Hiking with the Herds

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR

There are days when my hiking choices are limited; today was one of those days. I had to take the kids to school and then only had a short bit of time before I had to head to work. On days like this, when I have to hike a trail I've already done before, I try to mix it up a bit but doing a different combination of trails or canyons. It's boring but even a boring hike is better than most other activities in life.

I went to where the herds hike, behind Target, at the Bump and Grind trailhead. Instead of going up the B&G trail--which to me is a mall walk--I went south along the Hopalong Cassidy Trail. Considering the amount of money they've spent on these trails I would think there might be better signage here.

This is probably one of the best made trails in the desert. It's too bad so many people go the other way on the trail because this way is so much better.

It's not only because of this beautiful rock garden along the trail.

The trail is a single track all the way and is suitable for all members of the family whereas Bump and Grind is just a road.

Also, Bump and Grind doesn't have any of this fantastic hiking art along the way.

I should be careful when I ask for better signage because on some trails there's a tendency to overdo it. On the Herb Jefferies Trail, there are probably eight signs in 1/4 mile from the parking area to the trail.

I hike up the hill again and back to the crowds. A proper trailhead here would do well to show people what other trails are available. I think if people knew, this place wouldn't be nearly as busy.

Hopalong Cassidy Trail from Cat Canyon

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO

This afternoon when I got out of my Jeep to go and hike I was struck by something odd. It wasn't scorching hot. Most afternoons when I start hiking the temperature has been in the 100s but today it was in the 90s and quite possibly the low 90s. It feels nice and gives me hope, hope that the weather is finally changing and the desert will become a hiker's heaven rather than perdition. It's as if I am moving from purgatory into paradise.

Cat Canyon in Palm Desert is the starting point for three possible hikes. There is the canyon itself, filled with palm oases and varnished boulders. Heading south is the Schey Trail created by the hand of Harold Schey.

Then heading north is the Hopalong Cassidy Trail which starts in the south at the Art Smith Trail and on the north side behind Target on Painter's Path.

The trail quickly gains elevation and in minutes I am hundreds of feet above Cat Canyon.

At the top of the trail is a wonderfully quiet wilderness. With no views of anything except mountains you feel as if you are forever away from civilization and, in a way, you are.

Quickly, the view changes and while you are able to see homes, roads and civilization they seem insignificant and temporal. Perhaps because they are.

At the highest point along the trail you can look out at the Little San Bernardino Mountains in the distance. A friend of mine used to always refer to these as the Fake Mountains because their beauty seems utterly unreal as if they were the painted backdrop of an old Western, a Hopalong Cassidy Hollywood movie.

As quickly as it gained elevation, the trail now loses it, heading toward the Stone Eagle Golf Club and the Palm Desert Cross beyond.

There are a few sections of erosion along the trail where rain has washed it out. It's a shame this trail does not draw the attention of those who religiously hike the Bump and Grind. I feel blessed that I alone am able enjoy this trail today but I feel sad for those to whom hiking is merely a matter of physical fitness, an outdoor treadmill. If just a few more people hiked the trail it would see better maintenance although perhaps solitude is a worthy tradeoff for rough trail conditions.

The trail itself continues on toward its northern terminus at Painter's Path but I decide to walk through the neighborhood of the Cahuilla Hills to get back to the start.

It's either that or back up the steep trail and back the way I came and while its tempting I don't want to get back home after dark every night. The wife can only stand so much worry.

I have now hiked every day for nearly nine months without a major mishap or injury, mostly alone. It has been a great experience and I can only hope it continues to inspire me. In the next three months there are lots of places I'd love to visit and many I look forward to revisiting but mostly I've enjoyed discovering areas right near my home that are special little pockets of wildness. You don't have to travel far to find places of wonder, you just have to get out there and look for them.

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.

Fits and Starts

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE

Today was my day off so I planned on going to San Diego, going to the zoo and taking a nice, cool hike along the ocean. By the time I got ready to go I realized that my son, Nikolas, did not have his glasses. He needs them and we could not find his old or new pair. We looked all around, called the wife at work and had no luck. I'm not going to do a road trip and spend the day in the sun, jeopardize my son's eyesight so I can hike in cooler weather. No glasses, no trip.

We hung out at home instead and when the wife came home she found his glasses but by then it was too late. Oh well. Next option.

I figured the Tram would be good but no one else wanted to go and I was enjoying the day with the family so the time it would take to drive there, wait in line, hike and then drive back became an issue. On to option three.

