About 20 miles and 5800ft of gain north out of the Walker Pass PCT trailhead.

Owens was my 33rd SPS peak and Morris my 9th HPS Peak.
I had originally planned on tagging Jenkins as well- but wasn't at all prepared for the 80+ degree temps and I was long out of water by mid trip.

Polar session for the outing is here.

Hit the Walker PCT trailhead about 6:30am (and right at sunrise) after driving down from Tahoe.

There was one other car in the lot- a trail runner who would the only person I'd see on the trail today.

Trailhead signage. No real indication that this was the Nobo PCT- just the Owens Peak Wilderness sign.

The 8.5 miles to the Owens Peak Saddle would cover the on-trail portion of today's route

Faded Owens Peak Wilderness sign.

Been awhile since I've seen Joshua Trees- they were abundant in the lowlands near the trailhead but disappeared as the trail gained elevation.

The trail for the first couple miles was in pristine shape. Well graded, sandy, and almost rock free.

Heading north along the PCT and approaching the early switchback section

It took me a moment to find the correct route here. The old pre-PCT route headed directly (and steeply) upslope. The PCT was actually behind me and made 4-5 switchbacks to gain the ridge.

Up to the top of the switchbacks looking doen on the spot from the prior picture. There was an old roadbed down in the valley to the left.