Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - May 4th
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Day 25: Saturday 4th May Crowder Canyon – Gobbler’s
Knob
I slept well despite the noise of traffic on the nearby Interstate Highway 15 and the
sound of whistles from trains on the Southern Pacific Railroad. There was a frost on the
tent again, but it didn’t feel particularly cold, as the wind had dropped.
The PCT followed the Crowder Canyon Creek down into the Cajon Pass, under the
I15, under major powerlines carrying electricity from the Colorado River hydroelectric
power stations to Los Angeles and crossed several branches of the Southern Pacific
Railway. Being the lowest point in the hills surrounding LA, the Cajon Pass is one of
the main communication links between LA and the rest of the USA. It is also a major
route for exporting pollution from LA into the Mojave Desert. Yellow smog could be
seen to the SW waiting for the wind to get up in the afternoon before coming up the
pass. The vegetation has enough problems coping with the desert conditions without
having to put up with the pollutants. This lack of vegetation has contributed to the
widespread erosion in the Pass, mainly caused by flash floods.
Also passing through the Cajon Pass is the San Andreas Fault, a major fracture in
the earth’s crust, which passes close to Los Angeles. The fault is the boundary between
the North Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The North Pacific plate is sliding
past the North American plate in a northerly direction at an average rate of about 2
inches per year. In the 1906 San Francisco earthquake the San Andreas Fault line
moved by as much as 20ft in places.
The trail wound passed the Mormon Rocks, a sandstone conglomerate where rounded
pebbles are imbedded in a sandstone matrix and erosion has then caused interestingly
shaped rocks. These Rocks are named after the Mormon pioneers, who were the first
whites to cross the Cajon Pass to settle the San Bernardino Valley and used the Pass to
connect the Mormon settlements to Salt Lake City.
After climbing the ridge bounding the pass, the trail drops down to dry Lone Pine
Canyon before starting the 5000ft climb up to the kinder conditions on the Blue Ridge.
There was an unexpected water cache in Lone Pine Canyon so I again refilled my water
bottles. It was already getting very hot by 10am. On the lower slopes I met Scott, Ken
and John, day hikers, descending from the ridge. They confirmed that I was unlikely to
find any water until Grassy Hollow Campground about 10 hours walking ahead and they
topped up my water supplies again. The trail reached the ridge at about 6000ft. The trail
used to follow the ridge, dangerously placed because of a shooting range on the south
side, but now it has been rebuilt below the ridge on the north side. This was just as well
since I could hear the range being used when I passed through. There was some shade
from trees along the ridge, but walking was mainly in the sun. By the early evening I
reached a jeep track and found a note for me from Scott, Ken and John, together with 2
litres of iced water, a can of “Dr. Peppers” and a fresh juicy apple. Having got back to
their car in Lone Pine Canyon they must have driven back to the top of the hill just to
give me these much appreciated supplies. I had been expecting to have to ration water
for the night, but now I could rehydrate properly and still have plenty of water for the
next day.
I wanted to camp but I couldn’t find a site big enough for the tent and it was getting
dark before I was able to pitch my tent at a roadhead below Gobbler’s Knob. It had
been a very hard hot day’s climb and I was pleased that I had very little problem with
my heel injuries.
Day 25: 15.9 miles 7.44 hours Camp: Gobbler’s Knob
Knob
I slept well despite the noise of traffic on the nearby Interstate Highway 15 and the
sound of whistles from trains on the Southern Pacific Railroad. There was a frost on the
tent again, but it didn’t feel particularly cold, as the wind had dropped.
The PCT followed the Crowder Canyon Creek down into the Cajon Pass, under the
I15, under major powerlines carrying electricity from the Colorado River hydroelectric
power stations to Los Angeles and crossed several branches of the Southern Pacific
Railway. Being the lowest point in the hills surrounding LA, the Cajon Pass is one of
the main communication links between LA and the rest of the USA. It is also a major
route for exporting pollution from LA into the Mojave Desert. Yellow smog could be
seen to the SW waiting for the wind to get up in the afternoon before coming up the
pass. The vegetation has enough problems coping with the desert conditions without
having to put up with the pollutants. This lack of vegetation has contributed to the
widespread erosion in the Pass, mainly caused by flash floods.
Also passing through the Cajon Pass is the San Andreas Fault, a major fracture in
the earth’s crust, which passes close to Los Angeles. The fault is the boundary between
the North Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The North Pacific plate is sliding
past the North American plate in a northerly direction at an average rate of about 2
inches per year. In the 1906 San Francisco earthquake the San Andreas Fault line
moved by as much as 20ft in places.
The trail wound passed the Mormon Rocks, a sandstone conglomerate where rounded
pebbles are imbedded in a sandstone matrix and erosion has then caused interestingly
shaped rocks. These Rocks are named after the Mormon pioneers, who were the first
whites to cross the Cajon Pass to settle the San Bernardino Valley and used the Pass to
connect the Mormon settlements to Salt Lake City.
After climbing the ridge bounding the pass, the trail drops down to dry Lone Pine
Canyon before starting the 5000ft climb up to the kinder conditions on the Blue Ridge.
There was an unexpected water cache in Lone Pine Canyon so I again refilled my water
bottles. It was already getting very hot by 10am. On the lower slopes I met Scott, Ken
and John, day hikers, descending from the ridge. They confirmed that I was unlikely to
find any water until Grassy Hollow Campground about 10 hours walking ahead and they
topped up my water supplies again. The trail reached the ridge at about 6000ft. The trail
used to follow the ridge, dangerously placed because of a shooting range on the south
side, but now it has been rebuilt below the ridge on the north side. This was just as well
since I could hear the range being used when I passed through. There was some shade
from trees along the ridge, but walking was mainly in the sun. By the early evening I
reached a jeep track and found a note for me from Scott, Ken and John, together with 2
litres of iced water, a can of “Dr. Peppers” and a fresh juicy apple. Having got back to
their car in Lone Pine Canyon they must have driven back to the top of the hill just to
give me these much appreciated supplies. I had been expecting to have to ration water
for the night, but now I could rehydrate properly and still have plenty of water for the
next day.
I wanted to camp but I couldn’t find a site big enough for the tent and it was getting
dark before I was able to pitch my tent at a roadhead below Gobbler’s Knob. It had
been a very hard hot day’s climb and I was pleased that I had very little problem with
my heel injuries.
Day 25: 15.9 miles 7.44 hours Camp: Gobbler’s Knob
Southern Pacific Railroad
in Cajon Pass
in Cajon Pass
Mormon Rocks
Trail round
Gobbler's Knob
Gobbler's Knob