We hiked this in April of 2014. I originally posted each day individually but later compiled them according to section for convenience.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step” -Chinese Proverb
Campo to Hauser Mountain:
Campo to Hauser Mountain:
Great afternoon hike and the trail did provided.
We arranged to leave our car at the nearby store in Campo and then we hiked into the monument and began our little adventure.
We saw more flowers than we thought we'd see on the whole hike and a panoramic view from the southern terminus, where we both had expected it to be a dreary dusty hole next to the border fence. The fence itself we've nicknamed the Great Fence of America. It is artistic in the way it carves into the landscape. Its almost like a sculpture and it I s the biggest thing around. It dominates.
We also saw a racer snake, ravens, birds, horny toads, lizards and the wide trail of a very big snake. Very wide. Ominously wide.
We didn’t expect to see granite either. All in all, a very surprising and wonderful day.
We provided a little trail magic to a young couple. Mark gave them his dirty girl gaiters, and water and our-probably unwanted - advice.
Now we sit on Hauser Mountain at 11.8 miles. Great day, we feel good.
Hauser Mountain Rescue:
Our day started with a bit of excitement. We were just beginning the climb out of Hauser Canyon when firetrucks came in on the dirt road. They turned on their sirens when they saw us and we had a momentary panic thinking that we had accidentally pushed our "help" button on our rescue device.
We found the intended patient a dehydrated person almost at the top of the 800 foot climb and there were firefighters that had hiked in from Lake Morena with him. One helicopter landed while another, what we presume was the news, hovered nearby. Hauser Canyon had swallowed up and spit out another hiker. We are glad it wasn't anything too serious and hope he wants to hike again. We were told he was a new hiker and not quite prepared for this endeavor.
At our pizza and beer lunch today, at a little place along the way, (compliments of Luckystrike), we realized we had hiked 20 miles in a little less than 24 hours. We had a celebratory kiss. Then tonight while eating our dinner we realized we hiked about 19 miles today. Wow. Those are big miles for us. My feet ache a little. All together, since around lunch yesterday, we've hiked just about 31 miles.
The terrain is not Sierra steep, it is not too difficult, but there are many little ups and downs. There are the occasional Mary Poppins moments when a gust of wind sends me and my umbrella soaring. Mark appears to have enough ballast to keep his feet solidly on the ground.
We saw a rattlesnake on the trail today, but it slithered quickly away. The wildflowers still posed gloriously alongside the trail, and I, as a their dutiful paparazzi, took their photo. The stars overhead tonight shine brighter than the casino lights a couple thousand feet below us and all is well in our world.
I'm taking lots of pics on my camera, but am unable to upload them at this time. At the end of our hike I'll do a photo montage of our hike. For now, a photo a day taken by this phone will have to do.
Mt. Laguna:
We made it to Mount Laguna today, mile 43. It was a nice, easy, 13 mile hike, as we did the biggest climb first thing in the morning.
We began our day with some sun salutations, just as the rising sun cleared the ridge. Glorious. Then we took off hiking without coffee. A few hours up the trail we had our coffee and a meal. It seems to be a good idea and one that we shall likely try to continue.
A few less flowers were posing along the trail, but more manzanita, buck brush and other bushes. The trail today was baseball sized cobbles that were a little hard on our feet.
We met a half dozen south bound hikers heading to the PCT kickoff. We played leap frog with Stan from Anchorage who is hiking half of the PCT this year and the other half next year. Seems like a nice guy. We met trail angel Jackalope and her 6 year old son Bear Bait. We met David who is preparing for a future PCT hike. We met up again with Jen (the gal Mark gave his gaiters to) and her hiking partner Rob. We've been leap frogging with them and enjoy their company. It's fun meeting new people.
Super Dave at the Mt. Laguna Sports Store is super awesome. We bought a couple more pairs of socks as we gave some away along the trail. (We just tend to do crazy stuff like that). If you are in Mt. Laguna, go to his store for gear. It is packed full of quality gear and Dave knows his stuff and is quite the salesman. I mentioned having some pain in my foot and he took one look at my high arches and set me up with some insoles for my shoes. He said I was setting myself up for some plantar fasciitis, if I kept walking with unsupported feet.
