300 Miles Down

I’ve caught up to a small group of hikers, so it’s been a few days since I spent any time alone – a nice change. Today I walked with Brian and a young couple named Toby and Natalie for a pleasant 22 miles, gently descending from the San Bernardino Mountains back into desert foothills, past mile 300.

Near the end of the day we hit Deep Creek, the most flowing water I’ve yet encountered. Unfortunately, severe storms damaged the trail in this section last December, closing the trail, and apparently a guy died recently after falling over a cliff in the off-limits section. So, instead of following the creek for the next 15 miles, we’re taking the official detour on roads and ATV tracks, and camping tonight on a dusty roadside pullout, next to a barbed wire fence.