Mile 110 to 118

Gary hiking through the flowered meadow close to
Warner Springs Resort.  We started Sobo in the mountains
in the background.

Section B
Lost Creek Road to Warner Springs - Sobo
Miles: 8
Hiking with: Gary Driggs

Lodging:  Warner Springs Resort, Warner Springs, CA.  Ok…I manage hotels so I look at hotels differently than most people.  Nothing bothers me more than hotel employees that act like they wish you weren’t there but I will try and be objective with Warner Springs.  I’ve stayed here two different times while hiking the PCT.  Both times I called the hotel several times and was never able to talk with someone who would reserve a room for me – I know it doesn’t sound credible but it’s true.  Both times I finally gave up and booked the room on Expedia – which I hate to do because I know that 30% of what I’m paying will go to Expedia as a commission where I would prefer it to go to the hotel.  Both times upon arriving they were very friendly at the front desk and at the front gate.  Both times we stayed in the older Casitas which were spacious but a little run down (Super 8 quality bed/bath/carpet - older & worn).  For $106/night in the middle of nowhere I would say this is an OK deal.  About 1 week after my stay I got a letter in the mail from the Warner Springs Resort that was a receipt for a $10 “resort fee”.  This is fraud – if they were going to charge me a “resort fee” they should have told me when I checked in.  I called the hotel politely about 3 times with promises of getting a return call from the person that handles this – no call back.  Finally I called my credit card company and told them I did not approve the charge and they removed it from my bill - which means they will suck the $10 back out of the Warner Springs Resort’s bank account.  Would I stay there again – yes, but I’m irritated because they could be so much better and there is no other hotel within 45 minutes. 

Car Rental:  Hertz Car Rental – Imperial County Int’l Airport, El Centro, CA

Dining:  Warner Springs Golf Grille, Warner Springs CA.  This was OK.  During slow times at the Warner Springs Resort this is the only restaurant open for lunch.  We never ate dinner or breakfast at the resort.

Start:  We drove a car up Lost Creek Road (paved) and watched the GPS to where the trail came the closest to the road.  There happened to be a pullout on the roadside where we parked and there was a faint trail leading up to the trail 30’ uphill.

End:  Mile 110 at Hwy 79 near Warner Spring Resort.  A PCT sign is posted alongside the road and the shoulder is extra wide to allow for cars to park alongside the road.  We were the only car when we parked early in the morning (sunrise) but when we picked up our car around 10 am there were 4 other cars parked there.

People along the trail:  We saw no an ex-through hiker at CS115 (Camp Site at mile 115).  There were a group of Australians attempting an ambitious through hike – 30 miles/day.  I never met the group but had heard they were very macho – ex-ironmen/women.  The hiker we met at this campsite was ripped (no fat – lots of muscle).  He said he had enough of hiking every day that he was just going to tour around the west coast and hike in certain areas.  In my opinion it was impressive he came this far.  It seems that through hiking and long distance hiking takes a certain type of patience and mental preparation and is not for everyone.

Description:  We were initially going to drive to the PCT on Chihuahua Valley Road but the road was blocked off.  This would have put us at mile 127 which would have been a perfect distance after a long 20 miles from Fuller Ridge to I-10 the previous day.  However there was a locked gate on the road and a no trespassing sign which we obeyed.  After looking at the maps and reading Shem’s book a little more I think there is a way around this as Chihuahua Road is very well maintained where it crossed the PCT at mile 127.  So came down to Lost Valley Road and started at mile 118 which shortened our hike to 8 miles. 

This was an interesting stretch of trail as it transitioned from the high desert to the lower flowering meadows common around Warner Springs.  Within 2 miles the trail crosses the Agua Caliente Creek and from this point on you’re never too far from water.  Once we crossed Hwy 79 we went through a large field of stomach high yellow flowers  with lots of bees….no worry though as the bees were occupied with the blossoms and paid no attention to us temporarily interrupting their feast.

Desert flowers were still blooming late in the Spring.

Gary crossing Agua Calienta Creek.

Some type of agave plant.

There were huge oak trees along the creek. 
I think Warner Springs Resort uses this area for group cookouts.

Mile 190 to 209

Ice covered pine needles at
Fuller Ridge Trailhead.

