Leslie and David's Wanderings: 12 December 2020 Pacific Crest Trail

David was on a business trip to Palmdale California for 11 days including a weekend. So he took advantage of the opportunity to get out on the weekend to do some fun things away from people. The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the mountain tops from the Mexico Border to the Canadian Border along the crest of the mountain ranges. Part of the trail pass not to far from Palmdale so he decided to hike a portion of it for some exercise. He drove to where the trail crosses Lake Hughes road and parked. The weather was cool and the clouds were hanging low on the mountains with occasional drizzle. The wind was blowing pretty hard in the valley but the segment of trail he chose was sheltered from the wind. He hiked in 2.5 miles before turning around with a 1200 foot elevation gain in the first 2 miles. Along the way he was surprised to find a couple of dens along the trail and a flowing spring. Not know what would be in the dens, he did not get to close! When he topped out on the crest, the wind was blowing hard and it began to rain. So it was cold and wet, a good time to head back. As soon as he dropped down a couple hundred of feet, the rain stopped and the wind died for a pleasant trip back down. The views from the top over the valley were pretty. The area had experienced a fire a couple of years prior and there was a lot of burn damage. In fact there was a sign at the base of the trail saying it was closed due to fire danger, but from the numerous foot prints in the dirt, it was clear other hikers were using the trail. It was a pleasant way to burn 2086 calories and get some fresh air after wearing a mask all day for 6 straight days! On the way back, he swung by Bill and Pam’s to say a socially distanced hello from the car.