This is Sunday and was suppose to be a day of rest in Big Bear, but I was still 13 miles from Big Bear. In the tent I was trying to make a decision. Should I stay in the tent and just rest for the day or should I push on to Big Bear and try to catch a late Mass. I thought this day was suppose to be repeat of yesterday with a cold miserable day, a possibility of snow, and a night below freezing again. Based on this I decided I really should get up and walk. Turns out the forecast was the same AS yesterday and not for today. The day turned out to be a beautiful clear and fairly warm day and it was a nice hike into Big Bear. I was not at all sure where I was going to stay in Big Bear. I figured it was going to be the Big Bear Hostel but they were not answering their phone and they has posted signs on the trail that there was not room at the hostel for the 24th and 25th. No mention was made of the 26th. Also on the trail was an advertisement for the International Travel Hostel which offered a discount to hikers and provided both an evening meal and a morning breakfast as no charge. I called them but they also did not respond to my call. So there was a little uncertainty during the day but I figured someone in Big Bear there would be a room open that I could stay at. About 4 miles from Big Bear I ran into 2 young ladies walking the trail from Big Bear. They both had backpacks on and were actually walking towards the PCT hikers to offer them some refreshment. They had juice drinks, candy bars, and beer. I opted for a juice drink and it is really amazing how such a little thing can lift you up and propel you forward. I figured if I had a beer, I would just lay down on the trail and go to sleep and tomorrow they would find me frozen to the trail. They told most hikers were opting for the juice drink rather than the beer. Below is a picture of the magic they gave me. I saved the can and took a picture of it later at the hostel.
The PCT intersects HWY 18 about four miles from Bear City and 9 miles from Bear Lake. As I reached Hwy 18 there was a car operated by Papa Smurf (one of the next big Trail Angels) and he was bringing 3 people back to the PCT to continue the hike. He asked if he could pray over the hikers, they said yes, and he said a little prayer for their safety and that they would enjoy what they experienced. I was very moved by this. I would have like to stay at his place but his place was like Ziggy and the Bear’s with only an open area. I asked if he had ear plugs and he did not and so my snoring paranoia kept me from going to his place. He taxied me to the International Hostel which has private rooms for $25 a night. Papa Smurf said he wanted to get a look at the place. I gave him a good donation for doing that for me and will probably send him more later to further his ministry of helping PCT hikers.
The hostel was a comfortable and an interesting place. The free dinner they had that night was BBQ. Great. So what was set on the table for dinner was BBQ hot dogs, BBQ hamburgers, BBQ chicken. I had 1, 2, 2 respectively. There was nothing else on the table and so a balanced dinner it was not but it was good and I enjoyed it. The next day, Monday, I spent the day getting resupplied for my next section. Lenora was not able to be at Big Bear but sent a package to the Big Bear Hostel which I picked up. While there they gave me a hard time for not staying with them. I explained I tried but since they refused to answer their phone and posted messages about no room being available I did not even check. They finally admitted that they were closed for the whole weekend. However they said they would give me a ride back to the trail when I was ready. The hostel had dozens of inspiration sayings taped all over the lodge. Here is an example of one:
