My first solo adventure of the summer

Bee’s Trail Journal, June 2024

Day 1: Idyllwild

My solo adventure began with a visit to Idyllwild, a quaint mountain town below San Jacinto, the mountain I planned to hike the following day.

Idyllwild is a PCT town and depending on the time of year you will see dirty hikers and backpacks stringing the sidewalks of the town. It’s a little late in the season for them to be this far south, but I did catch a few stragglers.

My first stop was the Mount San Jacinto Park Headquarters where I reserved an overnight permit to camp on the mountain. When reserving an overnight permit, you choose which of the backcountry campsites you would like to stay at. I chose Strawberry Junction which has 3 primitive sites available each day. I paid my $5 and pocket my permit then hit the town.

I enojyed a beer and a bite to eat at Idyllwild Brewing Company. The balsamic glazed brussels sprouts were SO good. After filling my belly I headed to my campsite.

I reserved a campsite at Marion Campground. After setting up camp and settling, it was getting late and the sun would be setting soon so I decided to take a walk to find a good sopt to watch sunset.

I found a nice rock with a good view and sat there soaking it all in, thinking about the days to come and the excitement of it all. After making my way back to the campground before it got too dark, I went to bed early so I can be rested and get an early start on my hike to the peak in the morning.

Happy trails!

Day 2: San Jacinto Summit

I woke up eager to begin my hike to the summit of San Jacinto. I packed up camp and organized my backpacking gear and food for the trip as the sun began to rise. I moved my car to the trailhead, loaded up my pack then started my hike. The plan was to hike to the summit from Marion Trailhead, going around the loop clockwise till I got to Strawberry Junction totaling 12-13 miles.

The trail begins with an immediate climb, and continues for 7 miles until you reach the summit, gaining over 4,000 ft of elevation. The lower part of the trail had some good tree coverage which provided some shade, but as the morning progressed, there was less and less tree coverage and things were heating up. I was also feeling out of shape moving at a painfully slow one mile per hour, but I gave myself some grace being this was the first backpacking trip of the season!

The trail was beautiful and there was so much water and wildflowers on the way up. I should have been paying better attention to the water sources, because I had less than half a liter when I passed the last water source, not realizing I would be several miles until the next one.

Just before reaching the summit there is a stone hut that was built as an emergency shelter for hikers during bad storms. I rested here for a bit before making the last push to the summit.

The last stretch of the trail involves a bit of rock scrambling and the summit point seems to be in a different location each time I have summited. The sign is also different and is usually homemade, which I really appreciate. The sign reads: San Jacinto elev. 10,834 Thank you to whoever it is that makes these summit signs and leaves them there for others!

I found a tree to sit under, laid out my foam pad to sit on, and enjoyed a snack and the rest of my water. I was definitely still thirsty and felt a headache coming on from the elevation. Eventually I hopped back on the trail eager to find a water source. I hiked another 2 miles exposed in the sun before I got to Wellman Cienaga where I audibly cheered upon seeing it.

I guzzled some water and topped off my water bottle ready to make my way to camp. As the trail overlapped with the PCT I came across a few PCT hikers which is always fun. When I finally made it to Strawberry Camp I was not feeling well. I was exhausted, my legs were jell-o, and I was definitely feeling the altitude. To add to the situation, there were SO many flies and the pit toilet (a port-a-potty) was filled with camper’s trash and was unusable.

I set up my tent and got in to escape the flies and rest for a bit. As it got close to sunset I emerged from the tent to try and make some dinner, even though I had zero appetite. I’ve noticed that my symptoms of altitude sickness include headaches, nausea, and loss of appetite. But I knew I needed to eat something because I had a hard day and need to refuel my body so I made some ramen and ate it slowly forcing myself to swallow each bite.

After dinner I popped in my headphones turned on a podcast and waited for the sunset but I was not ready for what happened next. A mountain lion appeared out of nowhere right in front of me, maybe 40 feet away.

Happy trails!

