I had the notion of hiking up to Benson Plateau to see if there was still snow up there. I also thought this would give me a good workout. The Pacific Crest Trail makes up most of the elevation gain part of this hike and it is usually in good shape. This time it proved more of a challenge. There was more blow down, warn and damaged trail tread, poison oak and ticks then I have experienced before. In spite of all of that it is still a beautiful and interesting trail. By the numbers: 15.2 miles, 4220 ft. elevation gain and about 10 hours on trail.
