[pct-l] Re: San Felipe Hills alternate route?

[rellinwood at worldnet.att.net (Robert Ellinwood)]

Funny how relative "alternate routes" can be...   

In 1985, the trail up into the San Felipe Hills was just being built and
we had to roadwalk from Scissors Crossing to Barrel Spring.  Yes, you
could get water (somewhat warm) from a highway maintenance compound, but
it was like an oven on that road.   The heat made you stagger and your
mind just turned off.   

This past summer, we started up from Scissors Crossing at 3:00 a.m. in
the coolness with lots of water and with a full moon, using headlamps as
needed.  To hike along up there, watching dawn unfold, was really quite
special.  Three shady rest breaks and a leisurely pace brought us to
Barrel Spring about 4:30 p.m., welcomed by a young pouting rattlesnake
coiled in the middle of the trail.  In spite of the endless ins-and-outs
of ravines toward the end, it was for us, all in all, a most memorable
hike.