Though it's allowed, I refuse to use the tram for San Jacinto. So I took Marion Mtn instead. It was a tough start to the 3 Days for my aching Achilles tendons. But they actually felt better the next day after the steep, technical 12 miles and 4,500' of gain.
1 Heading out on the Marion Mtn trail after the long drive from home.
2 Always beautiful single track on this trail.
3 Great views of the valley.
4 Water flowing! This whole area was bone dry last time I was here.
5 It was great to see several creeks still trickling along the way.
6 The CCC had a large camp setup and was doing some heavy retainer wall work near the PCT junction.
7 Muddy, wet, and green trail. Great to see!
8 Good water flow coming into Little Round Valley.
9 And still lots of green.
10 Made it to the hut.
11 And sumitted. A slow time for me, but my focus was on just making it without totally trashing my aching heels.
12 The required Adventure 16 summit photo.
13 Hazy view from the top.
14 One more summit view.
15 The obligatory 360 summit video. At the end of night 1, I didn't think there was any way I was going to be able to finish the 3 Day Challenge. My heels were killing me. But I ultimately decided to just wait and see how I felt in the morning. It was nice to be staying in a hotel this year rather than having to drive all the way home.
