Cat Canyon Ridge

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX

The days are getting shorter, the sun is going down earlier and soon after the time change I will have start either hiking in the morning or in the dark. The dark is tempting because I don't like waking up early but I think the pictures might be somewhat lacking if I only go at night. I fear these next two months are going to kill me. Sleep deprivation will do that.

I head up Cat Canyon in Palm Desert fully intending to hike straight up the canyon but sometimes I get distracted.

I get to a split in the canyon and wonder if I should go explore to the right up this unnamed canyon.

Or if I should go to the left and head up Cat Canyon.

For some unknown reason I decide to choose none of the above and go straight up the ridge between this. I wonder if there might be some kind of trail heading up between these two canyons. As far as I can tell the answer is NO.

I look down into Cat Canyon but decide that this is definitely not the way to go down.

I look across to the Hopalong Cassidy Trail and think how nice and easy it would be to have a trail over here instead of endless loose rocks. I don't know if it would be as interesting but it would be easier.

I really want to explore a bit but, more than that, I want to get down off this rocky slope before dark. There are few things scarier than traveling down this type of terrain in the dark.

I get down in time and walk out of the sandy wash just before it turns pitch black. I guess there's one positive thing about going out in the morning: I won't need to carry a headlamp.