[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[pct-l] Tales from the Trail

Boulder Oaks campground to Burnt Rancheria.  Last Year, spring '97.

Two friends and I set off from Boulder oaks campground during an especially
windy morning.  A quick stop at the store a few steps down the road filled our
bellies with water and beef jerky.  The trail soon passed under Highway 8 as
the road climbs its way into inkopah and drops down into El Centro and out
into Mexicali and the Great Salt lake.  Passing under the bride, the trail
weaved back south switchbacking up to a long traverse heading north.  The
trail can be seen up on the hill on the left as you enter the valley into Lake
Morena area on H8.  The trail passes through a ridge and crosses Kitchen Creek
road.  --  Kitchen Creek road lead into the Cleveland Nat. Forest and is
flanked on the right by an ugly shooting range where the ground is covered
with red shotgun shells and .22 clip remnants.  Further up KC Road is some
nicer back country where a campground offers an Oak Grove for shade and the
Creek.  Upstream is a wading pool and down stream the creek can be followed to
its upper rim of one the largest waterfalls in San Diego, being only matched
in height and flow to Cedar Creek Falls outside of Julian.  Crossing the road
on the PCT, the trail rounds a few hills and again traverses a chaparral laced
hillside up to a trail heading down to a campground with bathrooms shaded and
numbered camp spaces.  The 2+ mile detour down to the campground seemed
lengthy at the time so we pressed on up the trail a ridge where a cold and wet
biting wind discouraged further hiking.  Three of us lay right on the trail
single file, wet and cold in the dirt that night.  The next morning came after
waiting semi-asleep, counting the minutes.  Back on the trail we climbed a
junction to a dry meadow with some dirt roads and some hefty paw prints.  The
top of this ridge led to the first PCT lettered sign marking the distance back
to Boulder Oaks and forward to Warner Springs.  This section was a great
change from the dry chaparral to a pine tree shaded region reminiscent of
Green Valley falls and Paso Picaccio campgrounds near Stone Wall peak.  The
shaded pine grove dropped over a slope and climbed gradually to a metal gate
with a lucky horse shoe on the metal pole... Anyone remember this?  Passing
the gate some picnic tables of Burnt Rancheria Campground come into view and
help us find our other can parked at the general store across from a ranger
information hut.  This campground, closed when we arrived, has restroom
facilities and is only a short hike around the bend to Desert View campground
and some awesome views down into Anza-Borrego Dessert and the Great Salt Lake
in the distance.  If time permits, a short hitchhike west on Highway 79 will
bring you to the Cuyamaca observatory, now run by San Diego State University. 
This sister of Palomar observatory has a huge telescope donated by a private
party with the stipulation that it be available to the public some of the
time.  Contact SDSU astronomy dept. for details.  A peek through this lens
will bring into focus the Crab nebula and Magellan Clouds and anything else
that you need to remind you that you are insignificant in this changing
universe and reassure you that you belong back on that PCT heading soon by
Cuyamaca Lake and dropping into Anza Borrego desert park.

Next section of Burnt Rancheria to Pioneer Mail Campground coming soon...


Happy trails.

Alan.

* From the Pacific Crest Trail Email List | For info http://www.hack.net/lists *

==============================================================================