Wednesday, April 10, 2019 – 12 miles

I got a late start this morning after climbing out of the canyon to dig a cathole. It took an hour!

When I finally started off along the PCT, the sky was spotless blue and the views were excellent. Whitewater River was flowing strong at the ford. The current was intense and the water topped my knees, but its clarity helped with the crossing.

The trail climbed up to a vista with views of San Jacinto and San Gorgonio, then descended into Mission Canyon, which it traverses for fourteen miles.

Mission Canyon is interesting. The PCT was washed out in numerous places along the canyon during recent flooding, so navigation along the rocky wash was required. It felt like the Heysen, but with water.

At first I was charmed, but the many crossings of Mission Creek and wet feet eventually wore the edge off the fun. Three hundred miles from now though, when I’m mindlessly following a well-defined trail, I’ll think fondly of Mission Canyon.