Unlike last time, this trip was in the midst of a very good wildflower bloom, the product of well-above average rains in southern California this winter.
Also unlike last time, this trip was rather impromptu. I was driving east on I-10, towards Joshua Tree, and the hills to my left were covered in yellow flowers. Britlebush was thick.
I gave some thought to making my way off the freeway at Haugen-Lehmann Road, and heading north from there. The Pacific Crest Trail passes near here, crossing over those mountains, then heading along the Whitewater River. I hiked this segment of the PCT during my original 100 hike year. I covered sections of the PCT further "north" on several other trips, including 2010 and 2011. Haven't been in the Whitewater drainage must since then, however. It seems likely I haven't been here since 2015. I should probably try to visit again, soon.
But that's not the point of this post. :D
Since I hadn't planned this hike, I didn't have the gate code or permission to drive beyond the boundary gate. I had lots of company, as the small lot at the gate was full, and cars parked along the edge of the dirt road. I joined them there.
If I just wanted wildflower photos, I could have gotten plenty just on the drive to the gate, and within 100 yards of the gate. But I'm a hiker, and I was going to hike. So I laced up my boots and headed past the gate.
Wasn't sure how far I was going to hike, but I only stuck one 28 oz bottle of Powerade, and one .5 liter bottle of water. But it wasn't that warm, so this seemed sufficient.
Started out photographing right near the gate, then crossed through the gate, and shot some more right around the picnic area. Took a while before I got actually moving along the road. According to the signage, it's 1.6 miles to the end of the road, where there's running water (not recommended for drinking) and flush toilets. Yeah, it's kind of a surprise to find that out in the middle of nowhere.
Near the gate were lots of brittlebush and lots of Fremont pincushion. Purple phacelia were also common. Later, I came across patches of purple owl's clover.
The purple phacelia were tricky. They grew under the protection of other plants, so they did not stand out directly. But their density gave a purplish tinge to many of the longer viewsheds along my hike.
When I finally got to the "Stonehouse," I saw why the parking outside the gate was full: The parking at the Stonehouse was also full. Lots of people who did call early enough and got the gate code had been approved, so later would-be visitors were denied.
So this was 1.6 miles later, and I still felt great. At this point, I was still debating if I would try to find the viewpoint for San Gorgonio or just continue on the PCT to the area I got to, last time. But I was definitely open for either.
When I finally got to where I assume the San Gorgonio view trail departs, I was still feeling like heading the other way. Just seemed like I'd get a better view from the high point I knew the PCT would give me, versus what I expected I'd see from the other point. But still haven't been there, so it's an open question. :D
More purple phacelia among the other plants. Desert Canterbury bells also became more common. Didn't see any desert poppies until I was well on my climb up to my PCT viewpoint. Oh, yes, and several yucca in bloom. One along the road looked like a Joshua Tree, but I didn't look carefully enough to be sure.
My turnaround point was about six miles total from my car (as measured by the Alltrails app on my cell phone). From here, with peripheral vision, you can see both Mount San Jacinto and Mount San Gorgonio, simultaneously. You can also peak into parts of the Whitewater watershed, to the left of San Gorgonio, and up and down the Mission Creek watershed.
While near the top, admiring the view and taking some shots, the hum of honeybees suddenly became loud, and a swarm started descending around me. While I'm told bees in swarming mode aren't aggressive, I didn't want to test that theory while the hundreds of bees came down. So I grabbed my bag and jogged a hundred yards or so, to get out of the LZ they had selected. Stopped, and took several photos of a yucca, with Mount San Jacinto as a backdrop.
While doing that, I heard the hum of a drone. Shouldn't be possible, given I was in a wilderness area. Not sure where the operator was, but I suspect he was back at the Stonehouse. Although I had walked over four miles from there, a lot of that was zig-zagging up to where I was, so possibly no more than two miles from the stone house. I mean, it's possible some longer-distance PCT hiker was carrying a drone on the trip, but drone operators tend not to be long-distance hikers, so I doubt he was further from the trailhead than I was.
Returned the way I came. Just about 12 miles for the day. My boots felt a little loose, but, thankfully, no blisters. But pretty tired. Longest hike of the year, I'm pretty sure.
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