Schey Trail from Cat Canyon

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY

My list of hikes that I've not done in the local area keeps getting shorter. I can only think of a few that I've yet to do and I'll have to wait until it's just a bit cooler to attack those because they're all hard. OK, there may be a couple in the Indian Canyons that I could do but since I'm cheap I don't want to pay the $8.00 for a couple of hours of hiking. I'll just wait until I can spend the better part of the day there to get my money's worth. Plus, the drive kills me sometimes. I'm not getting tired of hiking but I do get tired of driving to get to places to hike.

Today I did a hike in a place I haven't been to since spring: Cat Canyon. It was only a fifteen minute drive from work.

At the place in the wash where I park to hike up Cat Canyon there's always been a fence. Now the fence is gone. That's a good thing. We need more easy access to hiking, not less.

This sign was also taken down but not removed. Maybe I'll affix it to one of the fence posts.

There are a LOT of footprints in the canyon, more than I've ever seen before. I don't know if people are coming here because they can no longer go to Dead Indian and Carrizo Canyons or if there are just more hikers looking for new places. This is both a good and bad thing.

The trail itself has seen some work since I was last here.

But it could still use a little more. There's been some erosion and washouts due to rain.

I hike to the top of the saddle past where the Schey Trail takes off to the left and the Hopalong Trail continues on past the Bighorn Club. Looking back I can see where the Hopalong Trail continues toward its starting point behind the Palm Desert Target. Doing this entire trail before the year is out is on my list.

Looking south I can see Martinez Mountain in the distance. Though I've stood on its summit many times I'd also like to do this before the year is out. I'll announce it ahead of time in case anyone wants to come along. It's about sixteen miles round trip.

From the top of the saddle I decide to climb this little peak to enjoy the view.

I'm happy I did. The view is dramatic and the weather is superb. One of the great rewards of hiking is that after the physical exertion required to reach a rocky hilltop you are met with views so sublime that all you can do is sit down and enjoy them. There is no better way to relax than this.

Desert Trailblazer

DAY EIGHTY THREE

Trails do not just appear by magic, they have to be made. Some trails are made by animals traveling from one watering hole to another. Others were created by nomadic aboriginal people moving across the land. Still others are engineered by government agencies who use surveyors, construction teams and dynamite, if needed.

Here in the desert, however, we have a few trails that are the work of one man: Harold Schey. Mr. Schey was a retired gentleman with a shovel and a pick who built some trails in Palm Desert and Palm Springs. I only met him a couple of times but he seemed like a no-nonsense sort of man. His trails are certainly built that way.

One of his trails is inaccessible due to the scar on the mountains known as the Bighorn Golf Club. The other goes down from the top of Murray Peak toward Eagle Canyon in Palm Springs. The trail I hiked on today is in Palm Desert near Cat Canyon.

To get there, take Hwy 74 south from Hwy 111 and turn right on Cahuilla Way. Then go right on Cat Canyon, left on Cholla, right on Paisano. You'll see a gravel road on the left going up the wash, turn here. It is probably best to have a 4WD the further you go up the wash but that's up to you. Follow the wash to the fence at the end. There are plenty of No Trespassing signs but hikers are OK. Just stay away from the homes on the left. You don't want to get shot.

The Schey Trail will be on the left up just a little bit.

The trail quickly merges with the Hopalong Cassidy Trail and passes numerous flowers. This is a good area to go right now because the trail is on the north side of the slope and gets less direct sun.

The Schey Trail takes off to the right from the main trail and gains elevation quickly.

The trail is not maintained so in some places it is a bit rough. Bump and Grind regulars would not like it although they'd get twice the workout in half the time.

It runs into the Art Smith Trail allowing for a nice loop by going down the Art Smith Trail and then connecting with the Hopalong Cassidy Trail.

Desert beauty is everywhere along these trails.

So are several palm oases.

Palms require water so you know there is an underground spring here.

The Art Smith goes directly through this oasis.

You make a left on the Hopalong Cassidy Trail and follow it back to our intersection with the Schey and then on to Cat Canyon.

There's one section where the original Schey Trail parallels the new Hopalong Cassidy. Even though Mr. Schey's trail is now somewhat eroded you can still respect the love he put into building his trails and his place as a true desert trailblazer.