PCT 2022| CALIFORNIA | DAY 9 Above Scissors Crossing to Windy Ridge
Miles Hiked: 15.2 miles
Elevation: 2674 ft ascent | 1370 ft descent
Ridge walking, solitude, and rattlesnakes. That is the theme of the day. The morning was long and monotonous, following the ridge line that barely changed. I only saw two other hikers in the twelve or so miles to the 3rd Gate Water Cache.
But…the snakes. It took 9 days to see my first rattlesnake and today I saw three. The first spooked me a bit, but it got off trail quickly. The second was below trail and never rattled or cared that I passed. The third…well, I’ll get to that later.
I made the short hike down to the water cache and filled 3 liters (there is a 3-liter limit), then found some shade before hiking a few more miles to camp. I knew it was going to be windy, but I wanted to make a few more miles and the options were limited.
So, this third rattlesnake. The biggest of the day. I rounded a corner just before camp. The moment I put my trekking pole down by a dead bush I heard and saw it spring to life. He was not happy. I flicked my trekking pole and jumped back at the same time. I am shocked I didn’t injure myself while springing back to a safe distance. I paused for pictures of course, and my safety. A few rocks were tossed nearby and some 15 minutes of patience, and it finally moved off the trail.
I continued walking to camp, which was already in sight. I briefly considered walking longer to not be anywhere near where this snake was but knew there would likely be no issues.
