Monday, April 10 — day 15

PCT mile 190.50 to 205.74

It was a chilly night but I was warm and slept great.  My water bottle had ice in it and my soggy shoes were frozen stiff.  I dreaded putting my feet in them, but I have no choice.  I tr after myself to hot cocoa and 2 pop tarts for breakfast.

Today I hike out the mountains and back into the desert.  It is a 15 mile, 7,000 foot decent – here’s the hike profile and I’m doing the part on the right

Here’s where I’m heading

I start hiking from a pine forest that transitions to oak and manzanita, then to cactus and scrub.  The flowers are blooming

Sorry that some of those are upside down.  I’m not able to figure out how to flip them.

Along the way was another big milestone 

Yay!  My big consent today is water. I’ll camp down next to a spigot, and I have some with me but would prefer more.  I’m hoping streams will be running since it is early season.  At first I did not find a stream, only a puddle and I was worried this would be all I get.

Luckily I found a trickle of a stream In another mile.  As I continued down I suddenly heard a loud rattle -/ yep, my first rattlesnake.  He was coiled on the trail ready to strike and I stopped just in time.  Here he is leaving.  So exciting.

A few miles later and I run into 2 more, uh, amorous rattlers

These two were so interested in making little rattlesnakes that I had to rock-hop off trail to get around them.

I finally made it down to my camping spot with this as my view- Mt San Jacinto.

Night has fallen as I type this from my sleping bag ( no tent).  There are some bugs attracted by the phone’s display light but surprisingly I also have to shoo away bats!

Too wild!

Thanks for reading!