Day 19
Start: Balky Horse Canyon
Finish: Big Bear Lake
Daily Mileage: 8.4
Trip Mileage: 266.1
Another chilly night below freezing, and I didn’t sleep well though I was warm. We reluctantly got out of our sleeping bags and hit the trail with town on the near horizon.
The trail was relatively uneventful today. We continued along the creek we had been following, then climbed into some low hills.
The trail got into more civilized areas and there were many trail intersections. We even got off trail at one point on a different path, but quickly recognized it didn’t seem right and found our way back.
Though we are still around 7,000 feet, the plants transitioned to desert species, with pinyon pine, juniper, and some yucca trees we hadn’t seen yet.
We soon reached the road to town and it didn’t take long for us to hitch into Big Bear Lake. We found a place with an all you can eat buffet which are rare on this trail. The hunger has started to kick in for Cookie Monster and I, and we did our best.
The town has a free bus service, so we rode towards our hostel, went to a gear store and a brewery and checked in.
There’s a mix of hikers and skiers/snowboarders here since the town has several ski resorts. These are on the same mountain range and elevation that we are travelling on foot, and I wasn’t expecting to see the slopes. It goes to show what the trail can be like early in the season.
Did all the normal town things and enjoyed some time in the hostel’s hot tub which was a welcome amenity before researching the trail ahead.
