May 2 164.4- 183.5

19.1 Miles

Today was the most difficult and spectacular day of the trip thus far. We totaled 5k vertical gain and 4k descent. We were amazed to wake up to 60 degrees temperatures at 7,000 feet. Waking up and getting moving was a breeze. Often times it is difficult to leave the warm cocoon of your sleeping bag at daybreak. You have to psyche yourself up to put on your hiking clothes while shivering- the cold not abating until you start working hard.

We started with a long climb up the shoulders of mt. San Jacinto, seeing our first snow of the trip. We had a 15 mile water carry from our last fill up point, and began running low after sweating hard while climbing. We filled our water bottles with snow to supplement our supply.

We passed the site where a hiker fell 600 feet to his death in 2020- a narrow trail cut into the edge of a cliff that can hold a slippery bit of snow. Luckily the snow was very easy to navigate for us, and we didn’t feel in danger in the slightest.

By mid day we had climbed to 9,000 feet, and began to encounter long stretches of snow. Amber floated on the surface. I occasionally sank to my hips.

Our other obstacle for the day was climbing over, under, or around the hundreds of fallen trees that Littered the trail. This stretch of trail caught on fire in recent years. The winter storms wreack havoc on the standing, dead trees.

We both blew through most of our bars and snacks today. The effort of the climbs, fighting through the snow, and the obstacle course of the trees made us ravenous. Our camp is a patch of dry land at 8,000. It is cold as we cook dinner. It seems like we won’t have the same good fortune as yesterday.