Mile 314.3 to 330.1 – 15.8 miles total hiked

The morning started with some beautiful colors in the clouds.

The goal this day was to reach mile 341.9, which was just under 12 miles from my camp. Should be easy, especially with motivation that was waiting for me.

But after a morning of fairly typical hiking along multiple ridge lines, I ran into the cliff shown in the picture below.

I could see the freeway from here, but there wasn’t any obvious way to get down. The PCT sometimes play tricks like that on you.

But the trail turned North and switchbox, led the way up and over the cliff side.

Then Mother Nature threw a curveball at me.

Almost literally.

Storm clouds that have been overhead for the past two days and dumping rain on the valley below were also accompanied by intense winds.

Those winds tried their best to knock me off the trail, sometime over the edge of the ridge. So it was slow going section to make sure I didn’t get blown off the ridge or blown down a hillside. This short video shows some this battle with the wind.

But imagine it happening over TWO hours. Welcome to the PCT.

After descending along a very long and windy ridge line, I was finally able to escape the wind by walking through a winding canyon with a creek running through it.

With anticipation of reaching mile 341.9, from the wind was locked, but the endless seeming through this canyon seemed designed to exhaust you.

Finally, the freeway came into view nearby, singling the goal was near.

At last!

Mile 341.9!

The sign said it all!

Historic Highway Route 66 and Camp Cajon came first, but was not the goal.

Nor was the completion of PCT California section C that singled the end of the first three sections of the PCT!

It came closer and closer, until I saw what I had been craving for since Big Bear Lake.

Oh. Those Golden Arches!!!

But seriously, the goal of making it to the end of PCT California section C and mile 341.9 was the highlight of this day.

I did make sure to enjoy a nice Big Mac mealat McDonald’s, since getting some real food after days on the trail with various dehydrated and junk foods something to look forward to for through hikers.

The fact that this McDonald’s was just a quarter mile off the PCT junction that separated section C from D, just made it something that PCT hikers look forward to and joked about.

There is even something called “The McDonald’s Challenge”. The challenge was the stock up on McDonald’s foods and only eat that to get to the next town. That town was called Wrightwood and was 21 or 27 miles away, depending on how you got to Wrightwood.

Well, I will be taking some McDonald’s food with me on this next two day hike, it will not be all I’m eating the entire way. 😛

So after having a big meal at McDonald’s, I crossed the freeway on the overpass and checked into a hotel to get cleaned up, resupply, and get a rest before continuing.