stayed at Scissor Crossing. To get to
where I was going to stay that night, I had to ride and create a trail across
the desert. I felt horrible when I found thorns in the girls' legs when I
arrived at camp that night.
Saturday, April 5
I rode 17 miles and I stayed at the R & D Log Cabin Bar in
San Felipe. The owner, Ronnie, was very gracious and allowed me to stay in an
empty trailer in the back. The girls stayed in his outdoor concert pavilion
(which was fenced in). They were onstage all night.
Sunday, April 6
I rode 15 miles and it was the nicest ride on the PCT so far,
through meadows with wildflowers and tall grass everywhere. We took it slow and
I let the girls graze as much as they wanted. We arrived at Warner Springs Ranch,
an elite timeshare (owners-only country club) with a golf course, saunas, pools
and equestrian center. Wanda (the manager of the equestrian center) took pity
on me and allowed me entry to the ranch. The girls, however, were not allowed
in the hot tub or sauna. My son Jonathan and his girlfriend Saramnia brought me
a food drop and took me to lunch. They also followed my instructions very carefully
and delivered to me two Almond Snickers bars. I made an adjustment to my will.
Monday, April 7
Grrrhhhh!!!!! No water for 35 miles. My new record for a long day.
Nothing but incline and traversing between 2,000 and 6,000 feet the entire day.
We arrived in Terrwilliger at dusk to find an out-of-the-way ranch which took me
in with open arms. They bar-b-qued chicken and baked potatoes. My hosts wish to
remain anonymous.
Tuesday, April 8
Short ride to Anza, only 15 miles. I was met on the road by
two gentleman, Tony and Jay, of the Lions Club. They asked me how long I had been
on the road and said they were going to put me up in their town arena. Jay brought
the girls alfalfa as the entire Lions Club was working hard to prepare the arena
for Mule Days this coming week-end. The girls were more than eager to assist by
clearing the grass inside the arena. It was a win-win for everyone. I spoke to
someone who suggested I not take the PCT any further, due to poor weather (snow
and ice) and probably trees down on the trail. Nathan and Crissy brought me a
food drop and took me to the local Dairy Queen. Made adjustment to my will.
Wednesday, April 9
Due to leaving the trail, I traveled 24 miles. The road was
fine until I passed Lake Hemet. Suddenly the road wound through the mountains
with no shoulder and cars were flying by in both directions at 55-60 mph. Semis
seemed to be doing 80. When one passed, Ginger seemed to be doing 180.
I arrived in Keen Wild at McCall Horse Camp and I decided to take a day off
to sort out how to get back to the PCT. The Forestry Service advised me that
the trail was fine.
Thursday, April 10
I spent the day resting at the McCall Horse Camp. Nathan and
Crissy delivered a food drop. Nathan did not bring a Snickers bar but he did
bring photos of my granddaughter, Faith. I made another adjustment to my will.
The Mountains
As previously mentioned, I had interrupted my southern journey due
to the snow, and had a fellow Long Rider, Lisa Wood, trailer the girls and me to the Mexican
border. There we headed north, hoping that the snow would melt before our return.
However, for the past three days I had seen San Jacinto Mountain, and occasionally
a glimpse of San Bernadino Mountain, with the tops full of snow.
I had been advised by a fellow packer in Anza that the San Jacintos would probably
not be passable, due to fallen trees and snow on the shady side of the mountain.
But I had also talked with the staff at the local Forestry Service and the Fire
Department, and both stated that the trails were clear of trees and snow, but
might have some ice. Based on their information, I decided to forge ahead.
I chose an alternate route in order to avoid Saddle Junction, the highest part
of San Jacinto Mountain. But I was still to reach an elevation of 9,000 feet.
The actual traverse up the mountain seemed to prove that the mountain would be
passable, as there was little snow.
At the 7,000 foot level I had reached snow, but it was only in patches.
Then the ridges began to reveal more and more snow, especially on the shade
side of each ridge. Very quickly it turned bad. Almost instantly, the girls
were sinking up to their bellies in snow and stumbling to move forward.
The trail became harder to find. It soon became so bad I couldn't find the trail.
The girls were cutting their legs on rocks, as they sunk in the deep snow.
The trail was difficult without snow, but now it was impassable. The girls
began to stop wanting to go forward. I tried leading them, to no avail.
Eventually, it was time to stop and camp, as it was now late afternoon.
The clouds looked ominous and they were packing another storm, which meant
more snow would arrive soon. I decided to call some experts on my cell phone,
to give my exact location, in case of further troubles. My son (Nathan), who
is in law enforcement, contacted some peers in San Bernadino, who then called
other peers (the Cavalry), to assist me off the mountain the next day.
It probably wasn't necessary, but I was thankful to have help leading the girls
off the mountain. We decided to leave some gear behind, to lighten their load,
so they could walk more easily on the snowpack. It was great to get down off
that mountain.
While waiting for the snow to melt, I went back to get the gear that had been
left on the mountain, and to evaluate the current trail conditions. The snow
level was the same and like my first attempt, the girls still could not safely
maneuver through the deep snow. Again they were in snow up to their bellies,
and got cut by unseen rocks, hidden under the snow.
After bringing down the gear, I made the difficult decision to skip the final
section of the San Bernadino Mountains at this time. I plan to go back at the
end of my journey and complete them. At this point, there is nowhere to go but
to the northern segment of my adventure.
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