Switchback campsite on Mount Baden Powell to Buckhorn Campground

Only had about three miles to go from camp to the top of Baden Powell, but it took a while, or at least it felt like it did. I was carrying food for five or six days as well as a full load of water because the next water source was on the other side of the peak, and I seem to drink more than the average hiker out here. 

The hike up the mountain was very nice, lots of tree cover kept the sun under control. 

There were a few pretty large snow patches still on the mountain, necessitating cutting a few switchbacks in the uphill direction. 

The wind was blowing hard at the top, making it rather chilly, so I didn't stick around for long. 

Mount Baden Powell is named for the founder of the Boy Scouts, and there is a large memorial near the top of the mountain. I do wonder how many scouts perished carrying the bags of cement up the mountain. 

Amazing old trees hanging on at the top of the mountain, 1500+ years old. 

Coming down from the peak there was more spectacular scenery and plenty of wind while on some of the exposed ridges. 

Eventually made it to the water source, Little Jimmy Spring, which was great, with log seating and a nice piped spring emerging from the hillside. 

Kept on hiking after the spring, crossing Highway 2 a couple more times and then catching a short hitch around a PCT closure for an endangered species of frog. 

A couple more miles though a campground and I was back to the PCT. Found a nice flat area across a big log bridge and cowboy camped (sans tent) again.

Video: A brief video interlude

Previous night's camp site. room for four sleeping bags.

Little Jimmy Spring

Dirty feet after a day of walking. Nightly wet wipe cleaning of my whole body.

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2021 Update:

I'm a bit slow getting going in the morning, so I was the last of the four who camped on the switchback to get going, but I'd see everyone up on the top of Mount Baden Powell.

It was only about three miles to the top, but I was feeling slow. Possibly it was because I had six days of food plus a decent amount of water.

Hiking up the mountain was actually very pleasant, with plenty of pine trees for shade from the sun and to break the wind. Speaking of wind, it was pretty windy on the top of the mountain. Windy and not a whole lot of trees. And the trees that were up there looked like they lived hard lives. Lots of twists to the trees from near constant winds, and most looking more dead than alive. Apparently cores taken from the trees show that some of them are in the range of 1500 years old.

There were some patches of snow over the trail, but not too difficult to cross or walk around.

Mount Baden Powell is named for the founder of the Boy Scouts, and there is a large memorial near the top of the mountain. I do wonder how many scouts perished carrying the bags of cement up the mountain. 

It was cold and windy on the top, but the views, especially to the south, were spectacular.

Descending from the peak there was more spectacular scenery and plenty of wind while on some of the exposed ridges. 

Eventually made it to the water source, Little Jimmy Spring, which was great, with log seating and a nice piped spring emerging from the hillside. 

Kept on hiking after the spring, crossing Highway 2 a couple more times and then catching a short hitch around a PCT closure for an endangered species of frog. I believe there was a fire in this area in 2020, so hopefully the frogs are okay, I think there was talk that the run off from the fire areas might pollute the watershed where the frogs live.

The detour route passed though the Buckhorn campground, which was pretty busy. I saw several PCT hikers Yogi-ing in the campground, since we were walking past lots of car campers who always seem to have a ton of stuff, and quite often offer extra food or tasty beverages to passing hikers.

A brief explanation of Yogi-ing (spell it however you want). Remember Yogi the bear? Yeah, magically stuff appears from picnic baskets. Now, there is asking, that's low level Yogi-ing. True Yogi-ing involves some mysterious magic where the hiker is just walking past or maybe strikes up a conversation and gets offered food or drink, or a ride or even a place to stay for the night.

Big weekend campgrounds like this one can be a goldmine for hikers who have perfected their Yogi game. A couple guys I talked to later said they got full steak dinners. Not me, I just walked on through. Well, maybe I had a beer with some guys who thought the idea of the PCT was both really cool and interesting and also way too much to contemplate doing themselves.

After walking to the end of the campground, and then a couple miles further, the detour ended and I was back to the PCT. Following the creek for a while found a nice flat area across a big log bridge and cowboy camped (sans tent) again. There were about a half dozen PCT hikers camped in this area.

Photos from today: https://www.b-photo.com/Travel/PCT-2016-Day-by-Day/May/May-13/

Mighty Mouse's blog for this area: http://www.timandgerri.com/blog---2016/day-37-mile-37701-38946