May 4, Day 15: Mile 180.8-197.2 (side trip to summit Mt San Jacinto)
Miles Hiked: 18.4
Gratitude of the Day: fresh snow melt water, so clear and clean.
We all broke camp early with intentions to take an alternate route off the PCT to summit Mt San Jacinto. Last night was cold sleeping at 9000 feet and it was hard to crawl out of my warm down quilt to put on hiking clothes, but it happened and at 5:30am we all set out to make an early morning summit.
After spending quite awhile on the summit, eating snacks, drinking alcohol and snapping pictures it was time to head down and start hiking some PCT miles. We crossed intermittent snow, some of us slipped and some of us post holed but we made it back to the PCT trail proper. From the summit we do nothing but head downhill for the next day and a half, going from 10,900 feet down to 1340 feet, a pain and pounding on the on the knees. I had my first fall today, slipped on a rock and landed on my right side, luckily I didn’t hurt anything but some of my pride.
Today’s water sources were the best, clear mountains snow runoff that was cold and wonderful. Our last one was right out of a storybook wilderness video, snow above and clear cool water to drink while taking a break. Then it was downhill for the next 11 miles, down and down and down back into the desert, sand and manzanita trees/bushes. The group of us are all camped again together but instead of 9000 feet were at a balmy 4900 feet with a windy breeze going through camp.
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