SoCal SnoCal

So we finished the sierras, on to the home stretch of the PCT, where as our friend Andy (whom we met in Washington section K) might say “I’ve heard the PCT is entirely down hill from here.” Short resupplies, light packs, easy walking, warm weather in desert right? Not entirely…

Mount Baden Powel is the first of several notable peaks in the Southern California section of the PCT. Its summit reaches 9407 feet, high enough to collect over a foot of snow in the early winter weather two weeks ago. Aware of the snowy conditions, we planned to summit in the late afternoon (requiring two of our biggest days on trail yet!) in the hope that the day of warm sun would soften the icier patches and leave us with easier walking. Unfortunately, it was The coldest day on our forecast, and due to the short daylight, fresh ice was already forming on our way down! Putting our confident trail legs to good use, we carefully navigated the slippery switchbacks safely (with the exception of one humbling fall straight on my butt 🤕😬) until we returned to the familiar PCT ground (we missed it!). One major SoCal summit down! Now we have our eyes set on Mt. San Jacinto, rising over 10,000 feet, and commanding over 6,000 feet of trail climbing, but one step at a time! Currently we are recuperating in cozy laundry pajamas in a cute cabin in Wrightwood - this will be one of our most challenging town departures on the trail (despite being one of our shortest food carries yet!).

Next stop is a notable one: Cajon Pass, boasting the only McDonalds walkable from the PCT, and an exciting trail challenge. 366 miles to go!