I continued northwest along the Leona Divide and Grass Mountain to the Sawmill Mountain range, while descending into both San Francisquito Canyon and Elizabeth Lake Canyon along the way, in typical PCT up-and-down fashion.
From PCT mile 474.2 to 489.9 Total: 15.7 miles 4/25
I woke up early, as always, and ate my daily oatmeal. Then I supplemented it by drinking a lumpy concoction made from protein powder, powdered milk, and Carnation Instant Breakfast. It was vanilla flavored, if you care to know. I was all packed up before dawn, and I started hiking right away. Hiker Monk was presumably still up on top of the nearby knob, and I wouldn’t see him again for a couple of days.
The good thing about camping on top of a saddle, besides the better views, is that you start your day hiking downhill. The trail turned out to be very cruisey, and the air was still cool. I knew that it would be roasting hot later on, but that wasn’t my problem right now. Along the way, I passed by a noisy waterfall, but I didn’t collect any water there. I had other plans. Before I knew it, I made it down to the town of Green Valley in San Francesquito Canyon.
According to the Far Out app, there was tap water available at the Green Valley USFS Fire Station. This was perfect for me, because I wouldn’t have to bother purifying it. Also, I decided to use the water pressure to fully flush out my semi-clogged water filter and screen after yesterday’s fiasco at the crud-infested Piped Bear Spring. I hiked down the road to the station and sat by the water tap. It took quite a while to fully rinse out all of my water jugs and equipment, but I felt a lot better afterward. There’s nothing quite like fixing a mistake without suffering any long term damage. The only sad part was that now my pack was very heavy with water weight, and I still had eleven miles and two long climbs to deal with. Oh well. As a veteran SoCal backpacker, I only felt happy when I was fully stocked with water, even though this year, 2023, there was flowing water every mile or two along the PCT.
The sun was out and it was time to climb. I could see last night’s camp on a saddle across the valley, and the town of Green Valley down below. I passed by yet more power lines, and eventually made it to the top of the ridge.
The trail got easy once I reached the ridgetop. Grass Mountain was up there, but the PCT skirted along next to it, as usual. I appreciated that. Let the peak baggers take a detour to do their bagging, while us hikers continue onward. This ridge was fun in that I finally got a good view out over Antelope Valley, where Vicki and I had seen the California Poppies a few days back. The Superbloom of 2023 was so good that I could see the orange color from all the way up here, miles and miles away. Impressive. And in another two days I would be crossing that valley to the Tehachapi Mountains in the hazy distance.
I had already hiked nine miles (of fifteen) when the trail descended into Elizabeth Lake Canyon. Along the way, I passed multiple side canyons with water flowing across the trail. Amazing. In a normal year these only flow during the Winter rains, not during hiker season, and they weren’t even listed on the Far Out app. I shook my head sadly as I carried my sloshing pack past them. It was too late now.
Down in the valley, the creek was flowing strong, and I was happy to find a way across without taking off my shoes. Just ahead was Lake Hughes Road, where there was a Trail-Angel-supplied water cache, plus a container with some thoroughly depleted trail magic. It was lunchtime, and roasting out there in the sunshine. I noticed a wooden bench that had some partial shade, and I made the Command Decision to stop for an extended break. Shade was hard to come by out here in Chaparral Country, and I intended to utilize it for its full value. I got out my lunch and my Kindle, and enjoyed my meal. Then I lay down on my back and put my hat over my face, taking over the entire bench. I took a nap for a while. Other hikers arrived eventually, and most were getting rides to nearby towns, to B&B’s and restaurants.
By 2pm, the temperature hadn’t really dropped, but I was hoping that the sun’s angle would be low enough to provide a bit more shade in the near future. So I packed up everything and began the climb up and onto the long Sawmill Mountain ridge. It turned out to be an OK climb. Along the way I passed a lovely little spring. I scooped up some water in my hands and wet my hair and hat. Aaahhh! Then I drank a couple of handfuls. This was my kind of water: Pure and drinkable, directly out of the ground. Good stuff!
It was easy hiking once again after reaching the top of the ridge. The trail followed along next to a dirt road, and it was quite pleasant. There were views in all directions. I got out my PeakFinder App and identified various mountains in the distance. I didn’t have much further to hike, so I was able to take my time and enjoy it all.
The only problem with the Sawmill Mountain range was the next multi-mile section of recently burned ground. The usual villain, Poodle Dog Bush, had taken over during the interim, while the chaparral was re-growing post-fire. PDB was an opportunistic invader, and if you touched it you would break out in a nasty rash, but not until a week or two later! So it pays to know what it looks like. And smells like. Yes, it has a particularly pungent odor, especially when there are many plants in a group, and even when it isn’t flowering. The Far Out app was full of warnings about this area, so I hiked warily, eyes peeled for overhanging branches, as I hiked through the skeletons of burned trees.
After a mile of PDB, I arrived at my chosen camping spot. There were still some tall trees (with shade!) that had survived the recent fire. Sadly, another hiker already claimed the best spot under the trees, so I spent a little while wandering around the area.
Eventually I settled on camping directly on the dirt road, off to the side on a very wide section, in the shade. There was plenty of room for a jeep to go by, and there were no tracks up there anyway. Maybe the gates down below were still locked for Winter. Whatever it was, I didn’t care. It had been a long hot day, and I was camping right here.
I set up my gear inside the tent and got down to the business of eating and rehydrating. It was time to use a bit of that hard-won water! I ate chips, made some Gatorade, and chowed down on some extra snacks as well. All in all, it was very pleasant up on the ridgetop. The air cooled, and it wasn’t too breezy. After the sun set, I walked up the road and checked out the lights down below in Antelope Valley. It was a pretty scene. And then it was time for bed.
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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