My 46th day was nearly the end of my 2023 PCT experience, as a stifling heat wave bore down on me while I hiked through the stunning Deep Creek canyon, where I passed by Deep Creek Hot Springs and camped at the Mojave River Dam.
From PCT mile 298.5 to 313.1 Total: 14.5 miles 11/3
As always, I woke up in the dark. The nights were long, and I could only sleep so much. But I still took the time to cook up a hot breakfast of oatmeal, and drank a protein powder mixture to keep my muscles strong. It tasted good, anyway, whether it helped or not. Vicki and I hiked this section of trail back in 2016, and we really liked it, so I was looking forward to it this time. I finished packing my gear and headed out at first light. I had no intention of night hiking in this beautiful region. I might miss something!
Yesterday, the PCT went almost due west, along Holcomb Creek, but today it would be following Deep Creek, which initially traveled northward. The valley was deep (hence the name) and it meandered quite a bit. After a few miles, it would gently curve around toward the northwest, and finally resume the westerly course that would continue for another 150 miles. Meanwhile, the trail itself was carved into the side of the canyon, midway between the water and the plateau up above. It was impossible to camp on this slope, but that was OK. It was the views that really mattered, and I was happy to take plenty of photos as I hiked along.
The trail descended to creek-level after three miles of hiking. Vicki and I ate dinner here, and almost spent the night, except that the sign says it is for Day Use Only. Vicki is a stickler for rules, so we didn’t stay long, but many PCT hikers camp here every year. There are a number of great tent spots across the way.
As the morning wore on, the sun climbed higher, and eventually made it down to me on the PCT. It was warm, all right. But I was hiking downhill, so there was no real problem, not yet. It did, however, light up the oaks, cottonwoods, and sycamore (California Maple) trees down along the soggy riverbed. This color really made the photos pop, which was good because there weren’t any clouds. Photographers like clouds, but would gladly accept colorful leaves in a pinch. I hiked on, snapping photos like mad.
I reached the halfway point of my hike an hour or so before noon. Willow Creek was the place that I decided would be my water source for the day. Unlike Deep Creek, whose waters come from areas inhabited by humans, Willow Creek’s watershed was much smaller. I felt that this creek was less likely to be contaminated with anything detrimental, and would also be easier to collect and purify. I was right. There were trees there, with plenty of shade, and a pleasant little waterfall, perfect for filling my gallon water jug. I decided to eat lunch here while I waited for the Aquamira Chlorine drops to do their work, pointlessly purifying already pure water. I read my Kindle as I ate my Pop Tart, sitting on a comfy boulder with my feet in the soft sand. Very relaxing. In fact, I didn’t want to leave. But I had to, eventually. Nothing is forever.
The trail climbed once again, high above the creek, and the creek dropped away as well. I hiked a couple more miles and was within range of the “Warm Spring” that was listed on the USFS Topographic Map. I had never seen this spring until now. I thought it was just a dribble of water from the other side of the canyon, but no. Right down near the water was a walled-in pool, suitable for a few friends to bathe in relative privacy while the hordes of others converged on the Hot Springs, two miles downstream. Nice! I felt like I had extraordinary powers of perception, but I know that it was pure luck. There were a lot of motocross-like trails up above it, but nothing obvious. Now I knew.
A few weeks earlier, I made a test hike down to Deep Creek Hot Springs from the highway up above, near Lake Arrowhead. I decided to avoid weekend crowds and camped upstream a ways, just around the corner. Out of sight, out of mind. That hike worked (my feet survived) and that’s why I was here, hiking again in the Fall, making up for the parts I missed last May.
That’s also why I didn’t spend a lot of time at the Hot Springs this round. The temperature was already roasting, and the sun was strong. Who wanted to go in a tub of steaming water under those conditions? Not me. But I took some photos, and spoke to a young couple that backpacked in from the PCT trailhead five miles north of here. They weren’t SOBO thru hikers, just regular hot pool lovers. There were several people there, some nude, some not. A relaxed scene, but too hot on a hot day, like I said.
So on I hiked. The trail climbed back up again, far away from the creek. It was too steep and rocky near the water for a trail, especially if you didn’t want your trail ripped out by Spring flooding, or flash floods due to stationary Summer thunderstorms. A mile later, the path dropped back down again. This time it was to cross Deep Creek on the lovely arched Rainbow Bridge. This was a delicate arched span of steel and wooden planks, and people had painted rainbow colors along the edges. Hence the name. I really like this bridge.
Last time we were here, Vicki and I hid down below under the cottonwood trees for about six hours on a particularly hot Spring day. There were frogs and small fish in the water, but mostly we just waited around until it got cooler in the afternoon. It was almost that hot today, but I didn’t want to wait. I had four more miles to hike and I wanted to get them done. After the bridge, the PCT followed the path of an old water flume that folks in Hesperia constructed in order to get water out of Deep Creek before it sank into the sand after joining the Mojave River. The flume is extinct now, but the lovely flat path remains. Easy hiking. But hot. I was almost down to 3000 feet elevation.
The trail rounded a corner, and there it was before me: The Mojave Forks Dam. This was one of those massive earthen structures created by the Army Corps of Engineers, the men who literally move mountains to keep Nature contained. This entire dam was created in order to protect the cities of Hesperia, Victorville, and even Barstow (over 100 miles away) from flash flooding out of Deep Creek. Supposedly, it able to withstand a hundred-year anomalous weather event. According to Wikipedia, it was found to be unstable in 2019, and may fail under insane flooding conditions.
The only condition that mattered to me was the heat. I took a look at the dam, and there was a dark patch of shade within the spillway. Oh, how I lusted after that deep, cool shade. I decided, as I hiked along, that I might camp right on the concrete. I would decide when I got there.
I sat down and rested in the shade when I got there. I checked my phone and I had cell signal. I texted Vicki, then decided to call her. We hadn’t spoken in days. It felt good to be done with my day, but I had to admit that I was getting worried about the following two days, which would be at or below my current elevation. In this heat it could be dangerous to hike, due to the risk of heat stroke. She said that she could come and get me if I wanted, but not until I swore that this would be the end of my attempt at finishing the Desert Section, as it wouldn’t be fair to ask her to drive all this way another time. She had already been amazingly supportive of my entire PCT thru hike. I told her that I would sleep on it, and call her in the morning if I really wanted to bail out.
I hung out and read my book. A group of SOBO hikers came by and looked at me funny. Wasn’t it too early to stop hiking? Of course it was, if you were a 20+ miles/day hiking machine like them. They were planning on hiking five more miles to the Hot Springs. This sounded like a great plan for an evening’s enjoyment, and I wished them well. Then I read my Kindle and generally hung out until dinner time. After eating, as I headed to bed, I decided to wake up early and reassess my situation. We would see what a new morning indicated.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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