Sky Islands: San Jacinto Mtns and San Bernardino NF

Halfmile Project map section b and c. image from tree hugger international.

The trail traverses through San Jacinto Mountain Game Reserve, San Jacinto State Wilderness, San Jacinto State Park. The range is granite rock wedged between the San Jacinto Fault and the San Andreas Fault, sounds like perfect territory for finding some climbing along the way. Also rock slides could happen if a major earthquake occurs.
Along with the San Bernardino Mtns, the San Jacinto Mtns are humid islands in a sea of dry, desert. Most of the rain occurs from November to March, but thunderstorms can cause flash flooding mid July to mid September. Snow can persist above 8,000ft (about 2,440m) till June and above 9,000ft (about 2,750m) you will see some patches of snow all year.
Get ready for some aerobics, this mountain range goes from sea level to 10,000ft (about 3050m) in a few measly miles. It will be a wake up call to the legs. Hopefully by then our packs will be all light and figured out. Remember elevation gain and the temperature change will make us need more food and water.

Flora:
From the desert, the trail starts to climb through sage brush, chaparral (see last post for definition), and, as you climb higher, through pine trees. Above about 5,500ft (about 1680m) we will start to see ponderosa pines, lodgepole pines, jeffrey pines, incense cedars, white firs, and red firs. Between the slabs of granite rock and pines and cooler temps, it will feel like CO.
Special Interest:
Tahquitz Peak (8,750 feet/2667 meters)On the way through, I want to check out this classic climbing. Tanquitz and Suicide Rock are both above Idyllwild. It's all multi pitch and so I might not be able to do too much but I will go and free solo parts of the easier routes. Really I would just be psyched to be there. There is also a bouldering area in Idyllwild County Park and you can even camp next to some good bouldering (sites 55-78, save me a spot.)

San Bernardino Nation Forest. image from parks website

Welcome to gold rush territory. The San Bernardino Mtns have a long history in resource management. It was over logged, mined, and has been used as a water source to the surrounding cities for a long time. In the 1900s the range was made a national forest and it still used as a reservoir to supply water to the dry, urban areas surrounding them. The California Aqueduct runs through as well as a few highways. 
The Mtns provide the most reliable powder south of the Sierra's so ski resorts are common. They have the same rainy/snowy seasons as the San Jacinto Mtns, but the San Bernardino's are more likely to have snow since they often get more precipitation and are generally higher.
Erosion is a huge problem here, probably because it is right on the San Andreas Fault and people have been poking around for a long time. Sediment and rock erode and deposit in massive alluvial fans. These act as water highways into the groundwater basins below. Be wary if it is storming, these alluvial areas flash flood. Side note, crossing a wide alluvial channel, balancing from rock to rock, can really get annoying on the knees.

From the San Jacinto Mtns. The trail dips down into San Gorgonio Pass (by Cabazon), skirts around the sides of some San Bernardino Mtns, then head down again into Whitewater Canyon, and then follows a canyon vein back up into the Mtns, heads through alpine basin territory, and then checks out Big Bear Lake and later Silverwood Recreation Area.

Fauna: On the endangered end of the animal spectrum there is the San Bernardino flying squirrel, California spotted owl, Mountain yellow-legged frog, Southern Rubber Boa, and Andrew's Marbled Butterfly. Please make notes and report if you see any of these.

Special Interest: There is a load of climbing to be done by Big Bear Lake, from bouldering to trad and sport. I'll probably head to North Shore Boulders and The Gardens for a nice V0-2 warm up and then trek over to Holcomb Valley Pinnacles and Central Pinnacles area to check out some routes that are along the PCT. 

Desert: Cleveland NF and Anza-Borrego Desert SP

Knowledge about the landscape in which I am traversing broadens my hiking experience. It gives my mind something to latch onto while walking and helps me remember landscape diversity more intensely. For these reasons, I will be going through each major forest, recreation area, mountain chain, etc we will be facing starting on the Mexican border. If you want to cross reference the info with a map, I am using the Halfmile Project maps. 

First up is the southernmost forest in California, Cleveland National Forest. This is 20 miles from the start of the trail, most know it for Lake Morena and the Annual Zero Day Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off (AZDPCTKO, hope to see you there.) picture below from the forest service website.

Flora:

Cleveland National Forest is apart of the chaparral ecoregion. Chaparral is basically dense shrubland. The plants are woody, dry, and highly flammable. It acts as a perfect breading ground for wild fires to spread and affect large areas so we need to be careful. In 2013 there was a fire that scorched 1,500 acres of forrest land. 

The indicator plants of chaparral ecoregion are scrub oaks, Bishop Pines, Monterrey Pines, Knobcone Pines. It may be green, but keep close tabs of the amount of water you are using and the nearest water sources.

Points of Interest:

The trail goes from Cleveland NF to Laguna Mtn Recreation Area. Below is a picture from the US Dept of Interior Bureau of Land Management page that shows the view of Hernandez Reservoir from Laguna Mtn. It shows how the dry land land meets the chaparral ecoregion.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park will be next. It is the largest state park in CA. This place looks so beautiful and brutal. I mean, just look at this…

For beauty, there nothing quite like the desert. Waking up to an early sunrise in Utah taught me that. I'm excited and scared for this part of the journey. Growing up in Burkina, I struggled with frequent headaches from the suns intensity. In the Western Cape of South Africa, I wore a long sleeves, a hood, and sunglasses to keep the sun off and my eyes safe, but I still would be "sunned out." It just wears on me after a while. What can I say, I'm sensative and that means, I'm also nervous. I should be worried about water, and I am, but not as much as I'm worried about the sun exposure and keeping a good attitude. The desert could be my achilles heal. I have hiked with out water for a little over 24 hours and been fine, but the sun always gets to me. I will have to find ways to cope. That's part of the reason I'm so keen on hiking at night, possibly all night, more likely until I can't anymore, sleep a couple hours, get up early, hike until really hot, sleep, and do it all over again. 

The desert used to be a marine environment. Maybe I will be lucky enough to find a good fossil (to look at, not to take or touch.) Really what I am hoping to see are the Desert Bighorn Sheep and some pre-columbian rock art. 

Flora:

A variety of cacti and sage are common. An oasis my have the endangered native californian palm tree. Other trees include the smoke tree (a grey/mint colored tree with small wispy branches from which is gets it's common name,) the velvet mesquite (a green, small leaved tree which may provide some shade,) and the lovely cat claw (don't want to get tangled in with those thorns. Remember, they are hooks, so be patient when getting gear untangled.)

Points of Interest:

I'm a climber, so anytime I see something climbable off the PCT I will probably try it out. There are a couple places that I think we might be coming close to on the Anza-Borrego Desert section (comparing between Halfmile Project and the Mountain Project Maps is not a super accurate way for seeing how far climbing locations are from the trail.) It would be sweet to check out some bouldering at Gilligan's Island, Culp Valley, and a place that only has the name random area just south of Culp. below is a picture of a V4 problem in Culp Valley