SC Route - Day 1

98.2 Miles - 7805 Ft climbing 

We arrived in Idyllwild around 5pm, checked into the comfy Idyllwild Inn, loaded bags on our bikes, grabbed some pizza, and tried not to acknowledge to our bodies what we were about to subject them to. Because the weather forecast was hot, we decided on bivvy sacks over tents and left behind some warmer clothing options. Our hope was 4-6 days to do the route. Cutting weight and bulk makes the riding so much easier.

Saturday morning we woke fairly early, drove our car to a friend’s place where we had been offered a safe place to park for several days (thanks Brendan!). Then we hopped on our bikes and headed out. The morning was crisp, but the route starts up hill so we warmed up quickly. Soon we were on two-track and single track, but not without some navigational issues. It quickly became apparent that Sarah’s GPS device was flaking out. Since we’re riding together, Ed will mainly navigate. Of course we have the route on our phones too, less convenient, but a backup. 

After descending down to Lake Hemet, we pedaled up Little Thomas Mountain. The road seemed better than in the past. We had clouds of gnats around our heads most of the way, but, thankfully, they don’t bite. 

Soon we were in Anza where we replenished our water and electrolytes at the circle K. Only one dog chased us up the dirt roads past Terwilliger, and fortunately he was a little guy who wasn’t too motivated to catch us. We bypassed the Sunshine Market, having just filled our bottles in Anza, and set off over the Land of 1000 False Summits. The wildflower show was good, and the fast, paved roads down to Warner Springs much appreciated.

In Warner Springs, the gas station quickie mart was closed, so we topped up our water bottles at the fire station spigot and made a pit stop at the community center across the road. Several PCT hikers were there. It’s high season for the PCT; we were told only 50 people can start a day to minimize impact on the trail,

Josie’s Hideout Saloon was closed, so we headed up Mesa Grande with views of Lake Henshaw, then down the Black Canyon afterwards. This is almost the same timeline as when Sarah rode with Mike Ingram 2 years ago during the official SC400 event, but not a single whiff of skunk down the black canyon. Mike would be astonished, I’m sure. Two years ago it was the skunkiest stretch of road known to mankind.

We detoured into Ramona, avoiding the busy highway 78 descent by following the Ramona Alternate, hoping to snag a hotel room. We were pretty cold for a long while, crossing flowing water before we rolled into Ramona. We had no cell service for a couple hours until we got there, and unfortunately the Ramona Inn was full. We grabbed a fast food dinner while we debated our options: A cold, long ride to Escondido, stealth camp on the way though options were unknown, or the state park. Ultimately we decided to go a couple miles off route to Dos Picos State Park, a lovely and large campground with huge trees, showers, tons of families and kids (we found out the next morning). It was a good call. We rolled in around 11pm after a long day that took more out of us than expected. It was cold, and we second-guessed our decisions to leave warm clothes behind.