[pct-l] detailed conditions report: Idyllwild to Big Bear

[Jon Smith]

Hi all, 
I'm zeroing in Big Bear today, so I thought I'd report on conditions since Idyllwild. Some of this has already been passed on by JJ. What follows may be more than people want to know, but hey, except for a few day hikers at Whitewater and crossing paths with Freefall yesterday, I haven't seen a SOUL on the trail and might be a little gabby from people-deprivation. The security guard at Snow Creek said I was the 12th northbounder he'd seen this year--I'd expected maybe a bit more company by now. 
Some good news about snow (for a change): If you take the Black Mountain Road alternate, you will have no trouble with snow anywhere from Idyllwild to Big Bear. There are a few ten-foot stretches to trudge or sometimes posthole through, mainly between Mission Springs and Coon Creek Jumpoff, but that's it. I had ice axe and microspikes, and never needed either. When I rejoined the PCT from Black Mountain Road on April 21, it still didn't look as though anyone had tried Fuller Ridge; at least, I couldn't see any tracks. BMR was a pretty clear dividing line: above, nonstop untrammeled snow; below, just those 10' nuisance stretches. Certainly, looking back from the ridge above Mission Creek yesterday, the north side of Fuller Ridge is still plenty snow-covered. 
Water: there is still plenty, even on the long stretch down from Fuller Ridge to Snow Creek (stream around mile 198.5 or so, which you cross a few times later). The cache under I-10 had maybe a gallon and a half, though sadly I found no legendary cooler with sodas! The folks at the wind farm are awesome and had water and lots of goodies for sale--I had a soda, ice cream, a pizza AND a chimichanga. The Whitewater Preserve was a great place to spend the night. Mission Creek is still running pretty strong. The spring at Mission Springs is booming and easier to find now that somebody has spray-painted giant "H20" markers in yellow with arrows! The Nature's Inn cache had a couple of gallons and looked well maintained. Springs are booming around Arrastre Trail Camp; in fact, the trail itself is currently running with water around there. 
Blowdowns: there are quite a few, especially between Mission Springs and Big Bear. Some you have to take your pack off to get around. Horses, it'll be a while. 
Other trail conditions: the middle 6-8 miles of the long switchbacky descent off Fuller Ridge are still in pretty shameful condition--overgrown and deteriorating--but it's generally more a nuisance than an actual obstacle. My knees are pretty scratched up from that stretch. Conversely, the trail is practically manicured for a good ten or twelve miles north of Whitewater Preserve, i.e., most of the way up Mission Creek. Awesome trail crews there. With the wildflowers, some stretches could be in a gardening magazine. 
Wind: is bad. I nearly got blown off my feet several times from halfway down the Fuller Ridge switchbacks and on across San Gorgonio Pass, and I weight close to 200 without pack. At Whitewater, which is not in a super-exposed location, several car campers had their tents blown down and a few had their tent poles actually broken. The campsites in the upper reaches of Mission Creek (miles 235 and 240) offer the first really sheltered locations you're likely to find after Black Mountain Road. 
Oh, and the outermost fence around the animal cages has been crushed by blowdowns in several places--mildly disturbing when you're being watched by Bengal tigers.... 
Cheers, 
Devil 
PS--about that Black Mountain Road alternate: If you can slackpack the dangerous roadwalk from Idyllwild to Black Mountain Road, I highly recommend it. It's what I did, thanks to JJ, who is an AWESOME trail angel, and I felt much safer because I could more nimbly get out of the way of oncoming traffic (shoulders are minimal). For those stretches where there was no shoulder at all, I could even jog through them, minimizing my time spent there (kind of like an avalanche zone--you get through as fast as possible--).