Fobe's Trail to the PCT

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIX

One of the toughest things about coming home from a trip is the nagging feeling that you left something behind. Even though I work in a hotel I have left things behind that were never recovered. It's very annoying.

When I was preparing for this last trip I found a couple of things which I believed were lost forever so it is not totally hopeless. Things do sometimes find their way home.

Well, it seems like I am not the only one who leaves things behind. The wife's father, aka Papa, left his fishing gear in the mighty minivan when he unloaded his gear. I don't have any idea why he'd have been so hasty in getting his stuff. It's not like he was in a hurry to get in his house after a week traveling with us or anything.

Wonderful husband that I am volunteered to make the road trip up the hill to bring him his gear back and left the boys with the wife and off I went. It's the kind of sacrifices I have to make sometimes.

I decided to do the Fobe's Ranch Trail to the PCT. I hadn't done this trail yet this year and its three miles round trip distance was about all I'd have time to do today.

I think this decrepit sign is in need of a replacement. I don't know if I need a permit on this trail because I can't read the sign. Oh well.

The trail itself is in pretty good shape as it steadily gains elevation. It's never really steep but it doesn't have any downhill section, thankfully.

Along the way I spot an old water tank that's probably still in use.

There's also a fairly new gate.

And a really new sign telling me to keep it closed.

As I near the PCT I start to get to some larger trees and a bit of shade. Kahlua likes the area so we take a short break. Very short.

At the junction of the two trails there are some nice big boulders.

And while the view is not evident directly from the trail, we hike a little bit and get a view of the Coachella Valley below, sweltering in 100+ degree heat.

In addition to the new gate sign there are also some new trail signs. At least they weren't here when I came by on the PCT a few years ago. If you look real close you can see where someone wrote directions on how to find H2O. Spitler Peak looms in the background.

There's also another little sign directing you to water in case you missed the hand written directions.

The trail is not really tough and is a quick and easy way to access the PCT and get a high view of the Coachella Valley. Despite that someone left this reminder that even an easy trail is tougher than a walk in the park.