PCT2023|The Colors of Southern California

If I have enough energy after hiking, sometimes I will sketch the place I like on the trail or on the zero day.

Before hiking, my friends who finished PCT in 2022 always told me “It’s very hot and dry, be careful!”, and someone I met on the trail told me “Oh! Here the color is boring, only ugly brown.”

But this year, 2023, the big snow year, everything is changing, not only the weather in March but also the landscape and the plants what I see on the trail are very different.

The plants

Cactus, the typical plant in Southern California. For me, it’s not only green, brown, yellow or a little pink these colors, sometimes I can find black, grey and white because of the damage of the forest fire.

But now a lot of flowers are blooming on the trail, it’s very different compared with the past.

The Landscapes

I search a lot of photos about Southern California and the typical impression is usually like this drawing.

But I found the color of the rocks in some places are pink with a little orange, full of the mountain. Now in this big snow year, the white snow also becomes the main color.

2023, it must be a very special and unique year to all the thru-hikers for sure, I hope I could have more energy to sketch a lot on the trail, but I usually feel exhausted?

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