Eric Bullard
Stories (1/0)
I Hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in the Dead of Winter—And So Can You!
Of course you can't hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail in the dead of winter. That would be impossible. But over the years I have hiked many sections of the Pacific Crest Trail in the dead of winter, and some of those for hundreds of miles and months at a time. My favorite of all winter hikes on the PCT is the section from the Mexican border, 250 miles up to the heart of the San Jacinto Mountains, and then back to the border. The secret to this hike is that it is mostly through the south-eastern deserts of California which, even in the dead of winter, are relatively snow free. And, if not balmy, at least usually above freezing during the day. Most of the time hiking is in the 3,000 foot elevation range with the only real high altitudes coming around Mount Laguna, (up to 6,000 feet) Combs Peak, (5,000 feet), and the San Jacinto Mountains (between 5,000 and 7,000 feet), which was where I had to turn around and head back south to the border.
By Eric Bullard5 years ago in Wander