May 16, 2005 to May 19: Anza to Idyllwild
The Bear took me early to the trailhead for the San Jacinto mountains on the Pines-to-Palms Highway. At the trailhead is a monument with the route of the PCT through this range and and a memorial to a trail worker who died during its construction. (PK at monument.) The PCT was now in the San Bernardino National Forest, starting at 5,000' in elevation, on its way to 9,000' near San Jacinto Peak.
Rested after my zero day I hiked past the creamy boulders of Penrod Canyon, shown here in the mid-ground against the snowy crest of the high country. (Long Vista.) As the trail climbed, pines returned, replacing chapparal and cactus. Weighing in at over five pounds apiece were the cones of the Coulter pine, the heaviest pine cones in the world. (Photo of cones next to my hiking gloves.)
As I got to the crest, the so-called "Desert Divide," the wind became furious, likely over fifty mph; it was a struggle just to stay on the trail. To escape this fury I dropped down a side trail to Live Oak Spring at the bottom of this valley. (Sawtooth ridge.) Even in the shelter of the forest, my tent rattled all night in the wind.
I ascended back to the Desert Divide the next day and came across many trees "flagged" by the strong wind. (Photo of tree shaped by the wind.) I also got closer views of the snow awaiting me. (Basin with snow.) The PCT descended through a lush forest of incense cedar to Fobes Saddle, where I spent the next night, and then shot almost straight up to Spitler peak, entering the San Jacinto Wilderness. (Sign.)
It was slow going through a jumble of cliffs and canyons. (View north.) The next night I stayed right on the knife-edge of the Desert Divide, looking east thousands of feet below to the desert of Palm Springs. (Photo of crest; view down to desert.) Tiny patches of snow lingered in the shadows of the east-facing cliffs -- more a novelty than a problem.
This next picture shows the PCT winding around Red Tahquitz, the peak with the iron color. (Dark peak.) Around this corner, at over 8,000' in elevation the trail entered a north-facing basin -- and disappeared beneath a blanket of deep snow! For a while I followed the main path of footsteps in the snow but soon the steps began to scatter. Plus, I was starting to break through the crust with first one foot and then the other -- a dangerous practice called "postholing."
So I stopped, took a food and water break and assessed what to do. My goal was to reach a side trail to the PCT at a place called Saddle Junction, where I could then descend to the town
of Idyllwild. I decided to follow a stream and drop about 1,000' in elevation to where the snow was patchy and I could walk safely on bare ground. Having done that, I stopped again and used my map and compass to set a bearing that would take me to Saddle Junction. I determined this to be North-Northwest or about 280 degrees.
According to the map it looked to be about two miles of cross-country hiking on this bearing to reach Saddle Junction. The map also showed that this route would cross the Caramba Trail, which also led to Saddle Junction (although finding an unblazed trail in snowy woods was not something I should count on.) I used my digital compass to follow the bearing (and had a manual compass in reserve) and hiked across meadows, through brush and around ravines.
At a rest stop I spied a sign in the distance. I rushed over to it. It was a marked trail junction for the Caramba Trail and a trail to Skunk Cabbage Meadow. This located me exactly on the map and put me on the trail to Saddle Junction. Oh Happy Day!
It was still a challenge to follow the trail through the snow but at least I was not postholing. Plus the route went through stands of massive Jeffrey pine. (One delight of this tree is that if you put your nose next to the bark and take a deep breath it smells like butterscotch.) By mid-afternoon I got to Saddle Junction and began down the many switchbacks on the Devil's Slide trail to town. En route I admired the sheer granite face of Lily Rock, a magnet for rock climbers in S. CA. (Lily Rock.) Some local folks gave me a ride to my motel and before long I was digging into a yummy trout dinner and calming down after the drama of the day.
Idyllwild is a charming mountain town, with everything a thru-hiker could want. Here's me at the town center. (PK with totem pole.) On Friday night I went to an informative talk by Bill Havert with the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy about their local efforts to purchase land critical for wildlife and recreation. Saturday the town had a fair to celebrate Earth Day with music and booths for environmental causes. I met the new local staff for The Wilderness Society, Geary Hund, who will work to oversee the planning for the new Santa Rosa San Jacinto
National Monument recently established by Congress for the area.
Coming back from the library on Saturday morning I heard a familiar voice behind me, wheeled around and it was George -- alive and well but looking totally exhausted. He had gotten lost when he hit the snow and spent a night off trail. Fortunately he came upon some folks with navigational skills and followed them out. He said he was doing one more section of the PCT and asked if we could team up. We agreed to bypass the next dozen or so miles of the snowbound PCT and resume our hike where the trail began to descend from the high country. Here's George with the town mascot (Grey squirrel.)
