Day 14 - Tuesday, May 11

Day 14 - Tenting next to a tributary to Mission Creek (mile 235.5).  Walked 21.4 miles today.

Up at 5:15 and on the trail at 5:45 this morning.  I'm getting my morning routine down to a science.  A short uphill gave way to a long downhill which was hurting my blisters a little bit.

Got down to the Whitewater River and the trail paralleled it for a while before finally crossing it.  Crossing it was not much more than a rock hop, but it's the most significant water on trail so far.

Soaked my feet in the cold water before snacking some.  Also popped the blister on my big toe because my theory is as long as I'm hiking, it's only going to get bigger and more painful.  If I can dry it out on my breaks and at night, it may heal over quicker and be less painful.  I want to note here that I currently have 3 blisters, all caused by descents.  I need to find a better way to climb down mountains.  After a 45 minute break at the river, I moved on.  Even by 9:30 it was fairly warm and the heat would only build throughout the day.  The trail in the San Bernardino Mountain range (which is what I've just entered) is very sandy so far and I hope it doesn't continue for the rest of the time here because it keeps getting in my shoes and I have to stop to get the end out.  Started a long climb up to some fantastic views of Mount San Jacinto and the top of San Gorgonio Peak.

Took advantage of the momentary cell service to send a text to Lost and Found effectively telling her where I was planning to camp and to catch me if she and the others can. Doubt they'll make it because it would be something like 24 miles for them today, but Lost and Found sometimes gets what she calls the 'zoomies' where she gets on a really fast pace and just wants to keep going.

The trail then dropped down to Mission Creek.  There was a major flood here in 2019 and the trail suffered a ton of damage, meaning large parts were washed out and navigation is done by cairns (small piles of rocks).  It was tiring, but at the same time kind of fun to navigate through boulders and other debris.

The erosion is pretty spectacular too.

I lost the trail several times but always found it after a few minutes of searching or consulting my maps.  Ate lunch by the creek and then continued navagating the blown out creek.  Reached camp at 3:45 pm after 21+ miles and a VERY salt-sweat encrusted shirt.  I feel like I can do more (both mentally and physically), but am afraid of pushing too hard too quickly.  I think I'm going to push the envelope tomorrow with 24 miles which will put me about 7 miles from Big Bear which I hope to reach on Thursday morning.