PCT Day 14 – Snow Day

I slept well last night even though the ground under my bed was high in middle and low at my head and feet. The mound of red ants outside my tent door failed to marshal an attack on me in the night. Overall, I consider myself lucky.

I have three liters of water with me in camp. I can drink one before we start hiking and have two to get me through to the first water source 6.5 miles away. However, after yesterday’s troubles on the trail, I am leery of any plan that I make.

The plan

We are going into Idyllwild today. Double Deluxe (Keith) has booked an Air B&B for two nights. The side trail to town is only (?!) 8.5 miles away. The side trail is goes 2.7 miles to a parking lot that leads to town. Unfortunately, these short hikes have proven exceptionally difficult.

We are climbing up San Jacinto ascending to 8400 feet. We will drop to 8100 feet to collect water. Then we will temporarily go up to 8600 feet before dropping down to the side trail to Idyllwild.

The early trail

As we begin hiking, the city of Palm Springs is in the valley to the east of us. The sun is rising for them, too.

The trail is rocky up here. It reminds me of the Northern California ranges. Thankfully the air temperatures remain low. A slight breeze keeps our sweating to a minimum.

The ridge we are ascending is narrow and steep. The trail switches back and forth between the east and west sides of the ridge.

I begin to see scattered snow patches in the northern exposures of the ridge. Melt water from these patches seeps across the trail.

Distractions

The hiking would be very fine except for the numerous blow-downs. Blow-downs are trees that have fallen down across the trail. This area has been severely damaged by fire leaving thousands of standing or fallen dead trees near the trail. No crews have been up here lately to clear these trees, making the trail a gauntlet of obstacles.

Carrying a backpack is awkward. Clambering over, under and around fallen trees is awkward and dangerous. Falling off the log or down the slope is always possible, so great care is necessary. Often we have to help each other. We started using gymnastics terms for each blow down. Pommel horse for ones you had to swing over, balance beam for those you had to climb on and walk down, uneven bars for those you had to swing under.

The net affect was that our hiking pace is cut in half. I also get a chance to air out some select expletives. Keith never swears. Who doesn’t swear? I can’t understand it.

We also see our first poodle dog bush. These bushes are highly toxic and produce an immediate and intense pain if touched. The trail associations try to remove these plants, but they come back. They are especially prolific in formerly burned areas because they have deep roots. Their leaves look like a puffy poodle tail.

No business like snow business

As we get above 8100 feet, we start to encounter small snow patches across the trail. At first they are kind of novel. “Take my picture,” Keith says.

But soon these patches cover not just the trail but all the land above 8200 feet.

Until a few days ago, the trail up here was too dangerous to travel for anyone with no mountaineering skill. They trail was essentially obliterated. And even if you could find the trail, a slip could send you sliding down a slope with rocks or trees or a cliff at the end.

When the trail is covered with several feet of snow, folks tend to make their own trail where traveling is easiest. This makes following the actual trail hard. Our maps show where the trail is supposed to be, but the route that people take across the snow doesn’t match up. We spent a lot of time with our GPS out. I would walk ahead looking for footsteps or other signs of the trail and Keith would tell me where the trail should be.

In one particular place where multiple trails converged, we were fortunate enough to find this writing in the snow.

Walking in the footsteps of others can keep you from having to break your own trail. The risk of sliding down a slope are less too when you follow other footsteps. But slipping does still happen and Keith and I fell many times.

Snow angels

We saw only four people on the trail as we crossed the snowy parts. The first two were a couple that had considered going all the way up to the top of San Jacinto today (another 2300 feet). They were reconsidering as they rubbed their legs by a creek. The second two were this couple. They had just come up the PCT from Saddle Junction – the place where we catch the side trail to town. We questioned them about the snow conditions ahead. We took each others pictures.

And the off we go. It’s all downhill for the next two miles.

Oddly, I realize that I really like hiking in snow. This is not completely surprising to me, perhaps because it reminds me of my childhood in Michigan. And though I do occasionally fall, lose my pole or sink into snow up to my thigh, I have a great time – the best time in days.

Dried out

The snow disappears below 8100 feet. We make it to Saddle Junction at 3pm! Eight and a half miles in 8 hours of hiking. So slow!!! We hike the 2.7 miles down the Devil’s Slide trail to the trailhead parking lot. And a treat!

Immediately I notice this nice couple collecting pine cones. I strike up a conversation, and then they offer to take us to town. They rearrange the stuff in their van so we can fit in, and then we are off.

They drop us off at our bungalow, and then Keith and I go out to eat. We find a great pizza joint where they have the NBA game on TV. (I have a nice Lost Coast IPA, Mark.)

We are definitely taking tomorrow off. It’s another day to get used to the altitude and I need to make and send food boxes up the trail. I am going to try to eat more to make up for my loss of appetite, too. I have five blog post to put up on the site, but I do that laying down!

• May 18, 2023
• Starting marker: 170.1
• Ending marker: 179.4
• Miles hike today: 12 (3 on Devil’s Slide)
• Total PCT miles: 179