|
San Jacinto Wilderness (Palm Springs, CA) 09/30/04 Total Miles- 11.5 Time- 5 hrs Vertical- 2419 ft The drive to Palm Springs was an easy 2 hr drive from San Diego. Our hotel was nice and the room was very cool- it was a smoking 110 degrees outside. When Sam told her co-workers at work that she was going to go to Palm Springs and go hiking, they thought she was crazy because of the heat. They could not have been more wrong. They next morning we were up and made the short drive the the Tram. From the top of the tram we were now in San Jacinto Wilderness. We would make our way to one of the highest peaks in the Southern California mountains, Mt San Jacinto at 10,834. It was a good hike with over 2000 ft vertical, the top of the tram was at 8415 ft and the top of the mountain is 10,834 ft.
The road to the Palm Springs Aerial tramway.
Now for the best part about hiking in the Palm Springs heat wave. The temperature at the top of the tram can be a 40 degrees cooler than at the bottom.. And it was a mild 75 degrees at the top, perfect for our long hike ahead.
Hiking in San Jacinto wilderness reminded me so much of the lake Tahoe area, except there were no lakes or water anywhere.
Sam about halfway through the hike at Wellmans Divide. From this ridge we got our first glimpse of the mountains to the south. It was a great view and the perfect place for a break.
As the trail headed for the top their were fewer trees.
We were shortly at the top after hiking at a good pace for an 2 1/2 hrs. We joined the rest of the 40 Boy Scouts at the top. We had lunch at the top with a view of Palm Springs thousands of feet below. The view was like looking out the window of an airplane. John Muir was right when he said, " "the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth"- Well that might be a bit overstated, but the view was memorable. I felt the elevation a little bit, it was a long way up from sea level. Sam felt worse and shortly started her way down after lunch. MOVIE at the Top.
Looking South from the top.
To the east lies Palm Springs 9000ft below! The ridgeline on the far right of the picture is where the top of the tram is.
Moss on a granite rock along the trail on the way down.
We made it down the mountain in no time looking forward to the evening in Palm Springs. Sam is seen here near the end of the hike with Mt San Jacinto behind. It was a wonderful day spent in Palm Springs. It was so nice to come back from a long day-hike to all the comforts of city life just a tram ride away.. Anyone in the Southern CA area should do this hike once. From the top you could also see Mt Gigorneo to the North (the highest So Cal peak) and I plan to hike that soon.
|