Maybe I shouldn't say no one wanted to go. I should correct that and say no HUMAN wanted to go. Kahlua, the dog, always wants to go. Always.

So, off we went.

Palm Desert is a fairly good place to take here because they at least have a few trails where dogs are allowed. This one even has a new doggy duty kiosk.

Kahlua likes this trail a lot because it's not too steep and not too rocky. It'd be a good running trail and when the weather is not in the 100's anymore maybe we'll give it a try.

She also like getting up high where you get a nice view. A lot of trails where dogs can go don't give you that.

This trail offers a nice view looking down on the valley...

...or up toward the mountains.

And it's obvious that she and I aren't the only ones who think so.

I didn't get to go to either of my first choices today but when you've got a faithful hiking buddy and nice views it's hard to be disappointed. But next time.....

Fully Committed

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY NINE

Today was the hottest day of the year in the desert, perhaps the hottest day in several years. In my mind I was back in Lake Tahoe, or at the beach, enjoying cool breezes and cooler water, anywhere but here. My body, however, was here and that's where I had to hike today. I figured I'd just go for a short hike on the Hopalong Cassidy Trail in Palm Desert and be done with it. I knew I'd be alone because no one else would be crazy enough to go hiking on a day like today; it would be pure suicide. But I found out there are a lot of nutjobs out there.

I get to the parking area to go hiking expecting to see it abandoned but instead it's as packed as a cool winter day. What is going on here? Has the whole world gone insane? I think those are people on the trail up ahead so these cars must belong to hikers and not back to school shoppers at Target.

Good heavens, people! It's 113º! What are you doing here? I guess insanity loves company.

I start up the trail and notice that the people I saw earlier have now vanished. Were they really here? Has the heat gotten to me so quickly and caused me to hallucinate? What happened to those people?

As I go up the trail the people don't reappear but this trail does. I've never seen this before and I wonder if it actually exists. The only way to determine that is to take it.

The trail steadily climbs and seems to be going in the right direction. It's steep and as I climb the heat burns the inside of my nostrils with each breath. It is so dry I may have to start packing saline nasal spray in my pack along with my other survival gear.

But it soon vanishes, like those mysterious people that I saw earlier.

Oh wait! I think those shadowy figures on the next ridge are people, or are they?

The "trail" I took gets even more non-existent so I just have to guess which direction to go.

Even though the "trail" is not here any longer it's better than hiking this scar on the land.

And someone has definitely been this way before.

I just have to make it over this ridge and I'll head down the trail back to the cars. So much for hiking the Hopalong Cassidy Trail today.

The trail I took today came out just at the part where the newer south trail hits the Bump and Grind Road. I only have to walk a few feet on the road before I hit a real trail. So there's not a trail here yet but when it gets used a bit more it'll be a good way up this hill without having to walk that boring road.

So I'm off down the trail and back to the car before I do any permanent brain damage. Or maybe it's just a little too late for that.

I'm still wondering, what ever happened to those people?

House Hunting

DAY TWO HUNDRED

The heat in the desert can be deadly in the summer. That was proved today when the bodies of two hikers were found in Palm Springs. It is believed that they died from the heat although the story is still evolving. My information is available at the Desert Sun newspaper website: mydesert.com.

The Cahuilla Hills is an area west of Palm Desert near Highway 74. It is an interesting place in that there are mansions next to tumbledown shacks and every conceivable type of house in between. It is also near some of the areas of the Santa Rosa Mountains where some of our hiking trails go. My goal today was to try to figure out how to access the Hopalong Trail in the middle near the Cahuilla Hills without having to trespass on someone's property. I didn't have much luck.

I decided to try hiking around a hill where this old shack is located.

There's some old junk laying around. This generator was probably used to power an air conditioner. You'd need one to live up here.

There's an old trail that leads up the hill.

To some rock circles.

I follow the hill around and come to this canyon. This doesn't look very promising. It's very rough and rocky and doesn't look like it goes anywhere, at least not to the trail I'm looking for.

There's another tumbledown shack out in the area. I think it is part of some property someone's trying to sell. I can see the realtor's listing.

Historical flat in exclusive area. Handyman's dream with beautiful mountain views.

Laundry room separate from main living quarters.

Multi level properties nearby are also available.

On the way back I spot where the trail goes but I can't figure out where to access it. With the extreme temperatures I don't want to do the entire hike but it would be nice to do this section.

There are some lots in the area where the trail goes. Turning one of them into a trailhead sure would be nice. We don't need more houses in these hills but we sure do need more places to hike from.