Abruptly, and unfortunately, a fever and sore throat overtook me as we were getting some grub at the store. Luckily, we have a cabin for the night and hopefully I'll be better tomorrow after a breakfast at the Pine Tavern and Cafe and be able to again start striding north. If not, we will book a room for another night. You just gotta go with the flow.
Mount Laguna to Sunrise Trailhead:
Woke up with only a bit of a sore throat, so we decided to hit the trail. We left the 6000 foot Mt. Laguna and its piney woods at about 9 am. Soon we came to a burned area and the real magic began. Out of the ashes wildflowers were vibrant and glittery. The air sparkled clear and the trail was gently meandering downhill. Birds sang. It was joyous and is a good reminder that out of a disaster, such as a forest fire, good can overcome.
Later we traversed around the rim of Anza Borrego. It was surreal to be perched on a trail overlooking this rugged area. The valley floor was about 4000 feet below us and some peaks on the far side jutted up to close to 7000 feet. It kind of looked like it was fake, or a hollogram.
Now we are nestled in our tent at mile 59.5 on a bit of steep slope. We might toboggan down the hill with a big gust of wind. Okay, not really that steep. About a 17 mile day of gorgeous terrain and cool temperatures. Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings and I hope the contact dermatitis I got on my ankles, goes away soon. The itch is driving me crazy. Well, crazier than normal.
Scissor Crossing:
First of all, I forgot to mention that we had our first trail magic yesterday. Walkie Talkie flew 7000 miles to give us and other hikers a soda at Pioneer Trail picnic area. He was a PCT thru hiker last year and came back to share wisdom and cold drinks this year, as well as attend the PCT kickoff event. This was very nice. Thank you very much.
Today was a bit more barren, although we got to see some beautiful blooms on cactus. The wind too gave us a good show. We were only able to use the umbrella for 30 minutes or so.
The first 9 miles were relatively easy to Rodriquez Spring, then the next 8 miles to Scissors Crossing were a bit difficult. While the trail eventually went down 1800 feet,it kept going up and in the wrong direction and this really played with our brains.
Yesterday, Buddy said it best, "the surveyor of this trail must have been drunk as that is the only explanation for why it meanders the way it does."
We hiked off and on with Stan from Anchorage and are camping with him tonight in the middle of a sticker patch. We are sleeping without our air mattresses because we were pretty sure they wouldn't make it through the night. It’s been a long time since we slept on the ground, so it might be a long night. It doesn't help that we are right by a busy road too. We had to camp here though because a storm is blowing in and it would be foolhardy to head up the trail with high wind warnings in effect.
It will all work out, I'm sure, and we will get some sleep and be able to head out and up in the morning.
Third Gate:
Quick post. Crazy windy, stormy night, and we didn't start hiking up and out of scissors crossing until noon because the guys decided to hitch to the RV place. Alrighty then. We are currently at a place called Third Gate after 14 miles of walking a ledge like trail with panoramic views. Good day of hiking in cool weather. Still hiking with Stan. He retired from US Fish and Wildlife in April 1st and is enjoying the trail without a schedule to keep. Solid guy.
Battery running low in my phone, but we should be able to recharge it tomorrow at Warners Springs.
Warner Springs:
Beautiful day hiking 18 miles into Warner Springs. The first 10 miles were along ridges with brush covered hills. We had a cool breeze with fog rolling across distant mountains. It was nearly perfect if not for my gastric distress and a bit of foot soreness. Mark is going strong - like bull.
From Barrel Springs to Warners Springs it was an 8 mile walk in the park. It looked a lot like the set from Little House on the Prairie. Oak woodlands and rolling prairie with small babbling brooks. Eagle Rock was pretty darn cool. It is a large rocky jumble on a rise in the prairie and looks remarkably like an eagle with wings outstretched.
Warner Springs Resource Center is pretty much right on the trail across from the fire station and has hot showers and serves breakfast and lunch. We missed out today on the meals but will catch breakfast in the morning before hitting the trail. It is fun visiting with all the hikers hanging around here.
I think we've now completed section A of the Southern California PCT and we've been pleasantly surprised by the diversity of trail and flora. The open space and big sky has been expansive for our souls and the people along the trail pleasant company.
It is hot. Currently triple digits at 109. Time to cool off in a shower.
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