Monday, September 27, 2021

Mount Laguna Overnighter

 Originally planned as a scout event, I did a overnight up at Burnt Rancheria in the Lagunas.  Traffic getting there was the worst I have seen in a long time so I got there in the dark.  I set up camp right before it started drizzling; nothing too bad but enough to get in the tent after a quick dinner.  I woke up to hit the trail right after making some coffee.  My plan was to head up the PCT and hit Monument Peak, then see how I felt and plan the return to camp.

The hike to Monument Peak was great.  Although smoke and haze ruined the views to the desert; you could barely see Whale Peak.  After Monument, I headed over the Hays Peak.  My knee was feeling pretty good so I decided to take a circular route back via the lagunas.  The "trail" down from Hays was steep and overgrown but thankfully short.  From there I headed across Sunset Highway into the closed Horse Heaven camp.  I stopped for a bathroom break in the southeast part of Laguna campground and headed out into the meadows.  At one of the junctions, I decided to head back since I didn't want to push my knee too hard.  I headed up the trail to Red Roost and then back into Burnt Rancheria.  It was about 11 miles overall with great weather.

Smoke and haze over the desert

Hays Peak from Monument Peak

Along the trail



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