Getting ready for San Jacinto means walking, lots of walking

So this coming Saturday, weather permitting, we'll do the Humber Park route up to Mt San Jacinto's summit. To help prepare, I thought we should get some mileage in last weekend. My first thought was the Big Laguna trail up near Julian which is a 10.25 mile loop and includes some PCT.

But since our San Jacinto attempt is around 16 miles, we thought we could add some distance by heading up to Garnet Peak before hitting the PCT. That would stretch us out to about 14 or so miles.

Not a bad Saturday outing. And, being this close to Julian meant we could indulge in some apple pie at the end.

What I forgot about in the midst of my fantasies about Julian apple pie was that hiking with a former Marine officer meant hiking fast. And since my nickname is "Old and Slow" this was going to be interesting.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning when we arrived at the Penny Pines parking area, and by the dearth of parking spots, we weren't going to be the only people enjoying the trails.

But for the 2.5 miles up to Garnet, we were indeed pretty much alone. The peak is a short scramble after some pretty moderate elevation gain and a winding, well maintained section of the PCT. Great views from the granite boulders, and the wind was very light. It was already warm enough for me to get down to just a hiking shirt and pack away the undershirt. After a quick rest and signing of the peak register, we were off.

We had already decided to do this route clockwise, which meant going against traffic on the PCT and as soon as we were past the scramble, we started meeting through hikers for this season's PCT attempt. Starting this early, they must be pretty confident that the Sierras will be clear when they get to them in a month or so - a sign of our very dry winter months. Good for early hiking, not good for Southern California's water resources.

Once we got around the bend we had a clear view of our path ahead, looking over to Foster's Peak, Mt. Laguna, and the desert below.

Yes, it looks like a long way away, and it was! The walk was great, the PCT was not overly crowded and we had enough shady spots to cool off. I took the lead for much of this leg, and surprised myself at the pace we were all keeping. This was our "uphill leg" and so maintaining a 3 mph pace was really good for me.

Once we got over to Foster's Peak, we had a glorious view back at Garnet.

The rest of the hike (about 9 miles) was the usual Big Laguna trail - warm, dusty, mountain bikes, and other hikers. The lake was fuller than I expected but otherwise we just powered through that section.

All told, about 14.5 miles, around a 3 mph average speed, and a couple of sore legs. I think we're ready!