The Pacific Crest Trail, as the name implies, follows crests of mountain ranges, so we have come to expect ups and downs. But when we looked at the elevation graphs for the upcoming section of trail, we knew we were in for a doozy.
Day 17: Saddle Junction (Mile 179.5)-Fuller Ridge (189.5) + 2.5 leaving Idyllwild; 12.5 miles
From Idyllwild we walked up the Devils Slide trail to Saddle Junction. The trail snakes up the mountainside, climbing 1700 feet in two and a half miles. After reaching Saddle Junction, we walked a few miles then stopped to heat up ramen at a nice spot with a view.
We climbed further to Fuller Ridge at 8800 feet. We encountered significant snow there which slowed our progress. While the trail was passable, the snow was icy and slippery and we each fell. We wished we had our Microspikes. We were carrying 9 days of food, and the extra weight caused our packs to work against us when we shifted our weight on snowy slopes. This was a rough day mentally for Anna.
Finally, losing sunlight and tired, we found a small meadow (half snow covered) suitable for camping. We ate cheese and dried cherries and camped there.
Wandering the Wild 