Downhill All The Way

THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN

I have so many plans I could fill ten lifetimes but since I only have one I have to prioritize. Since my kids are not yet of an age where they can be left alone for any length of time I have to either wait until the wife gets home or take them along with me on my hikes. Since I like to enjoy my hikes I usually wait until the wife gets home from work. That's what I did today.

I wanted to go up to Joshua Tree but the kids wouldn't budge. They look forward to Saturday as a day to play with their neighborhood buddies and I hate to take that away from them. Then I thought about going to Palm Springs and looking for a good starting point to get on the mythical Gordon Trail from the 1930s. But that would take too much work and I'm saving myself for Tuesday.

So I decided to hike from the La Quinta Cove to Lake Cahuilla. I've done this hike a couple of times in the other direction but never in this direction. I had the wife drop me off at the trailhead and off I went.

At the trailhead there were a group of hikers just finishing up from their day on the trail. The temperature is once again perfect and it feels good to be outside, especially after a day with my boys. It feels like freedom.

There's one little uphill section on this trip and it's not too long. Like many experienced hikers I greatly prefer hiking uphill hiking to downhill but it's nice to change it up sometimes.

While a lot of the trail is downhill, that doesn't make it easy. Erosion has caused the trail to become very rough and rocky. It's not easy to negotiate and it requires intense concentration not to fall. Going uphill doesn't usually require me to watch my step as diligently; maybe that's why I like it better. Also, gaining elevation is better to me than losing it.

After dropping off the ridge it's a long walk in a sandy wash to Lake Cahuilla. I think walking downhill in sand is even harder than going uphill. At least this afternoon it is.

I get to Lake Cahuilla just as the wife is pulling up to get me and take me home. It's always great to get out on a hike, even a short one just to stretch your legs but I think that next time I'll go uphill instead. Being a climber is so much better than being a loser.

Ranch of the Seventh Range

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY

I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to the cooler days of Fall. While desert dwellers love the stark beauty of our harsh environment and would not trade it for all the mountains, beaches and plains on earth, we do grow weary of the infernal heat of summer. While it keeps the year round population of our area from becoming like that of Los Angeles it also limits my ability to explore beyond the few hours on the fringes of daylight. Thankfully, it will soon be coming to an end.

I had several ideas on where to go hiking today. I thought about going to the Tram, back to the Mecca Hills, to Joshua Tree. Ultimately I did not feel like driving to any of those spots and went over near Lake Cahuilla to hike near the site of the old horse stable, The Ranch of the Seventh Range.

The rocks here tell the story of water, when the ancient Lake Cahuilla filled the entire southern region of the Coachella Valley with a lake that was 27 times larger than the Salton Sea.

There are a few trails but mostly the area is open desert behind this flood control berm.

Or at least it was. There a now several reservoirs behind this chain link fence. It is part of a groundwater recharge facility intended to pump water back into the ground to replenish the aquifer which lies under the desert. We are, in a sense, lucky that our water is underground. Were it not Los Angeles might have stolen it like they did the water of the Owens Valley.

The sun leaves me alone with the stillness of the open desert and the unusual sound of water.

Wanting to see more of the recharge station I decide to climb up this little hill.

The recharge station spreads out across the desert.

For some reason I am now suddenly very thirsty.

Looking out toward the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument I look forward to the coming cooler days when I will be able to explore here more greatly. Tonight, however, I have to get home to watch the Ken Burn's special on the National Parks.

For some reason I have always been drawn to these twin mountains. On some cooler day in the future I will climb these. I'll let you know what's up there.

One For The Road

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIX

Tomorrow we leave for vacation! Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon I'll be doing some hiking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But I still had one more day to hike in the desert so off I went south of Lake Cahuilla to look for something new.

I head just south of the Quarry and see this first hill and think, "You know, I've never climbed that. I bet it'd be fun". So off I went.

As I was walking up it looked as if there was almost a trail but it was just my imagination running away with me. There's no trail to speak of and no indication of one being there.

The going is pretty easy, though, and I get toward the top of the ridge rather quickly.

And from what appears to be a hunting blind it is obvious that I am not the first person to investigate this little ridge top.

There is also a fairly large sleeping circle a bit further on.

It looks like there might be some semblance of a trail up ahead but again nothing.

It also looks like this ridge gets some use but it could just be erosion.

There's the top. On the topo map this is unceremoniously called 502.

What? No summit register? I'm so disappointed.

The traverse of this little hill has been very pleasant and I'd like to try it again when it's cooler and I have a bit more time to explore. The descent down the far end, however, is heinous. It is probably the worst thing I've gone down this year. It's steep, loose and has no traction whatsoever. I get down just before dark but on my next visit I'll try to find another way down. I don't want to go down this again.

Risky Business

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIX

Being a dad is hard work. It also involves a bit of sacrifice. Today, I had to sacrifice a day in the mountains in order to let my kids hang out and play with their friends. So I was stuck in the desert for today's outing. Luckily, the high today only hit 100º so by this afternoon it was actually kind of nice in a warm sort of way.

As I start out, it's still somewhat warm and I am in the sun but it's setting, thankfully.

