Oscar de la Hoya used to train in Big Bear Lake to take advantage of the high altitude and close proximity to the LA Basin. We trained in Big Bear as well, if by 'trained' you mean 'ate a lot.' The town of Big Bear Lake slows down considerably when the ski slopes close. At the moment only the highest runs were still open. The Village was fairly muted, most shops were shuttered. The businesses that were operating were happy to see us. The lady at Virginia Lee's Hot Dogs treated us like a mother would. I made another cake, this time a double layer, but I didn't have enough frosting.
As some of you might know, April 14th was the first anniversary of the earthquake in Yushu. I spent much time walking along the water and reflecting, as well as figuring out what else I can do at this point from this side of the Pacific. The town is still in full rebuilding mode. My co-teacher at Kunpen Vocational Training Center (one of the NGOs we are supporting) is still in Lhasa with his family. Yeshi, the director of the woman's school we are fundraising, is in Xining, the provincial capitol, training and staging for her return to Yushu. As our trip progresses, and the website evolves, we will have a clearer way for all of our supporters to see how their help will translate over on the plateau. Our current fundraising objective is a mobile classroom trailer for Yeshi's school, and she is $2000 US away from being able to purchase and transport it to Yushu from Xining!
We put in two full days of relaxing before hitting the trail. We got a late start on Saturday morning, having to wait quite awhile at the bus stop next to El Pollo Loco. The MARTA bus system helped us out quite a lot, even though it only ran hourly. We walked nearly the length of Big Bear Lake on the north side, running into a few hikers on their way up to Bertha Peak. The trail heading north from the lake was inundated with falling trees. Snow came up a bit too, but wasn't much of a problem for us. It was an issue for a guy we saw on a nearby jeep trail with a moped, we're still not sure what he was thinking. We passed through a scorched zone eight miles later on, camping right on the edge of it at Little Bear Springs campground. The full moon popped up over the hills and turned into a spotlight, and with it, the distant thumping of a heavy bass sound system. Somewhere not too far away a rave party raged on beyond dawn. It was still thumping, perhaps in the absence of conscious dancers, as we packed up the next morning. Civilization was always reminding us of its proximity.
Strategic planning led to a short day of hiking today, only thirteen miles to Deep Creek Canyon Bridge. We rested often, and one point lost the trail by Holcomb Creek, and had to dodge around in the sticks and heated alpine underbrush to relocate it. We crossed Holcomb three times, once requiring us to remove our shoes and take to the waters. The trail climbed out of the canyon and back into the desert for a few miles before dropping back down to Deep Creek and its famous bridge. We met a section hiker named Crazy Nuts who had done the whole Triple Crown a fee years ago (the PCT, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail). He had some good tips and encouragement for us. We camped on the sandy banks of the gurgling creek.
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