Week 2. Warner Springs to Mission Creek Spring.
Day 8. Wednesday 26 April. Day of the cow- no charge.
Warner Springs to Chihuahua valley road.
We walk through Amazing big oak trees up the valley crossing Agua Calliente creek many times. Hummingbirds are busy whirring above my head, it’s magical.
I have such a ‘rush on’ I get Dizzy walking too fast before lunch! It’s so Hot and there is a lot less wind
We meet, Matthias from Wurzburg, who has, left job, his house, sold car etc. He wants a Blank sheet when he returns. He doesn’t
Want ‘a new name’ he’s Just Matthias 🙂
We collect Water from Mikes Place and decide not to visit on hearing it’s all beers and dope down there and find a little patch of desert to pitch our tent.
Words of wisdom / wit / gobblegook: Creature a Canadian hiker is walking ahead of us out of Warner Springs. We pass him and he asks ‘Did the cows charge you?’ ‘No we got to pass for free!’Replied Cory. Hehe!!
Mandy’s grump. ‘ I hate this website it’s always windy!’ Erm what? Was tired and grumpy. Meant this campsite. Never been there before. Hehe!!!
Day 9. Day of the MARIPOSA valley. Thursday 27th April. Chihuahua Valley Road to Boulder Camp.
What amazing wildlife terrain we walked through today. A Valley of the birds and Valley of the Butterflies and we Rest under only tree for miles and collect a little
Group of hiker trash. Once more there are Lots of hummingbirds to entertain me during my siesta. 
We spy another Large black snake. And a Smaller thin black snake with stripe down length of body.
This time there is No water at water cache! Thankfully we still have enough to Camp. We had already collected Water from a puddle at the ‘spring’ earlier.
There are so many Critter holes on the trail. We use our poles all
Day and the little critters wait inside, little black claws waiting outstretched to grab our poles! Hehe!
17 miles. Weather hot and stinky. Windy morning and night.
Words of wisdom/ wit or gobbledegook: . ‘ don’t worry it’s not a snake’ Matthias from Wurzburg as he did a pee!!
Day 10. Friday 28th April. Big Boulders to Paradise Valley Cafe. 7 miles by 9:10am. Day of First hitchhike.
Our first hitchhike with White beard the pirate and Davey Crocket. We Thanked the TRail Angel.
Words of wisdom / wit or gobbledegook: ‘What’s your names? He asks. ‘Mandy and Cory’ I reply. ‘Sorry we don’t have names.’ Erm what?!?!
We are then Solicited by kind retired cyclist and offered a lift to Idyllwild after we finish breakfast at paradise. His Wife is Scottish.
Fabulous Got lift to idyllwild.
Turns out I’m a princess. 1 shower token isn’t enough. Consider Trail name – 2 tokens.
My hair is still manky as the shampoo & Conditioner leaves glue up my hair 🙂
We do a Resupply and have a 16″ Pizza underneath the ancient pines, with Pct discount still $20!
Early to bed as usual as huge day tomorrow but poor Cory didn’t sleep for neighbours smoking pot all night and ‘shagging’!!!. Cory shines light on them but only temporary interrupts them, hehe. I’m blissfully unaware.
We are pretty disappointed in the class of 2017 as the Campsite a real mess in morning.
Day 11. Saturday 29th April. Day of First Snow. Idyllwild to snow creek.
We go over Fullers ridge and San Jacinto. The start of the day at 6am as usual is 2 hrs/5 miles of UP. Big UP.
2500 feet of ascent just to get to the PCT.
Then we hit snow. Then Hansel and Grettel Got lost in snow with 3 other hikers. It wasn’t any fun. It was indeed Very stressful. I guess what’s worrying is the thought of the huge tumble Or slide and where you’d end up if you do accidentally slide.
Yes we Lost the trail but surprise surprise No tears (Margot are you impressed? No first tears yet!). After about an hour we Found the trail with the help of the others and then Averaged 1 mile per hour in snow.
I Thought as we enjoyed our little pocket of sunshine at lunchtime with a little cute chipmunk that the snow was behind us. No more snow!! I even started talking to the trees. They are so old, ancient, beautiful and wonderful.
Eventually we Reach the Fullers Ridge campsite at 4 pm and the Snow is ‘finally’ behind us. Still there is another 4 miles of continuous down to the Snow Creek and camp by 6 pm. This is the Latest we have ever reached camp, ever. My Feet are absolutely throbbing!!
Cory looked after me well as couldn’t have done it without him. 9000feet today. Twice the height of Ben Nevis with my house on my back!!!!
Today’s wisdom/ wit or gobbledegook: ‘Watch out there’s a bumble fly on your bagel!!!’ Yup of course that came out of my mouth. 15 miles and buggered. Cory figures out spinning coin bird Black chinned sparrow.
