Macomber Palms Ridge at Sunrise

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE

My work schedule required that I go out hiking before the sunrise. For some people this is the best part of the day. I, however, have retained my sanity and realize that God intended these hours for sleeping. Some days a little insanity is required and today was such a day. I set my alarm for 6 and rose while it was still dark. When the alarm went off I wondered if I'd died and gone to hell. I drove over to the Indio Hills and decided to do a little hike I last attempted in the summer. This is the location I encountered my one rattlesnake that I encountered this year. Rattlers shouldn't be a problem since the temperature was in the 30s.

The trails are very eroded in this area so I tried to access the ridge from the bottom but ran into a little problem.

At this point there's nowhere to go but up.

The sun has not yet crested the horizon but it is light enough to see. I was afraid that I'd have to spend part of this hike in the dark and I did enough of that last night.

Looking back toward Mount San Jacinto I can see that the sun has reached some portions of a valley. It is still and cool and I wish I were back in bed.

Finally, the sun decided to make an appearance and I start to feel it's actually OK to be awake.

The light hasn't filtered down to the canyon where I parked my Jeep but most of the area is starting to wake up.

At one time there was a very good trail here. I wonder who made it and why. There are sections of severe erosion but most of the trail is in superb shape. With just a little work, it could be usable for others besides me.

Up on the hilltop someone has built a little campsite. There are certainly better campsites around but if you're looking for solitude, nice views and no chance of starting a forest fire then this might just be the place for you.

Here's a section of the incredible erosion on this trail. It may look like the trail goes down to the left but it doesn't. It actually continues straight.

The light has finally touched to top of the palms and it's time to go home and get ready for work. I've already done my hike and haven't even had a cup of coffee. Maybe I have lost my sanity. That's OK. It's only temporary. Tomorrow, I'm sleeping in.

Hiking Down The PCT from Fuller Ridge

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE

Last Tuesday I did my longest hike of the year from Snow Creek to the summit of Mount San Jacinto and then on to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Today a group of about fifteen hikers did the same hike and I went to lend my support. No, I didn't do the hike again--my feet would never forgive me--but I went to bring drinks to a spot 17 miles in and bring a few people back who were not going to do the entire 30+ miles. While I was there I figured I'd go for a little hike down the PCT. I was glad I did because when I was coming up all I looked at was the trail. Now I was able to enjoy the view.

The Fuller Ridge Trailhead is eight miles up the Black Mountain Road right off of Highway 243, west of Idyllwild.

It was cold when I got there in the morning. Cold enough that the small amount of snow on the ground has remained there for over a week.

Heading down the PCT will some bring you to one of the best views in Southern California.

From just a mile down the trail you feel like you can almost reach out and touch Mount San Gorgonio.

Looking a little to the south you can look right into Orange County and Saddleback Mountain. From here, I can look easily into four Southern California counties.

That is, when I'm not enjoying looking at the granite rock formations.

I meet some of the hikers coming up the trail and enjoyed my time meeting them all. Hopefully in the future I'll actually be able to spend some time hiking with them all rather than just being the support crew. But for whatever the reason it was a pleasure to get up in the mountains again and I hope to be able to do it at least once more before the winter rolls in.

Mission Creek Preserve

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIX

The Mission Creek Preserve is part of the 33,000 acre Sand to Snow Preserve System. This includes the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve and is adjacent to the Whitewater Preserve. The Preserve gives access to the Pacific Crest Trail and the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area. To reach the Preserve, take Highway 62 North from I-10 and turn left on Mission Creek Road. Follow the road to the gate and park there.

After driving a few miles along the dirt road you come to this sign.

Beyond that is a locked gate topped by this sign.

There is very good signage at the beginning of the Preserve but later on, not so much.

There is a nice information board but, oddly enough, there's not a very good map for hikers. Later, I'll wish I'd had one.

Right inside the gate there are four little stone structures.

Inside each one there is a picnic table.

I didn't bring a lunch so I start hiking up the "trail". I really hate these trails that have tire tracks on them.

As I'm walking along I hear this weird sound and can't place it. I look down toward the creek and discover what's causing it: water.

A mile up the "trail" is the Painted Hills Wetlands. It is very lush with growth and an impassable thickets.

Beyond that is the parking area for the Stone House. I've got to find out how to get a key to that gate so I don't have to walk all this way next time.

The Stone House is a great structure with screen windows and doors without locks.

It's got a nice comfy chair on the porch.

The inside of the Stone House is spotless with some picnic tables.

There is also a fireplace but it's just for looks.

There are even restrooms.

With flush toilets! I was preparing to hold my breath in anticipation of the outhouse smell.

An old windmill and pump are also part of the property.

I continue on the "trail" up beyond this wilderness sign. This turns out to be a mistake because I should have taken a different route here but there wasn't a sign or map directing me in the proper direction. I found out later there is a section of private land ahead.

But when I got to this gate I wondered what was going on.

I followed this trail around the gate and down to the creek bottom. Upon returning, I found out I should have gone up a different fork of the creek to bypass the private land.

I hiked up the creek until I got to the PCT and had to turn around at that point.

