Dave’s PCT & Other Adventures: 03/31/23

Friday, March 31, 2023

Day 15 Flipping Up but Back on Trail

The more we have both thought and prayed about this decision the more we feel it is absolutely the right one. A few other groups have tried to go up over an alternate route at San Jacinto however, that causes you to miss about 50 miles of trail. Additionally, what should be a one day hike is taking 4-5. Even if you were successful at that, you will encounter the exact conditions two days later going into San Bernardino mountains.

Taking a two week flip forward and then coming back we hope to reset the season closer to what it really should be with packed and consolidated snow.

We are going to start the trail 300 miles north of our last steps at mile 451.1. We came off trail at 151.8. Even the way we are coming off trail and returning to trail seems planned. The trail location we are flipping to is a half mile short of an exact 300 miles seems to be one of those God “coincidences“.

We will be looking for transportation from Ridgecrest back into Idyllwild in about two weeks. If anybody has any connections we would be grateful. Of course we would pay for gas for the trip.

We got a ride fairly reasonably priced from Idlewild to Highway 14. We pulled off literally on the side of the Highway, got out with our backpacks and are re-joining the trail. It took just less than three hours to get here and back to walking. A quick shout out to Steve for the ride thank you sir.

We started back on the trail going underneath Highway 14 via a drainage tunnel. We are already rewarded with a PCT sign, and some amazing rock formations which continue down the entire trail on both sides of us. As we entered the tunnel, we met a couple locals, Omar and Verna who were hanging out.

Some of the new flora is the Royal Willow, Fremont Cottonwood, and Giant Ryegrass

As we climbed up from the stream, a little higher in the valley I came across Yucca, and some Black Sage

We are definitely starting to see more evidence from the rains and increased moisture we have had this year.

It’s amazing to think that Vasquez rocks park is less than a mile north of the freeway. It seems to go through nowhere, and the PCT goes right along side of it

The yellow, flowered bladderpod, and California Juniper grow right up next to the rock

After Vasquez rocks the PCT does a road walk right through the middle of the high desert town of Aqua Dulce

We stopped at serenity’s oasis, another trailer angel, who opens up their property for hikers. It is arguably one of the nicest toilets we’ve seen on the trail, and it’s an out house, he has a pretty nice shower as well.