Lunch sight amazing with Ente trees. Trees today were amazing and do many millions of pine cones. Wish there had been no snow. Snow spikes would have been ideal. Possible trail name. Two Tokens /mandy. and Two t(shirts) Cory
Day 12. Sunday 30th April
Snow creek Coliseum campsite to…interstate 10. 16 miles.
Day of big Trail Magic!
My Tinkerbell flannel is frozen into the roof of the tent! It was so cold last night at the snow creek camp.
We spy another Large yellow and black diamond snake and have a Long, Switchback down, off mountain into desert.
For miles we can see the water tower where the next Water faucet from water board is! Will we ever get there?! Sore knees, sore ankles with the down down.
Then we head to a trail angels home, they are out but we still enjoy a siesta in their hammocks, water and iDevice charge.
Around 4pm we hope it’s cooler and leave their garden and 200 metres Down the road…More Trail Angel magic with a pop up Gazebo and offers of beer and Gatorade. Fabulous! Don’t mind if I do!!
3 more miles along pure sandy desert, second lowest altitude on PCT. Even more Trail Magic at Interstate underpass, beer, water, cakes, twiglets and Tangerines and Apples. We both dived for the tangerines we are real food deprived. We think Vitamins are E numbers!!!
The Trail Angel who looks after this cache appeared and hadn’t had his words for the day! What a lovely chatterbox!
Today’s wisdom/ wit or gobbledegook: ‘Thanks we both enjoyed one of your oranges!’ “Oranges? Those were tangerines!” “Oranges are this size in California!” Imagine The size Of a basketball:-)
“So your budget is what $1000 each a month?”
“No less than that”
“So what $1000 between you a month? ”
“No less than that!”
“Ah what’s why his shorts have no pockets!! ;-)”. Hehe!
Day 13. 1st of May. Pinch and a Punch. Interstate 10 to Mission Creek. Day of water blisters.
16 miles. It’s an Extremely hot desert day. No wind!!! Lots of undulations. We walk Past the Mesa Windfarm and up the valley where they forgot switchbacks!
Now the PCT LOVES a switchback. Who forgot them this time. We are on fire with the heat and exertion.
A Big Jackrabbit bounces along the trail. He hears us but can’t see us. All legs and huge translucent ears and twitchy nose.
Whitewater creek appears like a mirage in the desert and the amazing water. We strip and Soak our feet and T-shirts and doom our Terrific Tilley hats and cool our heads. We then Walked on until 12:30 and find a Thorny bush and more hummingbirds. One nearly lands on Cory’s toe. I wonder if my pink buff is attractive to hummingbirds as they always come so close when we rest!
I Completely Overheated today 1.5 miles from Mission Creek! I Needed 1/2 hour break before I could move!! I hadn’t had to pee since lunchtime until 6:30. So Dehydrated!
At last we arrive at Mission creek and it’s perfect temperature water. I enter the creek immediately and Heidi the German (me) appears and the Little Baps on the Prairie are out and I enjoy a Buff wash and clothes.
We invent a new culinary delight of Peanuts in ramen. Couscous Parmesan chilli and tuna!
There are huge Mosquitos at creek!!! The size of Tsetse flies!
I now have attractive Waterblisters on my arms and the Frogs are calling again.
Today’s wisdom, wit or gobbledegook: after Mandy’s near collapse. I gave myself a pep talk “ok one final push”‘. Cory looks up, lifts a cheek and ‘pfffart’ lets one rip!! Hehe!
Day 14. 2nd May. Mission creek to Mission creek Trail Camp Spring. 14 miles. The day of the ladybug.
There’s been a Massive hatching of ladybirds. There are like lots of little beads of pollen bLowing in the wind with their ‘L’ plates still on. Ladybirds hitched a lift on me on the hot up up up tickling me and turning me into a ladybird bejewelled hiker.
We walk through a Massive burn/ fire area. Lots of ups and downs and crossing the creek just to go up and down and cross the creek. Again!!! We Followed the Mission Creek up the valley to its spring source. It was the hottest and hardest day ever!!! The burn area was purple lined with beautiful flowering purple lupins.
We got to destination at 2pm and couldn’t walk any further.
I turned into the hiker housewife and Sewed Cory’s silk bag.
An American couple with no idea personal space came to our picnic table. There were others completely empty? But nope they came over to ours and exploded their bags!!
Words of wisdom, wit or gobbledegook: . ‘Look Cory I did a blanket stitch!’ What are you just going to ignore it!! 🙂
I now appear to be supervising Cory’s pee output! I’m not choosing to but he seems to be kind of proud as it’s now ‘Liquid gold!’ Can we bottle it and make a fortune?
He & She Hike the PCT 