DAY-4 REPORT: 6/9/12: Cibbets Flat to Burnt Rancheria (9.6 mi)

TOTAL PCT MILES COMPLETED AFTER THIS HIKE:  41.4 Miles

The happy crew today, with Rosalind and "New Steve"

THE GOOD: Great vistas all along the trail.  Being able to see Lake Morena WAY behind us, and seeing all the pine forests we were going to eventually end up in.
THE BAD: The crossing at Long Creek doesn't really have any shade trees for enjoying lunch under.  Better to stop just a bit earlier in Long Canyon to find a tree to sit under for lunch.
AND THE UGLY: Biting flies again, during lunch at Long Creek.

Our destination, just about here at the arrow

Start temp approx 64-degrees.  Forecast high was 79 degrees but eventually it was at least 10-degrees in excess of that.    Decent breeze blowing helped keep us cool.  Start time 8:20am, finish time 1:45pm (5.5-hours.)  Took a bit longer than anticipated because the total climbing is 2400', so we had a slower pace.  It's not a grueling steep hike, just steady uphill with a few short, steeper sections.

On the trail, using a "StickPic" widget to take the picture

We decided to do something fun and different for this hike and the next (to occur the next day, on Sunday.)  We went up Friday night and set up camp at Burnt Rancheria Campground.  This way we could finish a hike at camp on Saturday, and start a hike from camp on Sunday.  Great way to do the hikes in this area.  Plus, there are showers at the campground after hiking!

Looking southwest, Lake Morena WAY back there under the arrow

5-people on this hike including Atticus.  Besides ourselves, Rosalind and "another" Steve joined us (this was the first hike with "New Steve".)  "Old Steve" and Daniel couldn't make it on this hike.  We met at Cibbets Flat at 8:00am and did not need to start with a shuttle as we had Rosalind's car back at the camp at the end of the hike.   Kitchen Creek Rd. is permanently gated now, so we had to drive 1/2 hour from Burnt Rancheria all the way down Sunrise Highway to Hwy 8, then go east to Kitchen Creek Rd. Exit, then up that road to Cibbets Flat Campground.

The trail alongside Long Creek, a nice and shady section

The hike begins with a nice walk through the campground, and catches Fred Canyon Road at the top of the campground.  Then it's steeper hike up the road for about 0.65 miles to where the PCT crosses the road.  The PCT starts off a bit steep, then eventually levels off and is surprisingly level.  Great views along this stretch before winding down towards Long Creek.  

Lunch at Long Creek at the closest shady spot we could find

There are a few spots above the creek where you can have lunch under a tree, or there a nice spot later (after the creek crossing) where you can have lunch (later described here.)  We had lunch at the crossing of Long Creek and got bit by flies yet again.  Our bug spray didn't seem to work very well to keep them away.

"New Steve" taking a turn with Atticus

The trail climbs quite steeply from Long Creek for a short distance, then passes close by to a nice meadow on the left.  There's a nice oak tree there that could be a great place to stop for lunch.  Eventually the trail reaches the reward of pine forests that provides fabulous shade for the last few miles of the hike.  This is a really nice stretch of trail to be hiking after all the hot chaparral we went through to get here.

Hooray!  The pine forests at last!

One last couple of switchbacks up a slope and then a spur that leads to Burnt Rancheria Campground.  A short hike took us to our camp, more shade, and the cold beers we had been looking forward to.  Just north along the Sunrise Highway, about 50-yards away from the campground entrance, is the Pine House Cafe & Tavern.  They have a great Blackened Burger there, and a nice selection of IPA beers.

Shade and Beers at Camp

This was a great hike!  I had been looking forward to reaching the landmark of making it up to the 600' level of the Laguna Recreation Area.  From here, it's more or less downhill til we get to the desert.


Click HERE for our hike as recorded by GPS.