A day into the kick off and we were already jonesing to get our asses beaten by the trail. What kind of sick hiking masochists have we become? The KO was long, but good. We got to rest our ailments and help trail angel Tom with his famous taco operation. He even catered to the vegetarians with delicious boca and soy chorizo sausage. YUM! Tom, you are truly OUTSTANDING!!! We got back into Idyllwild in the early afternoon on Sunday. We grabbed some last minute goodies and prepared the feet with Vitamin I(Ibuprofen), ace bandages and duct tape. Never thought bandaging up the feet would feel so right. Once again we were on the trail with Peru and Moose postholing through the snow on Fuller Ridge. We took it nice and easy due to persisting ankle troubles and ended up camping right before strawberry junction. That night was incredible, cowboy camping(sleeping without a tent) under the stars in between big white boulders, overlooking the twinkling lights of the small town below. It took us a couple days to get to Ziggy and Bears in Cabazon. The last day trekking down the switchbacks through the mountainous desert was treacherous due to the high winds. There were a few close calls on the ridge where the wind almost blew us off. Thank the gods for our "front legs"(trekking poles) that helped to catch our fall. Meeting up with our hiker family at the watering hole was well worth it(Moose, Peru, Thor, and Penn-J we miss you!). One mile before Ziggy and Bears(trail angels) there was a beautiful hiker stash under an old wooden bridge with coolers filled with beer, soda and water. This hiker magic always seems to be in the right place at the right time. After battling sand and wind pelting us in the face for 4 miles, we were extremely happy to stumble upon these Amen coolers. Thank you! Ziggy and Bears was right around the corner screaming our names. These 80 year old trail angel veterans were given a house to live in, specifically to provide assistance to PCT hikers by Ron the Rock( a former thru-hiker). Upon arrival we were greeted with warm Epsom salt baths and told we could wash our clothes in the outdoor sink and take a hose bath. These are wonderful hiker luxuries! That night we dined on pizza, homemade salad and ice cream. We slept on extra carpet donated by a local business under a Costo tent in strong winds. Had to break out the ear plugs that night. The next day we said a sad goodbye to our new friends, Moose and Peru, and stayed to visit the doctor. Luckily there were no foot fractures and the doc said we could continue on with the understanding that it would take much longer for the ankle to heal. Great news, moving on! After another unexpected zero, we set out on the trail through the Mesa wind farms. It was a hot day winding up and down through the grassy hills of the San Gorgonio Wilderness towards Whitewater Preserve, an old trout hatchery bought by a nonprofit organization. We ended up meeting "Jesus" aka Gary the holy man at the trail junction a mile away from the preserve. It didn't take long for Jesus to start preaching about the Love of God. Had it been someone else, our eyes would have started to roll, but his kind and gentle spirit was welcomed company. Gary joined our decent down to the 1/2 mile detour to the hatchery where his truck was parked. The trail towards the trout preserve was so beautiful and well manicured compared to the dirt trail prior. The soft grey sand, tall grass and white river rocks bordering the trail were kind to the eyes and mind. As we approached the park, two massive palm trees TOWERED the entrance as if we were entering the golden gate of heaven.... with Jesus by our side ha ha. This was the epitome of a hiker oasis. There was grass, shady trees and picnic benches to eat at, a cold river and wading pool to cool off in, huge rocks with inspiring quotes, a beautifully built ranger station that took PCT hiker garbage(another luxury), and peaceful rainbow trout to observe along your walk around the park. We spent a couple hours soaking in the scene and bathing in the cool river before we headed our way. Luckily most of terrain after the preserve was up in the cool pine mountains. We made pretty good mileage after the first day out of Cabazon(Ziggy and Bears). We took a couple nero days(low mileage days) in Big Bear. We didn't want waste our 2nd day in town with no miles under foot, so we decided to slack pack and bang out 10 miles. Our borrowed pack(compliments of Big Bear Hostel. Thank you Greyson! You ROCK!!!) weighed less then 10lbs. OoEE! After Big Bear we continued on towards Cajon, a rest stop in the middle of NOWHERE California. On the way, we opted to avoid the "recommended detour" so we didn't miss Deep Hot Springs, a must do! Arriving at the springs was a moment of utter relief. We were so hot by the time we got there from hiking in the heat all morning; we immediately stripped down to take a dip in the deep creek, next to the hot springs. It was Awh-mazing! Apparently the hot springs were clothing optional, which took us by surprise. WHOA, naked guy popping out of the bushes! It didn't take long for our minds to adjust and it seem... mostly normal. The next day we had another "Awh-mazing" siesta at Silverwood Lake. Like the day before, the heat was breathing down our backs and just when we couldn't take in any longer, we approached the top of the hill and set our eyes on the most beautiful sight.... WATER!!!!!! The bright blue lake pierced our eyes with pure happiness. Not too far off the trail was a small inviting beach, where we joined Hono and Cocoa(our new hiker companions) to cool and wash off the much needed salt off our bodies. We made it into Cajon the next morning in great time. We have been feeling a lot better about our hiking capabilities now that we have been completing around 20 miles a day. The endurance and appetite have really kicked in; it’s our foot disabilities that are a pain in the mind. Come on and HEAL ALREADY! We spent a little more time then we should have at Mc Donald’s. YES, Mc Donald’s! Apparently it’s the thing(only thing) to do before you trek towards Wrightwood. We stocked up on snacks at the mini mart and indulged in the sinful egg McMuffins and deluxe breakfast at the golden arches before we strapped on our loaded water filled packs, heading out on our 22 mile waterless stretch. To our surprise there was an incredible cache 5 miles in, with a free standing pantry filled with sparkling lemon water, granola bars, coconut water, first aid kit and lawn chairs in the shade. These wonderful trail angels continue to blow our minds. Thank you! We finally made it into Wrightwood yesterday with the intent of going food shopping and heading back out to do a couple more miles. BUT!...we got caught up with some friends and had lunch, took a shower at a trail angels 1920's farm house, shopping ended later than expected and before we knew it we were sleeping on a mattress in our own room! When we awoke this morning, to our surprise, we found that the other ankle had blown up like a balloon. AWHHHH.... why does this keep happening?!!! When one problem gets somewhat better, another one arises. Can we get a break yet? Sigh... so we are icing and elevating, updating the blog, pictures and seeing if we can't make it out today and complete a couple slow and easy miles before our hike up to 9,000 feet... in a 4 miles stretch. YEAH! Wish us luck!

P.S. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOMS AND GRANDMUMMIES!!!!!! WE HEART YOU!!!!!!