Day 19: Tentsite @ mile 235.5 - Tentsite @ mile 256.6

Date: 26.04.2018

Miles hiked today: 21 miles

Total Mileage: Mile 256.6

Again an early start today. We want to get to Big Bear Lake as close as possible and decided to try and hike 21 miles today. Early starts (getting up around 5am and start to hike before or just about 6am) is really great apart from the getting up and out of your warm and confi sleeping back that early! That really is a bugger. But it's much easier to hike in the morning (temperatures etc), you have already hiked more than half of your days miles until lunch, more relaxing, can take more or longer breaks and hopefully still don't arrive at the Camp Site too late. Miles just pass by faster in the mornings. Just that tiny little part of waking up and getting out of your warm sleeping bag is so damn hart sometimes! But we try and most of the days it works out quite well.

So this morning we managed quite well and started to hike at 6.15am. The firstc5 miles were quite steep uphill and it took us ages to hike them. One step in front of the other and breathing in between. Normally Joanne runs off as soon as she sees some uphill. Uphill is her speciality while mine is more downhill :p but this morning it was the other way around. I took off and waited more than 30 minutes for her at the last water source for 16 miles. We agreed on a place for lunch and I left. After waiting at the lunch spot for 1.5 hours she finally arrived. I have asked people passing by and was informed that they have seen a young women sitting somewhere, on the phone and eating. Yep that's definitely her :)

We hiked on together for the last 10 miles. We passed the zoo, where animals which ones were part in movies are kept in tiny cages. That is about the sadest thing to see! A big brown bear in a tiny iron cage! But I think due to the social media and pct hikers this "zoo" was made more public again. Now there is a shield hanging saying that all the animals will be moved to a better place shortly. I do really hope so!

The last couple of miles was only downhills. But the trail was covered in big and small rocks, which took the fun out of the downhill! My feet started to sore and I just made it to the camp spot, more stumbeling that walking! But we did it -21 Miles!!! Big Bear Lake watch out, the girls are coming into town tomorrow morning :)