- Daily mileage 22
- Total miles 359
- Hiked from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm
Today was all about gaining elevation.
I did not get away from the hotel very early because they offered a complimentary breakfast. It was ok for a first breakfast. One of the most difficult tasks of the morning was navigating my was across the rather busy highway access road to get back to the trail.
Cajon Pass is a real transportation hub. I had to pass under the I15 freeway and then over a very major railroad track.
Under I15
I beat this train across the tracks!
Then the climb started. I started at about 3,100 feet and ended at around 8,500 feet. I will let you do the math! Did I mention that I did all of this with a six day resupply and a full compliment of water on board?
Early morning scenery
Mt Baldy. The PCT goes not go near this one
Lots of uphill climb today
The day was grinding away at me pretty good in the mid-afternoon so I did something that I had yet to do on this hike. I put on music from my IPod. And almost immediately ran into a rattle snake. This one was not too scary as it was several feet off trail.
I ended the day at a car camping ground called Duffy Campground. It is surprisingly quiet up here considering it is the start of a long weekend. It is really cold and windy up here as well. The most difficult climb of the day was the last 200 yards into the campground when the PCT took on a very uncharacteristic steep incline. Very cruel.
Steep slope into the camp groundHome for the night
How was climbing that many feet of elevation in a day on the PCT? I am planning to thru-hike next year and I have notice this section gains quite a bit of feet. Was is mostly steep switchbacks? or did it follow more of the contour lines?
ReplyDeleteThanks! I am enjoying reading your day to day journal entries as I prepare for my hike next year!
One thing that you learn about the PCT very early on is that no climb is going to be all that steep. It is a trail that is never in a hurry to climb a hill. Now, having said that, you are still going to have to gain the elevation to get to the top of that hill, but it is much easier to climb on a gentle grade than a steep one.
DeleteAs for switchback vs contouring, the answer is yes. There are plenty of both in a typical day on the PCT. And there are quirky, sometimes downright annoying little downhills in the middle of a long climb. But one way or the other, you always get to the top of that hill!
Have fun getting ready for your PCT adventure next year. This is easy to say but hard to do, but my advice to you is don't overthink it. It is just hiking.