The Right Stuff

May 8, 1999

by Richard J. Hughes and Mark Adrian

Do you have what it takes?

This past Saturday ten of us set out to find out. By late afternoon only three of us were left. We were marching numbly along the trail fixated on the comfortable chairs and the cold, refreshing drinks that were presently denied to us. Most of all we just wanted to rest.

There are few places in Southern California where one can find serious, sustained elevation gain. Two of the classics are Telescope Peak from Death Valley and White Mountain from Bishop. On both these hikes one can "enjoy" over 10K' interrupted gain. Both these options, however, present a long drive and car-shuttle problems. Yet right here in our own back yard is a third option, Mt. San Jacinto. San Jack, as it is affectionately known, soars to a height of 10,804' above the Coachella Valley.

Towering above Palm Springs, San Jack could be considered a desert peak, the subalpine greenery in which it is crowned contrasting sharply with the artificial greenery of the innumerable golf courses that lie supplicant at its feet. One option for a sustained climb of San Jack is Snow Creek, which also happens to afford the finest snow climb in Southern California. Climbing Snow Creek requires a good snow pack and either some creative stealthing or an inordinate amount of trouble to gather the three necessary permits. An alternate route with much easier access is what we call the "Sunrise Trail", which might be the same as the "Chino" trail mentioned in John Robinson's book, "San Bernardino Mountain Trails". The trailhead is shared by a spur trail named the Lyken Trail after Carl Lyken of Palm Springs. It lies at an elevation of 520' on the west end of Ramon Road (the alternative start is at the Desert Museum a little further to the north, but this option is considerably steeper). The Sunrise Trail really begins at the highest point of the Lyken trail and is marked by a boulder painted with an admonition that the next water lies 8 miles and 10 hours hiking time up the mountain.

Ten devotees of pain and suffering met at Ramon Road between 4.30 - 5.00 am Saturday morning and the race was on. This was not a race to beat each other, or even to beat the clock, but rather a race to beat the heat. The most defiant of the sign that warned to bring a minimum gallon and a half of water was Patsy Hughes who started the hike with a miserly 2 quarts of water and a light weight umbrella for extra shade. By 6 am, or dawn, we had already gained about 1,500 feet elevation and we managed to stay comfortably abreast of the rising heat during the remainder of the day even as our pace inexorably slowed. We took a brunch break at around 5,800 feet and hourly food and water breaks to help maintain our stamina. The air was surprisingly clear and the breeze cool. We reached the rim of Long Valley between noon and 1 pm, depending on individual speeds, and rested there for lunch. The upper tram station was close by and already represented 8,000' of vertical ascent. The summit of San Jack, on the other hand, was 6 miles distant and marked another 2,500' of gain and suffering.

Most everyone in the group had a good reason for not continuing. They had commitments elsewhere, they were too tired or the siren call of the Mountain Bar was just too hard to resist. Only Mark, Richard and Patsy were determined. We refilled our water bottles, obtained the requisite permit and set out again at 1 pm. We took the trail to Long Valley, to Wellman Divide and finally to the summit. Scrambling, albeit a little wobbly-kneed, on the summit boulders we finally reached our destination. We looked around and it was good. Oh boy was it good!

We tottered off the summit at 5 pm, signed the cabin register and headed down. With new sets of muscles kicking into gear we made good time, reaching the upper tram station at 7 pm. We must have been a sorry sight though as we struggled up those final flights of stairs to the bar/restaurant level and collapsed on the bar stools. But we had made it. Mark's Avocet had recorded a cumulative elevation gain of 10,600' and we had hiked 21 miles. With breaks, lunch and other misc. stops, our time was 14 hours.

While waiting for the 7:45 pm tram down we struck up a conversation with a delightful couple who, it turned out, lived on Ramon Road. They ever so kindly gave us a ride back to our car in their plush, new sedan along with insights into the Palm Springs lifestyle along the way. We drove home after eating in one of the less trendy restaurants, but at least they allowed us entry. We arrived back home about 11:45 pm. Since we had left San Diego at 3 in the morning (it really didn't feel like it was the same day) this trip qualifies as a dayhike in every sense of the word.

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