Town day today, and that means a hectic blur of a day. Resupply, laundry, shower, and eating as much town food as physically possible. It’s hard to overstate how chaotic things can get on a town day. There’s many hikers from multiple familiar groups with different plans and nobody knows really where we are.

As we were packing up camp, a photographer showed up and we got talking about our trip. He also told us about a charity event on this morning for the Make A Wish Foundation. 100 participants started at 4 am to hike 28 miles, and our trailhead is the halfway point. The first guy was a Navy Seal and steamed through our camp at a blistering pace.

Down at the road, we hitched into town, literally the third car driving past picked us up. On the way to town, we learned about another event happening this weekend called the Spartan Race. Participants run a 14 mile course filled with challenges and obstacles. Our driver was one of the participants and was heading to town for the race.

Once in town, I was able to store my pack at the hostel, even though I was too early for check in. I booked at ITH Big Bear Hostel, the same group I stayed with in San Diego and they had the same cool vibe. Without my heavy pack, I was able to roam, and I headed to Grizzly Manor Cafe.

Grizzly Manor is a legendary spot. The breakfast portions are absolutely huge. I ordered the Polar Bear breakfast, which came with two gigantic pancakes, each the size of a pizza. Along with the pancakes, there was a huge pile of fried potato hash, 2 eggs and rasher bacon. Coffee refills are free here too.

The huge breakfast filled me up all day, unfortunate really because I had so many other places I wanted to try. After breakfast, I headed out to start my resupply. All the buses here are free, which makes getting around so much easier, and I rode one about 10 minutes out to the grocery store.

I’m slowly getting better at recognizing the different foods and brands here, but it’s still a bit of a challenge. I managed to get 6-7 days worth of food, and then tried to eat a burger from the place over the road. I’d heard good things about the spot, Get The Burger, and so I gave it a go. The burger was great, just what I need after a week’s hiking, but I was still full from breakfast, and I just couldn’t get through the last two bites, despite trying for 20 minutes.

I practically rolled out the door, and decided to get an Uber back to the hostel since the next bus was nearly half an hour away. On the way back, we were talking about the PCT, and the driver asked if I’ve got a trail name. When I told him they call me Skillet, he yells out loud and said he’d had hikers telling him about me. He was especially happy when I showed him the supplies I got to cook on my first proper night out of town – not steak this time, but I’ll keep it a surprise.

Once I’d sorted my stuff at the hostel, the afternoon was getting on a bit, so I decided to check out a local bar. The AV Club in Big Bear caught my eye as I was walking through town and was also recommended to me by one of the people at the hostel, so I headed over there. When I got inside I saw that it was a real local spot, the bar staff are friendly and talkative, and before long I’m also chatting with a few locals too. I spent the evening here and got back to the hostel around 11 pm, quite late for a hiker.