Where The Heart Is

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE

With the family still in San Bernardino, where we spent last night, I came home and went to work this morning. Harrison had a game at 2 p.m. and if his team won the game they'd have another at 8. Since his team hasn't won a game yet, I was fully expecting the family home early. So I headed up to the Tram and figured I'd go for a nice little 6 or 8 mile hike and then head home.

I get off the Tram at a little after 5 p.m. and am delighted to see the mountain covered in shade. I always come in the morning so it surprises me that it's shady this early. Of course, I then found out it is only due to this cloud blocking the sun.

I head down to Long Valley with the intention of hiking over to Willow Creek. I notice, however, that my wife called and so I instead decide to head over somewhere I can get some cell phone reception. I decide to take the Desert View Trail. Once I talk to the wife I can always come back.

I take the Desert View Trail over to where I get a view of the Coachella Valley and some cell phone reception. I call the wife and she's staying in Crestline. Harrison's team won their game by forfeit and will now be playing tonight. The funny thing is that they are playing Coachella. So they travel all the way to the mountains above San Bernardino and play a team from the city next door. At least it's cool up there.

It is also cool up here and with incredible views. I get a glimpse of Long View Dome over to my right and decide that I'll just head over that way instead of going back and then going to Willow Creek.

Long View Dome is this great big rock that can be seen from the Coachella Valley. It is several hundred feet high and has a fun moderate rock climb on it that I did years ago. From the upper side, it's little more than a class 3-4 scramble to get to the top and the views from it are tremendous.

I hike down Long Creek Canyon but realize that I went a bit too low and have to do some scrambling to get to where I can get to the top of the Dome.

In the process I get a couple of scratches on my legs but that's OK. My wife will know I had a great adventure.

The North Face of the Dome is steep and difficult but there are other easier sections. I find this ramp simple and it leads me to a little saddle where I get a nice view looking toward home.

From the saddle all I have to do is scramble up this little section and I'm on top. No biggie. I've done it before. Yet, today I just don't feel right about it. With the deaths of middle aged men dominating the news the past couple of days, I consider the risk. Also, on my FaceBook page this morning, I read about how one of the girls I taught in Sunday School about thirty years ago lost her husband to a heart attack just the other day. He was out surfing.

There is probably a .0001% chance that I'll slip and hurt something. But even if I just sprain my ankle, being out here alone, where no one knows I am, and with my family in another range of mountains miles away, I'd be in trouble. I decide to forgo the scramble, at least for today. This one time, having a surfeit of caution seems to make sense. I'll come back with a friend sometime and do the climb later.

I'll have to be satisfied with this view for now. I say a prayer for Kimmie and her family and head back. On any other day I'd feel like a wuss for not doing the final section of this climb but today I feel very much at peace. Doing the final hundred feet doesn't seem nearly as important today as getting home.

Family Values

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE

With my wife still not feeling 100%, I took the day off work and took care of her. I also had to do the things she usually does like picking up the kids at school and taking one of them to the orthodontist. After that, I had to help at the snack bar at the baseball field. That didn't leave me much time to hike so I figured I'd make it a good one.

Not too far from my house is this gully that goes almost straight up. It gains about 900 feet in no time and climbs over boulders and loose rocks. I've done it in years past but haven't done it this year because it's hard and I'm old. I figured today would be the day to reach into the past. Besides at the time of day I had to go it was the only thing that had any shade on it whatsoever.

This shot gives you an idea of the terrible quality of the rock I get to climb. In my younger years I've made it up to the top in about 20 minutes. Of course, I was in better shape and a tad thinner then. I will be ecstatic if I can make it in under 30 minutes.

Hiking every day has done me well and I'm making pretty good time. Of course, the hard part is at the top.

Looking north, I can see the alluvial fan that leads to the golf course where I've hiked a few times this year. From here it almost looks smooth but in reality it is ever more rocky than this gully.

The gully starts getting steep as it nears the top.

Real steep. It's still only class three but compared to most of my hikes this is a real climb.

I come to the top of the gully and work my way up to the top point.

Not my best time ever but I'm happy with it.

The view is worth the effort and shows how steep this thing really is.

I only enjoy the view for a few seconds because the top is still exposed to the sun and it's hot.

I'd do anything for my family, even bleed. Now my wife will know for sure that I had an enjoyable hike.

I am being especially cautious about the heat and being shaded was one reason I chose this hike. Last Sunday, a 28 year old man died from heat stroke on the Skyline Trail in Palm Springs. He made some terrible mistakes that led to his death but it is very important not to take the heat too lightly. Being from the desert and hiking every day I am pretty well acclimated to the heat but even still it is important to take precautions. Having ample fluids, covering my skin and hiking in the shade whenever possible make it feasible for me to hike in the desert heat. But I know what I'm doing, it is not something just anyone could or should do.

