PCT day 25, an incredible walk through the Cajon ‘botanical gardens ‘

Start mile 328.1, finish mile 342.0, 15.6 total (some off trail) High 78, low 29, sunny and a slight breeze.

I started out fairly early knowing that I would come to an interstate rest stop and MC DONALD’S right off trail! This was a really easy hike, slight to an occasional moderate rolling hill. I can’t believe I’m saying this. A 15.6 mile easy hike. It’s amazing how resilient the human body is. If it weren’t for my right knee, I’d be able to crank out 20+ miles per day, with no problem! 15.6 miles seems very easy now. My feet have adjusted to the mileage. I’ve lost over 3 inches off my waist and my legs have gained significant muscle, especially my calves! Now, if only my injured knee can heal! After tomorrow, I will be halfway done with the desert and desert mountain section. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far.

I’m really beginning to enjoy hiking by myself. For this day, I decided to take it easy and really baby my knee, hiking very slow into Cajon.

This descent into Cajon would prove to be some of the most spectacularly colorful section so far. There are wildflowers and colorful grass everywhere! I had the pleasure of listening to multiple waterfalls along this section from approximately miles 330-341. The falls were small, from 2-3 feet high, but the sheer number of them sounded incredible. Add the immense quantity of flowers, butterflies, songbirds and slight upper 70’s breeze, this was one of my favorite days on trail! My knee was also doing a bit better today. The PCT is full of emotional ups and downs. A few days ago, I felt quite down. Now, with what I hope to be an improving knee, my spirits couldn’t be better. I appreciate all of your comments, even if I don’t respond to them all. I ended up making it to McDonalds. Crane from Minnesota was here, Kevin from Germany showed up a half hour later, and Joshua from Hong Kong rolled in last. He was photographing the wild flowers. My wife is coming tomorrow, so I will be 2 days off trail, further resting my knee. I ended up ordering and eating: a quarter pounder, Big Mac, double cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, 3 large iced teas and 2 waters. It didn’t make me full, it only cured my hunger for the time being.

I’m not going to summit Mt. Baden Powell, but will come off trail and simply walk around it. It’s socked in with snow, ice axe and spikes are required above 6,000 feet. There have been multiple helicopter rescues already and reports are that the trail is absolutely treacherous, slushy in the afternoon, steep ice in the morning. You MUST have confidence in yourself going into something like this. I’ve lost that confidence without 2 good legs. If my right knee was ok, I’d be excited to tackle it, but, when on terrain like that, you have to really jam your shoes (wearing your spikes) into the snow with each step. I know my right knee could falter at any step, causing a failure to get a good toehold in the ice/snow, causing me to slip hundreds of feet down the snowy mountain, into the boulders many hundreds of feet below. So around I go. They’re opening the highway out of Wrightwood into the mountain tomorrow, the snow plow finally getting through. I will either take the road to the PCT on the other side, or the Manzanita Trail around to the PCT. I won’t further describe the terrain I hiked, letting my pics below do the talking. I hope you enjoy!