A snow covered desert.

I have had the pleasure of seeing and going through some really cool things while out here on The Pacific Crest Trial but one not to forget anytime soon, happened while I was camping in Mission Creek one night.

As I sat up my tent I noticed the winds ripping through the valley were turbulent and even violent at times, but I figured it would pass. I could see storm clouds rolling through a valley I hiked out of earlier that day so I figured I was safe and that I was at a distance from any of it’s effects.

Boy, was I wrong. I woke up around 3:30 to what I thought was the sound of sand hitting my tent but turned out to be rain. That rain soon turned to ice,and shortly after full blown snow. Keep in mind we are technically in a desert at this point, so snow was the last thing I expected to see falling from the sky.

I quickly covered my gear and got back in my tent to ride out the storm. The winds were gusting all night which left me with little sleep. The next morning I awoke to this scene.

I don’t know if you have ever seen a snow covered desert, compete with snow covered cactus but I now can mark that one off the list. A reminder that, you just really never know what to expect each day while hiking The Pacific Crest Trail.