Surviving The Summer

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWO

With two hikers dying due to the heat this week I have several people ask me if I was still hiking every day and if I was crazy to do so. The answers are yes and, well, yes.

It is somewhat crazy to go hiking in the heat we have been experiencing but I do whatever I can to minimize the potential risk.

It's not work. So I don't do it between 9 and 5. It is far too hot in the middle of the day to be out hiking in the desert so I don't do it. I try to finish early or start late.

Short is sweet. I've done hikes over thirty miles in one day before but in extreme temperatures I keep them short, under five miles most days.

Wetter is better. They make all kinds of clothing meant to keep you dry. I prefer good old natural cotton and linen because it keeps me wet. By drying slowly, these fabrics allow for evaporative cooling and slow the loss of body fluids. Being dry may be great to alleviate chafing for endurance athletes in moderate temperatures(and shorts are OK) but for hikers in hot weather it's OK to be wet.

Made in the Shade It is easy to find areas in both the early morning and the late afternoon where most of your hike will be in the shade. That is important because the radiant heat from direct sunlight intensifies the sun's effects both in the evaporation of moisture and sunburn.

With all these things in mind I went on a short hike in the shade with sufficient fluids and a damp shirt.

I headed over to the Cahuilla Hills Park Trailheads and headed up the Gabby Hayes Trail. The temperature when I start hiking is 107º, lovely. This is a new sign. I may put this number in my phone just in case.

While there are no other hikers I'm not totally alone on the trail. It's nice to have company when you're crazy. At least we have that in common.

The trail heads up the hill and you can see where some idiots cut the switchbacks. I have seen too much erosion on too many trails to think about cutting switchbacks.

I got up to the switchbacks and wonder what's up this canyon. I'll wait for the weather to cool in order to find out.

I get to the point where the trail heads up to the Cross but I decide it's too hot for that.

So I sit on some rocks and enjoy the view. I sit, that is, until the heat from the rocks I am sitting on starts to burn my butt. I'll have to add that to my rules of hot weather hiking.

A new shade structure over this picnic table would be nice, one with misters. Maybe I'll call that new number and see if they can get to work on it.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love (updated)

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT

People say crazy things happen during a full moon. I don't know about that but it is one of my favorite times to hike. I love it. The moon casts light upon the desert that is otherworldly and since I didn't bring a flashlight it is the only light I have tonight.

As I start up the Gabby Hayes Trail in Palm Desert, the full moon starts to make its appearance over the top of Indio Mountain.

As it rises, I get a better view of the trail and I'm glad of that. Before I left, my wife made sure to point out to keep my eyes open for rattlesnakes.

On part of the trail the moon gets obscured by the mountainside. I hope there are no snakes here because if there are I cannot see them.

I get to a higher point where I can really take in the coruscating lights of the desert below. However, my limited skills as a photographer and the limitations of my equipment become more evident to me at night. It is impossible for me to get any shots to capture the beauty of the landscape under the full moon.

I can't even get a good picture of the cross on the hillside above.

I can zoom out but it doesn't capture what my eyes see. The mountain glows from the light of the cross and the moon casts its shadows on the hills below and I just can't get the picture to reflect what it really looks like.

I was going to hike up to the cross but my frustration at not getting a shot worthy of the effort dissuades me. I need to take a photography class or maybe just read the manual that came with my camera. I head down to where this palm tree is and opt for the flash since I can't do anything else right.

This little picnic area would be the perfect spot to just kick back, enjoy a nice bottle of wine and relish the view. Next time.

As I get down on level ground, I hear a sound that could be a sprinkler or a rattler emanating from this bush. Without a flashlight I am not about to go and check. As long as it is not by my feet, within striking distance, I don't care.

The magical glow of the moonlight on the hills and the peacefulness of the desert together create a calmness that helps melt my frustration at being unable to get any pictures I want.

Call me crazy but hiking in the moonlight is an aliment to my soul like no other. You don't know quite which way to go; every step is tentative. You're a little bit scared but excited by the thrill of the unknown. And the light that fills your eyes fills you heart as well.

It's like being in love for the first time.

Get me to the Church

January 15

Day Fifteen

There are a ton of new trails in Palm Desert.  So many, in fact, that I don't know the names of all of them.  Today I hiked one of them, a short one.

One of the difficulties in trying to hike every day is that I have a life.  Kids, wife, job, bills are part of my every day existence.  So are stupid little responsibilities like going to the bank.  People hate bankers these days and for good reason.  Bankers have played a major role in screwing up our economy and in the end we are the ones who are going to pay for it.  I hate bankers because they almost made me miss my hike today.

It's a long story but I waited for over a half an hour and still never got the five minute task that I was waiting for completed.  Since I was on a very tight schedule today I left before being helped. Too bad I can't bill them for a poor service fee.

Some of the new Palm Desert hikes start at the Cahuilla Hills Park.  It's not really much of a park and I always think of it as the park near the little church near the mountains.

This church.

Can you tell this city is run by old people?  Do you think there's anything else they could disallow at the park?  Oh wait, if you go to the City Clerk you can get the full list.

So this is the trail I pick today.  

It heads up a hill until I reach a place where the main trail goes to the left.  I go to the right.

It takes me to this little canyon and I can only get so far before I have to head back.  Another adventure for another day.

Nice views looking east over Palm Desert.

Chuparosa is starting to bloom.  In another couple of weeks both it and the brittlebush will be in their full glory.

Here's another trail to try next time.  Now will somebody tell me who Gabby Hayes and Herb Jefferies are?