Silverwood Lake

The one with a surprise in the desert and The Golden Arches.

📍 Location: mm326.4 to Cajon Pass.

🏔️ Elevation: 4000ft
🥾 I actually walked: 19.3 miles according to my Garmin (the trail was just over 16 miles).
💰 Money: $24 in MacDonalds and $97 for a hotel room.
⛑️ Health: I have shin splints in my right leg and I also now have a pain in my left foot. It’s painful to walk and I’m limping with each step. A blister has blown up on my right foot which doesn’t help.

☀️ Weather: In the mid 30’s! Too hot for walking.

🍲 Food: Breakfast biscuits, snacks all day and then I pigged out in MacDonaldd with a quarter pounder with cheese, fries, Dr Pepper and an apple pie.

💤 Sleep: I cowboy camped last night as the pegs/stakes would not go into the ground at Silverwood Lake Picnic Area. It was a struggle to sleep as I was sweating again and also people getting up to use the loo and things crawling over me.

🐍 Snake count: 12 - Another two today (the count is not including the snake pit!)

THE LONG WINDED VERSION:-

🌄 6am - I’m ready before anyone else. DinkyDi had a terrible nights sleep under the picnic bench with mice running on her and people walking by in the night. She’s very quiet this morning so she waves me off and I walk on my own. Sometimes it’s good to have a day of solitude. The sunrise is gorgeous at is starts to peak over the maintains and shine down on the lake below. I’m getting higher and higher now and just taking it all in.

🚻 8.10am - I stop to go to the loo and as I walk away I realise that I only have one walking pole. Oh no! Where is the other one? I walk up and down this last stretch but can’t find it anywhere. I’m distracted from my pole hunt from a voice above “Jukebox!!” Shouts a familiar voice. (DinkyDi), look who I’ve found…. It was Hans (Now known as “old man” as he he uses a napkin at every meal, even dehydrated meals!). We’ve not seen Hans since the early days and I assumed he was miles ahead of us. It was so good to see him. I instantly noticed how much weight he had lost. He’s lost over 20lbs already and has been poorly with a bad foot for a week or so. Both Hans and Di helped me search for my walking pole, to no avail. I made out that it was fine and I’ll figure something out, but in my head I was worried about the inclines ahead and how on earth would I pitch my tent with just one pole? The other two are faster than me. Di knows I need some solitude today so they were soon a spec on the horizon.

👍 I’m enjoying the hike today. It has some climbs but there are no river crossings or blow down trees so far! Life is good.

🐍 10am - It’s very hot now (must be in the 30’s) so I sit down in the shade. I have service so send a text and chat with Rachel. As we are chatting a snake slid past me while I’m sitting on a stone and I didn’t flinch at all. It wasn’t a rattler, it was about two foot long and an emerald green colour. I went to take a photo but it was too quick for me and slid into the rocks. I realise that my fear of snakes must be a thing of the past as I would have screamed and hyperventilated just a few weeks back! Rachel tells me how brave I am and I smile to myself. DinkyDi saw a bug kill and then drag a tarantula earlier today and caught it on video. There are some scary things out here!

🙌 10:40 am “Whats that?” I say out loud to no one! Then I start laughing. Right in the middle of the trail is a trekking pole! It’s been staked into the middle of the trail so that I couldn’t miss it. It’s not my pole, it has been left by Hans as a gift for me. He only needs one pole and doesn’t have a trekking pole tent. I later find out that someone had gifted these poles to him when he broke his earlier on in the trail. How cool is that? Thanks, “old man” I owe you one big time. #TheTrailProvides

🥵 10.55am - It’s way too hot to walk, but my end goal today is MacDonalds, so I’m highly motivated. MacDonalds has never been a motivator before but the thought of a juicy quarter pounder, fries, coke and an apple pie is super inspiring right now! I soak my sun shirt and hat in the stream and it feels amazing. If I’m going to continue in this heat, I must soak my cap at every stream I pass and drink as much as possible!

🏔️ 1400hrs - Wow! I turned a corner to reveal the most amazing deep Canyon with striking cliff edges and snow capped mountains beyond. In the distance I can see the main Highway and hear trucks honking their horns. Macdonald is calling! 4 miles to go!

💭 15:00 - The last 3 miles are challenging. The trail is winding down the mountain and it just takes forever. Its switchback after switchback with cliffs on both side of the 2ft trail. Some areas are quite sketchy and I’m so glad I have two poles! I still can’t see McDonalds although I know it’s going to be around here somewhere. The app said 0.5 miles. I’m day dreaming of a coffee maybe a chocolate milkshake and a McFlurry. Oh…. Yes! A McFlurry would be so good right now.

👋 3:15pm - Finally I see a sign for McDonalds and the gold arches are glowing like a prize at the end of a marathon. As I walk into the restaurant I instantly spot Joey & DinkyDi. Dinky is shivering as the air conditioner is freezing. I’m thankful for the cool air but after sitting down for a few mins I do put my fleece on. We catch up and I order food. No-one has seen Hans or heard from Jesse. He was still asleep on the picnic bench when Di left the campsite this morning.

🍔 As my teeth sunk into a juicy quarter pounder I savoured every bite. It tasted so good after days of dehydrated food (actually, it’s only been two days but feels like forever!).

🍟 4.30pm - I sent Jesse a text to check that he is ok. “I’m 2.5 miles away” he replied. “Ok, we will wait for you” I text back. He arrived limping and looking a big beat up but was in good spirits. He ordered some food and sat down with us. There is now a big group of hikers in MacDonalds. We’ve been here for hours!! Free refills, air conditioning and running toilets will do that to a hiker!!

🏨 Decision made. Jesse and I are going to stay at The Cajon Pass Inn (just across the way) for the night. I need to rest my shin and foot, plus the pole that Hans gave me is broken. The pole won’t adjust for my tent and I don’t want to cowboy camp tonight. I need sleep!

👋 Jesse and I wave goodbye to the group as they trek on for another few miles to camp for the night. We then check in at the hotel across the road.

🚿 I’ll make a decision about the next section tomorrow. For now it’s a hot shower and an early night in a real bed.

🙏 Thank you to Pat Knight, Claire Whitehead and Karen Balloch for your donations today. The hotel and food were just what I needed. ❤️❤️Read more