THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015!!!
Snow, snow, snow! Freezing temperatures! I pulled into Lake Morena County Park around 4 PM last night under clearing skies after having passed over 4000-foot-plus I-8 to Buckman Springs Road — snow above 3000 feet! Thank goodness for electric hookups, because my external and internal water hoses froze after 5 PM. The lady at the ranger station said temperatures got down to 15 F last night! I swear it is colder here at night than in Bishop.
In the dark, I backed into one of the campsite-defining posts but then quickly got straightened out. However, it took me quite a cold, cold while to level the unit. The snow is probably less than an inch deep, but there I was, in shorts, Keen sandals, and T-shirt. I hastily changed into sweatpants and jacket plus snow boots — thank goodness I had them!
Given the hassle to hook up, the freezing weather, and the fact that the PCT passes right next to Lake Morena Park, I scratched the idea of going to Campo and declared Lake Morena my New Year’s Day starting point.
What a glorious night after the sky cleared! The gibbous moon was so bright it hid most of the stars; I picked out Orion but not much else on two tries.
Couldn’t sleep readily in spite of a sleeping pill — probably too nervous and excited. Because I was up so late, I slept till about 10 AM, though I woke around 8 AM to take some photos of the campground while there was still snow on the trees; I’m sure it will melt off during the day.
I had disconnected my frozen external hose late last night but could not get the campground tap turned off — frozen shut too hard for me and my channel pliers? By the time I rose, the hose had thawed enough to drop a long cylinder of ice onto the ground, and the tap yielded flowing water. I had promised myself I’d get 4 new gallons of water but forgot at the last minute; now I topped off the old 3 only to find that one had sprung a leak.
While using the restroom, I encountered a real PCT hiker. I asked if she’d started at Campo; she said yes. Wow! In this icy weather! She declined an invitation to sit in my van to warm up and preferred to bask in the sunshine — smart girl!
And it was a beautiful, bright, clear day with tolerable temperatures. I finally hit the trail about 1 PM and took the brief but steep, snowy, muddy, rocky Nature Trail to the PCT to begin hiking south —although at this point, the trail actually runs east-west for a short while (west being “southbound”). It, too, was snowy, rocky, muddy, and steep at first but presently was exposed to the sun, so that the sandy tread grew more snow-free. Both sides were largely bracketed with tall chaparral, way more than head-high for me, manzanita and chamise most prominent to my eye. I had probably walked no more than 0.5-0.7 mile, but when I found a low, sunny, granite outcropping, I declared myself through for the day, took a break with a snack and even a brief nap (TA1-1, 3377’, UTM 1S 0544903 3615835), and soaked in the scenery of the surrounding hills and the valley that Lake Morena once filled. It’s drawn down for the winter, a ghost (I suppose) of its springtime self, which must in turn be a ghost of its pre-drought self.
Just before I left my turn-around spot, the PCT hiker passed me with a greeting, apparently returning southbound to Campo. Good decision!
Turning around now (hence “TA” on January 1 “1-1”), I hiked past the Nature Trail junction and continued to the PCT parking lot at Lake Morena Road and Lakeshore Drive before leaving the trail to walk back to the ranger station and then the campground. I’m in site 56 (so LKMO56, 3010, 11S 0544809 3616495). Reviewing the PCT Bible, Wilderness Press’s PCT books, I see there are some minor corrections, detailed in another document.
Late at night, I went through the points where the PCT crosses or grazes a decent road and identified several access points for my next adventures on it. On the other hand, I’ll leave the higher-altitude ones for later in the year!
NOW I understand why most hikers wait until April and ADZPCTKO to start their hikes!
My boots are muddy and my heart is lighter.
Tomorrow, northbound from the PCT parking lot!
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