Section B
Fuller Ridge to I-10 Nobo
Miles: 9
Hikers: Dan & Gary

Lodging:  Holiday Inn Express Banning, CA  

Car Rental:  Hertz Car Rental – Palm Spring Int’l Airport (car rentals from airports are easier as they are usually open later in the evening and through the weekend).

Dining:  Fisherman’s Market & Grill, Banning, CA.  This had great affordable seafood and has been featured on the TV Food channels.  There is also one in Palm Springs – I’ve eaten at both and they are both excellent.  I had their shrimp tacos – mmm.

Start:  At Fuller Ridge Camp Site.  From I-10 take Hwy 243 towards Idylwild.  Turn left onto Black Mountain Trail (Forest Route 4S01) which is a well maintained dirt road with some short patches of pavement and go for a good 30 minutes.  Another road merges with Black Mountain Trail about a third of the way up, but other than that just stay on the road.  Eventually you’ll see a sign for Black Mountain Group campsite…keep going. About another mile up you’ll actually cross the PCT – although I don’t recall any signs visible from the road.  There is a dirt road on the right with a sign for the Fuller Ridge trailhead.  There is lots of parking and both times I was at this trailhead someone was camping here (not PCT hikers). 

End:   I-10.  Off of I-10 take the Haugen-Lehman Way exit 110 which is right before the Hwy 111 exit to Palm Spring if you’re coming from LA.  Go to the north side of I-10 and turn left on Tamarack Road.  About 100 yards past the last house on your left you’ll be able to see where the dry river bed goes under I-10 (this is a big overpass – you can’t miss it).  This is where the PCT goes under I-10 and you should be able to see the trail on both sides of the road.  We drove back to the last house and paid them $20 to park in their gravel yard.  They were very accommodating.  I understand that cars left unattended here will get towed!!!  Another option would be to go further north at mile 111.5 where the PCT crosses Desert View Rd where there is a parking lot.  It just makes this hike a ½ hour longer but will assure you of have a car there when you arrive.

People along the trail:  I saw more rattlesnakes (1) than hikers.  The snake was in the middle of the trail just sunning and quickly slithered off the trail to let us pass.  After we descended the San Jacintos just after the drinking fountain at WR206 we saw a pickup truck with a swamp cooler in the back bed blowing air into the cab.  We stopped and talked to the occupant who was a security guard for the water facility further up the canyon.  He had a few books in this truck – a necessity for his occupation.
Description:  I would usually stay clear of the desert from May through September but it was a cooler than normal weekend.  As we drove into Palm Springs the wind was blowing and it sprinkled a little.  The plan was to drive up to the trailhead that night and sleep in the car so we could be on the trail at sunrise however the glowing Holiday Inn Express sign along the highway drew us in as we opted for a comfy bed over sleeping bags.  We woke up before dark and enjoyed a nice hotel breakfast and drove about 40 minutes to the Black Mountain turnoff and then headed up another 30 minutes to the trailhead.  It had rained here during the night and there was a coat of ice on the pine trees – glad we opted for the hotel.  At first we were in very large pine trees with huge pine cones but we rapidly dropped out of the trees where we were exposed to the sun and the unbelievable vistas.  For being so close to I-10 I thought we’d be looking at it all day but we were mostly looking back at the San Jacinto’s.  This is similar to hiking down the Grand Canyon where you have nonstop views because of the lack of vegetation and the vertical descent.  There was no water on this section until you got off the mountain at mile 206 where they have tapped into the public water supply and installed a drinking fountain & faucet.  The trail starts at 7,500’ elevation and at the mile 206 (16 miles into the hike) you are at 1,500’ elevation – that’s a lot of down.  Now comes the last 4.5 miles through a sandy river bottom in the hot afternoon desert sun….ugh.  You quickly pass the small housing community of Snow Creek and start wandering through the desert.  The trail wasn’t marked very well here although if you got off the trail and just kept walking in the river bottom you’d eventually see I-10 and the underpass where the trail goes.  This was the most wearing hike so far because of the vertical descent and the sun/heat of the desert (even though it wasn’t over 90 degrees).  We finally got to the underpass and there were 2 coolers filled with ice and sodas and beer!!!!  A sign above it said “for PCT hikers.”  I love trail angels.

An ice covered pine tree at Fuller Ridge Trailhead.

A blooming Agave (Century Plant) with
Mt. San Jacinto in the background.

Wild flowers along the trail.

A rattlesnake guarding the trail.

Gary enjoying the generosity of trail angels.