PCT day 32, Walking the Ridge Line

Start 395.2 end 411.7. 15.5 total. High 79 low 46, sunny, winds 5-15, higher on top of the ridge line.  Elevation start 6,200 and finish about 6,600.  Total elevation gain: 3,115 feet, total descent: 2,723.  Average grade: 354 feet per mile.  

Once again, I got to awake to the sound of a mountain stream. There was a bird in our campsite that apparently had a lot on his mind and he was anxious to tell us all about it! His chirp was really destinctive. It was 2 long chirps, the first chirp rising in pitch, the second dropping in pitch. This was a very nice campsite, surrounded by old growth pine trees.

The trail out of camp was quite steep uphill, but this very pretty forest had an incredible smell with the pines baking in the sun combined with the Manzanita trees in bloom. This climb was followed by a descent, then another 1,500 foot climb. These climbs are now easy for me. A 1500 foot climb would have wore me out the first week, but now barely raises my breathing rate. The trail was fairly easy, but rather narrow in spots.

I ended up finding a campsite on top of the ridge with incredible views of the valley and cities below! I could hear crickets in this campsite with the wind really blowing in the valleys below. I was protected from the wind on this particular night. The weather has been cooperating wonderfully. The valleys have been dealing with heat, but it’s been up into the 70s on the ridge with fairly light winds. There’s a forecasted cold front in a few days and a chance of rain and thunderstorms around the Agua Dulce area that I’m approaching, Highs during the time I’m there are forecasted to be in the upper 60’s, lower 70’s for the days that I’m going to be in the area.