Day 3: Idyllwild > Big Pine

I woke up with the sunrise and was surprised to find that I slept through the night even though I had seen a mountain lion walk past my camp the night before. I made some coffee and breakfast, and sat on the rocks listening to the birds and taking in the view. Then I packed up camp and hit the trail heading back towards Marion Mountain Trailhead. I made it back to my car in no time since it was all downhill. When I made it back to my car I changed into comfortable clothes and got ready to drive 6 hours to Big Pine where I would be starting my next backpacking trip.

I scored a last minute permit to hike the Big Pine Lakes trail after reading the recent trail conditions and seeing it was clear of snow. There was so much snow on the trail around this time last year when I did it with my sister. The snow made it more challenging than usual because most of the trail was covered and we were post-holing most of the day. I was excited to go back with better conditions and to see the trail again in a different light.

I made a quick stop at Chipotle for up a veggie burrito along the way to Sage Flat Campground. There are a couple of campgrounds up at the trailhead for Big Pine Lakes, and Sage Flat seemed the quietest so I found a campsite I liked, payed the fee, and settled in.

I ate my burrito and prepped my food for the trip, organizing it all into my bear canister. Then I had a fire and roasted some marshmallows as the sun set and the starts emerged. I read my book in the tent til I fell asleep.

Happy trails!

Day 4 // Big Pine Lakes Trail

I woke up with excitement ready to start my overnight trip on the Big Pine Lakes Loop. I was feeling better adjusted to the elevation and ready for the climb to the lakes.

I had attempted this trail the summer before with my sister, but when we came in late June , most of the trail was still covered in snow due to the record-breaking snowfall we had last year. We were actually some of the first people to hike the trail last season since we showed up the day after the road to the trailhead opened up!

I have learned that checking for road closures and finding out ice and snow conditions is something you should do before any trip in to the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The trail weaves you around 9 different lakes: including Lakes 1-7 with side trails to Black Lake and Summit Lake. Lakes 1 and 2 are the most popular camping areas and where the majority of day hikers turn around. What makes them the most popular is the gorgeous backdrop of Temple Crag behind the clear turquoise lakes. Honestly, you have probably seen this view hundreds of times across social media since it has become pretty popular in the last couple of years.

I had read reviews online from others that had already attempted the hike this season saying that the snow has melted and the trail is clear! Good thing because I had left my micro spikes at home. Luckily I did have my trekking poles which makes a helpful tool in the snow and ice.

I hit the trail and enjoyed the most beautiful weather and views. In the first couple of miles I was playing leap frog with a day hiker and naturally we chatted for a bit about the trail. The hiker told me she lived in the area and does this hike a few times a year usually just as a day hike. She gave me some advice too, sharing that her favorite view of the whole trail was Summit Lake and where her favorite campsite is.

I absolutely LOVE when locals share information with me, it feels like I’m getting the inside scoop. BUT I have learned to take it with a grain of salt so to speak because what someone finds beautiful or difficult/easy is subjective and I have certainly been lead astray be well intended advice.

My goal was to make it to Lake 3 and depending on what time I made it there I would either keep hiking or find my campsite for the night. Well by the time I was ready to stop for a lunch break, I had made it all the way to lake 3 without even realizing it!

I took a dip in the freezing cold water, and ate a big snack, the laid in the sun for a while to dry off and rest. After a while I decided I would keep hiking so I can check out the view from Summit Lake and find the campsite the woman recommended to me earlier.

This entire section of trail was covered in snow the last time I was here and being able to walk on the trail clear of snow was a completely different experience. I hiked around lakes 4 and 5 then took the side trail up to Summit Lake.

tbh I had some high expectation for summit lake after the woman recommended it to me earlier, claiming it was the best view on the whole trail, but like I said things like that are subjective so I wasn’t too disappointed.

The best views are at Lakes 1-3, with special mention to lake 5. I would have camped at lake 5 but the site I had my eye on was already taken my someone else.

Once I was in the area of Lake 3 again, I started looking for a campsite, preferably one with easy water access and a pretty view, and boy did I hit the jackpot! There’s nothing better than snagging the perfect backcountry campsite.

I set up camp, laid in the sun, read my book, cooked and ate dinner, then watched the light on the mountain fade as day turned into night.

Even from where I laid in my tent I had a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night, feeling good.

Happy trails!