TRAIL JOURNAL
/ May 25, 2022
Section C of the PCT ends at I-15 near Cajon Pass. It looks like a truck stop but it has a lot of history. The interstate used to be the same route followed by trade and migration trails back in the old days. The Old Spanish Trail went through it to Santa Fe, and the Mormon Trail went to Salt Lake. This is also where Route 66 made its way into and out of Los Angeles. Dad tried singing the song about Route 66 to me, but it didn’t ring a bell.
I also found out that the PCT follows Crowder Canyon down to the interstate and it was once a short-cut that charged a toll! It was pretty rugged in there and hard to believe that anyone ever pulled a wagon through.
Where Crowder Canyon opens out onto the freeway, a rest stop was opened in 1919. It was called Camp Cajon and it included free campgrounds. It has gone, but the original marker is still there next to a single original concrete picnic table. Mum found this old photo of the campgrounds on the Camp Cajon facebook page.
We did notice another smaller sign near the monument that now prohibits camping and overnight parking 🙂
A lot of PCT hikers walk up Route 66 a quarter mile to MacDonald’s. Dad suggested we go in but only the drive through was open when we were there. For my first ever taste of MacDonald’s I ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. I sat on the curb next to the drive through to eat it. My hands were grubby because there wasn’t anywhere to wash. Haha! Awesome!
Crossing over to the other side of the freeway would be saying goodbye to the San Bernardino mountains. Thanks to everyone we met there. What a great section!
- Magnus!