In Memory of Dillon Percy

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY

Dillon Percy was my son, Harrison's, oldest friend. It could be said that he met Dillon before he was born because my wife and I met his parents at child birthing classes at Desert Hospital. Sadly, Dillon's life was cut short when he passed away on November 11th of last year. This week, when his mother sent us an email telling us that the Christian School of the Desert was doing a memorial hike to the Palm Desert Cross I really wanted to go. Unfortunately, they were going at a time I had to work so I decided to make my own sojourn in Dillon's honor.

The trailhead is a familiar site as I've been here several times this year.

This is a nice spot for a group hike because afterward there's a place for people to gather. There are not that many places around with nice facilities like these.

And I think more hikes should have drinking fountains along the route. This is only one of two that I know of that do.

This shrine along the trail has grown by a couple of rocks since the last time I was here. I'm sure the cross probably started out small, too.

With the lights on during the day the cross stands out even more against the sky today.

I make a little cross with the rocks at the base of the cross in honor of Dillon. He was a very special young man, one who touched our hearts in his short time on this earth and who is greatly missed by all who knew him.

Cross Wind

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY

The calendar still says Autumn but the weather outside says Winter. It's cold here in the desert; the high temperature here today was 67º.

As I started up the trail to the Palm Desert Cross a hiker coming down asked me if I liked wind. It was really blowing up top.

A storm is starting to blow in and we've got with some big puffy clouds.

There's a shrine builder on the loose in Palm Desert. They've built a bunch of these little things on the Hopalong Cassidy Trail and now they've started here. Someone has just a bit too much time on their hands.

The sky is cloudy to the west but there's just enough light coming through to make the cross glow.

The wind won't be a problem for the cross with its ample guylines.

I'm looking forward to a little rain here in the desert. There's nothing better than the desert in bloom after a good winter of rain.

A Love Supreme

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIVE

November 1 is All Saints Day. The only reason I know this is because it is the birthday of one of my boyhood friends. Every year he made sure we knew it. I don't know why a young kid thought he was a saint of some kind but such is the mindset of children. I suppose he was Saint Bruce of Westminster, the patron saint of boyhood pals.

In honor of the day I thought about what Saintly hike I might do. I thought the three Saints would be good, the trifecta of San Jacinto, San Gorgonio and Mount Baldy (Mount San Antonio). The only problems were I had to work and such an undertaking would require 24 hours and a support crew. So much for that idea.

I settled on the Palm Desert Cross. When I started this crazy endeavor the Cross was my first hike of the year. If I'd actually done any planning I could have made it my traditional first hike of each month but I didn't think that far ahead.

When I got out to do the hike the moon was already well up above the horizon. I'd be coming back after the sunset so with the moon so high I knew a flashlight wouldn't be necessary. Getting out of my vehicle I heard the sound of music playing. It was someone playing Amazing Grace on the flute, quite fitting for All Saints Day.

The flautist left and I wondered what music might be appropriate from the selections on my iPod. I decide on A Love Supreme by Saint John of Coltrane.

The weather is perfect and the light magnificent.

If a moment could be saintly, this moment would be.

When I get to the top, the cross still hasn't come on quite yet.

Let there be light.

And the light was good. I sit down at the top and just enjoy the view of the city below, the moon above and the glow of the cross. As the music of A Love Supreme ends I decide to play My Favorite Things, another Coltrane album on the way down.

Hiking in moonlight is unquestionably one of my favorite things.

Ramon Canyon, Palm Desert

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE

This afternoon was sunny, wonderful, perfect. It was one of those days that any hike I did would be delightful, even if it were not to a great place. That was a good thing, too, because my destination was only OK. It was another of those rock filled canyons that the desert is full of but with nothing to make it really stand out. It didn't matter, though. I could have gone hiking across the Walmart parking lot and enjoyed it. Maybe I'll save that for tomorrow.

My hike started on the trail that leads up to the Palm Desert Cross.

This new palm frond shade structure is a welcome addition although the last one was torched by some pyro. Hopefully, this one will last.

Climbing the trail I take a left at the first junction.

Then I take a right.

I follow the trail along the fence line near the bankrupt Stone Eagle Golf Club. There is a great trail that leaves to the right and climbs the mountain but today I'm sticking to the fence.

It's a good thing we have a fence here to keep those golfer types out of the hills. They've already done enough damage by the mere existence of their golf course.

You follow the fence until you get to the first major canyon on the right. This is Ramon Canyon; it's on the topo map.

The canyon is full of loose rocks, cacti, cat's claw and other assorted plants that inflict pain upon humans. As I make my way up the canyon I keep expecting to come upon a rattler, cougar or angry Bighorn Ram. Lucky for them, none appear.

Around every corner I keep expecting to come upon a palm oasis with no luck. Unlike most of the other named canyons in the area this one has no spring or water. Maybe that's why no trail leads into this canyon. Neither animals nor Indians would have any reason to come here.