I also visited Palm Springs on this break and rode the tram back up again into the alpine forest -- much easier this time! (PK and San Jacinto Peak.) Here's another picture looking down the crest of the range. (Desert Divide.)
Rested after my zero day I hiked past the creamy boulders of Penrod Canyon, shown here in the mid-ground against the snowy crest of the high country. (Long Vista.) As the trail climbed, pines returned, replacing chapparal and cactus. Weighing in at over five pounds apiece were the cones of the Coulter pine, the heaviest pine cones in the world. (Photo of cones next to my hiking gloves.)
As I got to the crest, the so-called "Desert Divide," the wind became furious, likely over fifty mph; it was a struggle just to stay on the trail. To escape this fury I dropped down a side trail to Live Oak Spring at the bottom of this valley. (Sawtooth ridge.) Even in the shelter of the forest, my tent rattled all night in the wind.
I ascended back to the Desert Divide the next day and came across many trees "flagged" by the strong wind. (Photo of tree shaped by the wind.) I also got closer views of the snow awaiting me. (Basin with snow.) The PCT descended through a lush forest of incense cedar to Fobes Saddle, where I spent the next night, and then shot almost straight up to Spitler peak, entering the San Jacinto Wilderness. (Sign.)
It was slow going through a jumble of cliffs and canyons. (View north.) The next night I stayed right on the knife-edge of the Desert Divide, looking east thousands of feet below to the desert of Palm Springs. (Photo of crest; view down to desert.) Tiny patches of snow lingered in the shadows of the east-facing cliffs -- more a novelty than a problem.
This next picture shows the PCT winding around Red Tahquitz, the peak with the iron color. (Dark peak.) Around this corner, at over 8,000' in elevation the trail entered a north-facing basin -- and disappeared beneath a blanket of deep snow! For a while I followed the main path of footsteps in the snow but soon the steps began to scatter. Plus, I was starting to break through the crust with first one foot and then the other -- a dangerous practice called "postholing."
So I stopped, took a food and water break and assessed what to do. My goal was to reach a side trail to the PCT at a place called Saddle Junction, where I could then descend to the town
of Idyllwild. I decided to follow a stream and drop about 1,000' in elevation to where the snow was patchy and I could walk safely on bare ground. Having done that, I stopped again and used my map and compass to set a bearing that would take me to Saddle Junction. I determined this to be North-Northwest or about 280 degrees.
According to the map it looked to be about two miles of cross-country hiking on this bearing to reach Saddle Junction. The map also showed that this route would cross the Caramba Trail, which also led to Saddle Junction (although finding an unblazed trail in snowy woods was not something I should count on.) I used my digital compass to follow the bearing (and had a manual compass in reserve) and hiked across meadows, through brush and around ravines.
At a rest stop I spied a sign in the distance. I rushed over to it. It was a marked trail junction for the Caramba Trail and a trail to Skunk Cabbage Meadow. This located me exactly on the map and put me on the trail to Saddle Junction. Oh Happy Day!
It was still a challenge to follow the trail through the snow but at least I was not postholing. Plus the route went through stands of massive Jeffrey pine. (One delight of this tree is that if you put your nose next to the bark and take a deep breath it smells like butterscotch.) By mid-afternoon I got to Saddle Junction and began down the many switchbacks on the Devil's Slide trail to town. En route I admired the sheer granite face of Lily Rock, a magnet for rock climbers in S. CA. (Lily Rock.) Some local folks gave me a ride to my motel and before long I was digging into a yummy trout dinner and calming down after the drama of the day.
Idyllwild is a charming mountain town, with everything a thru-hiker could want. Here's me at the town center. (PK with totem pole.) On Friday night I went to an informative talk by Bill Havert with the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy about their local efforts to purchase land critical for wildlife and recreation. Saturday the town had a fair to celebrate Earth Day with music and booths for environmental causes. I met the new local staff for The Wilderness Society, Geary Hund, who will work to oversee the planning for the new Santa Rosa San Jacinto
National Monument recently established by Congress for the area.
Coming back from the library on Saturday morning I heard a familiar voice behind me, wheeled around and it was George -- alive and well but looking totally exhausted. He had gotten lost when he hit the snow and spent a night off trail. Fortunately he came upon some folks with navigational skills and followed them out. He said he was doing one more section of the PCT and asked if we could team up. We agreed to bypass the next dozen or so miles of the snowbound PCT and resume our hike where the trail began to descend from the high country. Here's George with the town mascot (Grey squirrel.)
I also visited Palm Springs on this break and rode the tram back up again into the alpine forest -- much easier this time! (PK and San Jacinto Peak.) Here's another picture looking down the crest of the range. (Desert Divide.)
posted by peterkirby at
7:35 PM
