Day 15: goodbye lovely town, hello more snow...

Thurs 5/3/12
Miles 178-183 (7.5 miles, including Devils Slide Trail from Idyllwild to pct)
Elevation: 8,100ft

Before I started the trail, my initial preference was to try to avoid towns as much as possible. Dazzle changed my perspective on that, after he commented that trail towns are often as much a part of the experience as the trail itself. After stopping here, and previously in Julian, I understand what Dazzle meant. There's a real unique experience in going into trail towns, and I am so glad I didn't miss out on it. :) I was kinda sad to leave Idyllwild, a town that has shown me so much Aloha. But I gotta keep trekking! I was in very high spirits all day, thanks Idyllwild! Gosh, I've had several epic days in a row. Stoke meter is definitely very high. :)

I didn't end up taking the Pilates class, I couldn't get all my crap together in time. Bummer. I'll try again in Big Bear :) As I left Idyllwild Inn, I met Pepper and Chili! They are a father/son team, son looks pretty young. 12 maybe? Way to go kiddo! :)

I also ran into Thomas and Speedbump. I last saw them outside Julian. They are the 2 people in the picture, Thomas is the one in pants.

On my way out of town I went by Nomad Ventures to get some help on adjusting my pack. Turns out my hip belt was too small. They swapped out my xs for a s and it made a world of difference!!! Oh my gosh it feels SO MUCH BETTER!! Man I am stoked!! Im glad I don't need to get a new pack, I really like my ULA Circuit pack. Thanks Nomad Ventures! You guys are awesome :)

I stopped by the bike shop Hub Cyclery, Simon (guy from wine shop) was working, so we chatted for a bit. It's a cool little bike shop. They had a DVD about a woman who rode the continental divide trail! Dang I forgot the title, I wanna watch it sometime. Inspiration :) I got a ride to the trailhead from a guy that came in the shop. I forgot his name, but he's a mtb enthusiast and an ultra-runner. Badass! Thanks for the ride dude!

I didn't leave Idyllwild til 1:00, hence I didn't get too many miles in. Plus, there was snow. Boo! But my new Chacos with the heel strap have much better tread, and the toe socks helped my feet stay a little warmer. Thanks CJ!! :)

At one point I completely lost the trail in the snow. I dunno what happened, I followed the wrong footprints maybe, and wasn't paying attention. I knew I was really close to it, I just couldn't find it. It was rather frustrating and kinda scary cuz there was lots of snow here and there so it wasnt like I could easily whack up the mountain looking for the trail. After about 1/2 hour I saw 4 guys about 50yd uphill of me. Stoked!! I was so grateful those guys just happened to be hiking. I havent seen anyone else on the trail since, except a section hiker who is camped in the same area as I.

Oh my gosh the scenery today was so amazing. I went up about 2,000ft in elevation, and even tho the snow totally sucks its really pretty from far away. I dont mind looking at it, i just dont like walking through it. Lol.

Anyhow. Gosh I'm tired. I didn't sleep much or well last night. My stomach felt kinda weird. Bleh. Maybe I'll try to sleep in tomorrow morning. It's so darn cold at 5am. Lol. Perhaps i should employ Luc's technique of waiting til the sun comes to me, rather than trying to chase it in the morning. Lol. Nap time!