MOUNT LAGUNA, Calif. — On Highway 8, the heavy drops of rain turned into flakes of snow.
"We didn't expect this much snow," said Matt, a hiker from Seattle. "We saw the storm come in. We did not expect this for sure."
Matt is part of a group of five hikers that has just started on the Pacific Crest Trail. It's a 2,663-mile journey between the borders of Mexico and Canada. The hike is intense, lasts several months, and changes due to the weather conditions.
"We're kinda stuck on the trail right now. We don't know what's going to happen," said Karen, a hiker from Montreal, Canada.
Something that the group didn't expect was lots of stores and hotels that PCT hikers depend on to be closed due to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.
"It was a really weird situation," said Clarissa, a hiker from Germany. "I was debating - should I start? Should I not start? There was scary news that everything was closed and we wouldn't be able to resupply. We're really grateful that this shop is open."
That shop is the Laguna Mountain Lodge and Store, a beacon through the heavy winter snow. San Diego students Abby and Gage Owens made a pit stop there with their parents to pick up a sled.
"Nobody is here," said Gage. "Usually there will be 100 people on that hill trying to sled."
For now, the Owens family and other hikers have most of the mountain to themselves, but many might flock to the heavy white stuff if they want to get out of the house.