Before I get too far the sun has already set behind the hills leaving me in the blessed shade.

Higher up the sun still shines.

Just off the trail is another rock circle. This has to be at least the twentieth that I've seen this year. At least.

A bit higher up a hawk leaves his perch and takes flight.

I get to the trail sign and this time decide to take the trail to the Lake Cahuilla overlook. How risky can this trail possibly be?

How risky, indeed?

After climbing a gully that might as well have been filled with coyote crap I get to the top.

I am greeted with a very nice view of Lake Cahuilla. I don't have much time to enjoy it because I don't want to go down Coyote Crap Gulch in the dark.

Oh yes, this is going to be fun.

I get down to the main trail, which is still not without its rough parts with just enough time to make it back to my Jeep before dark.

Or maybe not.

Today I was a good dad. I let the kids play with their friends, I didn't strangle them when they talked back to me and I didn't take them on this rocky and risky hike. But next week they're doing what I want if I have to take their friends to the mountains with us.

May Day

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE

I cannot believe I have been hiking every day for four months. It seemed like such a crazy idea to start with and it seems even crazier now but I've been having fun so I might as well keep going. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to write a few thoughts about these first four months but then I wanted to do it after two months, then three and then 100 day so we'll see.

Today, since I couldn't find a May Pole anywhere I decided to hike up to a flag pole. I went to do this hike a few months ago with my boys but we didn't get to the top. The terrain was too sketchy for the kids and I'm not going to put my kids or their buddies at risk to any degree.

I went out by Lake Cahuilla to climb this thing called Rod 2. Maybe it's named after the flag pole on the top.

The climb is up this loose, rocky slope of the kind that is all too common in the area around my home. It's slow going heading up and even slower coming down.

It's steep so you gain elevation quickly. I'm up a couple hundred feet in less than ten minutes.

When I get to the gap at the top of the gully I look down to see if it would be better to go down this way. Uh, no.

I start to climb up this way but it doesn't look very good and I don't like climbing class four or five on loose rock. I back off to look for another way.

This way looks good. OK, it doesn't look GOOD but it is better than the other way and at least I can see the flag waving at the top.

I get to the flag and find it's detached from the pole on the bottom. I don't have any way to fix it so I just have to leave it how it is.

The base of the pole is covered in flying bugs. I'd like to sit up here and enjoy the view for a few minutes but that isn't even an option.

It's too bad because there's a real nice view from up here.

I get a picture of the benchmark near the top. I don't get the elevation because the topo map says the height is 465 feet. Of course, climbing it feels like it is ten times that high. Every step is precarious.

I am not looking forward to the climb down. When climbing, it is important to maintain three points of contact. That means only move one hand or foot at a time and keep the other three connected to the rock. On the way down this thing I keep five points of contact. Two hands, one foot and two buns. It is not a fun climb down.

I look down at the Jeep (you can click to enlarge) and wish I were there NOW. Downclimbing is not something anyone likes to do but it must be done. I am immensely happy when I finally reach solid ground and can make my way home. I am glad I made the climb but for me once is enough. Now I've got to get the bugs out of my shirt and shorts.

Walking The Earth

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE

It is a fact of my life that some days my time is very limited. Traveling to hike is not an option. I have to do something near home. Today was such a day.

I head off from the top of the La Quinta Cove and see that someone has built some type of rock structure to enhance the experience. That person obviously does not have a life like I do. Even if I wanted to build a rock pile, I just don't have the time.

There's a new snazzy Monument sign to greet me and a new No Dogs sign. I'm sure people will not be happy about this particular sign. Now, the No Dogs signs are a bit further up the wash and a LOT of people currently walk their dogs beyond where this new sign is. I wonder how long it will be until someone vandalizes this new sign. I'm guessing less than a week. Personally, I think people are getting fed up with some of these restrictions that do nothing to protect the sheep. I wonder if anyone with a dog has ever encountered a sheep within one mile of this sign. My guess would be no and, if I am correct, why would you restrict someone's freedoms on the off chance one dog walker MIGHT see a sheep? I don't get it.

I hike up the Morrow Trail that heads to Lake Cahuilla. It's nice to know a horse camp is two miles from here although I doubt anyone is bringing their horse to the top of the cove to access the horse camp. I think they'd probably just go straight there. Especially since there's not any trailer parking in the cove.

After going up the trail a bit, you get to a steep drop off and the trail goes to the right. If you look closely, you can see it on the right side of the picture. (Click on this, or any, picture to enlarge). I head over this way and discover something I hadn't expected.

I find another trail. Do you see it? Really, it's not the heat. I think I see a trail here.

After hiking around the corner a bit, it becomes a bit more obvious. It IS a trail.

But why is there a trail here and where does it go? From the look of it, the trail goes to this canyon. I do not have time to check it out but there must be reason it goes here. Perhaps a water tank or maybe another reason. I cannot find out today but I'll find out on a day when I have more time and the temperature is under 100º.

Just so I know the heat isn't playing tricks on me, I take a picture of the trail heading back from the way I came. It's a trail all right. A trail I'll hopefully be on again soon. Can you think of a better way of celebrating Earth Day than discovering a new trail?