4/14/20, mile: 246, elevation: 8,104 ft.
Well, today was the day, time to clock in. The exposed campsite was spared bad winds and I slept well. The morning temps were perfect for an elevated heart rate with exertion. We’re leaving the sand and heading to the snow. That’s up there…
Shortly after getting on trail, I passed by the next campsite where Pac Man and Lamb Chop were packing up. Soon after, Pac Man left me in his dust. The trail snaked around the contours of the canyon, offering ever more impressive views. It’s so vast, it’s hard to pick out little details like people on the trail ahead. I was hiking well, my uphill pace has increased, and I continued to take time to stretch and eat along the way.
At the transition to snow, the trail becomes hard to follow at times, and when visible, it’s slushy and muddy. And yet up more we go. I finally reached the top, the headwaters of Mission Creek (still buried under snow). And the sign notifying me that I’m in the Sand to Snow National Monument. Wonder where that came from? With bare spots under the trees, this is also a good place to take 5….or 15. Good lesson learned from yesterday.
Now the work really begins. The snow is deeper, even on the south-facing slopes, which are now getting slushy since it’s after noon. The north sides are still quite stiff, so I make decent time until the slopes get steep. You just have to go slow, make sure your foot placement is secure and focus. There is no looking around here, your world is the circle as big as your stride. Well, not exactly. This is where I discovered being above average is not a helpful thing. I’m over 6-feet tall, which means I have a gait that is larger than average. And the footsteps I’m following are obviously laid down by just plain average folks. Sucks to be me.
I take another break at a sunny dry spot about 4 miles from Coon Creek Cabin. With my decent progress, I’ve “decided” that was the goal for the night. I wouldn’t have to set up my tent and I’d have a heart warming meal. Bad idea.
The next sections of trail were on north facing slopes. With it being afternoon now, even this snow is getting soft. And it’s deep. The slopes are steep and whomever laid down the first steps couldn’t navigate worth….Their course went down, then up, then down the slopes. Mind and body numbing. And the sun is dropping. At times when I stop to catch my breath (often), I get to looking around and am amazed at one point where I look back from wence I came. There’s the snow line, the canyon I walked up, the Whitewater River, and San Jacinto in the distance. And I walked all of that. Not too shabby, I guess.
I finally gave up on their tracks and just tried to find an easy path with as little snow as possible. I had a slight reprieve when the trail follows a dirt road on the south side of the ridge, but then the last mile to the cabin went to the north again, and the soft deep snow. By the time I got there it was after 4pm and I was beat. Water was hard to come by, it was cold and breezy, and I was exhausted. What a long, exhausting day. Did I mention the cabin had no windows or doors?
Then came the wind and the mice.
Savior out.