Training Hike 2: Mt. San Jacinto Peak


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Published: May 22nd 2012
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May 19, 2012

Mt. San Jacinto Peak (10,834 ft) from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (8,516 ft).

Our morning started much later than the previous weekend with the alarm clocks going off at 6am. Kyla and I stopped at Subway for breakfast, and I ordered an extra sandwich for lunch. We met Scott at the parking lot below the tram lift, purchased our tickets, and made the 4,000 foot elevation climb in a mere ten minutes.

Upon leaving the tram station, we walked downhill to the ranger’s station to check in our permit. Virtually every hiking path in these mountains requires a permit. Luckily, Scott had everything planned out and all Kyla and I had to do was show up. At 8:30am, we began our hike.

The first two miles we covered in an hour, which was excellent time. There was not a significant elevation gain and the trail was easy to follow. We stopped at Round Valley at 9,100 feet. As we used a stream to refill our water containers, a small herd of deer trotted through the forest into a meadow. This immediately prompted “Twilight”’ vampire jokes. I don’t think Scott knew what Kyla and
On the tramOn the tramOn the tram

You will find there is not really one flattering photo of me on this hike. It wasn't the main goal.
I were talking about.

Our second major leg was up to Wellman Divide only a mile away, and 600 feet in elevation gain. It was a little more difficult, with the steep climb and diminishing oxygen. This took longer, and we stopped at the top to recover and snack and reapply sunscreen.

The final 2.5 miles to the summit had a 1,100 feet elevation gain and was the most difficult for me. We were out of the trees and the sun’s intensity was much greater, forcing Kyla and I to don handkerchiefs like veils to protect our skin. Even after all the sunscreen, I still did not escape a sunburn. The trail was not extremely steep, but my lungs literally could not get enough oxygen. We made several stops along the way, stretching out our time to the summit. The very last bit to the cabin was the worst for me. I had run out of energy and each breath was a struggle. Scott paced the trail with me while Kyla determinedly stomped ahead to our destination. We entered the cabin and signed the log, “I was here!”

The cabin is not the actual summit. There is a big pile of rocks and atop the rocks is a sign nothing the elevation. With recollected strength, we scrabbled up the boulders and made the actual summit. There were 20-25 other people at the top, and not much room for everyone. We waited in line to take our photo with the summit sign, then hurriedly found places in the shade to rest. In vein I scrambled the rocks for a cell phone signal, but ended up using Scott’s mobile phone to call my parents and declare I made it to the top of a mountain. I scarfed down my Subway sandwich, which I immediately regretted. The sandwich was soggy and somewhat melted, and it made my belly hurt. I will stick to fruit and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from now on.

Kyla, meanwhile, was administering serious first aid on her feet. Her boots were purchased 11 years ago and never worn until now, and had since fallen apart. Her poor feet were in worse shape, no thanks to the unforgiving condition of the boots.

On the trek down, Kyla took the lead and Scott trailed in third place. We made our decent in four hours, including stops at Wellman Divide and the stream at Round Valley. I used the primitive toilets on the trail about two miles from our destination. It was not the most hygienic experience in my life, but I had to go and didn’t want to risk the feeling of emergency later down the trail. The very worst part of the hike was actually the very, very end, when we had to climb up the paved uphill path to the tram station. It was slow going and rough. Children were scurrying past me in flip flops. I was a dirty and ragged mess. But at last, I made it. Our 12 mile round trip took just ten hours, an improvement from our last hike.

When we made it down to the parking lot, the only thing Kyla and I worried about was removing our shoes in favor of flip flops. I hopped onto the tail gate of Kyla’s SUV while she plopped down on the pavement and tossed her jinky boots aside. We bid Scott farewell and took off for our crash pad, where I was to bake fresh caught Washington salmon for dinner. A great end for an accomplished day.


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Tot: 0.079s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0491s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb