Category: Thru-hiking
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Day 26 | Mile 356.4 – 370.4
I knew that a few hikers were road walking around this section, but I didn’t realize that most seem to be. Today was an extremely challenging snow day. The slopes were incredibly steep, which made solid footing a necessity. Unfortunately, the snow started off so hard that it was difficult to kick steps into, and…
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Day 25 | Mile 341.9 – 356.4
underpass beneath I-15, then over railroad tracks, into a massive corrugated metal pipe, then over railroad tracks again. After that, the trail wound through the mystical sandstone Mormon Rocks. They were incredible, I couldn’t take but a few steps before pulling my camera out again! The day was absolutely magical, even though it involved climbing…
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Day 24 | Mile 329.8 – 341.9
The trail left the Silverwood Lake area, and wound its way down to I-15, one of the hottest stops on the PCT – the Cajon Pass McDonalds! We swapped stories with some familiar faces (Legend & Bee!) and met new hikers too. Easy, breezy, beautiful kind of day! ⇠Previous Day Next Day ⇢
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Day 23 | Mile 314.3 – 329.8
After holing up in the van for almost a week, I thought I was finally recovered from whichever bug is going around, but I ended up getting sick on trail today. Luckily, Tom was right there, able to scoop me up and take care of me. The trail was gentle, and wound around Silverwood Lake…
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Day 22 | Mile 298.5 – 314.3
(+1.7 miles from Cedar Glen Malt Shop) A snow-free day AND I passed the 300 mile marker!!! I had an ankle deep water crossing first thing, before rejoining the PCT. After that, I stayed dry until the last mile of the day, at which point I had a waist-deep water crossing (which I would not…
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Day 21 | Mile 278.6 – 298.5
(+1.7 miles to Cedar Glen Malt Shop) Back in the sloppy posthole-inducing snow for most of the first half of the day, but as I descended from 8000′ to 4500′, the snow began to retreat from the trail. The trail followed Holcomb Creek for about 10 miles, and crossed it three times. The crossings were…
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Day 20 | Mile 266.1 – 278.6
The hike out of Big Bear started out with a dry, clear trail with several rock fields and beautiful flora. The trail quickly became obscured with snow, and remained that way for the majority of the day. Unfortunately this was wet, slushy snow, which is not great to walk on. I tested the depth of…
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Day 19 | Mile 250 – 266.1
Finally, back to well-defined trail… or should I say trails? I got off-trail several times today. The trail joined dirt roads several times, and twice I overlooked the spot where the PCT diverged. There were also many, many different trails criss-crossing the PCT, and I accidentally explored some of those (bonus miles!). My hiking motto…
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Day 18 | Mile 235.5 – 250
(via the Ridgewalk Bypass) Shortly after my campsite, the trail returns to the Mission Creek drainage, and is blocked by 25’+ rocky waterfalls. The PCTA is encouraging hikers to skip this entire section (from miles 209.5-250), but a few hikers are choosing to scale these waterfalls. Hikers coming from the north last year discovered they…
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Day 16 | Mile 206.8 – 218.5
(+0.7 to Whitewater Preserve) The day began by finding my way through desert shrubbery, utilizing tall trail markers since the trail had been washed out. I passed under Interstate 10 and began my next climb through narrow valleys. At the top, thousands of small wildflowers filled my view. I enjoyed the views as I descended…