September 28th Near Yellow Jacket Spring to Beneath Sorrell Peak

Followed the road about a half mile to where it hooked back up with the trail near a sharp bend. It was another glorious morning with a cinescope sunrise---orange, yellow, lavender, pink, red and any shade in between. The terrain and trail made the hiking fast and easy. As the day progressed, the slightly overcast sky kept the worst of the heat at bay, which in this barren land of scrub brush and joshua trees was surely a good thing. Water worries evaporated with the luck of finding two large caches, one at Bird Pass Spring, which had nearly 30 gallon jugs, and the other just after I crossed Kelso Valley Road. In the afternoon as the trail climbed to higher elevations, the trees of the forest returned accompanied by the shade. It's certainly more scenic to walk in such rugged and wooded terrain. Sagebrush just doesn't do it for me. Pulled up short at a concrete dam and spring. I know it's a bit early to stop, but there's plenty of water for camp here. Pitched my tent on a small flat shelf above the spring basically to ward off the flies and mosquitoes. Then, I turned to the task of filling the water containers, doing some field laundry, and giving myself a good wash, which was the first I've had since that oh so refreshing dip in the Kern. One last thing I should mention is that I haven't been taking many photos recently. There are two reasons for that. First, I noticed back at Forester Pass that my camera battery was running low, so if I want it to last until the border, a minimum number of pictures is all I can take. Secondly, after the wuthering heights and picturesque scenery of the High Sierras, I simply don't find the landscape that I'm hiking through that captivating. Kristen and Steve warned me that once out of the Sierras things would become more difficult. I didn't quite understand it at the time. What could be more difficult than struggling up rocky switchbacks to high mountain passes? Answer: Managing the psychological letdown once you've entered the arid foothills. In the High Sierras, you've seen the best the Pacific Crest has to offer, but when you leave it behind, you still have 700 miles to go in order to finish. Steve said there were two southbounders last year that gave up their dream of a thru-hike in the Southern California section. That WON'T be me!

Marmot in the High Sierras

32 Miles