Left a cooler of ice and sodas, and a Rubbermaid bin full of treats at the trailhead while I went out for a run yeaterday. Enjoyed by many passing thru hikers.
Chatted with people from Ireland, Germany, Canada, Scotland, Holland, England, and all over the US.
Sunday long run up Pacifico mountain. PCT south from Mill Creek to Fountainhead spring then off trail back over the summit with a nap up top. The higher, eastern San Gabriel mountains still have lots of snow, but it’s getting hot and the sun feels intense again.
Encountered about a dozen thru hikers Saturday, so I left a small trail magic stash near the trailhead when I went out Sunday. Saw about a dozen people again. This first wave seems solid this year. They’re doing well and moving quickly. I think the heavy snow last year spooked less experienced people out of the “start early” trend that was growing during drought years.
Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
A powerful, blazingly honest, inspiring memoir: the story of a 1,100 mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe--and built her back up again.
Trail work weekend, day one. Lots of tread work, mostly digging water bars. Pretty happy with this huge one I made to start the day. Took about 4 hours. Ground is perfect after recent rains for digging and shaping.
Spontaneous PCT yo-yo up Mt Gleason from home this weekend. Camped at Messenger flats and came down Sunday (nice to get two big days). Chatted with Ranger Todd at the North Fork station. He said he hasn’t seen anyone in two weeks. That’ll change in a month. #PacificCrestTrail#FastPacking#TrailRunning#Hiking
Significantly more climbing day one (going up the mountain after all) but unrolling that elevation gain day two is always the greater strain.
Big 20 degree f temp fluctuations in the afternoons going in and out of canyon shade. Forecast was low of 28 but it only went to 40. We’ve got 12 hours of usable light now also, pretty much 6-6.
As always, part of my goal this weekend was to scout the trail. I wanted to cover the west side of Gleason for blowdown. I can do the east side from the Mill Creek trailhead on the other shorter side later. Got plenty of pics so we can plan projects, mostly easy pickings.
Day one on a PCT trail work project for the long weekend. Rain forecast for Monday so we’ll likely cut short.
Lots of brushing with the brush saws. Loud but satisfying. We’re back where I ran
through last weekend. Clearing south from Pine cyn rd up Liebre mtn to Horse camp.
Got 9 people out today. Nice views north across the desert.
Day 3 of trail maintenance last week wrapped the water control by the new gabion net, then loads of tread work. Photos never show the magnitude of tread work but it was a lot of mudslide relocation (tons of dirt).
Tread work is my favorite, but it’s for sure the most back breaking. Takes a full week off from running to recover. Looks like a new project just posted for next week a little further up trail.
The Trail Provides: A Boy's Memoir of Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
The Trail Provides is an inspiring thru-hiking memoir-a winding journey of companionship, lessons learned, dreams and reality, and leaving everything behind for transformation, insight, and self-discovery.
For #MountainMonday, here's a photo that I made on my hike last week:
A twilight view across mountain chaparral, to Granite Mountain and Mason Valley (part of Anza Borrego Desert State Park) from the Pacific Crest Trail in the Laguna Mountains of San Diego County, California.
We've added cellular voice coverage to our trail maps! You can now see in great detail where along the trail you may or may not have service. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile & USCellular. Verizon below along the #PacificCrestTrail.
For #MountainMonday here's a view south along the Laguna Crest from Garnet Peak, to Monument and Stephenson peaks, illuminated by the last light of day in the western sky. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is visible in the chaparral on the very right.
Finally getting around to posting photos from our work on the #BigfootTrail in the Marbles followed by 500 mile hike to Mt. Hood. Here’s Man Eaten Lake, some crosscut sawing, lower Sky High Lake, and marble, snow and flowers. Photos to follow will progress northward.
Heading out of Seiad Valley during 100+ F heatwave: the Klamath River, a welcome spring near the start of the 5,000’ climb, trail junction in the Siskiyou Mountains where the #BigfootTrail departs from the #pacificcresttrail, and contrasting ultramafic peridotite and marble.
Water cache along the #pacificcresttrail in the Oregon Desert (pumice from Crater Lake means rare surface water), stream near Mt. Thielson is a rare exception, and a tree struck by lightning moments before I passed it started a forest fire. Other hikers called in coordinates and a couple hours later fire fighters descended by parachute and put it out.