My first night on the Pacific Crest Trail was also one of the coldest that I had ever put my sleep system through.
Because I only have a 40 liter backpack I am limited in what I can pack. That means a sleeping bag that can pack down into a small, tight bundle. Literally a 40 degree mummy bag. Not nearly warm enough for winter camping which is why I try to avoid the colder temperatures up north.
But California can get just as cold up the mountains.
Luckily I not only added a fleece panel to the top of the sleeping bag before I came out west, but I also had a silk Cocoon liner, my bivy and my All Weather Blanket/Tarp that I always carry. I needed every last piece of that just to get through the night.
By morning my water bottle had frozen and my toes were numb. If I headed further south towards Big Bear Lake the overnights in early Feb. were around 16 degrees F.
Too cold for me.
Heading north, back through Cajon Pass, was just as bad once you started climbing up the mountains on the other side.
Instead I spent some time in McDonald’s again, hiked through the tunnel under I-15 and camped by the railroad tracks just off the PCT while I considered my options. Almost 1,000 feet lower in elevation compared to the night before. Hitchhiking across the mountains to get to Joshua Tree sounded simple but any problems and I’d be stuck out in the cold. Pretty much what I was hoping to avoid. Hiking in either direction was just more elevation.
That only left one other option.
Hiking down into San Bernardino.