It's all about the PCT

The Woman had determined that the Pacific Crest Trail came through the San Gabriel Mountains near the
Cajon Pass. So, I scoured AirBnB to find the nearest accommodations to where we could access the PCT. That is how I learned that about 10 miles up into the Angeles National Forest was the cute hamlet of Wrightwood.

I actually found on Google Maps 17 places where the PCT seemed to cross existing roads. I’ve learned that not all of the roads shown on Google Maps are navigable, even with a high clearance 4WD vehicle. But we set out to find as many as we could. The best of the bunch was the Blue Ridge Truck Trail which actually climbed above the top of the ski lifts we had seen from the highway.

We probably added 10 miles or more to our growing sections of the PCT that we have hiked. And all of the miles we hiked up on the Blue Ridge were most scenic sections of the Trail I think we have ever hiked. The Woman was definitely in her happy place. In fact, so was the pooch.

Over the 4 days we were here we found most of the 17 crossings and hiked each one we found. We even found where the PCT crossed Interstate 15 – it actually runs underneath all 10 lanes plus the big rig weigh station. We hiked through to where the PCT emerged on the other side of the freeway.

As we made our way down to the freeway underpass, we spotted some PCT signage we had not ever seen before. While it seemed rather strange to us, given that you can’t actually see any businesses from the Trail, we are certain that through hikers really appreciate the warning.

All in all, it was a nice distraction from the heat of Vegas, and a nice way to spend our anniversary. Plus, the views from the PCT in the area were absolutely stunning. We could actually consider returning even if we would just be repeating parts of the Trail we had already done – it was that special.

We hope to be talking to you soon.

Ruby Anniversary

Anticipating our 40^th wedding anniversary and needing to escape the oppressive Vegas heat, we looked to the nearest cute mountain town where we knew we could 20 to 30 degrees even at mid-day. We found the right combination in Wrightwood California, a cozy cabin to ourselves without contact thanks to AirBnB, with all the normal amenities of a mountain cabin. And a bonus – the PCT runs nearby!

Wrightwood is a really cute town, and if not for the Rona, would be fun to explore all the shops and

eateries. Right in front of our cabin is the Wrightwood Village Trail, a 2 ½ mile groomed and maintained trail that lead through the main street of town, which we walked with the pooch every morning. Here’s Kona checking out the signature Wrightwood decorated “W” at the entrance to the business district.

Being in the heart of the Angeles National Forest, we were surprised to learn that this is a big ski area, with lots of lifts running during ski season. We visited Mountain High Ski Resort (just for hiking and views) as well as Snow Valley Ski Resort. However, it looks to us more like Vegas style skiing – we pretty much only saw black diamond runs, never saw a green run, and only saw two intermediate blue runs on one slope. Still, being on foot, the views were awesome!

The Woman did some Google searches to see what else was in the vicinity that

might be worth a look. She found the Devils Punchbowl, a deep canyon in a “V” shape due to a folding of the earth’s surface caused by compression. The peaks that surround the Devil’s Punchbowl are over 8,000 feet tall, while the base of the valley is just a bit above 4,000 feet above sea level. Sadly, the county park didn’t open until 10 and we arrived there at 8:30, so we may have to visit it another time.

It is not surprising given the formations caused by folding of the earth’s surface that another famous geologic feature runs through this section of the San Gabriel Mountains. As we made our way back from visiting Devil’s Punchbowl, it turned out that we were driving right along the San Andreas Fault. It was actually pretty easy to pick out the formation, even without the plentiful signage.

Since Nick was only 3 ½ hours away we made plans to meet up at

Fairmount Park in Riverside. The Park was really busy, but we managed to find a picnic table away from the crowds. Nick was nice enough to bring a shade awning that helped with the sun, and, of course, his Corn Hole game so we could play a bit. We brought some snacks and some drinks so we could sit around and chat. This was definitely the highlight of the trip to Wrightwood, especially for the pooch who spent all his time in Nick’s lap.

Later we managed to find a section of the historic Santa Fe and Salt Lake Trails, used by pioneers in 1849 and later years to reach California. While it was used by pioneers in general, it was especially heavily used by Mormons moving West to protect themselves from the religious persecution they experienced back east.

Not far from the Santa Fe and Salt Lake Trails monument we found Mormon

Rocks Station, preserved by the National Forest Service. These white sandstone formations are named for the folks who swarmed through this pass in the 1800’s, not because of any particular event ownership. While they are right next to the I-15 corridor, we’ve never seen them before until we actually drove back here. Well worth the side trip.

Our anniversary on Sunday was quiet and nice. We spent lots of time on the decks, a few walks with the pooch, did some geocaching, and watched the NetFlix presentation of the Last Dance, the story of the Chicago Bulls record 6 national championships in 10 years while Michael Jordan was with the team. All it all, it was a great way to spend the day.

On our way home, we stopped again at the Liberty Sculpture Park in

Yermo, because I had seen something new there from the freeway since our last visit. It turns out the sculptor Chen Weiming was inspired by the protestors in Hong Kong trying to preserve their freedoms after the crack down by the Chinese government. His sculpture depicts multiple scenes from those protests, including the iconic use of umbrellas by the protestors to protect themselves from the tear gas as well as the clubs of the Chinese military. I am really happy I spotted it.

We hope to be talking to you soon.