Mile 266 – 18 trail miles, 2.3 wandering miles
With snow in the forecast we headed out of Big Bear. The first day on trail after any kind of stop is always a bit sluggish and this day was clearly one of those days.
Ten miles into our day the snow started falling. It was beautiful! Small flakes gently falling through the trees. I am sure the grin on my face was as if I was ten years old with the first snowy day and a new sled.
Soon the gentle snow started really falling… The beautiful snow became something a bit more… The trail started to disappear, the cold set in, and we became determined to reach our 20 mile destination.
While changing from trekking poles to an umbrella I lost one of my gloves. Perfectly blended into the falling snow. Lesson learned to slow down a bit when making changes.
We arrived to our destination cold, tired, hungry, and with little patience. Quickly setting up the tent while trying to minimize the accumulating snow at each step was challenging. My feet were frozen from being dunked in a stream crossing a mile back. Climbing in the tent and getting my wet clothes off was a major priority.
As we started to get warm more hikers arrived and started setting up tents. The snow started to slow and the idea of a fire was quickly forming. Within 30 minutes we were drying our socks and shoes over the fire while eating dinner.
The few inches of snow was a great experience of beauty, freezing cold, exhaustion, and a test of patience under stress. Another great day on our journey.