And, honestly, neither do I except that it's a beautiful day, great to be outdoors.

Palm Desert Cross

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE

I REALLY need a vacation. My trip to the Sierras reinforced that. Thankfully, I'll be leaving for Tahoe this weekend and making a stop at Yosemite along the way. All I have to do is live through this week without going bonkers. I hope I'm able to do it.

While the temperatures here in the desert haven't been too bad--less than 110º--it's still too hot to go out for a good long hike during the day. That limits the choice of trails and that's another reason I need a vacation: I want to see some new terrain.

The trail to the Palm Desert Cross is good for a late summer afternoon because it is well shaded and it gains elevation fairly quickly offering nice views of Palm Desert below.

This is a view that to me never gets old. I love the outline of the cross against the sky.

Another view

If there's one nice thing about hiking in the desert in the summer it is the serenity. Kahlua and I had this entire trail to ourselves going up and back. It made for a very peaceful hike.

Even still, it'll be nice to see some new scenery. Hopefully, we won't have to be back here until the fall.

Surviving The Summer

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWO

With two hikers dying due to the heat this week I have several people ask me if I was still hiking every day and if I was crazy to do so. The answers are yes and, well, yes.

It is somewhat crazy to go hiking in the heat we have been experiencing but I do whatever I can to minimize the potential risk.

It's not work. So I don't do it between 9 and 5. It is far too hot in the middle of the day to be out hiking in the desert so I don't do it. I try to finish early or start late.

Short is sweet. I've done hikes over thirty miles in one day before but in extreme temperatures I keep them short, under five miles most days.

Wetter is better. They make all kinds of clothing meant to keep you dry. I prefer good old natural cotton and linen because it keeps me wet. By drying slowly, these fabrics allow for evaporative cooling and slow the loss of body fluids. Being dry may be great to alleviate chafing for endurance athletes in moderate temperatures(and shorts are OK) but for hikers in hot weather it's OK to be wet.

Made in the Shade It is easy to find areas in both the early morning and the late afternoon where most of your hike will be in the shade. That is important because the radiant heat from direct sunlight intensifies the sun's effects both in the evaporation of moisture and sunburn.

With all these things in mind I went on a short hike in the shade with sufficient fluids and a damp shirt.

I headed over to the Cahuilla Hills Park Trailheads and headed up the Gabby Hayes Trail. The temperature when I start hiking is 107º, lovely. This is a new sign. I may put this number in my phone just in case.

While there are no other hikers I'm not totally alone on the trail. It's nice to have company when you're crazy. At least we have that in common.

The trail heads up the hill and you can see where some idiots cut the switchbacks. I have seen too much erosion on too many trails to think about cutting switchbacks.

I got up to the switchbacks and wonder what's up this canyon. I'll wait for the weather to cool in order to find out.

I get to the point where the trail heads up to the Cross but I decide it's too hot for that.

So I sit on some rocks and enjoy the view. I sit, that is, until the heat from the rocks I am sitting on starts to burn my butt. I'll have to add that to my rules of hot weather hiking.

A new shade structure over this picnic table would be nice, one with misters. Maybe I'll call that new number and see if they can get to work on it.

Making Sacrifices

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SEVEN

It is not easy hiking every day. Sometimes I have to choose between hiking and doing something else. This year my commitment is to hiking so whatever other choices I have lose out. Tonight the family was going to some new Eddie Murphy movie and I had to pass. I don't remember the last Eddie Murphy movie I saw was but I'm sure it would have been a laugh riot. I'm sure I'll hear about the best flatulence joke or the funniest pratfall and that will have to do, at least until the kids want to get the movie on DVD. The things I sacrifice for hiking.

Today's hike was a pretty easy one. Sometimes I hike to explore. Other times I hike for the exercise. This afternoon I hiked for the peace of it.

Starting at the parking area for the Homestead Trail I am very pleased to have some clouds blocking the sun. The temperature has still been perfect for this time of year but I forgot a hat so I don't want to get much sun on my noggin.

There is a great little picnic spot at the trailhead. One of these days I'm going to bring the family and have a little picnic with them. It'll probably now have to wait until summer is over but I'll drag them down here sometime.

As I'm hiking along this trail I see this helicopter out cruising around. At first they circle the hill above the Bump and Grind "trail" and I think maybe someone has taken a spill up there. They're probably just checking out chicks because they soon leave and head south.

I'm hiking up to the Palm Desert Cross, a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice in the Christian faith. It makes my sacrifice seem insignificant.

Closer to the cross.

The view from up here is wonderful and it's so relaxing just to sit here and watch the shadows lengthen out across the valley.

The views are not only good looking down at the desert floor, either. The views across the hill are good, too.

I'm also enjoying just watching the clouds move across the sky. When you live in the desert,

you have a greater appreciation for clouds than someone who lives in a place like Seattle might.