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.

Mount San Jacinto from Snow Creek via the PCT

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE

Mount San Jacinto is my favorite mountain. It rises above the desert in a massive 10,000 foot escarpment. In the winter months it is covered with snow and in summer it offers a welcome escape from the summer inferno of the desert below. I've climbed it numerous times from all directions including the mountaineering route up the Snow Creek couloir. There's only one route I'd never taken to get the its summit, the PCT from Snow Creek Village, and today that's what I did.

I start out at 5:30 a.m. because I couldn't wake up any earlier. I wanted to start at 5 but I move slow in the morning.

I really hate No Trespassing signs at the beginning of my hikes but I know it's OK for hikers so I ignore it.

I hike about a mile up a paved road and hit the trail. There's a water fountain placed here for hikers by the water district and it's a good thing. There won't be any water for over twenty miles. I have five quarts of Gatorade so I'll be OK, though.

The sun is starting to come up so I can put my headlamp into my pack where it will stay until the very end of the hike.

The sun touches the top of San Gorgonio Mountain but I will remain in the shade for quite a while because of the high walls of Snow Creek Canyon.

For some reason the mountain seems to be getting farther away the higher I get.

The trail continues up through the boulder filled hillside and heads up toward these rocks.

The trail itself is in fairly good shape but it is overgrown. This is typical of the type of vegetation along its path. I don't know what they're called but shin slicers would be an appropriate name.

While the hillside is filled with rocks the trail is not, thankfully. Although the trail is a constant uphill tack the miles go by quickly and I gain elevation rapidly.

But even as I get higher and higher up the mountain my goal seems to be getting further and further away.

Then I see my first living pine tree and it makes me feel that I am finally in the mountains. Before this I was merely climbing up a mountain.

I cross the Black Mountain Road and totally leave the desert behind. From here on out I'll be totally and completely in the mountains.

I get to the State Park boundary and see something that tells me I am in a completely different environment than the one I left: snow.

It covers the trail in long sections and while its never treacherous or a big problem it does slow me down because it's hard to get a good pace without good footing.

It's surprising to see so much snow in places because I don't remember a storm coming through.

After hiking a good deal in the snow, it is welcome to find any dry patch along the way.

This is the first water on the trail that I've come to since the drinking fountain down at the bottom, over twenty miles ago. I have to be careful crossing here because I've already slipped on ice twice.

Little Round Valley is a campground below San Jacinto Peak and it makes me feel like I'm almost home. It's 1.6 miles to San Jacinto Peak and 7 miles from the Tram but for some reason it makes me feel like I'm close.

Climbing up to the Peak I am able to look west and see the golden shimmer of the Pacific Ocean.

Heading up to the summit I pass the CCC cabin. I am tempted to stop inside but might not want to leave so I bypass it.

It is a welcome relief to get to the top. I try to grin but only manage a grimace. I'm pretty tired at this point but it's all downhill from here.

There are a couple of shortcuts coming down from the top of San Jacinto but I go down the tried and true route through Wellman's Divide. I didn't want to try any other route because I did not want to tromp through any more snow.

I get to the Long Valley Ranger Station almost exactly twelve hours from when I left Snow Creek, drop off my copy of my permit and head straight for the Tramway Bar.

I didn't just hike thirty miles for nothing.

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.