On my second full day on the PCT, I hiked from Hauser Canyon to the Lake Morena Campground, then onward, up Kitchen Creek to the Cibbets Flat Campground, where I was meeting up with Vicki in the car.
From PCT mile 15.4 to 30.2 Total: 14.8 miles 3/24
After going to bed early, I set my alarm and woke up early, in the dark. I cooked up some tasty oatmeal and read my book by headlamp. After that, it was time to get dressed and pack my gear. It had rained at least once in the night, and my tent was wet. I would dry it out later, in the sunshine while taking a break. Meanwhile, didn’t want to keep Vicki waiting, so I hustled to get everything together. My only real requirement was hiking when it was light, for photographic purposes. Cameras fare poorly in the dark.
The first part of the hike was uphill all the way. The trail had to escape Hauser Canyon, surmount the eastern ridge of Morena Butte, then drop down into the wide valley with the dam that formed Lake Morena.
The weather forecast was for sunny skies and puffy post-storm cumulus clouds, but you’d never know it down inside Hauser Canyon. In fact, the trail climbed up and through a misty cloud layer before arriving in the warm sunny valley at Lake Morena. It felt good to be hiking in the sun, and I hoped that soon all the soggy plants lining the trail would be dry.
Five miles later, I arrived at the Lake Morena Campground. It was early enough that there were several late-rising thru hikers still packing up! I decided to stop and socialize a bit. There were all sorts of hikers present, and not everyone was buff and fit. Lean, Mean Hiking Machines were rare this early in a thru hike. Several were the polar opposite, but they had high hopes of getting into shape as the miles wore on. As long as they kept on hiking, it would surely happen, I told them. Will, a young man I met yesterday afternoon, told me that he was hiking the trail in order to lose weight. This seemed odd to me, a person who hikes to discover beauty (and is already fit), but to each his own. In fact, I met him again on the way up from Hauser Creek this morning. He was still in his tent, and we spoke for a while. As I hiked away, I decided to offer him a potential Trail Name. “Hey Will!” I shouted back. “I’ve got a good trail name for you: Willpower!” It only took a moment for him to exclaim “Ha!” and we both laughed. I think he liked it, and I hope it worked out for him, as willpower was exactly what he needed.
My tent was dry after my break, but my shoes might take days, it seemed. I put on my waterproof socks so that the skin on my feet might stay dry. Too bad I have naturally sweaty feet. I knew it was a lost cause, but I had to try.
Then I continued onward, northbound, with ten more miles to go. Luckily the hiking was easy, and the views were fine, especially with the puffy clouds drifting by overhead. A good day for photography. It made me miss my ultra-heavy Canon DSLR camera, sitting neglected and lonely on a shelf at home.
The trail climbed up and over a ridge at the head of the valley, and met up with Cottonwood Creek, which was flowing much stronger that it was when Vicki and I were last here, back in 2017. I also knew enough to cross the bridge over the creek, but it was a bit dangerous as there was no sidewalk at all. After that, I had to scramble down to the trail, where the entire Cottonwood Creek valley was full of water and mud. I still worked hard to keep my shoes non-squishing, and only slipped in the mud once!
Sadly, all my hard work was for nothing, as there was no convenient bridge up ahead at the Boulder Oaks Campground. I had no choice but to cross the creek. I watched as the hiker ahead of me waded waist-deep through the main channel. It wasn’t flowing fast, but it was flowing. He turned around and told me to head for a spot that was only knee deep. I thanked him, and decided what to do. Oh the heck with it, I said to myself. I knew that I had another pair of dry shoes in the car with Vicki. So left my shoes on and waded across the swollen creek. It was cool, and pretty easy, although I definitely felt better using my hiking pole for extra stability.
I arrived at the Boulder Oaks Campground almost immediately afterward. And there was Vicki in the parking lot! She wasn’t supposed to meet me here, but at the next camp up the trail, several miles further on. Just the same, I didn’t complain. Not only did she have my dry shoes, she also had a Breakfast Jack from Jack in the Box! Excellent! We hung out in the car and enjoyed a pleasant lunch together.
Vicki said that she would meet me up at Kitchen Creek Road, four miles further on, and then we would drive over to the Cibbets Flat Campground. It felt good to be hiking in dry shoes and socks, but it turned out that some damage had already been done. There were nascent blisters forming on the balls of my feet, but they didn’t hurt yet. Oblivious, I hiked onward. The trail went under the I-8 freeway next to Kitchen Creek, and then began to climb.
Somewhere along the trail was a side trail to view Kitchen Creek Falls, a destination that I’ve been wanting to visit for years. When I saw the steep track heading down to the falls, my mind suddenly changed. Fifteen miles of hiking was plenty for one day. Maybe I’d come back some other year, on a dayhike, and with Vicki. A mile or so later, I met her on the trail, hiking down to greet me. Nice! I told her about the falls trail, and she agreed that we should put it off until a better time.
Along the way to the car we met up with a man named Ian and his dog Sandy. They were also thru hikers, in a unique way. Ian was doing research for a book on how to hike the PCT with a dog, 100% legally. There are many places along the trail where dogs are forbidden, such as state and national parks, so his plan was to find (and hike!) the alternate trails and/or roads with his young dog Sandy. When we mentioned the Cibbets Flat Campground, he was eager to check it out. The two of them climbed into the back of the car and away we drove. When we arrived, he checked out the posted rules, and dogs were fine. He took out his notebook and recorded the information. He was being very thorough, and had spent the Winter months poring over possible routes on the internet.
After dinner, the two of us spent the night inside the Rav4, as usual. It felt great to be with Vicki again. To tell the truth, the hardest part about thru hiking, for me, was spending my nights alone. When you’ve been married for forty years, it isn’t easy to go solo. Vicki agreed wholeheartedly.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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