Pacific Crest Trail: Mile 41.5 to 58

Section A
Mt. Laguna to most northern access to the PCT along Sunrise Hwy - Nobo
Miles: 17
Hikers: Dan & Gary

Lodging: Mt. Laguna Lodge

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

Dining: We went to the trail town of Julian and ate at Romano’s Dodge House which was recommended by a local -- good advice. It had great Italian food and was moderately priced. We returned and ate here on our next trip to Julian. Also a must do is Mom's Pies -- written up by the Food Network Shows.

Start: We drove back to the Burnt Rancheria Campground – last time we were here in early April it wasn’t open, this time it was. We found the Campground Hosts, paid for a day use permit and parked the car about 30 ft. from the PCT where we started Sobo last time. This time we are going Nobo. If you’re wondering if the snow has melt on Mt. Laguna before you do your hike look at the USD webcam ontheir Observatory.

End: We drove the rental car north on the Sunrise Hwy. My goal was to get as far north as possible to make the next day’s hike shorter. We ended up parking where Deer Park Road (don’t be deceived by the term “Road” as it looks more like a dirt driveway that is gated) joins the Sunrise Hwy on the west. To access the PCT you must cross the road (Hwy) which is at the edge of a drop off and scramble down a moderately steep rough path about 30’. The PCT in this section is below the edge and below the road and you cannot see the road or your parked car!!! Make notes of the surroundings and mark this spot on your GPS. We would leave the car overnight and return to the Laguna Mtn Lodge for the night.

People along the trail: We encountered about 8 PCT through hikers as this is prime time for through hikers. We also came across a trail crew working on the PCT. These were older guys (I’m 52 and consider myself young). Each one of these guys could have taken me down in a heartbeat. One guy (I forgot his trail name) was an ex-marine, 68, and had done the PCT several times, AT (Appalachian Trail) & CDT (Continental Divide Trail) – last year on his PCT through hike he averaged 30 miles/day. This guy was tough. These trail veterans were giving back. It seems like there is a close knit group of hikers that through hike – they all know each other, have heard stories of each other, and they help each other out – the PCT Family. This was my first encounter with “Trail Angels”, someone helping others without any expectation of a “thanks”.

Description: This trail follows the edge of the Plateau atop Mt. Laguna. On the east the terrain drops down into the desert. The cool breeze from the west was blowing strong but with the sun out it was a rather nice day. This was a relatively “flat” hike with no big ups or downs but the trail continually was going up or down. I should say more but it was basically great views into the Anza Borrego Desert all day.

We finished about 5 pm, jumped into the car left the previous day and drove back to the Burnt Rancheria Campground to pick up the other car. We then dropped a car at tomorrow’s trail end at Scissors Crossing (mile 77), drove to Julian – a very charming tourist town known for their apple pies, at dinner at Romano’s Dodge House which was recommended by a local. It had great Italian food and was moderately priced. We returned and ate here on our next trip to Julian too. After dinner we returned to Mt. Laguna Lodge for the night.