AND UP TO MT BADEN-POWELL

PCT_D20: Mile 360 – Mile 384 (Little Jimmy Camp)
Tuesday May, 3 2016: 24 miles (38.4km)

We were restored by a blissful nights sleep. I woke at 5am and there was hardly a breath of wind outside.  We were camped under some pine trees, it was so quite and peaceful. Off in the distance of the valley below where we were camped, the early red glow of the sunrise  was illumination the sky. Lights of a distant town  and the I-15 could be seen in the valley floor. We did not notice the town when we stopped last night. This would have been a perfect location for some night-time  photography.

We broke camp and were on our way pretty early.  Hammer was on fire I could barely keep up. Mt Wright and Mt Baldy dominated the landscape we were walking through almost all the way to Highway 2. Beautiful hiking conditions, warm but not hot as we were still at around 7000 feet.

Where the PCT crosses Highway 2 we waited to meet up with fellow hiker Jim who was coming back on trail from Wrightwood. He very generously brough us cooking gas, spoons and a real treat: a tub of fresh berries. We sat in the sun enjoying the sweet berries with views out towards the high peaks of Mt Wright and Mt Baldy.  Such a delicious treat.

From here we had some real work to do, a 5 mile uphill hike to the summit of Mt Baden-Powell which stands at 9, 399 feet.  The first section of the hike up to the summit was relatively easy terrain passing through the most beautifully scented pine forest. After the Highway 28 crossing the trail went straight up through numerous switchback.  It was hard work and then it got harder as we hit snow and the trail disappeared.  

The crossing through the snow ended up being an adrenaline charge. The snow was icy and on very steep slopes. Now this was real preparation for the Sierras. We were happy to make it to the summit without any incidents. On a clear day there are views from the summit all the way to Los Angeles and the Catalina Islands. Sadly not today, the air was a bit hazy to see too far out. Still great to see the desert below. Still hard to believe that we are in the desert.

From the summit we had an almost 6 mile walk  to get to water at the Little Jimmy Spring and then Little Jimmy Camp.  So happy to get there. Feeling a bit trashed, it has been a long day.