Hey Dad - Can We Go for a Hike?

Oh my, oh my. Music to my ears. For a while now my daughter has been voicing some interest in hiking. So, when she asked if we could go, I jumped all over the opportunity. I shoved her in the car on Saturday and sped off to REI to get her some hiking boots (Note: It wasn't really *that* spur of the moment - but by the same token I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.)

My training plan called for 8 miles on Sunday. The thought of more miles on the San Diego Creek trail or around the Back Bay wasn't exactly appealing. So - why not mix it up a little? And my daughter gave me all the excuse I needed. We were up early and out the door at 6AM to drive over to Palm Springs for a little jaunt up in the hills.

Now, when most think about Palm Springs, they think about heat and desert. Palm Springs is truly one of Southern California's desert resort gems. But, just a short distance from the desert heat is an alpine wonderland. That wonderland is the Mt. San Jacinto State Park, and it is easily accessed by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - whisking riders from Valley Station at 2,643 feet elevation up to Desert View Station at 8,510 feet elevation is just about 7 minutes. The gem of the Park is its namesake - Mt. San Jacinto at 10,834 feet elevation. By riding the tram up the mountain, one can cut the walk to an 11 mile round trip with about 2,300 foot elevation gain.

The day was absolutely beautiful. We were on the second tram up the mountain at 8:30. Temperatures were in the mid 60's, skies were clear, and the vistas breathtaking. We made our way through the heavily forested slopes the first two miles to Round Valley.



This is where one of the rarities in Southern California exists - a year round spring with cool refreshing water.

We then continued on another mile and a half to the spectacular views to the East at Wellman's Divide, where, even though it was a hazy day, we could clearly see the Salton Sea in the distance.




From here, we climbed another 1,000 vertical feet over two more miles to the summit hut.





From there, it was a scramble up the last 100 feet to the summit. The hazy day still allowed magnificent views.

There is a 270 degree view from the top. We were able to take in everything from the Salton Sea to the Southeast to the highest point in Southern California - Mt. San Gorgonio (11,499 feet).

We dropped back to the comfort of the summit hut and enjoyed our PBJ sandwiches and snacks before starting our way back down the hill. In 2 hours we were back at the spring in Round Valley, where I broke out the water purifier and refilled a couple of nalgene bottles.

From there it was two more downhill miles back to the tram station, where out last hurdle remained - a 100 foot hike back up to Desert View station for the ride back down.

And speaking of a ride! We started at Desert View station in beautiful 72 degree weather. By the time we got back down to the Valley Station 6,000 feet below, we gained 26 degrees! That's right! 98 degrees at 5PM! Check out the video and enjoy the ride (complete with the music that plays in the Gondola during the ride)!

That put the cap on a great week. The hike was enough of a workout at a high enough elevation that I was able to put in 11 miles at an average heart rate of 65% of max. Totals mileage for the week - 46! Not bad for coming back from a cold! Not to mention some quality time with my dear daughter!