Dehydration and electrolyte deficiency put my poor wife in hospital yesterday and she was inside. She just never took time to eat or drink anything and it caught up to her. With a holiday weekend coming up be careful about your outdoor activities whether at the beach, in the mountains or the desert.

Enjoy your families and take care of them. Nothing else is more important.

Sunday Stroll

DAY ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN

I wish I had more Sundays off, especially during football season. But, alas, I work in the hotel industry and Sundays are a busy day for us. I cannot remember the last time I took Sunday off so I decided to take it easy on my hike instead. OK, easy for me.

The Southern part of the South Lykken Trail starts near this welcoming sign and if I didn't know any better I'd think I shouldn't hike here. Keeps the crowds down.

Here's a little trail side memorial. Is the person buried here or did they die here? If not, then this is not an appropriate place for their memorial. Just like those people who turn their vehicle into a rolling tombstone by plastering a memorial on their car window. Have a little respect for the dead, please.

About 1/2 a mile up the road you get to the actual trail.

One thing hiking in the desert does is make hiking elsewhere easy. Desert trails go UP! I like the no-nonsense nature of a lot of our trails because you gain elevation quickly.

Gaining elevation quickly is good because it gives you access to great views. I guess that's why they have a Vista Point. I don't know who Simonetta Kennett is or why they named this place for her. Maybe I need to start putting signs with my name around when I go hiking.

The view certainly is nice. And the picnic tables are a nice touch.

During my short little afternoon stroll, I came upon three signs bearing people's names. I guess we all want to be remembered so I'm going to make a request. After I'm gone, don't put any signs up bearing my name or build any shrines or put my name on your car. Just name a mountain after me. This one would be OK. To start.

And a couple picnic tables on top would be OK, too.

Going to Church

Day Thirty Nine

My wife packed the kids up in the minivan and headed off to church this morning.  I also went to church, just in a different location.  Nothing gets me feeling closer to my Maker than a hike in His Creation.

I noticed this cross upon a local hill on a couple of my other hikes and decide I'll hike up to it. My guess is it is about 800 ft. of elevation gain so it will fit perfectly into my schedule.

You know, I think one more sign will fit on this pole but do you think there are any more rules they could possibly add?

Here's the hill I'm going to climb with the cross on it.  That looks like 800 feet, doesn't it?

A steep and rocky, calf burning ravine.

It looks like a raven has found a nice perch.  It's a good thing I don't believe in omens.

Getting close!

I feel like singing!  Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hal-le-lu-jah!  I was a bit off on the elevation.  My GPS says it was just under 700 feet of elevation gain although my calves might beg to differ.  It's taken me about 30 minutes.

There sure is a great view from up here.

Someone has made a camp up here.  Next time I come maybe I'll bring some Matchlight® and a couple of T-Bones.  

I hate coming down this stuff.  I'll definitely be praying the whole way down.

My wife told me I missed a lovely service at church today but I assured her I didn't.  Church was great today.

Oh, and on the way home I spied this little trail heading up into the mountains.  I wonder where that goes?

Take It Easy

January 7, 2009

Day Seven

There are few people who know more about the local trails than I do. For ten years I ran a hiking shop here in the desert and was able to meet hundreds of hikers. Anytime I spoke to someone about a hike I'd never done, it would go on my list of "to do" hikes and I go do it. One type of hike is conspicuously absent, however, from my repertoire: easy hikes. There are a few easy hikes I have never done because I've always been looking for something challenging, exciting, unexplored. Now with the challenge being to hike every day, I have been wondering what I've missed by overlooking these little hikes. So today I decide to take a little hike to Willis Palms in the Coachella Valley Preserve. Was I in for a surprise.

Here's the map for the hike I planned on doing. The hike I ended up doing is NOWHERE on this map.

Before going directly to Willis Palms I decide to follow the trail shown on the map. It heads to the right up a wash and then hits a trail that goes up a ridge, and up, and up, and up.

After unexpectedly hiking a few miles and gaining over a thousand feet, I come to the top of this unnamed peak and this little monument.

There are some great views of Mount San Jacinto and the Coachella Valley from up here.

And it looks like the trail continues down the backside of the mountain and over toward the McCallum Grove. I'll have to come back and explore this further but today I have to get back to a special event at my son's school.

On the way down, I stop at the Willis Palms. Looks like a nice spot for a picnic.

They've even got a nice place to tie up your pony.

While this did not end up being the easy hike that I'd envisioned, it was still very enjoyable and one I look forward to returning to very soon. I can't wait to see where the trail ends up going and what other discoveries I've been missing due to my avoidance of easy hikes. I can't wait to find out what else I've been missing