16 Miles of Beauty
Destination
There are many routes to take to San Jacinto Peak. We chose the San Jacinto Peak Middle Route trail featured on AllTrails. This peak was #3 for me in the SoCal 6 Pack of Peaks Challenge.
"Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience."
While many people do this hike in one day, we decided to slow things down by backpacking and spending a night in the San Jacinto Wilderness. We came across a couple of established camping spots near the trail, however I was glad I pushed my group to check out another option. We ended up finding a spot on the mountainside off the Strawberry Cienaga Trail. The views rewarded our efforts in looking for the perfect home for the night.
We left our packs at camp and headed to the summit the following morning. We contemplated waking up at 3 a.m. to reach the summit for sunrise and decided against it. It proved to be the right decision as we navigated through some snow and had to do a bit of trail finding on our route up.
We spent a while at the peak taking in the surrounding landscapes. To the east, you see Anza Borrego Desert. We saw mountains covered in snow to the south. It was truly a sight to behold.
Beauty
snow plant, corn lily, signs from the universe, views from camp
Gratitude
slowing down
backpacking buddies
spring water
nowhere to be but free
Thanks for checking out my adventure. Until next time!