Heading west of Big Bear. Right before camp Maddie walks unaware within inches of this guy who is right next to the trail:

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​Spent the night at Bench Camp. There were these monster pine cones, I thought they were sugar pine cones, but they are Coulter pine cones.

Ran into a bunch of ORV'ers. Gnarly looking road they were tackling. It reminds me of a phase my brother Kevin went through with his jeep. Though not quite as extreme.

The next morning we were off early and walked out of the Holcomb Creek drainage and into Deep Creek canyon and followed that all day.

Mid-day there was a helicopter circling down-canyon and using their bullhorn to say something, which we could not understand. But it was clearly not us they were trying to communicate with. We finally saw them land and pick someone up. So either a medical issue or some Hollywood film.

The landscape was changing as we were dropping out of the mountains all day and heading into the desert. Back up into the mountains next. Ah, the ups and downs of the PCT.

The affects of the drought in California are obvious everywhere you see reservoirs (or former reservoirs).

That night we get to sleep in a bed. Thanks to Susan for the lift and Abbey and Alex for the accomodations!