Day 15, Mt San Janciento, Mile 186.6

Friday: (05/02) Up at 0700. I went to breakfast at Jo-an’s restaurant. I was probably up too early because what I needed to do couldn’t be done until 0900. I finished restuffing my exploded backpack. I mailed off my bounce bucket to Big Bear City and my optional tent pole to home. My tent requires only one pole (side-side) for normal use. I bought the optional end-end pole which allows it to stand without tent stakes. I haven’t needed it, so off it went to reduce weight. I caught a ride from the Inn’s owner up to the trailhead at Humber Park.


It was about a 2.5 mile hike up the mountain from the trailhead to the Pacific Crest Trail and the North end of the closure.


I opted to take the alternate trail up to the Mt San Jaciento Peak. That was a tough trail section both because it was so much up and because the trail was way over grown and had so many loose large stones on the trail.


The last .3 mile was actually scrambling over boulders to the top, made even more interesting with my 60 pound backpack. Don’t get me wrong, it was worth it.


I arrived at the top around 1800 and enjoyed dinner with  a 360 degree view. Unfortunately, I arrived as the earlier clear air was hazing up reducing the view. I should have moved faster. I then hiked down the mountain about 2 miles to a campground, of sorts. Dispersed camping isn’t allowed in this wilderness. The hike up to the peak was 4.5-5K feet. My camp GPS location was 33.81372, -116.68812. I would have preferred to have camped below snow level but it was 1930 already. The snow is only patches. My dinner was not cooked at the top because my stove wouldn’t light. I swapped out my used gas canister for a new one that may be a dud? 10.5 Miles today.