Should a person wish for a big finish, then 12 miles in length and 2,400 feet elevation gain comes close, particularly the former. Eighteen kilometers sounds even better, a bigger number relates to some eighteen tired muscles. The distance put us at the top of the mountain, we nearly said the world, with spectacular views in all directions, including Salton Sea, Palomar and a host of other places and mountains, not forgetting the Coachella Valley below. Unfortunately, the cameras did not agree with us and that proved to be disappointing.
One of the best experiences of the day, after completing a tough hike, is to soak oneself in a hot tub, have the editor massage the shoulders and especially, the feet. Well, one of three is not too bad, we suppose—you know when you ‘ain’t got it’.
We have been extremely fortunate with weather. Our idea initially was to follow the sun within the parameters established by region. Except for the Yosemite area, we have not been disappointed on a single day although we have experienced cold, snow and ice but no rain. Since leaving the Sierras in late October, the days have been more akin to spring than autumn/winter. Yes, we have been lucky.
We are most impressed with the mountain ranges in the desert cities. The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto ranges and others are staggering. We remember spending a night in May when we met our good friend (can a person have a bad friend?) Colyn Levin, visiting from the old country. We noticed the size and shapes of the mountains as we drove through this area. We took note and just like our visit to the San Francisco Mountain Range in Flagstaff, we returned to tackle this one. Next trip we will be climbing the Flagstaff Mountains in San Francisco. If you are reading this last sentence, then our editor is cutting us a lot of slack. That kind of dumb comment is something she hates—apparently, we like them.
We’ve noticed that if you show the Swiss a mountain, the first thing they suggest is opening a restaurant at the top. However, before that, they will build a tramway or cable-car. That’s what they did in Palm Springs and Sandia in New Mexico and many other places. We rode the car up today to begin the hike. We suggested to our editor that we should consider hiking from the bottom one day—we had no idea it is possible although it looks almost impossible. The engineering is enough to ‘knock one’s socks off’. We always arrive with the same question when we see the results of man’s best endeavors. How is a specie able to produce such wonders simultaneously with degradation, destruction and cruelty?
The mountains are granite monsters. Wherever one treads in this area, it is as if one is walking on ‘kitchen counters’. The amount of granite in the Sierras and over here seems limitless. Our experience today was superb, a little long because the gradient, although strenuous, could be a little steeper to reduce length. We reached the peak in under two-and-half hours and back in two. For us, we think that’s a pretty good time but then again there was no ice on the wonderful trail.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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