Idyllwild to Big Bear via San Jacinto
A lighter pack, San Jacinto without our bags, and a descent that seemed to go on forever.
By Jeffrey “Atlas” Combs · walked May 11–17, 2021 · published · updated
I left Idyllwild with a Hyperlite pack and about nine pounds less gear to carry. My feet had already had enough of the original setup. Carrying it all for eight or nine hours a day made every bit of extra weight pretty obvious.
We skipped Apache Spring and stretched the water we had to Tahquitz. The group was sick and sore, and we stopped on Fuller Ridge around mile 166.6.
On day 14 we left our packs and went up San Jacinto. “It was fun but cost a lot of time.” There was still a long way down afterward.
Quoted lines are from my 2021 logs, verbatim.
That day came to 23.4 miles on Strava, summit and descent included. I described the downhill in a message: “longest down hill ever too. Goddamn it loses elevation slow.” We camped around mile 200.5.
The cooler at I-10 was empty. Fly was off trail with a bad leg, but he bought food for me in Palm Springs and drove the group from the Snow Creek gate to a store. The bill for my resupply was $21.
Day 15 brought the Mesa Wind Farm hut, with ice water, shade and wifi, then Whitewater Preserve. I got into Big Bear on day 18 and stayed at a hostel. By then I was talking about how much the original pack weight had shocked my feet. “marginal gains over 8-9 hour days add up.”
The food, then and now
I had a pita-and-avocado lunch coming out of Idyllwild, with BBQ chips and vegan jerky. I was cooking too. Fly’s resupply helped get me through to Big Bear, where I got a green juice at a coffee place. I still don’t remember its name.
For a meal in Big Bear now, Himalayan Restaurant lists tofu and vegetable dishes. Ask about dairy in the sauce and bread. Hikers reported vegan meals there in October 2022; the May 2023 report of a vegan thali was for Masala Craft, a different restaurant. Menu checked October 8, 2026.
