Tag: Southern California
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Day 12 | Mile 139.7 – 151.8
The desert is coming alive with more and more blooms every day! The trail wound around ridges, down into small waterless valleys and around private off-grid homes. Weather in the San Jacinto Mountains is not very favorable for hikers this weekend! Tom and I came down out of the mountains to Palm Springs, CA to…
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Day 11 | Mile 127.3 – 139.7
I spent the day watching Mount San Jacinto loom ever closer… When I climb into the San Jacinto Mountains, it will be the highest I have been on trail this year, at around 8500′. You can see that they are still holding a good amount of snow, and are supposed to get at least another…
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Day 10 | Mile 111.4 – 127.3
It was hot and buggy as I crossed back and forth over Agua Caliente Creek half a dozen times in the morning. As I climbed ~3500′, I was graced with a breeze making the hike that much more enjoyable. I wound through massive boulders, all of which I am convinced are Rock Biters. Met Doc…
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Day 9 | Mile 101.2 – 111.4
Easy, breezy, and peaceful day on the PCT! I hiked through several expansive meadows filled with tiny yellow, purple, and white wildflowers. I climbed up Eagle Rock, and passed through the small town of Warner Springs, CA. ⇠Previous Day Next Day ⇢
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Day 8 | Mile 77.3 – 101.2
Vicious wind and little water today! Luckily most of the wind was pushing me into the mountainside, but twice when it shifted I took a knee rather than risk getting blown off. Stunning views for most of the day, including a storm front that did not head my way, and an epic cloudy sunset. Tom…
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Day 5 | Mile 42.6 – 53.3
Out of the woods and through some rather aggressive shrubbery today! I am glad to be wearing long sleeves and pants, because these hardy desert plants are scratching me right through them! Absolutely worth it to be able to enjoy these views. ⇠Previous Day Next Day ⇢
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Day 7 | Mile 68.4 – 77.3
Dropped over 2000′ to the valley floor and into the town of Julian. At lower elevations, I saw many different cacti and carpets of minute wildflowers. I also saw a hare and several quail! Mom’s Pie House in Julian, CA offers a free slice of pie to hikers with a PCT permit, so I went…
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Day 6 | Mile 53.3 – 68.4
I saw two horned lizards! I meandered through a beautiful section with white boulders disrupting the otherwise green landscape. I camped near a manmade water source, because this section did not have as many opportunities for water collection. There were about 6 other tents in that area, but it was a quite night (other than…
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Day 4 | Mile 32.6 – 42.6
Into the town of Mt. Laguna today! I saw the first snow on trail, but it was just a small patch. The desert shrubbery gave way to a tall pine forest (oh the wonderful smells!) as I climbed to over 6000′ elevation. ⇠Previous Day Next Day ⇢
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Day 3 | Mile 20 – 32.6
Water is flowing! I crossed over Kitchen Creek in the morning, and kept my feet dry. I saw an egg, but didn’t collect it since it’s not Easter just yet. It has been incredibly beautiful, but also incredibly windy. In the evening, we saw SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites. ⇠Previous Day…