My goals for today were simple. Get some rest. Get information about the trail over the San Jacinto Mountains.
That didn’t seem like asking for much, but it turned out harder to achieve than expected.
Day 13, Zero Day in Idyllwild
Friday, April 5, 2019
| Weather | Cloudy and chilly, high temperature in low 40s |
| Today's Miles | 0.0 miles |
| Trip Miles | 151.8 miles |
For starters, my bed in Silver Pines Lodge was lumpy. I slept well enough, but it could have been better.
I was tired last night, even though we had not walked far yesterday, so at least I didn’t have trouble falling asleep.
This morning I called Kim and gave her an update on the hike, then walked to a restaurant called Tommy’s to meet Tengo Hambre and Bookworm.
After breakfast we walked to Nomad Ventures, the local outdoors shop. This was to take care of today’s second goal, to get trail information.
Oddly, the staff members there weren’t much help. We asked about snow conditions and whether we would need ice axes. We also wondered if we should take an alternate route.
Both workers shrugged their shoulders and seemed unwilling to commit to specific information. I don’t think they were being vague. They just didn’t want to admit they didn’t know.
Failing that, we headed to the center of town. We checked out a large, hand-carved sculpture, an impressive monument called "Harmony."
We then visited a couple stores.
By noon we were thirsty, so Bookworm, Tengo and I went to Idyllwild Brewpub.
While we were there we received word that Spamalot and Falls were feeling sick. They thought they had the flu and were heading to a clinic.
With that deflating news we finished our beers and walked to the grocery store to resupply for the next section of trail. At this point we still didn’t have a good idea what the trail was like over the San Jacinto Mountains.
Back at Silver Pines Lodge, however, we ran into Alex, the owner of the dog that bit me. He said he had already gone over the mountains and the trail was not bad.
“Just take it easy,” he added.
I learned that the mayor of Idyllwild was making an appearance in the town’s center at 4 p.m., so I decided to go there and meet him.
If you’re wondering why I wanted to meet the mayor of this small town, perhaps it’s helpful to know that Mayor Max is a golden retriever.
Upon meeting him, I asked, “Who's a good mayor? Who's a good mayor?”
I knew to not pet Mayor Max too aggressively, because he had his security team with him.
After dinner at an Italian restaurant, we walked over to the cabin where the other tramily members were staying.
Spamalot and Falls were trying to put a good face on the situation, but they were unhappy. They learned they definitely had the flu, and the doctor said they should wait a couple days before going back on the trail.
Unexpectedly, Hootenanny had decided to not continue with us. We knew he was planning to meet his wife for a couple days, but he also decided he didn't want to go over the snow and would skip the San Jacinto Mountains. We were sorry that he decided to not continue with us.
By the end of the day I was only partially successful in achieving my goals. We had run around town more than expected, so I didn’t get the rest I was hoping to get. I wasn’t carrying a backpack, though, so at least it wasn’t a tiring day.
The information we got about the snow conditions seemed only partially optimistic, but still, we concluded it was safe enough to go over San Jacinto.
News of Hootenanny leaving the tramily, and Fall and Spamalot being sick put a damper on the day, but what about the coming days? Will things ever be the same with the Woo-hoo Crew?
I wondered.
Please, I just got to talk to you
Please, well keep your head out of the loo
Please, we're a long, long way from home
Please, you'd turn a young man's face to stone
Sick as a dog, what's your story
Sick as a dog, a cat got your tongue
Sick as a dog, you'll be sorry
Sick as a dog, you're really ain't that young
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