Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - Day 6 April 13th
Day 6: Saturday 13th April Rodriguez Canyon – San Felipe Hills
By first light the temperature had only dropped to 63ºF. It took me 4 hours to reach
Highway 78 at Scissors Crossing, where there was a large water cache. This wasn’t
really necessary as the creek was still running. I found a shady bush to rest under for
an early lunch, and shortly afterwards met a California State Ranger who was leading a
party of bird watchers and chatted for a while.
The route ahead, along the San Felipe Hills to Barrel Spring, was notorious with 24
tortuous miles without water or shade through the sparsely vegetated hills. I had
originally planned to camp at Scissors Crossing and leave for Barrel Spring at first light,
but it was too early to camp.
I headed up the hill at 12.30 with my thermometer already reading 90ºF in the shade
and there wasn’t going to be any shade. The sandy trail meandered up the south-facing
slope of Grapevine Mountain in and out of dry gullies. It would have been preferable if
the path had been steeper and more direct with fewer switchbacks. The desert flora with
Cacti and the bizarre Ocotillo shrubs, which look like red flowering giant green pipe
cleaners, maintained interest while struggling up the hill. When I stopped to rest, I was
passed by Richard and George, who were backpacking to Barrel Spring. While walking
they carried umbrellas with reflective foil covering the canopy, to shade them from the
sun. Walking uphill, with heavy pack, carrying an umbrella must be a bit awkward.
They were certainly moving very fast up the hill, but paid for this later suffering from
dehydration by the time they reached Barrel Spring. I took another break at 4pm, by
which time it was 93ºF in the non-existent shade. My feet were aching in the late
afternoon, but I couldn’t camp until I found a flat spot to camp on, by which time I was
totally exhausted.
I recovered quickly once I had drunk a pint of tea. I usually drink a lot of mugs of
tea when backpacking, but in these desert conditions I was mainly drinking Gatorade,
an electrolyte drink, which doesn’t have the diuretic properties of tea or coffee.
Day 6: 17.5 miles 7:49 hours Camp: San Felipe Hills
By first light the temperature had only dropped to 63ºF. It took me 4 hours to reach
Highway 78 at Scissors Crossing, where there was a large water cache. This wasn’t
really necessary as the creek was still running. I found a shady bush to rest under for
an early lunch, and shortly afterwards met a California State Ranger who was leading a
party of bird watchers and chatted for a while.
The route ahead, along the San Felipe Hills to Barrel Spring, was notorious with 24
tortuous miles without water or shade through the sparsely vegetated hills. I had
originally planned to camp at Scissors Crossing and leave for Barrel Spring at first light,
but it was too early to camp.
I headed up the hill at 12.30 with my thermometer already reading 90ºF in the shade
and there wasn’t going to be any shade. The sandy trail meandered up the south-facing
slope of Grapevine Mountain in and out of dry gullies. It would have been preferable if
the path had been steeper and more direct with fewer switchbacks. The desert flora with
Cacti and the bizarre Ocotillo shrubs, which look like red flowering giant green pipe
cleaners, maintained interest while struggling up the hill. When I stopped to rest, I was
passed by Richard and George, who were backpacking to Barrel Spring. While walking
they carried umbrellas with reflective foil covering the canopy, to shade them from the
sun. Walking uphill, with heavy pack, carrying an umbrella must be a bit awkward.
They were certainly moving very fast up the hill, but paid for this later suffering from
dehydration by the time they reached Barrel Spring. I took another break at 4pm, by
which time it was 93ºF in the non-existent shade. My feet were aching in the late
afternoon, but I couldn’t camp until I found a flat spot to camp on, by which time I was
totally exhausted.
I recovered quickly once I had drunk a pint of tea. I usually drink a lot of mugs of
tea when backpacking, but in these desert conditions I was mainly drinking Gatorade,
an electrolyte drink, which doesn’t have the diuretic properties of tea or coffee.
Day 6: 17.5 miles 7:49 hours Camp: San Felipe Hills
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Ancient Brit at
Scissors Crossing
Scissors Crossing
Richard and George
Rainbow Cactus
Ocotillo
Mojave Yucca