Twig Adventures

Tag: PCT

DWTH, SDTCT & PCT Desert Section Summary & Stats

Desert Winter Thru Hike, Pacific Crest Trail

Like my 2023 PCBCRT hike, my Desert Winter Thru Hike ended up being the sum of multiple parts, a conglomeration of 3 different long-distance trails/routes. It’s difficult to summarize such a segmented journey, so I’ve attempted to break some of the data into distinct parts to cover each trail, but also lumped some of the information together. At the core, I’m proud to say that I hiked from the outskirts of Tucson, connecting footsteps from the Arizona Trail to the Pacific Crest Trail, plus also my footsteps along the PCT to the San Diego Trans County Trail, and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Note that I didn’t hike continuously from east to west, which allowed for a complete[…]

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DWTH PCT Days 26-39: Acton to Kennedy Meadows South

Desert Winter Thru Hike, Pacific Crest Trail

This is the continuation of my Desert PCT section hike, the final post of 3, notes for each day… Day 26, Sunday, April 20th, 1000-2000 13 miles to just outside Agua Dulce, Mm 457.4,  2250/1570, Elevation 2950′ Leisurely morning, took it slow packing. Visited other grocery store in town, higher-end but fair prices and quality stuff. Discount bin had good bars and PB. Large sandwich to go was bomb! Ate half and packed out other half. Met friendly guy and asked him for a ride out of town. Miykael was guitarist playing classic rock, tight red pants, yellow high tops, and rod Stewart shirt. I love all these characters I meet hitching! He’d just bought a newish van to travel and[…]

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DWTH PCT Days 14-25: Whitewater Preserve to Acton

Desert Winter Thru Hike, Pacific Crest Trail

This is the continuation of my Desert PCT section hike, notes for each day… Day 14, Tuesday, April 8th, 0700-1900 22 miles, Whitewater Preserve to Mission Springs Trail Camp, Mm 240, 6700/1120 down. Elevation 7900′. Camp so awesome. Rocks falling all night. Western screech owl. Bighorns peering over ledge in morning, played Bocce ball using boulders and tents. Passed day hikers, perhaps even some migrants along river in morning, then Ludo, French guy I’d been hopscotching for several days. Climb over small pass from Whitewater valley to Mission Creek. Then fun began hiking up the large wash, trail segments washed away from 2023 Hurricane Hillary for long stretches. Just like hiking the DWTH, so I was right at home. Others not[…]

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DWTH PCT Days 1-13: Mexico Border/Campo to Whitewater Preserve

Desert Winter Thru Hike, Pacific Crest Trail

I’ll start by explaining that this PCT section hike was somewhat spontaneous and unplanned. Which is not to say that it wasn’t in the back of my mind for many months, well before I even started the Desert Winter Thru-Hike in January. The deal was that if I made it all the way to San Diego and still felt good, I’d continue on with the PCT. My main objective was to connect my footsteps from the SDTCT to my DWTH finish at Whitewater preserve, about 155 miles in total. Ultimately, this concluded a continuous footpath from the outskirts of Tucson, AZ to San Diego, CA, a distance of nearly 1100 miles. My 2nd objective was to complete another section of[…]

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DWTH SDTCT Day 5: Crossing the PCT

Desert Winter Thru Hike

Thursday, March 20th, 2025, 1400-1900Stagecoach RV park to PCT water tank, mm75.5\PCT mm62.4. Elevation 4730′13 miles. I spent a leisurely morning at Mystic Canyon with Otzi and Barbara. Otzi and I left just before noon, stopping at a grocery store to buy some items. He’d been doing trail magic / hiker feeds at a campground near Mt Laguna, catering to PCT hikers. I contributed to his stock of supplies (beer and soda), and bought a few things for mine. I didn’t need much, because I anticipated finishing the route in 3.5 days. In fact, I hoped to be visiting Otzi’s Trail Magic in about a week, drinking some of the beverages I just bought. We drove to Julian and Otzi[…]

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DWTH Day 40: Desert Hot Springs Layover

Desert Winter Thru Hike

Wednesday, March 12th, 2025, 0540-1400Black Rock Campground to Desert Hot Springs, mm 15, Section 8e, elevation 2100′18 miles.Plus 2 days in town, hiding out from a winter storm (Thursday-Friday, March 13-14th) I slept warm and comfortable in the embrace of my juniper, then was up early, eager to make it into town for a hot shower after 18 days. I think this stretch set the record for the longest time I went without a shower, plus also laundry. However, I did take a pretty good sink shower / laundry at the Fenner gas station a week and a half prior, so I’m not sure this record counted as much. Regardless, I was feeling pretty rank. I briefly stopped at the[…]

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PCBCRT Summary and Stats

Bigfoot Trail, Oregon Coast Trail, Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Since the Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail was my conglomeration of 4 named long distance trails (Oregon Coast Trail, Bigfoot Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Tahoe Rim Trail), it was difficult to summarize such a journey in one post. I struggled between breaking the summary into distinct parts to cover each trail, or lumping all the data together. In the end, I did a little bit of both. Several of the trails were pretty intermingled, especially the PCT and BFT. I also followed a spur trail down the California Coast, which I characterized as part of the Oregon Coast Trail, yet it was really just an extension to connect to Crescent City (terminus of the BFT) and see parts[…]

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PCBCRT Bonus Hike: The Pinecrest Loop Trail

Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Scott and Sailor, the hosts of the Sonora Pass PCT Hiker Cabin, were keen to share a 78 mile loop hike that they created. I met them at PCT Trail Days, which is where they told me about their cabin and the Pinecrest Loop Trail, or PLT. You can read more about this trail here. The idea behind it is for PCT hikers to be able to connect to Pinecrest on foot, if so desired, but to also provide the local community with a route encompassing nearby trails that connect all the way to the PCT and Yosemite National Park. I had some extra time at the end of my thru-hike from the Columbia River to the Tahoe Rim Trail[…]

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PCBCRT Day 69: Sonora Peak

Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Saturday, Sep 16th, 2023, 0630-1440NE of Disaster Peak to Sonora Pass, then ride to Pinecrest, plus side trip to the top of Sonora Peak 20.5 miles, Gain 5100′, Loss 4600′, elevation 6200′ I got on the trail early as usual, but my neighbor got an even earlier start, disappearing into the dark. It was barely light by 6 am. I greeted some pink clouds at a saddle first thing. I recalled this vista from before, which then seemed parched and barren. This morning there was still snow and a green valley below. It felt like early summer. I descended for a bit but there were many short and punchy bumps as the trail worked through some rugged terrain. I had[…]

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PCBCRT Day 68: Wolves or Huskies?

Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Friday, Sep 15th, 2023, 0630-1840South of the Nipple to just NE of Disaster Peak31.5 miles, Gain 6330′, Loss 5730′, elevation 9110′ Oddly, I was hearing tree frogs creaking a few times overnight…at least I think that’s what they were. What a strange place for them to be. Speaking of strange, when I camped in this section in 2018, I was next to the Lost Lakes only a few miles north of where I woke this morning. That night, I woke abruptly to something sniffing around my tent. I yelled at whatever it was to GET! Another hiker was cowboy camping nearby and he calmly explained “It’s ok, they’re just huskies.” They had been sniffing him too and he woke seeing[…]

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