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| Hiking | 13.79 Miles |
2,391 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.79 Miles | | | |
| 2,391 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | When we dove to Big Bear so my better half could go mountain biking, I vowed to complete the section of the PCT around Big Bear I had not on my 2012 foray. Got dropped off at Cougar Crest trailhead with a plan to be picked up at the CA SR 18 crossing on their way out of town back toward Vegas.
The only thing not so great about this plan was that I had to book it the entire time to make it to the pick-up point - a late (and HUGE!) breakfast at the Grizzly Manor saw to that. Made a good pace up Cougar Crest Trail - lots of other hikers, mostly in large groups. Nice views back toward Big Bear Lake from this trail, and well-maintained with natural material steps at steep bits and everything. I honestly didn't remember any of it, except the views, from my hurried and anxious decent 6 years ago. Turned south-bound at the PCT junction, and then saw only 2 people for the rest of the hike  . The PCT was in good shape, nothing special to note there. A few PCT signs near roads were missing (likely stolen), but nothing making it difficult to navigate. This was pleasant hiking, meandering along through the woods with sporadic views of Big Bear Lake near the start. Occasional bird songs punctuated the air, and the smell of pines was especially pleasing to a desert-dweller.
There was a fire detour from Doble Trail Camp to the crossing of Holcomb Valley Road. From the direction I approached, there was a sawhorse across the trail with a sign taped to it just after the turn-off for the trail camp. However, the sign was so sun-faded as to be almost illegible and it took me some time to figure out how to work around the closed area (a web of unpaved roads leading from the camp did the trick). The fire area itself was vey obvious - charred snags from a June 19th ignition and bare ash covering the soil. This must have been a hot fire, as there were no live trees, shrubs, grasses, or plants of any kind. In retrospect, and looking at the fire closure maps online, the trail may have technically been closed well before reaching Doble Camp, and you were supposed to hike around on FS roads to the north. Since almost everyone hikes the PCT south to north, the closure sign at the Holcomb Valley Road crossing actually had directions printed on it of how to hike around, and this also made sense of a puzzling sign I had seen when crossing Rd 3N69 that said "End Fire Closure." While I was never hiking in the burned area, a sign for south-bound hikers before entering the closure area would probably have been helpful.
The last 2 miles after crossing the paved road near the landfill (scenic!  ) were actually some of the nicest because the views were more open. Starting to get into the Mojave, although still high elevation, so a nice mixture of Joshua trees and conifers. Some gentle climbing from the Holcomb Valley Road crossing, then minor up and downs until CA SR 18. After the delay figuring out the fire closure, I really booked this section, and managed to make it to the pick-up point before my ride. This gave time to sit and eat my neglected lunch while allowing my feet to recover a wee bit. The ride back was pretty quiet - we were all tired, in a good way, from a day spent outside.
Caribou Creek at Van Dusen Canyon Road was dry, but a water cache (with friendly sign) was available 5-10 feet off trail. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
A few late bloomers here and there. Mainly penstemon |
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| "Let it ride / Let it roll / Let it go" |
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