Day 17 – 8 Apr 19. Cleared the dreaded Fuller Ridge

Today 22.7 km (14.1 mi), Total Distance 314.5 km (195.4 mi). 9 hours 45 minutes (0720-1705)

I was a little cold last night, mainly my feet but it was not as cold as I was expecting. I woke as the bright orange of sunrise was just visible through the trees.

As I was taking down my tent Just Awesome and Steel Belt arrived. I had last seen them at Mike’s Place and it was nice to see them again as they are nice guys. After a quick talk they took off and I finished packing up.

I started off with my gloves on but no jacket. I put my crampons on as the snow was nice and hard but it was less than 5 minutes before the snow was replaced by dirt track so off they came again.

The trail dropped slightly and then went along the side of the hill. After about a mile the two guys were stopped and filtering water at the stream. I mentioned having seen a squirrel and they upped me with a sighting of two deer, lucky them. I was still good for water so I continued.

Note the plastic bags under the shoes

There was a lovely view to the left as the track continued following the side of the hill. One nice camp spot came into view and I guessed this is where Duchess and The Duke stayed.

A little further on was Strawberry Campsite. I veered off trail to look at the view points but there was no views from either. Back on trail and there were a few more snow patches but still mainly dirt.

The trail continued around the side of the hill, climbing up to Deer Springs Junction and the junction for the other route up Mt San Jacinto.

Around this area the snow was much thicker and on a steeper angle. When I reached San Jacinto creek I filtered some water and put my crampons on. 10 minutes later the trail started dropping and was back to mainly dirt so crampons off again.

There was a bit of a climb and there were several tracks to follow. I picked one track but was not happy with the decision so cut across through some bushes to another track, picking up a few scratches along the way.

From the high point the trail crossed to the other side of the hill and now there was thick snow so Crampons back on. This time I got about 20 minutes use before dropping to a saddle where two guys were taking a break. Lemur was a first time thru hiker and carrying a really heavy pack. The other guy was either Socket or Sprocket. I had met him once before and he was full of information. He had also gone up San Jacinto yesterday, at a different time from me as I did not see him, despite him talking about camping up there.

Now the trail was back on the side of the ridge and relatively snow free. It dropped quickly with multiple short switchbacks and then climbed just as quickly. It was a neat area with heaps of rocks and a slightly different view from before.

Once up to the high point the trail dropped back to the other side and there was deep snow so crampons back on again. This was the dreaded Fuller Ridge that I had heard so much about in the lead up to starting. The reports were that it was really steep with long exposure and tricky icy path with very few foot prints. The reality now was that there was a very clear path where multiple hikers have come through. The snow was quite soft and with the footprints easy walking except when it turned in a slightly different direction and was now exposed to more sun. The snow was weak and would slide away from the established footprints. Thankfully there was no postholing but I still had to be very careful.

It was a long stretch and I was glad to get to the end of it.

Just short of the camping area Duchess and The Duke were finishing lunch. I wanted to get to the road as for some reason I thought the snow stopped there. It was only another 5 minutes to the picnic area and then after finding the route, another 5 minutes to the road.

I went 50 meters down the track to a tree stump and took off my crampons before having lunch. I had been bad the previous few hiking days in not eating enough so I made sure to have a decent lunch. Duke and Duchess caught up, had a quick chat then continued on.

I packed up and was on my way. From here it was a huge downhill all the way to the desert floor 2,335 to 409 meters (7,661 to 1,342 ft).

The snow had stopped apart from a few patches easily traversed without crampons. I stopped at one patch after I realised I did not take my 300 km photo. Instead it is a 308 km celebration. Tomorrow I hit 200 miles.

Now it was a steady drop with a sudden change from the snow and pines to more open rocky terrain. It was also hot as soon as I was away from the snow.

After about 30 minutes I caught Duchess and The Duke as they were trying to identify the different trees around us. We then walked together to the next water source, stopping to take photos of different things. Mainly lizards but also a really cool long Skink with a blue tail. They saw a hummingbird but I was too slow. They were good company and set a nice pace.

There was a nice sign with sticks pointing to the water. This was an important point as it had been dry for a while and was dry until the desert floor.

Duchess made an observation that the road was only 5.8 km direct but the trail distance was 16 miles as there was a lot of switchbacks to cope with the elevation drop.

Rob arrived and explained that he had bypassed the mountain and come up the alternative Black Mountain Road. Him and his son were the two people I met in the morning of Day 14. They must have turned around before Apache Peak.

I continued on while they were still refilling. My feet were feeling like some blisters were in the early stages so I only walked a couple more miles and set up my tent. There was no wind but the comments talked about it being an exposed spot so I reinforced the pegs with rocks. There was another campsite in 2 miles that was more sheltered but I did not want to risk my feet developing blisters. Better to let them dry overnight.

I was tired, the snow was hard physical work, especially because it was so soft. I had really enjoyed my time in the mountains. It was a good dress rehearsal for the Sierras. I had revised my snow skills, tried out my new crampons and tested my tent on the snow. It all worked out. Now just a whole lot more desert to go before being in snow again.

Views: 974