It's too bad, too, because it was just starting to get interesting. Next time I'll know which way to go and I'll see if it's possible to drive just a bit further up the road. There's a lot of interesting terrain up here and I'd imagine in the springtime when there's snow on the surrounding mountains and the flowers are blooming that it is incredible. I'm looking forward to coming back.

Bear Creek Palm Oasis, La Quinta

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWO

I did NOT want to go hiking today. This morning I woke up with morning sickness, or what I'd imagine morning sickness to feel like. My head felt like a cactus had taken up residence within my skull and it seemed like two porcupines were doing battle in my gut. My son brought home some 24 hour flu bug home from school and shared it with the family. At least it's not H1N1. Yet.

Determined to do the hike that I'd been hoping to do for weeks, I set out to hike to the Bear Creek Palms. The Bear Creek Palms are a small oasis high on the north side of Sheep Mountain in the Santa Rosa Mountains. Getting to them requires a hike about eight miles and an elevation gain of around 2000 feet. It is not a good hike to take when you're sick.

The Bear Creek Palms are not really in Bear Creek and I've always known them as the High Palm Oasis but the trail starts from Bear Creek and that's the more common name for them.

This is Bear Creek as it cuts a deep cleft in Sheep Mountain.

The first mile of the hike follows the wash from the top of the La Quinta Cove and is really pretty flat. From there, the trail steadily gains elevation.

As you gain elevation the views really open up. First, Mount San Jacinto comes into view.

Then, Mount San Gorgonio.

Out to the Southeast the Salton Sea fills the horizon.

I get to the high point in the trail and can look down at the palms but I've got to head back home and get to work. It is an easy hike from here but I won't make it today. Feeling sick slowed me down a bit and I've run out of time.

These rocks are usually a good lunch spot but the thought of food right now makes me nauseous.

The trail feels twice as long going down as it does going up but that's always how it feels when you need to find a restroom. But luck is with me today and I make it home before nature calls. I hate to leave anything behind, except footprints, whenever possible.

Mount San Gorgonio: Top of Southern California

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVEN

Today I went and climbed Mount San Gorgonio. It's the tallest peak in Southern California at 11,502 feet and can be seen from over a hundred miles away. A lot of people refer to this peak as Big Bear but Big Bear is a lake and a city, not a mountain. It is not the prettiest mountain; it's basically a big mound of rock and dirt but since it is the tallest it is a destination for the hiker and mountaineer.

There are several ways up San Gorgonio but my favorite, the Vivian Creek Trail is closed right now due to some problem bears. I don't mind bears--I've hiked in Yosemite--but some people get a little freaked out by it so I did the South Fork Trail instead.

The trail winds through the conifers before climbing up to the barren summit of San Gorgonio. I hate the switchbacks on this trail. They are never ending, they are not steep enough and half of the time you are hiking in the wrong direction. I think when the made them they were looking to put people to work so they figured the more miles the better. It gets irritating after a while, though.

I come to a junction where the trail goes to either Dry Lake or Dollar Lake. I go up the Dry Lake side and will come down the Dollar Lake Trail.

I wonder why the call this Dry Lake.

After leaving Dry Lake you get to a place where the trail switchbacks up the bare rocky slopes of the mountain. It seems to take forever.

I am tempted to leave the trail and just scramble up this chute. I decide to stick to the trail because I told myself I wasn't going to rush today and I was just going to enjoy the mountain. I've climbed this chute in winter before and know it goes straight to the top.

When I climbed in winter, we were very careful about the snow conditions. Looking down you can see where an avalanche ripped out a large stand of big trees.

Along the trail you come across this wreckage of an old plane.

This plaque commemorates the men who lost their lives in this crash. This plaque was not here the last time I did this hike and I am glad it is here now. It reminds us that this is a solemn spot where men whose job was protecting our country lost their lives here. Rather than just some old wreckage knowing what happened here brings a moment of reflection and thoughts of those now putting their lives at peril to protect our freedom.

The trail continues on and I've had enough of these switchbacks.

After the switchbacks, the trail takes a LONG traverse of the entire mountain. Why they built the trail that way I have no idea. It's long and boring so I decide to just go straight up here.

From the top of the chute it's just a short but steep climb to the summit. If I stayed on the trail it'd take me about 1/2 hour longer.

When I get to the top, there's a regular party going on there. A day I've seen five people but at the summit there are at least thirty. It turns out that this is part of a group from a UCLA charity program. For eight days, inner city kids go to camp and as part of that they spend four days in the wilderness.

The summit register is stuffed. Loads of people climb this peak although a lot of them do it as an overnight adventure.

From the top you get a good view of Big Bear LAKE.

In addition to the UCLA group, there are lots of these little critters on the top. So many people enjoy their lunch here that there are lots of crumbs for them.

I head off in the opposite direction from which I came. I hope to get a nice view of the Southland but it's too hazy and the marine layer is thick today so no luck.

While the sign says Dollar Lake, I actually won't be going there today. It's off the main trail so I'll have to save that for another hike.

I bypass a shortcut down the face of the mountain and head down the Dollar Lake Trail.

I almost regret going this way because this trail is WAY rockier than the other way. My poor feet are not happy.

That is until we get to the Jeep. The first thing I do is thank them for taking me on a great adventure.

.