I began hiking this section of the Pacific Crest Trail back in August but because of the Gobblers Fire I had to delay continuing with it. I did the two sections from Cajon to Swarthout Canyon Road and from Swarthout Canyon Road to Sharpless Ranch Road, then got involved in some other things. When I picked up with the PCT I went back to Mill Creek Summit and started west toward Mt. Gleason. So it was November before I finally went back and finished this section. It is approximately 4-1/4 miles from Sharpless Ranch Road (3N29) to 3N31 and a bit less than a mile to Gobblers Knob. The elevation at Sharpless Ranch Road is about 5100', at 3N31 about 6300', and at Gobblers Knob about 6500'. The PCT from 3N29 to 3N31 is a lovely, gently graded trail that runs along just below the crest of Lytle Ridge and ascends through numerous stands of big-cone spruce. On the day when I did this in November the weather seemed ominous and I was prepared to break out my raincoat, but no rain came. Instead the first three miles were cloaked in a thick cloudbank that reduced visibility to 500' but created a much more intimate setting. At the top I was in warm sunshine, but then on the way back the clouds closed in again and the temperature dropped, making my hands so cold I could barely operate my camera. I have now completed approximately 85 of the 101 miles that make up the San Gabriel Mountains portion of the PCT, and my goal is to hike the entire distance before the advent of next spring's flowering season. The list of species for this segment of the PCT is
here. An asterisk next to the common name indicates a non-native species. The photographs in this gallery were taken on 8/4/13 and 11/20/13.
