Started: Big Bear Lake (266.0)
Ended: Stealth Camp (280.0)
Total: 14.0 Trail Miles, 5 Alternate Miles

I woke up in the middle of the night with my butt on the ground. My air mattress was no longer inflated. I had some issues with it before, but I assumed it had to do with the low temperatures at night. It was dark, so I couldn’t determine where the leak is.

I used my backpack as a temporary mattress with my camp seat for my hips. I finally fell asleep and woke up fine. I guess I’m sleeping on the ground for the next hitch.

We had a long no water carry of 17 miles. It also included an alternative trail avoiding a burnout area where arsenic has been found in the soil. The alternative trail was quite terrible to climb. It was designed for off road vehicles and consisted of rocks and other rubble. Little John has done a much better job and his morale has improved!

Once we completed the alternative trail the main trail was quite pleasant. We moved quickly, had nice breaks, and wonderful views.

We wanted to walk at least 15 miles today, however we ran into a really beautiful campsite. While our goal is to get to Canada, sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses.

Little John, Fishtank, and I had a wonderful dinner, told jokes, and had time to get some chores done.

My chore was the find the hole in my air mattress. After blowing it up, twisting it, and listening (which is hard to do when the wind is blowing), I found the leak. It is in the seam. It is a critical failure. I use my patch kit to try to fix it, but I don’t expect it to work. In the meantime, I am borrowing a mattress. I can buy a new one in Wrightwood.

Candace, now named Mammoth camped with us later.

Tomorrow looks to be a pleasant day. The trail is almost all downhill. So we’re going to aim for 19 miles.