Cactus-to-Clouds

The Cactus-to-Clouds hike is an intense day hike encompassing 23 miles of trail with over 10,000 vertical feet of climbing. It begins in Palm Springs at sea level and climbs steeply to an 8,000 ft. plateau called Long Valley. The trail then winds through Long Valley before turning sharply upwards to the peak of San Jacinto at 10,804 ft. The tram at 8,400 ft. saves hikers from the need to descend back down the 8,000 ft. to Palm Springs.

I started this long day with a 3:30am wake up, which got me to the trailhead at 4:00am. The temperature was already 80 degrees; I needed to be far above the desert floor before the searing heat that dawn would bring. The trail is hard to follow in daylight; in the pre-dawn darkness it's nearly impossible for a first timer to follow the correct route in a web of trails. By dawn, however, I had already covered 2,000 vertical feet.

I reached Long Valley by 11:15am, seven hours into the hike, and none too soon. There is no water on this first part and I had already finished off the 4.5 liters I started the day with. The Long Valley ranger station has abundant tap water, which I quickly drank and then used to refill my bottles. It was here that I first noticed how drained I felt. Plus, dressed in only a tee-shirt and shorts, I felt somewhat cold. Still, I decided to continue on to see if new activity would help revive me.

By 1:15pm, I had traversed Long Valley and reached Saddle Junction at 9,700 ft. This left me only 1,000 ft. below the summit, accessible by a short 2.5 mile hike from that point. However, I was completely drained at this point. My hiking pace slowed and I began to experience hypothermia in that I lost sensation in my hands. So, I made the wise decision to turn around and head for the tram, arriving at 3:00pm.

In total, I hiked 17 miles, reaching an altitude of 9,700 ft. from sea level, in 11 hours. My condition improved with each foot of vertical I gave up riding in the tram. My performance on this hike represents my most important hiking accomplishment to date.

More information on Cactus-to-Clouds can be found at http://www.geocities.com/cactus2clouds/skyline.html

Mt. San Jacinto

This hike was organized by the Orange County Hiking & Backpacking Group (OCHBG) as a volunteer mission to resupply the emergency shelter located just below the peak on Mt. San Jacinto. One of the OCHBG members spend three days trapped in the shelter during the previous January after sustaining a leg injury near the peak. So many of the supplies had been pilfered that she was left with one can of beans.

San Jacinto is one of the highest peaks in Southern California. At 10,834 feet, it towers over the town of Palm Springs located at sea level. The summit trails begins at an unusual starting point: the top of the aerial tramway, which ferries tourists and hikers alike to 8,420 feet. From here, the trail winds through the Round Valley Plateau for 3.1 miles before climbing sharply to the summit over a 2.5 mile distance.

The difficulty of the climb is due to the rapid ascent one makes from the valley floor on the tram. On this specific hike, we also hauled heavy packs stuffed with emergency supplies.

I performed well, putting my calf injury behind me with every step. Even the high altitude and pack weight of 62 pounds did not affect my leg.

I should mention that this mountain range affords some of the best views in all of Southern California. To the west, it is possible to view the whole of the LA basin and even Santa Catalina off the coast. To the north, lies San Gorgonio at 11,493 feet, sitting atop the San Bernardino mountain range. Palm Springs spreads out across the desert floor to the east. Further south, one can see the Salton Sea.

This hike gave me the idea to attempt the Cactus-to-Clouds hike. As the name suggests, the trail starts in Palm Springs at sea level, climbs the eastern slope of San Jacinto, and connects to the summit trail near Round Valley. The 10,000 vertical feet, sixteen mile climb, is one of the most difficult day hikes in the US. I resolve to give it a go next weekend.