Walks A Ways: PCT Day 12

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PCT Day 12, 24 May 2022 (Tuesday)

"Mission Impossible"

Start Location:	Whitewater Preserve	Destination:	Mission Creek Trail Camp
PCT Miles Day 12:	21.4	Cum PCT Miles:	239.9
Non-PCT Miles Day 12:	1.1	Cum All Miles:	256.3
PCT Miles Remaining:	2,412.7
Elevation Gain Day 12:	7,163	Cum Elevation Gain:	44,677

Today was a very interesting day that was both “fun“ and very difficult. The majority of the day involved following and criss-crossing Mission Creek dozens of times while going steeply uphill. Total mileage was over 22.5 miles (with side trails), and total elevation was almost 7,200 feet; this is pretty equivalent to the Cactus-to-Clouds hike from Palm Springs to the top of San Jacinto. But, in several ways, today’s hike was harder.

First, the trail along Mission Creek has been wiped out multiple times by flash floods and it’s very difficult to follow in many parts. Second, there is a lot of jungle-like growth along Mission Creek and getting through it involves a fair amount of bushwhacking. Third, there may not be water available on the trail tomorrow so I had to fill up 7 liters of water at the last reliable source today, and carry it the last 1.5 miles to camp. This last 1.5 miles is very steep and, sadly, involves several more challenging crossings of downed trees. Not fun when you feel you are near the limits of your endurance and with a pack loaded down with a lot of water.

Today was another burner, everyone I saw on trail looked completely exhausted. On the good side, it was nice to have water available almost all day long. This meant only having to carry about 1 L of water instead of the normal 4-5 L that we had to carry during the hot, dry sections. Also, we could soak ourselves in water all day long. However, after completely soaking ourselves, it only took about 10 minutes for everything to get completely dry again. Still, this temporary cooling really made the hike more manageable.

Lastly, at the end of the day, I ended up having a very nice and convenient camping spot; at least one bonus at the end of a long, hard day. After making it through the last two days, I feel like (I hope?) there is nothing I won't physically be able to handle the rest of this hike.